Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Chocolate Slice.

This is my go-to recipe for when i can't be bothered, but really need to bake something.
It's so quick it literally takes under five minutes to whip up and i always have all the ingredients on hand.
But best of all, everybody loves it! I can't remember where i found this recipe, but it sure is a keeper.


Chocolate Slice
1 cup SR flour
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsps cocoa
125g butter - melted
Method:
Pre-heat oven to mod 180c. Mix all ingredients together. Press down mix nice and firmly in a slice tin. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Allow to cool and ice with chocolate icing and sprinkle with coconut, if desired.

Do not over cook this slice otherwise the base will come out too hard and crunchy.  
Use your favourite chocolate icing recipe - i make a simple one with melted butter, icing sugar, cocoa and a splash of milk.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.




Friday, February 22, 2013

Tea with me.

Sorry, our cuppa is a day late this fortnight, yesterday i had one of those crazy-busy-in-and-out-all-day kinda days. Actually i've had one of those weeks.
As you know our little Scarlett turned three last week, we had a small party for her with some friends and family. She was just so delighted the whole day, her birthday had finally arrived and she loved every minute of it. As part of her gift we gave her a doctor's kit, so be warned - you'll be getting a full checkup by Dr Scarlett today.

The girls and i had a weekend to ourselves, we had another pretty party to go to and then after dinner we decided to soak up the gorgeous summer evening and drove to a nearby river reserve. Warm summer evenings are just the best.

We also spent a day hanging with one of my sisters and a nephew, we shopped and then decided to go sticky nose at display homes. Have you ever done that? It plants unrealistic dreams in my head but it's fun!

I'll have a little brag about Chas, boy am i proud of him right now. He was selected to represent his school in the local inter-school swimming sports on Tuesday, this was his first swimming carnival - his effort was awesome and yesterday he had his school swimming carnival. He is a natural swimmer and very disciplined, he now needs to decide if he would like to join a swim club.

I'll probably be hand stitching like a crazy woman while we chat - my sister-in-law and i are having a market stall tonight at a fundraising market to support locals who were recently affected by bushfires. I decided last minute to try making some felt bow hairclips..........what do you think?


Thanks for stopping by for the quick cuppa, was lovely chatting to you again, now i really must get organised! Pop over to Em's if you'd like another tea and chat. Don't forget to take another zucchini home with you x

Monday, February 18, 2013

What i am doing...........in February.

So one minute it's Christmas and the next we're in February. Sweet, old romantic February.
Pour a wine, make a cuppa, grab a juice........whatever tickles your fancy and i'll let you in on the goss for this month.

listening ::  To the news, always so depressing.
cooking ::  Tomatoes are finally ripe, so i've just popped some in the oven to slow roast. mmmm.
drinking ::  Sugarless coffee - not as bad as i thought.
reading  ::  'Jessica' by Bryce Courtaney, an old fave i'm reading for about the 10th time.
watching ::  SBS 24hours in A & E. I'm a sucker for these shows.
pondering :: What else i can create in the kitchen with my plethora of zucchinis.....
sewing ::  Going to sew some of these simple cushions.
wishing ::  The house would just.stay.tidy.
enjoying ::  The massive clean outs i've been having.
missing ::  Lazy summer holiday mornings.
waiting ::  For some cooler weather so i can wear my awesome new ankle boots.
looking ::  forward to watching my boy race tomorrow.
liking :: That i won a giveaway and received a sweet little package in the mail.
wondering ::  Where on earth Scarlett has left her new thongs?!
loving ::  That my very talented friend started her own photography business.
hoping :: These beautiful summer nights hang around for a while.
organizing :: A little family get together for our niece's 21st birthday.
believing ::  Some people can never be pleased.
wearing :: Black maxi skirt and tie-dye tank.
considering :: Buying a dress for a wedding that we haven't got an invite for yet. Silly?
knowing ::  Nothing better than home grown corn and tomatoes.
noticing ::  Patterned pants everywhere. So cool.
thinking ::  Three is a wonderfully fun age.
needing ::  An adventure, haircut and new fridge.
marvelling :: At how quickly easter comes along after Christmas.
trying ::  To finish this list before February ends.
feeling ::  Very proud of my three babies right now.

Lots of goodness coming in from The Patch this month.

If you do a list, leave me a comment and let me know so i can visit and read what you're up to.
Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful February too. xxx


Friday, February 15, 2013

This Girl.



Oh this girl! Our Scarlett Isabella..........let me tell you about our little girl.
She loves her dolls, being a little mum pushing them around in their strollers - she'll make a great mum oneday - oh, but lordy help them if they step out of line!
She's a good eater and loves to graze all day, watermelon, potato cakes and  hardboiled eggs are her favourite foods.
She has an obsession with Peppa Pig, bandaids and her nigh nighs.
She has a thing for numbers and counting, she counts almost everything she sees and eight is her favourite number.
She adores her older brother and sister and misses them when their at school and will often ask if we can pick the kids up. She loves her cousins too and calls them her best friends.
She is my mini-me, she looks so much like me at the same age it's freaky.


She's scared of spiders, snakes, crabs and Oscar the Grouch.
She's a wanderer. One minute she's there, next she's gone. She loves to explore by herself and does not worry where i am. I need eyes in the back of my head. She'll be a traveller oneday, for sure.
She's becoming a good little talker, we've had some wonderful conversations lately. She comes out with some funny things quite often!
She's a night owl, it's often a struggle to get her to bed and to stay in it - and she's usually always the last one up every morning.
She's a people magnet, people just love her. She'll be your friend for life.


And this little munckin of ours turned three years old today! Happy Birthday beautiful girl, you make our hearts smile every single day xxx

Saturday, February 9, 2013

From The Patch..........Zucchinis.

As i've mentioned previously, we've got zucchinis coming out of our ears!
But i don't mind - i'd rather have an abundance of zucchinis than cucumbers, there's so much more you can do with the former. I've made plenty of zucchini slice and chocolate zucchini cake, so i thought i'd try something different this year and headed over to my favourite recipe searching place.......
Taste.com you never fail me.


First i made Zucchini and Mustard pickles. Easy peasey these were, much simpler than what i had imagined and surprisingly my kids love them! I did however, halve the recipe and ended up with two jars.
I also made a delicious Zucchini Bread, that was so sweet and moist and even better topped with a cream cheese frosting. Will definitely be making this one again.
I have kept the remaining humongous zucchini until last, he's still sitting in my fridge and i plan on making a simple Zucchini soup with him - i'm just waiting for this warm weather we are having to cool down. 
So that's it with the zucchinis so far...............i'm not enjoying typing that word so many times! (Try it. Not easy hey?)
 So tell me, what's your favourite thing to make with courgettes? (hmmm, no not much easier).

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Tea with me.

I'm linking up with Em at Teacups Too today for her 'Tea with me' posts.


So come sit down and share a cuppa with me......
Let's pop the kettle on and i'll make you a beverage of your choice - heck we may as well even use my  precious teacups and saucers that once belonged to my Gran.
I'll serve you some zucchini muffins with cream cheese frosting that i made yesterday and tell you how we have zucchinis coming out our ears and i'll give you a jar of zucchini pickles to take home with you too, i made those yesterday aswell. Zucchini soup will be on the menu next -once the weather cools down.

Then i'll take you out the back and give you a tour of our vegie patch. The corn is so tall this year and almost ready for picking, tomatoes are finally not far off too and the beans are coming in fast and furious with the zucchinis.
There's nothing better than homegrown produce, my bloke does an awesome job with The Patch.
We'll let the chooks out of the pen and collect maybe two eggs - they're not good layers, my girls.

I'd tell you how the kids started back at school last week and are settling in really well, both so happy to back playing with their friends. I'd have a little whinge about the amount of  notices that are coming home, we are being bombarded with them!

Unfortunately i'll probably be blowing my nose and having coughing fits, i can't seem to shake this yucky head cold. So glad that the kids haven't caught it from me.

Scarlett will probably climb up on your knee and tell you that it's her birthday next week and that she's having a rabbit cake. She'll very carefully show you with her little fingers what number she's going to be.
I can't believe my baby's almost three! I'll reminisce with you about how it doesn't seem that long ago that i held my chubby cheeked, dark haired baby for the first time. Sigh.

I'll tell how i've been busy working lots of extra hours recently, as the boss has been away. And i'll brag about how our little country store won Store of the Year the other day. We are very proud! All our hard work has paid off. I'll also tell you about the exciting new things that are happening with the company.

I'd also tell you that i've been doing lots of walking and really enjoying the exercise, i'm also trying very hard to watch what i eat...........and then i'd probably scoff another muffin and complain about my jeans being so tight.

I hope you enjoyed our cuppa and chat, i really hope i haven't chewed your ears off, please come again x

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

You'll find me here.

I've found some awesome new places to hang lately and i've also been re-visiting some old faves too.
Come check out my new hangs...........

Moose & Bird :  I'm enjoying Melinda back blogging again, she is a wonderfully creative mumma who turns everything she touches into pretty - even zucchini cake! 

I heart bargains:  A fabulous site full of fashion, great looks and out-fitting advice. Looking for something in particular? All the bargain hunting is done for you with everything under $100. I actually used to work with Chelsea waaaay back in the day, she has done an amazing job with her site.

Pinterest: Certainly an old fave. Whenever i'm looking for inspiration whether it's something to cook, an outfit to put together, new crafty project, ideas for the home............i head straight here. My day isn't complete with out a visit to Pinterest Land!

Under The Sycamore: I have been visiting Ashley Ann's blog for a while now, she is a super-amazing mum of five, who's positivity and gratefulness for everything always makes my heart smile - you just can't help being in a good mood when your reading her blog. And her home..............oh my.......i want to move in there tomorrow.

Katie Daisy:  What an awesome artist! Seriously, i could have one of her prints hanging on every wall in my house. Love what she does.

Oh So Lovely Vintage:  Oh the eye candy! Such a cute place to hang. I've only just recently found this lovely little place (i know, where have i been?), but i'm enjoying going through their achives.



So where are your favourite places to hang in cyberland? Share with me your new cool places to hang or your old favourites...........i love finding a nice new cozy spot.



Friday, February 1, 2013

This week.

Wow, what a crazy busy week we've had........
{*Warning photo overload*}


Last weekend, my 83 year old great uncle married for the first time. 
It was a lovely wedding, in a gorgeous little town and it was great fun catching up with all the rellies.


We frocked up in our finery. 
The girls were so excited to be at a wedding (Amity's face says it all!), they had an absolute ball dancing their little hearts out with their cousins. 
Unfortunately Chas doesn't do weddings - it would've been nice to have him in the photo too..........but sometimes it just isn't worth the drama.


We enjoyed the last few days of the summer holidays, hung out with friends and cuddled some cute little critters.


This little girl 'got' the whole swimming thing this summer and now there's no stopping her! She has been in the pool almost everyday.........i think we may have another little fish in the family.

 

Yesterday it was back to school for the two big kids - Grades Two and Three this year. 
Don't they just look so excited to go? 
Thankfully they came home in a much better mood and chatted happily about their day and catching up with their friends.
This week i  have also been busy working and running the shop while the boss is away, so that has meant lots of extra hours for me. Unfortunately i've come down with a horrible head cold and i feel rather yucky.
Bad timing - soldier on mumma.
And whilst i'm here yacking away..........i'm wondering if any of you have attempted Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar eight week detox? I have read a few articles about the book recently and am alarmed at the sugar facts and the amount we are consuming - so i headed off to get the book (twice) and flicked through it and then thought "who am i kidding?! I am the biggest sweet tooth ever! I could never quit sugar". So (twice) i put it back on the shelf.
But i can't seem to get the book out of my head - your thoughts would be appreciated! Is this just another fad diet? Is it worth the whole lifestyle change?
I hope you've all had a great week. x