Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.

A good cupcake, starts with a good recipe. There are so many recipes on the internet, all giving a slightly different cupcake. Some are for a light and fluffy cupcakes, some are for cupcakes with domed tops, some are sweet, some are not, some are doughy, or crumbly or dense.

My cupcake has a flat top, which is perfect for decorating. My cupcake is sweet. My cupcake tastes like childhood. It is soft, but holds it's shape. It is moist and delicious... every time.

If you're an "I don't follow a recipe" baker, and you don't follow this recipe, to the gram, and then comment, that it doesn't work out, I will get stabby.

If you are a new baker, or an old baker with no skill, then read through the recipe twice, before you begin. Understand what you have to do, ask questions if you don't understand something. I check in often, so you won't be waiting long for an answer.

This recipe makes 24 extraordinary Vanilla Cupcakes

Note: I don't use brand name ingredients, but I do use fresh eggs. I have chooks, so most of the time, they are warm from a chooks bum.

About 2 hours before you start, get your eggs and butter out of the fridge to get to room temperature.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup butter (not margarine)
2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 milk


Method

1) PREHEAT your oven to 190degrees C. DONT FORGET! (I often forget this step)
2) Put patty pan cases into trays.
3) Sift flours and salt into a large bowl, set aside
4) With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla and eggs, and beat until the mixture has doubled in size and it very pale yellow.
5) Add the milk, but don't mix.
6) Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and begin to fold in a small amount of flour. Doing about 1/2 cup at a time, mix in the flour.
7) Using an ice cream scoop, or 1/3 of a cup measuring cup, put the batter into the patty pans.
8) Put into the oven, and then turn the oven down to 170 degrees C. Bake for 17-20 mins (depending on if you have a fan forced oven).



Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1/4 cup of room temperature butter
170 g cream cheese at room temperature
4 cups icing mixture, sifted
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1) Beat butter and cream cheese together with the vanilla.
2) Add a little of the icing mixture at a time, beating well.
3) Beat on high for about 4-6 mins, until the frosting is very light and fluffy.

When the cupcakes are cool, pipe on frosting using a large nozzle. Decorate with hand made fondant decorations, and people will be very impressed.

Tears Before 7am

After getting back from a morning walk, trying to change who I am, because I'm fat. Because people have told me so since I was 8. Because I quit Ballet because I didn't look like the other girls. Because I never let on how the taunts hurt me. Because I was the girl who smiled and shrugged it off. Because I wasn't the girl who cared what people thought. Because I sought love from strangers to validate my beauty. Because I found a man who loves me even though I'm flawed. Because when I was pregnant with all my babies, the Doctors insisted on monitoring my healthy babies closely because I was fat. Because I left every antenatal appointment in tears, and my confidence of being a good mother was shattered. Because I watch the Biggest Loser and they say that they can't keep up with their children, because they're fat.

I came home, to this, posted by a friend. Posted by someone who knows what this is like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ltun92DfnPY

Please, watch it. Watch it when you have time to cry. Don't keep reading, unless you've watch it, thought about it, shared it.

Sara wrote, that this deserves to go viral. It does.



This is my important part.

And they'll never understand that she's raising two kids, whose definition of beauty begins with the word Mom. Because they see her heart, before they see her skin. Because she has only ever, always been amazing.

What a morning. Sometimes things just confront you when you don't expect it.

What was your part. What are your thoughts?

Chicken Noodle Soup with Croutons and Chicken Kiev with Roast Vegetables.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Croutons and Chicken Kiev with Roast Vegetables.

The weather is cooling down in Australia, and the food is warming up. I love Winter, where it's publicly acceptable to eat soup. I eat soup throughout the year, because I just can't help myself.

This feeds all six of us, but the Kiev isn't a favourite with the kids. When we're having them, they get a sausage, or a plain thigh, baked in the oven, smeared with a bit of tomato sauce.

Ingredients

3 cloves of garlic (2 for the kievs, 1 for the soup)
1 Tbls chopped herbs (I use Italian Parsley and Chives)
4 Tbls butter (not margarine) softened
2-3L chicken stock (home made or pre-bought- but don't use stock cubes only)
about 1kg fresh chicken thighs (or breasts- but thighs are flavour filled and inexpensive. Breasts will leave you with  "prettier" chicken.) You need 1 for each person for the kiev, and at least 4 for the soup.  No pre-frozen pieces (I cheated for the soup, and used a roast chicken from Coles)
2 chicken or bacon stock cubes
4 large potatoes, peeled
4 carrots, peeled
1 onion, diced (for soup)
1 onion quartered (for roast)
2 stalks of celery, diced
Pumpkin (for roast)
1 cup of frozen peas and corn combination
1/2 loaf of day old bread (unsliced preferably- I love sour dough cob loaf- but if you don't have these, just normal sliced bread will do)
Olive Oil
1-2 eggs, seasoned and beaten together
300g spaghetti broken into 3cm(ish) pieces
2 Tbls corn flour, mixed with 2Tbls warm water to make a paste


Method:

Day One

1) Start by making your garlic butter. To do this simply combine butter, herbs and 2 cloves of garlic. I use my stick blender, and wazz it until smooth. Put butter onto a piece of cling wrap and roll it into a thin log, and put it in the fridge. You want it to be able the thickness of your thumb.

2) Put the chicken stock onto boil in a large pot. Add whole chicken thighs, celery, 2 carrots, finely diced, onion, garlic, stock cubes and 1/2 a diced potato. Simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through, about 20mins.

3) Meanwhile, place the rest of the vegetables, cut into roasting sized pieces into water, and put into the fridge.

4) Take half of your bread, and mix it in a food processor, and add some salt and pepper. You can also add herbs, if you want to be fancy. Add a little olive oil to bring it together. Cut the rest of the bread into cubes, place on a tray, and drizzle on a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven on a low heat, until croutoney.

5) When your butter is firm enough to cut, take the cling wrap off, and cut to size. Wrap it inside your chicken thigh. If you're using breast, you need to make a cut and stuff it inside.

4) Dunk the chicken in the egg mixture. Coat the chicken into the bread crumb, back into the egg, and back into the crumb. Double crumbing will ensure the crumbs stick, and go nice and crunchy. Pro tip- use one hand for egg, one hand for crumb, and you wont end up with it on your hands, and none on the chicken. Wrap in cling wrap, and put in the freezer until tomorrow night.

5) Take your chicken out of the soup, and skim the weird stuff off the top of the liquid. Using a fork, shred chicken and put back into the soup. Add your corn flour paste, and stir well. When your soup thickens, add the noodles, and cook for the required amount of time for the noodles to cook.

6) Get the kids serves out well in advance, and let cool. Serve and allow everyone to add their own croutons... it's the best bit!


Day Two

1) Put chicken, potato and pumpkin into a roasting dish. Dress vegetables with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook chicken kiev from frozen. Cook for 40-60 mins in a moderate oven (180degree C). When there is 20mins to go, add carrots, and if you're cooking sausages for the kids, pop them into the roasting dish too. They will need turning at 10mins to go.

Just before serving, microwave peas and corn in water, until hot.

With time and money a scarcity at the moment, I've decided to do a series of meals, that I'm going to call,

Two For The Price Of One.

 

 

I'm not talking about dollar value, but time value. I can cook or prepare both of these meals, and they will both use similar ingredients in a different way. One I will make for dinner on the night, and the other will be tomorrows dinner.

I'd love to have your meals featured (yes you!) so if you'd like to contribute, comment below, email me at alishaluxford@hotmail.com or contact me at our Facebook Page.  

 

 This page, will be an index to all the Two For The Price Of One meals. Just click on the link you want, and it will lead you there.

1) Sausage Curry with Rice and Echidna Rissoles with Vegetables
2) Chicken Noodle Soup with Croutons, and Chicken Kiev with Roast Vegetables

Sausage Curry with Rice and Echidna Rissoles with Vegetables

Sausage Curry with Rice and Echidna Rissoles with Vegetables

This is the first post in the Two For The Price of One meals that I'm doing. You can view the others by clicking here.

These meals will generously feed 4, with a serve left over for lunch.


Ingredients

3 cups of basmati rice
10-12 thick beef sausages
2 large onions, diced
1 tin diced, organic tomatoes (the organic makes all the difference to the flavour)
2 tsp Keens Curry Powder (or whichever brand you prefer)
3 Tbl plain flour
2 cups water or stock
1/2 tub of cream cheese
1/4 cup of canola oil
500-700g (1 pound) minced (ground) beef
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half (place this in a bowl of water in the fridge to stop it going brown)
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup frozen peas (but use half a cup per meal)
1 cup frozen corn (but use half a cup for each meal)
Any other vegetables you want, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, pumpkin, etc (prepare them, but store these for Day Two).
Salt and Pepper to season
1 egg
3 Tbls tomato sauce


Method

Day One

1) In a large pot, boil the rice as per the instructions on the packet.
2) Heat 3 Tbls oil in the fry pan, and fry sausages until cooked all the way through. While these are cooking, peel and cut vegetables, and onion.
3) When they're cooked, take out of the pan, and sauté 1 onion with a little oil for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add curry powder and plain flour and cook until aromatic.
4) Slowly add a bit of your water or stock, and stir until thickened. Add the rest, and stir through. Add half the carrots- put the remaining into the fridge with the potatoes and other vegetables.
5) Slice the sausages into bite size rounds, and add to the sauce. Add the tin of tomatoes, and cover and simmer for 10 mins.  (do step 6-7-8 in this time) Then, add your peas, and corn to the curry sausages, and stir in the cream cheese. Leave simmer for 5 minutes
6) Meanwhile, drain the rice, and rinse.
7) In a large bowl add mince, 1 onion, tomato sauce, egg, salt and pepper and 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice. Mix well with your hands.
8) Form large rounds, and place on a plate into the fridge, covered in cling wrap.
9) Serve Curry Sausages over the rice, and garnish with some fresh parsley if you want to be fancy.


Day Two

1) Steam your veggies as per usual.
2) Fry your Echidna rissoles, in a little oil that covers the bottom of the pan (or you can BBQ them)
3) If you want, serve the Echidna rissoles with gravy or some tomato sauce to dunk in.


Our kids love both of these meals, and I usually prepare them on the same day, when I know the following day will be busy. I love making two meals at once, as it's me who reaps the rewards. The more organised we are, the happier we all are.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you to these websites for providing the pictures- All Recipes and food.com

No Bake Chocolate Ripple Cake

Australia Day is approaching, and it's at this time of year, we love to proudly display anything that's remotely Australian. Now... I'm down with the snags on a barbie(1), with a bit of dead horse(2), I'm loving the lamington(3) and the vegemite sandwich (4). But, I've never tried the one dish, that I think only Aussies know about. I've trolled the web looking for similar ideas from other countries, and the closest I've come across, isn't really the same thing. So, I'm putting a big stamp of Aussie Aussie Aussie (Oi Oi Oi) on this one, and calling it ours.
"Tell me what it is!" I hear you say in anticipation.

It's the No Bake Chocolate Ripple Cake. You can actually just get the recipe off the back of the packet in Australia, but I thought I would share it with the world.

Ingredients

1 packet of Arnott's Chocolate Ripple Biscuits. The "cookies" you could use to replace them would need to be quite dry and crunchy. They have a crumbly texture. Oreo's wouldn't work well for example, because they need to act like a sponge to absorb the cream.
250mL of thickened cream
2 Tbls icing (confectioners) sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean extract (or vanilla essence)









This what the biscuit looks like.





Method

1) Beat the cream until it forms stiff peaks.











2) Spread a bit of cream onto a platter that you want to serve the cake on. Spread some cream onto the back side of a biscuit. Sandwich the top side of another biscuit onto the cream and keep going to form a log of cream filled biscuits.












3) Cover the entire thing with more cream. Loosely cover the log with al foil (aluminium foil), and place log in fridge for at least 6 hours.

4) Slice on an angle when you're ready to serve so you get a pretty(ish) stripe.

5) You can fancy it up and dust over coco powder, sprinkle on raspberries or just eat the hell out of it.

Let me know if you can think of a brand and type of biscuit from the country that you're from that would work, and I'll add it to the blog.

If you try it, let me know what you think!








(1) Sausages on a BBQ
(2) Victorian for tomato sauce (ketchup) 
(3) Recipe

I think my duck has rickets... please help.

Over the past few days, I thought my duck had duck depression. She wasn't all flappy and lovely, she wasn't keeping herself clean and beautiful like she normally does... she wasn't even coming to greet me at the gate...

Then yesterday, she couldn't even walk at all. She laid an egg where she sat, not in her normal home.

It's tick season here, so I searched and searched for a tick, and that's no easy feat on a duck, and I couldn't find anything.

I then searched for mites in her bedding, nothing, but I sprayed anyway. I made sure she had no cuts or broken bones in her legs (as best I could) and I made sure she was eating and drinking, which she was when I put her over to her food.

Next I put her in a warmish bath and let her swim around a bit, and she has fine use of her legs in the water.

I've attached the following to help with diagnosis, although I'm fairly sure it's rickets. Other opinions would be great.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check list was taken from here.

BASIC CHECK LIST FOR THE SICK BIRD
Please answer these brief questions below, so we can help you as soon as possible.

Age:9 months
Breed: Muscovy Duck
Sex: Female

Your Location- country, state (different areas/climates have different problems)
ANSWER: Queensland, Australia

What is wrong? What symptoms have you noted? - As much detail as possible please.
ANSWER: Cant use her feet, shuffling along on "elbows"?

Full droppings description.- colour, consistency, frequency, offensive smell.
ANSWER: Slighly runny, greenish colour, stinky, but normal. No worms.

Respiratory Changes?- eg. breathing sounds, discharge, laboured breathing, facial swelling
ANSWER: None seen

Digestive Changes?- eg. eating, drinking, crop filling & emptying
ANSWER: No

Condition Changes?- eg. Weight, comb/wattle colour, skin, feathering
ANSWER: Drinking and eating, although I think she's lighter than normal. Breast bone feelable.

Behavioural Changes?- inc. socialising, laying, crowing, broodiness
ANSWER: None

Agility Changes? - eg. any lameness, favouring, energy levels
ANSWER: Lethargic. Not walking at all, but you can see she's trying to.

Describe your usual worming routine and products. Do you have a cycle that you use eg. every 3 months, or every six months?
ANSWER: Have never wormed the ducks

Any other recent medications?- antibiotics, coccidiosis meds, herbal remedies, etc
ANSWER: None

Other changes? – additions to the flock, diet, housing, extreme weather
ANSWER: It's been very hot here lately (temps 35C) but I've been putting ice in their fresh water every day, and they have plenty of shade, and dusty areas. She lives with two chickens, and they get along well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm new to duck ownership, and this one was thrown on me. I feel horrible that I think she's missing something in her diet that's making her so sick.

I have some questions:

1) What do you think it is?
2) What are some natural/home remedies that I can do to add vitamin D and calcium in her diet.
3) Am I supposed to feed ducks differently to chickens?
4) Any links that might be of use?
5) Actually, any information at all that's useful to duck ownership.

 

 

These two pictures show her trying to walk... see how she's on her elbows and not her feet?

 

Good Food, Good Wine and Great Company

Yesterday, my sister-in-sortof-law and I went to the Food and Wine Expo on the Gold Coast. Belinda and I like Moscato so, we're not your average wine cognisors... being that we don't really like posh wine. We bought our tickets for $4.50, left the 6 children with the Dads and we went off to have a romping good time.

We met up with some girlfriends for a brief time, and watched two former Master Chef contestants cook up a storm. Firstly, Courtney Roulston prepared amazing granite belt lamb, coated in dukkah on top of a bed of cous-cous with egg plant and lots of fresh herbs. She also made a couple of dressings. She was so inspirational, giving the audience plenty of doable ideas for mid week meals, and even breakfasts using cous-cous. While I have seen people cooking cous-cous on TV so many times, I haven't thought to try it myself, because it's not something I am used to cooking. Believe me, the sampler was amazing! I loved the greek yoghurt dressing for the lamb, and while I'd leave the coriander out of the cous-cous, I loved the freshness and texture of the whole dish. She presented it in the way I love best, bang it on a platter. It was really impressive.

However, Justine Schofield took "cooking" to the next level, by not cooking at all! She showed us how to make Ceviche, which is fish that is cooked in lemon juice. Belinda and I were very sceptical. In fact, we thought Ms Schofield might have been telling us whoppers. But, before our eyes, even in the short amount of time we were there, we saw the opaque Snapper slices turn white. I'm not sure if I'll give this a go, but it was really interesting to see.

Something I will do (probably many times) is make CREPES! She taught us of her recipe, which is simple as 1, 2, 3.


Justine Schofield's Crepe Recipe.

1 cup of plain flour (sifted)
2 cups of milk
3 eggs
(and a little sugar for sweet ones).

In a bowl, make a well in the centre of the flour.
Crack the eggs in, and whisk gently to bring in a small amount of flour from around the edges of your well.
Slowly add the milk and whisk until combined.
Crepe batter should be the consistency of pouring cream.
Spray a medium hot pan with non-stick spray and pour half a ladle full of batter into the centre of the pan, and very quickly swirl the mixture around until it's coated the bottom and up the skids of the pan.
WAIT and have patience. The crepe will come away at the sides, and start to turn golden at the edge. It shouldn't need much coaxing to get to it to move freely around the pan when cooked.

You can serve crepes savoury or sweet. Fill with cheese, ham spinach etc, or top with lemon and sugar, syrup and ice-cream or strawberries and chocolate sauce.

Justine told us of a family tradition, of holding a gold coin in your hand, and if you flip the crepe evenly, you'll have a prosperous and lucky year. Well, I'm pretty lucky anyway, but I volunteered to hop up on stage, and give it a go.

 

I did it... yeah, the only one out of the three women who tried... first time.. bam, flipped. Looks like the luck will continue!

 

I was really excited to meet Justine. I have series recorded her show, Everyday Gourmet and loved her on MasterChef. Just by seeing her demonstration, I feel more inspired to love the food I cook for my family, and to try new things.

 

 

 



Now, this brings us until about 12pm, so the rest of the afternoon will be summarised quickly, I promise.

Belinda and I lost the girls for a while, but we had such a great time.

Now, it's not like Belinda and I are uncultured, or it's not like we were really drunk, but we were really appreciated the glasses of water some of the vendors were giving us between the samples... It wasn't until we followed some posh men who tipped their water out into the provided buckets that we realised we weren't supposed to be drinking it! Belinda laughed so hard, she tipped her wine water down the front of her dress!

All in all, I loved the day, and the night, hanging out with some great people, and eating and drinking some great food.

My selection of delicious items you MUST try if you get the chance are as follows. (BY the way none of these endorsements are being paid for with merchandise or cash... but you know, if they want to flick some products my way, I will give them away in a competition).


 





Fehlbergs have combined the best of pickled onions, and onions on the BBQ and puts them in a little jar for you to nom on plain, or to use in cooking. I'm intending on smearing these little beauties on some bruschetta.

They also had marinated garlic, which I'm kicking myself I didn't buy.





Sirromet wines have released a range that's perfect for a hot QLD Summer. The "Love my" range comes in a "sweet lite red", a "sweet fruity white" and a "sweet sparkling rose". Sirromet Winery is located at Mt Cotton, so not too far to drive to visit and they do tours! I have two passes, and if anyone would sincerely like to go there to do a tour and tasting, let me know and the tickets are yours.

They are the type of wine I like. Easy to drink and they actually taste good.

 This Roza's Gourmet Sauces, Aioli garlic mayonnaise is amazing. In fact, the entire range was amazing. I could have spent all my money on their goodies. You can buy this is lots of locations, but on the Gold Coast, it's at Harbour Side Market (across the road from Harbour Town). If you want to try some, click here, to find a stockist near you.

This was a bit of a random buy. It's beautiful though. A pink Moscato (I think the only one that was at the expo) made by Hidden Creek on the Granite Belt.

 Apple vodka... yeah. Need I say more? The website for Keglevich is in Russian, so you know it's gotta be good. We mixed it with lemonade and it was pretty great. Belinda got a melon one, and I tried the blood orange, mixed with cranberry juice and it was delicious.

Lastly, I bought Chris a port. It's called Moonshine Madness by Heritage Wines. It's a coffee chocolate liqueur port made with a fortified wine base, and I must say, not the most epic drink for a 35 degree day, but it'll go down very nicely in Winter time. I'm all about planning for the future.

 

Facebook Drama, Equality In Marriage and a *bit* of a rant.

Press Play Same Love- The quotes used throughout are from this song.

I would like to think that I surround myself with tolerant and understanding people. People who want fairness and equality. People who believe in a goodness and people who at least try not to hurt others.

Recently, on Facebook (doesn't most drama start there now days?) a "friend" reposted something that I had, a nice quote by a man, and used the terms "cock sucker", "how gay" and "fag". The man is a famous man, and isn't homosexual, but even if he was, using the type of words that she used, is really unacceptable. Using it in that context, "Gay is synonymous with the lesser". I deleted her, and her husband. I don't want to be associated with people like that.

However, it has got me thinking, about the "breeding out hate" thoughts that I have. I figured that most people in my generation, are more accepting that those in my parents or grandparents. The older generations have an excuse whether they fear the difference or the unknown I can understand that they don't know how to accept people who are homosexual. But today, there is no excuse. You don't have to be gay to fight for this. "It's human rights for everybody"... "Fight for humans who have had their rights stolen".

"It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion, gender to skin colour". We'll look back at this inequality and be ashamed it didn't stop sooner. Change is inevitable, I truly believe that.

The woman I have now deleted, has three beautiful children. It pains me to think "some kids would rather die than be who they are". Stop it. Change it. Do what's right. Stop the prejudice, change the mindset, and enforce the laws. Allow gay people to marry. Not just in civil union, but really be man and man, or wife and wife. I was not married in a church, and I'm not suggesting that the Church must allow homosexual people to be married within their religions. They are their own governing body, but they should not rule what the rest of the population must abide by.

The arguments are clear. They are everywhere in pop culture. People, and I dare say the majority of reasonable people want this to happen.

I think the first step in the right direction is to change the laws. After all, the movement to free the slaves was a majority movement, but wasn't until the law changed that it must be accepted by all. It was the same as woman's rights. Laws must change before they can be enforced.

The next thing to change is the mind set of people. Using "that's gay" means that being gay is a negative thing. Being yourself, while not harming others, can not be a bad thing. Expressing love, can not be a bad thing. Pull your kids up when they say it, explain to them why they shouldn't be using that terminology. I'd rather my kids not speak at all or drop the f bomb than use derogatory language. Children follow our lead, so be the best example you can be.

Sign petitions, rally, make a difference, get the message out to your politicians wherever you live in this world. Stop it, change it, do what's right.


Australian Marriage Equality-  A quick link to email your local politician. I did, and I got a personalised response. I now know that I am supporting a man who believes in what I think is important and is willing to fight for it.

Marriage Equality USA- State by state laws and updates as well as what's happening in the media and rallies.

Same Sex Marriage in Canada- Keep up to date

Equal Marriage Rights UK- Email your MP feature as well as up to date news and events as well as a good structured legal case.



And just to leave it on a light note, another friend of mine posted a sign with this on fb. It turns out, there are many images on the internet with this little funny in it, but I do love an ecardlol.

Here is a write up on the economic value of weddings, and what it would mean to Australia in dollars.

You're Such A Home Owner

You know you're a home owner when...

Going to the hardware store is the most fun outing on the weekend.

You have a list of things you'd like to do to the house, that probably will never get done (kitchen renovation anyone?)

You know different types of grasses by sight.

You know the difference between duck egg and powder blue.

When driving around, you say things like, "that house has nice street appeal".

Window coverings are no longer psychedelic sheets.

You have so many insurances it's unbelievable- and what's more unbelievable is the amount of time you've spent shopping around for the best price.

You care about the condition of your roof, and know what pointing is.

You want feature walls- but can't decide if they are going to date too quickly.

You have a Pinterest board dedicated to housey type design.

You know how to spell mortgage- and how many years you have left on yours.

You know the date you signed the contract, and the date you moved in.

You want to store things in the roof, knowing that you'll probably not see them for years and years.



What else are you guilty of, now you're a home owner?