Happy Whimsical Hearts

Swapping little bits of goodness

2012-02-27T20:00:00.001+11:00

Recently I discovered a wonderful handmade swap group ~ Bits of Goodness, and I am so glad I did!

When you join a swap, you create 5 items (plus a gift for the swap organiser) ~ and you receive 5 beautiful items in return :-) And wonderfully, all items are made with natural materials, and a lot of love ❤

~ my heart gnomes ~

So appropriately, my first swap was for Valentine's. My creations were heart gnomes that were sent off with little felted hearts. And a few weeks later I received a lovely parcel containing...

~ made by Samantha ~

~ made by Hope ~

~ made by Sarah ~

~ made by Julie Ann ~

~ made by Teah ~

Thank you to the wonderful crafty mamas & Bits of Goodness!!

I'm sharing this on Crafting On with Nicole Spring at Frontier Dreams.

Warmly,
Kelly

Marble painting for baby and boy

2012-02-25T09:31:00.000+11:00

Recently Little Miss Q had fun marble painting!

I used a plastic takeaway container to put in a piece of paper, a few marbles and some drops of paint. Once the lid was on she happily shook it around, threw it on the floor and otherwise 'painted' with it.

Master D also got in on the action, using the more conventional methods. And because he loves mixing colours he really enjoyed rolling the marbles and seeing the colours mingle.

We now have some great wrapping paper!

Happy painting, Kelly

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #8

2012-02-23T11:52:00.001+11:00

What did you bake with your little ones this week? Or, if you don't have anything new we'd love to see something from your archives ;-)

Below is a linky list to join in the fun and start sharing what you bake with your children so we can inspire each other. Family favourites, new recipes, traditional or cultural recipes - you name it, we'd like to read about them and if you include the details, try them out :-)

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake was a favourite of mine when I was a kid. I think the name appealed to me (in a Magic Faraway kinda way) ~ and it is super yummy!

Master D seemed captivated by the name too, and wanted to get baking straight away :-)

Here is the recipe from Cookery the Australian Way (my mum used this book in school).

Firstly you prepare the pan with the pineapple slices, butter and brown sugar.

Cream butter and sugar, before adding the egg. Next comes the flour and pineapple juice.

Pour mix over pineapples and bake for about 30 minutes at 180°C (around 350°F).

Wash up while it bakes...

And then enjoy your cake with some creamy ice cream!

We can't wait to see what you are baking!

~ Please link up

~ Use our button (from the sidebar) so others can join the fun

~ I'd also love for you to follow us :-)

Happy baking, Kelly

Crafting & yarning... on

2012-02-21T22:51:00.000+11:00

My bonnet is finished, and well... umm I don't like it at all. I'm not sure where I went wrong?! Well ok, I know that I got a bit distracted on the ribbing to finish it off, but that can't be the reason for the strange almost adult size and odd shape... or can it??

Somehow this picture of Master D doesn't show quite how badly the shape and fit are... For comparison here is a link to a picture from the pattern.

And here is Little Miss Q trying it on for size (this is her new *smile for the camera* face hee hee)

So I'm not sure what I will do with the bonnet... probably pull it apart and try a different pattern?? I'd really like to try the Aviatrix that so many clever knitters have been making, but I'm not sure I understand what I need to do in parts. Maybe I'll just give it a go ~ can't turn out worse than this bonnet surely, lol.

For a change from knitting in the evening I thought I would try my hand at some very simple needlework. I found some super cute patterns here and have started the first one. My thought is they might make a cute table runner :-)

And I also managed to finish reading A Clash of Kings ~ to be honest it got so good I simply had to find time to read it! I went out and bought the next one, well I thought it was the next one... turns out it comes in two parts and I bought the wrong one - doh!

Luckily my lovely Fraggle friend sent me a new book in the mail. It is called The $21 Challenge and is about challenging yourself to spend only $21 for a week's shopping. Not every week mind you, but every now and again when you are feeling the pinch, or want to make sure you are using your pantry stores up. I've only just started reading it, so hopefully I will read some gems to share ;-)

This week I'm joining in with Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and Ginny at Small Things for the Yarn Along :-) Can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to!

Warmly, Kelly

Our nightly rhythm

2012-02-20T14:50:00.001+11:00

Master D's nightly rhythm is lovely and relaxing ~ it nearly puts me to sleep too!

And after seeing Chocolate Eyes' beautiful nightly chart I was inspired to make one for us. Mind you, I don't have the artistic talent that Becca does, but Master D can work out what my pictures mean and he loves checking it!

Our nightly rhythm starts with dinner which Master D enjoys helping to prepare. He sets the table and sometimes even helps cook the meal. It's lovely having a little helper :-)

Later when he is washed and our teeth are brushed I say 'let's go light your bedtime candle' and so far (after a few months) he excitedly goes to bed! And while I light his candle he gets into his pj's.

Often Little Miss Q snuggles down with Master D for storytime. Sometimes we read stories ~ after I have read a story Master D 'reads' one too.Other nights I tell him a story from when he was smaller, or from when I was a girl. He thinks these stories are the best!

Before blowing out his candle I ask if he would like to tell me one thing. If I don't, he comes out saying 'I have to tell you something mum!'.Sometimes he tells me he loves me or about his day or toys.

And at the moment he tells me 'I don't love kisses, I love hugs or high fives!' So hugs it is, although I usually sneak a couple of kisses in, and put one in his pocket for later (he's too little to not love kisses!). Then he blows his candle out and settles down for the night.

What I love about having a rhythm like this is that it flows gently and is not fixed by times but events. Which means it is adaptable to our needs. What kind of bedtime rhythm do you have?

Warmly, Kelly

Abstract eggshell art

2012-02-18T12:01:00.000+11:00

Recently I saved our eggshells, washed they out and let them dry. It must have looked quite odd, my growing pile of eggshells! Finally though, we had enough to play with. So we broke them into various sized pieces and split them among 8 bowls.

We got out watercolour tubes and Master D squirted them in and I added some water. He stir, stir, stirred...

...before pouring the paint into a bowl of eggshells. Next he gave them each a swish before we left them overnight to soak.

The next day we laid the shells on paper to dry out.

Master D then carefully tipped the shells onto a plate.

Isn't the paper we dried them on pretty! We've already used two pieces of it as wrapping paper :-)

I gave Master D some thick cardboard and glue. He started pouring the glue on and adding the occasional shell. I think he finds the glue more fun sometimes, and the way we go through it - wow!

His abstract eggshell artwork turned out really well, but I must say that I think the preparation was the best fun for him :-)

Happy crafting, Kelly

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #7

2012-02-16T14:18:00.002+11:00

What did you and your little ones bake this week? Below is a linky list to share what you baked with your children, so we can inspire each other. Family favourites, new recipes, traditional or cultural recipes - you name it, we'd like to read about them and if you include the details, try them out :-)

Last week Crafty Mom's Share and Taming the Goblin both made banana bread, so we thought we should get in on the action! We used a combination of both recipes :-)

You need:

3 bananas

40 g butter

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oats

1/3 cup sour cream

lemon juice

drop of vanilla essence

shake of cinnamon

shake of nutmeg

Combine the butter and sugar, followed by the eggs, vanilla essence & bananas.

Add dry ingredients, then nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon juice.

Next add sour cream as needed to get a good consistency (it shouldn't be runny, or too dry).

Have a taste to check the flavour (Master D's additional step)!

Bake at 180° C (around 350° F) for around 20 minutes.

And my mum always said 'you can bake, but you have to clean up!'

So here are the kids doing just that ;-)

Enjoy!

Makes 12 servings ~ 4 Weight Watchers Points a serve

We can't wait to see what you are baking!

~ Please link up

~ Use our button (from the sidebar) so others can join the fun

~ I'd also love for you to follow us :-)

Happy baking, Kelly

A summer day yarn along

2012-02-15T21:02:00.000+11:00

Today slowly and steadily grew hotter and hotter, a day that felt like summer

A lovely friend from high school days came with her kids to play. Master D had a wonderful time ~ roaring dinosaur style ~ with her lad

Afterwards we baked, we played....

The afternoon brought my wonderful friend Fraggle to share a walk in the heat

And some moments were found to enjoy A Clash of Kings with my babe at my breast :-)

My knitting has progressed... albeit with some different wool ~ a trial run...

What are you knitting and reading? Joining Ginny for another Yarn Along

Warmly, Kelly

Fun in the sun (and some kangaroos)

2012-02-13T19:32:00.001+11:00

What's a day at the beach unless you are buried up to your neck in sand!? Master D and his cousin had a wonderful time doing just that last weekend.

The water was lovely...

The sun was shining (well for a couple of days at least)...

Husband of Mine was silly...

There were stunning views...

Beautiful moments...

A discovery! The dragon from The Land of Long Ago...

And the kangaroos were also enjoying the sunshine, just back from the sand...

Happy days, Kelly

Valentine's Swap

2012-02-12T10:28:00.001+11:00

Valentine's Day is celebrated in Australia, but not to the same extent as in the States (at least that's my experience), so when Linda from Natural Suburbia was organising a Valentine's swap I thought it would be fun to share some love :-)

As soon as I signed up I had ideas racing around my mind, I was thinking about inking a tea cup, possibly with some Jane Austen quotes...

...and it turned out that my swapping partner, Kathleen from Through Our Garden Gate, loves Jane Austen! Perfect huh! So I got inking ~

'When I fall in love, it will be forever'

and

'I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature'

I also packaged up a Valentine's gnome and door set too :-) Then I sent my little parcel of heart and hand made love off to Kathleen. You can read more about them at Kathleen's blog ;-)

Funnily, Kathleen and I received our parcels on the same day! Master D was super excited as we opened our box to discover yummy candy, a cute pot and a Valentine's wreath, together with a lovely card and love quotes!

The pot is so sweet, it says '1 part dirt, 1 part water, 1 part sun, 1 part love'

And doesn't the wreath look lovely on our door! Thank you so much Kathleen :-) And to Linda for organising the swap!

I'm sharing these crafts at Frontier Dreams ~ Keep Calm and Craft On.

Warmly, Kelly

Tie Dye - Marker Style

2012-02-11T09:17:00.000+11:00

Master D has had a growth spurt! Which is fantastic because I have been wanting to try out tie dye - marker style ~ inspired by Beneath the Rowan Tree.

So we ran out and got a couple of nice white t-shirts (and they were on sale too). Then we got straight into it :-) It feels rather wicked to draw on clothes with permanent markers doesn't it! Master D seemed thrilled to do so (we did have a chat about not normally doing such things!).

We made mini 'canvasses' to 'paint on' by using jars and rubber bands

Next he sprayed rubbing alcohol on to the t-shirt and we watched the colours slip and slide.

After leaving the t-shirts for a couple of hours I washed them normally and hung them to dry.

Ta da!

Doesn't he look proud as he shows his dad his new shirt!

Warmly, Kelly

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #6

2012-02-09T14:14:00.001+11:00

What did you and your little ones bake this week? Or did you cook something together?

Below is a linky list to share what you baked with your children, so we can inspire each other. Family favourites, new recipes, traditional or cultural recipes - you name it, we'd like to read about them and if you include the details, try them out :-)

This week we made cinnamon muffins, inspired by Adventure Academy Mom 's Donut Muffins :-)

We used:

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 tbsp brown sugar

2/3 tbsp cinnamon

1 1/3 cup self raising flour

Master D measured and poured the ingredients (sometimes more then needed!).

We put all the ingredients in our whizz bang mixer and got it going!

(We have tomatoes 'decorating' our kitchen until they are ready to be turned into sauce)

Master D then spooned the mix into the muffin tray (and now I have the song about the muffin man stuck in my head!)

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180°C (around 355° F)

Husband of Mine loves donuts, but isn't a fan of how oily they can be, so we were hoping he might be a fan of these muffins ;-)

And the verdict is in - 'yum' he said (he is a man of few words).

And for anyone interested, these muffins are 3 Weight Watchers' points each :-)

We can't wait to see what you are baking!

~ Please link up

~ Use our button (from the sidebar) so others can join the fun

~ I'd also love for you to follow us :-)

Happy baking, Kelly

Beeswax candles

2012-02-08T23:24:00.001+11:00

There is no end to wonderful inspiration in blogland is there! Recently I was reading My Rhythm and Rhyme in Motherhood and Nicole had just made some gorgeous beeswax candles. I had some beeswax over from another project so decided to try it out :-)

Given that Valentines is approaching I decided to go with heart shaped candles. Although Master D had other ideas and produced a couple of his dinosaur biscuit cutters. While I was melting the wax in the microwave the dinosaurs became quite agitated and came to blows (or something like that)!

We set out our biscuit cutters on a tray with baking paper underneath and wicks at the ready.

The first couple went really well, but after that I had wax going everywhere! And a week later I still seem to be finding wax about the place and trying to melt it away! Husband of Mine has suggested I do things somewhat differently next time... mmm, he might be right - I didn't really need to grate the wax just to have it all happen quicker... perhaps I shouldn't have used the usual glass measuring cup - although I have got the wax off now (promise)!

Waxy *roar*

I'm still pretty pleased with our results - and the smell is delicious!

Warmly, Kelly

Scratch painting

2012-02-03T17:03:00.002+11:00

We tried scratch painting this week. Master D happily filled the paper with lots of dark paint. And I added some more to make sure the scratching would work well...

He used a chopstick to scratch into the paint while it was still wet (our poor kitchen gadgets and cutlery get put to many a crafty use!).

We had a surprise visit on one of his paintings... can you see a stegasaurus with big plates :-)

Happy painting, Kelly

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #5

2012-02-02T12:46:00.001+11:00

Did you bake with your little ones this week? Or let them bake on their own?

Below is a linky list to join in the fun and start sharing what you bake with your children so we can inspire each other. Family favourites, new recipes, traditional or cultural recipes - you name it, we'd like to read about them and if you include the details, try them out :-)

This week we made bread rolls!

I've been wanting to try bread for ages, so when I read Bending Birches' recipe for Grandma bread I knew it was time :-) (I admit I'd been a bit nervous about trying a proper bread...)

For the recipe head over to Bending Birches (it's a beautiful blog so I'm sure you will enjoy your visit).

Master D enjoyed measuring and pouring the ingredients...

Mixing them up...

And after it was all mixed and kneaded we set it aside for the yeast to work it's magic! The next day we played with the dough, getting it ready to bake...

I even gave some to Little Miss Q. She sat there looking at it as if to say 'and what am I suppose to do with this?!'

After they played with the dough I prepared rolls and popped them in to bake. We enjoyed them warm from the oven with butter and honey ~ delicious!

Master D is enjoying baking so much, that every time I go in the kitchen he asks 'what are we making?' ❤ He has even started helping make dinner each night - I'm so thrilled he loves helping like this!

We can't wait to see what you are baking!

~ Please link up

~ Use our button (from the sidebar) so others can join the fun

~ I'd also love for you to follow us :-)

Happy baking, Kelly

Yarn Along-ing

2012-02-01T21:49:00.000+11:00

Since last week's Yarn Along I think I have knitted two rows of my bonnet (lol). Despite the lack of knitting progress I thought I would post because it helps me keep knitting on the mind!

Here is another shot of my lovely vintage pattern (sorry about the photo it is already dark here!).

And I also have this gorgeous jumper that my mum knitted for Master D to show off!

My older brother had the same jumper knitted by our nana when he was around Master D's age, isn't that lovely :-)

And here is the cause of my lack of knitting progress - my new toy, the scroll saw. It is lots of fun, but eats up any free time I happen to find, evidence available here and here.

I'm still reading A Clash of Kings which is keeping me well entertained ;-) What a plot! And I also managed to finish Beyond the Rainbow Bridge. I've passed it to Husband of Mine to read now. For me the book confirmed the path we have chosen for our little ones, and that is always nice to find. It has also inspired me to tell my kids more stories rather than read them. Master D seems to love my stories which is lovely and rewarding.

What are you knitting and reading at the moment? Joining Ginny and the gang for another Yarn Along.

Warmly, Kelly

A new toy (ahem tool) ~ and crafting on

2012-01-31T22:16:00.001+11:00

A scroll saw has been on my wish list since I found out about them (which admittedly isn't that long!).

Fairy doors in progress...

So when my cabinet maker brother-in-law visited recently I asked if, by chance, he had one. And - big smile - he does! And - even bigger smile - he has lent it to me!

gnomies coming out of the wood

So, my crafting to-do list already had lots of fairy doors and gnomes (that I was going to use a jigsaw for)...

More and more...

...but with the wonderful scroll saw there are so many more possibilities. I've now added trees and a couple of other ideas to that to-do list :-)

Trees!

And 3 broken blades later I am getting the feel for it and loving every minute! Joining in with Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Crafting On :-)

Happy crafting, Kelly

Whimsical doors

2012-01-30T09:22:00.001+11:00

I think of all the crafting I do these days, making little magical whimsical doors has to be my favourite :-) I just love the possibilities they suggest and invite.

I heard that a little boy asked how the fairies go in their door, to which his grandma replied...

'you see that tiny little hole in the wood there?'

'mmm, yes' he said

'well, that's where they go in...'

I was thrilled when I heard this story about a door I had created! Just magic - I hope it set the little boy's imagination soaring!

These are my latest creations :-)

Happily creating, Kelly

Australia Day Fun

2012-01-29T09:29:00.003+11:00

For Australia Day we often celebrate by having a BBQ with family and friends. This year we did that and more! We headed out to Wyangla Dam :-)

We enjoyed sitting in the shade of some lovely trees while Master D collected sticks and made stick art??

And Little Miss Q played 'with' her friend Little Miss M, while some beach cricket went on in the background. The cricketers even had their dogs fielding!

After awhile we got the kids in their life jackets; Little Miss Q looked kinda like a yellow oompa loompa and seemed to think she couldn't move :-)

Then off we went into the water!

Little Miss M's mum and dad are keen water skiers and amazing to watch :-)

Husband of Mine was then super lucky and got to try his hand (or feet?) at water skiing!! After a few attempts he was up!

We had an amazing time - thanks Little Miss M's mum & dad!!

Warmly, Kelly

Aussie painting & baby's painting debut

2012-01-28T08:01:00.001+11:00

On Thursday we celebrated Australia Day! So for painting day this week we tried aboriginal dot painting.

I traced a kangaroo for Master D to use and gave him some washable finger paint. Before he started we looked at different photos of aboriginal art for inspiration.

Master D enjoyed the feel of the paint on his fingers and before long he started mixing the colours together. Painting with his hands and mixing the colours seem to be his favourite parts of painting!

It was also Little Miss Q's painting debut - she tried finger painting!! Little Miss Q is now 7 months and I was inspired by Happy Little Munchkins (a fellow Aussie blogging mum) to give it a go :-)

I was surprised at how fun it was for Little Miss Q... and the clean-up wasn't as terrible as expected either. I was able to easily wipe away the washable paint.

Mind you, she did try eating her painting midway through (what is it about paper for her!)

Happy painting, Kelly

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #4

2012-01-26T09:35:00.000+11:00

For our baking day this week Master D and I made ANZAC biscuits. These biscuits are a traditional biscuit in Australia and New Zealand (they stand for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) and a version were made and sent to our soldiers during WW1.

So because today is ~ Australia Day ~ they seemed appropriate :-) You need:

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup coconut

3/4 cup flour

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp bicarb

2 tbsp hot water

1/2 cup butter

Melt the butter in a saucepan with the golden syrup.

Once melted add the bicarb and hot water - enjoy watching it bubble!

Add the dry ingredients and mix well (no longer on the hot plate).

Roll the mixture into balls and place on tray - allow a good amount of space because these biscuits spread.

Bake for around 15 minutes at 160°C (about 320°F)

I always aim for biscuits that are slightly crunchy on the outside but chewy in the middle - yum!

We can't wait to see what you are baking!

~ Please link up

~ Use our button (from the sidebar) so others can join the fun

~ I'd also love for you to follow us :-)

Happy baking, Kelly

A plan and a play

2012-01-25T15:38:00.000+11:00

I've spent many spare moments (spare moments?) looking at different knitting patterns, trying to decide what to make with my beautiful alpaca wool. I finally decided to try a (hopefully) simple pattern from one of my mum's old books (I am still pretty much a newbie knitter after all!).

From my mum

So because I took so long looking at patterns, I really haven't knitted much. I think I got maybe 4 rows done! I'm also a bit nervous using such beautiful wool - I want to do it justice!

This is it... I think...

I did manage however to read another chapter of Beyond the Rainbow Bridge. I like to take this one slowly, mull over the ideas and try them out. And I must say the suggestions really help! I'm also enjoying the unfolding story of A Clash of Kings. It is quite a thrilling read :-)

But while I haven't got much done this week on the knitting front, someone else at my house has been doing a lot with wool lately...

...making cobwebs

...using it as a monster costume...

...silly hair...

...pirate hair?!

...but most often, great big spiderwebs - eek!

He winds the wool round and round before placing his spider in the middle (it's actually a Y2K bug - lol).

He loves his ball (*ahem* mess) of wool, so much so, that he was very concerned when his nana-ma offered to wind it up for me!

So, what are you knitting and reading? Or what funny items do your kids love playing with? Joining Ginny for her Yarn Along :-) And, Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm Craft On!

Warmly, Kelly

Inking tea cups

2012-01-23T09:52:00.003+11:00

A while ago Husband of Mine gave me a seriously wonderful anniversary present. It was a tea set for two, with a little tea pot and milk jug. Each item had a gorgeous quote from Anne of Green Gables inked and fired on it by Zinnea Pea.

Inked by Zinnea Pea

I love this tea set with its lovely quotes... here are a couple

'It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?'

'...if you let me tell you what I image about myself you'd find it a lot more interesting'

(I'll let you in on a secret though... I organised this pressie for him to give to me! He doesn't trawl through Etsy after all!)

After Master D made his painted plates I got to thinking... I could ink tea cups with lovely quotes that my friends would love (well hopefully!). So two friends of mine who both celebrate January birthdays, and who both enjoy Jane Austen received a personalised tea cup inked by me :-)

Inked by Kelly!

For A... 'A women, especially if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can'

For B... 'A girl likes to be crossed a little in love now and then. It is something to think of'.

To do the inking I used DecoColour opaque paint markers (next time I will buy the 'fine' ones), and because I've noticed that it isn't hard to chip or smudge the ceramic paint off I 'fired' them in my oven at 50°C for a few hours. They will still need to be hand washed gently, but hopefully this way they will last a bit longer.

So guess what most of my family and friends will be receiving this year!

Happy crafting, Kelly

Postcard Pen Pals

2012-01-21T13:21:00.003+11:00

Master D has always enjoyed checking the mail. As soon as he hears the postie he yells out 'mail!' and out we run to see what has arrived.

But now that he has 2 pen pals - Hazel (who's mom blogs at Crafty Moms Share) and The Goblin (who's mum blogs at Taming the Goblin) - he loves checking the mail!

Just recently he received this wonderful postcard of a double decker bus from The Goblin. Everyone who has visited since has been shown 'his bus' :-)

And soon afterwards he was very excited to receive a parcel from Hazel. With a lovely postcard and a fun elf made by Hazel. As soon as he saw it he told me he loved it's hat!

And before I had hit 'publish' on this post another parcel arrived, with this fantastic dragon made by Hazel's mom (we exchanged Christmas presents for the kids). Master D thinks it is wonderful!

I love that he has pen pals too. Each time we send them mail, or receive it, he gets out our globe and wants to see where they live and talk about the world.

So if your kids would love a pen pal... shoot me an email to happywhimsicalhearts@iinet.net.au letting me know which part of the world you live in and their age and I will try to pair them up :-)

Happy postcard writing, Kelly

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #3

2012-01-19T14:31:00.002+11:00

This week Master D and I baked Chocolate Chilli biscuits. They were inspired by a recipe in Sweet Alternative (which Hinterland Mama blogged about). We adapted the recipe to ingredients we had on hand.

We used:

2 cups flour
250 g butter
1 tsp bicarb
1/2 cup cocoa
shake of nutmeg
shake of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 egg
200 g chocolate melts
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp vanilla essence

Cream butter and sugar, add egg.
Add remaining ingredients, with the chocolate lucky last and mix until it is a good dough.
Roll into balls and then squish them with a fork.
Bake at 180°C (around 350°F) for around 10 minutes.

Master D likes to line up our ingredients

I find the more opportunities I give Master D, the more he surprises me with how capable he is. He cracked the egg and there was no shell to pick out! With my help he weighed the ingredients before pouring them in :-) And he loves turning on our mixer!

This biscuit dough is also super yummy raw! See Master D agrees :-)

Mmm, the biscuit dough is really good mama

We all enjoyed them afterwards - even Little Miss Q
(I was doing the dishes and looked back round to see this)!

Chocolate! Thanks big brother :-)

We can't wait to see what you are baking!

~ Please link up

~ Use our button (from the sidebar) so others can join the fun

~ I'd also love for you to follow us :-)

Happy baking, Kelly

Little lamb... do you have some wool?

2012-01-18T13:07:00.000+11:00

The gnomies I knitted are a hit with my kids :-) This morning Master D told me 'a gnome can fit in my pocket mum!'

Meanwhile, Little Miss Q has developed a taste for paper... mmm, I can think of nicer things to munch on! Sorry, getting sidetracked...

Recently I discovered a beautiful blog, Moonbeams and Applesauce and I just finished knitting a little lamb using a pattern from there :-)

Next I'm going to try something a little different, a baby bonnet using this lovely alpaca wool that my Nana sent to me - isn't it gorgeous! Amazingly soft :-) Thanks Nana!

And I'm enjoying reading A Clash of Kings. New characters have been introduced and the plot continues to thinken ;-) Also, still slowly reading and digesting Beyond the Rainbow Bridge...

What are you knitting and reading? Joining Ginny for her Yarn Along.

Happy knitting, Kelly

Bread Dangles

2012-01-16T08:48:00.000+11:00

We've been making bread dangles! 'Bread dangles?' you say...

We used our cookie cutters to cut some shapes from fresh bread (fresh is best).

Then used a chopstick to poke a hole at the top and bottom of our shapes. We popped our shapes on a rack to dry out overnight.

The next day we painted them using PVA glue mixed with acrylic paint (we used 1:1 ratio). It's best to try to paint them all over.

We strung ours up on this great branch that Master D collected - don't they look wonderful!

And hung them above Little Miss Q's cot. We love our bread dangles!!

Happy crafting, Kelly

Counting coins

2012-01-14T12:36:00.000+11:00

At our house coins end up in our saving vase or the kids' money boxes. Recently we noticed they were all full. So we tipped the coins out, sorting the different coins into piles, before counting them up.

Husband of Mine and Master D got inventive with how they counted, once Husband of Mine got over his phobia of touching the *dirty* money ;-). They put their coins down this cardboard tube and matched stacks of coins by height.

Yes, he was still in his pjs

The tube then came in handy for pouring all the coins into a bag to take to the bank. At the bank we got to use their coin sorting machine before depositing most of the money into savings. As a saving reward Master D was given some money to use however he liked (with parental approval of course!).

Straight away he told us he would like to buy a dinosaur (his dino love has gone on for months now ;-)). So we looked in different shops, compared dinosaurs and prices before he chose one. And here is is!

He is already saving again :-)

Happy saving, Kelly

Summer days

2012-01-13T11:44:00.000+11:00

Between Christmas and New Year's we headed down the coast. To a beautiful spot where my father-in-law has a wonderful beach house.

In beach mode

At this time of year the beach house is a pretty busy place! So Little Miss Q got cuddles and Master D had cousins to play with.

We spent most of our time at the beach. I'd sit in our sun shelter breastfeeding or holding my sleeping babe, while Master D ran around with his cousins and dad...

...or played in the sand.

And here is Little Miss Q's first experience with sand :-) At least she didn't put a handful in her mouth like Master D did when he was a babe!

And back at the house we were lucky to have some amazing visitors - kookaburras!

Happy days, Kelly

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #2

2012-01-12T22:53:00.000+11:00

This week we used a dinosaur baking mould that our wonderful friend Fraggle gave Master D for Christmas.

Fraggle's namesake

We made this patty cake mix:

100 g butter

200 g sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

250 g self raising flour

Beat butter and condensed milk until pale and creamy.

Add eggs and milk, followed by flour.

Bake for around 25 minutes at 180°C (around 350°F I think...)

This was our first time using a silicon baking mould, so they turned out a tad browner than normal.

Master D decided the dinosaur should be pink with lots and lots of sprinkles (again with the edible glitter)!

Not the prettiest cake, but he did taste yummy :-)

Roar!

We can't wait to see what you are baking!

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Happy baking, Kelly

Over the rainbow...of gnomes

2012-01-11T16:47:00.001+11:00

Well it looks like I'm not the only one in my family who loves gnomes!

The finally finished rainbow of gnomies has been a huge hit with both Master D... (sorry about the pic - he was so quick!)

And Little Miss Q...

They even went on an outing today, to our Maternal and Child Health Centre, because Master D thought they would help Little Miss Q with her shots. My poor bubba hasn't been so happy this afternoon though, Master D tried to cheer her up by sharing his blocks... She is sleeping now thankfully.

Somehow this past week, as well as finishing the gnomes, I also finished reading A Game of Thrones! What a book!! We went straight to the shops to buy the next one (the wait for a copy at my local library is 27 people long and I just can't wait that long!).

And I'm still reading Beyond the Rainbow Bridge... slowly digesting the wonderful ideas.

Sorry no pic of the book, it is in the room that Little Miss Q is sleeping in!

What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining in with Ginny's Yarn Along.

Warmly, Kelly

Happy Whimsical Hearts

Swapping little bits of goodness

Marble painting for baby and boy

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #8

Crafting & yarning... on

Our nightly rhythm

Abstract eggshell art

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #7

A summer day yarn along

Fun in the sun (and some kangaroos)

Valentine's Swap

Tie Dye - Marker Style

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #6

Beeswax candles

Scratch painting

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #5

Yarn Along-ing

A new toy (*ahem* tool) ~ and crafting on

Whimsical doors

Australia Day Fun

Aussie painting & baby's painting debut

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #4

A plan and a play

Inking tea cups

Postcard Pen Pals

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #3

Little lamb... do you have some wool?

Bread Dangles

Counting coins

Summer days

Happy lil ❤'s are baking #2

Over the rainbow...of gnomes

A new toy (ahem tool) ~ and crafting on