The Great Kitchen Cooking Failure !

Have you ever had 'one of those days' in the kitchen where it's like one great Big epic failure ?

Well if you have, feel free to laugh or sympathise at our expense ! lol

The morning started off quite nicely. My son was home and he felt like doing some cooking. There were other things that needed to be done but the insistent look upon his face won me over.

'PLEEEEEEEEASE MUM'

I had been planning sharing this recipe with you all anyway. I have been making it for years now and it is so easy for the kids to make.

 They are called chocolate spiders. They are really popular at Christmas time but I like to make them for Easter too. I make them into little nests and top them with little chocolate eggs. What could be more simple right ?

WRONG !

Everything was going to plan until I left the room and my son decided to melt the chocolate himself........

\

and the mixture ended up looking like this.

That blob of white to the left 'was'....the white chocolate. It was supposed to be all melted and drippy and of lick your fingers consistency.

Ours........blobby and not at all looking like that !

We had already previously made yummy banana bread and it was cooking in the oven and there was no more chocolate left to begin again so we made the most of what we had in front of us and continued on.

My son was so happy that we were cooking together and making something yummy and I didn't want to disappoint him by throwing it all in the bin.

Spoonful after spoonful I almost had to chisel the mix into little nest like clumps. Normally they drip nicely onto the tray and with the back of a spoon I press a dip into the mound to create the 'nest'

I think the pretty coloured eggs saved the day but funnily enough one by one they seemed to disappear from the fridge later that afternoon when everyone else came home from school.

They didn't look so great but they still tasted yummy apparently !

I  thoroughly recommend making a batch for Easter.

If you would like the recipe you will find it

HERE

and I won't tell you that as we were making the little chocolate nests we smelt something burning  'OH NO.......THE BANANA BREAD!' we chorused !!!

So that my friends was our morning in the kitchen.

Chocolate nests that looked more like mole mounds and a nice long loaf of crusty edged and slightly burnt banana bread.

We decided to close the kitchen at that point and go and do something else.........lol

But we still had lots of fun together.

We made a mess but we also made some very happy memories !

Thursday Flowers

My new found vintage collection of flower frogs finds me digging into the deepest, darkest and dirtiest boxes in the antique stores......

They seem to be very few and far between and many dealers are telling me that they are getting harder to come by. 

Metal flower frogs are such ugly little creatures but there is something raw and metallic about them that looks so good against my lace doilies (yes I think I may have gone crazy ! lol)

They are used in the bottom of a vase to help flower stems  stay in position. They are a very old fashioned item and something that I bet lots of you remembering your Grandmothers using

So my very small collection makes it's appearance this week for Thursday Flowers ! 

BUT

I am also sharing with you all last weeks offering from my Floristry course.

and I wanted to share my favourite rose bowl with you. 

It's of course an heirloom and a favourite of mine.

They aren't my favourite flowers (no sign of pink at all !) but my arrangement gave me a new respect for some of our native Australian flowers.

(Apologies for poor quality photo's but due to time restraints whilst working in class they can only be taken on my phone camera)

and this is the very blury finished product !

A Cup Of Blessings.......Once Upon A Time

                         A Cup Of Blessing

I found this sweet little book on a recent Antiquing Saturday session.
The pretty Cornishware blue caught my eye and when I saw the title....YES....it just jumped into my basket.

A day or so later after a busy weekend where my cup had been full to the brim of things to do and places to go, I finally had time to read through the pretty pages of this pretty little book.

I curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea and in lovely silence I poured through it's pages.
It is a sweet little diary of days with little psalms written under each date.  The owner of this book has written important dates and birthdays through it's pages. The penmanship is so neat and tidy and it has clearly been written with ink and quill. The names mentioned on the pages had long ceased to live on this earth and so had the owner of the book. There is a stillness and peacefulness about the book. Time had been spent on it, it had been treasured. There is no sign of a hurried, rushed hand, instead it is full of love and stories of life that once lived...........precious lives that were once upon a time treasured.
IT GOT ME THINKING.......and when that happens, my mind wanders off on it's own merry little way..........

Once upon a time, there was a young mother........

She was always running to and from places. There were so many things to do and so many people to take care of. The young mother somehow felt as though she had to fix so many others problems and be there to be a support and offer her ear.
This young mothers plate was well and truly full to the brim and yet she still found herself saying 'yes' when in fact her head was silently calling out 'NOOO' !
There was a silent longing inside of her that found genuine happiness in lending a hand and helping out others  less fortunate than herself.  She justified it constantly to herself and to others who constantly tutted her for being this way.

The young mother seemed to almost attract others and their problems. She would smile to herself constantly about this and wonder how on earth they found her. Was it her good nature ? was it her kindness or inability to say no ?  Or worse.....Did she have an invisible word that blinked in BIG flashing fluorescent lights that said ' Yes I will help you'.    She wasn't quite sure which one it was, but all the same it seemed almost humorous.

One day she had been for an early morning swim in the ocean and found herself taking a different route home. The car seemed to just turn off at an unusual spot. Granted, her mind had been thinking of other things as she drove along but she really hadn't meant to turn off the main road so late.
She headed down a quiet road and made a right turn through the busy traffic. IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT THAT SHE SAW IT ! 

An old frail woman had collapsed at that very moment on to the footpath. One by one her shopping bags fell to the ground and the contents began to filter out onto the grass around her.
There were cars driving past hurriedly to get to work, or to take children to school.

IN THEIR RUSH they failed to TAKE NOTICE.

The old woman held her hand to her heart and her face turned pale.

The young mother saw the old woman's plight. She tried desperately to cross the two lanes of traffic to pull over but the traffic carried her away instead.  At the next chance she had, she quickly turned off the main road and looped around through the backstreets. Surely by now another motorist would have stopped to help her, but she had better check anyway.

In a short time the young mother found herself on the main road and pulling over to where the old woman was now lying. NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON HAD STOPPED THEIR CAR TO HELP HER!
In absolute amazement the young mother rushed to the woman's side to see how she was. Quickly she called 000 for the ambulance.

The old woman was ashen. Her brow was sweating and she had gone limp down one side of her body.
The sun was beating down on her and making her feel even worse.

STILL NOT ONE OTHER CAR STOPPED TO HELP !

The young mother knew that she had to get this old woman out of the sun or she would faint, so somehow she managed  to get the old woman into the back seat of her car and into the shade.   It was a big effort but she had done it !
The old woman laid down on the cool seat of the car and took a sip of water that the mother offered her.  The old woman spoke a foreign language but it didn't seem to matter. Words were not needed at this time. The language of love was spoken. The language of humanity and of helping of others.....even strangers.    The old woman took the mothers hand in hers and muttered something illegible. Her words may have been confusing, but her eyes spoke volumes. They spoke of thankfulness and gratefulness for stopping by to help. 

The old woman held her withered old hand towards the young mothers chest and pointed to a the antique silver cross that hung around her neck.  The woman pointed up to the sky and muttered 'angel come'  and pointed to the young mother.

A few moments later the blazing sirens of the ambulance approaching was heard.  Before another word was spoken the paramedics had arrived and were gently carrying the old woman from the car and out onto a stretcher. There were no goodbyes or waves but there were certainly good thoughts.

Two strangers had met on the side of a busy road. One needed help and the other was only too happy to give it.

The young mother thought to herself 'Yes, well it has happened again, I was at the right time, at the right place and I was required to help another person'.
She laughed to herself and at the same time she looked towards the sky. She gave silent thanks to her feathered angel friends who were up sitting on the clouds in heaven. She gave thanks for them taking her a different way home that day. She gave thanks that help had arrived and most importantly she asked the angels to now fly down and take care of this old soul who needed some help. 

The young mother drove home and made herself a cup of tea. She thought back to the morning's events and thought how some things were just meant to be. Somehow she was meant to take that particular route home that day. Whispers from heaven had been blown down in the winds and had silently led the mother to this place of need.  It seemed completely absurd that not another human being had slowed down to see this old lady and her plight.
It made her realise that sometimes in life when everything is going at a 100 miles an hour, that one must STOP.....or at the very least SLOWDOWN to smell the roses. Life is a precious gift of time. Time that needs to be well spent and thought about. It is to be cherished and enjoyed.  Every last little second is so very special.

So SLOWDOWN.......put life into a slow gear. Open your eyes to what precious things are around you, but most importantly remember to breathe.  There are precious angelic beings out walking around in our world. They have been sent here to be Gods silent helpers. They are out walking past us every single day and we don't realise it.  They come in all shapes and sizes. Some of us may even be lucky enough to meet one someday, others will be helped by one.  But it is important to know that ANGELS WALK AMONGST US  and they hear our cries of help. If they can't help us personally then they will send somebody else who can.

So next time you see a person in need.......slow down........take stock and listen carefully.  If a silent yearning or need to help fills your soul with love , then reach out, take a hand and give a little of your heart.

and one thing will be certain.......the angels will smile.

French Laundry Powder.....ooo- La- La

This morning there came a knock at the door....

my friendly postman smiled, gave me a hearty greeting and left me with this little parcel.
Super excited I tore off the wrapping and inside I found this beautiful package from My French Laundry

A couple of weeks ago I entered a free giveaway and LUCKY ME ! 
                               I won the beautiful prize.
It was a whole box of gorgeous French Laundry Powder from
                                 My French Laundry.

So I took the children to school and rushed home to get started ! 
I mean....whoever on earth gets excited about doing the washing !
                                             ME !
Well it helps when a girl finds herself with a box full of lovely washing powder to do it with.

and what a pleasure it was.......enjoy the eye candy !

It was so hard to decide which one to choose first......

But Tuberose won the race and didn't she smell amazing !

 

So I filled up a large basin with lukewarm water....
                    popped the contents of the sachet in
                                   and swished the water around

One by one, I dropped each vintage glove into the water, lovingly washed them, rinsed them out and hung them from my clothesline to dry.  The smell took over the whole garden. I am sure that the neighbours would have been enjoying the fragrance wafting over their fences.

This is my pretty parcel..

Now tell me dear friends

WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE FIRST ?

There were so many to choose from.

They sell beautiful products from washing powders to linen sprays. 

They have certainly won me over !

So thankyou sooooo much

My French Laundry

I will be placing an order with you very soon.

Go  and take a look at their beautiful website. Mothers Day is soon approaching and every thing they sell is a Mothers delight.

(and if MY MUM should be reading this........please don't look at their web page, you may very well spoil your surprise !)

The Sweetest Little Easter Nests.....Craft Tutorial

Dear God,

If ever I come back to the earth and I happen to be a bird, then please let me live in a pretty nest just like this one. Let it be set way on top of a pretty china teacup and within site of a pretty rose bush or two..............

Easter fever has hit in our household !  It is perhaps one of my most favourite times of the year. 

There is nothing I love more than Easter crafts and especially ones that I can share with my children.  Over the years I have taught Easter crafts to my children's school classes. we grow 'Bunny Grass', scrapbook Easter cards or hanging banners and then my ultimate favourite.......Easter nests !

These nests are such little cuties. They are such an easy craft to do with children and they take no time at all to make.

A couple of days ago I was visiting with my lovely mother in law when I noticed that the vine that I use to make these little nests was growing in the bushland behind her home. I was super excited to see it growing in the wild as I usually put an order in at the florist for the vine.  A large garbage bag full of vine costs me around $30 and it will make approximately 25 nests so it is a great low cost school craft.  The vine itself is called 'DOTTA VINE' , sometimes known as 'Monkeys Guts'.  It is cheap, versatile and easy to twist and turn into shape.

Simply pull a few long lengths of the vine from the bunch. 

Wind it around the end of your fingers to the desired size and twist and turn into the rounded shape of a nest. 

and then of course comes the fun part......

decorating !  You can use snippets of lace, coloured cotton, feathers, tiny Easter eggs.  Try to keep to one theme and colour so it doesn't end up looking too busy.

Eventually the green vine dies off and you are left with dried, brown nests.

This one, (pictured below) is leftover from last year so it isn't looking the best after being squashed in a cupboard for all of that time but it will give you an idea of how it ends up.

It can still look quite pretty though. I have quite a few of them on my porch in little dishes or in the top of pot plants.

This quick and easy project will be linking up with the

'It's A Cinch' Challenge

from my lovely friends

Andrea at A Cottage Market

and

Karianne at Thistlewood Farm

Take a look at their lovely blog's and maybe you can link up too !

 

I hope you will all enjoy this simple craft !

xo

It's been such a busy, crazy week here at

FRENCH BLUE AND PEACHY PINK

I am slightly relieved it is the end of the week.

I have decided that tonight I will snuggle up in bed and watch a movie or read a book. A little bit of rest and relaxation is required.

As always it has been an absolute pleasure speaking to you all and I look forward to sharing lots more Easter crafts and Easter decorating tips with you all next week.

I have so many pretty things to show you all

Love to you all

Melanie

xo

Thursday Flowers...........Flowergirl Halo

Hello friends, welcome to Thursday Flowers !

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white.....

But where is the cute little flowergirl ?

Well one day I shall make one for a real life little flower girl but today this one is just for practice.  I think it turned out quite pretty.

I laid out all of my bits and pieces

wire, parafilm, shears, ivy leaves, Singapore Orchids

and Tea Tree Flowers

I soaked my ivy leaves in water for an hour to remove any traces and dirt and for them to have a drink.

I then dried them off and began to wire and parafilm each leaf.

Next I wired and parafilmed tiny sprigs of Tea Tree Flowers.

and then it was time to play with the pretties !

Isn't this Singapore Orchid the prettiest colour ?  I love it !

I wired and parafilmed her......

and began my creation.......

I prepared two,  22 gauge wires in the desired length with parafilm.

I created a hook on the end of one and an eye on the other.

and then began to wire and parafilm a sequence of flowers and ivy around the wire frame.  When I had finished adding my flowers and ivy, I connected the 2 ends together and secured it with winding more wire to hold in place. More parafilm hid the wire and then the hook and eye ends were joined.  Adding some dainty pale pink lace completed my halo.

                               So pretty !

POP BACK TOMORROW

for some

EASTER CRAFT

I know that you will all just LOVE this one.

Maybe something fun to make on the weekend.

AND the kids can even join in.

I SHALL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AGAIN THEN

xo