Best Pizza Ever...

We are off to Melbourne tonight.  We get to see our great friends that live down there and we CANNOT wait!  I thought I’d post this amazing pizza that we have been making before we head out.  It has pear, Gorgonzola cheese and pine nuts.  Matt scoffed at it initially, saying it sounded gross.  After eating it, he swore that it was the best pizza I had ever made!

Ingredients for Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan.
 

This crust part of the recipe is not mine, found it here.  Make sure you roll it out and use it pronto.  We did the dough portion of the recipe the night before and when we cooked it, it expanded a LOT.  It was still delish, but made our pan quite messy and a little more bready than we like.
 
Once you have the crust ready and rolled out, add a cheese sauce.  I used store-bought béchamel sauce.  I’ll try making my own once we get back home and I give it a try.  Not enough dishes in this apartment to bother trying.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over sauce.
 

Cut up pears into thin slices, and layer over the cheese
Sprinkle a good amount of pine nuts over the pears and then add the gorgonzola cheese over the top of it all.  I would prefer crumbled gorgy, but I could only find a chunk, so we just made due – squishing it, cutting it up etc.
 

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. (until brown)
Enjoy!  We could both eat a whole one we like it so much!

A Festival of Lights...

We’ve been trying to get down to the Brisbane Festival for a while now.  It runs from 8-29 September (see how I put the day first, very Australian of me, I know!) and because we are about to head out to Melbourne for a holiday (yah!), Wednesday night was our last shot. 

The main thing was the light show that they do each night.  It was interesting.  I have never seen anything quite like it anywhere else. Essentially they sprayed tons of water into the air and then used that to reflect lights onto.  It had a bit of an 80’s dance party-ness about it, but it was quite pretty and they played it with music and one of my favorite covers by Peter Gabriel was played for part of it.  Even though it was a bit cheesy, I love that song, and it couldn’t help but be a bit romantic on the riverfront at night with my man, some 80’s lights and a great tune.

Listen to the song, and look at these photos and be carried to another time and place.  Hopefully a less cheesy place than the real thing!

Today's Wish List

Boots – Modcloth;  Pants – Forever 21;  Pin – ebay;  Top – Modcloth;  Earrings – Collette;  Jacket – Rachel Roy;  Necklace – asos;  Bag – Collette

Although it’s just moving into summer here in Australia, when I get home in a few weeks, it will be fall, so I’m trying to adjust my thinking to look forward to that.  There are some pieces that I would wear anytime of the year and you can see that here.  I love color always.

This season I’m looking forward to using some brick coloring and would love a pair of multi-tone boots like these.  I am finding myself getting on board with the animal-jewelry craze and insects often seem to be my go-to, but this dog necklace is really adorable
.
There is nothing funnier than sitting in a meeting and the person presenting stops mid-sentence to say “are those dogs on your necklace?”.  This has happened to me twice with animal pieces.

Four Things...

Today I am feeling particularly antsy to go home.  Everything, it seems makes me think of home, or Philadelphia, or my friends – even my work space at home!  Matt and I have been indulging these moments of home-longing-ness and we egg each other on, saying things like, “what are you going to do when you get home?”  “what do you miss the most?” etc.  It’s hard to explain how living itinerantly affects your well-being.  There is certainly an overarching sense of adventure at first, then moments of missing something/someone, but then it starts to creep up on you that you are desperately in need of the normalcy and routine that home brings with it.

Sometimes we feel bratty because duh, we’re in Australia for FREE!  And we are so very grateful for that, and always will be, but to pretend we aren’t starting to miss home would be a lie!  So I’ve compiled a few things that we keep talking about when we long for home!

South Philly Taproom – this place is funny to us, because it is likely the #1 hipster hangout in S. Philly and that is certainly not our scene.  We went once on a whim and had this amazing grilled cheese and tomato soup that we have craved like wildebeests since we left Philly.  It is the best grilled cheese maybe ever and I generally hate tomato soup, but this one is enough to make you divorce all other soups for life.

Baths! – don’t freak out, we shower in Australia, but our service apartment doesn’t have a bathtub.  Matt is a huge bath fan.  Picture we’re late for some event and he runs up to get ready, I say hurry, we have 15 minutes and the next thing I hear is bathwater running!?! Wha the?

Projects – Right now, when I get home from work and Matt from volunteering, we might go for a walk, a run or go to dinner.  But if we are in for the night – we only have two options: TV or reading.  There are no projects because there is no stuff, and there is no stuff because there isn’t any room and we can’t bring back too much.  I am longing to work on projects whether throughout the house or to create something that I have an idea for

Doing nothing – we keep coming back to this because the time here has been so wonderful but also so jam-packed.  This is due entirely to my insanity.  I make sure we have something worthwhile to do every weekend, and most of our weeknights.  I just can’t bear to have any time wasted in Australia.  What if we never come back?  It took me 16 years to get back to China and there is no reason to come back here that we can foresee, so I need to DO IT ALL!  As our time is winding down, people have been telling us, you’ve got to do this, or you simply can’t skip that, but we have to say that we just can’t!  When we get home, we are both wildly looking forward to having a weekend with nothing to do but catch up with friends, sleep in, take the aforementioned bath, and relax in our much-missed home

What would you miss about home if you were away for 4 months?

Here are a few pics from our weekend in the country.  We went to Goondiwindi and saw a commercial farm, swam in a dam, drove around, rode motor bikes, ate some great food with new friends and enjoyed every minute!  Isn't the sky so blue??!

The Photo Dash

Just a quick note today.

Last night I had a massage at a Chinese Massage House.  I got a great deal on Groupon and my lower back has been killing me, so I took advantage.  We made reservations at one of Brisbane’s top restaurants for afterwards. 

We decided to walk, thinking it’s not that far and I loved what I was wearing so I thought we could take some photos on the way.  Well, we ended up practically running to not be late, so these shots were literally taken as we were running, pausing, running, pausing.  The ones with the brick are taken as we waited for the crosswalk to change.

Matty thinks I’m a crazy person

The massage and dinner were awesome.  Restaurant in Brisy: Moda

Jacket: BCF

Dress: Asos

Bag: China

Jewelry: Gifted

Belt: Gifted

Shoes: BCF

Peace I leave with you...

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27

This has really been my anchor this week, maybe this month.  There are some things going on in my life that threaten to overwhelm me, toss me about, crush me against the rocks and I’m lousy at surrendering, at stepping away from the feeling, the fear.  Instead I (like most women I imagine) wrestle it, think about it over and over and over ad nauseum until I want to escape from myself as much as the thing that is hurting me in the first place. 

I want to let go, I want to learn to trust.  I know things work out one way or another eventually and I want to stop being afraid and angry.  Fear makes me really mad, and then a vicious cycle begins.

I need an anchor to cling to. 

It’s like a simple prayer when you haven’t the words for anything elaborate and so all you can muster is a “Help me, God”. 

He answers the honest heart.

BCBG Maxazria

Obviously I'm not at NYFW this week, as I'm in Australia and who would invite me anyway?  But someday I plan on being there.  I don't need to be up front with anyone who matters, I'd be just as happy oogling the designs from the back.  I spent some time today searching the collections that have shown so far and there have been some beautiful pieces - frocks, tops and the like, but sometimes I wonder - where is the magic?  I know there can't be something unbelievable at every show, otherwise it would make the special mundane, but it's been a while since I've seen something really other-worldly if you will.  

It seems that fashion of late follows the trends instead of setting them.

That all being said, I still have a soft spot for BCBG MaxAzria. It's probably because for one of my birthdays, Matt took me to the store and said buy whatever you want.  It was one of those Pretty Woman shopping moments (when she buys the clothes, not when they turn her away!) and was very special.  This season's collection isn't anything that will change the world as we know it, but there are some bright moments. 

When I get home and back to my studio, I will have to make myself one of these fab harnesses to wear over flowy dresses.  I am in love with how it pushes a wispy gown into masculine territory.  Well done Maxxy.

A few other things I've been noticing around the web: 

Interesting article on Craft

Zac Posen and W118 had interesting shows at NYFW as well

If you haven't caught the show An Idiot Abroad, I highly recommend it

Two new favorite blogs: Young House Love and Adored Austin

In the Bush...

This weekend we went out to what we’d call in America a ranch.  It was about 1000 acres of hilly countryside with about 200 head of cattle roaming free. 

It was amazing. 

I haven’t seen so many stars in who knows how long.  We saw the Milky Way and the Southern Cross and about a zillion others. 

We stayed in a traditional Australian tin hut, ate lamb roasted on the fire and went to bed when the fire went out, because there weren’t any other lights.  We slept in swags.  We rode horses during the day and I learned that I know almost nothing about horses!  Matt always tells me if someone asks you how much experience you have on a horse; you say you are an expert.  This is because 4 years ago on a trip to Ireland, we did a horse tour and they asked me this.  I was honest and said I had ridden but was not that experienced.  They told us that we couldn’t take the horses on the beach part of the tour since I wasn’t advanced enough.  Matt has never quite forgiven me for robbing him of that experience.  Well, the horses this weekend were no tour-horse so I wasn’t going to risk my skull and lie, but we had fun anyway. 

This was likely due to the fact that there weren’t any beaches nearby. 

Matt had fun acting like a cowboy – corralling the lil doggies (steer), learning to crack a whip (literally) and just being grubby for 2 days.  My favorite part was sitting around the campfire, chatting with friends and driving around the property in the back of a ute (utility vehicle) at about 45 degree angled hills – holding on for dear life. 

Oooh, I love a good adventure!

My Best Friend's Baby

Today I got hit with a massive wave of baby fever!  My best friend just gave birth to her first - a little girl.  I am on the other side of the world - feeling so giddy, thankful, weepy, sad to miss it and guilty all in the span of 2 seconds.  I'm so incredibly proud of her bringing a life into the world.  I hope that she will forgive me for not being there.  It's probably good to let them have time as a family because I know I would have swooped in and stolen that baby within the week.  This gives them a little time with her before I steal her.

Gratitude. 

I feel such gratitude that God answered our prayers for her family.

Other things I am gushing with gratitute about today:
A misunderstanding at work that blew to outrageous proportions in my head that could have gone really badly turned out to not be too terrible afterall.  I very specifically asked God to cover me because part of it was my dumb fault.

Texting is a pretty amazing thing - I'm thankful for this ability to hear about the baby soon afterwards, thankful that my mom and I can text in the morning a bit while I'm at work to help me stay connected and grounded in what counts when things are tough.

Matty V - best husband ever who helps me gain perspective by telling me about all his mistakes and makes me laugh so hard when I would be crying left to my own devices.

What are you grateful for today?

Australia versus America

1-Me at Bondi Beach in Sydney, 2-North Stradbroke Island, 3-A random ukelele band, 4-Kingscliff Beach, 5-Koala family portrait at the Australia Zoo (touristy, I know, but AMAZING!), 6-Crocs will kill, 7-Our first Aussie meatpie (made at home when our friends from Melbourne visited)

I’m so grateful that Matt was able to come to Australia with me.  Initially we didn’t know if he would and then we prayed about it and really felt that we should stick together.  We say it to each other all the time (mostly when one of us is trying to stop a fight):

We are a team.

And we are.  Especially here, where we are pretty much the only connection either of us has outside of my work.  It can get a bit intense from time to time.  At home in Philly, we have a nice big house; we both have interests outside of the house; there is space apart.  Here, it’s a really small one-bedroom that gets smaller by the day!  And we don’t have any friends at all!  Sometimes my colleagues invite us out to dinner but mostly it’s just us two.  So when I want to push him off the balcony or he wants to suffocate me in my sleep, we need to take a deep breath and remember this is an adventure that we signed up for, looked forward to and are enjoying.

Sometimes the weight of how different it is here pops up or we’ll think of something we really miss from the US and we long for home, but sometimes we encounter something here that we think: we could get used to this! I thought I’d take this chance to highlight some of the things we find interesting and infuriating about the differences. I have been really amazed at how similar and yet how different Australia and the US are.

Here is my top 5 list:

1) Flying domestically within Australia –Flying domestically is like flying in the US 20 years ago in all the good ways. You can leave your shoes on, you can leave your jacket on, you don’t have to show ID to anyone, you have liquids? No problem, bring ‘em with you! It is truly amazing. You self-drop your checked baggage on a conveyer belt and essentially stroll onto the plane. The person in front of us beeped through the metal detectors and the security person shrugged and motioned them through. I mentioned this to a few Aussies – how amazing this was to an American and they said to me (I’m not making this up): “It’s just domestic within Australia, what is the worst that can happen?”

Hmm, as an American, I will refrain from answering that...

2) Food flavors - This one is frustrating to us.  It's not that the food isn't good here, it's just that things that have the same packaging and ingredients taste completely differently.  When Matt was sick (you know how when you're sick, you want your mama...) we bought Kraft Mac 'n Cheese and we couldn't even finish it!  It felt like treachery!  We've had to learn to find what we love here and not succumb to moments of home-longing-ness and get something we think will be familar.

3) Nicknames - I adore how everyone and everything has a nickname here.  Sometimes I feel like people are speaking a different language but it's a language that if i listen closely to the context, I can often unravel.  The only downside is that no one has nicknamed me yet!

4) The Cost! - Matt and I must sound like broken records when we chat with our families and talk about Australia but we simply cannot get over how expensive everything is here.  I thought after a few months of working here, I would have learned what the key financial situational difference here is - in order to know how ppl can live, shop, survive here, but I'm still at a loss.  The malls are still full of people!

That's why our upcoming trip to Melbourne is so exciting to me - besides seeing our great friends - there is a SAVERS just a few minutes away from our friends!  I have been refraining from shopping and holding off until then.

5) No Tipping - anywhere on anything.  This is what makes us not go crazy because of the cost of food etc.  This is one we could get used to!

First Ever Clothing Post

So as much as I hate disclaimers this post must begin with one.  I have limited resources at my disposal in Australia.  I went to school for art, have a Masters Degree in Sculpture, I make clothing, jewelry, have a fabulous studio with everything necessary to do a really great blog - tripods, lots of DIY projects going on all the time, a great closet with some really fun pieces, but I am in Australia with pretty much none of that.  I brought some clothes with me obviously, but after about 3 months I am so tired of them I feel like burning them all (even though they are some of my favs!). 

So these fashion posts won't be daily.  I may not even post weekly because I have a bitter tendancy to want very much to look one way, and have a total meltdown when that one way can't be reached within the 10 minutes I generally allot for getting ready on any given day.  This is due to my intense love affair with sleeping. 

Disclaimers completed.  Here is my first outfit post.  I really like the look all together for work.  Everyone at the office in Australia wears pretty casual clothes and more often than not, all of it is black.  Well, I did not bring all black and I can't afford much here to start a new wardrobe, so I am given the responsibility of bringing bright fabulous colors to the office and potentially inspire them out of their black-only ways!

Jeans: Thrifted Tommy Hilfiger
Top: J C Penney
Jacket: Forever 21
Shoes: Elle by Kohls
Ring: Antique shop in Paris
Necklace: Trade Secret

Miscellaneous Musings

I always love blogs that have an order - Monday is one thing, Tuesday another.  Inevitably life doesn't follow the same cycle though.   I admit up-front that I will fall back on a cycle sometimes but realistically most days will have their own rhythm.  

And I love that disruption of it all.

The week before we went to China, we rented bikes in the city and rode around.  There is nothing like a lazy bike tour to really see the city and it's intricacies.  We also went to the Ekka.  The Ekka is essentially the county fair here.  They even have a holiday and everyone gets Wednesday off.  It was intense but fun.  We certainly had to experience it if we are living here.  

Here are a few of our moments...

Enjoying my favourite Australian Ginger Beer





The best thing about the Ekka




Fairy Floss =  Cotton Candy



Me after the Fashion Show





Random Panties on the Dock




No Idea...




A Kayak race on Gold Coast