Passing the time

Pam got a job as an accountant covering a maternity leave for a few months, so I am finding ways to pass the time.  I have been super busy filling out my Queensland speech pathology application and getting together all the paperwork I need from the US.  Looks like I will be covering a maternity leave at a private practice outside Brisbane and Gold Coast starting the end of July, so until then I'm making the most of my time off.  


I am excited Spotify works in Australia, so I've made playlists and caught up on my American pop music!  Geez that Justin Bieber and Usher know how to get the booty shakin'.  I love trying new recipes, so I've been dancing in the kitchen making lots of new foods.  Last night, was Greek night - OPA! I made homemade hummus which was soooo delicious.  I modified Barefoot Contessa's recipe a bit, but it was so easy to make.  And then I made some red pepper walnut dip and roasted the red peppers all by myself.  I heated up some pita and served it with cucumbers, kalamata, and green olives.  Yum!  

July 4th was great because I received my first care package from the USA.  Thanks Aunt Cindy!  The box took about a decade to get here and looks like it has been through a war, but I am super excited for the goodies inside.

Sunscreen here in Australia only goes up to 30 SPF, and I am putting it on about 3 times a day.  So I was lucky enough to get some hardcore 80 and 100 SPF to keep this fair Polish face looking young. They sell mostly aerosol deodorant in Oz or sticks for about $8, so it looks like I will be smelling fresh and clean.  Mascara can sometimes be $12 - 17 in the store, so now I will have easy, breezy, beautiful lashes.  Pink lip gloss, new socks, and pretzel sticks... So excited!  They don't have many pretzels here and are mostly a potato chip people, so these Snyders make me smile.


For the 4th, I rummaged through the kitchen to find anything and everything red, white, and blue.  On the menu was Bobby Flay's crunchburger, Nicole's pasta salad, and brownies.  It is always interesting trying to cook here.  McCormick's pasta salad seasoning doesn't exist, so I had to play around with seasoning it myself.  

American meal: burgers, chips, pasta salad, brownies, iced tea.

And then I tried to bake brownies from scratch from an American recipe.   Any baker knows that precise measurements are essential, but there are no measuring cups or spoons in the house and all the ingredients are listed in the metric system.  I tried to look up some conversions online, but everything was thrown in as an approximate measurement. And I only had a round dish.  Not the most beautiful dessert I've ever baked, but I think the star sprinkles are a nice touch!

There are no fireworks for sale in Queensland, so enjoy your fireworks this week!


What's happening in Cairns this weekend? Well, Thursday night is the start of the Ukulele festival in Cairns, so if I'm lucky I'll be learning how to play from the one and only Nicky Bomba.  There's a good ol' fashioned rodeo happening in Mareeba this weekend that I would love to see, too.  I tried to sign up for a barista class next week, but the class was full.  Looks like I'm going to have to wait until Brisbane to get my barista certificate.  Cheers!