Funfetti Cookies

I have over 30 cookie recipes pinned to a board on Pinterest. Really need to start using them. So I thought I'd make funfetti cookies the other day. But the recipe called for box cake mix...I don't keep box cake mix in my pantry so I found another pinned recipe for banana chop chip cookies yum started them then realised I didn't have bananas anymore and the boys were asleep! So off I go to hunt through my pins to find another recipe that has the same amount of butter and sugar, seeing as I'd already creamed it.

Found a recipe for lemon cookies....no lemon. So I used that recipe and made up my own funfetti cookies.

Here's how you do it:

½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla and egg. Scrape sides, add sprinkles (as many as you like, I used about 1/4 cup) and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Flatten slightly with a fork.

Bake for about 11 minutes.

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

This was another Pinterest find....and this was a must make.

We're going to stay at a friends place tonight before Jack's appointment in Christchurch tomorrow and I wanted to take a bit of baking with us to say Thank-you. This is going to be perfect!

 The photo does not really do it justice, it looks like a really dense cake, but when eaten warm (the only way I have tried it so far) it is really soft. Its like the most perfect chocolate brownie with a hint of coca cola.

I didn't have enough icing sugar for the glaze so thickened it with coconut = perfect.

The hubby said it was ok, he'd like to know what it tastes like with fanta....might just try that for him.

Try the recipe out for yourself.

Aprons for Toddlers

About a month ago, I got around to setting up my own wee Facebook business to sell a few of my things that I make, bibs, cards, taggy's etc.

I've been trying to think of other things I can add to draw more people in and was given the idea by a friend to make up some aprons, so this afternoon while both boys had HUGE sleeps I set about finding and tweaking an apron pattern suitable for a toddler.

I came up with these, you can tell which one I started with and what my 'standard' will be, should I make more.

 If you want to come and see what I'm selling, visit me at MJ's Creative Corner

No longer a Baby

My little baby Jack, is a baby no more.

This week he's started to hold his own bottle, which is actually quite handy at times.

He's also started moving! He's still in the harness for his hips, but that doesn't seem to stop him from pushing himself up onto his knees and pushing back and going across the floor, slowly, but backwards across the floor. What's he going to be doing in a couple of weeks when he's allowed out of the harness for a short break before going into a cast??

Did I mention he's still not 6 months old? Or on solids properly yet? And he's doing all this.

They grow up far too fast.

Nearly Summer Fun

I've been loving this summery weather we've had this past week. It means that William can just be sent outside, all slathered up in sunblock to play. The house doesn't get toys all over it, and he's just super happy.

This week we've washed the car, weeded the garden, played with the hose, played in the sandpit, played in the paddling pool, with buckets, with the hose again, and played with the chalk on the concrete etc etc you get the idea - its ALL been outside just about.

Jack's New High Chair

I don't know if I've mentioned it before but Jack has hip dysplasia, which makes it tricky now that he's 5 months old and ready to start solids. He's going to more than likely - we find out next month - need to go into a spica cast. Which means he's not going to be able to use either the wooden highchair we used for William, or the clip on highchair we bought for William. So I hunted and hunted and found this "anywhere chair". Went out and bought some fabric and batting for the grand total of $31.50 and sewed it up in about an hour or so.

Finally put the velcro on, and the only chair in our house that the anywhere chair fits on happens to be one of the kids chairs, but Jack couldn't care less. He loves it, its a new view of the world for him, and he ate his solids so much better tonight with being fully upright than semi laid back in his bouncer.

He looks pretty chuffed with himself, don't you think?

If you want to make your own anywhere chair pop on over to Made By Marzipan

As you can see in her tutorial she made the pattern to fit a chair with slats, hence why it doesn't fit our chairs, I'm just going to whip up an extension strap that attaches to the velcro end so Jack can also sit on our chairs at the dining table, and so the chair is more versatile when we're out and about.

Craft Room!

My own little space to get crafty...and leave a mess if I want to.

I spent the whole of Labour Weekend painting this room, walls, trim and ceiling, I am never putting my hand up to paint a ceiling again. Then I spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights putting together my new desk and bookcase. Thursday was moving everything in day. Tuesday I also scrubbed the floor, on hands and knees to get the paint off - that job is still not finished.

I've just spent a couple of hours in my craft room for the first time today - I love it! Can leave projects half finished when I get interrupted without having to tidy up after myself.