Sweet, sweet Saturday!

Oh, I do love waking up on a Saturday morning! No rushing to be at the school gate...no last minute frantic searches for school jumpers and hollering at the children to hurry up and clean their teeth...Just leisurely cups of coffee and cuddles with the children under the duvet! We've had a lovely day of just that! And I love the spontaneity that Saturdays bring, you know, deciding at the drop of a hat to pop in to one's favourite little shops for a spot of browsing, or a last minute cuppa with friends. Or, as the case was this evening after 'meandering round the streets of Pinterest', deciding to give that very tempting Nutella cookie recipe a bash! A friend had not long re-pinned this recipe, and I was in the car on my way to the grocery store to pick up a jar of Nutella. It requires no effort at all, and is a sure winner!

Now, the recipe includes sugar, but I left out the sugar as advised on Pinterest. All you need is a cup of Nutella, a cup of all-purpose flour (yes, plain flour!) and one whole egg. That's it! Mix it all together, really well, roll into balls, squeeze flat with a glass, and bake! (180C/350F for 7-8 minutes).
Voila!

There is only one thing left to say...The diet has been abandoned, and normal service will resume tomorrow! ...or on Monday...

If you feel a little peckish or need a quick chocolaty fix, this simple recipe is one to try. You won't be disappointed! ...well, the only disappointment might be not making a double batch!

Happy weekend!
Tania ♥

Somewhere to day dream...

Hello my lovelies! It feels like forever since my last post, and I have missed you all! Life has been a little hectic over this way...it always is when the kidlets are on holiday! But, I have been somewhat productive, and have a good few snaps to share with you. Regardless of how busy life gets, there is ALWAYS time for baking...

Mmmm...banana loaf...
                         One of my five-a-day?

Do you like the Sweet Williams? They are some of my favourite flowers ever, and I always get some from the market this time of year. These were a gift from a friend.

 ♥♥♥♥♥

Apart from eating too much cake, I have been playing house again. This occurs quite frequently. I have concentrated my efforts on our boudoir over the last couple of days. My writing bureau which has been sitting quite happily in our livingroom, has been uprooted and re-located to our master bedroom. And I am delighted with the change! It meant emptying all the drawers though, and they were packed with paperwork and photographs...there is now a MOUNTAIN of STUFF on my dining table which I have to sort through, and I'm not quite sure where it's all going to go...The bureau drawers are now full of my unmentionables, so there's no room there! Anyhow, I thought I'd show you some pictures...don't panic...I won't show you any pictures of my knicker-drawers!

Let's start at the beginning...

The bureau was a gift from friends, lovely, lovely, lovely!

I decided to give it a little make-over...Paint, wallpaper, new handles for the drawers...

Here's a picture of the inside, unpainted...

And the way it looks after the make-over...

I've been longing to create a little corner in our room, somewhere where I can read, write, day dream, and have some quiet moments. I love writing, I always have, but life and it's demands get in the way, and it's hard to find those quiet pockets in the day, where one can come up for fresh air and breathe...Moving the desk upstairs will hopefully create a corner of peace where I can retreat to.

As I didn't bother painting the inside of the bureau initially, I thought I'd lighten it by adding some pretty wallpaper to the inside. It has done the trick for me!

Somewhere to read...

Somewhere to write...

I love poetry! My favourites are undoubtedly Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Dylan Thomas and South African poet Ingrid Jonker. I found a copy of Elizabeth's works a few years ago, and it is just the most beautiful book. Bound in leather, with a rose print on the cover, it will be a very mature 100 years old next year!

A poem worth a mention...

A few feminine touches...

No more rummaging for these in a bundled mess at the bottom of a box!

Cake stands and tea cups for storing jewelry? Why yes! I hate rummaging for things! This way I can see where things are!

So, a L-O-N-G post today...Thanks for stopping by, and do say hello! You make my day when you do!

Blessings
Tania♥♥♥

Blobs of deliciousness...

What a lovely start to the weekend it has been! I always look forward to having friends over for a dinner party, and so Friday kicked off with just that. There was laughter, food, candlelight and pudding galore, so to me, the perfect evening. The kidlets were also delighted that their two friends could stay for the night, and that they didn't have to go home with mum and dad. Unlike most sleepovers, the children were very kind to us and allowed us to have a lazy lie-in on Saturday morning. We got up late, had pancakes, more giggles and laughter, and the children just played...and played...They wanted to do some baking, and it reminded me of when I was little and wanted to make a quick sweet snack. Armed with a packet of Tennis biscuits (in the UK we have to substitute these with Nice biscuits), a tin of Caramel, and a good old dose of desiccated coconut, I showed them how to make 'Coconut Caramels'. I just call them that now, I don't really know if there is a 'proper' name for them. The kids thought we should just call them 'blobs of deliciousness'! So, here is how you make the blobs!

1. Crush the biscuits to crumbs in a bowl...

2. Add the caramel and mix...mix...mix...!

3. Take small amounts, and roll into balls...Very sticky!

4. Roll the balls in the coconut.

5. Voila! Enjoy!

So, the kidlets had afternoon tea with 'blobs of deliciousness'...

Now, for something completely random! I thought I'd share this with you later, but why wait? A little while ago I was having a little peruse on Pinterest, and came across a little tutorial on how to fix a broken zipper. I pinned it to my boards for future reference, in case I wanted to try it out. Have you ever pulled a zipper and broken it, and then thought, that's it, another garment ruined!? Unless you're in the mood for replacing the zipper, which is a prickly job to say the least, the garment is usually thrown out, or put aside to be recycled. Well, just yesterday I found a favourite denim skirt of which the zipper had died a death, and which I'd put aside. I remembered this tutorial, and thought I'd try to mend it. And guess what? My favourite skirt was easily mended and is back in my wardobe! You have to check it out at  How to repair a broken zipper.

All fixed up and ready to wear!

I was so pleased that I could save my skirt without the faf of having to replace the zipper! I hope you'll find it helpful too. Do check it out at the link provided.

Ta-ra for now! Until next time!

Tania ♥