September, according to my iPhone

I ate fresh food, and liked it.

But I also indulged a little, and discovered a place less than a kilometre from home that makes American burgers. Yum!

I wore the same dress for seven days, and survived.

We took a trip to the City, where Lacey ate pancakes by the handful.

Lacey seemed to grow up quicker than any month before. Somebody stop her!

We spent a week in the Country. Perfect skies every single day,

We enjoyed the rare glimpse at spring and spent some time down by the beach.

I attended a dinner event hosted by Electrolux, and got a bit starstruck by Peter Gilmore {chef of the year} who made us caramel french toast. Delish.

My favourite moment of September? Lacey started sleeping in her own bed. And she likes it. Three nights this week I had her in bed with me because she was sick, and she woke sad that she wasn't in her own bed. I feel like a different person!


What was your favourite moment this month?

The dieting dance

Sitting around the dinner table at a friend's house for my first ever sleepover, we ate dinner. I was giddy with excitement. My first ever sleepover. I was eight. And I was excited. I sat with my friend and her two brothers, as well as her mum and her dad. I was the odd one out, all the kids were skinny and I, well ... I wasn't. The dad called me Miss Piggy, jesting me about my size. My heart sank and I immediately wanted to go home.

I was 11 when I started eating my dad's Jenny Craig food in an attempt to be thinner. I took it to school with me and tried to hide it from my friends.

I was 12 when I started my first crash diet. I wanted to be thin before starting high school. I spent my entire summer holidays dreaming up ways to get skinny, quickly. I failed.

I was 14 when I first joined a weight loss club. I lost 4kg in my first week and after the leader announced it, the whole room applauded.

On the eve of my 30th birthday, after almost 22 years of dieting, I was exhausted. Each Monday I'd wake full of hope, eager to start a new diet. Full of promise and self-belief. Every Tuesday I belittled myself and labeled myself a failure. I decided I was saying no to dieting from my thirties and beyond. I was done. I didn't want to diet again. I didn't want to feel like a failure. And just like that I gave up dieting.

And then two weeks later I walked into Weight Watchers and signed up for the 28th time. I didn't make it to the next weigh-in, or any weigh-in after that.

I didn't know life not dieting. I'd done it everyday, in some way or form, for most of my life. I needed to know what I should be eating, and how much and when. One week it was no carbs, the next no sugar. I didn't trust myself enough to make decisions for myself. I needed a diet to tell me what to do. And then I'd simply rebel against it.

So exhausted, and consumed by my consuming I reached out for help, and I started talking to a body image counselor. I could barely describe the way I felt. I was just exhausted, hopeless and feeling trapped within myself. I was the happiest I'd ever been, but there was just 'this' hanging on my shoulders.

Over the weeks and months I began to shed my emotional baggage that I'd stored for so long. It was hard at first, but I soon unraveled. I was so tightly wound and attached to my behaviour that I couldn't see a way out. Thankfully I began to see the light.

In March this year I consulted Dr Google convinced I was dying with some rare disease. I typed in the symptoms "nausea, stomach, eating, full". Each time I ate a meal, I could feel my body respond. I had no idea what it was doing, but I thought my time was up.

I told my counselor how I was feeling over the phone. She diagnosed me with an 'aha' moment. My mind had finally caught up with my body and for the first time since forever I was feeling full. My body was finally trusting itself and I was experiencing hunger and fullness, something I'd relied on diets for since my pre-teen days.

There's a lot of dieting un-doing I've had to do over the past year or so. Sometimes I trip. Often I'm lured by the glamour of a quick-fix diet. There have been times I've reverted back to my old behaviour of trying to rebel against the diet, only to realise that there wasn't one.

Slowly I'm losing my weight and wrapping my mind around listening and trusting myself enough to do what I want and need. I know now it's a matter of staying in tune and moving more, in a way that I enjoy ... instead of in a way that punishes my body for eating badly.

I know I'll get there. In the meantime I've found a new respect for myself. A love for myself for the journey, instead of reserving it for the destination as I'd done all these years before now. It's no longer 'I'll love myself when I'm thin, instead I'll love myself now ... as best as I can'.


Do you diet? What's your relationship with your body like?

{image via weheartit}

Reasons I'm loving the mailman today

It's no secret that I love my friends at my post office a lot. So much that we're friend on Facebook and while I was away the other week they kept me posted on my ... post. Hubby jokingly mentioned, "Don't you think it's a bit odd that you know what's happening with your parcels while you're away?"

Odd? No. Wonderful, more like it!

I've been waiting on two parcels and they arrived yesterday. One was the Canon EOS photo5 pack. I stalked their site a few weeks back and then signed up for the challenge. Basically they send you 5 items in a little brown box and you have to take photos with them. I don't know if there are prizes, and I actually don't really care. I am just excited about shooting something fun.

The first challenge was shooting something from your pet's eyes. I don't have a pet, but the weekend that this challenge was set we were babysitting my sister's dog. I'll share the photo when I share the rest of the challenge pics.

The second challenge is shooting foam. It's a little package of suds. My mind is ticking over with creative thoughts!

Challenge 3 is sequins. I haven't read the instructions yet, but it sounds fun!

Challenge 4 is powder. I'm stumped on this one so far.

And lastly, challenge 5 is ribbons. I have NO idea what panning is. I'll have to research, unless someone here knows? Please!

Then along came a knock on the door and a bigger parcel. If you're a stationery loving fruitloop like me, then you'll know how exciting this one. I ordered a life journal from Erin Condren a few weeks back and it arrived {along with some complimentary personalised gift stickers}.

One weekend I saw that someone on Twitter {I can't remember who} had purchased one and loved it. And before you know I was drooling over how beautiful they were.

I choose pink. Shock horror!

I'm so excited about finding the perfect pen and sitting down tonight to get my life sorted. The shipping is crazy expensive, but I emailed Erin and asked if they had other shipping options and she kindly sent a code to get $25 off. So probably shouldn't say that, but it might be worth trying?


Has anything exciting hit your mailbox lately?

Sweet treat: Mini ricotta cheesecakes

I've always known cheesecakes to be rather heavy, and although I've liked them in the past it was when my workmates celebrated my birthday with a ricotta cheesecake earlier this year that I really fell in love {sorry waistline!}. Pasticceria Papa in Haberfield, where my birthday cake was from, is worth the drive from wherever you are coming from. I hear that people line up outside and around the corner on the weekends just for a slice of the heavenly cheesecake. But if you're not into lining up for cake {or live nowhere near Sydney} then this version is very similar - the only thing missing is the crumbly base. I'll work on it though!

Makes 4 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
350g ricotta cheese
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
♥ Preheat oven to 160°C
♥ Place the cream cheese and ricotta in a bowl and mix with electric beaters for 3 minutes, or until smooth
♥ Add the sugar and beat until combined, and the sugar has dissolved
♥ Add the eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat to combine
♥ Prepare four small spring-form tins {10cm in diameter} by greasing and lining with baking paper on the base and sides. {If you want to make one large cheesecake - grease and line one larger spring-form tin}

♥ Divide mixture evenly between the two tins, and wrap with two layers of foil {see above} to stop water seeping into the tins.
♥ Place into a deep baking dish and pour enough hot water into the baking dish to come half way up the outsides of the cheesecake tins
♥ Bake for 45 minutes, or until firm to touch. If you're baking one cheesecake it will take one hour and ten minutes

♥ Remove from the baking dish, and allow to cool. Place cheesecakes in the fridge for at least an hour before removing from the tin {it just makes it a little easier to get them out in one even piece}

♥ I topped my cheesecakes with a mix of icing sugar and cinnamon to give it a little kick. I suggest doing the same. It definitely ups the yum factor.

Recipe adapted from Gourmet Recipes


What food would you line up for? What's your favourite food?

Going nude!

As I mentioned this morning my sister is getting married in less than 3 months now. I had 18 months or so to plan my wedding, and we're planning my sister's wedding in about 8 months. It's fast in the world of weddings. And when I say 'we' I'm actually not really doing that much. Just a few things here and there.

I'm one of the four bridesmaids, and as of a few weeks ago our dresses have been sorted. Scarily enough none of us bridesmaids have seen them or tried them on {obviously} so I have everything crossed that they all work out perfectly.

We still need to work on our shoe situation. We're thinking nude shoes, either heels, wedges or flats {it's a beach wedding}. Here's a few that I've stumbled across so far...

1. ASOS 2. Peeptoe 3. Mollini 4. Betts 5. Tony Bianco

Once we've worked out the shoe situation, we're moving on to the Hen's Day! Fun.

If you see any nude shoes in your travels, think of me/us.


When's the last time you splurged on a new pair of shoes? What do they look like?

The Love Bank

My sister and her fiance came up over the weekend to stay, get a few wedding-type things done and catch up with us as well. On Saturday night we left the boys to watch football {side note: could there BE anymore football on at the moment? Seriously!} and headed out in the rain to grab dumplings for dinner.

With her wedding only weeks away, my sister shared that she had learned a thing or two about relationships from a book she was given while we drove. She shared that each person in a relationship has a 'love bank' and at the start of relationships/marriages the bank is pretty full, but as the years go on the bank 'funds' can start to dwindle if the couple don't tend to each others needs.

I love hearing about stuff like this. I love hearing about anything actually. So she went into more depth. Usually each person in the couple has top 5 things that they want from their partner, and those things contribute to the health of the love bank. A women might have affection at the top of her list, and perhaps hanging up the towels after a shower somewhere there too. A man might think having dinner cooked for him, or great conversations, or having his ego stroked are at the top of his list. I'm sure sexual satisfaction fits right in there somewhere as well! Before getting married it's meant to be good to talk about the top 5 things that you want from your partner in order to stay in love.

After getting over the guilt of not preparing myself for marriage properly {eek, we just knew we wanted to get married, so did!}, I realised that we do pretty well at the marriage stuff and at times I'm sure the love bank is look a little dismal, but for the best part - we do OK. I think for me I'd have affection on my list and being heard. I like to know Hubby loves me and I like to know he's listening to my rambles. Right at the top would be having him make me laugh. Lucky he has me in fits of giggles most days.


What would be on your list? What would you want from a partner? And if you're married, did you read books or have pre-marriage counseling before the wedding? Did it help?


{image via pinterest}

Cabbage & crunchy noodle salad recipe

When people have parties and they ask people to bring a dish, I usually bring something sweet - because that's what I love to make and I rarely stuff them up {which I often do with savoury dishes}. I usually bring a chocolate pavlova or a batch of chocolate muffins.

This cabbage and crunchy noodle salad is one I've seen at a few parties over the years, but thought the combination was odd so always moved onto the next salad. After hearing my mum rave about this recipe that she tried at my sister's engagement party {I skipped it there too!} she made it one night and brought it to our house for dinner. I have one word: winning!

We had it with pork belly and it was the perfect match. It's my new favourite side dish.

Ingredients - Salad
1/2 Chinese cabbage, shredded finely
6 green onion {we call them shallots or spring onions}
100g lightly slivered almonds, roasted {you can buy them toasted or put them in a dry pan over medium heat until they turn golden}
1 packet Chang's original friend noodles {100g}

Dressing
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil

Method
♥ Mix all of the dressing ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside until cooled
♥ Combine the cabbage, chopped shallots, noodles and almonds in a salad bowl. Top with dressing and mix well. Serve immediately.
♥ If you're taking this to a party then leave the noodles separate until just before serving. This serves 8 and is great with pork or chicken, or on it's own.

When you're asked to bring a dish, what do you usually bring?

The weekend report

Last week I discovered something that made my heart sing called the Feltron Report. Nicholas Felton counted everything that happened over the year 2005 and put it into a fun/interesting report. Fun to me, probably geeky to others. I loved it, so did it myself over the weekend.

I hope you had a fun-filled weekend. What did you get up to?

4 reasons you'll love the new Facebook {and how to get it ahead of time}

I am going to bare all right here and let you know that I'm a geek. Through and through. This morning I spent over an hour and a half watching the footage from the f8 conference. The what? The conference where the gang from Facebook, particularly Mark Zuckberg, revealed the changes they're going to be rolling out for Facebook over the next few weeks. I admit I watched it for work purposes, but I kinda enjoyed it too.

Here's 4 reasons I think you'll love the new Facebook:

1. Facebook is bringing out the timeline
No, don't stress. It's not some odd history lesson about to bore you to tears. Have you ever stalked a friend on Facebook and tried to piece together what job they're doing, when they hooked up with their partner and what they've done over the past 5 years? No? That's only me then. Facebook is bringing out the timeline so that you can piece together your whole life on Facebook. Before the timeline everything you've ever done before {on Facebook} just disappears down your page never to be seen again. Now you can click back over the years and see what you were doing, what you said, when you signed up to Facebook {June 8th 2007 for me} and even what you were eating at any given time. You can even go BF {before Facebook} and add photos into your timeline of when you were born.

{Clicking back to 2007 brought up a photo of me at my sister's 30th. I'd just found out I was pregnant with Lacey the week before. Memorrries.}

2. Facebook is bringing out the verbs
You've spent that last year clicking 'like' on stuff, but now you'll be able to add a few verbs to the list. You'll be able to have read, watched, listened, hiked and more through Facebook. I think this is a good move because sometimes 'liking' things doesn't seem appropriate.

3. Facebook is getting a little more social
You may have already noticed a real-time ticker on your Facebook home page that shows what your friends and pages are doing at the present moment. Soon, you'll be able to interact a little more with those ticker updates.

I love learning new music favourites through friends, and even movie recommendations. Imagine seeing that your friend is cooking something with chocolate and being inspired to do the same. Or perhaps you can see that you friend ran a course down the beach and tracked it with something like Nike+. You can run the same track yourself another day. {I suggest making your track private or friends only - so that you don't have someone running around after you!}

{This explains it a little better}

4. Facebook is letting you give your page a 'feel'
This reminds me ever-so-slightly of MySpace but I'm sure it will grow on me. When people visit other people's Facebook pages they get to know a little more about them in the first few seconds. Usually this is through their job description, the school they went to or who they're married to. Now you'll be able to get a feel for someone by their coverphoto {I've put clouds in mine}. You'll still have your profile picture that will be seen when you post around Facebook, but the coverphoto will give your page your own 'feel'. I secretly think Mark Zuckerberg is going a bit soft on us, but ssshhh.

As I said before these changes won't be implemented until a few more weeks, and apparently that's only half of the changes that are going to happen. We'll have to wait and see what else they bring out.

If you want to jump the gun and get the new Facebook now, check out this post.

Are you on Facebook? Are you looking forward to the changes?

Where to get your instagram photos printed + other stuff

Happy Friday! Friday's are almost my favourite day of the week... because I've still got the whole weekend ahead of me. I love that.

Last night Ma, Lacey and I headed into the City to look for a mother-of-the-bride outfit. Well, we only looked at one place and it was a designer factory sale. I've never been to one of those before, but boy... women are willing to change clothes in the middle of nowhere {ie right in front of me, in the middle of the store} in order to score a bargain.

Anywho! On Monday I shared a few pics and one was of my instagram pics that I got printed. A few of you asked where they were from, and I kinda forgot to share that detail. Sorry about that! There are a few places that print them, but none ship to Australia so I used Printstagram. For $12 you get 48 photos printed and the process is really easy. I did it all from my iPhone. I think I'm going to make a little book for Lacey next, perhaps even get her to shoot the photos herself.

Are you on instagram? My username is fatmumslim {or see here on webstagram}. Let me know if you are in the comments and I'll follow you.

Also a few of you asked where I got the butterfly plate from that I used in the photos for the Impossible Lemon Pie.

I bought it last weekend from Bed, Bath and Table. I deliberated over it because we're trying to be smart with our money and it was $14.95. I know, not much... but all these things add up I've learned.

I took a walk and then was still in love with it so came back and got it. When I brought it home I carefully soaked it in some water to get the price sticker off the back. When I pulled it out. It was chipped. I was devastated. Heartbroken even.

Oh well. That'll teach me. Teach me what? I don't know. But I'm sure there's a life lesson in there somewhere.

Are you as glad as me that it's Friday? I only just learned that it's a long weekend in Australia {Sydney at least} next weekend. I am sooooo looking forward to that.

This weekend we've got Yum Cha with friends, Lil Sis is coming up with my soon-to-be brother-in-law and I think we'll be working on wedding stuff.

What are your weekend plans?

Sweet treat: Impossible lemon pie

There's a quote by Audrey Hepburn that I love. She once said, "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says: I'm possible!" There are some days I whole-heartedly agree with Audrey, and there are others that I disagree. It just depends how much positivity I've got oozing from my pores.

I do like a challenge though, so if someone or something tells me it's impossible, then I'm out to prove them wrong. When I saw this Donna Hay recipe I knew I had to try it, if only for the name. It turns out it wasn't impossible at all... but actually easy and impossibly delicious. A little research revealed that it's not called 'impossible' because of it's difficulty factor, but more because it turns itself into a yummy, crusty dessert.

Thankfully this is one of those desserts you don't have to run out and buy a hundred different ingredients to make. I had everything right at home.

Ingredients
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
4 eggs
Juice of 1 lemon {1/3 cup if you want to measure}
1 1/2 cups milk
40g butter melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
♥ Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius
♥ Place coconut, flour, lemon rind and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, lemon juice, milk, butter and vanilla and stir until well-combined.
♥ Pour the mix into a lightly greased 4-cup capacity baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve with cream.

When I make this one again I'd probably make it in a large shallow ovenproof bowl rather a dish, so that the edges get really crispy and scrumptious.

Do you like a bit of a challenge? Or do you prefer to avoid the some-what difficult?