Are we done…?






Everything for Him..






Okay back…



Here’s an iPhone wallpaper I’ve designed to remind you!

Just click on the image and save to your camera roll.

National Diabetes Week

IMG_1972.JPGWith bated breath I sit in a waiting room listening for my name to be called. I’m trying to pass the time by watching the silent morning news and scrolling through Instagram but really I only have one thing on my mind. My name gets called.. as I follow the nurse down the corridor I hear my stomach growl, a constant reminder that I have a child in my womb. One, two, three viles later I am escorted back to the waiting room. Waiting for this process to happen again, twice more actually, over the course of the next 2 hours. Like clockwork I feel the effects of the sugary drink I forced down an hour earlier, these symptoms are so familiar..I feel tears start to prick my eyes and spill down my cheeks. Not again I whisper..
4 days later I see a call come through from a number I don’t recognise- I already know what the nurse is going to say. “Hello, is this Stephanie?.. you are positive for GD.”

So, now, here I sit.

I see this referral almost every morning- I can’t lose it so I don’t put it away where I am bound to forget it exists.. in a month I will sit in the same waiting room and repeat this process. Having given birth to two healthy babies I can’t find fault in my body and yet here I am praying that it performs as it should.

I’m the 1 in 9, predisposed by my Middle Eastern heritage. There’s a stigma attached to it- we take pin pricks 4 times a day, nurses check our results every few weeks, doctor’s run through what we’re eating and treat us like toddlers. We pay for test strips and miniature needles, we set alarms on our phones multiple times a day. Our appointments are 3 times longer than usual, 2 hours in a waiting room is considered normal..
If you’ve had it once you will more than likely have it again they tell you..

Diabetes doesn’t always look the same person to person but it’s something that can drastically change a persons life.

Za’atar Man’ouche Recipe


Za’atar Man’ouche is traditionally a food the Lebanese claim as their own however many believe it can be traced back to Biblical days. I have always loved Za’atar Man’ouche (a combination of herbs- Za’atar, toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac and often salt on a type of dough or مناقيش‎  in Arabic). My Assyrian Nan was over a few weeks ago so we decided to make some.

Za’atar Man’ouche


2 1/2 cups plain flour

75ml Olive Oil + 5 Tbsp more

150ml warm water

2 tsp yeast powder

1 tsp salt

6 Tbsp Za’atar Mixture

How To

  1. In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast powder and salt
  2. Make a well in the centre and pour in the Olive Oil and warm water
  3. Mix well until it all comes together and then start kneading until you have a smooth non sticky dough
  4. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in a warm area of your home for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface
  6. Divide the dough into 4 sections, lightly knead one section of the dough and roll out to desired thickness with a rolling pin. We used a pot lid to measure them out in round shapes.
  7. Using a brush, brush olive oil onto the dough and sprinkle with Za’atar
  8. Bake in a 200 degree Celsius oven for approx 7-10 minutes. I like to sprinkle mine with sea salt when they come out.

It was new but familiar..







If these hands could speak..Assyrian Biryani

IMG_1945.JPGIf these hands could speak what would they say.. Nan grew up in Baghdad, Iraq as a Christian. Fleeing persecution by Saddam, her family made their way to Australia. The older I get the more I cherish my heritage and want to preserve as many things from my grandparents as possible.. Last week I stood in my kitchen and documented my grandma making Assyrian Biryani.

As kids (and maybe adults) we made jokes about how, for our entire lives, we always ate the same 5 dishes when Nan cooked but you know what.. I am desperately trying to learn how to make those dishes so that when she passes on I can tell my girls that their grandma stood in a kitchen in Iraq and made this.. it’s something that will be with the women of this family for future generations.


Assyrian Biryani

Serves 4 people


4 thigh fillets

1/2 kg of gravy beef or beef fillet

120g Slivered Almonds

2 cups of basmati rice

2 large white potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

2 white onions, chopped finely

2 cubes of powder chicken stock

2 tsp Turmeric

2 tsp Biryani Spice

2 tsp curry powder

Vegetable oil

Olive Oil

Salt and pepper

How To

..cook the Rice

  1. Soak the rice in cold water for 20 minutes. Wash the rice and drain.
  2. Heat a pot with olive oil (enough to fill the bottom) on medium heat, add chicken stock, turmeric, biryani spice and curry powder to the pot, stir to combine.
  3. Add 3 cups of water and bring to the boil. Once boiling add the rice, cover and cook until water is absorbed. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally until rice is cooked.

..cook the Chicken

  1. Place the thigh fillets in a pot on medium heat. When the juices of the chicken are gone place ½ cup of water into the pot, when the water is gone add another ½ cup of water etc until the chicken is cooked.
  2. Cut the chicken thighs into small pieces and place in a bowl.

..cook the Beef

  1. Place the beef in a pot on medium heat with a sprinkle of salt. When the juices of the beef are gone place ½ cup of water into the pot, when the water is gone add another ½ cup of water etc until the beef is cooked.
  2. Cut the beef into small pieces and place into a bowl.

..cook the Potatoes

  1. Wash the potatoes in cold water and drain well. Place on a paper towel and pat dry.
  2. Place enough vegetable oil in a pan to reach halfway up the potatoes and fry the potatoes on high heat until golden. Drain on absorbent paper. Once golden place the potatoes on top of the chicken pieces.
  3. Divide the oil from the potatoes into two seperate bowls.

..cook the Almonds

  1. Place the almonds into a pan with half the oil from the potatoes on medium heat and cook till golden.

..finish the Beef

  1. Place the other half of the potato oil into a deep pan- add the cooked beef and chopped onions. Fry on medium heat until the onions are softened. Set aside


  1. Combine everything except the almonds in a pot and stir to combine. Once heated serve warm sprinkled with almonds

A fed baby is a happy baby..


Breast feeding vs bottle feeding..





Family Photos!

Last week we were gifted with a newborn session by one of our very talented photographer friends- Rosalie Sweeney! Here’s a few of my favourite pictures.. most of them were absolutely beautiful (new mums can be really hard on themselves regarding how they look.. like, hello.. we just birthed a child and spent 9 months putting on weight).. but to be honest she captured our family so beautiful it almost doesn’t seem real! I’m a mum to two girls- what the?!

Introducing Raegan!








She’s here!
