Life is a Journey – Page 107 – The life and times of Libby Withnall

Foodie Friday

Posted on February 15, 2013October 31, 2026 by Libby Withnall

I seem to have spent a fortune on food this week (but things were a little run down I guess). I actually did 3 seperate shops this week.

Woolworths on Satudary, Aldi on Tuesday….

and Coles for my big shop on Thursday.

So how is my sugar free challenge going? I’m pleased to report it’s going well. I find I’m not enjoying sweet things like tinned pineapple (in juice) which I’ve always loved. And I tend to feel full a lot quicker. Most of the time I’m not bothered that I can’t eat sweets but I do miss baking. I tried to make a new healthy choc cake today but it was a big fail. On the negative side my arthritis is as bad as ever (due to the humidity) but on the plus side I lost 2kg last week :-). I’ve got 4 more days to go and will then make some decisions as to how I proceed.

Breakfast this week…. By pure chance I made a protein pancake on Tuesday….

Fried egg on toast….

Veggie scramble with toast…

and French Toast made by Christy…

I made some Lentil Soup which I know doesn’t look the best but I promise it tastes amazing…

And there were afternoon teas with the girls. The watermelon this week has been the best all year.

Dinner included…. Quorn fillet,mashed potato, mushroom and brussel sprouts…

Quorn Bolognase…

Santa Fe Casserole… again doesn’t look the best but tastes great….

We had one dinner flop. I made mushroom sauce (which I’ve made before) over pasta. Not sure if it was the wholemeal pasta (first time trying this) or because I missed the chicken stock cube from the sauce. I’m thinking it was the pasta.

There was also a special Valentine’s Dinner of Yorkshire Pudding and Roast Veggies.

Oh, and if you want to see the video I made BEFORE starting the no-sugar challenge, I finally managed to get it uploaded (yay!!!)

Linking up with what am I eating.

Tell, me did you have any outstanding success or failure in the kitchen this week?

Valentine’s Day 2013

Posted on February 15, 2013October 31, 2026 by Libby Withnall

I don’t have a lot (by American standards) of Valentine’s Day decorations… mainly because they are impossible to find here in Australia. So sad :-(. Probably half of my stuff is actually Christmas decor – which gets to multi-task.

I saw a VERY odd sight at the local petrol station. A man dressed as a knight buying flowers. Only on V-Day :-)….

I decorated the table for our afternoon tea.

I usually buy a little something for the girls but this year they also got some Winter jammies.

Red fruit and cupcakes (just for those who are still eating sugar 🙂 ).

And some treats for the dogs (Nan bought these ages ago).

For dinner I made a meal that everyone loves. Yorkshire Puddings, roast veggies and gravy.

Then dessert for the girls (though Kevin ended up eating Christy’s).

I had planned to do berries and fresh cream for Kevin & I but never ended up having it. He had to take Amy to drama lessons so I spent the rest of the evening with Christy enjoying TV by candle light.

The Week that Was

Posted on February 12, 2013October 30, 2026 by Libby Withnall

Only a day late this week. I would have been on-time (yesterday) but I stuffed up with uploading my photos :-(.

It was the week of morning walks…

and early morning shadows…

It was the week of friends with matching cossies…

and the week I got very excited when I saw the lovely Valerie Waters on TV….

It was the week I drove to my old Uni to drop Amy off for her school swimming carnival….

and it was the week we got settled into the school routine – a little different this year as we now pick up Christy on the way home….

It was the week Kevin tried (unsuccesfully) to fix a new cover on the i-pad I dropped and broke….

and it was the week Kevin laughed at my set up. Because our internet connection has been so bad I’ve been watching YouTube on my i-pad, which meant I could check blogs at same time on my laptop….

It was the week of enjoying my new phone cover… how cute is it?

and it was the week I very sad when I broke the lid of my favourite teapot ….

It was the week I returned to yoga after a long, long break…. hoping it might help with my arthritis (which is acting up again)…

and it was the week Christy returned to roller ~~skating~~ blading lessons….

It was the week Amy came home with this… a dalek from Dr Who….

on the same day Kevin gave her an early birthday present…. from Dr Who for those not living with a Dr Who fanatic….

It was the week Christy and I enjoyed a breakfast out before school (following an early morning doctors appointment)….

and it was the week of a nail polish delivery…. all bought on sale,of courese….

And it was week of Bailey photos….

Weekend Away in Sydney – Sunday

Posted on February 10, 2013October 31, 2026 by Libby Withnall

After a relaxed morning we checked out of the hotel around 9am and headed across the road to have breakfast at Gloria’s. Yum.

Christy had spotted these water balls yesterday and was keen to have a go. Kevin joined her.

They had lots of fun but as you can tell it was very hard to run on the water :-).

We then caught the monorail (possibly for the last time as it is being pulled down mid-year 🙁 ) into the city center.

First stop was Myer to the Illamasqua stand so I could get a new foundation (the one I got in Sephora was WAY too light for me).

Half done – it looked good in the shop!

We then went through the Strand – love this building so much.

Lots of lovely Valentine’s decorations.

And of course a visit to Haigh’s. I was very good and only got 4 mandarin creams.

Then across the road to Kevin’s fav shop – the Apple store.

While there I discovered there is a Wagamama’s not far away.

so we headed their for lunch as it’s one of the Birthday boy’s fav. places.

We again shared some dishes. Amy wasn’t too impressed but Kevin and I loved it all.

And of course Kevin was esp. pleased to see bananas on the dessert menu.

I was too full for any but Amy said this sundae was yummy.

After lunch we caught the monorail back to Darling Harbour, collected our car and headed home. We had a really fabulous family weekend which was great because with a teenager and tween you never quite know what you’re going to get :-).

I’m still hoping to upload the video I took (as quite a bit was missed in the photos).