I know I’m a little late to the party on this one but I’ve just discovered how gorgeous the Kate Spade bangle range is. Bright and cheery and each with a sweet little inscription on the inside. A perfect gift. I think I’m going to have to purchase one (or two) just to make sure.
Click here to view the full collection>>>
{All photos via Kate Spade}
Yesterday morning I woke up feeling like the start of a cold was upon me with the scratch of the throat and slight pressure in the sinus. But, this is not the week for sickness. With wedding-week bridesmaid appointments and rehearsals, I don’t have time. I read about this ‘Immune Power’ juice in the weekend paper and made a batch for Adam and I. I’ll be honest – the taste will not be for everyone. I enjoyed it, but Adam screwed up his nose as he glugged it down. In my opinion, anything that delivers 100 per cent of your recommended daily intake of vitamins A and C is worth it.
Over the weekend, we drove out to Adam’s hometown of Bell, Queensland to pick up Rupert from his extended farm stay, to spend time with Adam’s family and for the cousins to play together. Bell is a lovely little corner of the earth, nestled at the foot of the Bunya mountains with clear, clean air, a beautiful landscape and a lovely community of people. I love spending time out there.
Saturday was set aside for cattle work – the calves to be branded and inoculated – so our three families loaded into cars and head over to the Jandowae property. It was the first time all of the kids were there for the mustering and they loved watching the action unfold. When the work was done, we all sat and had a picnic under the shade of the enormous gum trees. A weekend of fresh air and family time. I feel much better for it.
This weekend we’re driving out to the country to Adam’s hometown. I’m craving the country air and quality time with family. For the drive out, I’ve made some muesli slice for us to snack on. I found this recipe from the pastry chef at Three Girls Skipping and it is nutty and sweet, with the dates making it a little more luxurious than your average muesli slice. Simple goodness.
We built a little office nook in a corner of our house that is sandwhiched between our cupboard laundry and two sets of ikea linen/storage cupboards. While it perfectly functional in its present form, when it comes to inspiration, the environment is a little lacking. I’ve been dreaming of ways to inject a little flair and creativity into the space and have been searching through the internet for inspiration.
Here are some of the spaces that take my fancy…
This mood board:
{Via Apartment Therapy}
Love the whimsy of this one:
{Photo via Design Sponge}
This chair:
{Photo via Little Green Notebook}
The clean, uncluttered desk in this one (in theory, that is, I’m not sure I could keep it so tidy!):
{Via Apartment Therapy}
The femininity of this space:
{Photo via Cupcakes and Cashmere}
Adam’s birthday was last week but because we had just arrived home, we were jet lagged and the house was upside down, and the day was a sort-of…non-event. I hate that we let it slip by as I hold the firm belief that birthdays are a very important celebration, a time to reflect on the year that has been and celebrate all that is good at that moment in your life. So, I’ve organised a belated celebration. I’ve made Adam’s favourite ‘cake’ and we’ll have a birthday dinner of steak, chips and salad with sticky date pudding for dessert. With candles and presents of course. Better late then never, right?
You’ll see from the state of my typed out recipe that this is a favourite in our house. I typed it verbatim from a family friend who made it for dessert for one of my parents’ dinner parties in 1998. This recipe is one of those fool-proof recipes that turns out every time you make it. I always make individual sized puddings so leftovers can be frozen and saved for those occasions when you don’t feel like making dessert, but feel like eating dessert. The caramel sauce is so good, you could drink it. And lasts up to a month in the fridge. That’s if you don’t find yourself dipping a teaspoon in a few times a day which, I’ll be honest, is hard to resist.
Along with brown paper bags, twine, and grosgrain ribbon, paper doilies are one of the staples found in my craft cupboard. And, as I’m a true believer in the beauty of a homemade card, this morning I set out to make a lacy little birthday card for one of my closest friends. I cut the doily to size, glued it onto a piece of A5 card and trimmed it with navy grosgrain ribbon. Then scored and folded to size, wrote a heartfelt message and slipped it into an envelope. Now, its sitting on our kitchen bench ready to send on its merry way.
