Thoughts

The Domestic Part:

We got a washing machine this morning! XD It does stuff! We got a Fisher Paykel front loader and did some washing in it today. It feels so much more like a home now! The last furniture we're waiting on is the coffee table and the TV stand. They should arrive within the next fortnight, and that will be awesome.

I also managed to finally get some more tidying of the study done, and we now have space for my husband's piano against the wall. There's a bit more to go, unfortunately. We're in that "bits and pieces" stage which basically means whe have a whole bunch of miscellaneous stuff in boxes and and on surfaces which don't really have anywhere specific to go. This means lots of sorting, which I hate.

We're also still very much deciding on where things belong. A few things ahve been moved from their oritinal space to somewhere else by now, including the bookshelves, drinking glasses, kitchen appliances, and various tools. Hopefully this won't happen too much over the next while and things will have definite homes to live in.

The Recipe Part:

I'm trying to catch up on cooking, so recipe #39 is home-made tomato sauce. Anyone who's been to a barbecue with me knows I do not like tomato sauce. My problem with most of the ones you get at the supermarket is that they're just too sweet. So, I decided it's high time I made my own!

I looked around online to get the general gist of how to make them, and from there I made it my own, so here it is.

Ingredients

1 brown onion
1tsp salt (or to taste)
1tbs oil
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
3 cloves garlic
3tsp paprika

Method

Chop the onion and cook it in a saucepan until it's soft.
Add the garlic and the salt and cook it for a few minutes, then add the tomato.
Cook that, stirring occasionally, for about 10mins.
Use a potato masher to crush it up a bit, add the paprika, and then cook for a few minutes more.
Take the pot off the flame and put it on a heat-proof mat. Allow it to cool a bit and then blend the mixture until it's smooth.
When it's cool enough, serve!



Ta-dah! :-) So there it is: Low in sugar, preservative-free, and really yummy.

I imagine you'd need to keep it refrigerated and use it up fairly quickly. This makes about 500mL, so you won't be running short.


The Career Part

I've started looking for jobs for next year. It's not that I particularly want to leave my current school, but I would be stupid to just assume that they'll have a position for me next year. I also do have good reasons for wanting to go elsewhere, such as the fact that I long to be in a school where the parents give a damn and where expulsion is a real threat.

I've applied to a campus of my old high school. It's 10-15mins away by bicycle and I'm seriously hoping that it's 3rd time lucky. The first time I applied was fresh out of uni and I didn't even get an interview. The second time was at the end of my first year teaching and I got a 2nd round interview (so, top 5 candidates sort of thing). I'm really hoping that this will be third time lucky. You have NO idea how badly I want this!

Wish me luck!

My husband and I are looking for a place of our own. The aim is to have one by the end of January, so we're looking now. We've already inspected a few places and even applied for one (which is pretty much the dream home in a lot of ways; certainly has the right features and a great location) with a second one that we're going to submit a form for tomorrow.

Today we went window-shopping for furniture and appliances, just to get some idea of how much we're looking at spending.

My main problem now is the urge to act. It drives me insane! I'm ready to go, but I can't do a damned thing because I don't actually have the papers for the place signed yet. Heck, we haven't even been offered the place yet! And here I am, rearing to go because it's perfect and I want it.

It's hard work keeping myself contained right now because I know we have competition for it (a few young couples were there and I heard one asking what they'd need to do in order to apply) so we may well not get it and I don't want to set myself up for disappointment, given I have no idea what my chances are.

I hate waiting. I just want to be told, on the spot, if it's a definite "no", or even just an exact day to expect a phone call (so far all I have is "early next week", which I can only assume means before Wednesday afternoon). I don't like having no control and no idea.

So on the one hand I'm trying very hard to be positive and enjoy "the dream", while on the other hand I'm trying very hard not to get my hopes up. It means that I'm fluctuating very uncomfortably between elation at finding such a wonderful house, frustration over the fact that I can't do anything, and hopelessness because it's such a competitive market and I feel so small in all of this.

So that's the main thing on my mind at the moment. Wish me luck at getting the amazing place, and expect either wild joy or utter devestation (possibly a very zen "oh well!" depending on how well I've worked my own brain) at some point during the next week!

Well, it's spring somewhere...

( Today )