Category: Ladies’ Business

Catching up with Colleagues

A couple of weeks ago I caught up with some wonderful ladies Miss Judy and Miss Jacqui.  We shared many years together as Colleagues teaching early childhood in Brisbane.  It was so lovely to catch up. The hours flew by like minutes.  When I got home I felt as if I didn’t even scratch the surface of what we had been up to in the last five years.  Their stories made me laugh and cry.

Judy has been traveling the world.  It has been wonderful following her journey through her photos on Facebook.  Judy traveled alone for much of her trip.  She met many amazing people along the way.  I admire her courage to set off on such an adventure alone! I am also a little envious of  the amazing experiences she had.

As well as being a fabulous Mum, Jacqui has been working for Hippy Australia.   The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) is a two-year home-based parenting and early childhood enrichment program targeting families with young children.  I was so excited when Jacqui said she had written a children’s book!  Her book is just lovely.  When I read it you can feel Jacqui’s connection to the community.

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Lets not wait so long to catch up next time ladies xo

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Recipe Recommendation

17120339544.jpgI love recipe recommendations. Belinda (another Belinda) who I went to school with recommended another slice out of our  high school Home Economics cookbook – Day to Day Cookery.  She recommended the Quick Mix Slice.  It is seriously the easiest thing I have ever cooked and also pretty delicious.  Ben absolutely loved it (more than the Chocolate Slice).  Here it is (Straight from the stained pages.  I was relieved to hear that others Day to Day Cookery Books had seen better days…. missing covers and pages!) –

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Enjoy and thanks Belinda xo

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Linking up with Life Made Lovely Monday xo

Old Fashioned Chocolate Slice

No this is not a Chocolate Brownie……. it’s good old fashioned Chocolate Slice that our Mum’s made us (it is soooo much nicer than a chocolate brownie!!).  When we were out in Chinchilla last weekend someone at Tom’s party had baked Chocolate Slice.  As I ate a piece childhood memories came flashing back.

MMmmmmm I love Chocolate Slice.

So this weekend the healthier version on myself had a little relapse.  I made Chocolate Slice.

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I found a recipe in my old school textbook (I think this book has seen better days – it is twenty-four years old).

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Here is the recipe straight from the stained pages ….ewwww!  I must have been one messy cook when I was learning!!!

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It really is a delicious simple recipe.  To make it a little healthier you could replace the white flour with wholemeal and the white sugar with rapadura.

Enjoy xo

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Colouring

I love being a Mum….. love love love it!! I am so thankful that I have been blessed with a beautiful boy.  But secretly I have missed a few little treats.  I would often sit in a coffee shop with Ben and think “Will this ever be enjoyable again?”.  I seem to be drinking my cup of tea fast before Ben’s on the move again!! Or I choose a cold drink because that goes down quicker.  Or we go to a more child friendly coffee shop where Ben enjoys himself but Mummy…. not so much!!   I would look around the coffee shop at the little girls out with their Mum’s sitting and colouring.  I have asked myself many times “Will my boy ever colour?”

This week my friend Di rang last minute to see if we wanted to go for lunch.  I said ‘sure’ thinking all the time in my head that I can just eat fast if Ben starts complaining.  Ben and I packed up some Lego men, some other essentials and headed out to lunch at my new favourite cafe – fourthchild.   Something lovely happened while we were out for lunch.  Ben and I had the most lovely time.  We had the most scrumptious  lunch, we relaxed, and enjoyed being out IN A  GROWN UP COFFEE SHOP.  We were in that coffee shop for over and hour and a half.  It felt so good.   I felt like a grown up again.  I also found myself looking  at my little man growing up and ‘colouring’ in his own way  (well not really colouring but playing with his Lego men).  Not once did he ask to go, say he was hungry or whinge about anything.  He even ate vegetables for lunch.  I’m so excited……….. MY BOY COLOURS!!!

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And on a side note if you are local and haven’t been to fourthchild you seriously have to go.  It is so refreshing.  They are dedicated to food made from scratch, as chemical free as possible and  locally sourced.  They don’t claim to be organic but just value making food the way our grandmothers did.   There is no fixed menu as they make the most of produce in season!!  I love the name of the cafe….. fourthchild.  The owner has three beautiful children and the shop is her fourth.  You really must make an effort to go!

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Homemade

I was out shopping with a girlfriend last week when I bought this little gem from my favorite kitchen shop – Gemutlich.  It is just something little but it makes me smile.

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I love homemade xo

I used Di’s fabulous gingerbread recipe to try it out.

125g butter – 1/2 cup brown sugar – 1/2 cup golden syrup – 1 egg yolk – 2 1/2 cups of plain flour – 1 tablespoon of ground ginger (I use one teaspoon) – 1 teaspoon of bi carb soda

1.  Cream butter and sugar

2.  Add golden syrup and egg yolk and beat

3.  Stir in dry ingredients

4.  Refrigerate for one hour (this is important – the dough must be cold to keep the shape of the stamp)

5.  Roll dough into golf size balls.  Press on dough and then stamp.  If dough sticks to stamp spray lightly with oil.  Refrigerate dough on trays in fridge if dough has warmed.

6.  Cook on 190 degrees for 8 minutes or until brown

7.  Decorate with icing or just eat……. either way Delicious!!

They were a big hit in our house……… they didn’t even last 24 hours!!

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Linking up with Life Made Lovely Monday and Things I am Loving xo