Xmas Greetings.....

Hey there!
Just had to pop in here quickly this evening to wish you all a very very Merry Christmas....

                                                                               

And of course the happiest of New Years too!!!

                                                                               

Any plans?? I plan on lots of reading...relaxing...and beaching...

                                                                                 

And hopefully a little bit of blogging too!! Thanks for visiting me here...I love it...and plan on inviting you more next year!!

                                                                                   

So here's cheers....and keeping it merry....

Best wishes guys............



                                                                                        Janelle xx                                                                        

Christmas Baking Kick Off

Hey there! Well we are in our second day of December...that being our second day of Summer down here...and that being 23 or so days until Christmas...eeekkkk!!!!!

                                                                               

I am feeling a tad eeekkish this year...actually I tend to at this time every year...who am I kidding...I was thoughtless enough to have given birth to a gorgeous girl in December almost 7 years ago...now that gorgeous girl of course wants to enjoy her day and have parties etc at this very busy time!!

                                                                             

We usually hold off until after her big day before putting up the Xmas decorations and tree...however I did start the Xmas baking yesterday.....

                                                                                   

Which will be fully consumed within the next few days...I love baking at Xmas time...extra trimmings and fun to be had!!

                                                                               

Have you started any Christmas baking yet? Would love to hear what you have been whipping up in your Xmassy kitchen!!!

                                                                                 

Have a fab day folks...I'll pop back sometime with this very easy very tasty biscuit recipe....

Happy Baking....



                                               Janelle xx                                                                                

Return to Blogging.......

Hello hello hello!!!

My goodness, I feel like I haven't blogged in so long....probably because I haven't?!

                                                                                   

Not sure why I gave myself a little/large blog break...I think a combo of just needing it and I've also been having way too much loads of fun over on my instagram account...I am awhitefarm over there too...if you aren't following along I would LOVE to see you over there too!! I must say though, as far as picture posting and just plain old ranting and raving nothing compares to having one's own little place in the blogging world!!

                                                                               

I have heaps to pop on and share here with you guys....projects - just seem to keep starting more and more new things, anyone else like that??!!....baking - of course!....and just a bit of life in general really - I love stalking hearing/seeing what other mums/creatives/women/anyone really are getting up to...don't you?!! So inspiring and just, well, interesting!!

                                                                                     

                                                                                   
So on that note...here's a couple of little impulse purchases I made recently...a cane type ball thingy which I think can be hung up...is possibly meant to be a Christmas decoration...but which I just liked and thought could work somewhere in the house!! The other is a candle which really, I just picked up because I loved the colour and style of the bottle but bonus!!...smells delicious too!!! Always a good thing when lighting a scented candle??!!

                                                                               

I hope you are enjoying the first part of your week...busy busy busy time of the year yes??!

See you around again SOON.....so good to be back!!!!!!!



                                                              Janelle  xx

It's Raining Wall Stickers.....

Well Hello Sunday!!

                                                                               

                                                               

I'm about to go out and play in the sunshine with the fam but wanted to quickly share a few pics of my little diy project from yesterday. Actually diy is abit of a stretch...I pretty much ordered some stickers awhile back then yesterday finally got around to sticking them up on the wall.

                                                                               

And. I. love.

                                                                                 

I know wall stickers have been about for ages and we even have a couple already up on walls but since becoming a self proclaimed Instagram addict I just keep seeing fabulous rooms, especially children's, using these easy-as decorating decals all over the place...

                                                                                 

These stickers come from Wall Effect ...check them out, Jacki is also on Instagram (WALL_EFFECT) with loads of gorgeous inspiration for adding some fun to your home......

                                                                                 

I think these look perfect in the kids' bathroom...husband gave me an odd look when he walked in and found me up on a stool sticking raindrops onto the wall, but the children love them...as does their mum....

                                                                               

Ok...I am out of here to catch some sunshine...and maybe plant a flower or two.....


Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks....

Catcha next week......



                                                Janelle  xx

ps.....no sponsoring happening here...just a whole lotta love :))

Anzac Biscuits.......

Hello there and Happy Friday to you!!

I have a little recipe to share today...it's of an old fave...Anzac Biscuits. I've tried a few different recipes for these, all pretty much along the same lines, and this one is again very similar but it's always nice to try something new...

                                                                                   

                                                                                         

I found myself baking these after my daughter requested more "healthier" snacks. Gasp!!! What is wrong exactly UNhealthy about my baking??!!?? But I did get where she was coming from. Recently she had the privilege of attending an information day with some of the top sport coaches, pysios and nutritionists and obviously was paying attention?!! However I take this as a positive and anything I can do as a personal chef mother to encourage a healthier lifestyle for my family I am willing to give a go. So I am currently on the look out for a few more healthier but-for-the-love-of-us-all t.a.s.t.y snacks. I am also refusing to give up cupcakes and the likes...that would just be plain silly yes?! But I see this as a bit of a challenge...and of course anything I find and which passes the taste-tests I will be sharing with you guys!!

Sooooo......where were we?? Oh yes..Anzacs...I do put these little biscuits into the rather healthy biscuit jar. I have also reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe and used raw. Shall we just get on with the recipe now???!

                                                                                     

                                                                   
                                             Anzac Biscuits

 Ingredients

1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted (or not, I often just tip it straight in from the jar - rebel baker)
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup coconut
150grams butter, chopped
2 tablspns golden syrup
1/2 teaspn bi-carb soda
1 1/2 tablsp water

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees

2. In a bowl tip your flour, oats, sugar and coconut. Give a little stir to combine them.

3. In a saucepan melt the butter and golden syrup.

4. Mix the bi-carb with the water then tip into the melted butter mix. (remove the saucepan from the heat before you add the bicarb)

5. Add the butter etc to the dry ingredients and stir through to combine it all.

6. Roll mixture into balls about a tablspn size. Place onto greased/lined trays and slightly flatten with your hand.

7. Bung in the oven for approx 10-12 minutes. Allow them to cool on the trays for a few minutes then transfer to your cooling racks.

Done!!

                                                                                   

So easy, so tasty and so satisfying!!

I'm off to scoff one or two before picking up the kids. Have a fab weekend....

                                                                               

Happy baking!!


                                                         Janelle  xx

Greenery In The Kitchen.......

Hello!
We have a gardening post happening here today. Weeelll...maybe not exactly gardening...perhaps more talking all things plants. OK...we are looking at and pondering A plant...of sorts...kind of...

                                                                         

So this pic has been taken in my kitchen...a place where I have wanted some greenery for a long long time but, having the black thumb that I do, nothing has been lucky enough to survive for any respectable amount of time. I have been given the hint suggestion before by a few close family members that maybe fake planting is the way for me...hhmmmph....fake??...oh no...not in my house...I detest, always have and always will, fake plants. The whole notion of having something FAKE and PLASTIC sitting in my kitchen where I pride myself on providing good wholesome (yes that's right...my cupcakes  smothered in icing and sprinkles ARE wholesome...ahem...) honest creations for my friends and family just does not sit well, at all, with me...uh uh...no way...never ever ever.....

                                                                                     

And so here is my new fake fern.......

                                                                                 

Yep........

                                                                                 

I wonder how long this will last........

Thoughts people.....fake or nay??

I'm still firmly in the nay section.....

But damn this looks good on my shelf ;))


                                                                                 Janelle  xx

Choc Chip Muesli Bars

Hello there!! Running through waving a recipe at you today. I have blogged this before...well, a version of it anyway...but I thought I'd pop it on again as I do get asked about it a bit.

                                                                                   

So what we have here is some good old muesli bars. With the added addition of the very good old choc chip. Mmmmmmm. Now these were baked yesterday by my daughters. They love to bake which I love...the mess I have to clean up afterwards not quite so much but hey....gotta start somewhere right?! So, as per usual, once these were whipped up, popped in the oven, and spoons and bowls licked sufficiently, the 2 little chefs disappeared. Completely. With no timer, buzzer, oven beeper, anything time-related set.....

                                                                                   

Which accounts for the, errmmm, darkish shade to them. Anyway, burnt food aside, these are still a really easy and tasty and relatively healthy snack for the whole fam. And if you use DARK choc chips I think we'd be almost hitting super food territory yes?? Yes. For sure.

Ok...here we go with the business then......

                                 
                                                       Choc Chip Muesli Bars                                                                                    
Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup coconut
1/3 cup raw sugar
120gms butter
1 tblspn honey OR golden syrup
choc chips - however much you'd like

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees

2. In a bowl toss in your oats, flour, coconut and raw sugar. Give a little stir.

3. In a small saucepan melt your butter and honey/golden syrup

4. Pour your melted mix into your dry ingredients, stir it all through until well combined.

5. Tip mixture into a greased/lined slice tin and press it so it's pretty and even.

6. Bake for about 15-20 mins. Keep checking if you have a hot oven.

7. Once it's cooked and out of the oven and still warm cut the slice into pieces. Remove from tin once it's cold.

                                                                               

These are really great for school lunch boxes too. And really, you can throw in whatever you fancy...sultanas, apricots, nuts....I just think they make a great alternative to the ones we pick up off of the supermarket shelves.....

                                                                                   

                                                                                 

I'm now back off to the kitchen...homemade sugar free chocolate is apparently on the agenda...and some type of muffins...if all works out, and oven timers are used, I'll be sure to share the outcomes with you guys soon.....

Have a good one folks......


                                                                     Janelle  xx
                                                                                 

Easy Tea Towel Project.......

Hello there!! We are enjoying a fab day today...sunshine, school holidays and fun friends have been on the agenda...love that!!

                                                                                 

I have also managed to whip together a quick and pretty project which has been laying about neglected for the past week or so...once I actually got around to doing it it took me all of about 10 minutes I think...and I love it...

So...take one pretty tea towel...and one poster frame.....

                                                                                 

Pop tea towel into poster frame.....

                                                                                 

And prop up on any available shelf...

                                                                                 

The tea towel is a fraction smaller than the frame but I can live with that...I love the pop of mint it brings to the kitchen...especially it being Spring and all here at the moment...and the fact that it is a tea towel it really does belong in the kitchen right?!

                                                                                     

And there we have it folks...a super quick...super easy...super cute project that can be achieved whilst waiting for your kettle to boil...

Speaking of which...must be that time of day I belive...

Have a fun and fab week yes?!!


                                                                                                       Janelle xx                                                                              

Unexpected ramble......

Hey there!

My poor little neglected blog....I am back...slight loss of blog mojo there for abit but all is good now and we have lift off once again....

                                                                                   

It's a funny thing this whole blogging caper....and it does sometimes make me wonder why on earth I do it?! And more to the point, why on earth would I expect anyone else to be at all bothered reading it!!?! There are a zillion or so people out there blogging away....why?? Well, for me I think it's just another little creative outlet for me to express myself in whatever way I am choosing to on whatever day...it's also a chance for me to enjoy some writing, something I use to enjoy when I was younger...it's also fun to take pictures out and about the home...and the fact that I love reading other people's blogs and can gather so much inspiration from other smart and creative chickies out there that I feel why not share what I may-or may not- have to offer with other like-minded (tho heaven help you if you have a mind like mine!!) mums, women, peeps out there......

                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                               

We're often told by "those in the know" to have a theme, a voice, a direction for our blogs. Good Lord......I lack direction in most areas of my life and any themes I may have are likely to change every 20 minutes or so...so I have come to the (possibly wrong...very often are...) conclusion that as this is my own little part of the www I can pretty much set the tone and scene at whatever I am feeling like on any particular day. But if I did have to squeeze myself into some shapely box it would probably be something along the lines of homemaker-crazylady-mother-diy-craft-homeobsessed-bakinglover-rambling-everyday kind of girl...yes?!!

                                                                                   

So on that slightly incomprehensible note...have a fab week...thanks for sticking around...we have been on a teeny weeny family holiday which of course, as any good wholesome family holiday should, involved a healthy amount of dragging children around shops...which of course means.....yep, show and tell coming up soon.....

Happy Wednesday lovelies.....


                                                                          Janelle  xx        

Banana and Choc Chip Cake.......

Hello there!

It's Wednesday...as good a day as any to talk all things cake don't you think?? Yep...thought as much...

                                                                               

To be exact we are talking, discussing, drooling over Banana Cake...that would be Banana Cake with Choc Chips melted and swirled all the way through....

                                                                                   

Mmmmmmmmmmm.........

                                                                                 

When I went hunting for a banana cake recipe recently I was looking for something tasty and easy...as always. Anyway, this one is made a little differently to the usual method of making a cake but definitely no more difficult. Definitely!!
Shall we get on with the all important stuff then??

                                                                       
                                                 Banana and Choc Chip Cake      

Ingredients      

125 gm butter
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg - slightly whisked (just grab and use a fork)
2 ripe bananas - mashed
1/4 cup milk
Choc Chips - as many as you like

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees

2. Grab a saucepan and melt the butter, sugar and vanilla

3. Once melted take it off the heat and throw in your mashed up bananas. Stir until just blended.

4. Now mix in the whisked egg.

5. Stir through the flour, then the milk.

6. Lastly toss in those delicious little choc chips. Once these hit the still-warm mixture they will immediately start to melt. Work kind of quickly so that you will still have some chunky bits of the choc chips as well as the beautiful melted chocolatey swirls.

7. Tip mix into a greased and lined cake tin.

8. Bake for approx 30 - 40 mins...depending on your oven.

9. Allow to cool a few minutes in the tin until tipping out onto a cooling rack.

10. I strongly STRONGLY suggest you try some of this whilst still warm. Seriously!!!

                                                                         

My plan when I baked this was to spread some type of icing on top...vanilla probs...but it really doesn't need it. My son can be a pain rather finicky about muffins, apple/banana/orange cakes etc, seems to think they are only worth eating if smothered in some sort of sickly sweet icing, but even he is happy to scoff this down naked. The cake I mean. Nobody is allowed to eat naked around here. A little off-putting to fellow family members.....

                                                                                 

So there we have it...afternoon tea is sorted for today.

                                                                                 

                                                                               

Enjoy!!!

See you soon......


                                                                              Janelle  xx
                                                                                 
                                                                    

DIY Dipped Stool.........

Hey there and Happy Tuesday!! Got your paint brush ready? We are talking paint projects today folks. Well...we are talking about A paint project...and I"M actually doing all the chatting...but you get my drift.....

OK!! Here is the necessary horrid doesn't-matter-how-you-try-to-style-it-it-will-still-look-horrid before shot.....

                                                                                   

It had already started it's transformation here...when I purchased this, a year or so ago from a church fete for about $2, it was topped with a lovely crusty brown vinyl cover on top....mmmmm....nice.....

So...first thing to do was rip off and promptly bin that vinyl cover, give it a good scrub all over and a sand.

Then...undercoat...

                                                                                   

Looking better already!! I did toy briefly with the idea of just leaving it all white (I know!! Shock right?!) but thought I'd best step out of my comfort zone and add a touch of colour.....

                                                                                 

That's right. Grey. And not too much grey. Just a little around the top. Don't want to go overboard and all crazy......

                                                                                 

Actually I'm really quite pleased with how this turned out. I know this whole 'dipped' thing is a craze with a time limit but I think it's added a little fun and interest to what was an old and tired stool.

Now...where to put it.......

                                                                                   

Anyone else got any projects or painting on the go? Keeps us out of trouble I say......

Have a fab week folks...............


                                                               Janelle  xx