NQN Snickers Rocky Road ...

Recipe & image from Not Quite Nigella

today ...

listening:                     to the little waves lapping onto Farm Beach earlier today
eating:                        chicken & salad on the beach for tea
drinking:                     cold sauvignon blanc 
wearing:                     bathers ... now pj's!!
feeling:                       relaxed. 
weather:                     hot ... perfect for the beach ;-)
wanting:                     more time at Farm Beach
needing:                    new bathers
thinking:                     about our great family day at the beach
enjoying:                    the shower that washed away the beach sand and sunscreen
wondering:                when we can go to the beach next!!

Rocky Road ... Danish style!

Source

From the above blog ...


Last year blogged Foodfanatic about this candy, and I immediately fell for the image of the delicate pieces. I could however see that there were raisins in the original edition, and it is not a fan of the husband, so now I've made this version without, where I also spent a little more cocktail cherries.

125 g dark chocolate 70%, chopped
50 g butter
1 tablespoon syrup
45 g glacé cherries, chopped
100 g digestive biscuits, crushed coarsely
50 g marshmallows, cut into small pieces

Pour the chocolate, butter and syrup in a saucepan and melt it over low heat. Stir well before adding the remaining ingredients to be turned carefully into chocolate mixture. Then pour it into a square dish lined with baking paper and place it cool for a few hours before you cut them into squares. Can garnish with a little sprinkle of icing sugar.

Note: Good - and little strong - candy that might well be a healthier version of biscuit cake. Another time I'll probably put more marshmallows and cocktail cherries in, for in this edition dominate crackers, and I like the two other ingredients may be something more playful.

Licorice truffles ...

Take a look here ... http://piskeriset.blogspot.com/2010/12/lakridstrfler.html


that's where this recipe is from ...


It's no secret that I like the combination of licorice and chocolate, so of course I also had to play with the ingredients the other day. Lakridsekstraktet found in Panduro Hobby.

100 g white chocolate
1 tablespoon cream
2 teaspoons soft butter
1 teaspoon licorice extract

licorice extract to roll the balls in

Melt the white chocolate gently mix well with cream, butter and licorice extract. Let it rest in refrigerator overnight, where you form balls of truffle mass and rolls of licorice powder.

Note: They tasted pretty good, saw them I can recommend!

cute little dress ...

Tutorial from ... Create and Delegate

Casserole carrier tutorial by 2 little hooligans ...

cAfter seeing a particularly special casserole carrier on Australia Day (   ;-)    )

I have just found this tutorial to share with you ...

so head on over to 2 little hooligans for the tutorial for this handy little item to use when taking a potato casserole or hot dish to a friend's house for a shared dinner!!

the last week ...

I have spent the last week with my darling daughter 24 / 7 ...

• she is gorgeous
• she can be head strong
• she can be funny, funny as can be!!!
• I love her so very, very much
• I think I want to spend a week with just her every year but not at the AWCH!!!
• we are home and loving it!!

I have never spent this long away from my darling husband in the last 12 years ...

I have never been away from my boys for this long ...

Hannah has spent the last few days saying

 "I cant wait to give my Daddy a big hug"

"I cant wait to see my big brothers"

... so precious!!

I feel so lucky that she is okay because spending a week at the AWCH is a huge eye opener ...

 I feel so lucky that our little girl will be okay ...

 I feel so sad for others that wont be so lucky ...

 thinking of Lauren & her Mum & Dad xxxx and hoping that they will be okay

Origami hearts ...

Tutorial at zakka life.

Hanging book display tutorial ...

From here ...

http://pennycarnival.typepad.com/penny_carnival/2009/02/tutorial-hanging-book-display.html

I love this example ...

originally posted here ... http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/my-room/my-room-dosmadison-wi-111317

Little red riding hood ...

Tutorial here ... http://thelongthread.com/?p=4324

Book holders

Tutorial at I Can Teach My Child blog.

Sleepover pillow by A Lemon Squeezy

What a great idea ... head over to A Lemon Squeezy blog for the tutorial!

clever ribbon storage ...

great recycling!!

Details at Blue Cricket Design again!!

felt flowers ...

and these ...

tutorial found at Blue Cricket Design!!

yummy sandwich ideas ...

Source

Some great ideas from here!

Can't wait to try some of these!!

The $120 food challenge blog has lots of great recipes ... go on ... take a look!!

Braided rug tutorial ...

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/02/braided-rag-rug.html#more

Maya Road yumminess ...

I have this shadow box in mind ...

to make something like this ...

and then ...

and these little banners are adorable!!

oh and these delicious star pins ... woo hoo!!

Head over to the Maya Road blog to check out some sneaks of their new goodies to be released soon!!

There are many more fantastic new things to check out!!

funny site ...

http://www.regretsy.com/

great light shade ...

oh yeah ... love this idea

Tutorial here!!

animal from a glove ... who would believe it !!

so cute and clever!! From here !!

hair clips for my girl ...

I have been wondering how these are made but hadn't gotten around to finding out how ... then I found this tutorial ... here ... now to find some pretty ribbons and get making!!

cute pin board pins!!

http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2011/01/button-thumbtacks.html

must get back to quilting in 2011 ... !!!

http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2010/08/table-runner-tutorial.html

fab scrapbooker ...

wow this girl is so clever ...

http://sekkyblogs.blogspot.com/

check it out!!

Dinner tonight ...

 cooked in the new kitchen ...

Ian Parmenter's Hot & Happening Prawns ... yummo!!

The recipe was in the Advertiser a few years ago ...

basically ...

1. Heat oil (I like sesame oil) in a wok and add garlic, ginger & chilli (start with a teaspoon of each, adjust according to your taste)
2. Add vegetables - I usually use capsicum, thinly sliced; snow peas halved; maybe a small tin of water chestnuts or baby corn cut in half; tonight I used brocolli cut into little pieces
3. Stirfry and when nearly cooked add prawns ... enough for however many are eating dinner (!!)
4. Continue to stir fry and then add a splash of brandy and ignite with a match to "flambe"
5. Then when nearly cooked add a small tin of low fat coconut milk / cream and stir.
6. Before serving add finely chopped coriander
7. Serve with steamed Jasmine rice and a cold glass of white wine ... sauvignon blanc or tonight we tried a Primo Estate La Biondina Columbard!!

You could also add a tub of bean shoots just at the end. Or finely sliced carrot earlier in the cooking.

The kitchen ...

well after much anticipation and waiting ... over 8 weeks ... we have a beautiful kitchen!!

I am very happy ... it is not fully functioning yet but nearly ... just need the mixer tap on the sink, the floor boards polished, the final coat of paint and the furniture moved back and we will be right to go!!

but Thursday night and today we have been able to use it !!

So we have the left side ...

fridge still to come after the floor boards are polished ...

the right side ...

a full frontal of the cooking area ...

still have to decide on the area behind the oven ...

a view from the lounge area ...

obviously the area above the oven etc needs to be painted!!

 view from the other end ...

still a bit of clutter around ... down lights, door handles etc!!

The panels above are all actually cupboards with magnet closures ... I love them!! Deep enough for platters, dinner plates etc!!!

Our bench tops are Jarrah and they have been oiled.

Can't wait to get the furniture in and be fully functioning!!

so delicious ...

Source: http://diaryofacraftaholic.blogspot.com/2011/01/t-shirt-pom-poms-tutorial.html

new site found ...

Just found a new site ( new to me) where you can find links to a huge range of Australian made items for children.

http://www.handmadekids.com.au/

The kids & DH at the beginning of 2011 ...

Jack ... 9 years & 4 months old

• cricket mad ... I think he loves it a little more than football!!
• bought wicket keeping gloves on our trip to PL this week (Pa was a wicket keeper!!)
• likes to go for trips in the truck when John lets him
• gets cross but doesn't stay cross for long!!
• starting to match clothes a little better (and I am thankful for a huge bag of great clothes from a wonderful friend - lots of shorts and t-shirts just right for now!!)
• difficult to get to do jobs but has been a little more helpful when the offer of going to the pool is suggested as a reward!!
• loves the pool and jumping off the diving board
• is tall .. need to measure him soon
• likes to recall cricket & football statistics

Lachlan ... 7 years & 11 months old

• cricket mad too ... needs to develop his bowling technique a little
• still adores Lego and would buy it at every opportunity, can make it without any help now and hopes to get more for his birthday!! Now keeps the Lego made up rather than in a million pieces from one end of the house to the other!!
• would like to go with John in the truck but due to his asthma is a little restricted
• gets cross and stays cross for some time
• quite helpful around the house, at times and pretty good with his little sister!!
• comes across as pretty cool (well to me his Mum anyway ;-)
• loves the pool too and jumping off the diving board, thinks he can't swim and doesn't want to swimming lessons but can swim, just needs lessons ;-) - he can swim enough to jump off diving board at the deep end!!
• is tall...  need to measure him soon
• likes to recall cricket & football statistics too

Rohan ... turned 6 yesterday

• got a bike for his birthday but still needs the trainer wheels on for a little while, until his confidence builds. He is the first boy in our lot to be interested in a bike enough to be happy to get one as a present!!
• he rode his bike a lot yesterday and as a result is still asleep this morning!!
• really likes Lego but needs a bit of help to make it up (luckily something I love to do!! Really I do!!)
• also got a cricket set for his birthday - seems to be pretty keen on cricket too (has been going to cricket practice with J & L and has been given the opportunity to have a bat, bowl and field at practice - we have fantastic cricket coaches, they do an amazing job for all the kids
• likes to draw
• gets cross and stays cross for ages when he doesn't get what he wants, Mr Persistent, asks and asks for things until we get sick of him asking (although I have had a few wins this week LOL)
• loves going with John in the truck too but yesterday Uncle Mike won as Rohan had been asking all week if he could go in the header and he did!!

Hannah ... 4 years & 4 months

• hasn't been 100% for a little while but I think we are on top of it now!!
• also got a bike for Christmas but not up to going on it yet (that's okay as Jack was having a spin yesterday - might be the year of the bike LOL)
• LOVES Mr Bean - watches DVDs at any chance!! And can tell the story of what will be happening!!
• still wears dresses and skirts and maybe dressy shorts at a push!!
• loves to put on a little "play" makeup, helped at times by her cousin Ruby!!
• likes the pool sometimes, loved swimming lessons a year ago so booked in for some more in1st term
• has been asking when Kindy restarts!!
• enjoys seeing her friends but hasn't caught up with some of them for a little while

John ...

• still busy with harvest, road train / truck driver
• can't wait until he can take us all out in the boat at Coffin Bay
• was awarded Citizen of the Year, to be presented on Australia Day at our local Council celebration - very proud of him!!
• loved the Eagles concert in Melbourne in December, something he has wanted to do for at least 10 years (but not so much the part of the trip where I shopped and he carried bags - but he did it without complaining!!)

Happy New Year!!

This year I would like to ...

1. re-connect with my sewing machine ... I have a number of un finished projects ;-)

2. work on the Vignette BOM that I have mostly purchased from QFD ( need a second parcel of goodies to get started)

3. plan for a family Christmas at our house ... I know a long way off but I want to do it differently and make it a special one ... so searching for yummy recipes and ways to decorate our new lounge/ dining/ kitchen area

4. take more photos ... I feel like I didn't take as many in 2010 as previous years

5. enjoy our new reno (when it is finished ;-)) and maybe buy a little bit of new furniture!! Or at least buy a few more decorative things to hang around the room, I ordered a great print on Etsy but it got damaged part way here so waiting for it still.

6. have lots of fun!! Feel like New Years day was a good starting point to this part of the plan!! Lots of fun just sitting under a pergola all day with friends and laughing a lot!! I have some wonderful friends and we have some great times together!!

7. keep on scrapping and planning for our Escape2Create retreat in April and maybe a mini retreat later in the year

8. Have at least one stitching mini break with 3 special stitching gals - we deserve it!!

9. try lots of new recipes ... can't wait to connect with my new oven and use some of the recipes in my 2 new cook books ... Donna Hay & Jamie Oliver's latest ones. Just want to try and cook special meals more often ... look out girls on our stitching and scrapping days ... hopefully you will be in for a treat!! LOL

10. see our beautiful children grow a little more ... boy Jack & Lach are getting tall already!! I am starting to feel a little short and they are only  nearly 8 and 9!!

11. maybe have a few trips away with John ... our one night in Melbourne to go to the Eagles concert was wonderful!!

12. celebrate my sister's 40th soon ... good family time ... looking forward to that little trip!!

Hhhmmm that's all I can think of so far!!

Just want to basically love life and appreciate its preciousness!! :-)

Happy New Year to everyone who read this little blog ...

I am continually surprised by the people that mention that they saw something on my blog!!