Wednesday 30 November 2011

Westfield Carindale, you have failed me

Little Miss L and I pounded the... carpet (?) today at our suburban shopping mecca aka Westfield Carindale. I love that place, but today I feel that it failed me.

Car parking was scarce; I couldn't find what I was looking for in the menswear departments of Myer OR David; the pram friendly options to get up and/or down the centre were few and far apart; the parents room was like a circus... Sigh.

But we soldiered on. I channeled Betty Draper in this frock.



Has anyone been into Metalicus lately? We popped in there for a squiz. Some awesome bright colours and prints going on in there. I love love love this jacket. I was tempted by the shopping Gods today with a $30 voucher to spend at Metalicus, but I did not cave.


One of the lovely girls at Myer told me about an awesome website called HopShopGo. OMG. I can't believe I didn't know about this website already. My credit card balance probably thanks me. But you can shop online at any US store and it ships your items to your assigned US address, and then they ship it to you wherever you may be! Brilliant!

We may have made a little purchase online for Mr B's Christmas present this afternoon! Hopefully it gets here in time.

C xo

Tuesday 29 November 2011

A day of firsts

Today was a day of firsts for Little Miss L.

The first first - We went to the pool for a refreshingly cool dip seeing as it is beyond a joke with the heat in Brisbane at the moment. It was her first ever swim at the pool and she loved it. Well, she was a bit unsure at first and had a look of  "what the hell is going on here?" on her face, but after a while she settled down and really enjoyed it.

The second first - A number two in the bath. I saw her do it and pulled her out straight away. I then had to toss up the 'scoop it up or push it down the drain hole' options. I scooped. It was not pleasant. Mr B is out at a work function tonight. Lucky for him, he missed this first.

C xo

Monday 28 November 2011

Shopping Ban Update: Nearly 3 Months! (p.s. apparently I have 'once again' contravened the rules)

I'm nearly at the half way mark. 5th December will mark 3 months since I started my Shopping Ban road to glory... I'm only a week away... but Mr B claims I have contravened the rules of my shopping ban with this purchase:

Behold the Straw Hat


Yep, that's right. This little straw hat with the pretty pink ribbon that cost only a measly $12.95 from Trade Secret is the subject of such contravention. My argument is that I needed a hat for summer as we are going to be spending our summer holidays at the beach. My existing white ribbon Gregory Ladner hat from David offers excellent sun protection, but leaves an ugly imprint on my head when I take it off. He argued that the hat was not a need, but a want and does not offer sufficient sun protection, thus contravening Rule #3 of the Shopping Ban - I only must buy things that I actually NEED.

Hmmpph. He could be right, but it was only $12.95 so I'm moving on people.

In other Shopping Ban related news, look at these superior high end designer items that are heavily discounted on The Outnet. Totally. Obsessed. Thanks to one Faux Fuchsia. I have had these items sitting in my virtual shopping bag all weekend.......

Vanessa Bruno dress
M Missoni top

Willow dress
I have been trying over and over in my head to justify their purchase, but I can't. I just can't. Well, at least not while I'm on the shopping ban, but if I wasn't - The Vanessa Bruno dress would be perfect for a spring/summer wedding, the Missoni top could be worn with denim cut offs, jeans, black pants, white skirt, it could be transeasonal also, and the Willow dress looks so comfortable and effortlessly cool, plus it would hide all of my lumps and bumps. I think I would wear these items for years to come... alas they cannot be mine.

Damn Shopping Ban.

C xo

Friday 25 November 2011

Fashion Friday: Festive Flamenco

Hi. This is me today. A bit festive. A bit flamenco.



This very bright arrangement was purchased yonks ago from a boutique called 'Valley Girl'. Who would have thunk it? Its stretchy and has shirring around the waist. Talk about comfort factor.

Dress: Valley Girl
Singlet: Witchery

Hope you have a fabulous weekend planned!

C xo

Thursday 24 November 2011

Nail Trend to Try: One glittery nail

I found this image yesterday and was inspired to try the cute nail trend this chicky babe is rockin'.


My version is not as dramatic due purely to not having the right resources... but I don't mind it. Its subtle!



I'm wearing: Sephora by OPI in Nonfat Soy Half Caff and Natio Nail Colour Star. I'm also having a little arm party with my Tiffany bracelet from Mr B and Murano glass bracelet from my friend L.

C xo

Wednesday 23 November 2011

A Hot Mess

So, being a busy Mum who is often time poor and/or dealing with a noisy almost 10 month old has really made me streamline my 'get ready' routine. Here are some of my quick tips for looking hot and less 'mess'.

1. Dry Shampoo

It really does work wonders. When its day 3 after your last shampoo and condition and you don't have time to wash that hair, a good ol' spray of dry shampoo works wonders. If you don't have dry shampoo, a sprinkling of baby powder works fine too (just make sure you rub it in so you're not left with a white residue)

2. Messy bun

If not even dry shampoo can save your do, a messy bun will. This is how I like to do mine:
: Tie hair back and secure with a hair elastic (either high or low, depending on where you would like your bun to sit)
: Twist the pony tail and then twirl around your hair band and secure with either another hair band that matches your hair colour, or bobby pins
: Now, to give your hair a messy 'lived in' feel, rub your palms all over the top of your head to make a sort of fuzzy halo over your head. See picture to get the 'moves'!

3. Mineral makeup

This stuff is brilliant. I love it. It is so easy and quick to apply and gives you great coverage, plus it has a natural SPF in it which is a massive bonus. Just twirl your brush in the makeup, tap off excess, and buff onto your face. Easy!

4. Eyelash Curler and Mascara

Mascara is a MUST. It makes your eyes pop and look brighter, and you will feel more 'done' and your significant other will notice. Promise. I also love a quick squeeze of the eyelash curler as I have very short, straight lashes. The extra 30 seconds it takes to curl your lashes really does make a difference.

5. Dangly earrings

Look, I know they're not baby friendly, but seriously, they make you feel way more dressed up, even if you're hair is dirty and you're wearing a stained shirt, the earrings will make you look glam.

6. Pretty shoes

Whilst its not practical for a Mum to get around in 9 inch heels, you can still wear shoes that are comfortable AND pretty and that are not joggers or thongs. This will also make you feel 100% more dressed up than you actually are. I'm partial to a metallic flat sandal, or a nude wedge personally.

And there you have it! My quick tips for looking like a hot Mumma less the mess!

C xo

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Party Dresses

Its coming into that time of year - party season - work Christmas parties, child care / mums group break up parties, dinner parties, bar-b-ques, Christmas day celebrations, etc and the age old question crops up... what am I going to wear??!!!

This is my first year in 8 years that I haven't had to worry about finding an outfit to wear to my work Christmas party. I know the feeling well though. You want a prettynice and flattering, but something that differs from your usual Monday to Friday work wear get up.

So I thought I'd put together a bit of a party dress inspiration board to help you make that outfit shopping a little bit easier. These are the three dress types that I'm loving sick right now. The maxi, the white dress and the print dress.

First off, the maxi dress. Easy to wear and can be dressed up for a night time party with some platform heels or wedges, or it can be dressed down for a bbq with sandals.

1. Portmans cobalt blue animal print maxi 99.95 2. Liz Jordan (available at Noni B) beaded dress $149.95 3. Portmans botanical print dress $129.95

Secondly, the LWD (or little white dress). Also very summery and trending right now.

1. Keepsake In My Memory dress $129.95 (available at Freez) 2. Living Doll Daisy dress $89.95 3. Forever New Claudia cotton sundress $99.95

And last but not least, the print dress. My absolute fave. Fun and playful, cute and girly.

1. Elise polka dot dress $199.95 available at Birdsnest 2. Leona Edmiston Katrina tropical dress $195 3. Gorman chevron stripe dress $249

The other thing I'm loving: that you can buy ALL of these dresses online. Let me know if you want the links!

C xo

Monday 21 November 2011

Friday arvo and weekend happenings

All day Friday I spent checking my emails... constantly... waiting to hear back from the HR lady at my work re: next year. She told me on Thursday that she'd be sending through an email on Friday and then following me up with a phone call to talk through some things. But at 2:45pm when I STILL hadn't heard anything, I decided that Little Miss L and I couldn't sit around the house all day. So off we went to the nice, cool, air-conditioned shops. There, we wandered into Big W as I needed to buy a watering can and some Christmas cards and we also checked out the Christmas decorations.

I try and buy only one new ornament for the tree a year, but Big W had too many cute decorations to pass up. Plus I wanted to get Little Miss L a 'First Christmas 2011' themed ornament as well. I have been eyeing off an expensive Wedgwood one at David, and while it was so nice, it was also way out of the budget at $50.

So, for the bargain price of $33, we got all of this:


Baby's first Christmas shoe ornament, Babushka doll ornament, World Globe ornament, multi-coloured Merry Christmas garland, pack of 24 blank cards, tin of Danish butter cookies (Mr B's favourite), and a 2 pack of Blu-stik. Score! We then went to K-Mart and got a 9L watering can for $6. Another bargain.

And the stupid HR lady didn't email OR call me, so I'm glad we went out instead of hanging around at home waiting for her. Grrr.

On Saturday we headed off to the markets. We got heaps of fruit and vegies, some yummy decadent slices for morning tea, and a bunch of the most sweet smelling peonies. None of the lighter pink were left, so we got these fuchsia pink ones. One bunch was $12.50, and two bunches were $20, so Mum got a bunch too and we payed $10 each. Another bargain!



Sunday we headed out for coffee with my Mum and brother at Lady Marmalade in Stones Corner. The cafe was totally cute and eclectic. There was a bit of a confusing moment when the barista asked me my table number/mascot... They have cute little figurines as the table 'numbers' which I didn't realise... ours was a lorikeet. The coffee was good and reasonably priced. There were some yummy looking slices and cakes, but I didn't indulge.

Mum, Little Miss L and I went for a stroll up Logan Road to look at all of the shops... It was quite depressing. What used to be a vibrant street filled with a variety of discount and outlet shops is now practically empty with only a few dodgy shoe shops and dollar shops occupying the area. There were however a couple of diamonds amongst the rough. Miss Savage, Pash and Jorj Clothing are small boutiques that have a great selection of clothing, shoes and accessories. I will definitely have to keep them in mind once the shopping ban is over!

C xo

Friday 18 November 2011

Fashion Friday: DIY denim cut-offs


I DIY'd my denim cut-off shorts this morning. I can't do short shorts. I just do not have the legs for them. My short stumpy wide legs are a family trait from my Dad's side. I fear that Little Miss L will inherit my short stumpy legs. Early indications are that she already has.

I ran my sharp material scissors along the cut edge of the shorts to give them a bit of a kick start, although I need to wash them to get that full on frayed edge effect.

Shorts: Op shop jeans diy'd into cut-off shorts
Top: See by Chloe

What are your plans for the weekend? Little Miss L and I are off to the Rocklea markets in the morning with Mum. So looking forward to getting some fresh fruit and vegies, buying some herbs for my new herb garden, and eating a bacon and egg muffin. Mr B is golfing it up this weekend for work so us girls will have to fend for ourselves!

C xo

Thursday 17 November 2011

Pretty Dress + Whinge Fest 2011

So in love with this dress from Leona Edmiston its not funny.


So NOT in love with the price tag.

In other news, I'm going to whinge. Here we go.

1) I'm such a complete klutz. I drop a lot of things. Ask Mr B, he'll tell you. This morning I spilled my coffee not once, but TWICE. Uggh. That's right, I'm whinging about myself.

2) I'm so completely disheartened by the price of our grocery bill these days. Today was $158.15. Really? And we didn't even buy that much, although we did get a bit of meat and a box of nappies. My sister in law J went to Aldi this week and saved $100 for the fortnight. I'm going to try Aldi next week - only downfall is they don't do online shopping so I'll have to venture out either with Little Miss L in tow or when my Mum can look after her.

3) My cockatiel 'Coco' won't shut up. Every morning he screams the house down with his loud, high pitched, incessant 'meh! meh! meh!' and its driving me nuts. I think he might be bored. He gets less attention now that Little Miss L is in the world. Poor Coco.

4) Why does it always, ALWAYS look like rain on the days that I want to do the washing?

5) Back fat rolls. I can see and feel those love handles on my back (you know the ones near your hips) growing. Uggh. I really need to get more active.

And that's my whinge for today. Sorry for venting but I really just needed to get it off my chest.

C xo

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Things I Love: Morning Rituals



Every morning I have a ritual... or routine if you will. And I love it.

: Little Miss L wakes up around 5:30am.
: I make a cup of tea, we get Mr B's snacks ready for work, we watch a bit of tv and play on the floor.
: Little Miss L has a bottle at 6:00am
: She has cereal at around 6:30am
: I eat my breakfast (and share it with Little Miss L as she's always eyeing it off despite just having a bottle AND cereal)
: I do the dishes and tidy up the kitchen around 7:00am
: Little Miss L and I wave goodbye to Mr B from the front porch at around 7:20am
: We play, I get washing organised, or sweep the floor, or do the groceries online while Little Miss L plays or watches ABC Kids
: Little Miss L goes back to bed around 7:45am
: I make our bed
: I wash my face, get dressed, put make up on
: And then at around 8:30am I come out and make a coffee. This is my favourite part of the morning. Little Miss L is in bed. The house is relatively tidy. There's no stress. No worries. I check my favourite blogs. I start thinking about what the hell I'm going to blog about today.

Today I'm sitting on my back deck, drinking my coffee, blogging and trying to catch a cool breeze (its so stinkin' hot in Brisbane at the moment. 31 degrees today! Uggh!).

I was really scared about next year with me returning to work and having to start a new morning routine that would most likely be rushed and hurried... But now I'm not sure if I will have that issue. A little part of me is happy though. It would be good to spend some more time with Little Miss L.

C xo

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I am so excited... Our first Christmas as parents. I know that Little Miss L won't remember this Christmas, but Mr B and I surely will. I can't wait.

Santa has arrived at our local Westfield. Is it wrong to make Little Miss L sit on his lap for a photo? I'm not sure how she's going to go with it, as we discovered over the weekend that she is absolutely terrified of our garden gnome. And Santa kind of looks like a bigger version of the garden gnome... red pointy hat, white beard, round tummy, etc... Hmmmm...

Anyway, I've been talking about setting up the tree for a while now, but I can't bring myself to put it up before December. Mr B was suggesting that we don't put it up at all this year as we're going to be away for the week over Christmas. Ummm, I think not Mr B! We have to have the tree up every year! He then proclaimed that I will need to be in charge of putting the tree up and down. Fine. Whatever (you'll cave and help me).

I've also been looking for some cute diy tree ornaments and decorations... My Mum's tree has a great selection of diy decorations - some that she made and some that my brother and sisters and myself made at primary school. I just love it and I want my tree to be exactly the same.  I found this pic on Pinterest that I love.


But I've never felted wool before and you know, time and the lack of it, that's a big factor also... And then I stumbled across this cute website: Lark and I found this cute as a button garland... Its so sweet and I want it so so bad!


But we're on a budget so I might just have to whip up a few of these instead... I have all the materials already!


Have you ever made any Christmas decorations?

C xo

Monday 14 November 2011

She wore an itsy bitsy polka dot... one piece

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was a good one spent with family visiting from Bundaberg, doing odd jobs around the house, and eating yummy Italian food - a nice relaxing and low key weekend.

On Saturday I had to pop in to Coles to pick up some bread and milk, and as I was in the Greenslopes area, I went there. Once inside, I realised that this store stocked the new Mix apparel range. I had been wanting to check this out ever since it was released.

And I was pleasantly surprised. They have great basics that are stylish and affordable (very affordable!). Cute jersey dresses, casual shorts, a-line skirts, embellished tee's, an active wear range and even swimwear. And you know how I have been looking for new togs, well... meet my new blue and white polka dot halter maillot.



It's totally cute, has excellent bum coverage, and even includes some padding in the boob area. And at only $25 it didn't break the bank and was much more affordable than the $150 - $180 togs I was previously considering.

Yay!

C xo

Friday 11 November 2011

Fashion Friday: Lovely Leona

I had some uncertain news today regarding my job for next year... so I needed something to cheer me up which wasn't covered in chocolate*, so out came the Leona. Little Miss L makes an appearance today as well!


Dress: Leona Edmiston
Little Miss L wears short sleeved onesie by Sprout. It has pictures of cupcakes on it and says 'Cute as a Cupcake'.

*I may have still eaten one tim tam and one caramel crown. Oops.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend my sweets!

C xo

Thursday 10 November 2011

Chanel is coming to Brisbane

Chanel is opening up in Brisbane soon... very soon... all I can find online is 'mid November'. I can't find an actual date. Anyone out there in the blogosphere know?

I have always wanted to own either a Chanel jacket or a classic quilted handbag. I will be one very happy girl if I own one of these items. Its either going to take years and years of saving my hard earned cash, or winning the lotto for this dream to come true.

Anyway, look at this. A special edition of the Chanel classic handbag designed exclusively for Brisbane.



Wow. Its so beautiful. The most gorgeous colour of blue. It reminds me of looking down into a pool on a hot summers day, seeing the water and light swirling together to make the most gorgeous of patterns.

*le sigh*

One day...

C xo

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Retail Snobbery

Lately I've been thinking about how I have evolved as a shopper and lover of retail over the years... My preference for certain shops has evolved with the amount of money I earn, and now I think I'm coming full circle... Here me out.

When I was a teenager and living in a regional town, there weren't many options for shopping. Only your big chain stores (Target, Big W, Kmart, etc) and smaller clothing chains such as Crossroads and Rockmans were available, in addition to the local surf shop. I remember well when Supre came to town. My sisters and I were so so excited (oh, the shame!). We'd save up our dollars to buy some dodgily made cotton t-shirt or polyester skirt, but we felt so cool to be wearing clothes from the newest, hippest store in town.

And then as we got older, we discovered op shopping. We'd spend our Saturday mornings rummaging through the second hand stores finding lots of bargains and handing over our small change to the little old ladies who were volunteering at the store.

But then I moved to Brisbane for uni and had access to a wider variety of shops - the ones I only dreamed about being close to when I lived in the regional town - Sportsgirl, Witchery, Nine West... the list could go on!. Only problem was I didn't have the money to buy anything from them! I remember I used to survive week by week on only a small amount of money. We'd set aside money for rent, bills, food, drinking and whatever was left I could spend on shopping. We'd hit the outlet shops and also head straight for the sale sections within our favourite stores.

When I had finished uni and found my first job, my shopping/spending habits didn't change too much, but as my income grew, so too did my love of higher end retail... Hello David (Jones), my new lover. I had a full on love affair with David. He and I got along so well. I even agreed to sign up to his store card. Oh heaven! He really knew how to push my buttons. I used to love walking into David - the smell of clean white floors, crisp new shirts, new leather shoes and spritz's of perfume... Ahhhhhhh... And this is how my retail snobbery began. For years I'd snob all of those other retail stores I grew up with and only shop at David or Country Road or Witchery or other David Jones affiliated stores and I'd ignore your Target's and Temt's and Barkins and Portmans thinking I was much better than them.

But lately I have been appreciating these stores a whole lot more, and its definitely as a result of the shopping ban - less money equals looking for budget fashions. You can look good on a budget - I know a lot of lovely ladies in my life that don't spend a lot on clothes, but they always look fantastic. So I have realised that I shouldn't ignore these budget chains at all. Often hiding inside them are little gems!

I am loving this dress from Barkins. Its $59.95 and would be great for the Christmas party season.


And Katies isn't as 'Nanna' as you think... I'm also loving this animal print shirred waist dress. Also $59.95


And this polka dot trilby hat from Portmans - only $24.95. Love!
And Kmart and Big W - who knew?!! They are surprisingly good for the everyday basics, and I love the range of Bonds on hand at Big W.

My friend A fully rates Target jeans. She says they are awesome and have a really great fit. In fact, the $8.50 pair of jeans I bought from Lifeline the other day are Target jeans and she was right - they fit quite well (except for the length but I often have that problem in any pair of pants).

So, all i'm saying is that yes, your taste in retail will change in line with what's happening in your life at the time, but don't forget your previous loves - they still have feelings and will surprise you when you go to visit them again.

C xo

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Birkdale + Wellington Point + Shopping Ban Undoing. Oops!

Yesterday was such a good day. Mum came over mid morning as she usually does on a Monday, and she suggested we take a drive out to Birkdale and Wellington Point so she could show Little Miss L and I where her grandparents used to live.

It was great to see her reminiscing about her childhood and showing us the old house that is still standing there amongst the suburb that once used to be my great grandfathers muscat grape farm. He owned a massive area of land that went for what seemed like a mile... and it went right down to the waters edge of Moreton Bay.

We then went for a drive down to Wellington Point and went to a little picnic spot right on the water. Mum remembered going down there when she was 13 with her brother and sisters and splashing around in the ocean. She said there used to be a big slippery dip that went straight out into the water. How awesome is that?!! Sadly, it was no longer there, but there was a fantastic looking playground that I will have to remember to visit when Little Miss L is old enough to run amok.

We ordered fish and chips from the kiosk and sat under an old Moreton Bay Fig tree, basking in the dappled sunlight and sea breezes. There was a general feeling of  being on holidays in the air - everyone else down there was chilling out, fishing, wearing thongs and boardies, and just taking it easy. I loved every minute of it.

We then went and checked out the main strip of Wellington Point... and this is where the shopping ban had its undoing... although I don't think it was too bad because I only spent $25 at... wait for it... Lifeline! So, I figure its not that bad because I'm buying second hand AND helping a charity! Yeah, that counts doesn't it? Surely? Come on, I need to justify this some how because I tell you what, I felt super guilty at the time of making the purchase, and Mum kept saying 'I'll buy it for you Catherine' but I couldn't let her do that... Oh well.

Anyway, this is what I bought:




  • Cute polka dot cookie jar - $3.50 
  • Vintage white embroidered pillow case - $1.00
  • Dark denim jeans - $8.50 (they are a weird length, hitting just above my ankle, so I'm going to make cut off denim shorts with them, which is good because I need shorts for summer!)
  • Chevron strip maxi dress - $12 this dress seems to skim and hug in all the right places. Its just a Target dress, but I couldn't pass it up. I'm thinking this will be my Christmas day dress
  • And the lady threw in a cute pair of sterling silver bow stud earrings for free. Now I've got to sterilise them. Anyone know how I'd do that?
So, am I forgiven for shopping? In reality, only the jeans and the dress qualify as breaking the shopping ban, and well, I NEED shorts and I wanted needed a dress for Christmas day, so therefore they do meet the rules of the shopping ban. Yep, I'm going with that.

C xo

Monday 7 November 2011

Friday 4 November 2011

Fashion Friday: Mixing florals

Today I'm channeling my inner hippy and wearing a green floral print dress I've had for AGES. Its got these two different green floral prints on it. I love the idea of mixing prints - like stripes and florals - but I am too scared to follow through.



Dress: Free People
Belt: vintage

I've got absolutely no plans for the weekend... Depending on Little Miss L, we might venture out to the markets for some fresh fruit and veg. I hope you have a lovely weekend my dears!

C xo

Thursday 3 November 2011

Birthday Bounty

After visiting my cousin and his gorgeous little family yesterday, Little Miss L and I decided to take advantage of our rare visit to the north side of Brisbane and pop in to my shopping mecca, aka Westfield Chermside.

Wow.

That place is huge and has a massive selection of shops, PLUS all of your big anchors like David Jones, Myer, Target, Big W etc. I hadn't been there in years so a lot had changed, including the car parking. You now have to pay for parking if you stay for longer than 3 hours, but I knew there was no chance of that happening with a 9 month old in tow.

So I had no plans to spend my birthday money there... I was happy to browse, but then everything just fell into place and look at that, there goes all of my birthday money! I'm so happy with my purchases though. This is what I got:



  • Urban Soul nude wedges. They are super comfy and I can wear them with heaps and they were on sale - all full price Urban Soul shoes are $99 at Myer until Sunday. Bargain in my opinion. They are all leather, even the sole. Reduced from $179.95;
  • Navy blue and white polka dot Sunny Girl dress (my first polka dot dress!) and green cropped blazer from Melrose Ave (can't wait to wear this jacket with jeans or a black skirt or colour block up a storm in a cobalt blue dress);
  • Multi coloured summer scarf from Tree of Life - this will be such a great item to spruce (who says spruce anymore?) up my basic summer outfits - white shirt & denim shorts, black jersey dress;
  • Sexy undies from La Senza.
And so I have about $9 left... I'm going to hit Sportsgirl today I think - they're having 15% off everything and I'd love to get a bright coloured belt - yellow or cobalt blue.

Yay!

C xo

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Cupcake vs Muffin

My husband and I have had the cupcake vs muffin argument for years. Which is better? He argues that cupcakes are better because they have all the yummy stuff on top, and I (although I do love cupcakes) argue that muffins are just as good because they have all the yummy stuff throughout the cake.

Either way, you can't go wrong. They are both good in my opinion.

I made these blueberry muffins to take to a friends house last week. They went down a treat!



Recipe:

2 cups self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
100g butter melted
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup blueberries (or any other berries or 1/2 cup choc chips or apple or nuts or cinnamon or whatever you please!)

Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
Line a 12 cup capacity muffin tin with muffin papers (or just grease the tin if you don't want to use papers)
Mix all of the dry ingredients (and berries or choc chips or apple and mixed spice etc) in a large bowl
Whisk together the butter, egg and milk in a separate bowl and then add to dry ingredients
Stir until just combined
Spoon evenly between the 12 cups and bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown on top
Cool in pan for 5 minutes

C xo

Tuesday 1 November 2011

So tired



I'm so tired.

Little Miss L is cutting her two bottom teeth at the moment, so for the last few weeks she has been waking up at 2am, but I just give her a little pat to reassure her that she's ok and she falls back to sleep, but then she wakes up any time between 3:30am and 4:30am and decides that that's when she wants to start her day. And its so frustrating. I have contemplated leaving her in bed until a reasonable hour but she just cries. I know I should be tougher on her but Mr B is still sleeping and I don't want to disrupt him too much.

Am I just creating a bad habit for her when I get her up at 4?

I'm hoping this is just a phase that coincides with her teeth and her developmental stage...

I miss you sleep..........................

C xo