Re-issuing The Challenge

Way back when I started this blog nearly 12 months ago I set a challenge, I got no responses. That is not to say that nobody took up my challenge, just that no-one commented. So today I am re-issuing that challenge. Will you take me up on it, will you let me know how it went for you? It is still something I try and do every day.

What Would You Do?

I love this You Tube clip - not just because of the fact that The Sound of Music is one of my all time favourite movies but because being a people watcher I love to see the unsuspecting public and their expressions.

Look for them rather than watching the dancers - there is some pure joy, people caught up in the experience. Some even dancing on their own.

There are also a few others that just walk on by with little to no acknowledgement of what is happening. Maybe even annoyance.

If we don't take the time to grab little moments of joy, random moments bought to you by someone else - think of what you may be missing. Look around you every day and always try and find the joy.

Banana cupcakes

Nest cupcake

Banana cupcakes (makes 12 muffin size cakes)

Ingredients
125g (4.5 ounces) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon (1/6 ounces) vanilla extract
150g (5.2 ounces) caster sugar
2 eggs
225g (8 ounces) self-raising flour
2 large mashed ripe bananas

Cooking instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F).
  2. Line muffin tray with paper cases.
  3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour.
  4. Beat in eggs, flour and vanilla extract.
  5. Stir in the mashed banana and mix thoroughly.
  6. Divide mixture among cases.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  8. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool.


To decorate (for 12 muffin sized cupcakes)

Ingredients
36 mini eggs
Chocolate butter frosting

Instructions
  1. Using a small palette knife spread a thin layer of frosting on the center of the cakes.
  2. Fill piping bag with the chocolate frosting and pipe in a large swirl around the top edge of the cakes.
  3. Place 3 mini eggs in the center.

Have a sweet day!

we are family

I had the privilege of photographing this beautiful family today - they were so much fun. I will share some more once they have seen them all first - this is just a taste of what's to come!




5am - There should be laws against it...

Is it just me, or does daylight savings completely turn the entire universe topsy turvy? A week ago, NSW finally acknowledged that Summer is now a distant memory and that by 7am, you really shouldn't be needing to turn lights on... and turned back the clock one hour.

Normally, (ie. before a child entered my life) I would have enjoyed the extra bit of sleep-in and lamented the loss of extra daylight for the impending Winter. But this year, Fern awoke at 5am and screeched for her morning bottle not caring the slightest that is the one day of the year that a sleep in is a god given RIGHT, not a luxury!

I forgave her for her misdemeanor, and assumed it might take 24 hours or so for her to adjust to the new schedule. That first day, though legitimately we had been up since before mentioned ungodly hour, I swear there were 43 hours instead of 25. By about 3pm, hubby and I were crawling the walls at a complete loss of what to do with ourselves!

Anyway, the punchline of this whinge is that ever since daylight savings ended my daughter has:

a. Woken up punctually at 5am and
b. Finally learnt my name for the first time in 15 months and is making up for lost time by shouting it like a broken ACDC record for as long as it takes for me to stumble bleary eyed into her room with a bottle in hand. Because no one denies my daughter her morning bottle. I would DARE you to. Shudder. As much as I hate being woken by my alarm clock, there is something more than mildly fingernails-on-blackboard worse about being raised from my deep slumber with the sound of "MUUUUM! MUMMY! MUUUM! MUMMY! MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!" resonating from my daughter's room.

The devil reincarnated
My darling daughter with her morning bottle - don't dare speak to her til she's done... just look at the LOOK on her face.

Of course, the knock-on effect is that my husband can slowly slide one eye open, fix it upon me and declare "she wants YOU, mum!" before rolling back over to sleep. Even our coffee machine (set on a timer doesn't switch on til 6.30am dammit!


Girrrrls I need your help! Will Fern get over this fierce loyalty to the old time-zoning or will I be watching Teletubbies at 5am for the rest of my life?? Any advice? Words of solace? An offer of earplugs, perhaps??

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