Meal Planning

This post is part of my “To Do List”,


The Aim

I am not a very good cook, so I would like to better my skills in the kitchen. I would also like to master some basic recipes; these will form the base of my weekly meal plans. A must will be an easy and fast dish should a new dish I try be a total flop, it’s always best to prepare for the worst. I also need to take into account our family is dairy free.

Cook Books

I have a small range of cook books but do not plan to buy any more, I will visit the library if needed. I have a mix of vintage and modern, of meals and desserts, and a few children’s cook books too. In the past I really have not used these book that much, the main issue is time to learn something new and make mistakes along the way. I know about six dishes off the top of my head but they are just plain and simple, not real WOW to them at all. A few of the cook books have some “other” reading in them so I think that may be a good place to start.

The four main cook books I own that I plan to work from are The Commonsense Cookery Book, Australian Cookery of Today Illustrated, New Australian Cookery and Jamie's 30 Minute Meals. I have never made a bad dish from any of these books yet but I will admits I haven't truly tested myself, I always stick to the most basic dishes.

The Next Step

Well I know what I can do and what I’ve got to work with, I now need to see what’s in my cupboard to cook with. From here I will plan our meals for the next week; this should also help with making a shopping list easier (I do love lists).

Meal Plan

Thursday – Tarco’s
Friday – Fish & Chips (as part of movie night)
Saturday - Spaghetti
Sunday – Roast Leg of Lamb
Monday – Sausage Hot Pot (Slow Cooker)
Tuesday – Stake, mash & veg
Wednesday - Lasagne

We always make too much so Atomic Dad takes it to work the next day for lunch.
I will only post about the meal plan once a week at this stage as most of the meals are straight forward but once I become more confident I will try new dishes and post about them.

I’m off to do some reading and clean out my kitchen, Happy cooking everyone.

New Page

I've been thinking on how the past year has gone and all the people I've meet, blogs I've read, thing's I've done and sewn. It has been a bit all over the place and sometimes I thought there was no end in sight but here we are at the end of an other year.

This year I would like to go forward with more of a plan. Like having one day of rest. So one day, passably Sundays, I will give my hair a rest from styling and sprays, my skin a rest from makeup and stockings, my body a rest from my waist cincher and anything else I can think of. I have also done a "to do list" it is one of my pages and can be found at the top.

Well I'm off to finish cleaning up after Christmas Breakfast, that became Lunch, that became Dinner.
Hope you day went well and was full of gay laughter and much yummy food.

Retro Fabric

Well after years of collecting fabric just because I liked the look of it I have now started to sew with it. If you have been reading my blog you would have seen all the things I have sewn this year and hopefully you'll stick around for all the things I plan to make in the new year.

While I'm pleased I have taken control of my fabric habit I would still like to collect fabric but with vintage in mind. So to add to the vintage fabric I got in Sydney ordered some lovely cuts from Retro Age Vintage Fabric. Yesterday it arrived, the fabric is only small but it's lovely none the less and I like the idea of having real vintage fabric samples to use as a reference when next looking to buy fabric for a vintage pattern.

Sunday Sewing - Australian Sunday Sun 4620

Well I can't say I finished the green 60's dress on my own but it is finished. I have to admit that this dress may just be the limit of my current sewing abilities, if it had not been for one fact I would have spent as long as it took to work it out BUT I didn't, I took it off to a seamstress to help finish it.

Lovely Pattrens

As word slowly has gotten out about my love affair with all things vintage and much intrest in my growing home made clothes boxes of old stuff are finding there way to me. I say stuff as sometimes the gifter has no idea what's inside but that it belonged to someone that had passed. I got a bag of patterns some time ago and here are my fav picks.

Home Decorator

Today I came home to a package poking out the mail box, it was not what I was expecting but I am delighted none the less. I won this book on eBay and am so pleased to finale have it arrive. Australian Home Decorator and Painter, by B.H.Brindley, published by Colourgravure, while there is no date or year it was printed I did find a note on the side of the cover behind the dust cover. It puts the book as being used in September in 1952, what a great find.

It’s mostly a very practical book filled with, wait for it, words. No, what I mean is there are very few images, but what there is are just lovely. There are even a few ideas along the same colour theme we are planning to use. Well I’ll let the scans speak for themselves.

Sunday Sewing - McCall's 2144

Well I did say I would be using this pattern again for Master Little 2 and here it is, his new Christmas shirt. I first used this pattern back in September when I made Bird Shirts for both my boys. Each year I've been making things for Christmas, one year I made a tree skirt and an other I made Santa stockings, this year I am making everyone something to wear. I have already made my Christmas dress and am putting the buttons on Miss Little 6's skirt.

McCall's 2144, size 2, copyright 1985, view C.

I picked fabric that I thought was a bit retro and a bit Christmas. I picked a red and green in the same pattern so I could use one as a contrast (collar and pocket, etc.).

Today I had to work in our bedroom and did all my cutting on the bed cover, I was truly worried at one point that I had cut the bed sheets. Atomic Dad and children had taken over the living area and it was a total mess, well it still is and it will still be there when I get up tomorrow too. Such is life with children sometimes.

Master Little 2 doing some modeling while I try and get some photo's. Since I made this pattern not too long ago I wasn't too worried about the fit.

This is were that 1/4" foot comes in handy. I hope you can see the detail were I have sewen around the collar and interfacing. I feel it give a neater finish and a more professional look.

And the finished shirt, sorry but Master Little 2 had gone to bed so no modeling from him tonight but I am sure when I do Master 7's matching shirt you will see him then. I have cut out fabric for a green pocket but am really unsure as to weather I should use it. I'm not sure if it will be too much and it will be quite small.

Any ideas would be most welcome.

Australian Woman

I'm not a big fan of Australian Woman but I do have a few, I have added them to my Collections page. What I do like about them is there colour and photo's and images and "Gallery of Stars", in each copy there is a large colour photos of a start. I thought I would share the ones I have.

Family Time

One of the things I have liked most about Retrofrying my family is how much more time we spend together. While I think we could do more of it, our business does dictate our lives a lot. I have been trying once a week on a week night to sit down with our children and play a board game. Last night we played good old Snakes and Ladders, I lost count of how many times I had to tell Master Little 2 not to throw the dice but it was still a lot of fun.

We are slowly getting a few good games that we can all play, even Master Little 2. However we all keep an eye on Master 7, he is the biggest cheat ever, we can’t even trust him to play snap with Miss Little 6 without changing the rules to suit himself. Oh well it will come back to get him later.

With summer now here it’s good to have a few indoor activities, it’s either too hot to do anything or it’s too wet. We are missing a few games like chess, checkers and drafts but I think Santa might bring them when he visits.

Sunday Sewing - Australian Home Journal 7454

This has to be one of the easiest patterns I've made yet it is from this month "A Look Inside". There was a lot of basting and gathers, still not sure about the way the neck sits but I'm happy with it anyway. The fabric is a cotton and very light, which is good since we are now in summer here in Cairns, I didn't want a too Christmas fabric so I could re-wear the dress thought out next year but something that still had the theme to it.

 With the first fitting I choose not to make a too fitted dress, I wanted to take into account any weight gain over the festive season (and I always seem to put on a few kilos). The pattern does have a fabric belt that I will relie on to bring shape to the dress.

It took a few goes to get the ruffles right both around the neck and selves. In the end I cut an 1 1/2" off the selves as the puffed out way too much. You can't really see the neck ruffle that well in the photo's but Atomic Dad said its fine.

I used good old bias binding in white to finish the selves and neck, easier then using the same fabric and it means I've got leftovers to make Miss Little 6 and skirt. I also made the matching fabric belt but I think you could use red or green ribbon (which I plan to try later) for a colourful look. In the end I like the bow tied at the back and not the front as the cover drawing shows.

All up this was a very easy pattern. It has more of a house dress feel to it then a "Let's go out!" feel but I don't mind as I need a few more of those. I might make this pattern again but maybe with out the neck ruffle and less fabric in the skirt, mostly to save on fabric and cost.

As this is a Christmas dress I have already planed were I'm going to wear it, so look out for a few post with me out and about in it. Happy sewing every one.

Just a Little Rant

While I love retro/vintage and am working to a more mid-century style of living it’s not all green grass and flowers. The whole thing is a lot harder then I first thought. It helps that Atomic Dad is on board but our small business just doesn’t won’t to play the game.


So while I slowly make my way through this modern world I’ve been thinking about things. Now if I said that to Atomic Dad I would get an “Oh no!” look, it’s not always good when I stop to think. Not only do we put our self’s under huge pressure but so does society, we each make up a part of the society we live in but it is also very much a crowed effort. It is a bigger version of pier-pressure that we talk about in schools and that we seem to think as adults we are immune to it, I think more of us are affected as adults then as youths, but that’s just my opinion.

Me, I’ve always been the outsider, the different child. Once I stopped trying to fit in, I got use to standing out and learnt to live with myself; I can’t say the same for everyone, as being honest with ones' self never comes to many people. I am a harsh person, I have little room for grey in my world, no fence sitting allowed.

So were am I going with this, the truth about modern society or lack of it. Instead of spending the extra half hour saved by the invention of the dish washer with our families we sit in front of TV screens or on phones or both (and I know my family dose this too). Instead of punishing children and their parents for bad behaviour we look for reason why is allowed to happen and find ways to remove the issue.

With all our modern technology we are still a highly censered society, don’t fool yourself and think the internet has all the answers it only has what people put out there truth or not. So many people are so wrapped up in there only little word that they often don’t really know what they’re talking about half the time and don’t have the guts to admit it. And please don’t think I don’t know I fit in here some were, for I know very well I do, we all have, do or will at some point in our lives. The key is to know when and fix it.

Well that’s my bit of a rant, and I don’t mean to upset anyone should you read this and feel so. It’s just me saying how I feel and you’re welcome to do so in your own space too.

A Look Inside

Australian Home Journal, December 1949.

I only have two AHJ for December and have chosen this one as I plan to make the white dress one front (7454) for Christmas. It has a bit about easy to make Christmas girts and lots of different Christmas meal ideas and goodies. Other then the front and back covers there are no colour pages or adds, there is also a lot more pages of articles and less adds and fashion items.

Please enjoy and I hope you are having fun getting ready for Christmas.