sundays

are always bitter sweet. with wanting to enjoy the day it's also a time to get ready for the week ahead. in our house that means making sure the school uniform { x 2 dresses, socks, sports gear & swimming gear} is all washed & ready to go. lunch boxes are packed. one for kinder. one for school & one for the man of the house! i like to make sure there is a homemade cake or slice to add to his mini esky. so today i baked a butter cake & there are a couple of brownies from last week that i am sure won't be around in the fridge much longer. the roast is cooking & it's nearly time to enjoy dinner & once the girls are tucked up in bed enjoy some sunday night tv.


Through the Instagram: Little peek at January


I still miss my Fridge Chronicles and often wonder when I'm going to get around to bringing them back, but I'm well into these little Instajournals each month.

Dancing on the beach one moment...


... dancing in the rain the next. That was January in Sydney for you. What am I gonna do when Picnik closes? Does anyone know of a similar type of site that let's you collage your pictures?

But back to January...


Always a momentous occasion when I grow an actual fruit. The strawbs are flourishing in the rain and then rotting on the bush as the Tsunamis think they are too sour. I can't win.


Random nautical people - I just love this shot. See below.

We went to a pirate / mermaid themed one year old's birthday party on a harbour cruise. It looks fabulous up there, but it was all a bit nauseating in reality (I am not good with boats). 
Plus, the actual party looked like this...


Note to self: cruises are not a good idea for kids' birthdays. But I knew that already. The green sea-monster woman up there is my darling sister-in-law (the Best Aunty in the Whole World), Lucia. She's my right-hand-woman for all things party and she was a godsend for our friend at this one too.

Yes, I still have pimples at 40. Oh, and ignore the boat hair, won't you!




There's another lovely beach. This time at Manly, where we excitedly met LOML after work off the ferry...


... and I thought 'I could do this life'.


I could definitely do this life.


A night out for pizza. We'd never been to GPK before, but it was really lots of fun. The pizza was pretty awful, but I'd recommend the decidedly un-pizzaish Teryaki Chicken.

We've so enjoyed our watermelon smiles this Summer. 

Or any kind of smiles, really. These two are so like my little sister and I that it just makes me want to go back in time so we can play together. 


A little mushroom light I bought at Lark. Awful photo, lovely mushroom light.


And then it was back to work...


... and back to school.

And that's a January wrap.


Do you still get pimples?
How long have you had them?
I have had them for 29 years.

Cherry Cheesecake

Cherry cheesecake

Cherry Cheesecake (makes 6 jars)

Ingredients
  • 8 gluten free digestive biscuits
  • 100g unsalted (sweet) butter
  • 400g cream cheese
  • 600ml double (heavy) cream
  • 6 tbsp icing (powdered) sugar
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tbsp vanilla essence
  • 300g cherries, pitted
  • 2 tbsp caster or superfine sugar
  • 1 tbsp water


What you will need


Cooking instructions
  1. Place digestives in a bag and crush by rolling a rolling pin back and forth over the bag until you are left with crumbs
  2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, remove from heat and stir in digestive crumbs
  3. Divide crumb mixture between the jars and press down lightly with the end of a wooden spoon or teaspoon
  4. Whip double cream until stiff peaks form
  5. In a separate bowl whisk cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth
  6. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mix
  7. Fill biscuit based jars with cream cheese mixture
  8. Place in fridge
  9. Blend cherries in a blender until you have a puree
  10. Place cherries, water and sugar in a pan and heat on medium heat until cherries begin to soften and sugar has dissolved
  11. Place in cup to cool
  12. Spoon cherry mix on to individual cheesecakes
  13. Leave in fridge until ready to serve


Here they are on my dessert tower
Mini dessert cupcake stand

Have a sweet day!