23 March 2010

Hmmm... I just love the smell of baked goods...

In this case: cookies! I got heaps of baking supplies for my birthday, amongst which was a package of flour. Now, the problem I have, is that I have a small kitchen. Or well, the kitchen itself is allright. It's the amount of storing space we were able to cram in it that's on the scarce side. So.. 1 + 1 + quick run to the supermarket for butter, and tadaaah! I made cookies!



Or well.. a sheet of cookie-like substance that I was able to break up into neat little rounded squares on those folding lines you can sort of see here... I couldn't just follow the recipe on the back of the package. I had to add stuff. In this case, I swapped part of the sugar out for honey and added a bit of extra flour just in case it became too runny. It didn't, and the honey flavour really stands out and is awesome, but it made the dough a bit too flexible and it spread out a bit too much. Not that I really, really mind, you know. I mean, giant cookies! Wooo! *runs off to make a giant pot of tea*

18 March 2010

I did it!

I went out today... without my jacket on, and it felt great! Goodbye dreadfully long and overly cold winter, hello sweet and sunny spring!

And no, I don't care that it's going to rain again next week. Shush. Lalalalacan'thearyoulala.

I went on a yarn shopping spree a couple of weeks ago and bought, amongst other things, 6 skeins of Phildar Linbel in the Savane colourway and am planning to turn that into my first knitted shawl of some sorts, one fit for walks in springtime weather. So wish me luck!

14 March 2010

birthday loot

It was my birthday yesterday. I don't like celebrating birthdays, possibly because I'm a terrible, terrible hostess and keep forgetting to refill glasses or ask if anyone wants something else to drink and forget to put nibbles out on the table or.. you name it. I'd rather sit around, chat, laugh, do crazy stuff I might regret.. Anyway. Apart from the unfortunate thumb-cutting incident when I was baking apple pie (I can't bake apple pie without cutting myself at least once, it seems. And always in the most unfortunate places, like the top of my thumb where no bandaid wants to stay put.), it was a really good day, and I got some great gifts!




from the bf: a windrider cub plushy with game card for an ingame version! <3 (he got one for himself as well, hence the second one in the shot.)

from my parents: a tree. Not a bonsai, a ginseng tree. <3

Here's a little bit of my mum's logic for you: "This one, the things on it, they were so ugly, I just had to get one for you!" Thanks, mum. I think. We spent quite some time trying to figure out what those things on the egg were, and finally settled for 'deformed seagulls'.



My sister's neverending logic: "These are awesome, because if you have cold feet, you can pop these in the microwave and heat up the seeds inside, and it's with lavender so if it gets too hot for you, your feet won't go all icky and sweaty but instead will smell nice, for a change!" Thanks, sis. I love my family, wouldn't you?



This is a compilation of four gifts in one: The iron pot filled with all sorts of herbs came from my colleagues, the heap of baking supplies from both my brother and girlfriend and a good friend and his girlfriend (see the giant pink rolling pin? And that little bit of blue at the top, which are square silicon cupcake liners. woo!) and the boxes at the back are six double-wall tea glasses with an assortment of tea, a gift from the bf's parents.



Lastly, a birdfeeder. This was a gift from my mum which proves that she really does sometimes listen to me when we talk on the phone (:P): I complained in the winter that I tried feeding birds on my balcony but that the bits of bread I had thrown on the stool you see here wouldn't stay put when it got a bit windy. Hence, the birdfeeder! Now all I need is a place to hang it from.


All in all: a good day!

11 March 2010

My first cakepops!

They. Are. Adorable. And so sweet!

My cakepops, I mean!



My birthday is coming up, and since we have a tradition at work that birthdays should be celebrated with homemade cake or treats only, I made Bakerella's Cake Pops! They're adorable, even though they're terribly wonky and unevenly coated in the candy melt coating. They're extremely sweet, too, however, so I hope my colleagues don't have sensitive teeth...

I also made less sweet and less pop-like versions of these little babies, which Bakerella calls Cake Balls (how unexpected!):



I might just bring these along too. Just in case.

2 March 2010

Elliephaunt!














Or something! Isn't he adorable? It's those blue, blue eyes. They make him cuter than a button and sweeter than pie.

You can tell I've been reading too much Bakerella, can't you? You can.. Damn..

I've made two of these so far, and have used, I guess, half a skein so far. I've really bought way too much yarn.


(and yeah, I know, the picture is blurry, but I was trying to figure out how to adjust stuff on my camera and changed something and forgot how to change it back. That's how I roll, people!)