A lazy sort of day

Today we are having a bit of a slow day. I was meant to get up and head off to a market, but it was cancelled yesterday due to weather and today the weather have been o.k., so it could have gone ahead. So rather frustrating. Especially as I went out and brought a bunch of stuff to try and make my site a bit more professional. I know, I will use it next time but I could have spread the expense out and well I was all excited and I sort of have post-market let down.

So I made a chocolate slice, I seem to be making about one a week at the moment and a bunch of scones. Whole grain mustard and cheese. Nothing beats hot scones straight from the oven.

The kids had set up a "camping trip" outside and with this supposed storm coming I made them bring it all inside. Still could have been out there! But they loved having the "tent" set up and had a bit of lunch inside. So it has been a great morning for them.

Last week of school this coming week and then the holidays. I can't wait. Gives Adele someone to play with and no school run. That is a plus!!!

Feeling a bit tired today, had a night out with my coffee group and the husbands and it has knocked me for six. It was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again but I think I will be in bed at 7pm tonight. I have a dress still cut out that I want to make and a dress for Adele, plus some leggings for her. I really need more hours in the day. No I think I am just having a pregnancy tired funk and tomorrow will be much better.

Tx

Tunic for my expanding tummy

I don't know why, but I really don't like buying maternity clothing. They always seem so much more expensive than normal clothes, you know you are only going to wear them for a wee while and they are usually rather boring. I know there are lovely bits and pieces out there but it all seems to be "designer" and just way out of my price range. Been a bit of a sew I thought I could make a whole bunch, but, there are no patterns! Well there are a few, but it is the same stuff from when I was having my son (6 years ago now) and again it is pretty dull. So when I found this pattern by Burda 7356, I thought I would give it ago.

I did change it a tiny bit. I put elastic in the sleeves instead of a tie and that was it. I really love the front. Gives nice shape and is rather nice. The back makes my butt look massive. Well I know it is, but it is sort of like an un-shaped tee-shirt. But so be it. I think I will make it again. Well I really have to no choice. It is a merino tunic so to buy one would be $150 at least I think! More likely to be more as non-pregnant ones are about that.

I had some of this merino left over so I made Adele merino leggings. We can sort of match. I need to make myself some three quarter leggings to wear under this. I am about to cut out another dress, it is a standard dress but it has an elasticated bit under the bobbies so I think it should work o.k. So a couple of them, a couple of this tunic, a few pairs of leggings and I might look a wee bit fancy this winter. Or, to be fair, a big ball of colour and merino. It sounds all a bit down, but, I put on huge amounts of weight as I have huge babies, so just preparing.

Tx

Disney Princess Dress

Adele and I were in Spotlight and they had Disney Princess fabric on sale, $4 a metre! So I brought her a metre and we spent ages thinking about what we would make. Skirt, dress, skirt, dress. In the end I thought I would make a Cupcake dress from the "Make it Perfect" Book. But then I want it to be a bit more twirly. So it became a Cupcake inspired dress. I used the books measurement for the first layer and then doubled the next layer and then quadrupled the last layer. So very twirly. I finished it while she was sleeping so the next morning when she found it she was so excited. Even understood why we would wait till after breakfast to put the dress on.

On Saturday a couple of friends and I went up to Auckland and spent the day fabric shopping and going to a Craft and Sewing Fair. Oh and a ladies lunch! It was so nice and relaxing without my wee darlings. The fair was a bit of a let down. We went to Auckland because we thought it would be much bigger than the Hamilton one. But it seemed a lot of the stalls came to the Hamilton one but not the Auckland one. So that was odd to us. We still had a good time but it was just smaller than we hoped. But I finally went to Global Fabrics. My goodness, it was heaven! The merino place I go to is great and reasonably priced. This place had 10 time as much and well the prices were more than double but still, the colours!!!!!!! I did buy a little more there. But it was for me and Ryan so paying a bit more was OK. Well that's what I told myself.

So I have mostly made myself a tunic and Ryan a hoodie. Ryan's hoodie has to be finished by Friday as he has mufti day and my tunic needs to be finished by Wednesday as I have nothing to wear to coffee group. Pressure!!!!

Well it is a nice rainy day, the tv might be on today and a few cups of coffee sipped. But it is nice to have a day of nothing

Tx

Ultra Mini skirt by Mistake

Sorry for the blurry photos, my model wouldn't keep still!

I borrowed a pattern off a friend. McCalls M6391. It has some super duper cute skirts for wee girls. One really caught my eye, I have had the pattern for a couple of weeks now so I thought I really should make it so I could return the pattern. I had some beautiful fabric I brought, gosh, months ago. A shop was closing down so I brought quite a bit. It has little gold flecks and the prettiest wee flowers over it. So I thought the two of them would go cute nice together.

The pattern called for the skirt to be bunched up, sort of like the flower girl dress I made for Adele, but I wanted it "un-bunched". Plus I only had a metre and even then it was going to be a push to get it right. And hence it is now ultra short. I didn't have enough, but I thought since I wasn't doing the bunching it would be o.k. As soon as I cut it I knew it was going to be wrong. There were two other skirts I could have made, but no I manage to pick the one that isn't really going to be suitable. I made it when Adele was asleep so I had to wait to this morning to see how bad it really was. It is o.k. on the sides, but at the front and back, oh the back, are too short for a three year old! So I teamed it with leggings and she is happy. I think she is just happy to get some thing new. It has been a while. I have been putting my tags with my logo on the kids clothes. They love it. They think they are getting branded clothing! Bless them, great confidence builders!!

Tx

Chocolate Slice and a bit of news

Lately I have been crazy busy sewing for the Women's Expo in May. So I have not really been doing anything new. But I have been sewing flat out pretty much every day. Good for me as I really want to have all my stock sorted about a month out so no crazy rushing about. And I can add other items if I get my list done. But pretty dull as it is all the same stuff and I have all these wonderful new patterns I want to make up and fabric and well I guess I can't do every thing no matter how much I think I can.

So even my cooking and baking has all been stuff I know I can pretty much whip up. But as I was a little over cupcakes, I have made a good old family fav. I can't remember the last time I made this as Blair doesn't like coconut so wont eat it, so usually means I end up eating it all! Now usually this would frustrate me but since I am 13 week pregnant I really don't mind. Yes, that's right 13 weeks!!!!!! So that has also put a bit of a slow down on my sewing progress as I have been so so so so tired!!!! More tired than I have been with the other two. Now I am starting to get my energy back I am trying to keep moving and doing stuff. So slice always looks pretty blah when you photograph it, but if you like coconut and butter you will love this.

Chocolate Slice:

150 grams butter

1 and a half cups flour

1 cup coconut

3/4 cup sugar

1 and a half baking powder (which I have JUST noticed I didn't put in :(, darn)

3 tablespoons of cocoa.

Melt the butter till it is runny. In another bowl mix all the dry ingredients together. Combine, bake for 10 mins and 180. Once cooled ice.

Brilliant! Usually super easy, so tasty and I am guessing I will have eaten it all by tomorrow!

Tx

Another Tomato thingee

We have loads of tomatoes at the moment, so when I mentioned this to my mum the other night she said "well I have a new recipe I want to try, I need 4 kgs". So we arranged for me to come round after picking Ryan up from school, make a start and she would help when she got home from work. Sweet deal for me as I have done all the cutting, mum has been doing lots of stirring and dad has been playing with the kids all afternoon, plus mum cooked the kids and I dinner. Sweet!

The sauce is still cooking away, but man oh man, it smells really good. Mum had a little on her dinner and she thought it was super.

I even had time to cut out another wrap and I could have done even more but I chatted, had a hot chocolate, looked at facebook. You know a sort of relaxing afternoon. Blair is working late so it made for a good way to spend an evening.

Right, I think it might be time for another hot chocolate

Tx

Green Tomato Relish

It was stinking hot yesterday, kids were tired and scratchy so perfect time to make relish. Even with the doors wide open the house was so hot. But at least it was all done and now we can get back to eating our favourite snack!

CHEESE AND CRACKERS!!!!!

It was so yummy!!!! We ran out of it through winter some time. It has been a long time since we have been able to have some. The best cheese is just good old tasty. I want more.

I thought i had written about it before but I could find it so here it is. Now the ingredients, to me, sound a bit funny. It tastes nothing like you would think with what it has in it. I was trying to think how I would explain it and there really is no words. Trust me though, make it, it doesn't take much or very long. So even if your taste is different to mine it wont be too much of a waste of effort.

Green Tomato Relish:

725 gram cucumber (about two)

500 grams of green tomatoes

500 grams of red onion

Cut up very very finely. Put in a bowl and cover with water and a tablespoon of salt. Leave over night.

Drain off water, put into a big saucepan, add 500 grams of sugar and 750 mls of white vinegar. Bring to the boil and boil for about 20 mins.

Now take one tablespoon of corn flour

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1 tablespoon of mustard.

Mix in a bowl with a bit of white vinegar to make a paste. Mix to the mixture and boil for about 5 mins.

Makes about 5 jam jars worth.

Ok, I give in, off to have more cheese and crackers

Tx