The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

I politely asked Santa for a copy of the new book - The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Low and behold, I received it at our early Christmas dinner with J's family. 

We jumped on a plane at 8.30am yesterday. I read it for a few hours, napped, read some more. You know how it goes. I must mention there were a few squealing babies surrounding our seats. Now, squealing babies are fine. I understand, they do that, because really - what else can they do?! But for four hours!!! Needless to say, I was a slightly disgruntled passenger. There was a little girl, perhaps 12 months old (I am not really sure, no maternal instinct 'round here). She would not stop looking at me. Then, when I pulled a Christmas cookie gifted to me by a lovely friend, she pointed. And squealed. And pointed some more. She wanted my cookie. So I just gave her this look that 'said' "you are really cute, but you are sure as hell not having my cookie!" and she turned away and went to sleep. Funny.

We arrived in Darwin around 12.30pm, got home to Mum and Dad's place, I read some more and then I napped again. Woke up to a torrential storm, which apparently flooded the area one of the local bridges, and everyone else was napping. So what do you think I did? Kept reading. I finished the book in one day. I still can't believe it because I have the attention span of a salted peanut. 

The book is great. It's funny in parts, sad in parts and easy to read in all the other parts. I definitely recommend reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Especially if it is a balmy Saturday afternoon and you have some quiet time. I am looking forward to seeing the movie! 

Note: I never EVER nap. And I never EVER "have time" to read. I'm proud of myself and now have the reading bug! 

Pizza Capers.

Outside of my typically planned and mapped intake of food, there are occasions when I simply cannot be bothered to prepare and cook a nutritious meal at home. Yesterday I didn't arrive home until late in the evening and J was busy mulching and watering the new trees down the paddock. We were also flying out to Darwin the next day (and I had gone a little cuckoo waiting for a water delivery - I cleaned out the fridge). Ha, it almost sounds like I am justifying our Friday night food frenzy. Let me assure you, I am NOT. 

We didn't leave home until 8.00pm to grab some dinner. I was hoping that the new Indian restaurant in Samford had opened. Unfortunately (which later turns to good fortune), it wasn't and Pizza Capers was the next best option. I like to have the best of ALL worlds when it comes to take away. I also am a real tight-ass, so if there are coupons on the counter then I, bloody well, will use them. On offer was a 'Gourmet 4 Course Banquet'. Winner! 

For $32.95 (add on $4.00 for a 1.25L Pepsi) J and I feasted on:

Appetiser - Sour Cream and Chives dip with Parmesan Dipping Crusts

Entre - Bacon and Mushroom Pasta

Main - Supremo Pizza

Dessert - Pear and White Chocolate Calzone

The service was amazing from the moment we arrived. The dining area was on a brand new deck and the table even had a little vase of flowers on it. The food was magnificent (yes, I said it). And the price??? Ridiculousy cheap. We were soooo full that we had the take the dessert home with us. It has been so hot in Brisbane lately so once we were home I stripped off and over indulged on the couch and slipped into food coma. Unfortunately I only managed to get a photo of the dessert...

Aldi.

I love going to Aldi. There are the regular grocery items there and then there are the cool items there like lawn mowers, BBQs, pizza stones, 4wd winches (yes, I know, why?) and a heap more. I have been shopping at Aldi for bits and pieces over the last few years. I am still a Woolworths shopper through and through, don't get me wrong. 

Shopping at Aldi is a great way for me to save money on the things I buy so much of. However, there are a few things that still annoy me:

1) How the check out operator doesn't start serving the next customer in line until the previous customer is packed up and on their way. Well... unfortunately for me I have the 'it's-too-late-for-me-to-pick-up-a-basket-now-I-am-half-way-through' kind of attitude. So I load up and load up on bargain goodies and dump everything on the check out conveyer belt (far from elegantly). Then I have to fondle around finding my wallet and stacking my purchases at the same time. Then I get flustered. And then I get shocked that they charge for a credit purchase rather than savings or cheque purchase. 

2) Then the check out operator puts the receipt on top of all of my stacked goodies that I plan to carry through the shopping centre with my arms locked out like a zombie. Well that receipt is surely not going to stay there is it?!? So I unlock my zombie arms, plomp my stack of goodies down on the bench, put the receipt in my diary and walk away with a slightly elevated heart rate and a face tinged pink.

However, all is not lost with shopping at Aldi. With my recent eating habits, I have stumbled across some scoop purchases which I will definitely keep going back for.

Free Range Eggs - $3.69
Lite Cottage Cheese - $2.something
Rice Cakes - $1.something
Rye Sourdough - $2.79
Blueberries - $1.49 (!!!)

Moral of the story, you wonder? 'Things' (for lack of a better word) don't change. People don't change. You (well, me in this case) have to change. Perhaps I could buy an Aldi trolley token and keep it on my key ring. Hell no. Or I could hunt down an empty box on my way through so I could just stack my goodies in there and be on my way. Perhaps not. Or I could find those canvas/hessian/burlap grocery bags I loved but now can't remember where I saw them because I never wrote it down or impulsively bought them at the time. Yes. Problem solved. Now to find them.