Easy Orange Cake - egg and dairy free

Well this is a first for me. I am on blogging someone else post. Well done Anne for this recipe. Click on the link to take you to her recipe and blog. This is egg and dairy free , which all my nieces are and I am always trying to find food they can eat that is different. I also think that with lowering the oven a tiny bit and changing the oil that it might be OK for Kerryn (minus the buttercream icing)  Domesblissity: Easy Orange Cake:  

I am only linking back to the lovely Anne and her blog post

Yes I paint

From this

To this

A close up of the weird texture of the wall

For those of you that know me well - It is a very well known fact that whenever Aaron travels for work I paint!! Now I am not talking about lovely pictures for relaxing and craft. I am talking about remodeling. Whenever I was pregnant and Aaron was working overseas he would give me strict instructions NOT TO PAINT. I struggled. All my lovely extended family once came to my rescue as they knew I wanted the soon to be baby room, repainted and they were worried I would do it - so they all came and did it for me!! How fantastic a family I married into.

Anyway. This time the painting was a lot smaller than I had planned. I had the paint etc ready to go for Aaron's next trip. So on Thursday at 2pm when he found out he was on a plane at 4pm I started planning!! I had forgotten some vital things for the repainting of the windowsills and door surrounds so had to flag that, but I did get the feature wall behind the fireplace done.

The rusty colour was very worn and ragged and very tired. But it was a stucco finish so when I repainted it a paler colour the blemishes do show. As we got new carpet and painted the walls in December last year this and the window surround are the last thing to do before getting new curtains. Wow may actually get it finished!!!

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Sewing Kit for my son

Well with Eli being really excited about quilting and using the sewing machine, I knew what he needed for his birthday. He had asked me to make a lanyard like the one I use with my snips on the end. So I have sewed him a little boxed zip pouch with his name on it. I used the material that he used on his quilt.

Then I sewed a Lanyard out of the same material and just made it shorter than mine. Added a pin cushion and pins, a tape measure, quick unpick and it is now all wrapped up for his birthday.

Eli has never particularly focussed on his birthday but this year he has been counting down since 61 days before. So I had to add a photo of his countdown. I am a bit worried that his birthday will not live up to his expectations. So I am planning lots of little envelopes to appear on the hour with different things to do next (like a sort of day long treasure hunt).

In later years I will not be able to post before a birthday. But thankfully at the moment he does not read my blog unless I open it for him!

I link to these places and Finish it up Friday

The countdown calendar

I made a throne

From this

To this

From this

To this

A couple of weeks ago Aaron told me that the computer seat was too hard and his bottom got sore. Now I use that seat to do my day job and I have not found it to be a problem. Then I forgot about it. He re mentioned it on Thursday saying it had needed a cushion and why hadn't I made it yet.

So I looked, hmm it is a bit hard but I felt that it was a bit of a royal statement! So I ripped the old fabric off. Found some foam and wadding and stapled that on, then put on a layer of green velvet - that should be fit for a king's bottom. Stapled it all up and reinserted in the chair. It is not the most perfect redo that I have done, but I do have to say that it is more comfy. It got the royal seal of approval last night.         I link to these places

A black and white quilt

Over the last week I have been working on yet another quilt for Hope Homes International. This quilt started as material and blocks donated by Julie (who comes to the quilting weekend in Living Springs each year). She donated this all in 2010 the year before the earthquakes. She had four blocks finished which I just had to sew together. I have then expanded it with all the left over material she gave.

As always I thought it would take me one night to do, but it took longer. I sewed and cut all the extra, plus I have the binding cut and made. The backing is hanging on the washing line today so I hope to sandwich it all together tonight.

Now I have four quilts to quilt and bind at my weekend away - plus 4 shirt aprons to make. A jacket to adjust, a hat to make, start a quilt for Eli etc etc etc. Hmm have I got too many expectations again??? Or maybe I just wont sleep when I am there!!

I link to these places and WIP Wednesday

The good and the bad

I know we have been through a lot. I know that our household have been one of the luckier ones, only helping out and housing others, not actually losing our property. I know we have had over 10000 quakes and aftershocks and some had me saying that I would leave if there was another big one. I have sadly had to help businesses close down as they can no longer run.

A lot of awful things are still happening to people and places and sometimes it becomes too hard to take and you think you cannot take one more thing.

BUT - I love the changes. I love the thinking outside the square. I love the innovation, the creativity, the chance to try something completely new and not stick to normal formulas. I love some new businesses that have been created where they would never have had the opportunity. I love the opportunities my new job gives and how my kids don't have to go to afterschool care anymore.

I love pallets and so when I found this little garden in Sydenham I had to take photos. I love the positive message in huge mural on the wall, the new buildings being built to allow businesses to reshape and people to be reemployed.

I am choosing today to take the positives out of all that has happened as I felt so interested, uplifted and positive about CHCH when I went through the town yesterday.

Love and Light

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What to eat and drink while watching the All Blacks

Well the All Black vs France - 3rd Test is on in 20 minutes.
The food is almost ready to go.

1.Mulled Wine - it is so cold outside. This is made with a bottle of very cheap Merlot, 1/2 cup brown sugar, two star anise, 1 cinnamon stick and the juice and rind of a lime. It is warm and yummy

2. Greek chicken skewers - strips of chicken breast, zest of a lime, 3 cloves garlic crushed, 1/2 cup thick natural yogurt and some chopped mint. Mix all together and let marinate for 1/2 hour. Put onto skewers and fry quickly in the pan.
Serve with dipping sauces - we have Labneh (made by straining natural yougurt), tomatoe sauce and Sweet chilli sauce

3. Potatoe wedges - slice up potatoes, add 2 Tablespoons oil, sprinkle on paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast in oven 200oC fan bake.

4. Crostini - made from the leftover bread from lunch, slice thinly and bake in same oven for 15 minutes. Heat some black olives for an accompaniment.

YUMMY
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Hot Olives

Wedges roasting

The sauces

Cosy at home on this cold day.

After a lovely cruisey morning with coffee in bed I I went and started doing the glasshouse but my hands just got too cold. So back inside and made some Olive and Pesto Flat bread and had a family game of Monopoly - as usual Aaron had the monopoly on the game from the start. I was the first person bankrupt! But a great family day indoors.

Cold but no snow

Well over the last couple of days I have wanted a snow day. So did the boys. I had visions of doing heaps of sewing in front of a roaring fire.

I have managed to get a lot more completed. I have pinned out one more quilt for Hope Homes International. (This quilt top was made by a group of us before the earthquakes occured) I have made the binding for the other two quilts that I pinned out.

Eli pulled a groin muscle and was finding it hard to walk so he really enjoyed being home from school today (and Morris was appreciative of a warm knee).

Another charity quilt

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Happy dog

Two quilt tops done

I wanted to label this blog post "Old married couple fulfilling their passions at night!!" but imagine what that would do to a search engine!!!!!!

Tonight I have been sandwiching a quilt top and Aaron has been Xbox racing. Both in the same room, not really talking to each other, but enjoying what we are doing with the fire on. Contentment.

Double Hourglass block

The quilt is made of flannelette - being my usual recycled PJ's. I started it on Saturday night when a few of us had a wee get together, then finished the piecing last night. It is made from the left over blocks of this quilt.
A few extra rows around the edge make it big enough for a child's quilt. So this is destined for the Orphanage in Kenya that I support - Hope Homes International.

The other quilt was made by a group of us who came to my house about once a month to specifically make quilts for Hope Homes. But the earthquakes have put a stop to that and with all the stuff that goes on, it has never restarted.

I have just done a count up of the quilts I have. 5 single  or slightly bigger completely finished quilts, 1 completely finished cot quilt, 2 bassinet quilts donated. I also now have these two quilt tops done and sandwiched ready for quilting (I am already stockpiling my things to do on my big quilting weekend away in July). Plus there is another quilt top that I need to sandwich ready to go. I also have one half quilted top and some other blocks donated by Shirley that I need to stitch together. Jeanette was halfway through a gorgeous purple quilt when the first earthquake hit - hopefully that one will get finished too.

I am aiming to get quilts for every child in a house. There are currently 2 houses plus some kids being raised at the Missionaries house. So all up I need 30 quilts at the moment. So if any of you have any quilts you have made that you don't like. Or 1/2 finished that you don't want to do - I am keen to take them off your hands.

I link to these places and here 

Am I crazy??

Removed the rotten edging from this bed

Why is it that I always do massive garden reconstructions in the worst weather? It is almost that I have bad weather and realise that it would be sensible to stay indoors but that means I am just itching to get outside.

Today I was going to get on with all my quilt and UFO organisation. BUT instead I have had the sledgehammer out and pulled one garden bed to bits and am redoing the glasshouse.

A month ago Aaron told me that he would like to see the rather ramshackle garden beds looking a bit better. I have a wee pile of bricks so am going to make a brick bed. But sigh, he will not let me take over any more lawn so I have pulled apart a bed that was falling to bits.  I think he is a brave man telling me to brick. Goodness knows how that will turn out!!!!!

Cleared out the glasshouse

So today I pulled the bed to bits - I will put the chickens in it over the next couple of weeks. I used some of the edging that had not rotted and some edging from another bed Aaron has been demolishing and directed it to the glasshouse.

I am trying to make more of a walkway that will not have all the dirt slide onto it over the summer and it will also allow me to build up the beds.

All of this on a day that there are severe rain warnings out and I swear I thought it would snow!!!

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Cleared out these beds, planted spring onion and garlic

My rather solid new edging to my glasshouse path