TARGET BLOGGER AMBASSADOR POST – AUTUMN WARMERS

The cooler weather is definitely upon us.
The leaves are changing colour.
The days are shorter.
There is dew on the lawn in the morning.
And it’s time to get warm at night.
So with a little shopping at Target
I found a couple of things to warm us up.
Our girls love to get up early on the weekend.
Saturday morning television always means getting up early,
Finding a place on the couch
And snuggling down under a throw rug.
Target have a lovely range of throw rugs
And we just had to purchase a warm red one
Perfect for them in the mornings and me in the evening!

If you asked me if I liked shopping
You would probably see me grimace.
But I think that I have finally found my happy place in the shopping aisles….
Crockery!
Oh my!
*insert Angels singing*
I could enter this aisle every week and come home with some new deliciousness made of china!
So when I found these gorgeous Vintage Bowl and Side Plate I knew that it would be perfect.
P.E.R.F.E.C.T
For some yummy pumpkin soup
I WAS RIGHT

And my perfect pumpkin soup recipe??
Well this is what I do:
Cut up a whole pumpkin into chunks that are roughly 2cm cubes
(Jap pumpkins are the best tasting for soup)
I cook half of it with the skin on and use these bits for salad
(simple salad of lettuce, pumpkin and some feta DELICIOUS)
But I digress…
Back to the soup…
Place cut pumpkin on a baking tray.
Add a clove or 3 of garlic (or a teaspoon of crushed garlic)
And a teaspoon of honey.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200c
(I turn our old/stupid slow oven to the highest temp)
Cook till the pumpkin is soft
(or starting to blacken on the ends THESE BITS ARE YUMMY!)
Allow to cool
I then blend this in small batches
With 1 litre of chicken stock.
The soup is then ready to cook.
It makes a yummy thick soup.
If you wanted it runnier
Add more stock!
For another variation add a teaspoon of coconut oil when you bake the pumpkin.
And for a slow cooker version
Throw the pumpkin, stock and crushed garlic in the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours then blend.
EASY!

_{Disclosure: This is a paid sponsored post. I also receive vouchers to spend on items, for review purposes.
For this post I purchased a Throw Rug, 2 vintage bowls and a vintage side plate.
All words and opinions expressed are purely my own.}

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TARGET BLOGGER AMBASSADOR POST–WINTER PYJAMAS

With the change of seasons
Comes the chore of seeing what winter clothes still fit the girls.
And that chore starts with pyjamas
Seeing who has winter pyjamas
And whose ankles are showing because someone has grown.
Seeing who needs new pyjamas
Because the hand-me-down pants just won’t stay up as the elastic waist has seen better days.
Next comes the job of heading to Target to stock up.
This job is rather easy though.
Target have a wonderful range of winter pyjamas for kids.
With plenty of variety you can find a pair  in a range of colours
or an animal/character to suit a range of age groups.
We picked up a Tweety Bird pair and a Panda pair
(pandas are a favourite choice in our house!)

With Target’s Mid Season Sale now on, the Pyjama choice was a happy one!
The two girls were happy with their PJ choices
And I am too, as long as there isn’t too much of this

and whole lot of this

Because they will be snug as bugs in rugs!

 

_{Disclosure: This is a paid sponsored post. I also receive vouchers to spend on items, for review purposes.
For this post I purchased two pairs of pyjamas.
All words and opinions expressed are purely my own.}      

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TARGET BLOGGER AMBASSODOR POST – EASTER

What do you like about Easter?
Is it the chocolate?
Is it the break from work?
Is it the talk of new beginnings?
One of the things I like is the time together as a family.
With Easter falling in Autumn
I knew that the cooler weather would mean time inside.
So as I headed to Target I knew that I needed to find two things for our Easter.
The essential chocolate and something to keep us amused inside.
I can report I ticked both these off my list, thanks Target!!

Target have a wonderful range of Easter chocolate
And they also had an assortment of board games to help out the family time.

Today was a rainy day so we spent time up at the kitchen table playing.

Lots of fun and definitely a great way to spend our Easter, while we eat up our Chocolate!
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

_{Disclosure: This is a paid sponsored post. I also receive vouchers to spend on items, for review purposes.
For this post I purchased 2 games and some Easter egg products.
All words and opinions expressed are purely my own.}

 

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Target Blogger Ambassador Post – Shoes

There is nothing like the smell of stinky shoes.
Once you get a whiff you know it’s time think about new shoes
I won’t tell you who had the pongy shoes
But once I saw the range of gorgeous flats I knew I had to grab a pair too

The range of colours was amazing
And the yellow called my name the loudest

Jessica is now in woman’s sized shoes
and she decided she liked the red best

and Lucy, opted for the kids version in this pretty blue “mint”.

Someone else didn’t want shoes but when they spied the Onesies
And the Owl print…
You know the rest… “she had to have it!”

and with a sale on RIGHT NOW

It all adds up to smiles and sweet smelling shoes!!

_{Disclosure: This is a paid sponsored post. I also receive vouchers to spend on items, for review purposes.
For this post I purchased the above items.
All words and opinions expressed are purely my own.
Elizabeth was at a party so her shoes are on the to-do list!}

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Target Blogger Ambassador Post – The Essentials

Yesterday was one of those days.
One of those days where you just wish everything would stop so you could go back to bed!
So the morning started out yuck and I decided that after I dropped the girls off at school I would go to Target and see what I could find for my second Ambassador's blog post.
I’m not a great fan of shopping but it was a little therapy that I needed.
Just some aimless wandering.
Some time to think, dream and ponder.
One of the things I like about Target is their Essentials Range.
If you head to any section you will notice things labeled with the Target Essentials logo.
This means they are everyday items that people might use/need.
I knew we needed a bath mat so I headed straight for the Home Wares section.
I love Target bath towels.
The colours are always vibrant and there are always lots to choose from.
I chose my bath mat

and while I was there I learnt something new.
Along the rack, where you would find the price, there were some little tips on towels!
See what happens when you have time to look around!!
Did you know that fabric softener makes towels loose their absorbency?
I did not!
But if you stop using the softener and put in a teaspoon of washing up liquid ,in the wash, your towel will restore the absorbency.

My next port of call was the crockery section.
This is one of my favourite, I love browsing here.
We had a cereal bowl breakage this week so I thought I would see if could find some replacements.
Nothing fancy, just cereal bowls.
I was well pleased with what I found.
These white bowls were perfect!

Another thing I love about Target is their sales and their clearance prices are always the best
THE BEST!
So when I spied this gorgeous Mayfield and Jackson platter had been reduced
Yep I had to add that to my bundle of things, the texture is just amazing.

The Storage Section is another one I like to look in.
We are always looking at ways of storing things.
Books, toys, blankets… the list is endless.
I spied these Folding Fabric Storage Cubes and fell in love with the blue.
I spied the Target Essentials logo so didn’t argue, yep had to have!

They are really easy to “construct” and make the ideal storage solution for someone’s toys.



The cubes are sturdy too, so someone can now pick up the box and there are now excuses for messy bedrooms anymore (wishful thinking Mum!)
And the last Essential thing I found
Was something for me.
Sometimes “Me” can be essential
Yesterday it definitely was!
So when I saw this

I knew it was Essential that I add it to my purchases.
I have some plans for this chalkboard.
Some Essential plans!
What Essential things are you doing today?

_{Disclosure: This is a paid sponsored post. I also receive vouchers to spend on items, for review purposes.
For this post I purchased the above items.
All words and opinions expressed are purely my own.}

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Target Blogger Ambassador Post – Valentines Day

We don’t get out much (yeah yeah I hear you say lol)
So for a romantic twist we sometimes “eat-out at home”.
So when the girls are fed and in bed
Dave will set up a white plastic trestle table
in the middle of the lounge room.
We will pop on a movie and eat at the “White Table Restaurant”.
With Valentine’s Day coming up this week
And, this, my first Target Blogger Ambassador needing a theme,
I thought I would share some ideas to make your Valentine’s Day a little sweeter!
I purchased some of these gorgeous short drink glasses.
I love that they are “durable for everyday use” and “dishwasher safe”
Two great things for a romantic evening!

Now if you know Dave you would know he has a thing for sweet things!
He is the Dessert King in our house.
Everyone knows the way to a Man’s heart is through his stomach
Well I like to think that the way to my Man’s heart is through his sweet tooth!
So my focus, for our romantic “White Table Restaurant” evening is dessert!
I decided to use the Short Drink Glasses to serve the dessert in,
because they are the ideal size and shape for serving up some yumminess!
First off I thought of Chocolate Mousse.
For Christmas I bought Dave a huge tub of powdered mousse mix.
We use this mousse mix in the school canteen
because it 1. tastes great and 2. you just add water (making it quick, easy and low fat!).
I’ve served the mousse with a Terry's Chocolate Orange segment,
that was grated over the top (for a Orange Jaffa twist!)

If Avocados weren’t so expensive right now I would have tried out this recipe (found at The Healthy Chef)

Really Good Chocolate mousse

1/4 cup honey
2 ripe avocadoes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup good quality dark cocoa powder

Combine all the ingredients in a good powerful high speed blender like a Vitamix
adding the honey first, followed by the avocado, vanilla and cocoa.
Blend for about 30 seconds until smooth and creamy.
Spoon into a bowl and allow to set in the fridge.
The addition of banana or a little water makes for a lighter mousse.

The second dessert was a quick and easy cheesecake mix
I crumbled a Milk Arrowroot biscuit into the glass
Then topped it with my cream cheese mix (see recipe below photo)
Added a layer of fresh peach (peeled and finely sliced)
And then repeated the layers to fill the glass.
It definitely could have done with something sweet,
like a coulis or sweetened whipped cream
because it was a little on the “could have been sweeter” side

Cream Cheese Mix:
250g Light Cream Cheese
1 Lime
2 Tablespoons Honey

Mix the cream cheese and honey with the juice and zest from the lime until creamy.
This mix is enough to make 2-3 glasses.

The final dessert I want to share is another super simple one.
Blue Berry Meringue
I’ve used premade little meringues.
Crumble 3 or 4 into the glass, top with some whipped cream and blue berries,
repeat the layers and top with some whole meringues

And when dessert is finished
Why not use one of the glasses for a latte
Seen here served on one of the gorgeous Shebelle Square plates (perfect size for serving the glasses!)

Or if coffee doesn’t take your fancy
Why not try a hot chocolate served in a Red Heart Mug (only available at Target)

and with Valentine’s Day comes presents.
I like presents!
I like presents that have a purpose.
And a good present with a purpose for Valentine’s day??
PILLOWS!!

Yes, we bought some new pillows.
Because we all know a good nights sleep is essential for a good relationship!
What’s been your favourite Valentine’s Day present?
What’s your favourite dessert?
Or, if your not a dessert person, what’s your favourite thing, to eat, for a romantic meal?

_{Disclosure: This is a paid sponsored post. I also receive vouchers to spend on items, for review purposes.
For this post I purchased 1 box of 6 Short Drink Glasses, 2 Red Heart Mugs,
2 Shebelle Square plates and 4 Target Essentials Pillows.
All other items are my own.
All words and opinions expressed are purely my own}

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GIVEAWAY–$40 Typo Gift Card WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

WINNER ANNOUNCED!
Congrats Sandra Allan! You were the winner of the Typo Gift Card.
Have fun shopping!!!!
Thanks to the people at Stockland for the giveaway.
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Disclosure: This is sponsored post.
The lovely people from Stockland, “Australia’s largest diversified property group”,
have given me a $40 gift card from Typo to giveaway.
If you read my blog you know I love Typo so I said yes,
because I knew you’d like to win the gift card!

Why not make your home the best it can be in 2013? We’re giving away one $40 Typo gift card to help you create the perfect space.

Stockland’s residential properties are the perfect blend of modern stylish living and a comfortable homey atmosphere.
From house and land packages in truganina  to house and land packages in berwick,
there is sure to be a perfect place to find or build your dream home.
Stockland gives your family a place to truly call home – a place where your family can live and grow, and enjoy many years to come.

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment on this post, EASY!
Australian Entries only (sorry folks)
Make sure you leave an email contact so I can notify you and pass on your details to claim the gift card.
Entries will be open until midnight Wednesday 13th February 2013
Winner will be announced (on this post) and notified on Thursday 14th.

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Sponsored Post : RocketFuel : Umi Loans

Today I am blogging for RocketFuel

Umi Loans, backed by GE Capital, are running an “Experiments” campaign.
There are a series of funny “Fact Lab” videos and I found this one quite entertaining

http://bit.ly/PZJCdR

The videos are aimed at getting you to think about how you can save time, money and hassle.
Wondered what tips you have for saving money and time?
Feel free to share the videos (or my link) if you find them entertaining too

This is a RocketFuel sponsored post

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