resolutions

New Year, new look - whaddya think? I'm really stoked with the update - it was a few hours of frustration and geekery but I think it's turned out very fresh!

I thought before I put up my resolutions I would do a quick review of 2011.

Highlights:

• buying our house
• the snowstorm
• finding my yoga teacher
• crafty activities
• friend's engagements
• adopting Lucy
• spending time with mum and dad
• C going back to uni
• trip to sydney
• catching up with old friends
• starting the blog, finding the blogging/crafting world

Lowlights:

• earthquakes, shakes, rumbles and cracks
• flooding
• breaking my tooth
• not seeing my sister
• work stress

So I've decided to post my resolutions so that I can track them and provide updates throughout the year to see how I'm going. So. Here we go.

• eat breakfast every day
• practice yoga daily
• learn the ukulele or banjo
• sew at least once a week
• make a quilt
• appreciate my job
• hug more
• eat at least two vegetarian meals per week
• get up early
• take care of my teeth - flossy floss
• get to know the neighbours
• draw more
• paint more
• wear red lipstick
• plant a vege garden
• spend less
• take more pictures
• get a better camera
• eat fish once a week
• get a caravan
• buy more books
• kick the habit
• bake
• see more live music
• get more involved in community projects
• don't procrastinate - there's never a right time!
• talk to my sister more
• go to a warm place for a holiday
• talk to C more
• meet new people
• go on a yoga retreat
• visit nana more often
• write more
• go to an upskill course

Well, that's it, I think. It's not a very original list but it's mine. I know I will have more to add to it throughout the year - as I did last year - but I know I am already off to a great start with some of these.

The last few days have been a super start to 2012 as I have been spending some time with the gorgeous Gaby from this little port who helped me start to tick off a few of the above ('vegetarian meals' - if you're in Chch make sure you visit The Lotus Heart and 'meeting new people').

I now have around 2 and a half weeks before I go back to work so let's get started. Woo motivation.

pizza pinwheels

woah! double recipe trouble! C has been working which means the craft room slash office has been out of bounds. I have been working in my next favourite room - the kitchen! These party delights are very moorish, warning: it is hard not to stop munching the little beauties!

 

This recipe is a bit hap-hazard as I just make it up as I go along but it means that you have the freedom to add and remove what you like.

What I used:

2 puff pastry sheets

1/2 a red capsicum, finely chopped

few squirts of tomato paste

finely chopped spring onion

grated cheese

finely chopped basil

Pre-heat your oven to around 190-200.

Lay your pastry sheets out to start defrosting - this should only be about 3 minutes before they're workable, don't leave any longer as they will be very floppy.

Spread out your squirts of tomato paste onto the sheets - go right to the edges.

Sprinkle your toppings (just like a pizza) on top.

Roll up the square into a log.

Cut 1 inch slices from the log. (what's a more appetising word than log? stick?)

Lay out your slices on an oiled baking tray, give them enough room to expand.

Chuck in the oven for around 15 - 20 mins until pastry is puffed up and golden brown.

I know how tempting it will be to grab one of those little circles and shove it in your gob straight away - beware - they are super hot nuclear reactors so take care and blooowwww (yes I learnt the hard way!). Eat hot or cold. Hurray.

mint berry frappe

Fzzzz, its been hot. As I mentioned on my last post I was going to try out a Mint Berry Frappe. It was delish and sooo refreshing. Here's the recipe for my cooler-downer.

Few tips of mint - save one for the garnish
A handful of frozen berries (you can get these in a bag from the supermarket)
3 or 4 ice cubes
4 freshly squeezed oranges

 

Chuck it all in a blender and ta-da! If don't want such a thick result add more orange juice. Next Frappe will be pineapple and mint with a sneaky dash of vodka.

homemade gifts

Here are a couple of easy Christmas pressies that I put together last week. The lavender for the pillows were from the harvest that I had in November (see here). I put them in little calico bags with messages printed on them and tied them up with ribbons. I also kept a few for myself to go in the coat wardrobe and under my pillow on the bed.

The purse is made from some fabric that I got for my birthday in October. I used a Crafty Minx pattern. I love the colour and the cute retro teacups.

Christmas Day was fantastic as usual, I love catching up with the family and over-indulging. We had our little fur baby with us for the day and she was quite happy about all the pats and cuddles. (Unfortunately was so wrapped up in the day I forgot to take some photos! durr).

I'm putting together my plans for the next few weeks off (so excited!), hopefully the weather continues to be magnificent (27 today) and it should consist of some crafty projects, visiting relatives, days at the beach, new years parties and resolutions, leash-training Lucy, soap-making and many ice cold ciders! To cool down this afternoon I'm going to make a mint-berry frappe (I'll post the recipe if it works!).

muesli bars

These healthy treats are a great lunch box addition or handy snack for unexpected guests. Give them a whirl!

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup desicated coconut
1/3 cup wheatgerm
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 sunflower kernels
1/2 pumpkin seeds
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup flax seeds
100g butter
1/2 cup honey
1/8 cup brown sugar

Grease and line a square tin with baking paper.

Cook oats, coconut, wheatgerm, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds over a low heat in a fry pan. Stir occasionally for 8 mins but don't let it burn!

When light brown, transfer this mix to a metal bowl.

Stir in the cranberries and flax seeds.

Cook butter, honey and sugar in a saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer without stirring for 5 mins. Add the wet mix to the dry.

Stir until combined and then spoon into your tin. Press down on the mix firmly and pop in the fridge until set. Chop up into slices and store in a tinfoil-lined container.

Munch at your desire.

Christmas Cards

The festive season is officially here and as we spend our weeks 'catching up' and weekends frantically Christmas shopping and at 'work-do's' crafters around the world are relishing in the opportunity to celebrate the craftiest time of year.

These cards are my first contribution to handmade festiveness and I am really happy with the result. I embroidered some Christmas images onto some calico and then machined sewed these onto cards. The interior is stamped with my new alphabet stamps (see older post).

Look out for some recipe's, more craftiness and some Christmas Day pics coming soon.

You may be wondering what happened to the boot camp wrap-up. Unfortunately C had some bad family news so this past week has been a bit up the wahzoo and I didn't make it to the last class. The one result I can determine from the experience is the motivation and knowledge of my capability to actually exercise more in the New Year. I don't think I should have any trouble with that since we now have a little canine ratbag to keep entertained.

boxing boot camp day five

'arg me knees' is the first thought of the day. For some reason both knees have decided to go very funny and have objected to any impact. This meant that boot camp was a lot less intense than usual but I modified my moves and still managed to 'work out'.

It's the last class on Wednesday. In hindsight I should have weighed and measured prior to starting the training for a comparison at the end. My pants do a feel a bit lighter though and I will attempt to perform an assessment on fitness/weightloss later in the week.

Blog hijack!

A welcome little treasure has joined our family and she is proving to be an exhausting yet delightful addition.
Meet Lucy.

Downward facing dog