PaisleyJade

Makings...

2009-11-16T19:31:00.006+13:00

There's been a little bit of 'making' going on here in the past couple of days... I really have to try to grab any moment I can if I want to make anything though - which of course has meant some sewing while in the car (not while I'm driving though) and the usual 'strange looks' from people passing by.

What's so strange about a girl sewing in her car I ask myself? It's not like I have my sewing machine in the car... just a needle and thread.

Anyway, here are a few of the things I've been making lately...

A crochet star ornament for a friend (hubby told me it looked like a doiley... I tried to tell him that doileys were coming back in fashion - but in the end resorted to adding a button to try and make it look a bit more vintage... and a tad less 'granny').

More softies for the shop...

Some little sugar biscuits - great Christmas stocking fillers (also in the shop)!

What things have you been making/reading/listening to when you get a chance (while in your car ;)

Colours in my weekend...

2009-11-15T17:19:00.005+13:00

Chocolate Fudge Squares

2009-11-13T15:46:00.006+13:00

My mum made these all the time while I was growing up... then she stopped making them and I forgot about them for awhile... until recently. Now she's got me making these for my kiddies and they are delicious!

Apart from the naughty factor of this recipe including ½ a pound of butter (I console myself with the fact that we each have a few pieces which makes it okay) it is so easy to make and leaves room for a variety of ingredients.

And check out my recipe link list on the right side of my blog... mmmmm!!!

Enjoy!

Boil Together...

½lb butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 cup sugar

Mix with...

2 cups sifted flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup coconut (or ricies, cornflakes, crushed weetbix etc)

Press into a shallow tin (sponge roll is best) and bake for approximately 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

Ice and cut while hot. Ice with chocolate icing (dash of peppermint essence is nice). Can sprinkle with coconut.

Zoo Hour

2009-11-12T19:58:00.010+13:00

There is a sacred time frame in every parent's home when it is not a good time to visit or phone (and I'm not talking about early on a Saturday morning when all I want to do is sleep in on the only day I can)... that time my friends is between 4pm - 6pm on week nights (or maybe I could even extend it until 7:30pm) and it is called 'Zoo Hour'.

For some very strange reason, between these specific hours, little innocent children (and husbands) turn into crazy/strange/tearful/funny/weird people... and utter chaos seems to reign.

Today was no different than the others - although some days can be completely different (does that even make sense?).

Zoo Hour today was all about Miss 2 running around the house being a "Super Ero", Miss 5 making 'open' and 'shut' signs for her door, which of course led on to slammed doors and screaming and shouting when others (namely 'Miss Super Ero') weren't allowed to go into her room because the 'shut' sign was up... never mind that 'Miss Super Ero' can't even read.

It was also about Dad teaching the boys how to... hmmmmm, how can I put this politely... make squelching noises under their armpits... which lead to boys taking tops off, roars of laughter, girls crying because they wanted to know how to make the noises with their armpits.. and Miss 5 proclaiming sadly, "at least when I go to Heaven one day I will know how"!

Of course, after dinner (when mother's like me dream of a quiet progression to bath, story and bed)... Father's dream of a massive pile up and wrestling session in the dining room.

And as I often warn (being the kill-joy that I am), it always ends with someone in tears. And once again, I was right.

So there you have it - Zoo Hour... welcome to our world (if you dare).

Wordless Whippet Wednesday

2009-11-11T19:20:00.002+13:00

Thanks to Sienna for the beautiful photos of Narnia with her new friend Marzipan!

The Great Candy Exchange!!!

2009-11-10T12:52:00.003+13:00

I am proud and very excited to say that I am taking part in "The Great Candy Exchange"! I am drooling as I write.

The amazing Gail from Delightfully Diva-ish has created this cool idea, and has paired some of us Southern Hemisphere girls up with Northern Hemisphere girls to swap our local candy and chocolate... mmmmmm!

I have been paired up with Carmen from FRESHblog in Canada! Check out her blog... she takes amazing photos and loves chocolate!

But I need your help!

I have already been out and about and selected some of New Zealand's Kiwi iconic sweets and chocolate, but want to double check that I haven't missed any. If you are from NZ, please remind me of some of our own sweets, and if you are from overseas but have travelled here or used to live here, what were some of our unique local treats (chocolate/candy) that you found.

Thanks guys!!

What did you make on the weekend?

2009-11-09T18:08:00.007+13:00

Joining in with Pip from Meet Me At Mikes, this is what I made on the weekend...

They will be in the shop tomorrow.

What did you make over the weekend?

Families getting together

2009-11-08T14:18:00.006+13:00

Yesterday the family on my Dad's side had a sort of 'reunion' get-together. It's something we are hoping to do annually, so that we all stay in touch as everyone grows older etc.

I absolutely loved seeing old and young together... children giggling and playing, middle aged blokes sitting around talking about cars, surfing and the like, the young guys having an intense game of basketball, the older women pouring over old photographs and remembering stories from 'back in the day', women bustling about in the kitchen... and as always, there was far too much food. But it was delicious.

The highlight of the day for Miss 2 was discovering how to blow bubbles all by herself, and since yesterday she has been a bubble addict - begging to blow more bubbles today as soon as we got home from church.

Often these little accomplishments can be overlooked or ignored by us grown ups, but to these little people, this is a really big deal!

"I'm growing up" has been said a lot in the last day or two... and she definitely is... way too fast.

I hope your weekend was great... and filled with precious moments, food, laughter, people, and even a few bubbles along the way.

Quarry Adventures

2009-11-06T13:13:00.006+13:00

Today Miss 2 and I explored our local Quarry gardens... along with a few friends from our local Playcentre.

There were tonnes of things to look at, touch, smell, climb and explore.

Lots of running, screaming, smiles and a few trips and grazes.

While Miss 2 carefully stroked a leaf in the 'touch' garden, she gently whispered, "like my blankey"... and yes, it felt just like her blankey.

I am loving the beautiful sunny weather today and a special time exploring with friends - it's simple pleasures like this that make the sometimes dull, stressful or struggling days of motherhood all worth it!

My thermos of coffee definately helped add to the experience.

When did you last go exploring?

Wordless Wednesday - colour in my week

2009-11-04T13:53:00.004+13:00

Bend the rules with fabric

2009-11-03T12:50:00.003+13:00

Yep, you've caught me hiding away in my room having a quick peek at Amy Karol's latest book, "Bend the rules with fabric".

Amy Karol is also the author of "Bend-the-Rules Sewing", so when I heard she had another book out, I knew it would be great and quickly emailed my local library to order a copy in.

I haven't had time to read it all yet (thanks to our rather crazy week this week), but have already been rather impressed with all the cool ideas for things you can do with fabric... printing on, painting, dying, drawing and stamping fabric - it's a very inspiring book and one that I would love to own for myself one day.

Definitely a book I would recommend for any craft junkie!

Cheese biscuits/straws

2009-11-02T15:55:00.004+13:00

My mother used to make cheese straws all the time when I was young, so when I found this recipe today (in my trusty Edmonds Cookery Book), I just had to give it a go.

These are quick to make and very tasty - almost like a cross between cheese scones and cheese crackers. A great finger food for parties, lunch boxes etc. You can either use a cookie cutter for your dough (like my star and bunny shaped ones above) or if you want yours to look a bit more 'grown up' you can cut them into finger shapes (1x5cm).

Serve with dips or spreads.

Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch dry mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
75g butter
¾ cup grated tasty cheese
1 egg

Method
Sift flour, baking powder, mustard and cayenne pepper into a bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in cheese. Lightly beat egg with a fork and add. Stir until mixture forms a stiff, pliable dough. On a lightly floured board roll out dough to 5mm thickness. Cut out shapes using small pastry cutters (or cut into fingers). Place on a greased oven tray. Bake at 190°C for 10 minutes or until pale golden. Transfer to a cooling rack. When cold, store in an airtight container. Serve with dips or spreads.

Makes about 30.

My quest for house trained sons...

2009-11-01T15:48:00.007+13:00

In July last year I did a post about my dream to have fully house-trained sons (see here)... well, you could imagine my heart swell when Master 8 recently asked me if he could get the washing in off the line all by himself!

I went out the check on him a bit later (armed with my trusty camera) and was even more excited to see him wearing my ever so manly 'paisley peg apron' (which was even modelled by another man when it was made - just letting you know so you realise those aren't my hairy arms in the photo).

Guys hanging out washing, men sewing, boys cooking in the kitchen, men who like to knit and even guys who crochet... I like!

Gala day fun

2009-10-31T17:18:00.008+13:00

There are times in every family where you know you just need to have some special time and fun together... we were desperately in need of one of those days!.

Thankfully one of our local primary schools was having their annual gala day, so we decided to check it out.

We had heaps of fun... the kids each had a cup of flavoured ice (they loved picking their own syrups to add to the ice), I had a delicious coffee made by a great local barista and enjoyed checking out some of the local crafts on display - my nephew's Mum had a stall, with heaps of great Christmas goodies for sale (pics above).

I love gala days.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I don't really like change...

2009-10-30T14:30:00.005+13:00

I've never really liked change.

When my parents told me as a young girl that they were going to buy a toy shop and go into the retail business... I cried. I didn't want things to change. Then after 7 years of having a toy shop they told me that they were going to have to sell the shop... I cried and cried. I didn't want things to change.

I'd rather not rip out walls when renovating, and I never actually did get into the 'skinny jeans' phase... I realise change is important, but I just don't like it that much.

So when I decided to change my blog layout I felt really proud of myself... I'm finally starting to get the hang of 'change is good'... but alas, that change didn't last for too long!

Thanks for all your comments about my new layout... well, old layout. It did have some minor problems which my computer nerd husband just couldn't fix... so I decided to revert back to my old look for a while (please forgive me if your links/blogs are missing - I am still trying to fix them up again).

Hopefully I will find something I like soon - I am actually ready for a bit of a change.

p.s. that guy in the photo always cracks me up!

The annoying sideline parent...

2009-10-29T20:01:00.016+13:00

Yesterday Master 10 had his first basketball game for the year... and it was awesome to watch! They didn't win, but they did well, especially for the first proper game together as a team ever.

Now I myself used to play in my high school basketball team and also watch our city's team play on a regular basis... so I love basketball!

As I stood on the side of the court taking photos, clapping, yelling encouragement and shouting some tips to the boys, I stopped for a moment and thought to myself, "calm down girl, this is only a game". Suddenly I could see myself as one of those really annoying 'sideline parents' *gulp*.

So tonight I've read some tips on "How not to be an annoying sideline parent" and I'm all set to go for next week...

Any other sideline parents out there with tips - feel free to share :P

Wordless Wednesday - Sensory Walk

2009-10-28T14:58:00.005+13:00

Sand Art

2009-10-27T18:35:00.004+13:00

I was totally blown away by this clip a friend showed me... the talent of this artist is amazing and the story is so moving (I see something new every time I watch it).

It's hard to believe such an emotional story can be told using sand.

Enjoy.

Easy Peasy Pancakes

2009-10-26T16:34:00.006+13:00

These are the easiest pancakes to whip up and make (thanks to Jamie Oliver for the simple recipe!)... and were just perfect for me this weekend as most of our family has been unwell in the last week, and I got hit with it on Fri/Sat and didn't really have the energy to cook much (hubby was away at our annual youth camp).

I decided pancakes were a semi-healthy meal, and had my favourite topping - lemon juice with a sprinkling of sugar and chopped bananas. I left the boys to make their own toppings for their pancakes, only to discover (health freaks avert your eyes here) chocolate chip and icing sugar pancakes with just a dash of lemon juice. Hmmmm - oh well.

Easy Peasy Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 egg

Whisk the above ingredients together and cook large spoonfuls in a hot (oiled or buttered) frying pan until light brown and bubbles appear on surface, then flip and brown the other side.

Store in folds of a clean tea towel until all of the batter is cooked and then serve with your favourite toppings.

The above makes about 4-5 pancakes, so double/triple etc. for larger amounts.

I am hoping to train Master 10 to make these by himself so he can surprise me with a delicious breakfast in bed one morning (not saying that I don't love his cold floppy toast though!).

What are your favourite pancake toppings??

Flashback Friday

2009-10-23T21:29:00.004+13:00

This photo was taken around 3 years ago, right in the middle of my great renovation NIGHTMARE!

Our bathroom had been torn apart for renovations and due to major unforeseen plumbing problems, wasn't quite put back together when we (I) needed it the most!

I was pregnant with baby number 4 and the kids needed baths... so we decided to give the children some outdoor summer baths for about a week or so ... and the kids thought it was great fun (thankfully).

Finally the bathroom was finished (see here), and we got rid of our flash outdoor ~~bath~~ spa.

Good times.

Please note: The small child in the bath is actually a doll and not baby number 4.

Meet Gretel, Norah & Daphne

2009-10-22T20:42:00.002+13:00

Meet Gretel, Norah & Daphne... all awaiting adoption in the softie shop!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T15:46:00.001+13:00

Some say imitation is the highest form of flattery...

My handy dandy hair straightener!

2009-10-20T16:50:00.009+13:00

I never knew there were so many handy uses for a hair straightener!

From ironing the creases out of my tops (while they are still on) and threatening naughty kids (she was actually crying about something else and it just happened to make a great photo) to ironing crinkled fabric, threatening lazy husbands (note the looming hair straightener in the bottom of that photo) and the obvious, straightening my hair.

Who would have thought there could be so many uses. Definitely the best object in the house for getting things straightened out.

So a big thank you to my handy dandy hair straightener... and please let me know if there are any other uses out there that I am not yet aware of!

Puffle Cake

2009-10-19T20:47:00.006+13:00

Master 7 turned into Master 8 today, and he especially requested a green Puffle cake for his birthday party! (if you don't know what a puffle is, they are the small furry pets of the penguin's on Club Penguin).

After doing a bit of research (googling it) I found the perfect cake to do. I baked my good old reliable chocolate cake recipe (Dana's Chocolate Cake) and iced it with green peppermint icing and used green whipped cream for the hair. Mmmmm... chocolate and peppermint!

Keeping to the Club Penguin theme, the kids went on a puffle hunt around the property (to find little pictures of puffles) and played "Pin the beak on the Penguin" (I managed to rope hubby into running these games and a few others - thanks honey).

So Happy Birthday my special boy - you are so unique! I remember how you used to sleep with your camera and magnifying glass as a little boy and gaze into the sky for long periods of time thinking deep pondering thoughts... not to forget the time you cried and cried because Daddy and I wouldn't let you move to Egypt for a year by yourself! You have such a caring heart and cute smile.

Love you lots.

Things I'm Lovin

2009-10-18T17:30:00.009+13:00

Here are a few of the things I'm loving at the moment...

Seeing the kids loving our pets...

Finishing more felt donuts for the shop...

The daily 'egg check'...

Having some plants finally in the vege garden (which you can't actually see in this photo!)...

Home made Fluffy's...

Welding goggle styles...

What things are you loving at the moment?