Great Hints from a great Aussie Magazine Notebook

http://www.homehints.com.au/newsletters/20081029.html Click on this link to view some great tips from the Notebook Magazine which is a very good read for women..

This is a fantastic Give Away

Check this blog give away. It is extremely generous and I would love to win it myself but if you want a chance just leave a comment on the blog..

Sharon <><

Tea Towel Apron

My daughter Amy made this cute apron from two tea towels. Just cut the shape and add the frill and you have a cute individual pretty apron. The white tea towel already had the trim on it so it was perfect and the frill is made from the cut off part.

There is such a choice of nice tea towels these days that you could use so I think we will be making more of these for gifts......Sharon xx <><

Bees a buzzin

Well Like I said yesterday I really haven't mastered any crafts but I had a little go at embroidering on some baby items a hat and singlet. It's not perfect but it turned out quite cute anyway. I will have to buy a book or check it out as I would love to do some more properly. Master the old bullion stitch...

I would also like to master the art of wrapping presents so they are a delight in themselves. Kathryn my daughter in law always wraps her presents so beautifully. This one was simple but I just loved the green paper with the touch of gingham which I think is a great combination. Her attached flower card just copied and printed on the computer. What a great idea!

Domestic Bliss

I had a weekend of celebrations... a surprise party for a friend at church and a baby shower today and I did some baking and some embroidery which turned out reasonably well. I have always just touched on different crafts but not really mastered anything. I would say that I do prefer the art of hand sewing and quilting rather then machine sewing as I find it more relaxing. I am also a little like this with my baking a bit random I hardly bake these days but I do enjoy it when I do it but of course it is too tempting once I make that cup of tea not to eat what I baked.

I made these White Chocolate cupcakes from the above breast cancer magazine. It obviously sn't from the weight watchers magazine.... Lots of butter and chocolate. No wonder they went wn a treat.....

WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Makes 24, {pep and cook time 1 Hour 30mins

Ingredients : Pink Paper Muffin Cases

250g Butter Chopped coarsely

150g white cooking chocolate, chopped finely

2 cups (250ml) milk

1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

2eggs, lighty beaten

Icing Flowers, to decorate

Pink Butter Cream

250g butter, softened

3 cups (500g) icing sugar mixture (sifted)

1/3 cup (80ml) milk

few drops of pink food colouring

1. Preheat oven to 160/140C fan forced. Line muffin tins with paper cases.

2. Combine the butter, chocolate, sugar and milk in a medium saucepan; whisk over low heat, without boiling, until smooth. Cool 20 mins.

3.Whisk in the combined sifted flours then the extract and eggs. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared pans. Bake cakes for about 35 mins or until cooked when tested . Cakes will be crusty on top. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

4. Pink Butter Cream: Beat Butter in medium bowl with electric mixer until white as possible. Gradually beat in half the icing sugar and all the milk. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula; beat in remaining icing sugar and food colouring.

5. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small fluted tube with the Pink Butter Cream. Pipe Pink Butter Cream on top of cakes and decorate with icing flowers.

Un-iced cakes suitable to freeze. White chocolate mixture suitable to microwave

Mine looked slightly different from the pictureBlessings Sharon xx <><

At last

I don' believe it but it has taken me over a year to get started after the initial start last September 2007 after following my daughter in laws blogs. She is a great photogragher and I love to see what photos she has taken. then in April this year her parents Dot and Terry were out from Canada and we enjoyed a great time with them at the Whitsundays on an amazing Sailing ship called Pacific Sunrise (fully catered). I would totally recommend it to anyone travelling to the Whitsundays. http://www.whitsundaycoralcruises.com/ We have been sailing there a few times before but I'd have to say having it all catered is the way to go. The staff were amazing, the food sensational, and being a small sailing ship made it very intimate and friendly.

Dot shared her sister Judy's blog (My Front Porch) http://www.judys-front-porch.blogspot.com/which really got me hooked I have been following it ever since and so many others and sometimes you can sit for hours just pouring over what everyone else is up to on the other side of the world and so you get hooked. I guess the time factor has been one of the reasons for my hesitation because I know I will find it hard to do what I should be doing and choose to check into the blog world and lose myself but so what it is time well spent... as you are encouraged and lifted up in your spirit of womanhood from women with so much talent and love to share.. and Godly inspiration... so I have begun my journey to share my world, and realise that there is a much bigger world then my small space. I look forward to meeting you all soon!

Dot and Terry at the beautiful Whitsunday's It is famous for sailing as there are many islands and safe havens. You can go out to the great Barrier Reef and there are some wonderful snorkelling areas to see tropical fish.. and one of the most famous beaches in the world known for its white sand called Whitehaven Beach where many people get dropped off by seaplane to picnic or get married.