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Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts

Thursday, July 18, 2013

One Sweet Dream Came True Today

We’ve had a jolly time hanging out with Grandma.
We’ve been busy.
I’ve made the most of the opportunity
And blew the cobwebs off my camera.

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Excuse the rude child with her tongue out,
there is always a clown amongst the crowd!
Hope your week has been a lovely one.

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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

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!
TargetThrowRug
Below Cost
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
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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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Tuesday, April 09, 2013

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!)
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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
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and whole lot of this
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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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Monday, April 08, 2013

It's Funny How We Feel So Much But We Cannot Say A Word

Feeling blah with a head cold
Been a week and I just feel…
Well Blah!
So I thought I’d share a few of my favourite things

My favourite photo that I’ve instagramed this week:

BigBessie

The Sweet Envy ice cream truck called “Big Bessie
that we found in a lane way on Saturday night
It sells yummy soft serve ice cream with gourmet toppings.
YUM

My favourite things that I’ve pinned this week :



BBQ Green beans, I’m looking forward to trying this recipe!

My favourite facebook status/tweet from this week:
"a soul in not made up of things it is made up of stories" Thank you Dr Who

My favourite photo from this week:

PillowFight

Just a glimpse of a blog post coming soon!

What are your favourite "social media” finds/tidbits from this week? 
If you’d like to follow any of my social media sites
You can find links on the side bar
OVER THERE >>>>>

Just scroll up a little

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Friday, March 29, 2013

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!!

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

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

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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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Friday, March 15, 2013

And They Swam And They Swam All Over That Dam

You know that week were it’s just crazy busy
Well, lump a few of those together
back to back
And that’s how it’s been here
So instead of pulling the laptop out at night
I’ve been opting for the sensible choice …
Sitting on the couch with Dave.
But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been “social”
So I’m doing this post to share a few “social” things

My favourite photo that I’ve instagramed this week:

MeSunniesMarch2013

New sunnies, covering the burst blood vessel in my eye
Long/short story

My favourite things that I’ve pinned this week :



LOVE THOSE, I’d have a dozen and fill them with things!!
There are shades of blues and greens too!!
YUM

My favourite facebook status/tweet from this week:
googling "shoe tying" #bigissues #tryingtobeagoodmum #lifewithateenager

My favourite photo from this week:


What are your favourite "social media” going ons?
Want to follow any of the social media sites
You can find links on the side bar
OVER THERE >>>>>

Just scroll up a little

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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

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

MASSIVE HOME SALE Starts tomorrow until Wednesday 20 March 2013.

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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Monday, February 11, 2013

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!

TargetShortDrinkGlasses

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!!

TargetPillows

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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Wednesday, February 06, 2013

Caterpillar In The Tree How You Wonder Who You'll Be

MeganBirthday

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Tuesday, February 05, 2013

No Words Needed

BackToSchool

 

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Saturday, February 02, 2013

Banana Bread

Today I baked

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Used my favourite, easy peasy, tried and true recipe (found HERE)

  • Melted low-fat dairy spread, to grease
  • 265g (1 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
  • 40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 140g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) skim milk
  • 2 eggs, lightly whisked
  • 50g butter, melted, cooled
  • 2 overripe medium bananas, mashed

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Brush an 11 x 21cm (base measurement) loaf pan with melted dairy spread to lightly grease.
Line the base and 2 opposite sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang.

Step 2

Sift the combined flours and cinnamon into a large bowl.
Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre.
Place the milk, eggs, melted butter and banana in a medium bowl, and stir until well combined.
Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

Step 3

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove from oven and set aside in the pan for 5 minutes.
Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Cut into slices to serve.

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I also, while the oven was hot, made some choc chip cookies.
Almost all ready for back to school next week!
What’s your favourite thing to bake?
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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Felt A New Wind Kiss My Face

CoffeeNPolishInsta

I don’t usually wear nail polish.
But today I felt like something different.
So I “borrowed” Megan’s blue nail polish,
topped it with glitter polish,
then drank my coffee
and smiled.
Because sometimes something different can do that.
Make you smile.
What “something different” made you smile today?

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Saturday, January 05, 2013

Like A Wind In The Desert, Like A Moon On The Sea

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