Monday Morning Whip-Up... Chunky Muesli Cookies!

Last night, a friend invited herself around to my place for morning tea. Cue PANNNIC as I scan the weekend's debris that has taken over my house like a tornado. S'ok, Im the master at the quick cleanup -- that's what drawers and cupboards are for! So, this morning I scoured the pantry for something vaguely edible to serve my friend and her 2-yr old daughter. After coming up with nothing but a few stale bikkies, I realised I was in trouble. With no time (or energy) to get to the shops, I turned on the oven and flipped through my mental roladex of recipes I can cook easily and on-the-quick.

Cupcakes? Nope, that would involve the mix-master. Waaaay too much effort.
Slice? Nope, that would involve chilling-time in the fridge.
Cookies? Bada-bing!!

But the thing is, I'm on a diet. Not a serious one - mind - but I do have a little 4-kilo excess that I would sooner do without, what with the impending bikini season looming upon me and all. And unless I can find a cozzie that is emblazoned with the text "I just had a baby, you know!" I figure I should limit the amount of sweet-but-straight-to-hips delicacies that enter my lips over the next coupla months.

So. Rather than serve my friend lettuce-leaf sandwiches for morning tea, I came up with the following compromise!! No sugar. No butter. But plenty of fun!!

Chunky Muesli Cookies
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
100g desiccated coconut
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup macadamia nut oil
Cranberries or sultanas

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line a tray with baking paper
2. Combine oats, coconut, eggs, honey, oil and 2 tablespoons water using your hands to knead the mixture until it all starts to come together.



3. Form mixture into balls and place onto baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to flatten slightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool on sheet entirely before serving. I mean. Could it be any easier?


And the result? Effortless, homemade and HEALTHY goodness!

= yum.
x

this weekend

was the perfect weather for getting feet wet & enjoying the sunshine

















how was your weekend?

lOVE it

Banoffee pies

I am such a sweet tooth
& these are oh so delish! 
My Mum made these for 
last nights family dinner


recipe here
image from here too

Ribbon Wands - Pinwheels and Pearls

I was so excited to receive in the post this week some beautiful Ribbon Wands by Pinwheels and Pearls in Brisbane, Australia.


Kate Chapman is the lovely lady behind these gorgeous products that she beautiful handcrafts herself.  A Ribbon Wand is a 2m colourful ribbon on a stick perfect for twirling princesses.  

They would be a perfect stocking filler and are available in many beautiful colours and can be custom designed with an exclusive patterned wand base.

My girls have had the most fabulous time twirling them around the backyard and our house and I am sure that Sienna is a budding rhythmic gymnast - she has not put them down since we received them.


If you would like to find out more information head on over to Kates facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pinwheelsandpearls


Leanne

Point + Shoot : 30

Sunday 10th October 4.30pm


The weather gods were so kind this weekend and we are finally having some beautiful sunny spring Sundays. We spent the afternoon at our favourite city beach spot before heading into town for rooftop pizzas and a little dancing for Lou :)

Last year Lou always seemed a little apprehensive about walking up to the water but lately she has been nagging us to get back there. She couldn't wait to put her toes in the water and in the end she stripped off to her undies just so she could sit in the freezing salt water.
Looks like there will be lots of sunny Sundays spent here this year.


How was your weekend? What did you do? Why not check out what everyone did in Chantelle's -  Point & Shoot and Claire's - Week-a-boo!!




If you don't stand for something, you stand for nothing

This post is a response to Jacinta Tynan's article Mothers Superior in Sunday Life (link not currently available).

Do you find the world of 'mummy bloggers' judgmental? Do you think the world is judgmental in general?

As a society we seem to have found ourselves on a path that suggests that when someone has made a particular choice that's 'right for them' you are discouraged from expressing your own opinion about it lest you be judged as judgmental... ironically. To me, there should be a distinction made between using your judgement and being judgmental.

I think that when you have divergent opinions it's good to agree to disagree, but you have to get the 'disagreement' bit out in order to that. I don't consider an opinion that differs to my own to automatically mean that you are "judgmental", I really don't. If you do things differently to me and want to let me know why, please do. Just come out with it, I can take it and I promise I won't call you superior, vitriolic, spiteful or berating!

I hold strong about the way we parent the Tsunamis but I know our way isn't the only way. I also understand that some people are more black and white about the world in general than I am and I respect that people often do express themselves very firmly (even a little harshly) when they are talking about matters that mean a whole lot to them. I don't have a problem with that, in fact I encourage it - when something riles you, it riles you and it's okay to express that.  Life isn't always about holding hands and singing Kumbayah (fortunately).

It's good for the heart and the head to hear different views and I sincerely believe that the best way to parent is to find out as much as you can about all kinds of parenting styles and then be open to new ways of doing things.  Healthy debate is the best way I know to discover what you really believe in. And one thing I know for sure is that it certainly isn't fair to brand everyone with an opinion that differs to your own as 'judgmental'.


 Do you think there is a difference between using judgement and being judgmental? Do you feel judged by fellow bloggers? Does it bother you either way?

___________________________________________________________________





Week-a-Boo

I haven't written a Week-a-Boo in a couple of weeks as I was a bit absent from the blogging world so I am pleased to be back and ready to share my weekend with you all :)

For the past week I have had my cousin and her gorgeous daughter staying with us! My cousin lives in America and has come back home to visit for 2 months. It was lovely having her here for a week and it was so nice having house guests! On Friday as the rain had really set in we decided to go to 'Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. My cousin collects the hurricane glass' from the Cafe's all over the world and she really wanted one from her home country Australia. We had such a lovely time down there and the food was fabulous and it was so interesting seeing all the memorabilia from all the different bands and singers throughout history. I am no Rock Chick but I enjoyed sitting for a few hours listening to all the Rock Songs.

 
 ~ Yummy 'Berrylicious' drink in our take home cup ~


Friday night once the kids were asleep it was GIRLS NIGHT IN!!!


There is nothing better then a platter of cheeky treats (all lollies/chocs that you can not buy in America) and a bit of singstar! We sung for hours singing and dancing and laughing the night away! Once 11 hit we decided to tone it down so we sat down and talked until 4 AM! SO CRAZY! but hey we did have 15 years to catch up on! We talked about our marriages, our jobs, our families and our secrets. I will really miss her when she goes home but I know she is happy over there and that's all that matters!

After a few hours sleep I braved Saturday but took it very slowly as I was quite tired from my night before ( oh gosh Im getting old haha) so it was a slow day of cleaning and reading and snoozing! Saturday Night I had planned a GIRLS NIGHT OUT - it was a bit of a girls weekend for me actually haha I had planned for an 'EAT PRAY LOVE' night. In true Eat Pray Love style we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and then went and saw the movie in StarClub! I absolutely love this book - which you can read about here - and I was so excited to see the movie! I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and I think they portrayed the novel extremely well. There were a few differences that I noticed but nothing overly major that ruined the storyline! Even in the movie I had to get out my notepad and pen and write some notes! I'm so in love with the movie and love all of the sayings and lines that I just never want to forget them!

Sunday it was PARTY TIME! My cousins daughter tuned 4 on Saturday so we had a special dress up party for her on Sunday! She loves fairies and princesses and all things girly so it was right up my alley and we had such a wonderful afternoon! There were fairies and army men and scouts and football players and G.I Janes - and that was jsut the adults ;) and of course there was me.....the ballerina! 


Here is her gorgeous cake that her mummy made - A fairy garden cake! The best thing about my cousins cake is that they not only look AMAZING they taste even better! 


I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Head over to Claire to enjoy more Week-a-Boo's

x S.K.K x

Ghostly White Treats

Ghostly White
This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you ghostly white treats for Halloween with these gorgeous pics. Check back soon for some more of the most inspirational photographers on Flickr.

Some beautiful shots from my Flickr favourites (clockwise from top left):

Have a sweet day!

Eat Pray Love



 I have just finished reading and seeing the feature film of the spectacular book written by Elizabeth Gilbert called Eat Pray Love. I am sure that you all have heard of this amazing book and many of you will know more about it if you see it at the cinemas. I was totally hooked from page 1 and I have found myself reading pages twice or three times over ,totally loosing myself in the world of Elizabeth and her gorgeous journey of self-discovery. The braveness, creativity and flare that is portrayed in this book is contagious and I have learned so much about myself and about life just by reading this stunning novel.

I am a big reader! It is my main hobby! There is nothing I love more than sitting in a lavender bath and loosing myself in a novel. I can read books in a matter of nights and often find myself loosing hours as I read ‘just one more chapter’. This book however has taken me a lot longer than I expected! The book is split into 3 sections…Italy ,India and  Indonesia. The first section – Italy – is very easy to read! It’s very fun and interesting and I learnt a lot about Rome and all its beautiful surroundings and most of all the amazing food! The second section is lot more intense as she travels to India and stays in an Ashram. This part has just absolutely fascinated me and I have found myself reading pages twice or three times over just to understand and take it all in. By the 2 page of section 2 I took out the highlighter. I loved learning about Yoga and its teachings and methods and how the devotees to this Yogi tradition practiced this wonderful  meditation. I have highlighted different quotes that she has written. Descriptions of places, people and things at the Ashram.  Information about Yoga and its teachings. All the things that I loved learning and never want to forget! I would like to share some of these with you that I have just found so fascinating. They are just so inspirational.

It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.
Yoga is to find – between mind and body, between the individual and her God.
You are what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.
You should never give yourself a chance to fall apart because, when you do, it becomes a tendency and it happens over and over again. You must practice staying strong instead.
A true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.
As soul mate will tear down your walls and smack you awake.
You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be.
 There’s no trouble in this world so serious that it can’t be cured with a hot bath, a glass of whiskey and the Book of Common Prayer.
Most of humanity, he said, have eyes that are so caked shut with the dust of deception they will never see the truth, no matter who tries to help them.
You have no idea how strong my love is.
The Zen masters always say that you cannot see your reflection in running water, only in still water.
In our real lives we are constantly hopping around to adjust ourselves around discomfort – physical, emotional and psychological – in order to evade the reality of grief and nuisance.
Eventually everything goes away.
Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face –first and full speed into the dark.
Destiny I feel is also a relationship – a play between divine grace and willful self effort. Half of it you have no control over; half of it is absolutely in your hands, and your actions will show measurable consequence.
I will not harbor unhealthy thoughts anymore.
As smoking to the lungs so is resentment to the soul.
Over the centuries people have tried to hold on to that blissful state of perfection through all sorts of external means – through drugs and sex and power and adrenaline and the accumulation of pretty things – but it doesn’t keep.
Your treasure – your perfection – is within you already. But to claim it you must leave the busy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart.
Happiness is the consequence of personal effort
We must get our hearts broken sometimes. Having a broken heart means we have tried for something.

This book and movie was just so inspirational for me. As I said before I have leaned so much about myself from this novel and have been inspired to live my life differently. The past few years I did a lot of blaming, making a lot of excuses, I had a lot of negativity in my life which effected my happiness. I feel I have had two big influences that have helped me turn the corner. The book ‘Eat Pray Love’ and my blog. The book has taught me how to be happy and what the true meaning of life is and my blog has helped me to sort out my thoughts and feelings and truly appreciate life and its beauty. The negativity has lifted and I find I am constantly surrounding myself with beauty and looking beyond the shallowness of the world. We are so lucky to live in this gorgeous world and I am amazingly lucky to have such an amazing husband, a handful of genuine friends and a one of a kind family. I cherish every part of my world and I feel I am very lucky. Life is so special. 
x S.K.K x

Happy winners!


Dear lovely blogging buddies

I'm back refreshed and rejuvied from my bipolar week away with the Tsunamis and LOML. The highest highs, the lowest lows. Holidaying in Tsunami prone territories are never dull.

I also enjoyed my week away from the computer far more than I thought I would. It helped that I had such fabulous guest posties amusing and delighting me each day (via the Crackle- some things never die!). Thank you once again for the break Not Drowning, Mothering, Fat Mum Slim, Pink Patent Mary Janes, And then there were four and Cocktails at Naptime. I could tell by all the comments left that you all enjoyed the week too.

Without further ado... the winner's of Gillian and Emma's book Cocktails at Naptime are...

Curvaceous Queen and Bubby Makes Three.

I'll be in touch to arrange the send out of your new book. Enjoy!

Much love
Maxabella
x
One of those little moments....



First lesson back....it was a proud moment for all of us!


Lots of bubble blowing, kicking, singing and giggles....oh, and "look at me" 



Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)