Finishing things off.

Today has been a really busy day for me. I had to wait at home for a parcel to be delivered so I used this time to finish off a few projects.

I have been wanting to do a series of Lighthouse needlepoints for quite some time & I have finished off my first one. I started it when we took the girls fishing by the river the other day.

I picked up a packet of iron on transfers/stamps from Spotlight when I was on holidays at my Mum’s last year. 

These are great! You just cut out the design that you want & iron over the back of the paper onto your fabric.

I love how the lighthouse seems to pop out from the rest of the embroidery.

I can’t wait to finish off this set. I just have to decide if they should go in the lounge room or in my bedroom.

Churros, oh so yummy!

I have to share.

{image source}

I have to share the Churros love.

I have just made churros for the first time & it will not be the last!

The first time we tasted them, was at the Redcliffe Festival of Sails.

Oh my, they were so good!

Then, I cam across this fabulous recipe over at

Mowielicious

{image source}

Churros are just too good not to share!

Mine don’t look as good as Mowielicious, but they taste so darn good!

Yes, that is a lot of sugar but I just don’t care!

It is not something that will be eaten in my house everyday, it will only be a treat.

You can find the recipe

HERE

{you know you want to!}

No more rainy day washing blues!

A while back (maybe last year sometime) I shared on Facebook a project that I got Mr P to help me with. I realised today that I have never shared it on the blog! Are you ready for this? It changed my life & it could change yours too! We hung the sides of our old baby crib (no need for that anymore!) from the ceiling in our laundry to use as an inside clothesline on rainy days. Just like today!

I went to the fabric shop this morning & I always wash any new fabrics before sewing. Now they are hanging from the rails! Hopefully it won’t take too long for them to dry because I have a few quilts that need to be finished & some super funky PJ’s to make! I have also hung up some of the winter woollies & when they dry inside, they stay super soft. Our hot water system is in the laundry so it is great to speed up drying time. I do not have a clothes dryer & I do not need one!

As you can see, we just used hooks in the ceiling & chains to hold the crib rails up. I use this all the time. School clothes that need to be dried for the next day, hang wet shoes above the hot water system to dry, put washed pillows along the top to dry, & if I do a last minute load of washing before bed I don’t even need to go outside!

This system has changed my life. I am no longer a slave to my washing. Even my house thanks me because it smells as beautiful as the fabric softener that I use!

High tea in blue

On Thursday I went with some fabulous ladies to High Tea to raise money for Autism Queensland.

The theme for the day was blue.

{Kamara, Leah, myself, Alyssa & baby Eli}

There was lots of yummy finger food & gourmet tea.

I had no luck in any of the raffles but Kamara did!

It was “wear blue” for the day so I found this fabulous retro flower print fabric on

Wrapped in fabric

Daisies Dots large blue floral by Robert Kaufman

I used a pattern that I already had for a top & just lengthened it.

New Look 6962

And of course I had my blue bracelets & matching nail polish on!

It was a wonderful day to spend the morning & I am already looking forward to the next one!

A challenge to myself, makes me want to walk

{posted previously on my other blog}

One thing that I love to do is walk.

I do not like to walk by myself, there is no fun in that! I like to walk as a family.

The girls, the pooch & I all put on our sneakers & head out as often as we can.

We do not walk for the purpose of exercising.

We do it to spend time together away from the house & the best part is that it is free!

{but the exercise part is a big bonus!}

We also like to take photo’s of beautiful flowers or even get lucky enough to pick some.

These were some of the beautiful flowers we found yesterday & a bunch of sticks to use for a project.

The girls love to also look at the beautiful things in nature.

Kiara takes her mobile phone everywhere & she also took some photo’s of beautiful flowers to use as a screen saver.

This morning when I had breakfast, it was lovely to have these beautiful flowers in a vase on the table.

It made me enjoy my breakfast that little bit more.

Now the challenge part.

I have set myself a challenge.

The challenge is to find or take a photo of something beautiful on our walks. It is the simple things that are often the sweetest ♥

Do you like to go for a walk & do you take your family with you?

Linking up at Team Friday

Some great tips for planning a dinner party. And a recipe too!

 
 
Today we have the lovely Melissa guest posting on the blog about one of my favourite things to do.

 

Dinner party planning

It’s time to plan your next dinner party, which is a scary proposition for some. You want your party to be just right so you and your guests have a wonderful time. The formula for the perfect dinner party isn’t an exact science, but there are some basic steps you can follow to ensure you have a good chance of everything going well:

- Pick a theme

Themes make things easier on everyone. When you pick a theme it’s easy to pick out decorations, food, and everything else you could think of. At the very least the theme will give you a starting point and make sure that your party flows well and isn’t disjointed. For example, you might want to have an exotic party with themes from the Middle East (check the end of this post for a wonderful recipe for a hummus appetizer).

- Work in advance

If there were a universal downfall of dinner parties it would definitely have to be poor preparation. There are so many aspects of a dinner party that it’s hard to remember to do everything, which means you’re going to be overwhelmed on the night of your gathering. The best way to avoid this pitfall is to make a list and stick to it. I like to imagine my entire dinner party from start to finish and take notes about the preparation I will need for each part. It usually starts with cleaning (your guests deserve a spotless environment to enjoy) and ends with cooking. Of course, things like decorating and the like will take up some time as well. If you make your list and stick to it you won’t need to worry.

- Invite early

There’s nothing worse than planning the perfect party and having two people show up because you didn’t give enough notice. Make your plans early and remember to invite people in a timely manner. You can also use some aspects of your plan to entice people to come. We’d all like to think that our friends and family would come to our party no matter what, but the fact of the matter is that people are busy. If you give them a reason they will come!


Use the following perfect hummus recipe at your next themed party.
You’ll need:
- A food processor
- 2 cups drained canned garbanzo beans (save the liquid)
- 1/3 cup tahini (ground sesame paste that can be found at a specialized grocer)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pitas, pita chips or crackers for serving
Put all of the ingredients in the food processor and blend until you get a smooth, creamy texture. You can add liquid from the garbanzo beans if the mixture gets too dry. Enjoy!


If you go with a themed dinner party, plan in advance, and take steps to ensure your guests show up, then your next dinner party will be the best yet.


Author’s bio: Melissa is a mother and party planner. When she’s planning a party she likes to stick with relevant themes, like using Mario party supplies for children’s parties.

Thought for the day

A woman’s curse. Are you cursed too?

Do you have the woman’s curse?

Do you?

Or is it just me?

Do you think that something is a fabulous idea & jump in without thinking?

I do.

Do you have a fantastic brainwave that gets your blood pumping but after a little while your blood turns cold & you wonder what made you think it was such a fantastic idea when it really wasn’t.

I do.

I need a 48hr buffer period from when I have my fantastic, fabulous brainwave until I can let it become an action. Sometimes I feel as though I am giving up on too many things when I should just have never started an unrealistic idea. I don’t know if it is the Sagittarius in me or is it just something that all woman do? I don’t know if I try too hard to be an unrealistic vision of what I think I should be. I know that many people have asked where I find the time to do everything that I do & I have been asked more times than I can count if I ever sleep!

I don’t have time to do everything & yes, I do sleep. I don’t even drink coffee! I have never had more than the 1 sip many years ago when I first tried it. Didn’t like it. My problem is that I have an overactive brain. No I mean seriously, it doesn’t seem to want to have a quiet moment.

Is it a woman’s thing?

If I watch TV, I am thinking of cooking or sewing. If I am reading a book, my mind wanders off to my to do list. If I am talking on the phone, I am walking around the house cleaning. If I am on the internet, I am not just on one page. I have 5 pages set to come up all at once as soon as I log onto the internet.

My husband on the other hand, can certainly only do one thing at a time.

Most men can only do one thing at a time & I am completely jealous.

How sweet life would be if I only had to think of one thing at any given time. To be able to sit down & watch a movie & NEVER think of the housework that needs to be done, the food that needs to be cooked, the washing that is piling up, the kids that need a shower, the dog that needs to be feed, the bills that need to be paid……….all of it.

Are you cursed with the woman’s curse too?

Anzac Day 2012

Simple rules of the house, free printable

I found this fantastic free printable from

imom.com

It is fantastic!

I think they are sweet & simple rules for any house.

I think I need to print one out & hang one in every room & on every door!

Now, if I can just get the kids to read it!

Maybe I should tape a lolly to them so they will at least know where they are!

Cheese and bacon cob loaf dip

Today I am sharing my “go to” entertaining recipe. I made this on the weekend for Mr P’s birthday because it is one of his favourite foods. We always have this whenever we have friends over or if we are asked to bring something to someone else's place. It is quick & easy. Everyone loves it.

A lot of dip recipes work well with cob loaves. My fave is a spinach dip which I will share another day.

Cheese & bacon cob loaf dip

1 cob loaf

250g diced bacon

250g grated cheese of your choice (I just used light tasty for this)

300ml of light sour cream

250g of cream cheese

Cut off the top of the cob loaf (like a lid).

Pull out all of the bread to make a bowl. Just be careful not to pull too much out or you dip will leak.

Keep the bread that you have pulled out as you will need that later.

Heat a little oil in a large saucepan & fry the diced bacon.

When the bacon is cooked, remove the pan from the heat & put in all the other ingredients.

Stir well until all combined.

Spoon the cheese & bacon mix into the cob loaf.

Place the “lid back on top & place on a baking tray. Put all of the leftover bread on the tray as well.

I of course, cooked mine in the Thermo oven, (not to be confused my the thermomix)

180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

{oven temps & times may vary}

Serve in a large round serving bowl with the extra bread around the outside for dipping.

To eat, break off pieces of the “bowl” (the cob loaf) and use the pieces to dip into the cheese & bacon dip. At the end there is no cob loaf & no dip left!

I know that there is so many uses for this type of recipe. You can do a chilli in the middle & use the bread to dip in, your fave dip can be used & I have even done small ones with pumpkin soup. I will be sharing a lot more recipes for cob loaves in the near future.

Things I am loving

{this is not a sponsored blog, It is just my fave products I want to share with you all}

I am in love with

{510 Euphoria, 832 Bonzai, 260 Funtime Fuschia, 053 Apricot Punch, 740 Clear}

There is something fantastic about having beautiful nails.

I am in love with

Rimmel London Nail Polish

I mean, they must have been making a nail polish just for me when they came up with the

60 Seconds Nail Polish

It is perfect for the woman who does not have time to go & get her nails done at a salon. It has an extra wide brush so it takes less time to paint & dries in 60 seconds.

Marvellous!!

It also means that I can change the colours of my nails every day!

It is also perfect for painting little girls nails as it dries so fast that they can't smudge it or get it on the furniture! I mean, what little girl {& big girls!} doesn't love to have their nails painted!

My Favourite nail polish in the

I Lasting Finish

is the 053 Apricot Punch

Not only does is it the most awesome colour but when it dries, it has a fabulous fruity scent!!

YES!!

It smells delicious!

One truly amazing thing about

Rimmel London

is that I can buy it from my local chemist, supermarket or even when I am clothes shopping at one of the major retail store (you know them!).

Did I mention that it is VERY reasonable priced? Well, it is!

What is your fave colour nail polish?

More DIY phone cover inserts, I am loving these!

Last week, I did a post called, Personalise your phone every day of the week.

I have made some new inserts!

These fab inserts were made using

 

 

 

Papermania Summer Bloom by Stephanie Dyment

I love the shabby chic look of these papers.

If you missed the tutorial on how to make these

phone cover inserts

click here