The bread we made in the video below was Ciabatta, an Italian loaf you can probably get in the bakery. It was fairly easy, but we did have to let it rise for 12 hours, so it took a bit of forward planning, and a whole lot of patience!!

Since then I’ve made a few more batches, and we’ve been eating the bread I’ve made for lunches. I’m a little bit annoyed because my own doesn’t seem to be making bread as nicely as mum and dad’s oven, or the oven we learnt on… it means that while these bread loaves are beautiful and soft, mine are always a bit hard- because the heat isn’t getting into the bread right… Apparently this is something that does happen, and a consideration when buying an oven. When we build I will be looking out for a super duper oven, but for now I think I’ll have to think of a way to make do with what I’ve got!

Anyway, this is how it went (let me know in the comments if you want the recipe, and I’ll type it up!):

Bread Making from Talia Carbis on Vimeo.

Dad was putting the render on the outside, and showing Luke how to do it so he could help. The rule was “Only push the render up, don’t drag it down the pizza oven”. So that’s what Luke did. Later, towards the end I noticed Dad putting the render on sideways. I didn’t say anything, but I thought to myself, “there are (almost) always exceptions to the rules”. I know that for me, there are the odd exceptions when comic sans IS an okay font to use (I know it’s hard to belive…!), or that in cooking, sometimes odd flavours work, and that in craft, sometimes colour combinations that shouldn’t work, do. We can’t be too stuck in the rut, or 100% sure that the ‘rule’ is right.

Now that pizza oven is up and running we’ve used it quite a few times. It’s lovely to sit outside and enjoy some company, and relax. Perfect on these hotter nights! Here are some snaps of the building process:

Oh, and this also means that I can cross something off my list of things that needs to be finished!

1. Making the Christmas pressents for everyone <- very important!

2. Finish making Christmas quilt <- also quite important!

3. Finish bathroom

4. Finish woodfire pizza oven

5. Clean study

6. Edit photos for Pete and Rhys, and edit Video from Hayden’s 18th.

Those last two stare and me, hating me, but I WILL get them done. Eventually. :-S

The slideshow below goes through some of the stages of making the oven. Not sure if you’ll be able to view it in your reader, so if you can’t just click through and view in your browser!

He’s smart, caring, and loving.

Here we are, from youngest to oldest. I know I’m a few days late, but Happy Father’s Day!

It’s really simple. I love how every photo tells a story. Some short stories, some long tales. I want to know what is your favourite photo of yourself. Everyone has one. The photo they look at and smile. It reminds them of something, some time, some place. A moment in time.

So share the photo, share the story and then tag three other people. I want to see photos and stories all around the blogosphere.

Baby me and Daddy

The photo isn’t the good- it’s 22 years old now, and is pretty spech. That’s me and my daddy. Our first photo. I love him SO much, and I by the looks of this photo, he loves me too. There is something so special about daddies and their daughters.

I can’t wait for the day when I can take a picture of Luke with our daughter in the same position. I love my dad, and think that he’s the best.

I tag Bonnie, Bettina, and Lucy!

Remember when Luke made me my super pot? Well, since then I’ve planted up all my other herbs into tyres (as well as some in the pot Luke made), and straberries and what not in the back garden bed. Nanna gave me a stack of beautiful cane mulch for Christmas (I know, SHAME it has taken my nearly 6 months to do something with it!!), and while Luke is out shopping for my birthday presents (!!!) with Hay & Mon, I decided to invest the time is getting rid of weeds, and using up the much!

Also, it is my birthday on Wednesday, and Luke organised for my family and a few of our friends (unfortunately not all- it was pretty booked out) to go down to the Jazz club in Brisbane on Friday night. If you have not been (and live in QLD) then you MUST go, it is absolutely the best place ever!

And I love my Mum & Dad. They are so cute and in love, and it makes me happy to go out with them. I could seriously just chat with them for ages and not get bored.

Dad’s birthday today so it’s a family dinner. Roast. My favourite.

Aaron’s birthday today. Am hoping that we might be able to pop around and give him his present-o. Will have to see though, what time Luke finishes music practice.

Will post photos of the family affair.

I roll over to Luke and wake him (he doesn’t like it). “Can you see that?” I ask, and point out the window. The grey there behind the two trees, on the other side of the gully. He sees it, and thinks that it’s water.

I get my phone and call Dad, and then while I’m getting ready for school, Luke and Pepper investigate. They discover a BIG hole in a BIG pipe, and heaps of water IS spurting out everywhere.

Anyway. Dad gets the water turned off, and fixes it at lunch time. So by the time I’m home from school it’s all fixed!!

Oh, btw, my first ‘proper’ day of school today- teaching the whole thing. It went pretty well! I’m blogging my reflections using pretend names etc. over here. Check it out. I’ll probably just blog the exciting and fun things here! Like the HUGE big ‘tv’ I made them today out of a fridge box. Will post photos tomorrow when they’re in it!!

Today was my last day of work. It’s KIND OF sinking in that I’m not a JLE employee anymore, and that I am (technically) unemployed, as of tomorrow. But school starts on Tuesday, and I have a lot of planning to do before then, and I will also be busy, busy, busy while on prac, and very aware that it is not possible for me to work and teach at the same time.

For those you know aren’t aware of my current situation, here it is:

Last year I failed one of my subjects, so I couldn’t do my 6 week internship. I had been with that class all year, and taught them in blocks, and visited weekly for the entire school year. I was in a reasonably position to complete my degree- my teacher was confident in my ability, even if the age group was a real challenge for me.

When I had to leave school, the very next week I started working with my Dad at John Love Electrical, we were talking at work today and realised that this was about August. It was a really great time, and I kept working there after I got married.

In this new year I have gone back to Uni doing one subject- the one I failed last year. Last Friday I got confirmation that I had passed with a Credit this time (I think it was a bit of LIFE overload this time last year- wedding plans, prac, study, work etc). So I have had to leave JLE this week so that I can start my six weeks of internship.

This year I have also been visiting my class once a week, in term 2. This is because I am not ‘allowed’ to go straight into my internship without having really met the class before. So on top of that, because I’ve only been doing day visits, I am just going to school 3 days a week for 3 weeks (these next 3 weeks) before I start that ‘official’ 6 weeks. I am looking forward to it, but also looking forward to finishing, because finances are will be more then just a little tight for the next 9 weeks. I’m not eligable for Austudy, or Youth Allowance or whatever, because I’m only doing one subject. But I am hoping to go on a looking for work allowance, which should help us out a little.

So wish me luck for the adventure, and that the business venture thingy Dad and Luke and I are working on all works out so that I will again be employed when I finish!!

We spent a fair bit of time yesterday bonding sleeping on the bed together. Pepper is really little, and gets cold easily. She is also keeping mummy and daddy VERY AWAKE during the night. So I am at work now, but very tired!!

Rachel and Aaron bought Pepper’s brother- Shadow, as well! So they have fun playing together. It’s nice to have them part of the same family!!

Pepper loves the attention she is getting, and loves playing with Misty as well. Check out this video I made of her:

Thank you to everyone who came! It was made very special by the variety, and loyalty of the friends who shared it with me.

It was held in our newly (almost) finsihed place. Picture of the main room, with floor down and everything, here:

There is nothing quite like having friends to share your love and your time with. I would like to give a special things to Rachel, who gave quite a touching speach. Also a big thanks to Dad- who is always one of my biggest fans, and always manages to gush over me at exactly the right times (i.e: during speaches dedicated to me).

LUKE’s speach was very well thought out, and I am thinking that I will write it out (he gave me a copy of his notes- yes, he wrote notes!!), in a new post. I LOVE him SOOOO much.