command delete GIVEAWAY!

In case you didn't already know, I really value all of you who take the time to read my blog. Thank you for reading my posts and for your informative and encouraging comments. By doing this you are keeping me on task and excited about my goals to provide a more sane environment for my family.
So, to say 'thank you' - and also because I'm feeling
a bit festive - I am running a giveaway!

I am excited to be able to give one lucky reader a brand new Boon Frog Pod. Valued at $69.95, this funky bath toy storage system will keep your bath more organised and tidy than it has ever been. It's drainable scoop lets you gather and rinse toys, helping to prevent scum and mildew issues. The wall-mounted base, with built-in shelf, holds all your essential bath products. And it sticks really well to bath walls with semi-permanent adhesive strips, but won't harm tile or wall surfaces. (There's also an option to screw it onto your tiles if you prefer.) 

Bonus: With the Frog Pod your child may actually want to help clean up!

How to enter:

If you would like to go in the draw to win this prize, simply comment on this post, and tell me; what is your child's favourite bath toy? 
OR what is your own favourite bath toy?

Make sure you include your full name in your comment so I can identify and contact you if you are the winner. (If you have been referred by a friend, please include their name as well.)

This giveaway is only for people who have an Australian postal address.

I will be randomly drawing a winner on Thursday 1st of December after 2pm. 

Good luck!

loving lentils

Goodbye meat!

Not forever, though. Just sometimes.

Our family is as carnivorous as they come. My husband's parents are well known for their top notch barbeques. The vast array of perfectly cooked meats they serve up is amazing. My family are into their meat too. Last Christmas my dad fired up the barbie and cooked Kransky wrapped in bacon. What better thing to wrap meat in, than more meat!? (boy was it tasty, though)

With that extremely brief history in mind, you may understand our excitement in making some very yummy meat-free discoveries lately. We never really thought to do anything other than include a meat with every meal. But, I am so glad that my husband suggested that we try branching out a bit.

My latest effort was pasta with lentils and feta. Yummo! Everyone shoveled it down within a matter of minutes. It didn't look half-bad either.
I loosely followed the recipe, adding in any fresh vegies we had in the fridge; mushroom, zuccini, onion, carrot, capsicum and a few cloves of garlic. Also, I used Australian Feta. mmmm

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni has been another favourite.
I have also made an Indian Korma with chick peas and a lentil spaghetti bolognese. These meals have been super-easy to make and are delicious.

One of the boys' swimming instructors suggested I make mushroom rice where you cook arborio (or basmati) rice in vegetable stock and add vegies. Thanks 'swimming lady'! - I'm going to try that one next week.

I think I was expecting to feel like something was missing by removing the meat from a meal. How wrong I was! Why didn't we think to try these things sooner?

I am smiling at the thought of how much money we are going to save by not having to buy meat for every single meal. And we will have much more space in the freezer too! Hooray!

I'm keen to find more recipes. So, if you have any yummy vegetarian meals that you would recommend, please let me know.

Oooh. And make sure you check back in to Command Delete next week. I'm going to be having a giveaway! And that doesn't mean I'm going to be giving away my unwanted, used junk - it's something brand new and really cool!
So, look out for it - you've gotta be in it to win it!

a morning in Fänland

I just spent the morning being treated like a VIP in Tempe
at the brand spanking new
Ikea store! 

I entered a competition on Ikea's Facebook page to win tickets to Fänland at the Tempe store's grand opening. You had to submit your best fan photo or video to enter. They must have enjoyed my crazy photo, because I was lucky enough to be one of the winners!

So, after an early start - which was totally worth it, by the way - my friend, Jacqui, and I were treated to massages (!), hot drinks, a spread of yummy treats, goody bags, and gift vouchers. And all of this while sitting in a luxurious tent decked out with comfy Ikea furniture, cushions and rugs. No lining up in the rain for us. 

We enjoyed listening to some live acts on the stage nearby, including Abba tribute band 'Fabba'. It was great fun. We also got invited up on stage to spin the 'Wheel of Flatpack'. We each won a hotdog. Yeah! haha. I might pass that prize on to my husband. He's a huge fan of the dollar hotdogs.

I was relieved that I didn't win an allen key - because that was a possibility - we have about 50 of those at home already. Note to self: purge allen keys.

The friendly lady, who had been serving us food and drinks all morning, eventually led us and the other lanyard-wearing winners into the store through the back entrance. (So rock star!) We stood amidst a sea of yellow staff shirts and swedish flags while the 'official ribbon' was cut, then joined in with the crowd as they opened the doors.

We marveled at the beautiful styling of all the display rooms, while not really pausing to take too close a look (we were trying to stay ahead of the crowd), and I took many mental notes of the clever storage ideas I saw. I'm filing those away for future reference. We then picked up a couple of things we were after and were out of there. Proud to be still alive and in one piece.

That was one cool, yet slightly weird, morning!

(Last two photos courtesy of Jacqui. Thanks!)