Happy Sunday................

Hey there! Not much to share today really.......

                                                                               

Just popping in to make sure you're having a happy day........

                                                                                   

We're enjoying a relaxing day of doing not much at all...............

                                                                                 

And loving every minute of it!!..............

                                                                               

Have a good one.....

And see you soon...............


                                 Janelle  xx


                                 

                                                                                 

                                                                               

Winter???......................

Good Afternoon out there!.................

                                                                               

 Well we have had a perfect sunshiny blue-skied Winters day here today...............

                                                                               

                                                                                 

It's just lovely..............

                                                                                   

 

These guys are ready for a good pruning soon........

                                                                                   

 

Though some are a tad confused and still looking pretty...............

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

  My view today whilst enjoying an arvo cuppa............love........

                                                                                   

So...I hope you've also enjoyed a happy sunny day......

See you again soon...............


                                      Janelle  xx                                                                                

A happy gift..........

Hey there!! Are we having a happy day so far?? The sun is shining here and it's all smiles.......

So...today I wanted to share a few pics of the beautiful gifts I was lucky enough to win the other week over on instagram........

                                                                             

Very nice yes???......

                                                                               

                                                                                     

The lovely Janelle (cool name!!?!...) from Laying the Table was the host of this give-away and I must say I am very pleased I won!!.....

This candle smells delicious.................

                                                                                 

And how cute is the key?................

                                                                             

Please pop over and visit Janelle, she is really lovely. As, it's quite obvious!, is her shop.............

                                                                                 

Thanks lovely for my 'little bit of happy'!!.....

Happy Tuesday folks!!..............


                                            Janelle  xx                                                                                                                                                            

White love...................

Hello Monday!! Even though you've almost been and gone.....

                                                                                 

                                                                                 
Nothing too stressful this evening....just a few pics from out and about around the house.......

                                                                             

                                                                                     

Which all appear to have abit in common........

                                                                                 

I do so love a houseful  hint of white..........

                                                                                   

How about you? Is white your thing? Or a rainbow of colour??.....

                                                                                 

I'm off to hit the couch for a spot of knitting and a cup of green tea............
We like to live on the wild side here on the farm..............

Have a lovely evening................


                                        Janelle  xx                                                                          

Apple Tea Cake..................

Hello and Yay for Friday!!
Fancy a little weekend baking?? I'm always up for some weekend baking and this is certainly a big favourite in our house...so much so that this is the second time around for me posting the recipe!! Kind of........

                                                                               

This delicious little number started out life as a French Tea Cake. But since we've been lucky enough to have loads of fresh-from-the-tree apples at our disposal lately I've been wanting to bake with them so.... I figured it would be super easy to just bang some grated apple in a few recipes that are already used and, more importantly, enjoyed around here...hence we have........

                                                                                   

                                                                                 

 Apple Tea Cake!!?!................

                                                                                 

I've also been switching the white sugar to a raw sugar and using a little less as I figure the apple is adding some extra sweetness too. It seems to work fine. Okay.....on with a little revised recipe yes??.................

                                                               Apple Tea Cake                                                                                

1 egg
 1/3 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspn vanilla extract
1 cup self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
1 tablspn melted butter
2 small/medium apples - grated

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees

2. Seperate the egg white from the yolk and tip the white into a bowl. (tip the yolk in a cup, you'll need it soon)

3. Add the salt to the eggwhite and beat it until it goes all lovely and white. Now gradually add in your sugar and continue beating until it's all standing up in pretty white peaks (actually with the raw sugar it won't really be as pretty and white and peaky but it will still all work!!)

4. Now throw in the yolk and beat it through well.

5. Next stir through the milk and vanilla.

6. Then sift in the flour and fold it through.

7. Toss in the melted butter and mix that through then lastly stir in the grated apple. (Please add a sprinkle of cinnamon at this point if that appeals to you. It would work really nicely in this)

8. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined baking tin. I used a loaf tin but I also often use a ring tin or just a plain old round sponge tin. All work well.

9. Pop cake into your pre-heated oven and bake for approx 20 mins.

10. Once it's cooked take it out of the oven (duh!!?!) and leave in the tin for a few mins then tip it out onto a cooling rack. Whilst it's still warm brush over some melted butter (or if you're quick you can cheat like I do and just spread the butter onto it with a knife, just like you're buttering your toast) then sprinkle over a mix of
1 teaspn sugar (white or raw)
1 teaspn cinnamon

And that is it!!.....

                                                                             

This can be served with butter spread on top of the slices, especially delicious when the cake is warm!!

                                                                                 

Now off you pop to the kitchen and give this a go....it really is very simple to make and definately easy to eat!!!....

                                                                                     

                                                                                   

Also remember to have a lovely weekend!!!!.........

                                               

                                                                           

     

Enjoy!!............................


                                              Janelle  xx                                                                                                                                                  

Crazy Family...............

Hey there!....all is lovely, bright and sunny around these parts today. It's also rather freeeezing but we won't go into that....

Today I'm more concerned about this new little sign I spotted in a bargain.of course.shop the other day and just could not leave it there. It definately belongs in this crazy house........

                                                                                   

You like?? It made me chuckle as I have been known to hiss loudly at my children "can we pleeeease just act like we're normal" as we are arriving somewhere, they in the back all loud and arguing about something ridiculous, me in the front sweating and trying to keep it together, then us all alighting from the car with sunny smiles on our faces trying our hardest to fool the world we are a 'nice normal' family.......

                                                                                   

Which of course we 're not are.......

                                                                                   

Now I'm off to find a nice prominent spot to hang this.............

Have a lovely Tuesday.............


                                                   Janelle  xx                                                                        

On the farm................

Hello and welcome to yet another week!!...................

                                                                                 

A few farm pics for today I thought.............

                                                                                 

I love the way my husband has stacked all these gorgeous chippy off cuts of wood......he's such a stylist!!!...........

                                                                             

 We only allow shabby chic chippy wood to burn in our fire.................

                                                                                 

                                                                     

Early afternoon light................

                                                                                 

And I'm loving these bright pink pretty flowers growing on our gumtrees at the moment......look at the gorgeous sparkly tips..........

                                                                                 

That's it from me today......

Have a lovely week..............


                                       Janelle  xx                                                                            

Happy Friday...............

Hey there....just popping in very quickly today to wish you all a very Happy Friday..............

                                                                                 

And of course a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend!!..................

                                                                               

Oh and don't forget to...............

                                                                               

It's so good for the planet you know...............

                                     
                                                                               

 

Have a good one.....................


                                           Janelle  xx                                                                                                                                                        

Party fever and an old favourite...............

Well hello out there. I feel it's been ages since I last tapped out a post. It's been all about extra long weekends, sick kids (and now adults...lovely) and a little party prep going on for a family member who is about to change from single digit age to double digits. DOUBLE!!! How the heck did that happen?? And when?? Anyway she is super excited and I must say super organised (I believe this comes from a combination of being the eldest child and watching, often in horror, her rather disorganised mother running about in a last minute flap on way too many occasions).....

She has organised this entire lot ...thank goodness.......

                                                                                 

She requested bunting...so we have bunting... almost........(see...this is obviously where the dis-organised mother is involved...half-finished!!).....

                                                                                 

                                                                               

Although.....look!!....I have managed to complete a little baking.............

                                                                                 

 These are the yum-yum balls I have already posted the recipe for awhile back but I thought I'd do a quick slap-dash repeat now.....

   
                                                                       Yum Yum Balls

1 tin condensed milk
2 level tablspns cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut
1 packet marie biscuits
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crush up your marie biscuits (I throw ours into a ziplock sandwich bag then smash them to crumbs with a rolling pin - no mess!)
In a bowl mix together the condensed milk, cocoa powder and vanilla.
Add the coconut, mix through.
Add the crushed biscuits and mix through.
Roll into smallish balls then roll in some coconut.
Pop them in the fridge to set properly
And try not to eat the whole lot...it is difficult to stop at one or two!!!


                                                                                   

And with that I must dash........

Have a lovely Wednesday.......and see you soon......................



                                            Janelle  xx

Birdcages, flowers and a splash of yellow......................

Hello there.....and welcome Friday...........

                                                                                 

                                                                               
We're loving a bit of colour around here today......


                                                                                 

And the odd birdcage or two.................

                                                                               

You like??......I shared the before pic on my instagram feed (awhitefarm)...one was bright red and the other was very very rusty (the not so good rusty) (as opposed to the good rusty we love)...............
This one's now loving life basking in the Autumn sunshine on the side deck...........
                                                                                   

 
So....are we all ready for the weekend? I certainly am. We are lucky to be given a four-day weekend this week which of course we all know means.............four days of no school lunches to pack!!! Yep that's what life as a mummy does to one..............

                                                                                 

 

Anyways......have a fab weekend whether it be a 2,3 or 4 day one..............

Enjoy!!..................


                                           Janelle  xx                                                                      

Baking biscuits................

Hello and Happy Wednesday!!
We are heading into the kitchen today..... so aprons on and let's go................

                                                                                   

Any guesses what's baking???.............

                                                                                 

                                                                               

Yep.....good old fashioned Jam Drops. I love these, as does my whole family, they are quick easy and tasty and I don't need much more than that. So.....here goes...........

                                                                       Jam Drops...........

115gms (4ozs) butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspns honey
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cornflour (cornstarch)
Jam

                                                                                   

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together and when it's lovely and pale add your egg and the honey. Beat these in well.

3. Now sift in and fold through the flours.

4. Roll about a teaspoon size of mixture into a ball and pop onto a greased or lined baking tray. Then gently poke the centre with your finger. Once you've got all the mixture rolled into balls and onto the trays spoon  the jam of your choice (I usually use strawberry coz that's what lives in our fridge) into the little dents you've made.

5. Pop them into the oven for approx 12-15mins.

Done!!!

                                                                                     

                                             

Easy yes!? Please give these a go....your family will love you for it!!!!................

                                                                               

         

On that note I'm off to tidy up before going to collect my children from school so they can mess things up all over again.................

                                                                                 

                                                                       

Have a lovely day.........


                                                    Janelle  xx