5 Sentence Fiction - Sacrifice

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At night Annabelle headed out into the cold, she travelled by train into the city, the opposite direction to everyone else. This is how she felt, opposite to everyone else; when others slept - she was awake; when others were awake - she was asleep. 


Annabelle opened the little grey door in the grate at the back of the huge store, she put down her handbag and picked up her tools: mop, bucket, broom, brushes, sprays, cloths and bandaids. She worked hard moving from floor to floor cleaning the checked tiled floors and the doors and the elevators and the toilets, her hands would bleed from scrubbing off the marks left from thousands of pairs of shoes. 


When she felt tired or sorry for herself, she opened the locket around her neck, inside, a faded photo of a little boy with rosy cheeks and a hopeful smile, she soon returned to her brushes and sprays knowing that it was all worthwhile.

I have based the above story loosely on the 5 sentences below. I wanted to write about my grandparents' sacrifice - so I did. I hope you don't mind.

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My grandparents left the country where their families were born, where they had friends and family, jobs and bank accounts, churches and schools, pet rabbits and clogs. 


Holland was growing quickly, filling up with people from all over the world, expanding in every direction, life was changing quickly. With big families, full of lots of strapping boys they decided to load their children and what they could of their lives into suitcases and put them onto boats as big as buildings, they endured a long and arduous sea journey for many days and many nights. 


They started a new life, took jobs below thier status, worked incredibly long hours and endured ridicule and shame for their language and culture. They were my grandparents, they believed for a better life for thier children and for their children's children, they saw opportunities for us all in Australia, I am grateful for their sacrifice.

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week I will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word. The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just use it for direction. 

Write on Wednesdays - Floating Candles

Angeline stood outside the cathedral and looked up. The windows stared down at her and the gargoyles mocked her tatty clothes and shoeless feet. Tourists bustled past her with their cameras ready and chatted endlessly about bus times and dinner cruises. Angeline had walked a long way to get to the cathedral, a journey that had taken her away from home and away for too long. She looked up at the mocking gargoyles, took a deep breath and stepped into the cathedral. 


She crept along the sides of the chapel. She was not interested in famous dead people or architectural this or that. She had to get to the little chapel where she could light a candle. Angeline didn't know what would happen when she lit the candle, she just knew that something drew her there from the other side of the city. As she approached the alcove she was alarmed that there were so many candles already there, she stood and watched the spots of fire dance in their shimmering ponds. Would her single candle make any difference to her prayer? She daren't think about it. She took a new candle from the box, blessed it with a kiss and found a tiny spot to place her candle. 


As she lit the candle and the smell of the match filled her nostrils and the light danced and reflected in her eyes, she whispered a prayer she had walked across a snow covered city to say, "Please, I know you are very busy, but please....."




Write On Wednesdays Exercise 26 - Look at the photo at the top of this post. What does it inspire in you? Set your timer for 5 minutes. With the photo in mind, write the first words that come into your head until the buzzer rings. If you aren't a visual person, you could try lighting a few candles and writing by candlelight. Different sensory experiences can be useful for inspiring creative writing so please play around to make the prompt suit your writing needs. If you do try writing by candlelight, let us know. I'd love to know how it works for you!

RemembeRED - Old Photos

Well, this isn't a favourite photo of mine, but my oh my, do I remember these times.... My mother loved this photo of me, she had it hanging in her photo gallery for years, I wonder why she liked it so much? I should ask her sometime.

Sitting in the bush on a hot Saturday afternoon was not something I really wanted to do. I wanted to be home where I could just watch television or listen to music in my room. I hated having to wear trainers and long socks, I worried about ticks and snakes and goannas and dirt in general. I did not like having to go without showers and I just wanted a clean place to sit. I do remember being thankful that there were no boys around, it was good to have a break from that angst.


We were taken on a drive on the back of a ute around the property we were camping on. There were old mines all over the property and we were encouraged to go in some of the shafts to look around. I didn't particularly like the feeling of being under earth in the middle of the bush, of course the younger girls screamed and cried and worried about Bunyips.


I was 16 at the time. I was not good at being 16. My skin was bad, my teeth were bad, I hated my body and I wished I had never cut my hair. I was neither smart nor dumb. I was neither pretty nor ugly. I was neither popular nor unpopular. I was in the middle, average, no ripples.


I wish I could reach into this photo and tell this self-conscious girl that she is going to be okay. That she will find her way in time, that life gets better. I would tell her that life is what you make it, that life is more than the sum of parts; bad skin, bad teeth, big bottom - they are not the sum of who that girl is. I would tell this girl to travel, to learn and to dream. I wish I could tell her those things. I wish someone had....

Everyone has a favorite photo of themself, whether it’s a childhood snapshot, a professional graduation or wedding photograph, or a close-up taken amongst friends.

Some say a photograph steals the soul. This week, show us yours: take us into the moment that photograph was taken. Show us who you were then and what the photograph means–in 300 words.

Friday Food - Sour Cream Banana Cake

A few weeks ago a friend of ours came to visit, he was roped into building a fence for the meandering chickens who were ruining our garden {not that we have much of a garden, but having marauding chickens making things worse was not at all cool}. He arrived on our doorstep with bunches and bunches of bananas that he grew in his very own garden and he also brought homemade banana cake made from his very own homegrown bananas. Oh my goodness - the banana cake didn't last 12 hours and the bananas were excitedly received by three small children.


But, he did bring us 5 bunches of bananas that each had more than 10 bananas in each bunch. Even after force feeding the kids bananas at every snack and meal, there were still a lot left over. So I popped them in the freezer.


Just last week we were having a lovely aunt and uncle over for afternoon tea, so I thought I would make something with the bananas. When looking for recipes, I could only find recipes that needed one or two bananas, and that was just not going to use up all of my now defrosted bananas. I decided to triple the following recipe - yep - triple it. So off I went.... cooking cooking cooking....


I made one loaf tin and then one roasting pan {18cm X 30cm} FULL of banana cake. It was a LOT of cake. But it used up all of those bananas and also our overflow of free range eggs. So it was win win... Until Monday morning when I realised I had a fridge full of banana cake. I decided I needed to get it out of the house, so I sent a huge container of it to work with Mr Cool. It was a big hit. 


The recipe is as follows.... Feel free to double or triple it!

Sour Cream Banana Cake

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 50-60 mins
Serves: 8


Ingredients
125g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream {or natural yoghurt or a combination}
1 cup mashed bananas {2 large, very ripe bananas}
2 1/4 cups self raising flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda


Icing
60g cream cheese
60g sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup icing sugar


Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, grease base and sides of a square cake pan, or loaf pan or slice tin
2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale and creamy. 
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
4. Using a metal spoon, gently fold in sour cream and bananas.
5. Sift over the flour and bicarbonate soda and gently fold through.
6. Spoon batter into prepared pan, Smooth surface. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack.
7. To make icing: place softened cream cheese and yoghurt/sour cream into a bowl with the lemon juice. Sift in the icing sugar. Beat with electric mixer until thick and creamy. Add more icing sugar if it is too thin, or a splash more lemon juice if it is too thick. Spread onto cake when cake is almost cool.

Variations...

• I used half low fat natural yoghurt and half low fat sour cream and it was delicious. Next time, I will only use yoghurt, the slightly sour yoghurt was a great contrast to the highly sweet bananas. 
• This would make a great dessert cake, leave the icing off and make a caramel sauce. Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan on the stove, when sugar is melted, before it boils, add some cream and stir through. Serve over warm cake - add ice-cream if you dare.
• You could add nuts to the cake itself or sprinkle over the top when it is iced.
• I think I will try adding some shredded coconut to the cake next time I make it, banana and coconut is a great taste combination.

This is part of my regular Friday Food posts - even though it is Sunday... 

Write on Wednesday - The Saddest Thing I Ever Heard

The Saddest Thing I Ever Heard....

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They sat around the table reminiscing about the good old days of living in the big old house on the farm, while the rain tapped a melody on the hot tin roof. Each took their turn bringing forth a memory; holidays by the beach and being nipped on sunburnt toes by crabs; travelling to Sydney with the windows down and the smell of fields and fields of rain drenched grain; mad games of hide and seek ending in finding the younger children asleep in the hay loft; school lunches of vegemite sandwiches and little blocks of homemade cheese. 


"Dad, remember that game you used to play with us before dinner? The 'Water Game'?" The now adult children all remembered this with great fondness and began recollecting tallies and amounts and bragging rights. 


"I loved that game. I do it with my children now. But we do it after dinner so the children don't spoil their dinner. We gather around the table and see how many glasses of water we can drink. My kids love it!" They all chirped in with more accounts of the famous family game.


The now old and frail father had tears streaming down his face. He looked at his children with pleading eyes, "The farm wasn't making any money, the drought had hit hard, there was simply not enough food.... We had to play that game, we couldn't let you go to bed with empty stomachs. We gave you lots of water to drink so you wouldn't go to bed hungry." His voice trailed off and soft sobs could be heard.


The room filled with silence. Even the rain stopped tapping.


"Dad, that is the saddest thing I have ever heard. But, I am so proud of you for never telling us. I thought I grew up as a king; I had fresh air aplenty, sun to brown my skin, a mother who made her own jam and a father who grew grain that fed our country. I have never been as proud of you as I am right now."


More tears, more hugs, more respect, more tea and more memories were shared that night. The children went home to their children better people for knowing what they had learnt about their past.






Thanks for the inspiration Mr Cool... This story is based on an urban myth, although it may very well be true... I was really struggling to come up with something to write about for this prompt. But, over the washing up we were discussing that even though things are tight at the moment, it is just a season and pretty soon things will get better. It was good to be reminded that there is always food on our table and there are always clothes in our cupboards. I don't think we will ever appreciate how hard things were and are for those who work the land or who cannot earn enough to sustain a family... 






I am linking in with InkPaperPen for Write on Wednesdays...
The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism. 
Write On Wednesdays Exercise 25 - I heard a song on the radio during the week and I thought the lyrics would make an interesting prompt for WoW. So, write the words "The saddest thing I ever heard" on your page, set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words that come into your head based on the given prompt.

10 Things - Vintage Sarcasm

Vintage Domestic Goddesses

These little pictures have been doing the rounds of Facebook for a while now - they crack me up! I have been collecting them over at Pinterest and finally have 10! I hope you enjoy the giggle....

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8.

 

9. 

 10.

Okay - reader response time - you can leave your comment here or on my Facebook page...

What might this vintage domestic goddess be saying?

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RemembeRED - Peaceful Places

Peaceful Places...

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Alone at last. This happens so infrequently these days. Today, I am alone unexpectedly and it is like a cool repreive on a white hot day. It is like finding myself on a boat punting down a stream where willow trees lean in to meet and mingle in the middle. I am wearing a white linen dress and I am holding a parasol trimmed in lace, nibbling figs and pistachios, lying back and letting my fingers glide through the cool water. 


As I look up I see the sun playing peek-a-boo through the canopy of trees and birds clamber to catch their very own sun ray. The only sound is the lapping water on the sides of the boat and the swoosh of the oars as I am paddled down the stream.


I don't know where the boat is going, I don't know how long we will be travelling for, I don't know what I shall eat or what I shall drink. All I know is that at this moment, there is peace. There is time enough to worry about plans and eating and drinking. For now, not having a plan is a delight in itself.

This week, as we enter one of the busiest times of year, I say we take a lesson from these second graders and write about a (real) place that makes us feel peaceful.

Where is your quiet place? What does it look like? What happens there?

Word limit is 200. Come back on Tuesday to link up!

Five Sentence Fiction - Lightning

Lightning - Living Through The Storm

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This piece is loosely based on fiction and partly on fact. Partly my fact and partly others' fiction.

The lightning flashed through the sky leaving trails of light and a wall sound to follow, they snuggled in under the covers arms entwined and feet muddled in together. With every flash of lightning they were reminded of other storms that had passed through their lives - flash - the arguments over who does what and when in those first volatile years of marriage. Flash - the torment over money for those years when their children were small, when decisions about clothes or food, holidays or repairs, fun over function were nutted out over washing dishes. Flash - the realisation that life was in fact hard and not as easy as they once imagined, filled with compromise and regret and challenges unimaginable. But, they knew as they laid close together under the same blankets, on the same bed they had shared for decades, that this storm would also pass, that the morning would be fresh and clear and full of fresh possibilities.




I know that I haven't pushed myself out of my comfort zone for this one... I really am writing from my own perspective, but at the moment I am realising I should be really grateful that I have my perspective. My life is great and I just don't want to take that for granted. If/when things get dark my lovely readers may get some interesting things! 

This is linked in with Lille McFerrin Writes for some Five Sentence Fiction...

Fashion Review: Go To Outfit - Vintage Skirt

I had a great response to my last 'Go To Outfit' so, I thought I would do another... I feel very awkward posting photos of my clothes and of MYSELF - eep! But, this is another outfit that got quite a few comments and it made me {again} realise that looking good does not have to dent your credit card. Some clever shopping and patience really pays off. 


I had also just come from the hairdresser, so it was a good chance to have some 'what my hair is SUPPOSED to look like' shots.


Firstly, here is the outfit...

Cute huh?

Now the breakdown...  Ready?

I am so glad I grabbed the skirt when I did. I had seen in it LifeLine and thought that $12 was simply too much to pay at a charity shop. But, I couldn't get it out of my mind, it had original tags on it and the lady at the store said she dated it to be early 80s. So the next day I went back and bought it. I like that it sits on the waist, not on the hips. It is also quite full and has pockets in the sides, which is nice. The fabric is cut on a bias giving it a very nice swishy feel {this is where I should tell you what kind of fabric it is, but I haven't a clue! It does require ironing, so there must be some cotton in there.}


The t-shirt was bought at a factory outlet shopping centre - in the middle of winter. Everything was 50% off and then they had a mad dash sale of another 25% off. I walked out of the store with 2 t-shirts, a singlet and a denim skirt for under $20. What a steal!


The total cost of this outfit is $22.95. How is that possible!? I like that this skirt can be dressed up with a cute shirt and some sparkly shoes or dressed down with a t-shirt and some flats. 


Where would I wear this outfit? Well, I wore it to the hairdresser! I would wear it shopping or if I was going out for lunch, coffee with friends or the school run if I was feeling like dressing up. 


I like having some items in my wardrobe that are neither out of fashion or completely in fashion, like my vintage Cue skirt. I think that is the definition of a 'classic' item. These can be mixed with new season items like shoes and jewellery adding more individualism to your look. 


So... go forth and purchase classic items at bargain prices at your local charity shop or outlet shopping precinct. Let me know what you find!

Anna Says - Cooking In A Hurry

Images care of ModCloth and Pinterest

Anna Says - Cooking In A Hurry

The clock says 5:15pm, the kids have been c.r.a.z.y. all afternoon and are now in the bath. You realise with grim dread that you have not thought of what to make for dinner at all during the busyness of the day.... Oh dear. What to do?


If you keep a well stocked fridge and pantry, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Being organised means that you can have some meals that are easy to prepare and can be made in the time it takes to cook pasta, rice or heat the oven. Here is a list of things that you should always have in your pantry, fridge and crisper and how to make FIVE quick meals for a family.

Freezer

Bacon

Peas

Pizza Bases

Bread

Fridge

Butter

Cheese

Garlic

Ginger

Olives

Eggs

Pantry

Peeled tomatoes

Pasta Sauce

Honey

Olive oil

Pasta

Rice

Crisper

Capsicum

Carrots

Onions

Spices & Condiments

Bolognese Herbs

Soy Sauce

Oyster Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

I have not added quantities in these recipes, as I rarely take note of how much of things I use. This is meant to be a list of ideas that are not set in stone so that you can adjust them to your own preferences.

Meal Idea # 1 

Bacon & Tomato Pasta

1. Put water on in a big pot to boil. Cut up all ingredients.
2. Put pasta into the boiling water to cook.
3. Fry onion, bacon, diced carrots. Add some garlic then add pasta sauce and a tin of peeled tomatoes.
4. Add some Bolognese herbs, a splash of balsamic, a whoosh of worcestershire sauce, a smidge of honey and some salt & pepper. Simmer for a couple of minutes. 
5. Drain pasta when it is cooked. To the sauce, add peas and olives to heat through. Mix the pasta through the sauce.
6. Serve with grated cheese.

Meal #2 

Bacon Pizza

1. Preheat Oven to 220 degrees Celcius. Take pizza bases out of the freezer.
2. Cut up all ingredients. Fry the diced bacon and onion.
3. On to lined baking trays place the pizza bases. Add the following ingredients in this order:

Pasta sauce

Bolognaise Herbs

Cheese

Bacon

Onion

Capsicum

Olives

4. Pop pizzas into the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 180 degrees Celsius.
5. While they are in the oven you have time to make a simple salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot and olives. Or, you could get a head start on the dishes...

Meal # 3

Fried Rice

1. Place rice into a saucepan, then add 2 times more water. Bring to the boil.
2. Chop bacon, onion, capsicum, carrot.
3. When the rice has come to the boil, take the lid off, boil for 5 minutes. Then put the lid back on the rice and turn the stove off.
4. Fry your chopped ingredients in olive oil until they are golden. Add garlic and ginger.
5. When the rice is cooked add it to the other cooked ingredients. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, a drizzle of honey, peas and some lightly beaten eggs. 
6. It is ready to eat when the eggs are cooked.
NOTE: This will be quite a wet friend rice. To get fried rice that is not as wet, cook your rice earlier in the day and let it cool on a baking tray so that it is can dry out a bit. If you do this, dinner will be even quicker to prepare!

Meal Idea #4

Frittatas 

{or fancy scrambled eggs if it all goes bad}

1. Chop onions, bacon, capsicum. Grate cheese.
2. Lightly beat eggs, add a splash of milk and a handful of cheese.
3. Fry bacon, add onions and cook until onions are tender. Add capsicum and some frozen peas.
4. Add a small knob of butter, add eggs. Cook until the top is set.
5. Flip it anyway you can.... you could slide it onto a plate and flip it back into the pan. Or you could cook the top under the grill, or you could cut it in half and fold it... whatever works!
6. When cooked, serve with hot buttered toast or a salad.

Meal Idea # 5

Bacon & Eggs 

1. Fry bacon.
2. Make toast.
3. Fry eggs.
4. Serve.


I have a friend in London who is a dietician, she told me years ago that baked beans and eggs on wholemeal toast is one of the healthiest and most complete meals you can get. We have bacon and eggs on toast for dinner way more than I would have thought. The kids eat it, it can be made more interesting with some sauteed mushrooms, capsicum and tomatoes, is cheap, is quick and is not too unhealthy. You know when all else fails....

Friday Food - Gingerbread Men

I love the idea of gingerbread men, in fact, I don't just have a gingerbread man cookie cutter - I have a FAMILY of them - I also have an angel gingerbread cutter. But, I have not had much success making them, until now,  I have found a recipe that works really well. I had to share.


This is the recipe I made when I made train biscuits for BabyCool's birthday and also for the Christmas craft I did with Miss Z and her kindy class yesterday. So it has been tested by B twice!

Gingerbread Men

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes
Makes: 20 or so


Ingredients
125g butter
2 tbs golden syrup
185g sugar
1 egg, beaten
320g self-raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger


Method
1. Line trays with baking paper and preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius.
2. Melt butter and syrup, then add sugar and egg.
3. Add flour, salt and ginger, mix well. The dough will be really soft and buttery.
4. For gingernuts, drop teaspoonfuls onto trays {or roll into balls}
5. For gingerbread men, allow the dough to cool almost completely {this could take 45-60 minutes - the dough really is too soft for rolling I found}. Roll out the dough and cut with cookie cutters.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.


Variations

• You could substitute honey for golden syrup.
• You could add 1/2 tsp of mixed spice for more 'spiciness'.
• If you are going to roll the dough into balls, you could roll them in caster sugar before placing onto the trays.
• Do I dare suggest choc-chips? Yum!
• You could decorate your gingerbread men with sultanas or choc chips prior to baking -or -
• You could decorate them after baking with m&m's sprinkles and other pretty things, like some clever 3 year olds did yesterday... 

I will be making these again before Christmas and I think I will decorate them in more Christmasy tones. I might even put a hole in the top and thread some ribbon through like Christmas ornaments.... Oooh - what a great idea! I must write that down!


Happy baking peeps!

Being At Home Is Cool - Thankful Thursday + iPPP

I am really beginning to embrace my staying-at-homeness lately. I have fought it for ages, thinking it was so dull and boring and surely there are people out there leading far more exciting lives than me. But - you know something..? It is nice being free to potter about and do nice things that I won't be able to do when I am gainfully employed again {the dream is to become a famous blogger/writer and haul in loads of cash and be able to maintain a hideously extravagant lifestyle that is the envy of the likes of Paris Hilton}.


It is nice to have my own schedule that I can adhere to...or not. Nice to go to the park, make grocery shopping a learning experience, read books, make proper dinners and enjoy hot chips for afternoon tea with the kids. These are {some of} the things I will miss when I have to do some teaching again. 


But for now, I am thankful for the time I have to do some of these nice things....


Like... going along to Kindy to decorate gingerbread men for a Christmas craft. Miss Z was so thrilled to have me there!

I made the gingerbread last night and have mini m&ms, cashous, sprinkles, marshmallows and some other sweets to plaster on to them. 

The kids had a ball!

Let us not discuss food hygiene, etiquette or design skills though. Let me just say the kids had a great time and it was really nice to do some 'teachering' again - I do love using my teacher voice!

Tomorrow I shall post the recipe for the gingerbread men - because that is what we stay-at-home mums do - we share recipes. 

I love linking up with Liz from 'A Belle, A Bean and A Chicago Dog' for some iPPP and Kate from 'Katesaysstuff' for Thankful Thursday.