{meal planning} :: |another week at our place|

This week at our place I've tried to use as much from the freezer and pantry as possible... and I seem to have succeeded!

Recipe:: Chicken Koftas with Cous Cous & Rocket Salad

As I mentioned in this weeks Meal Planning post, I borrowed a few cookbooks from the library this week to add some new healthy meals to our repertoire. 

One was the Biggest Loser Best Recipes book, published in 2009. I'm in love!

Here are two recipes from this cookbook with a few minor changes/additions. This made one very delicious meal! Yummy!

5 a Day Books - Reading with Children

As a teacher I guess reading and literacy is ingrained within me. I read to Miss Daisy when she was in the womb and have continued to do so on an almost daily basis since she was born. We have a children's picture Bible which we read every night as a family. One of her first words was "Bi-bul" :) 

Today while I was doing a little blog-hopping through my dashboard I found this initiative by Anna @ The Imagination Tree.

I decided to link up with the books that we are reading here a lot and I will commit to reading each of these each day to Miss Daisy for the week. 

Tutorial - Sewing a Double Knot Hat for Baby - Includes Pattern

If you are expecting or know someone who is these are the perfect little accompaniment to any baby gift! Look back at some other great baby gift ideas.

It only took me 15 minutes to cut and sew each of these so it's the perfect last minute gift... even if you only find out the baby's sex the night before your visit! Another easy last minute gift for boys are these wee wee tee-pees! :)

I am trying my hand at a tutorial on this one - included is a free PDF pattern! The PDF makes a newborn size hat but can easily be adjusted to suit a child of any age, perhaps even an adult! Come on in and make this super easy and super cute Knot Hat.

{Scavenger Hunt Sunday #7}

In my bid to return to blogging in full strength I am eager to link up to Ashley Sisk's Scavenger Hunt each week. I love perusing through the wonderful images that others share here each week. Head over and take a look at the great entries each week here...

So here is my first in awhile! You can see my older Scavenger Hunts HERE. 
They are some of my favourite blog posts to date!

Click below to see this weeks pictures!

What was once lost is now found

Isn't it amazing how quickly things can become lost. I'm losing things on a daily basis.... keys, iPhone, wallet. Yesterday I lost the night light - yes, the night light. 

If I haven't lost something of my own I can usually count on the fact that in one of my tidying frenzies (if it's out it goes in a drawer somewhere in the house!) I have probably 'misplaced' one of my dear husband's possessions. I'm always of the opinion that it's something he never uses anyway, but somehow it becomes the item he needs the most. Unfortunately it often escapes me which 'safe place' I put it in!

Unfortunately not my drawers! Source

Father's Day Ideas

Here in Australia it is coming up to Father's Day. We've already purchased a cute little gift for Daddy but I really want to make something special as well.

Last year Miss Daisy was only 7 weeks old. I made a photobook in iPhoto using a collection of photos from her first 7 weeks and wrote in it 'from Scarlet'. Here is the poem she wrote! :)

Back to blogging...

I feel like the last few months have flown by without so much as taking a breath!

We had the madness of 'birthday month' in July... (see Miss Daisy's Rainbow Party here and here) with the 3 of us, my sister, a handful of other friends and relatives and a determined new nephew all within a few weeks of each other it's over before we know it's begun!

Now it's August and the days have passed swiftly once again!

I am disappointed I haven't frequented my blog as often as I used to. Mostly because I haven't frequented my loves of cooking, photography and sewing as much as I have liked to in the past.

So here I am, making myself some kind of plea or promise, no, perhaps a plan!

Yes, a plan!

To blog regularly. To bake regularly. To photograph constantly. 

To sew steadily (like that one!?)

And to share the things that are inspiring and encouraging to me.

Watch this space!

PS. Did you see my little cutie up there...? Yep - she reads on the loo! 

My New Toy

I have a new toy - and I'm hoping that it leads to lots of new blog posts about all the creative things I'm doing! We'll see! The fabric sitting on my machine in the picture below has been turned into the cutest ruffled nappy cover... so the creative juices are certainly flowing AND gee it makes life easy! I love it!

Anyway, I'm suitably impressed by the plethora of things my new toy boasts on it's list of credentials!! Can't wait to make lots of new things!

But I'm off for now, it's movie night with the hubby! 

While you're surfing, why not check out my guest post over at The Nappy Bag. 

Leave a comment and share the love with them. Also, they're holding a competition where you can win some great prizes. Check it out!

Hello August - Goodbye first half of year!

Wow! It's August 2011! 

How time has flown the last few months. July just seemed to disappear! We celebrated all 3 of our birthdays last month... 2 of which were significant numbers! We are definitely partied out a little! We also had the surprise arrival of our gorgeous nephew - he decided to join the throng of July birthdays!

I have found that lately I have had to take check of my priorities. 
What is taking precedence in my day to day life. I know that there are things that I would prefer to do each day, yet somehow such things don't always bring me true happiness or contentment.

For instance, I love to veg out at night time... laptop perched precariously on my knee and tv flashing in the background. Surely I can't concentrate on both? 
Well, no I can't but somehow it lulls me for a while after a busy day.

However, is it lulling that I want? I did a social experiment... or perhaps I should say lack of social networking experiment! I deleted facebook from my iPhone and restricted myself from using the computer or watching the television for a day... how noble, huh!?

That day: I did 4 loads of washing, cleaned the house, went for a walk, did some baking and cut out some fabric ready to sew. By the end of the day did I feel a need to be 'lulled'!?
 No I didn't! Go figure.

So I am hoping to do a few things to harness social networking and computer use in my life! Because I am looking forward to 'logging into' life! 

_______

Here's a little of life as we know it lately... from another technology addiction, Instagram! 

 On Daddy's Birthday

 On Mummy's Birthday

A Day At the Park - Cousins

Linking up to: