Baking day.

Today i finally tested out the new oven. I made my double choc chip biccies, and made tan slice for the first time, following the recipe from Baking makes things Better. i was thinking my effort was a bit of a fail, but looking at their pic again as i got the address for the link, i think i’m being a bit harsh with myself. I did nearly have a caramel incident in the microwave! – a bigger bowl is needed for next time!!.

this is my tan square – a plain cake base, a layer of caramel and a combo of cake crumbs and choc chips on top

when i went to make the biccies i discovered that the cheap and nasty new oven only has one oven rack in it!!

so i could only cook one tray at a time – thankfully they only take about 10mins!, but really!, one oven rack!. it hadnt dawned on me until that moment i was trying to load in 2 trays!.

finally, this is the view on the top of my microwave this evening – i’m channelling every country woman from back home who had tins of homemade baking ready for visitors!!.

the big clear box has the choc chippies in it and the other 2 have the tan slice. i’ll try take a better pic of the tan slice tomorrow!.

more playing!

over the weekend i continued to play in my journal…..

i added more layers to the orange/pink pages eluded to in the previous post …..

and i decided to have a play with a collage background, so have begun that…..

all the backgrounds haven’t progressed any further, as i seem to enjoy the backgrounds rather than the top layers!. I’m going to add a whitewash layer to the collage to make the papers more subtle.

not much else to share for now – i have a new oven now, so will be back to the baking this weekend – might try tan slice….mmmmm!.

Backgrounds

Today i have been playing with some new toys, and have been making some background pages for my art journal.I’m finding i can make the backgrounds without to much trouble, but struggle to take it to the next level.

Last weekend i brought 3 Dylusions ink and 2 stensils, and today i finally had a good play. I tried the inks on pages with and without gesso to see how they react, and what the colour is like. I’m liking what i see!.

this is a more completed background, now awaiting the next step – whatever that may be – Pinterest to the rescue i think!.

the turquoise ink and harlequin stensil are new, the rest of the things i already had. the orange is much more vibrant in real life.

i’ve also got an orange and pink page started but not worth showing yet!.

In other news, theres been no baking since the banana muffins, as my oven has packed a sad pretty much straight afterwards. I have a new oven being delivered on monday. Not much else to report, I’ve watched loads of Olympics and not done alot else – NZ is on about 5 golds now, and team GB have done fantastically!!.

slow living essentials

I’ve just discovered a new blog with a wonderful monthly link up party based on principals of living a more simple life – right up my street!.

you document the things you have done over the past month that enhance, enjoy, discover, create, grow, reduce, green, prepare, and norish.

have a look for yourself slowlivingessentials blog

 

July Calendar Page, and one other!.

I have been managing to keep up with the calendar pages  – i should be able to, its only been 2 months!. I dont tend to put my page together to towards the end of the month, and i write down daily what my thoughts or observations are. which means there isnt anything to show for Aug yet, although i have the concept in my head!.

So last night i finished off my July page, writing the info in the circles, sticking them down and doing some final doodling. here it is, and i’m also sharing it over on The Kathryn Wheel blog.

I’m doing my pages on 12 x 12 stash rather than in a notebook, and am storing them in an album.

then i finally finished a page i’ve been working on throughout most of July. i’d do something, and the result would make me change direction, so i’d walk away and think about. I finally decided that what i did with it this morning would be the final thing and i’m calling it finished and once the wet bits are dry i’m putting it away!.

Menu Planning

For several years now, i have been menu planning – it helps make sure i eat a balanced diet, because otherwise i am prone to eating junk as i get home tired and cant be bothered cooking. Now i plan for the month, making sure that in that month i am making meals that are freezable, so that i am not always cooking everynight, and that i have some meals that are fully self contained, meaning i dont need to cook anything to go with it.

I have a basic group of recipes that i rely on, but am always on the lookout for new things to add to the mix (gotta love pinterest for that job!!).

Up til now i have been printing out blank calendar pages and filing them in. But inspired by this (thank you pinterest!), I have been on the look out for a suitable magnetic whiteboard. On the way to the supermarket yesterday i popped into Rymans and low and behold, there at the back was this –

I have plans to pretty it up with scrapbook stash, and will try and find some more magnetic sheets, as i like the concept Megan from ‘The Homes I Have Made’ came up with. When my version is finally done, i’ll do a show and tell!.

Olympic thoughts on super saturday!

Firstly, NZ, added one bronze to their total, making 7 altogether.

But oh what a day for Team GB – loads of golds – 2 in the rowing, 3 in track and field, at least 1 in cycling – so emotional to watch, because even tho i will always cheer for my kiwis first, i will support the country i live in.( except the rugby team, cos its fun to wind up my friends!!).

Then Michael Phelps – what can you say?!. offically the greatest olympian ever with the largest medal haul. I doubt in my lifetime i will see another sportsman or women win for than 18 gold medals.

well done London, you’re putting on a great show!.