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