One Simple Celebration Idea

Welcome into my sunny kitchen this morning, and hello to all the new people this week! It’s Catherine writing to you (from The 10 Minute Fix). Thank you for being here…every Sunday morning Australia-time I’ll send you a little upbeat note as promised. Thank you for inviting me into your inbox.

It’s Sunday celebration time around here because it’s Father’s Day in Australia…and I know we’re still in lockdown and this means that extended families can’t get together. If this is you, I hope your day is filled with Facetime, a brisk walk, a treat you love and some plans about all the parties we’ll have when our world reopens.

I know the world is so unsettled right now (Covid-Afghanistan-all the news), but we can all bring a little instant joy with this.

1. Stand there and think about someone you love. (This sign above is in Saskatchewan, Canada!)

2. Chocolate and strawberries.

Want to know the secret to making the best chocolate dipped strawberries? So easy.

1. Melt chocolate in a glass bowl set on top of simmering water in a pan on the stove. (yes, it seems to work a little better than the microwave method)

2. Add 1 tsp vegetable oil for every block of chocolate for that nice sheen.

3. Wash and DRY the berries thoroughly with a tea towel or paper towel.

4. Let the melted chocolate cool a little. Then dip and place on baking paper.

5. Most important tip — DON’T place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Then pop the tray in the fridge. This stops the chocolate from cracking.

I hope you find the time today to enjoy your weekend, to rest, to treat yourself and to celebrate the fact that we’re here with a chance to love all the people we’ve been given to love.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Happy Father’s Day to my guy (see below!). And here’s A Tale of Lockdown Hair. The salons in Sydney have been shut forever, and I have a husband who looks like Santa Claus, an older son who looks like a black-haired Einstein, and a younger one who looks like a wild man emerging from the Colorado wilderness. But I love them so!

• Fun stuff: it’s a little thing, but I think this is the best clothes shaver I’ve ever found, and all it takes is two AA batteries. Comes with replacement blades. Also considering these cute swimmers for summer…

• New favourite novel (from 2014?): The Paris Wife … about Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley. Hemingway was a huge part of my education. Really enjoying it, but also sad when I think about the women’s voices that were constantly overlooked throughout history.

• Favourite Raymond Carver poem: “The Best Time of the Day”. So romantic and true. Short and evocative. To all the Americans, your poets are so incredible.

I'm changing. Here's how.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about COVID and all the changes it’s brought. In our house it means that two of us now work from home. We’ve always cooked our meals and rarely ever do take-away, so that hasn’t changed. And we love our own company, so we don’t feel too isolated.

But there’s this: I don’t want to shop anymore.

Do you?

In Sydney, shops are open but people are cautious. I’m sorry that retailers are having a hard time, here and around the world. I wonder if all of us are feeling grateful for what we do have, unwilling to venture out, and focused on more important things.

I’ve never been a shopper as entertainment since I’ve been married and a mum. There are so many other pursuits I want to do with my time, and all of them involve learning. Being in the mall isn’t fun for me.

That makes me think of a tiny, important message in The 10 Minute Fix: do you know what YOU find fun?

It’s Friday and we’re all heading into the weekend. Can you be intentional about adding a little of your kind of fun into your weekend?

Like last week, I’m really tempted to do this again:

Celebrating life always feels fun to me!

Gathering my family and putting on some music, tea, sparkling water or drinks, a special plate of food and good conversation — that’s my fun. Can you plan to do some of yours?

Walking. Sitting down at the piano. Grabbing your ukulele. Kitchen dancing. Waking up to see the sunrise. Preparing an old favourite family recipe. Zooming a relative from far away. Beach walk or sending a card in the post to a friend. Using the good dishes for afternoon tea. Fun earrings!

No matter what, we are so lucky.

Enjoy your weekend!

Love Catherine x

PS. Recipe is here if you missed it (more hints and tips than ‘recipe’ but worth a read if you want perfect strawberries). And little Grace…our cute Aussie 4 year old who needs a wheelchair, we’re helping her get there! Check out Grace’s page here. Thank you!

Hooray for Strawberries!

Welcome to the weekend!

In Australia, we have one month of winter left, but strawberries are heading into season so it’s definitely time to dip them in chocolate. Right? Right!

Everybody makes this “recipe” but it’s easy to have a less-than-perfect result. Here are my 5 tips for perfect strawberries:

1. Wash and dry the strawberries well. Make sure they’re completely dry, right up to the leaves (which you gently pull upward). Chocolate won’t stick to damp berries.

2. Don’t cheat and use your microwave! Heat the chocolate in a double boiler. Just bring an inch of water to simmer in a pot, and place a bowl on top. Toss in the chocolate. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

3. Add oil. Break up one block of baking chocolate (or chocolate chips). Add to the bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil — this is what gives the beautiful sheen. Stir until melted.

4. WAIT. Don’t dip too early. Let the chocolate cool and thicken a little before you start dipping. This may take 10-15 minutes. Line a tray with baking paper for the dipped strawberries. If the chocolate is cool, it won’t pool as much at the base of the berry.

5. Cool at room temperature, then pop in the fridge. Leave the dipped berries to cool for at least 5 minutes on the bench top. Then put them in the fridge to harden. The chocolate won’t crack off the berry when you take a bite.

Tip #5 is the most important!

So easy and so delicious. Enjoy…

Love Catherine x

PS. Cuter than Olivia Newton John and just as Aussie! 

• Today, I want you to meet my little neighbour Grace. She’s four, smart as a whip, bubbly, beautiful — and her family is never ever going to give up on finding a cure for Grace’s ADCY5-familial Dyskinesia. It’s a very rare disorder that affects Grace’s ability to move and speak…but inside and outside, Grace is fully, beautifully FOUR. So funny and sweet. So smart.

• Grace’s mama, Emma, is a trained nurse and a tireless self-motivated (unofficial) researcher and advocate for this rare disorder. Grace’s nan, Jenny, is my very very dear friend.

• We can help with wheelchairs! It’s time for Grace to be wheeling around on her own and I’d love us to help. Grace’s wheelchair fundraiser is here. Please can you click through and make a donation? ($345 is raised out of a $67,500 target.)

• You can watch Grace on TV here :) Grace on Youtube!