A healthier Valentines Day Dessert Option with Ocean Spray

With this time of year comes all of those New Years Resolutions and trying to make this year a great year.  And luckily for those of us trying to be a little healthier, Ocean Spray has launched a Low Sugar version of it's Cranberry Drink.  I've loved Ocean Spray Cranberry forever, so when I was asked if I'd like to try the Ocean Spray Low Sugar Cranberry Fruit Drink, I was stoked.

So, not really as a new years resolution, but rather as a late-last-year resolution, Daddy and I have been trying to be healthier.  We're not focussing specifically on weight loss or on anything in particular, but since the reality check of Daddy having his cough-mumble-40th-mumble-cough birthday last year, we realised we're not getting any younger and we've been making a concerted effort to be healthier, move more and enjoy the extra energy and good health that comes with all of that.  We've been walking most days (we take it in turns, so that we can go for a walk on our own!!!! Bliss!), Daddy's joined the gym at his work, and has been enjoying some Kayaking, and I have recently started running (I'm doing the Couch to 5k 8-week program to help me get into it, and I'm loving it so far ... just finished week 3).  We're trying to eat fast-food less, and trying to be a little more careful about what we eat. Another thing we try to do is to avoid sugary drinks, and we all know juice is often just as sugary as soft-drink, so it's not always a better option, but water really does get boring, huh!  

Well, the Ocean Spray Low Sugar Cranberry Fruit Drink is a great low sugar option to consider.  It's only 10 calories per serve and is sweetened with Stevia.  If you like the regular Ocean Spray Cranberry Drink, then this could be a great swap option for steering clear of some sugar.

Anyway, I was gifted a few bottles of this yummy drink to try, along with this awesome red cooler bag ... it's already been put to good use when it accompanied the girls and I to the school swimming carnival last week.  Love a cooler bag that looks like a funky red shoulder bag!

We drank one bottle pretty much straight away, and it was a lovely change.  I then decided I'd be a little creative with my next bottle.  I decided to whip up a little dessert, using the Ocean Spray  Low Sugar Cranberry Fruit Drink, and with it's bright red colour, I thought this would be the cutest healthier-option Valentines Day dessert.

I made a Chia and Coconut Pudding with a Cranberry Jelly.  I love Chia, and it's another healthy option we've discovered.  I've made this dessert lots of times before, but the Cranberry Jelly was a fun variation, and just a bit special when served for 2 in a tall glass on Valentines Day.  Oh, and there are a tonne of Chia Pudding recipes around online, but here's how I make mine:

You'll Need:

- 2 cups Ocean Spray Low Sugar Cranberry Fruit Drink

- Powdered gelatine

- 2 tablespoons of Chia Seeds

- 1 cup Low Fat coconut Milk (tinned)

- 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup

(Serves 2, because that's romantic on Valentines Day ... it's easy to multiply the amounts to make more though!)

The How To:

1. Pour you Ocean Spray Low Sugar Cranberry Fruit Drink into a microwave bowl or jug, and heat for 2 minutes in the microwave.

2.  Add the powdered gelatine - follow the instructions on the pack as to amounts for setting 2 cups of liquid.  (I added 1 tablespoon).  Mix until the gelatine is dissolved.

3.  Line a lamington or sponge-cake tin with cling-wrap, and pour the juice/gelatine mixture in.  I like to strain it through a sieve to make sure than any sneaky lumps of gelatine that may have remained don't end up in the jelly.  Put the jelly in the fridge until it's set.

4. Grab a couple of champagne flutes, and put a tablespoon of Chia seeds in each glass.

5. Pour 1/2 cup of the coconut milk into each glass, and mix well until all the Chia seeds are wet, and are mixed through the coconut milk.

6. Add 1 teaspoon of maple syrup to each glass and mix well.

At this point you just need to refrigerate the Chia Pudding for a couple of hours.  As it chills the chia seeds absorb the coconut milk and become chewy, and this makes the pudding thicken too.

7.  Remove your jelly from the tin by lifting out the cling-wrap, then use a knife to slice into 1cm cubes, then spoon the jelly cubes onto the Chia pudding.

You can then share one with someone you love this Valentines Day, or just eat one and save the other in the fridge 'til tomorrow ... either works fine!!

Anyway, feel free to share your healthy habits for 2016, so I can use them too!!  And I hope you have a lovely Valentines Day with those you love! 

What's Mummy Been Up To of late? ...

Hello lovely people in blog-land.  I'm so behind on the posts I had planned for this year, but I thought I'd fill you in on why I've been MIA lately.  We've had a hectic but exciting time over the last few months, but there has still been time for some crafting, sewing and cooking.  Here's what Mummy's been up to:

Firstly, back in August we decided to sell our house and move to a new place ... not too far away from the old house really, but boy does it take a lot to prepare a house for sale!  And how all-encompassing is moving? ... emotionally, logistically, financially and did I mention emotionally. We only moved a month or so ago, and we're exhausted.  It's the first time we've sold and moved, so we've learned lots throughout this process, and we definitely have a new found respect for those who need to move regularly for work commitments or other reasons.  This is what our dining room looked like in the lead-up to our move ... I think we're pretty lucky we didn't lose either of the munchkins in the piles of boxes towards the end there.

Then we picked our last crop from our veggie garden, kissed our house goodbye (literally ... we're a little nutty like that!) and moved to our new home.

We didn't waste any time, and in an attempt to help the girls adjust and make the new house feel like their home, we got straight into the painting.  Each of them chose their colours (well, Hannah had a little help ... I had to adjust her colour choice from "rainbow walls Mummy" to mauve walls with the promise of some rainbow stickers).

We have since also had new carpet laid, so it was fun to just paint away without worrying about making a mess on the carpet.  The girls loved the painting, and Bethany's edging work was definitely the best ... she's a perfectionist, that girl, and with painting it totally pays off!

Then came all the end-of-year fun like this gorgeous ballerina's little ballet concert.  This included a Rapunzel-themed costume which she thought was the best thing ever!  We love our ballet because it's really low-key and just lets little girls be little girls without the make-up, big concerts, big concert rehearsals or expensive costumes.  

Since June, I've been working on a Christmas swap, the Santa Sack Swap  hosted by Cheryll at Gone Stitchin'.  This was my second year doing this swap, and I'll definitely be signing up again next year.  It's a really fun one.  When I signed up back in June I had no idea that we would be packing up and moving, and I did have a small panic when I remembered that I had committed to this swap which would be due to post off just the week before we moved, but to be truthful, this swap kept me sane during the craziness of moving.  It was lovely to have a project to work on here and there during that time.  

I was partnered with the lovely Noela, and she sent me the most amazing package of goodies.  The girls and I had a brilliant time opening them and marvelling at Noela's very impressive handiwork.

She made this beautiful patchwork tote, which will be just perfect for carrying around some crochet projects I have planned for this coming winter.  The fabrics are just lovely, and ric-rac ... I love it!  Noela is clearly a very experienced patchwork and quilting expert.

My favourite part though, is the beautiful embroidery on the front of the tote ... just perfect given our recent move.

Noela also gave me a gorgeous pin-cushion and sewing caddy complete with a cute little pair of embroidery scissors ... 

... the cutest little snow man christmas decoration ...

... a little felt bag with another amazing embroidery (I'm a beginner embroiderer, and Noela's beautiful stitching just left me in awe!) ... this was Hannah's favourite ... I'm sure she loved it because of the bag, and not because of the goodies inside, right!?! ...

... a beautiful embroidered monogram mat ...

And Bethany's favourite ... a gorgeous Christmas wall hanging, with the most adorable appliqués.  Bethany carried this around the house to find the perfect position for it to hang so that everyone entering our house would see it.  She just loves this one!

These are the goodies I sent to Noela.  She indicated she would like a stocking this year, so that was my starting point, and the rest just followed!

A Christmas Stocking ... (found the free pattern for this via Pinterest, and thought it was cute for something different!) and a little coordinating Christmas dove decoration.

A Christmas Apron ...

A little shopping list folder, in which I also included a sewing kit ... for those times when there's a wardrobe malfunction whilst you're out and about ...

Some crocheted coasters ...

And a little monogramed zipper-pouch with matching tissue holder (oh, and this is the front of the little folder)

Noela has written to tell me that she loves her goodies, and has put some of them straight to use.  I'm so glad she liked them.  Aren't swaps just the best thing!  The idea of making something for a stranger and making a new friend in the process is just awesome I think.

Shortly after this, we then celebrated Hannah's 4th birthday, just 2 days before Christmas, and she is stoked to tell everyone "Do you know I'm 4 now!".

Even though we've been extra busy this year, I did manage to find some time for our annual Christmas baking treat for friends and family.  It doesn't really feel like Christmas for me until some baking is underway.  This year I made caramels ... they're chewy, smooth, buttery and terribly unhealthy.  Pinterest helped me out and I found this recipe.  I just wrapped these little morsels in baking paper squares and popped a handful into tiny christmas gift bags for each recipient.  Yum!

So, whether you've had a busy time like us, or if you've been able to slow down and fully enjoy the joy of Christmas time this year, I wish you all the most blessed of Christmases, and a fantastic year to follow.  I'll be setting up my new sewing room over the coming weeks, and then I have lots planned including a few new tutorials for the new year, so stay tuned. 

Oh, and this beauty is taking pride of place on display in my new sewing room.  Isn't he lovely!  

A Little Girl Gift Idea

It can be really hard to find age-appropriate, yet fun and unique gifts for kids these days, huh!  Well, it was my niece's 11th birthday last week.  She's a keen ballerina, loves her art and is such a beautiful little thing.  Daddy had a great idea about getting her some clothing and letting her decorate it herself with fabric markers because she adores drawing and colouring.  Well, I just loved this idea, especially as it gave me the perfect excuse to pick up some of the Colour Me Fabric designed by Hayley of Welcome to the Mouse House for Michael Miller, which I've been looking for a reason to buy for the longest time.  I follow Hayley on Instagram, and have watched as she's created these fabrics.  I was so excited when I discovered them at a fabric store here in Australia.  In case you're wondering, I picked them up at Craft Depot.

Anyway, what to make!?!

I pretty quickly decided I'd make the birthday girl a basic elastic-waisted skirt, just because it would be fun to colour and wear her creation. I chose the paisley design for that.  I loved the idea that she could choose certain parts to colour, or she could colour the whole thing, or she could do it bit by bit with the skirt evolving with every wear.  

I also found this ballerina design which I thought would be lovely for her, but maybe a little too young for her to wear, being a tween and all.  So, in the end I grabbed a metre of the ballerina, and a metre of the paisley designs, and off I went.

After some thought, I decided that I'd make a cushion cover from the ballerina fabric for the birthday girl to decorate and use in her room.  I'm so glad I did, because she  loved this pillow and snuggled right into it.  And as we were having a family lunch to celebrate the birthday girl over the weekend, I thought it might be fun for the girls to all do some colouring after lunch together.  And it was perfect. From the 1 metre of paisley fabric, I managed to squeeze out a skirt for the birthday girl, and one for Bethany.  Then I divided the metre of ballerina fabric into a little skirt for Hannah and a 50"square cushion cover. I forgot to get a pic of the cushion, but it was a basic square with a zip in one side to allow the insert to be put in and out for washing.

For the skirts, I simply used the fabric width, cut to the right length and added a couple of inches for hemming and waist-band.  I sewed the side-seam and hem, then folded the top down 1/4", then another 1" and sewed around to create an elastic casing (leaving a 1" gap to insert the elastic).  I threaded the 3/4" elastic through, sewed the gap shut, and done!!  These skirts literally take about 15 minutes from start to finish.

All that was left was to grab a cushion insert and some fabric pens.  I found both of these at Ikea.  The cushion insert was the perfect fit, and was only $5, and the fabric pens were great for just over $5.  It's worth shopping around for the fabric pens, as the ones I initially found in a craft shop were $16.  What a big difference, huh!

So, the birthday girl loved her gift, and all 3 girls enjoyed some craft time together, which is always a good thing.  The two bigger girls spent time comparing colour choices and helping each other decide which parts to colour, and Hannah had a ball being included with the big girls, and getting some extra help from the adults around too.  Oh, and just a tip ... we slid a piece of cardboard between the front and back of the skirt to stop the pens from seeping through and marking the other side of the skirt.

Daddy took some great shots of the girls hard at work...

Here's the birthday-girl's artwork so far!

And here's Bethany.  She's such a perfectionist with her colouring!

Oh, and little Hannah looked so cute concentrating hard on colouring a ballerina's hair blue!

And here's where they were up to by the end of the day ... Hannah had some help from her doting great-aunts.  I think adults can have just as much fun with this as kids!

So, I think this is a keeper of a gift idea for a little girl.  And I think it's the perfect excuse to stock up on some of the Colour Me fabrics for my stash ... you know, just in case a quick little girl gift is needed any time!

Out of the Comfort Zone and Loving It!

This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and Spotlight.

So, I'm not a knitter ... have never been a knitter ... have tried and it just hasn't clicked with me ... crochet any day, but not knitting ... UNTIL NOW!

I was asked if I'd like to try out some lovely cotton yarn and some knitting needles from Spotlight, and I was like ... "Yarn, well of course!"  And then this lovely package of brightly coloured cotton arrived together with some cool green knitting needles, and I suddenly thought ... "What have I done? ... Knitting!!!"  After some deep breathing into a paper-bag, I realised that this would be a great chance to have a go at some knitting... sometimes it's good to step out of the comfort zone after-all, huh!  A change is as good as a holiday, and all that ... right!

I had to see my Mum (aka ... Knitting Extroadinare) and she suggested having a go at a Dolly-sized Kina.  Now a Kina is this gorgeous little short-sleeve cardigan pattern, and one that my Mum has knitted many times after seeing it in blog-land.  In fact she's made one for each of my girls, one for me and one for herself, as well as several others including a couple of the dolly-sized ones.   Here's Hannah in her lovely green Kina.

Anyway, I had a look at the pattern and realised that the dolly-size is a free pattern (with 2 sizes to choose from), it's knitted all in one piece, only uses knit and purl stitches, and seemed like a nice quick project which I was definitely going to need if I was to be successful in knitting something.  Just perfect for a beginner.  

So I got dressed into my Kina too ... you know, for added inspiration in the hope of channelling my inner-Kina... I grabbed this gorgeous fuchsia cotton (available from Spotlight here) along with my funky green knitting needles and cast on the little Kina.  Who knew I'd even be able to remember how to cast-on, but I actually managed it.  My happy-dance was short-lived though, as I soon got stuck, but after another visit with my Mum for her to help me get my head around the increasing, I was off and running.  

And after that, this little cardi came together in one evening, complete with a sparkly button from my stash because, well .... SPARKLY!

And there you have it ... I'm out of the comfort zone, and loving it ... now I'm even looking for other knitting patterns for using the rest of this yarn ... maybe something in a bigger size next time.  

So about the yarn... It's called Flinders, and its 100% cotton from Spotlight.  This is 8 ply and it's really soft and lovely.  I've always preferred the feel of cotton over acrylic or even wool, and these 50 gram balls are no exception.  I'm lucky enough to have a Spotlight close to home, and I'm definitely a frequent visitor for pretty much anything crafty that I need ... fabrics, buttons, yarns, and anything else I can find when I'm there (I never just come out with what I went in for ... it's actually a running joke in my house!).  But for those of you who can't get there, did you know that Spotlight have a website? ... You can totally order online.  I had a quick look, and these yarns are $3.99 per ball at the moment.  Not bad at all for 100% cotton.  It knitted up beautifully, with no splicing, and the little Kina is so very soft. I actually think this yarn would be lovely for a crochet (or knitted) throw rug.  It's smooth and soft and with the gorgeous colour range, there's sure to be a colour to suit any project.

So, step out of your comfort zone and try a new craft ... you won't be sorry, and how lovely to have another craft option to choose from now ... you know, when I'm not crocheting, or sewing or doing anything else I can think of to avoid housework! 

Oh, and I think Dolly is pretty stoked with her new Kina too, don't you!