Healthy-But-Yummy Treat!!

Do you ever find yourself craving a yummy sweet treat? I don't very often, as I'm not a chocolate lover and I don't often look for sweeties ... usually I crave potato chippies or cheese or dip and crackers. However ... today I just felt like I wanted a sweetie treatie ... you know how it is! :0)

Since I'd had a yummy omelette for breakfast I decided that a coffee and muffins was a nice idea for a lighter lunch option that would also satisfy my need for a treat. So into the depths of the fridge and cupboard I delved ... AHA! Some ingredients were found ...

They may not look very appetising in their current form, but I could see healthy banana muffins in my future. :0)

HEALTHY BANANA MUFFINS

* 3 soft bananas, mashed

* 1/2 cup brown sugar (next time I'm going to try honey)

* 1 egg

* 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

* 1/2 cup vegetable oil

* 1/2 cup milk

* 2 cups wholemeal SR flour

* 1 cup rolled oats

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

* 1 teaspoon baking powder

* 1 teaspoon Bicarb

* 1/2 cup currents

* 1/2 cup slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 170C. Line/grease two muffin 12 cup muffin trays.

2. In a large bowl combine: bananas, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, oil and milk.

3. In another bowl combine the flour, bicarb, baking powder, oats, cinnamon, ginger, currents and almonds until blended, then add to wet mix and stir until fully combined ... but don't over-mix.

4. Divide mixture between 24 muffin cups and bake for about 15 minutes or until muffins are browning and firm to touch. Cool and enjoy!

So this is what my lunch looked like ...

They were pretty YUMMY and I didn't feel like I was being TOO naughty. :0) Hope you enjoy making some sweetie-treaties too ... let me know if you try my recipe and what you think of it. Hmmm ... I think it must be time for another cuppa ... and maybe another muffin?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

The Sweetest Words!!

What would you think those sweetest words would be?

FABRIC SALE!

Tee! Hee! Hee! I'm sure quilters all around the world would agree with me. :0) And lucky me heard those sweet, sweet words from my Home-Away-From-Home The Quilers Angel this week. The Magnificent Marion & Stupendous Steph were offering a whopping 40% off all bolted fabric. WOW! So you know I just HAD to go & adopt some fabric, right?! :0) Want to see what followed me home? (That was my story to GB & I'm sticking to it! )

Ta! Da! This is my latest stash enhancement. I know it seems like a bit of a mixed bag, but it's the starting point of three different projects.

These two are the background for a dinosaur quilt for one of the nephews. (Note to self: July ain't that far off, so get moving on this!)

This batch will be block sashing (the basics at the bottom) & the outer border for a quilt to be made with these ...

My Sort-Of-Sister Tiffy has been a camp counsellor in the USA a few times in the last few years & she decided SHE would make a t-shirt quilt from her camp t-shirts. Hmmmm ... So how did I end up with the job of choosing sashing & borders, cutting the t-shirts, adding the stabiliser then cutting the blocks to size?!? Well you may ask ... I still haven't worked it out! :0P And the rest of my new goodies ...

They are for ME! :0) I fell in love with this range at first sight, but have been a good girl & not adopted any ... Until 40% off broke my resolve to be good. See ... It's not really my fault! :0) I'm still not 100% certain about what these will become, but I'm thinking probably a pretty quilt. I got 40cm of the eight to the left for sashing or piecing & a metre of the teal floral on the right which I LOVE!! The floral will make a nice outer border. This was a popular range so by the time I was at the shop late in the afternoon there were only a few selections left, but I reckon I've got a few teals & dusty rose fabrics in my stash to mix n match.

A HUGE thank you to Marion & Steph for offering such a fantastic sale for us fabric-a-holics. :0) We really are very spoilt by Marion & Steph. I've visited fabric shops in several states when we've been on holidays (GB is resigned to me turning our holidays into a fabric addict's version of a pub crawl ... Quilting shop crawl! Tee! Hee! Hee!) And I think The Quilters Angel has one of the best & broadest ranges of fabric, notions, quilting accessories, patterns & pretty giftware that I've ever seen. Not to mention that service, advice & encouragement are always given with a smile! Marion & Steph really are our Quilting Angels! :0)

And as if a fabric sale wasn't exciting enough to end the week, I also caught up with Fabulous Fiona to help her celebrate her birthday. Although ... We were too busy chatting & enjoying our Black Widow Burgers to remember to take a pic. Oops! :0) Oh ... The Black Widow title of our lunch was named after the comic book character not the burger's ingredients! ;0) Happy Birthday Miss Fiona!!

So today ... I'm just chillin' at home, doing some of my grownup chores, fondling my new fabrics  I think I now need a cuppa & a snack. Just the way I like a Friday to unfold, really! :0) So what are YOU up to today to end the work week? Some sewing perhaps? Hope your weekend is FABULOUS! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS! 

KRIS

PS Don't forget OPAM signup closes this Tuesday! If you haven't signed up yet you'd better get in quick! :0) 

I'm Off The Naughty List!!

When Santa didn't bring me a parcel for the SSCS last year, I thought I must've been TOOOOOO naughty to have deserved a giftie! No comments from those of you who know me!! :0P I received a lovely, apologetic email from my swap partner Wendy who said she'd been having a bit of a struggle with her incoming & outgoing mail & my parcel seemed to have disappeared through a crack in time & space. It will probably show up in a Dr Who episode one day! Tee! Hee! Hee! She is such a sweetie that she said she would send another parcel. :0)

Well ... It seems Wendy's postal service decided to play nice the second time around & a lovely parcel arrived late last week ... WOO! HOO! Thank you Wendy! Inside my parcel I found ...

A very versatile table runner & a mini Santa stocking for my mini tree. :0) I love that Wendy went with an understated colour palette for my runner, as it means I can sit things on it without worrying that I'm covering a design ... Like sitting ...

... A pretty candle on it.

A big thank you to Wendy for my surprise-Christmas-in-February gifties! I somehow never get around to making myself any Christmassy things. It's always a hugely busy time of the year & I usually procrastinate so long about the things I need to make for gifties for other people that I always run out of time to do anything for me. And a huge thank you to the wonderful Chookyblue for once again hosting SSCS. It's the only swap I enter now, as it is always so well organised.

In other news ... Don't forget ... If you haven't yet signed up to be part of OPAM 2017, you still have a few days to join Sweet Peg & me. To the few gals who have sent their sign up email but haven't heard back from me yet ...SORRY! My Beloved Geek Boy handed his old laptop over to me to replace my drowning victim after he got a new laptop for work. The catch is ... His new laptop is slower than his old one (ie. Now MY laptop) so he keeps pinching mine back. Hmmmm ... !! So ... Once I manage to snaffle it back, I'll send welcome letters to acknowledge your sign up. And of course, February is our first month for recording finishes for the year, so update your sidebar lists.

Right now though, I'm off to play Polly & put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea. You know, I suspect that if I found out a meteor was hurting towards the earth & we were only hours from a catastrophic impact, I would probably still make time for a nice cup of tea! :0P Enjoy the rest of your week! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS xx

 

 

Road Tripping!

Another hottish Saturday (though nowhere near as icky sticky as last week!) with tentative plans cancelled, so my Beloved Geek Boy & I decided to hit the road & go exploring in some areas we'd seen on previous trips & promised ourselves to check out "one day". Well, today was that day! :0)

Right from the start we decided to take "the road less travelled" ...

A "back road" that made us very glad we were in GB's 4WD. :0) Then after a while, we reached some more 'civilised' roads ...

Look! Traffic lights & everything! :0P After a little look at some maps & a bit of a chat with the GPS, we decided to ...

... Head for them thar hills! :0) It was so interesting to discover little country towns hidden away from the highways, to drool over some GORGEOUS historic buildings, to see how amazingly diverse even this small south-east corner of our large state is ... & lovely to spend some relaxed time together when we didn't have to "do" anything except enjoy each other's company. After a few hours, though, we decided a pit stop & some sustenance was in order ... So we found a lovely little coffee shop on Mt Tamborine.

MMMMMMMMMMM! Vanilla milkshake! YUMMO! I confess to gobbling up my delicious Moroccan chicken, sun dried tomato & Gouda on sourdough toastie before remembering to take a photo. :0)

And someone else enjoyed his mashed avo & fetta toastie with a chaser of iced coffee. He looks pretty comfy, doesn't he?! :0) Then it was back on the road ...

... On a winding, forrest-y kind of road. Such a pretty corner of the world. We eventually wound our way back home ...via another "back road" but no more pics, as the sun just seemed to be in the wrong spot to get nice photos.

So, that was our adventurous Saturday & actually the second impromptu road trip we've taken in the last week. There's something about the "spur-of-the-moment" part of these trips that adds to the fun, not to mention the thrill of answering that question GB & I ask ourselves frequently when we're traveling from point A to point B ... "I wonder where THAT road goes?" :0)

I hope your Saturday has had some unexpected fun in it & that your Sunday starts a wonderful, fresh week for you. Don't forget ... OPAM sign up closes on February 28 ... Don't miss out on joining the fun. :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine's Day Brownie Points!

Happy St Valentine's Day!

We don't usually go all out for Valentine's Day, but my Beloved Geek Boy racked up some serious husband brownie points today when I received a special delivery at work this morning ...

Aren't they GORGEOUS!! A dozen red roses & I love the lacing up the front. But even lovelier than the beautiful roses was the sentiment behind them ...

And GB was treated to one of his favourite dinners ... T-bone steak with salad & creme caramel for dessert. Two happy campers here. :0)

I hope your day was special. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

PS. Have you signed up for OPAM yet? There's still time. :0) KRIS xx

 

 

Playing!

Remember I said I'd been experimenting with something new? (To me) I'm having a little play with some watercolour pencils, textile medium, yummy Cosmo threads & a new stitchery design. And you know what? I'm having FUN! :0) Not sure yet what this stitchery will become ... A panel on a bag? A mini wall hanging? The first block of a quilt? Oh! The endless possibilities at the start of a new design! :0)

What are YOU playing with this week?

Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

PS. Have you signed up for OPAM 2017 yet? It's not too late! :0)

 

I Must Be Crazy!!

Really, I do sometimes think that our unusually hot & humid summer has liquified my brains! Some of you are nodding sagely as I confirm your suspicions about my mental stability! :0)

I'll tell you why I think I must be crazy. We're in the middle of one of the longest heatwaves experienced here on top of our 'hill' in years. Now to deal with that, most people are locking themselves in with air conditioning & a good book, or lazily floating in backyard pools, but me? I spent my day off ... Slaving over a hot stove! See? Crazy! :0P

So, what did I have bubbling away on my stove, adding to the already icky-sticky heat & humidity?

A cauldron full of seconds tomatoes, onions, olive oil, herbs & Himilayan pink salt, all of which had been slow roasted in the oven for an hour & a half before being transferred to my big red pot. I love my big red pot! :0) And after another hour & a half of bubble-bubble-toil-and-trouble ...

I had jars of DELICIOUS homemade pasta sauce. This is always so yummy that it's worth steaming up the kitchen to make it. (& I confess to setting up a pedestal fan in the kitchen so I didn't dissolve into a waxy puddle!) Half the batch has been tucked away for my Beloved Geek Boy & I to enjoy on those "I don't feel like cooking" nights & half went to Mum & Dad for their pantry. It's only fair, since they found the seconds tomatoes on a recent Sunday drive. :0) Somehow, homemade pasta sauce always tastes better than the bought stuff ... & I know exactly what's in it. I often wish I had more time to cook more things 'from scratch' . Maybe when I become independently wealthy & don't have to have a grown up job. Then again, I'd probably get so caught up in sewing projects that my good intentions would go up in ... STEAM! :0)

There's also been a bit of experimental design/stitching work going on, but I want to work on it a bit more before I share. Stay tuned! :0)

And speaking of stitching ... Have you signed up to be part of the One Project A Month challenge for 2017 with me & my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg? The idea is to try to finish at least one project every month, which gives you a minimum of 12 finishes by the end of the year. And it helps motivate us all to take some time out of our crazy busy lives to relax, create & take a bit of time to recharge our batteries. It you think you'd like to play along, check out my previous post to find out how. You've got until the end of February to add your name.

But right now, I think I'm off to chop some bacon, mushrooms & olives to add to a yummy  bottle of pasta sauce for dinner. :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS 

 

 

It's ON! OPAM 2017 Sign Up!

Yes, it's that time of year when Sweet Peg and I wonder if we're completely bonkers or just really keen to encourage you all to get stitching, crocheting, knitting and generally being creative. It's sign up day for OPAM. :0)

Some of you are Repeat Offenders and know how it all works ... in fact, I've been blown away by the fact that I've already been receiving emails to sign up ... before sign up opens! Tee! Hee! Hee! Talk about keen! :0) And how lovely it is to know that you're so eager to join in the OPAM fun again. :0) If you're a Newbie ... ie. you've never been part of OPAM before and you're wondering what the heck I'm rambling on about, have a read below and see if you'd like to join us. 

With life being rather hectic for me and my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg, we decided to give you (and ourselves!!) all of February to get sign ups sorted, so be sure to contact one of us before February 28 if you'd like to play along. And don't forget to check BOTH our blogs regularly for updates and winners of each month's draw, as we alternate turns to announce the prize winner ... and you might miss out! :0)

Let the fun begin! Happy Creating and make sure you double-check the info below so you know what's what and who's who in the zoo. :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

The One Project A Month (OPAM) Challenge Guidelines 2017

The idea of the “One Project A Month Challenge is pretty simple ... To try to finish at least ONE craft project by the end of each month. This can be something you’ve had partly done for a while (a Work In Slow Progress WISP), a pattern you bought ages ago that you finally get around to making up, or a completely new project. This is meant to be a low-stress challenge  - if you don’t finish a project every month  - that’s fine! We understand sometimes life interferes with our plans. We also realise some projects are meant to be long-term and have a LOT of work involved, like a quilt or a cross-stitch. The main aim of the OPAM Challenge is to give us all a bit of a motivational boost and to give us all a big cheer squad to encourage and inspire us.

However, there is quite a bit of time and work involved in running OPAM, so Sweet Peg and I have some guidelines we ask people to take note of AND please only sign up if you intend to follow through. If for some reason during the year you decide you don’t wish to remain part of the OPAM Challenge, just drop Sweet Peg or me an email to let us know. Please read through all  guidelines before you sign up.

1. Participants must have an ACTIVE BLOG. If you change your blog address, drop us an email telling us your old address and what you’ve changed it to.

2. Numbers won’t be limited for the sign up for OPAM 2017, BUT ... it WILL close on February 28 ... You must sign up before that or miss out on joining in the fun.

3. Participants can sign up via email to Kris or Peg, or via a comment on EITHER blog AS LONG AS it includes all asked for information.

4. Participants MUST provide all info asked for. * Name (first and initial of surname in case of double up names); * Email; * Blog address.

5. Participants MUST have the OPAM Challenge badge on their blog sidebar and link it to either Kris’s or Peg’s blog.

6. Participants MUST keep a list of each month’s finishes on their blog sidebar and update it BEFORE the last day of each month. (This is easiest if you add each project as you finish it.) If you can put this directly under the OPAM badge on your sidebar it will be easier for Peg and Kris to find it. You may also choose to have a separate OPAM 2017 page on your blog.  That’s fine too as long as it’s clearly labelled.

7. Only ‘soft’ crafts are included in the OPAM Challenge, ie. Projects made from fabric, thread or wool. Some examples are: embroidery, patchwork, quilting, cross-stitch, knitting, crochet, practical sewing (curtains, clothes etc), long stitch, appliqué.

8. QUILTS: A quilt will only be counted as a finish if it is COMPLETELY finished ... Quilted and bound. Flimsies/tops won’t count as finishes.

9. BOM’s:  Individual BOM blocks DO NOT count as a finish.

10. If you can email Peg or Kris your list of finishes each month BEFORE the end of the month, this would be appreciated, as it cuts down the amount of time it takes to check finishes for the month. (and save Peg and Kris from getting square eyes!)

11.  Lastly, participants MUST ... Have fun! After all, the reason we craft and create is to relax, have fun and take some time away from the “Have to” tasks to do the “Like to do” ones! :0)