Pinafores for Orphanage - Can You Help?

Check out this Blog by Gypsy - Dance for Cheese

She writes:

Karen, along with about 20 women who Karen works with in the dress department at Spotlight Bayswater, have started making reversible pinafores to send to Dago Dela Hera, and they have asked customers to join them as well.
Want to be involved? All you need to do is make a girl's reversible pinafore and take it or send it to the store! Simple! They are collecting pinafores in many sizes to suit young girls of different ages, so you can make whatever size you like.

Because I have been working on a reversible pinafore for a while now I am going to send one off, hopefully in time. I think this is a great thing to spend some time doing if you can. Let me know if you have time to make one, I would love to see a picture too.

If you don't know where Spotlight Bayswater is here is the address: 224-234 Canterbury Road, Bayswater, VIC

A Button night

A few weeks back some of the girls from the Con Christian Group came around and Jen taught us how to make button bracelets. I wanted to share some pics from the night, just because I had a great time and the results were amazing! Now I just need to talk with Jen about writing a tutorial.. after her exams.

Our Little Man turns 2!

I am seriously in denial. Our littlest turned 2 this weekend. And I still call him BABY!

We love you to bits little man. We love your little facial expressions that only you (and maybe your daddy) can make. We love how you cuddle and kiss any child that is smaller than you, your energy and how you want to jumpy jump all the time, oh and how your favorite word when we are at home is OUTSIDE! How you are sooooo organised about everything, and how you worry if things don't happen in the right order for the day. And one day you might understand that mummy and daddy are so tired from how busy you keep us. But we still love you all the same.

Happy Birthday Little Man!


These are some pics taken over the weekend.

Naptime Webdesign

I want to encourage you to go over and have a look at this website

http://naptimewebdesign.com/

Debbie Teakle is the very talented lady who has designed and continues to take care of my website. I can highly reccomend her service. On her website you can see some of her work and updates on new things she is up to with designing web stuff!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Basil Pesto - Recipe of the week

This recipe has been adapted from the Super Food Ideas magazine June2010.

For the Gnocchi

750g Unpeeled Sweet Potato
500g Desiree Potatoes
1 egg yolk
2 cups gluten free plain flour (I use Orgran)


For the Pesto
(you can also use store bought pesto)

2 Cups of fresh Basil leaves
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup pine nuts, I have also used cashews
1/4 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup of oil, I use 100% canola, olive oil is a favorite too

Method
For the Gnocchi

1. Steam the sweet potato and potato for 45 mins until tender. Set aside to coll enough to handle. Remove and discard the skin. Mash until smooth. Cool completely
2. Add egg yolk and flour. Stir to form a dough - I use my mix master for this because it gets a better result than by hand. Add more flour if it is too soft - I probably added another 3/4 cup. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Line 2 trays with baking paper.
3. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each into a 35cm long log. Using a lightly floured knife cut into 2 cm pieces. Roll each into a ball and then run over a floured fork to form grooves. Place onto the lined trays until ready to cook.

For the Pesto

1. Process the basil, garlic, parmesan, nuts and lemon juice until finely chopped. With the motor running slowly add the oil.

Putting it together

1. To cook the gnocchi, boil water in a large pot. When the water is boiling hard, cook in batches. When the gnocchi rise to the surface they will be cooked. This takes about 3 minutes.
2. Transfer to a bowl and stir through some pesto. Serve with shaved parmesan and rocket.
   

Day Two

So it's day two of my "Catch Up" week, and what have I done???? Well I am having one of THOSE DAYS!

• Dropped two kids to school

• Dropped my clean up bags to the op shop

• Dropped some items to return to a friend

• Dropped.....???? No not a child, but at times wished he would just stop..look at next point
  

• Grocery Shopping with a whinging toddler

• Put the shopping away

• Cleaned and mopped my kitchen and bathroom
  

• Hung out the washing

• Folded washing

• Soaking the lentils for our dinner

• Prayed that I had more time to pray and sit and read and reflect

• Made lots of lists of things to do for the rest of the week

• Looked longingly at my pile of sewing and wished it was higher on my list of things to do

• Trying to find a sitter for a date night with Hubby

• Being thankful for friends who share their life with me, and a toddler who consistently naps during the day
  

Boy I wish there was time in this day for a nanna nap! Welcome to my messy week!

Softie Inspiration

!

My friend has a copy of this book, which I have been eyeing off. I think these toys are uber duber CUTE, I have been playing around with some lovable fabric that I discovered and came up with this guy! Our 6 yr old loves this, and his 6 yr old friend said he wants one too. Now my question is, is it OK to give a softie to a 7 yr old boy for a birthday present? Please tell me what you think! Hubby thinks it is pretty lame for a boy, even if our boy likes it.

I Love you

Have you ever had one of those moments when one of your children says something that just makes your heart melt? Today our 4 yr old said

Mummy I just cant stop starring at you because I just love you so much! Mummy can you not stop to me too?

We love this photo too! A heart shaped chippee.

Headbands ready to go!

Today marked my first day of "Catch Up"! Because our family has been sick with one thing or another for what seems like forever, I have a list a mile long of things to do. I'm so sorry if you fall onto this list and feel like I have forgot or ignored you, I haven't.

Today I set myself the task of making a few orders of Headbands. If you would like to order one of these, they are $8 wholesale. I have made them in 3 sizes small, medium and large. Send me an email if you are interested to laura at lilyandme dot com dot au

I am so excited about a little project I have in the pipeline. I have been writing up a headband pattern kit which hopefully come together and be for sale soon. Stay tuned for more details.

What a week!

Yes us Llewellyn's have given ourselves completely to the onset of Winter and have been suffering from the Gastro bug and hubby has had the flu for the past week. We will all be back on the wagon sometime soon. For now imagine the rumbling sound of my washing machine and dryer getting through all of the kids sheets and eewwwyyy spewwwyy clothing!

Recipe of the Week

Choc Chip Coconutty Biscuits from Gluten Free Vegan

Dry ingredients:
2 cups gluten-free plain flour mix (eg. Orgran)
½ cup muesli (I used our homemade mix of buckwheat, nuts, puffed grains, seeds, etc)
½ cup chunky almond meal (or very finely chopped almonds) (leftovers from making raw treats!)
1 cup dark choc chips or other semisweet vegan choc chips… or cacao nibs!
¼ cup shredded coconut
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda

Wet ingredients:
½ cup peanut oil
½ cup (dark) agave nectar
¼ cup water
3 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof/parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring together with a wire whisk.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add all wet ingredients, and stir together.
4. Take roughly 1 tablespoon blobs of mix, roll into a ball & flatten into cookie shape on the paper. Smooth edges on the cookies to prevent crumbling (but only if crumbs bother you! I think crumbs are a great part of the cookie experience, ha).
5. Bake on the centre shelf of your oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge (or they freeze ok, too).

Notes:
If peanut oil is too scary-fat for you – but it smells so good baking, oh boy, & makes a nice, brown coloured cookie rarer to gluten-free baking – use coconut oil instead (which would go well with the shredded coconut!), or an unscented oil like sunflower

Gluten Free Vegans/ Vegetarian

You could almost call us "Gluten Free Vegan" but we eat eggs and Dairy, so really a "Gluten Free Vegetarian". So now I have worked this, come to terms with being labelled as "one of those", I have found a few blogs that post yummy recipes that I want to try. If you have a spare minute click on the link and take a look.

http://glutenfreevegan.wordpress.com/
http://glutenfreeveganfam.blogspot.com/