Jikana Damaru

child hood memories

are being made

as these 2 sisters

spend hours on their scooters & bikes

only stopping for time to eat, rest & then they are off again. When I go & check on them I can hear them discussing when the 'pizza' will arrive, telling each other the best place to fill up on 'petrol', throwing in phrases like 'ok sweet heart' or they are checking the mail box for the third time that day.....simple happy days, which to me is what growing up is all about!

nanna and poppy's garden

Nothing like time spent in a well-loved garden on a sunny afternoon...fruit, flowers and little creatures...cup of tea in hand...Lily picking raspberries with my Dad....happiness abounds.

Hotel Chocolat double milk chocolate truffles

Hotel Chocolat double milk chocolate truffles (makes 28)

Ingredients
200g 40% Milk chocolate drops
3 tbsp double cream (heavy cream)
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
Liquid chocolate - classic milky for coating.

Cooking instructions

Place the chocolate drops and cream in a medium sized saucepan on a medium heat.
Stir until chocolate has completely melted and has a smooth texture.
Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract, until you have a smooth consistency.
Pour into small bowl and refrigerate for about 1 1/2 hours, or until set.
Scoop tbsp of chocolate mix into your hand and roll into a ball shape.
Roll in liquid chocolate flakes to coat.
Refrigerate to store for up to a week (but best served at room temperature).

Hotel Chocolat sent me some 40% milk chocolate drops and white chocolate drops to play with. Knowing how much my older sister loves Hotel Chocolat chocolate I thought I would make some chocolate truffles to sit on my Winter Woodland dessert table.

To start here are some plain chocolate ones that I decadently rolled in Hotel Chocolat drinking chocolate flakes so they were pure Hotel Chocolat!

Have a sweet day!

life so precious

It's years since I've been on the receiving end of news that flattened me. On Friday night mum told us that my oldest and dearest friend had been rushed to hospital. At thirty weeks pregnant, an onset of vision problems led doctors to discover a brain tumor pressed against the optic nerve. There was more to come. Additional complications meant a team of 20 specialists was needed for surgery.The wait was horrendous, the sleep non-existent ...until news came through of a positive outcome, a joyous one in fact. Both mumma and baby had pulled through and were out of harm's way. Got the best present on Christmas Day - a text message from my friend's hospital bed, telling us that she loved us and that we could stop worrying now. Brave, beautiful, selfless girl. Can't wait to see them both and am so grateful to the wonderful medical people who dedicate their lives to saving others.

the view from here

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Every week I look at all the entries of the Scavenger Hunt and say I'm going to join, but never do. Today is a lazy day. It's snowing and the Redskins are playing at the moment so I have some extra time to participate! So here are my interpretations this week!

Family. One of my favorite pictures from Christmas- two of my nephews in their Christmas pj's.

Motion Blur. A total accident but I like the way it looks. This is our neighbors house, they have a TON of decorations in their yard.

Pretty Package. Well I didn't actually take any pictures of pretty packages except one. This is the first present Hub has ever tried wrapping for me! He usually gives them to someone else to wrap all pretty but I told him I wanted him to try and I didn't care what it looked like. This is the result...I think they're pretty ;)

Glow. I came across a cookie recipe on somebody's blog (I really don't remember who- I apologize). But they were so good, all of my family and Hub's family enjoyed them! They are red velvet cookies with cream cheese frosting- super easy to make!

Sparkle.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

My Christmas stocking

Last year I made my Christmas stocking using Cath Kidston shooting star fabric. I placed 10mm thick wadding behind the front piece and hand embroidered around the stars using embroidery threads to secure the wadding in place. I piped around the edge, lined it and attached some stripey ribbon to the top to hang it from. This year I have made one for my cute niece!

Have a sweet day!