(Her face really looked that porcelain-like in real life!)
I Heart Faces: Best Face of 2010
(Her face really looked that porcelain-like in real life!)
Down in the holiday trenches
I'm 10 days into being at home every day with the Tsunamis and I'm a quivering wreck.
Oh, okay then. Maybe not a wreck, but I'm quivering.
What on earth do I do with these fireballs of energy all day? Activities, I can do. We've done beach, lagoon, pool, beach, zoo, putt-putt golf (dear god, we did putt-putt golf) and parks. It's this 'at home' business I can't get my head around. I mean, we all have to be at home sometimes, right? Right?
They won't watch much tv (believe me, I've tried) and they are really, really fast painters. In fact, they do everything at speed so activities I think will be good for an hour or more are over in 5 minutes flat. I feel like my days are permanently stuck on fast forward while they break the land-speed for playdohing and then they hit the pause button and just watch me.
"What are you doing, Cappers?"
"I'm watching you, Mummy."
"Wouldn't you rather play with your dolls?"
"No."
I've tried booting them out the back door and telling them to come in when it starts to get dark. But even I know that I'm pushing my luck when it's 7am and they're, you know, 2 years old. Maybe if it wasn't daylight savings?
Do tell me. Pretty please with vodka on top. What do you do with your children all day?
[Image via weheartit - please let me know if you know where it came from]
2010, My Summer Months
Afternoon sweets!
I thought I would share with you some of my highlights of 2010 here on Torie Jayne. Here are my favourites from the Summer of 2010:
May was spent researching ideas for my new kitchen, which I promise I will be sharing here soon!
I joined Pinterest in June. I adore it as it is such an easy way to share, store and categorize all the gorgeous images you find on the internet. I hope to share more of my pins with you in 2011 with my new "Inspirational Pins" mood boards.
July was spent poring over gorgeous garden pictures in my Scrapbook dreams and visiting the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
In August we celebrated my adorable niece Molly's birthday. I hand painted a jungle bench for her and made a matching jungle birthday cake.
I also fell in love with Vintage at Goodwood and the best bit is it returns this year on August 12, 13, and 14th. My top must for 2011!
Thank you my friends for reading and commenting, this blog wouldn't be anything without you!
Have a sweet day!
Read More...
I thought I would share with you some of my highlights of 2010 here on Torie Jayne. Here are my favourites from the Summer of 2010:
May was spent researching ideas for my new kitchen, which I promise I will be sharing here soon!
I joined Pinterest in June. I adore it as it is such an easy way to share, store and categorize all the gorgeous images you find on the internet. I hope to share more of my pins with you in 2011 with my new "Inspirational Pins" mood boards.
July was spent poring over gorgeous garden pictures in my Scrapbook dreams and visiting the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
In August we celebrated my adorable niece Molly's birthday. I hand painted a jungle bench for her and made a matching jungle birthday cake.
I also fell in love with Vintage at Goodwood and the best bit is it returns this year on August 12, 13, and 14th. My top must for 2011!
Thank you my friends for reading and commenting, this blog wouldn't be anything without you!
Have a sweet day!
Memories, Dreams & Reflections
I Love You - Hubby & I at a Redskins game in September!
Still Laughing... heading back on the boat from aquapalooza... just having a blast!
Winter Wonderland - My neighborhood under two feet of snow, January
Friends - at my best friend's bachelorette party! It was an awesome night out in DC! March
I Was Inspired...by Ashley Sisk to make a 'planet'!
Spring Fever - Sailboats from Grandma's front porch
Summer Days - Aquapalooza, July
A Day In My Life - peace, quiet, and a sleepy pup :)
All Smiles - Hayden being silly the night before the birth of his sister. October
Autumn Harvest - heading through the corn maze with Roxy! October
Family - This is just my mom's side of the family!
Celebrate! - Fireworks show at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fl- July
Let's Do It Again... New York, September
Beautiful - The birth of my niece, in October. She was a week or two old here.
Macro
Holidays - Christmas Day, I just love these pictures of them.
My Favorite -
Just Because...So There! The Cross that appeared in the aftermath of 9/11. Amazing.
Day One - The Red Centre
Day One - 28th of December 2010 - Arrival and Kata Tjuta Tour
At 3.30 am on Tuesday the 28th of December I awoke from a very restless slumber full of excitement and nerves. It was here, finally here. The night before I had packed and re packed and packed again for our holiday. We were going from a humid and rain attacked Brisbane to a 42 degree dry (with a possibility of showers) Northern Territory. What on earth do you pack for that. I have never experienced that type of heat before and being fair skinned and knowing we were going to be in the sun ALL day every day it was so hard to chose the right clothing. Then throw in the possibility of it raining urgh lets just say it was a nightmare but finally Rob and I finalised our packing and managed toshove place it all nicely into one suitcase...go us! My parents arrived at 4.30 to pick us up and take us to the airport. (Thanks Mum and Dad) Goodbyes were said, air sickness tablets taken, bags checked in, flight food bought we were ready for our adventure to the red center.
We had to fly from Brisbane to Sydney and then Sydney to Ayers Rock - I have no idea why we had to go the total opposite way before going to our destination but it worked out cheaper that way and hey we got to see some beautiful sights of Sydney and its views as we flew over. Ok that's a lie...Rob saw all the beautiful views and I saw the photos later. I get SEVERE motion sickness. I always have - oh the memories of traveling to Hervey Bay every school holidays and vomiting my guts up on the side of the road every time - so when I fly I have routines and behaviors that I must obey otherwise it is a very unpleasant trip for me and the poor people around me. I find if I sleep I'm fine! So the minute we get on the plane headphones are on and eyes are shut...thank goodness for Qwells (travel sickness tablets) and their drowsy side effects. At 12 i got a very hard nudge from Rob and he said I HAD to look out the window. Reluctantly I looked and oh my goodness I am so glad I did..there it was...Uluru! We were so excited we were like little kids at a toy store. I guess it finally hit us! After a full on year and our ups and downs here we were, finally, doing something for US and taking a special holiday!
We landed and the minute you stepped of the plane the heat just hit you. We had come from weeks and weeks of rain and terrible weather so the heat was just amazing and the sun oh my gosh the sun felt so good beaming down on our skins (I will complain about this over the next few days of course but that initial experience was beautiful) We collected bags, quick toilet stop and were transferred straight to our hotel. We stayed at Ayers Rock Resort and as we were driving Uluru followed us the entire way. We always had view of the special Rock and it acted as a brilliant background to the gorgeous red dessert and the greenery on the side of the road. We arrived at our hotel "The lost camel" and settled in. We didn't have much time to waste though because we were on a tight schedule and our bus for our first tour was picking us up at 3.00pm sharp.
The walking shoes were put on, the camel packs were filled, the sunscreen was applied, the hats where put on and we were ready for our tour of "Kata Tjuta" or "The Olgas" We were picked up by coach not a bus a beautiful air conditioned coach which over the following days I would CHERISH and taken to our first destination. This was the lookout for "The Olgas". It was a short 10 minute walk up to the lookout to view the olgas from a distance and see the panoramic view of these amazing rocks. I feel a little guilty as I describe the olgas and Uluru as 'rocks' but ultimately that's what they are so I'm sorry in advance if this offends anyone. The first thing that we noticed were the flies. I was warned about the flies by my travel agent and was advised to buy fly hats, which I did, but didn't bring them out on our first tour as I wanted to experience it all. The heat, the flies, the sun, December is the worst time to visit Uluru, as I was also told by my travel agent, as it was extremely hot - reaching temps up to 45 degrees and swarms and swarms of flies. I saw this as adding to the experience though. When you go to the dessert you expect it to be hot, when you go to the dessert you expect there to be flies. I wanted to experience it all so 'bring on the flies' They were a little annoying and they loved your lips and nose but nothing to drastic that I needed to put a net over my face. We took a few photos and admired the view and we were then sent back onto the coach for our next stop.
I must admit, I was nervous. I'm not a very fit person. I have a gym membership and I had lots of intentions to go but the end of the year got so busy th....ok I'm stopping...that's another lie, basically coming home and snuggling with my man was way more enticing than going to run on the treadmill at the gym every night...anyway long story short, I lost my breath after walking up a flight of stairs at work. there I said it. Sooo you can see my nerves and as we approached our next stop which was the Olgas and a 2.5 hour hike up the 'rock'. But you know what...I did pretty good! I was actually quite impressed. I guess it helps being surrounded by gorgeous scenery! The rocks and their formations were just unbelievable. The colours, the textures, the imperfections, they were just amazing. My poor little digital camera could not capture the beauty of this area but boy did I give it a work out. Our guide told us stories along the way which also helped in the motivation department and took my mind off the grueling hike I was partaking in with no previous training or experience. But I made it, I had done it! I completed my first hike and boy was I excited. I wasn't tired, I wasn't sore, I was pumped! So pumped and ready for the next one! Rob was so proud of me and we both knew that this was the first step to an awesome journey of the beginning of awesome adventures together.Ok I was hot...very hot! The temperature was 42 degrees and it was 7.00 at night! I was sweating so bad, more than I had ever sweat before in my life, but who cares, I had done it! I just had to remember to keep sipping on my water and keep my body hydrated!
We all jumped back onto the coach and were taken to our final stage of the tour which was watching the sunset over the Olgas. The sun set at 7.58pm that night. How crazy is that! We were greeted with champagne and salty peanuts to recharge our batteries. I don't drink champagne and dont like nuts....great!!! I miss out on the cool treats! Luckily they had some lemonade for the kids (and me wooo) and I thought hell I had just completed a 2.5 hours hike which I thought I could NEVER do so I can seriously try a measly little nut. Umm YUM addicted to peanuts now! It tasted like peanut butter - who would have thought haha! The setting was beautiful, the colours were extraordinary. As the sun set over the 'rocks' they changed colours so many times it was just gorgeous! It was a perfect ending to a perfect first day in the red center. We took photos and laughed and enjoyed watching the special view! Our first day was a beautiful success. fun was had, stories were told, lessons were learned and limits were pushed, What an adventure.
Read More...
At 3.30 am on Tuesday the 28th of December I awoke from a very restless slumber full of excitement and nerves. It was here, finally here. The night before I had packed and re packed and packed again for our holiday. We were going from a humid and rain attacked Brisbane to a 42 degree dry (with a possibility of showers) Northern Territory. What on earth do you pack for that. I have never experienced that type of heat before and being fair skinned and knowing we were going to be in the sun ALL day every day it was so hard to chose the right clothing. Then throw in the possibility of it raining urgh lets just say it was a nightmare but finally Rob and I finalised our packing and managed to
We had to fly from Brisbane to Sydney and then Sydney to Ayers Rock - I have no idea why we had to go the total opposite way before going to our destination but it worked out cheaper that way and hey we got to see some beautiful sights of Sydney and its views as we flew over. Ok that's a lie...Rob saw all the beautiful views and I saw the photos later. I get SEVERE motion sickness. I always have - oh the memories of traveling to Hervey Bay every school holidays and vomiting my guts up on the side of the road every time - so when I fly I have routines and behaviors that I must obey otherwise it is a very unpleasant trip for me and the poor people around me. I find if I sleep I'm fine! So the minute we get on the plane headphones are on and eyes are shut...thank goodness for Qwells (travel sickness tablets) and their drowsy side effects. At 12 i got a very hard nudge from Rob and he said I HAD to look out the window. Reluctantly I looked and oh my goodness I am so glad I did..there it was...Uluru! We were so excited we were like little kids at a toy store. I guess it finally hit us! After a full on year and our ups and downs here we were, finally, doing something for US and taking a special holiday!
We landed and the minute you stepped of the plane the heat just hit you. We had come from weeks and weeks of rain and terrible weather so the heat was just amazing and the sun oh my gosh the sun felt so good beaming down on our skins (I will complain about this over the next few days of course but that initial experience was beautiful) We collected bags, quick toilet stop and were transferred straight to our hotel. We stayed at Ayers Rock Resort and as we were driving Uluru followed us the entire way. We always had view of the special Rock and it acted as a brilliant background to the gorgeous red dessert and the greenery on the side of the road. We arrived at our hotel "The lost camel" and settled in. We didn't have much time to waste though because we were on a tight schedule and our bus for our first tour was picking us up at 3.00pm sharp.
The walking shoes were put on, the camel packs were filled, the sunscreen was applied, the hats where put on and we were ready for our tour of "Kata Tjuta" or "The Olgas" We were picked up by coach not a bus a beautiful air conditioned coach which over the following days I would CHERISH and taken to our first destination. This was the lookout for "The Olgas". It was a short 10 minute walk up to the lookout to view the olgas from a distance and see the panoramic view of these amazing rocks. I feel a little guilty as I describe the olgas and Uluru as 'rocks' but ultimately that's what they are so I'm sorry in advance if this offends anyone. The first thing that we noticed were the flies. I was warned about the flies by my travel agent and was advised to buy fly hats, which I did, but didn't bring them out on our first tour as I wanted to experience it all. The heat, the flies, the sun, December is the worst time to visit Uluru, as I was also told by my travel agent, as it was extremely hot - reaching temps up to 45 degrees and swarms and swarms of flies. I saw this as adding to the experience though. When you go to the dessert you expect it to be hot, when you go to the dessert you expect there to be flies. I wanted to experience it all so 'bring on the flies' They were a little annoying and they loved your lips and nose but nothing to drastic that I needed to put a net over my face. We took a few photos and admired the view and we were then sent back onto the coach for our next stop.
I must admit, I was nervous. I'm not a very fit person. I have a gym membership and I had lots of intentions to go but the end of the year got so busy th....ok I'm stopping...that's another lie, basically coming home and snuggling with my man was way more enticing than going to run on the treadmill at the gym every night...anyway long story short, I lost my breath after walking up a flight of stairs at work. there I said it. Sooo you can see my nerves and as we approached our next stop which was the Olgas and a 2.5 hour hike up the 'rock'. But you know what...I did pretty good! I was actually quite impressed. I guess it helps being surrounded by gorgeous scenery! The rocks and their formations were just unbelievable. The colours, the textures, the imperfections, they were just amazing. My poor little digital camera could not capture the beauty of this area but boy did I give it a work out. Our guide told us stories along the way which also helped in the motivation department and took my mind off the grueling hike I was partaking in with no previous training or experience. But I made it, I had done it! I completed my first hike and boy was I excited. I wasn't tired, I wasn't sore, I was pumped! So pumped and ready for the next one! Rob was so proud of me and we both knew that this was the first step to an awesome journey of the beginning of awesome adventures together.Ok I was hot...very hot! The temperature was 42 degrees and it was 7.00 at night! I was sweating so bad, more than I had ever sweat before in my life, but who cares, I had done it! I just had to remember to keep sipping on my water and keep my body hydrated!
We all jumped back onto the coach and were taken to our final stage of the tour which was watching the sunset over the Olgas. The sun set at 7.58pm that night. How crazy is that! We were greeted with champagne and salty peanuts to recharge our batteries. I don't drink champagne and dont like nuts....great!!! I miss out on the cool treats! Luckily they had some lemonade for the kids (and me wooo) and I thought hell I had just completed a 2.5 hours hike which I thought I could NEVER do so I can seriously try a measly little nut. Umm YUM addicted to peanuts now! It tasted like peanut butter - who would have thought haha! The setting was beautiful, the colours were extraordinary. As the sun set over the 'rocks' they changed colours so many times it was just gorgeous! It was a perfect ending to a perfect first day in the red center. We took photos and laughed and enjoyed watching the special view! Our first day was a beautiful success. fun was had, stories were told, lessons were learned and limits were pushed, What an adventure.
x S.K.K x
Lemon meringue white chocolate truffles
Lemon meringue white chocolate truffles (makes 16)
Ingredients
200g white chocolate drops
3 tbsp double cream (heavy cream)
1 tsp natural lemon flavouring
8 small meringues, crushed
White chocolate vermicelli for rolling them in.
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 lemon flavouring and crushed meringues, until you have a smooth consistency.
- Pour into small bowl and refrigerate for about 1 1/2 hours, or until set.
- Scoop tsp of chocolate mix into your hand and roll into a ball shape.
- Roll in vermicelli 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 some 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. I started off with rich milk chocolate ones, then went onto mixing other flavours in them like the delicious Baileys ones and seasonal toffee apple ones.
Then it was time to turn my attention to the white chocolate drops! I again started off with simply indulgent plain white chocolate ones, then as my favourite fudge flavour is lemon meringue I thought I would try lemon meringue truffles. They taste delicious and I am so happy with how they turned out.
Have a sweet day!
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