Christmas Tree's and cooking...

So as promised, here is a photo of our 'alternative' Christmas Tree :) i love it, it's minimalist and looks exactly the way i imagined. I'll have to take a photo with the lights on and post that at some stage too.

The sticks or twigs are made from dried Chinese Willow trees, i brought them already painted cream, from a giftwares shop and then sprayed them with a little gold pain to add some sparkle. I also brought some gold twig lights to finish it off. The metal bucket comes from a hardware store,  and is filled with sand and then proceeded to push the sticks into the sand. The decorations are ones i've had for a few years, we had so many more leftover this year but that's ok.

Now, onto the cooking i mentioned in the title. I had a bit of time before i needed to start dinner so i thought i'd make some little cakes or muffins for the boys lunch boxes. It's so hard trying to think of different things to add! These are delicious, i had to sample a couple with a cup of tea, quality assurance and all.... I modified this recipe a little, i'll write it out as is and add my modifications/additions in brackets.

Vanilla & Raspberry Cakes
Makes 36

1 1/2 cups S/R flour (i used 1C wholemeal S/R, 1/2 cup white S/R), sifted
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup reduced fat vanilla yoghurt (i used 1C low fat organic plain yoghurt & added a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste)
80g light margarine, melted and cooled (i just used butter, it's all i had)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, lightly crushed
I also added - 1/3 cup pineapple pieces & 1/4 cup desicated coconut. 

Preheat oven to 190/170 fan forced. Grease 36 holes of three 12 hole, 1 1/2 tablespoon-capacity mini muffin pans (i used cupcake papers instead and it made 13).
Combine flour & sugar together in a bowl. Add yoghurt, margarine & egg to flour and mix until just combined. Fold through raspberries, pineapple & coconut. Spoon mixture into prepared pan holes.
Bake for 16-18mins or until golden and cakes spring back when lightly touched. (I cooked mine for about 20-25mins in the end as they were bigger but just keep an eye on them). Transfer to a wire rack to cool... if you can wait that long!

YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMM!

I've started my placement at the hospital too, 3 weeks, full time, early shifts and late shifts - oh it's going to shatter me! Till' next time...

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."
Charles Dickens

Green Tea & Salt and Vinegar Chips...

Interesting and fitting title i thought. These two items are comforting me tonight, and the oddness of them suits how im feeling pretty perfectly. It's not that im feeling odd, well actually, i am a little but im more so lonely, and tired and well, i don't know just odd.

My mum has had Master 3 1/2 the past 3 nights (at her request) so Master 5 and i could spend some one on one time together seeing as it's rare occurrence with him being at school now. It's been lovely, and peaceful and special. We went out for milkshakes and pizza the first night, window shopped the second afternoon, and went to a birthday party at an aquatics centre and  stayed up until 9:30 last night, shopped at the famers market this morning and we have loved every minute of it. We also missed the little man immensely! Who, we saw briefly yesterday morning to pick him up for his first pre-entry kindy session. He's growing up too, i can't believe it. Next year i will have one in school and one at full time kindy and i will be studying my ass off doing the last year of my Nursing degree (YIPEEEEEE).

This afternoon we put up our Christmas Tree, or i should say 'made' our Christmas Tree (side note: i can't believe we're coming up to our second Christmas in our little house). We've gone for something a little alternative this year, i'll have to dig the camera out and post some photo's on my next post. We love it!

Im off to much on some more chips and sip my green tea. Until next time...

It's been while... again!

Did anyone see the tumbleweeds flying through here?! A dear friend has just started a blog which so kindly reminded me that i had deserted my own... oops! But, here i am 6 months on from my last post, still alive, still studying and surprisingly feeling pretty darn good considering it's the end of semester! I have one exam in a week, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology (woopeeeee... no seriously, *rolls eyes*) which i've been kind of studying for (it's on the to do list tomorrow and Wednesday while Master 5 is at school and Master 3in child care) and then 3 weeks of clinical placement at a local hospital and the it's HOLIDAY TIME!!!

On that note, did you read the second to last sentence?! Yes, the  biggest (not so) little man is at school *tear*. Into his second term now and while it all got off to a rocky start, he's the model student now like i knew he always would be, im a proud mumma, he's coming in leaps and bounds. Master 3 is well, just that, 3. Need i say more? He's full of energy, defiant, get's easily frustrated and often goes off like rocket... i think i'll leave it there.

Time is lapsing so quickly, hence the reason i didn't even realise it had been six months since i'd been here... this year is disappearing before my eyes and 2012 is going to be upon us before we know it. I'm now making a promise i hope i will be able to keep, and that is to blog A LOT more regularly... and i know i've said it before and clearly not stood by my word but fingers crossed this time will be different.

With Christmas approaching at lightening speed (again), i've been slowly getting a few bits and pieces organised and plan to do some homemade gifts again which i will blog about as i do them. Some crafty, some cooking, im looking forward to it and just hoping i have enough time!

Until next time...

The best thing about the future is that is comes one day at a time.

Abraham Lincoln.