Amazing chocolate cake

At work the tradition is that on your birthday you bring in a cake. Everyone stands around the office, eats cake and has a bit of time out chatting about non work stuff.

I made this cake. I don't normally use this recipe as only Jakob and I really like it and I do not need to eat a whole cake myself!! Plus it uses two blocks of chocolate. This is a super dense, very nutty flavoured cake. The interesting thing is that the nutty flavour comes from putting fresh breadcrumbs in the mixture. Yes there are some almonds which enhance that. But when I first tried this cake I thought it must have been packed with almonds.

This is Kris recipe. I miss her. She is a great friend and when your great friend is on the other side of the world it is difficult to keep up to date. So thanks for making this cake and sharing the recipe Kris.

Kris's nutty chocolate cake.
250g butter
250g plain dark chocolate (over 60% cocoa solids)
250g Castor sugar (fine sugar NOT confectioners sugar)
250g ground almond
6 eggs
125g  fresh bread crumbs (which is about 4 slices of toast bread)

icing - 150g dark chocolate
           1 Tablespoon clear honey
           75g butter
180oC for 45min-1hr  in a 10 inch round cake tin

melt choc, cool. Cream butter and sugar and add eggs one at a time. It does curdle with that many eggs, but don't panic. Pour in chocolate and mix. Add almonds and breadcrumbs and fold in until coated.
Cook. If you want, when it is out of the oven you can prick holes in the top and pour over 2 tablespoons brandy.

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It's not just me!!

When I was away on my yearly quilting retreat I sat by Colleen. Now that it not unusual in itself but it was really funny that we were in the same seating this year and we were the only two people using recycled fabric. I wished I had a photo of what Colleen made. She had all her husbands old business shirts that had worn through at the collar and cuffs and had cut them into rectangles and made it into the most gorgeous summer beachy look quilt. 

Colleen and I upcycling a storm

I was also using business shirts big time. My nightie had ripped as the back was just so worn. But the bottom material was still really good (it also had been a refashion). So I still needed a nightie as I was short. Add one blue and white pinstripped business shirt and voila, a new nightie. All the binding ws made by me too. The blue binding at the bust and sleeve was another cotton shirt and the neck binding was a stripe business shirt.

So for those who know the band "Flight of the Concords", due to the material this nightie is made from I have named it "business time"!
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Number 20 which I think is the best yet

Yes this is Number 20 Charity quilt for the kids at Hope Homes International. 23 is the goal at the moment and I am shipping in a couple of weeks. A few weeks ago I posted about Hazel gifting me piles of material and books for the orphans. In amongst it all were a few unfinished quilts.

Pining it all together

Stipple quilting

As soon as I saw this I knew I had to finish it and get it away with the others. There were two very large corners completed and some rows. So after a bit of unpicking, straightening and then sewing together, voila this amazing quilt. It took me a total of one day from 9am to 9pm to sew, pin, baste, quilt and bind.

To get it pumped out quickly I just reverted to large stipple quilting as that is my fastest technique.

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Black currant jam

We have no Jam in the house. Wow unbelievable. So I rummaged through the freezer and found 1.5kg of black currants. Aaron is away for work, the boys are in bed, so I whipped up 8 jars of jam. Yummy. I used my recipe here

Had some of the end bits all warm over cold vanilla icecream, so yes!!!

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Fabulous Birthday

Well another year older. I was really blessed by lots of people for my birthday. The girls made me cupcakes for birthday cake and gave me lovely homemade cards and a framed collage. My sister, niece and nephew sang me a gorgeous happy birthday over the phone, I wasn't as gracious as I could have been as it woke me and I was in a bit of a fog when answering!!

Aaron and I went out to Chillingworth Road fine dining and had an 8 course degustation menu. Wow it was amazing. I did try to convince him that the six course one was enough but we went 8. I could not eat the last one, but it was stunning food.

Then as a family we all went to live jazz at Freemans on Sunday afternoon.

Fine Dining at Chillingworth Road

Wearing my designer dress!

This is now a typical scene at family outings

Carmen and friends playing jazz

Older and wiser!!

It gets messier before it gets tidy

That is the conclusion I came to when trying to tidy my sewing area.

 With working full time I just do not have the time to get behind the sewing machine and when I do there are so many projects that I find it hard to start. So I did a huge clean up. Part of this is also inspired by a second hand sewing cabinet that I bought and want to use. But it does not have storage so I need to sort through my stuff first.

I think it is going to take another few sorting out days before I get there!!!
Poor old Jakob had to have four teeth taken out. They were wobbly and the adult teeth were protuding through the gum but somehow instead of pushing out the little teeth they went sideways. This is post extraction. He was so good but did find it a bit much.

Bright colours on my sewing machine.

I have been pottering around trying to tidyup my sewing area. Sitting on my table was a box of scraps and bits that Tiina sent me when I became her 80th follower. So I thought that I would use them on something that reminded me of her. She makes the most amazing zip purses and bags out of scraps. So I started with her fabrics and added more of my own.  

I now have two sides ready to quilt. Tiina makes use of much smaller pieces, so my one is not going to be as elegant as hers. She also has been making a few quilts that I had never seen patterns for before. I love them. 

In amongst the bits I also found a pile of gingham strips ready to be made into binding, and finally made them up. Do go and check out Tiina's blog as it translates ok into english and she does lovely quilting.

In amongst all of this I have been busy mowing the lawn, pruning the roses and putting out the sawdust we have as a mulch. So much to do and so little time!!!

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19 quilts ready to go

Finally we are organising sending all the quilts off to Hope Homes International for the orphans beds. There are 19 quilts completely finished, which has taken about four years!!

I pulled all the quilts out of all the little hidey holes around the house and am busy labeling who made them, who donated material etc. They are all going to get displayed at church on Sunday so I am hoping the everyone will be impressed and maybe be inspired to send a bit more to this place.

So many people have donated so much for this to occur. A huge thanks to Hazel who is clearing out her house for earthquake repairs and called me to pick up all this wonderful material, books etc.

I am still praying and hoping to get a few more or have some donated as there are currently 23 kids in the orphanage and another 5 living with the directors of the orphanage. But it will happen over time.

I link to these places and crazy mum quilts.

Refashion - Now a merino tunic

Over the last week I have been working on this Merino tunic. I was inspired by a blog I follow "Sew outside the lines" and especially all her refashions of jersey's into tunics - look at the one in the bottom of this post.

After

Jodi used to call her blog "Re-inventing fashion" and that was when I started following. I would love to attend one of her workshops and keep asking why does she not come to NZ?!!

Anyway - after looking at lots of her photos and trying to work out how she does it, this is what I ended up with. Not like hers at all as I have left it opening rather than pull on. Also I cannot quite work out how she uses the sleeves etc, but I know she does.

The cowl restitched on the neck

The back

This is in aim to be warmer at work. If I am out talking the the guys on the floor it is open to the elements and freezing. I want to have a woolen garment that I can use as another layer over anything I am wearing. So black was the choice.

This jersey was given to me by my friend Susan when we visited her in Kerikeri last time. It had a huge cowl neck that in the end was just too big for me, but ended up being a fantastic collar on this and also cut for extra pieces down the front.

Adding the sleeves into the body created some funny shapes around the bottom of the article, some of it I have left as it is quirky, some I have turned into a more straight diagonal look.

The cowl used to tidy up the front bottom

Before

Pretty happy with my first attempt. It will live at work and keep me warm.

Linking up to these places and Crazy Mum Quilts.

revamp a Bean Bag

I had this material sitting around for over a year, all with the intention of redoing Eli's bean bag and other things for his room. I think I need one of the lists - where all my items I want to sew, that I already have the material for  - gets visible to it actually gets actioned!!!

A year ago I finished one for Aaron and meant to get this one done the next week!! Goodness my procrastination is getting long. 

Slowly getting organised for Eli's birthday. I have turned his old Bob the Builder bean bag (say that fast!) into a more up to date, pre teen bean bag seat. His room has the NZ fern material for the covering of other things so it will fit in well. Made more of my own bias binding for this and am pleased with how the bias binding set in this time. I am getting better at sewing it.

I am finding working so many more hours is taking a bit of getting adjusted to, so the sewing and crafting has bottomed out at the moment. Am getting some knitting done on the couch some nights.

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Red Riding Hood's Grandmother

Yes, Eli went to mufti day (raising money for the 40 hour famine) as Red Riding Hood's grandmother who had just come out of the shower. Looking good!!!

Awesome family day

Today the weather was super cold but we had a lovely time after church. Got Eli's birthday present from the Mall, went out to lunch on a voucher that I won at a quizz night. (sat next to Owen Franks the Allblack). Then ended up with a punt on the Avon River. The wonderful people gave us blankets and hot water bottles to keep us warm.
These photos are a few selfies we took.

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Started healthy but will it continue?....

Tomorrow I start my new job. This requires a lot more planning than my old job where I could just pop through the park from home. Now I have a 35 minute commute (on a bade day 1hr10min). So lunches must be done at night and ready just to take out of the fridge.

So today it is minted pea and feta salad. Home made pickled beetroot, one homemade yoyo and one bought biscuit, an apple and a green tea and Moroccan mint tea bag.

Here is hoping that I can keep this sort of meal going for at least 3 out of 4 days a week. Plus I have my breakfast ready, chopped apple, Greek yogurt, chopped fresh walnuts (from my father) and some bran cereal.

All snuggly for winter

Yeah, a finished item. This scarf is a angora rabbit wool scarf. The wool is so unbelievably soft. I am slowly using all the wool from a jersey I unpicked (see back here) from the Op Shop.

It had to be really really long to be able to double over and wear like this. But Aaron was clear that was how he wanted to wear a scarf and who am I but to oblige him? He has worn it every day since I finished blocking it. 

Over the years I have knitted Aaron heaps of jersey's etc so he did not need any more of those. But when I finished my snood just before winter both the boys and Aaron loved it. Hence the beginning of a scarf for Aaron - two months later and it is done.

The best photo of my gorgeous husband, was no good as he had his eyes shut. Not only do I want to show off the scarf but my gorgeous man as well!!!

Then last night I put the rest of the wool to use as Jakob wants a hat with ear flaps.

I link to these places and finish it up Friday with Crazy Mum Quilts.

Friands

I had no idea how easy they were (well that is if you remember to put all the ingredients in!!).

Recently I went to see my Dad as he was recovering from an Operation. While there I noticed a friand tin in the cupboards. My mother had thought it was a muffin tin. So she handed it over on the promise of Friands when they next visit.

I finally plucked the courage to make them. I had put it off as the ingredients are not cheap. The first batch I was too busy and after they came out of the oven and looked right etc, but did not taste as delicious as I thought they should, I found the melted butter in the microwave!!!

So second attempt  - much more successful. A total hit in our house. Everyone had two and wanted more.

I went through heaps of recipes that are on the internet and in the end this was what I did:

Friand
160g butter - melt in microwave

into bowl sift
1 3/4 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup flour

add in 1 cup Almond meal and stir well.

Fork beat 6 eggwhites until just fluffy and add 1 teaspoon vanilla paste.

use a pastry brush and the melted butter to grease the friand tin (or use a muffin tin or silicon), then use a little flour to dust the tins. I used a friand tin and a tupperware silicon muffin tin and greased and floured them both.

Add all the remaining butter into the mixture and stir well. It will be the consistency of a thick batter. Half fill 12 tins. If the mixture has not all been used then put more into each container. Do not make more than 12.

Bake 180 20-23minutes.
cool in tin for 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven.

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Sausage making and a quilting frame

On the weekend we stayed overnight at my sisters place. Essentially to watch the All Blacks thrash Great Britain in rugby - yeah.


Being a bit of a wine and food buff family we did not want to drink and drive. On Sunday morning Anna and Mark got out the sausage making machine and made lamb and beef sausages with herbs and red wine. Yummy . Lunch was said sausages, mash and crunchy salad.

I was thrilled as I managed to work out how to string sausages like a butcher. I was really proud of my efforts.

Though it was just a tiny bit of help as the sausage making actually took a bit of time. I was the lady of leisure in the spa while they did the hard work.

On Friday I spent the day with Anna helping her put her quilt onto her brand new quilting frame. Very exciting. By the time we came back on Saturday night she was well underway on the quilt for the campervan.

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Low Volume quilt - for charity

Yay another quilt completed. My attempt at low volume quilting is not as low as some. But compared to my normal choice of heaps of colour, this is muted! Finally getting to try one of the style of quilts from a blogger I follow - Crazy mum quilts

I have been following Amy's quilting adventures on how to free motion quilt. This is challenging me but I am also finding that new patterns and ideas are not as hard as they look. So this months challenge was grid quilting.

I drew all the lines on the quilt with taylors chalk at 60o angles.

It took me a wee while to work out how to continuously quilt the pattern, so I used a rough piece of paper to practice in pen before getting the quilt near the machine. I think next time I would do the pattern smaller. I love it though.

Super happy that this is another quilt for Hope Homes International.

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Calm after the storm

Oh my goodness. Today everyone was home!!. We were waiting at the bus stop for school when we were advised it was closed due to flooding. Aaron worked from home and I had a day off interviews etc. But it took till about 1pm for our house to settle and then I had to pop over to work.

We jokingly called this Longsilver Lake - taken outside work. Thankfully none of the guys blew their motors this time. Last time two of the apprentices tried to drive through and bust their vehicles. 

This was Little Longsilver - the water in the actual shed area.

I walked the boys and Morris in the rain to the Library and we got the next lot of books. Boys dry and settled down to reading. 

Aaron working in the bedroom - had a bit of a laugh here as I had to take a second photo to give him time to suck his tummy in!! Great being an IT geek - means if you have Wifi you can work anywhere.

I managed to get my quilt onto the floor and started pining it all together.