Pretty Things / Handmade Camera Cases

You guys, I am the worst owner of a grown up camera. I have had my DSLR for months now and I still do not own a cute as hell camera case. I briefly looked a little while ago with no luck & have been keeping my eyes open for The One when I go to the shops, but there hasn't been a case that I like enough. Until my weekly Etsy browse when I came across Pessy Lee's delightfully handmade custom DSLR camera cases. The first two to catch my attention were the anchor pattern case in dark grey & the awesome cowboy style as shown above, but the camera case that I am really, really leaning towards is the check pattern custom case. As much as I love a good anchor print - on almost anything - it is one of those contributing design elements that you cannot go overboard without it verging on tacky. And Romy already has a children's play wigwam in that exact cowboy material, so I don't want to give friends and family the wrong impression that I've suddenly peaked an interest in vintage style cowboy print & then receive cowboy inspired gifts (guys, it could happen). If you're in need of a camera case too, then take a look at this clever ladies handmade creations. I will be bumping this item up on my priority list!

How We Spent New Year's Day

Well, friends, New Year's Day has been & gone. NYD of 2012 Luke & I started our own little tradition of having a picnic every New Year's Day, and now it is extra special that we have Romy to come along with us. Last New Year's Day picnic she was just sitting up by herself and had finally got the knack of the tambourine, & this New Year's Day picnic she sat for her allocated eating time & then was up and exploring. Luke threw together an easy peasy picnic of leftover quinoa fritters, roasted sweet potato, deli meats, cheese & fruit slices. We held off until after Romy's nap in the late afternoon because it was so hot & heavy outside. After we left the park Romy came home to run under the sprinkler with Luke while I organised our evening. Luke & I had had a low-key evening the night before, we both worked New Year's Eve day so we actually ended up falling asleep before midnight - saaaa old, right?! So it was nice to wake up fresh faced for the new year & spend the whole day together as a family. 

The Holidays Are Over!

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I decided to give myself a bit of a break over the Christmas and New Year's holiday period, & just as well because it has been a busy couple of weeks! I was prepared for the Christmas buzz, but the whole new years eve commotion just passed me by. Rather than stress out on trying to tie up loose ends on projects before the new year, I decided to let them be until after the new year and they'll be first on my 2015 agenda. Luke & I had a quiet new years eve and after Romy turned in for the last night of the year, Luke & I discussed a few things we wanted to achieve in the next 12 months. One of those things was getting around to setting up our bedroom properly, replacing our bedroom furniture and move Romy back into her own room. This year we're sticking to a long list of achievable goals that will keep us busy & make day to day things easier, rather than setting just a few bigger goals. Six days into the year & I've already made a start on our bedroom update project, which I will be sure to share here. I am positive I will snap out of relaxation mode in the next few days and get stuck into all the exciting things I have planned. Happy New Years you guys!

Mangoes In The Summer

You know it's summer when your fridge has a running supply of mangoes. Last summer mangoes were running out our door like hotcakes because they were Romy's choice of solid at the time & she would get so sad when she ate them all. Last christmas she threw the tantrum of all tantrums possible for a 9 month old that could only be silenced with a  mouthful of mango! This season she couldn't care less about them, which means there is more for Luke & I. In my house growing up we didn't have a mango tradition like some of my friend's families did, but you did have to be quick if my parents were cutting them up because they were always snapped up quickly. I am not a summer fan but I do get a tiny bit excited for this time of year to roll around for mangoes and evening strolls. 

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do you guys remember the days when Lauren Brimely flooded your instagram feed with her delicious snacks and recipes? I do, and it makes me a little sad that she is taking a break from the internet because I miss her creatively plated up mid week lunches. One of my favourite recipes she shared many moons ago is her insanely delicious chickpea chocolate chip cookies. These. Are. Tasty. Each time I make these cookies I try to experiment with the recipe & add something different & for this batch I added some medjool dates. You guys, I cannot stress how easy these are to whip up, especially if you already have all of the ingredients and a spare five minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 x tin of chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/2 cup of almond butter 
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut 
• 1/4 cup of oats 
• 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
• dash of sea salt
• 1 x teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Method:

1. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips
2. When combined to a cookie dough consistency, min in the chocolate chips with a spoon
3. Wet your hands & form into balls & flatten 
4. Bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes

Easy, huh? These are the type of cookies that you can whip up twenty minutes before you have guests over for morning tea, and yes, that is how things usually roll at my house right before a play date! Enjoy your weekend!

Welcome To The Busiest Time Of The Year

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Welcome to the busiest time of the year. Just going to the shops to get everyday items is becoming a whole task onto itself that I want to avoid now that the Christmas mania has begun. Turbo shopping mothers are piling into the stores with their long shopping lists & extreme impatience if you get in their way- trust me on this, I almost had my foot run over last week at the shops! For me, this time of year has a subtle buzzing undertone of excitement to it. Not only is December busy for the festive season, but it is also mine & my mothers birthday during the month too. Growing up we never kicked off the Christmas festivities until after my birthday so things got Christmassy around the second week of December for us. Even though Luke & I have been married for 5 years he didn't know this family fact until last week when he asked to put up the tree early. In all the houses I've lived in since moving out of home many years ago I've never really got into the spirit of decorating my own place. But now that we have Romy in the mix Luke & I are making more of an effort to get festive for special occasions so she can have the same joyful memories about her early childhood Christmases like we both did. 

And it doesn't stop there because a few days after you have recovered from your Christmas food coma, there is the NYE anticipation to process; finishing projects, setting next years goals & crossing that last thing off your 2014 to-do list. So last week I decided to try and deal with the New Year anticipation in a calm way so I don't feel overwhelmed about not exactly getting everything crossed off of my list for this year. In fact, I'm pretty sure that mid way through the year I abandoned it because we had a few spanner in the works situations. I wrote my 2015 goals in my notes on my phone and have been casually adding to it when I think of something & I'm feeling really positive about already having set them. I have a few last bits and pieces to get for Christmas and a tree to put up next week and then I'm ready to enjoy this wonderful time of year.

Lately

1. We've had a couple of wet weekends here in Newcastle, so up went the wigwam 

2. Trying my hand at making toddler friendly snacks

3. My current project I've been working away on

4. Day trippin'

5. I wish I started this book earlier, Lena Dunham is modern wordsmith!

6. Changing things up around our house

7. Building houses