Matt and I are in Istanbul as I type. It's fairly early in the morning. So far, the trip has been wonderful! The only gripe would be the voltage conversion issues I've been having, but no other complaints! This is a quick post and I promise to have pictures of Turkey in the next post. I thought I should catch everyone up on the goings ons in M & M world. Last week, we went to Napa, San Francisco, Sacramento, and St Helena. Here are some photo highlights (oh! and many haircut pictures!)
Woodhouse... our favorite chocolates.
Break at the cafe for refreshments.
New short hair!
Lots of bounce!
It was hot in California... over 100 degrees! I was sweating!
More pictures to come!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Charmed Life & A New Book
Australian born Author and fellow blogger Vicki Archer seems to live a charmed life in the South of France, the place she has found and now calls home. Like many, I adored her first book "My French Life" and her new book "French Essence", continues to drag me into her dreamy world. The photography by Carla Coulson is divine and Vicki's styling is second-to-none. I have posted my absolute favourite page in her new book above. I decided on this one page as I don't want to spoil it for you. This book is definitely one to add to the Christmas wish list! Congratulations Vicki on another huge success!!
Nb. French Essence is available now in Australia & New Zealand and will be sold on Amazon later this year.
A Charmed Life & A New Book
Australian born Author and fellow blogger Vicki Archer seems to live a charmed life in the South of France, the place she has found and now calls home. Like many, I adored her first book "My French Life" and her new book "French Essence", continues to drag me into her dreamy world. The photography by Carla Coulson is divine and Vicki's styling is second-to-none. I have posted my absolute favourite page in her new book above. I decided on this one page as I don't want to spoil it for you. This book is definitely one to add to the Christmas wish list! Congratulations Vicki on another huge success!!
Nb. French Essence is available now in Australia & New Zealand and will be sold on Amazon later this year.
Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies...The Addiction Continues
What a long day! The new washing machine stopped draining (of course, the machine is digital so you can not just take something apart). I am working outside and the weather is back to being cold, rainy, and gusts of wind are shooting from all directions. I am also missing my little girl. Ashley, my daughter, just passed her driving test and received her license last Friday. She is 18 and decided to go for the weekend with friends. Today is the first day I have seen her since Friday and I feel heart broken and hoping she stays safe. I don't have words to put down that describe trying to let go and let her grow. Great, I am getting teary eyed again. Baking cookies and staying busy helps me from driving the dog, 2 cats and my hubby nuts. I am picking everything up before the item is even set down, fed the dog twice on accident, and the cats sense me contemplating giving them a bath. Cookies sound so much safer.
So here we are with another chocolate and caramel dessert to share with friends and send off to work. Did I mention that Ashley came home, stayed for about 1 hour and left because she had friends waiting soooo, of course, I called with bribery of freshly baked cookies for her to come and pick up whenever. I can see this bribery thing is my next new skill set. Hopefully Ashley is not reading this but if you are kiddo, just kidding! LOVE YOUUUU....!
Oh yes, cookies. Here is the recipe and may I say YUM!!! in advance. While Ash was here, she unwrapped all the Rolos for me.
Caramel-filled Chocolate Cookies With White Chocolate Drizzle
These yummy chocolate cookies have a tasty caramel surprise inside. With crushed pecans on top and a contrasting white chocolate drizzle, They are almost to pretty to be eaten but it can be done.
Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. plus 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. baking cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans, divided
1 package (13 oz.) Rolo candies
4 squares (1 oz. each) white baking chocolate, melted
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter, 1 cup sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in 1/2 c. pecans.
Shape a tablespoonful of dough around each candy, forming a ball. In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and pecans; dip each cookie halfway. Place nut side up 2-inches apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 7-10 minutes or until tops are slightly cracked. Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle with melted white chocolate.
This recipe should make about 3 dozen cookies =D
So here we are with another chocolate and caramel dessert to share with friends and send off to work. Did I mention that Ashley came home, stayed for about 1 hour and left because she had friends waiting soooo, of course, I called with bribery of freshly baked cookies for her to come and pick up whenever. I can see this bribery thing is my next new skill set. Hopefully Ashley is not reading this but if you are kiddo, just kidding! LOVE YOUUUU....!
Oh yes, cookies. Here is the recipe and may I say YUM!!! in advance. While Ash was here, she unwrapped all the Rolos for me.
Caramel-filled Chocolate Cookies With White Chocolate Drizzle
These yummy chocolate cookies have a tasty caramel surprise inside. With crushed pecans on top and a contrasting white chocolate drizzle, They are almost to pretty to be eaten but it can be done.
Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. plus 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. baking cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans, divided
1 package (13 oz.) Rolo candies
4 squares (1 oz. each) white baking chocolate, melted
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter, 1 cup sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in 1/2 c. pecans.
Shape a tablespoonful of dough around each candy, forming a ball. In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and pecans; dip each cookie halfway. Place nut side up 2-inches apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 7-10 minutes or until tops are slightly cracked. Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle with melted white chocolate.
This recipe should make about 3 dozen cookies =D
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Black & Spiro Today
Here is our current window display at Black & Spiro {above}. It's very bright, I must say, even for me! It's been a crazy week here at B&S. Usually the September school holidays are a quiet time for us. It is usually a time we call the lull before the storm with the onslaught of Christmas coming! However, for some strange reason these September holidays have been crazy. Lots of deliveries arriving as you can see below. A few clients will be very happy at the end of this week once they receive their beautiful armchairs!!
Black & Spiro Today
Here is our current window display at Black & Spiro {above}. It's very bright, I must say, even for me! It's been a crazy week here at B&S. Usually the September school holidays are a quiet time for us. It is usually a time we call the lull before the storm with the onslaught of Christmas coming! However, for some strange reason these September holidays have been crazy. Lots of deliveries arriving as you can see below. A few clients will be very happy at the end of this week once they receive their beautiful armchairs!!
Happy Christmas Train and Tree Layout
Have you been by Custom Crops this week? Several of the designer have new files posted. All of the new files now post on Monday mornings so I will admit that CC is one of my Monday stops. I love to see what everyone has created.
One of my latest CC designs is a double page layout using Christmas Noel and Plantin Schoolbook and features this amazing tree and train. I am very pleased with how this layout came out.
In addition to the train, which is just stinkin' cute, I am really impressed with the tree ornaments on Christmas Noel. I especially like the long ornament which is detailed. I was afraid that my cricut would not do well with the small details but I put in a new blade and it went smoothly. There is a lot to be said for a shape blade and a new mat in the world of cricutting!
Click on the Custom Crops blinkie to the left and you will find the article which includes directions and the cut file for this project listed under my name. Enjoy!!
A Summer Table
This lovely table setting screams Summer to me. I love the fresh green and white colour palette. I also love the little succulent arrangements. They actually reminded me of the lovely succulent arrangements Chelsea over at Frolic created recently as below.
image 1 - victoria pearson via brown turtleneck sweater,
image 2 - frolic
A Summer Table
This lovely table setting screams Summer to me. I love the fresh green and white colour palette. I also love the little succulent arrangements. They actually reminded me of the lovely succulent arrangements Chelsea over at Frolic created recently as below.
image 1 - victoria pearson via brown turtleneck sweater,
image 2 - frolic
i ♥ movies. & my tickets collections this year.
i ♥ watching movies. on DVD or cinema, does not matter at all.
this is a common hobby that i do without realizing that doing often could caused empty wallet. lol.
some of the tickets are from Indonesia (my home country) which i went everytime i had holiday off from my university.
some are from Thailand because i went there quite sometime whenever i have short term holiday. but most of the tickets are from GSC in Penang, Malaysia because i moved here to finish my university.
the seats that took most of the time are The Twin Seat.
which most of the time costs RM24 (Rp.66rb) for both person. (i always went with my BF).
sometimes i brought along Kinder Joy Chocolate from the snack corner outside of the cinema, sometimes i also bought little snacks from the cinema food stand but ONLY sometimes.
I don't spend much money on snacks from Penang Cinema because honestly they are NOTHING interesting to buy.
In Indonesia i would have buy Nachos with Extra Cheese or in Thailand i would have buy Butter Cheese Popcorn, but in Penang there aren't anything much at all. :[
since i'm bored, i'm going to list some of the movies i have watched this year.
(in no partical order or sequences of the dates).
GSC
- Halloween
- Bangkok Dangerous
- Outlander
- Underworld 3
- He's just not that into you
- 21 (nice movie ^^)
- Bedtime Stories
- Push
- Knowing (my BF hated it)
- Australia
- Ghosts of girlfriends past
- The Final Destination 3
- Dragonball Evolution
- Fast & Furious 4
- G.I Joe : Rise of the Cobra
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (WOW)
- The Spirit
- I Love You, Beth Cooper
- Madagascar Escape 2 (i always lovee the penguins, they are the funniest!)
- Inkheart
- The X Files
- Deep In The Jungle
- Bolt
- Quantum of Solace (YEAAHH!!)
- My Best Friends Girlfriend
- Drag Me To Hell (one of my fav thriller movie this year)
- The Uninvited (best thriller movie i watched this year!)
- Changeling (oh so touching, i wish she ever found her son back)
- Street Fighter : Chun Li
- The Proposal
- The Strangers
- Coming Soon
- District 9 (WOW this movie is very different, me & my BF love it)
- Up
- Seven Pounds
- Valkyrie
- Imagine That
- Public Enemies (my fav movie this year. total awesome!)
- Eagle Eye (this could be my BF's fav movie this year)
- Star Trek
- Blood : The Last Vampire (plaiin & boring)
- Max Payne (wow dominated by hot girls, i really like it)
- Twilight (of courseeeeeeee my fav!!)
- Ugly Truth
- Journey to the centre of the Earth
- Obsessed
- 17 Again (zac efron is overrated, he's not that hot, really)
- A Perfect Getaway
- G-Force (i dont know, i found it boring -.-)
- X-Men Origins
- Tropic Thunder
- Ong Bak 2
- The Transporter (Jason Statham is a total hottie!)
- Transformer 2 (overrated.. lol)
- Night At The Museum
- Harry Potter 6 (of course, i'm a fan)
- The Orphan
- Narnia
- Iron Man (overrateed)
- Get Married (lucuuu hahaa)
- Ayat-Ayat Cinta
- Virgin 2 (hmmm..)
- Beowuld
- Laskar Pelangi
- Radit & Jani (my fav indonesians movie ever!!)
- Speed Racer
- National Treasures 2
- Pantastic 4
- Pulau Hantu
- Water Horse
- Horton Hears a Who (quite funny)
- Stardust
- Harry Potter 5 (of coursee!)
- (a thai movie.. can't type here)
- Day The Earth Stood Still
- Body Lies (leonardo dicaprio is the best actor out there, he magically turn the movie to be good)
poll.. what's your fav movie this year????
love.love ♥♥
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