little loves: eloise – month six

March 15, 2015April 17, 2015Leave a comment

– 6.8kgs and 67cms long
– Fitting 00’s, as of today!
– Guess who can clap hands for her Daddy! Clever girl.
– Her favourite book is ‘Dear Zoo’ She loves opening up the doors and listening to the noise each animal makes.
– We started on solids one week ago, and she loves mash potato, sweet potato, apples, pears, banana and avocado, but will not eat broccoli on it’s own. That’s all we’ve tried So far 🙂
– Super cuddly, she is so often smooshed into our necks with her arms wrapped around us. She also gives huge kisses. Big sloppy things. We had a few weddings in the past month and have left her for a few hours (not easy as she will not yet take a bottle) and the baby I come back to kisses and hugs me and squeals on my arrival for a good five minutes before gulping down both sides. It really is so special.
– I don’t think she is quite ready to sit up on her own, but she is motoring around on the floor, just not traditionally crawling just yet… So grateful that she is staying that bit littler for longer.
– Oh the conversations. From Dadadadad, to Mummy. She makes noises that sound like Judd, Hey, Eloise and Oh No. I know she isn’t saying the words nor is she intending to, but they make a nice change from a crazy squawk she has going on too.

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recipe: nigella lawson cupcakes with royal icing

March 13, 2015Leave a comment

Made these gorgeous Nigella Lawson cupcakes this week. Continue reading →

book love: march

March 10, 2015Leave a comment

Almost halfway through the month and I have finally picked a book to read!

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion will be blaring out of my speakers over the next coming weeks. Anyone care to join me in reading it? Or anyone read it and has an opinion (sans spoilers) to write in the comments?

Xoxo

recipe: cheese and cranberry puff

March 8, 2015March 8, 20154 Comments

I think food you make whilst entertaining should be easy, delicious and definitely decadent. Here is an easy starter, using only three ingredients that is bound to impress your guests and disappear quickly…

Ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry
1 wheel of brie cheese
100g cranberry sauce

Method
– Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius
– Place one sheet of puff pastry on a lined baking tray, and use a knife to cut each corner, so you end up with four triangles that can be discarded

– Place the wheel of brie cheese in the centre, and pile the cranberry sauce on top
– Fold the pastry up to encase the brie and cranberry filling

– Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes
– Serve with your preferred cracker (I’ve used Jatz Cracked Pepper)

So much YUM on a cracker!!

This recipe is so easy for entertaining. I LOVE it for Christmas as the cranberry gives it that festive feel. Using a cheese knife cut the puff like you would a cake, and serve on the cracker. (I generally even ignore the cracker as I find the puff pastry is the ‘hero’ of the dish and is enough to be a decent base.) You can use camembert cheese but I find it really oozes out a bit too much, which is why I stick with a beautiful brie. It will ooze out but it is all a part of the goodness… I have never had leftovers of this starter, ever!

Hope you enjoy it, I guarantee your guests will!

little loves: eloise starts solids

March 7, 2015Leave a comment

I had planned to start Eloise on solids this weekend, after the longing looks I have been getting whilst I eat and the fact that she has stopped sleeping through every night. After the 90 minute party she wanted to have at 3am last night, the first thing I did the morning was whip up some baby food!

I hate rice cereal, it has no nutritional value and I find vegetables on their own to be bland enough for their new little taste buds. What was your bub’s first food?

monthly haul: february

March 6, 2015Leave a comment

Web Haul

– I have been all things milkmade perusing NYFW this month.
– Late to the party, but Styling You’s top beauty products for 2014 will be next on my beauty haul.
– Liked the look of these books on Mickey’s Books to Read This Year via the thirtyhandmadedays blog.
– Found this fascinating, a photo series on my modern met has documented the different school lunches around the world.
– This article via iVillage, with 20 life lessons for your daughter is something I know I’m going to need to save.
– This brilliant article via The Plumbette called Open Home. If you only click on one thing on this haul, this is it.

Fashion Haul

– A measly one item bought this month, for the birthday party. February really was all things birthday party, I am going to stop talking about it right after this post. Promise.
I bought a gorgeous black playsuit from The Weekend Edit. I cannot find a picture now, but I can tell you it was brilliant. Casual and fancy all at once. And seeing as my boobs are increasing in size by the minute, oh so flattering. A Plus. Oh wait I have a photo of me in it. Not the best but you get the idea…

My usual Beauty and Book Haul. Hmmm… where is that you ask? Very embarrassed to say that with all things Husby’s 30th, I have not bought anything of the sort. Next month, I have a list of product and cookbooks especially, that I am dying to get my hands on. Very measly effort this month though. Sorry all. If you have any haul type items you would like to share, please do so in the comments, I would be RAPT!

But for now, until next month…

recipe: rainbow juice

March 6, 2015March 8, 2015Leave a comment

I haven’t had much energy lately, so Judd and I made Rainbow Juice today, to try and get through the afternoon!

We used a green apple, a beetroot, a carrot, a cucumber, a banana, several sticks of celery, an orange, a knob of ginger and a cup of coconut water.

Continue reading →

#eachmonthintheyear: february

March 6, 2015March 6, 2015Leave a comment

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recipe: berry whip

March 6, 2015March 8, 2015Leave a comment

Have we all gone paranoid over the Nanna’s Frozen Berry Recall or is it just me? I have gone from blind shopping Woolworths or Online, to carefully checking my produce to work out where it has come from and where it is packaged. Where I used to proud myself on buying everything Brownes because it was West Australian, and only ever buying free range AND organic eggs, I have really realised that it isn’t enough for me. I have learnt so much through my research, and my grocery buying has taken me at least twice as long, but my knowledge of what I’m putting in my families mouth has given me great peace of mind.

Fresh raspberries are the go because of this recall in a lot of houses across Australia at the moment. They don’t last long, so if you haven’t used a container in your fridge and you know it’s about to go mouldy, I have the recipe for you.

Continue reading →