Category: Life as a Wife

Open House

/ Renae / 4 Comments

Hubs and I are used to having an “open door policy” when it comes to our home, but that’s not really embraced too much here at college. We love it when people feel comfortable just to pop in for a cuppa or a glass of wine (sometimes even out of a bottle instead of a bag!) and a chat. Granted, sometimes we don’t have time, but we like to think we can make time for our friends where possible.

When I grow up, (ie when we move out of College. lol.) I’m going to really encourage the “pop-in” and hope that people take up the offer. I like that feeling of community and spending quality time with people. I mean, we see people from College every day, but it’s not really quality time, unless we are intentional about it.

I know some people aren’t a fan of other people just dropping in on them, and granted, when you have kids, meal times probably aren’t the best time for a visit 🙂

But all that is ahead of us! We look forward to you popping in to our home some time!

Wifey’s bakery

/ Renae / 3 Comments

I’ve been baking again!! Hooray! Here are my latest creations:

Rainbow Coconut Ice and another batch of Anzac Bikkies

The making of the Rainbow Coconut Ice

Another Pumpkin Pie with the pretties tulips EVER! Photo courtesy of Hubs’ new camera!

I really like having the time to put together these creations for our friends down here. I’d like to do it more often too, so watch this space!!

Pi

/ Renae / 1 Comment

Hubs: “Honey, I need you to make me a pie for my tutorial tomorrow morning.”
Wifey: “Okaaaaaaaaaaaay. And why would that be.”
Hubs: (shuffling around in some uni notes, holds up tutorial paper) “Cos tomorrow’s tutorial is number 3.14!”

Far be it for Wifey to get in the way of a good nerd joke.

So I spent the day considering my options, and decided on this Pumpkin Pie recipe (from my fave food-blog!). Why? Cos I’ve never made a pumpkin pie before and it sounded FUN! I cheated and bought pre-made short-crust pastry, but made everything else from scratch. It was LOTS of fun, and the finished product? Pi-tastic!

Oh yes. There’s a Pi symbol on top!

Clearly, I’m in the running for Wifey of the year.

I sent it off with Hubs to his tutorial and it went down a treat! A Canadian girl said it made her day! Hubs saved me a piece that I shared around at the office and it really was SO yummy. I have enough ingredients to make another one, which I’m already excited about!

I wonder what my next cooking adventure will be…

I’m not a nerd, but…

/ Renae / 4 Comments

…I married one. I thought this would mean that I no longer had to do ANY nerdy stuff (fix my computer, know which cords plug into the TV/DVD player/amplifier etc etc) and that’s true to an extent. But I HAVE had to become au fait with using a Data Projector, amplifier and Play Station to watch DVDs. Yeah. You read correctly. This hasn’t always gone well for me.

One afternoon I came home and I had a pile of washing to fold, so I thought I’d put on a few episodes of the office and do my folding. Data Projector on? Check. PS2 on? Check. Disc inserted? We have a picture! Amplifier on? No sound. Hmmmm… so I started fiddling with the wireless play station remote, as I’ve seen Hubs adjust the volume through that before, but it didn’t seem to be picking up any signal. I thought the batteries were flat so I replaced them with 2 other rechargables. The problem is, you never know if they’re recharged or not. Still no signal. So I knew I had to find the duva to put in the thingy of the playstation so the remote would pick up the signal (technical, I know. I hope you’re keeping up!) but had no idea where it was.

30minutes later, Hubs came home to find me sitting in front of the data projector , watching the menu page of the office and a little tear streaming down my face. I tried so hard!!!!! (Turns out the lead to the amp was plugged into the wrong socket AND the duva for the thingy was in a “safe place.”)

Not to be deterred, I found myself in a similar position last night. I got everything working, but had the same problem with the PS remote. So what did I do? I channelled my inner nerd and picked up one of the guitars used for Guitar Hero, plugged it in to the playstation and used the buttons and strum bar as a remote.

Yeah. I rock! (In more ways than one!!)

Popping the corn

/ Renae / 5 Comments

So Hubs and I have been eating a bit of pop corn lately – it’s a cheap and tasty snack that’s SUPER easy to make!… or so I thought… Here’s what happened:

Wifey: “I’m off to see my friend now. Be back in a few hours”
Hubs: “Can you please make some pop corn before you go so Dr Luke and I can eat it while watching (insert boy movie here)?”
Wifey: “Honey, I have to go. It’s really easy to make. Just heat up the oil, put half a cup of corn in, put the lid on, and turn it off when it stops popping.”
Hubs: “Okaaaay”

An hour later

Ring ring
Wifey: “Hey Hubs”
Hubs: “Oh yeah. Cooking pop corn is soooooooooo easy. How come I have a kitchen full of smoke and a saucepan full of black corn? See what happens when you leave me alone to fend for myself????”
Wifey: (trying to stop laughter)

This is what greeted me on my return: (our new pots!!)

And it took a few days for the burnt pop corn smell to leave the house!!! The moral of the story? Never assume that a super-intelligent man who is completing his PhD in electrical engineering, as WELL as studying medicine, can cook pop corn.

It’s a learning curve

/ Renae / Leave a comment

Hubs and I have been married just over 1 year now and there are a few things I’ve learnt along the way. Some things I’ve worked out for myself, some things have been taught by Hubs, and there have been some pearls of wisdom shared by people in the know along the way. Here are a few I’d like to share with you:

1. Pick your battles. This is one I’ve learnt via all 3 of the above ways. I used to fight all of the little disagreements that we had, and realised it got me nowhere.

2. One of the best, most important and most appreciated gifts I can give Hubs is my undivided attention. Even if it’s for 5 minutes in the morning before I head to work, it makes him feel like the most important person in my world and starts our day wonderfully.

3. Respect for each other’s differences. Just respect in general really, but Hubs and I are quite different in a lot of ways, which sometimes means we don’t understand where the other is coming from. I’ve learnt (the hard way) to take a step back and try and see things from his perspective. And if I can’t, I’ve realised that’s okay.

4. Safety first. Hubs has created in our marriage, an assurance that we are safe together. And I don’t mean physically, I mean emotionally. There is nothing that I’m afraid of telling him. I know that no matter what I say, no matter how crazy, unrealistic, irrational, no matter what, Hubs will listen and not judge me. I know that I can share all of my hopes and dreams and disappointments and fears and craziness with him, and he will not only embrace it all, he’ll love me even more for it. I hope I do the same for him, though my impulsive tendencies sometimes get in the way, but I’m learning! Which brings me to my next point:

5. Take a deep breath and don’t react to situations/comments/actions straight away. This one I’m learning from Hubs. There have been quite a few times in our relationship when I have reacted without considering intentions/motivations (not just Hubs’) behind things, and more often than not there has been a misunderstanding and I end up looking and feeling slightly foolish.

So that’s about all for now. I could go on and on but I don’t want to share all my wisdom in one sitting! What a journey it has been so far, and what an adventure our life together will be!

And here’s some photos, cos you know, everybody likes photos!!

Hubs and I on our honeymoon in Vanuatu with our hair braided (my scalp got SO sunburnt!!)

A week later when we took the plaits out:

SURPRISE!!!

/ Renae / 1 Comment

I arrived home from work on Friday to find my Mum and Dad in our house!!! They had decided a couple of months ago that they wanted to surprise me for my birthday, so they started conspiring with Hubs, who, in turn, conspired with the business manager here at college and arranged for them to stay in a couple of spare rooms here! Classic! I was SO surprised it nearly gave me a heart attack!

So we went out to dinner on Friday night on Lygon st (the thing to do) and then Saturday morning/midday was spent in the Emergency Department of Melbourne Hospital because Mum took a great spill on Swanston st (she’s okay – a sprained ankle that she’s resting today) and then Saturday arvo/evening we were at Little Creatures for birthday eats and drinks. It is a FANTASTIC place! The service was terrific, the atmosphere was pumping and the drinks were so tasty. And the FOOD! Yum yum yum. The mains were great, but the dessert took the cake, so to speak. Hubs and I shared a piece of chocolate mousse cake – oh wow! I think it’s the best dessert I’ve EVER had! Big call, I know!

As usual, here’s some snaps from the day.

The patient:

Silly Hubs:

Little Creatures beers come in 3 sizes: Pony, Little, Not so little. Oh, and a glass of wine thrown in for good measure!

I was so touched by how many people turned up to the party. It was so lovely to have friends from college, from Hubs’ uni course, and old friends I’ve known for years (who live in Melbs.) And of course it was great having the folks there too!

Sunday was my actual birthday, and I knew we were going out for lunch but had no idea where or with whom. So it was a lovely surprise to end up at Brandy Creek for tasty tapas, delicious wines and delightful views. And the weather! WOW!! It was without a doubt the nicest day we’ve had since arriving in June last year. 28 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and a nice breeze to keep it cool. Gorgeous!!

After 3 big days I was a tired little bunny last night, but we finished off my birthday weekend with a couple of beers, some wine, a birthday cake, a chat to my friend on the phone and some relaxing time with Hubs. Phew! What a fantastic weekend.

Mt Tibrogargan

/ Renae / 1 Comment

I do believe this is my 100th post! Hooray!

I thought I would celebrate this milestone with a post about another achievement I made whilst holidaying in Brisbane. My 2007/2008 New Year’s resolution was to try a few new things. So I dreaded Hubs’ hair, started sewing again, did some study, and climbed Mt Tibrogargan! (The Gorilla-looking mountain on the way to the Sunny Coast.) I wasn’t sure what to expect to be honest. I thought we were going for a bushwalk/hike, but it felt like more of a climb/scamper!

My sister-in-law used to climb it “for fun” every couple of weeks, and Hubs had climbed it a few times before too. It was insane! They were very supportive though, and managed to get me all the way to the top!

Here are some “happy” (aka exhausted, nerve-racking, insane) photos we took along the way.

At the start, when I was thinking “this isn’t so bad!”

The next part where Lsl PROMISED she wouldn’t take any photos of my butt! Yeah, right. I was starting to wonder what the hell I was doing up there at this stage.

Hub’s thoughts: “I love you”
Wifey’s thoughts” “How the hell am I going to get down from here?????” (click on image for up-close facial expressions!)

We made it!! The view was amazing! Half way up, I really didn’t think I was going to make it. But I was SO proud of myself, sitting up there on top of the world!

After much slipping and sliding (and torn pants) we were back down the bottom, looking up at the beast we had just conquered.

If I had known what I was getting myself in to, I probably would have chickened out, but ignorance is bliss! Thanks for the great experience Hubs and Lsl! Oh, and I NEVER want to do it again! Ha!

Happy Anniversary!

/ Renae / 3 Comments

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary to Wifey & Hubs!!

Here we are just over 1 year ago:


Hubs woke up to a real treat Monday morning, when I sang a song that my Dad used to sing to Mum on their Anniversary: (to the tune of Happy Birthday)

Happy Happy Anniversareeeeeeeeeee
Happy Happy Anniversareeeeeeeeeee
Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy
Happy Happy Anniversareeeeeeeeeee!

Okay, so Dad is not known for his musical genius, but we always knew how much he loves Mum. And now the tradition has been passed on to us! Then Hubs surprised ME with 2 gorgeous roses:


Hand made of course!


(I found out later that he hadn’t done any of his uni work for 3 days cos he was working on the roses! TOTALLY worth it from where I’m standing!)

Hubs also gave me this card:


which totally cracked me up!

We had a disc game on Monday night, so we went out for dinner along Hardware Lane in town on Tuesday night.
We had oysters for entree which were SO YUMMY


And the restaurant even sprinkled hearts all over our table for us! We had a lovely night listening to some jazz (which is what you do in Hardware lane)


And just generally had a lovely night out. Thank you Hubs for a wonderful year and I look forward to MANY more to come.