Shall I bring dessert?...almond cake

Tonight I'm heading over to a friend's house for a birthday BBQ. A casual, BYO grog affair, it will be good to catch up with people I haven't seen in awhile. It's also a terrific excuse to whip out my cooking apron, crank up the oven and pull out my favourite cake book for inspiration.

Did I mention I love baking? I say you can never go too wrong with butter, sugar and flour!

We have about a kilo of almond meal at home (a result of miscalculation on an earlier biscuit recipe) so I though I'd make this simple almond cake. Unfortunately I can't tell you what the final result tastes like til after the party but I can tell you the raw mixture was delicious!

Here's the recipe if you're interested. It's adapted from the Cake Bible.

Almond Cake

150g butter
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
70g almond meal
3/4 cup milk
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Lightly grease and flour a 20 cm cake tin.

Cream butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and almond extract. Add sifted flour and baking powder and almond meal alternatively with milk. Mix well.

Pour into cake tin and bake for 50 minutes. Leave in tin for 10 minutes before removing. Dust with icing sugar.

Edit: the final product tasted delicious too! Moist and very almondy :-)

Birds of a feather

To say that my mum is creative is a massive understatement. Knitting, crocheting, painting, sketching, pottery, murals, decoupage, sewing, embroidery, etching...you name it, she's done it. She's got a flair for creating quirky and beautiful things and uses it as a way to unwind and relax. I'd be here forever if I showed you everything she did but suffice to say our house is filled with many of her beautiful artworks. However, I do want to share with you some of her latest creations.

She's been making these beautiful felt birds for a couple of weeks now. Each one is unique and takes about an hour to do (she does one on the train on the way to work and one on the way back).

She proudly showed me this scruffy looking character she made the other day (see below) and cheekily said 'do you recognise the fabric? I used an odd sock I found lying around!' I did recognise the fabric. In fact, I just happened to have found its partner that very morning! Sadly, it was too late for the sock but the bird will be lucky enough to have a mate soon!

Mum's not sure what she's going to do with all these birds. She's thinking of making a mobile with some of them. I'd love to hear of any suggestions you can think of...

She hasn't gotten around to setting up a shop yet but watch this space...you never know what she'll come up with next!

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air...

It's easy to get stuck in a rut, to feel overwhelmed, undervalued and like it's all just too hard sometimes.

But then something happens to alter your course, lift your mood and pull you out of the doldrums.

I've had a few of these moments over the past week. Moments that have made me smile or, in one case, laugh until I cried. Things that make me forget all my worries and reassure me that everything is going to be ok. I thought I'd share some of these with you:

• Finding out a friend is having a much longed for baby;
• Sharing a yummy dinner and lots of laughs with a good friend;
• Being unexpectedly invited to a party;
• Playing my favourite song to psych myself up before a difficult event...and then hearing that song in the car when it was all over;
• Seeing our city's beautiful harbour from the train on my way home;
• Getting the giggles in Pilates and becoming so hysterical that I needed to leave the room to compose myself;
• 'Dancing it out' in my bedroom;
• Having a good cry fest during a favourite TV show;
• Making new friends in a PT session;
• Getting a phone call from Trav on Valentine's Day;
• A friend saying 'I love you';
• Seeing really cute kittens in a pet shop (and I'm not even a cat person - despite the name!);
• Discovering a new blog that I love;
• Researching our honeymoon!;
• Choosing the perfect card for someone;
• Reading nice comments on my blog (hint!).

Even writing about these things has made me relive these moments and I'm writing this with a smile on my face. I hope you've had some nice moments this week and wish you 1000 more for next week.

Cat x

Happy Valentine's Day, my love...and my first Etsy purchase

Dear Travis, From the bottom of my heart, from Sydney to PNG, from one fiank to another...I love you. Will you be my Valentine? Love, Catarina x
Not our prettiest photo but I love it. It was taken just after we'd spent an hour fighting with the hire car company and just before I had to leave to catch my plane home.

I've sent a little Valentine's Day package to Travis. Unfortunately he won't get it in time as I couldn't get my act into gear to post it any earlier. I thought I'd share the cute little pressies I snaffled for him from Etsy.
These pencils are so gorgeous. I've kept half for myself! They came in a cloth bag as well which made then even cuter! Note, these are from Paper Pastries on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40291827).

These soaps look amazing and, best of all, they're from an Aussie shop, based out of Bondi Beach, Inner Earth Soaps (http://www.etsy.com/shop/innerearthsoaps). Yeah!

I also sent a sudoko book with a personalised crossword about us pasted onto the front page. I hope he likes these pressies as much as I do!

Whatever you're doing today, happy Valentine's Day!

Cat x

Pretty things make me happy...

...does that make me a superficial person?

To say this week has been stressful would be an understatement. In terms of stressful events actually occurring, I've had tougher times. But in terms of worrying, it was up there. Worrying about Trav's health; about my dad and my nonno who are also sick; worrying about an upcoming obligation that I know is going to awful; stressing out about an incompetent colleague; trying to ignore a passive aggressive bully at work; and then yesterday finding out my boss, who is like an uncle to me, is sick as well. Never mind that in the background I'm still trying to recover $3500 from an unethical hire car company and plan a wedding! Arrrrrggghhhh....feels so good to vent!
So is it so wrong to take comfort in pretty, familiar things? I don't think so. After all 'the hours when the mind is absorbed by beauty are the only hours we live' (Richard Jeffries). These images are taken from around my bedroom. I can't explain what it is that calms me down and makes me happy when I look at some of these material possessions. Each piece has its own story and, if it was a gift, then I always think of who gave it to me. Who cares if it makes me seem shallow and materialistic? Pretty things make me happy and that's a good enough reason for me right now.
I hope you have a beautiful day.

Cat x

Rupert Bunny

My friend and I wandered down to the NSW Art Gallery yesterday where we saw the Rupert Bunny exhibition. Having never actually heard of him (I’m ashamed to show my ignorance), I was going along more with a curiousity than an interest. I’m glad I did as, not only was it a lovely diversion from my currently boring work, but because I discovered images that I was genuinely drawn to and inspired by.

My favourite painting was Dolce Farniente (above) , one of many paintings where he featured his beautiful wife. Red roses and swans were recurrent images throughout his art as well and I was inspired by the beauty of the images and of that era in time. This mood board makes me think of lazy summer days, walking in the park and drinking tea with my girlfriends. I love the crocheted necklace, lace top and swan brooch album and I think the silver spoon bracelets are so unique and beautiful. I’ve been looking for a silver bracelet for years and I think I’ve finally found the perfect one. Note that all of these beautiful products are all available on etsy.com.
Image credits and links: 1. red rose image from Bill Perry http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=18
2. Vintage Shimmer Lace Collar by JessJamesJake on etsy.com http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38057978&ref=sr_gallery_2&&ga_search_query=winter+wedding&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_page=3&includes%5b%5d=tags&includes%5b%5d=title
3. Robert Gordon ‘Liberty’ 3 piece tea cup set, available to purchase at lastminute.com.au http://gifts.lastminute.com.au/product/1362-robert-gordon-liberty-3-piece-cup-saucer-and-side/
4. Parisian Summer Vanille Cotton Lace Top by FrenchSugarCouture on etsy.com http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40216981&ref=sr_gallery_21&&ga_search_query=vintage+camisole&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=1&includes%5b%5d=tags&includes%5b%5d=title
5. Gliding With Gwyneth Large Swan Photo Album by KandiceInWonderland on etsy.com http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26374339&ref=sr_gallery_4&&ga_search_query=white+swan&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=7&includes%5b%5d=tags&includes%5b%5d=title
6. Paul Revere Engraved Spoon Bracelet Vintage Silverplate by Village Boutique on etsy.com http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40482419&ref=sr_gallery_3&&ga_search_query=spoon+bracelet&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

If you’ve got a spare lunchtime or even better a day off, I suggest you check out this exhibition at the NSW Art Gallery. While you’re there, be sure to check out the two external installations at the front of the gallery. They’re very clever and absolutely free! I should also mention that my friend and I actually got half price tickets through the Viva Sydney deal. Check this site out for details http://www.sydney.com/Viva_Sydney_p4020.aspx. It’s a free card that you can print from the website and will entitle you to special deals on all sorts of things around Sydney. Definitely a worthwhile and valuable resource to have.

Love long distance...

Up until now, I’ve been ok with the long distance thing. Of course I was a tragic mess when he left and fairly miserable for the first couple of weeks. But then I found myself settling into a new routine and adapting to life as I now know it. The past few days, however, have been more challenging than usual. Dealing with some difficult family stuff has been hard but, even worse, Travis has been unwell and I can’t do anything to help him. He’s apparently been bitten by something (spider? Mosquito?), which has become infected and quite painful. He’s currently at the doctors, hooked up to an IV drip, getting the infection drained, and I can’t do a thing to help.

“Love long distance Is testing me trying my patience”- Gossip

Anyway, in the spirit of keeping this blog positive and not allowing myself to get bogged down in a pity party, I thought I’d share this gorgeous party from Amy Atlas: Sweet Designs: A Blog by Amy Atlas: Ready for Takeoff! I think Travis would love this and have filed it away for future inspiration…perhaps when he finally gets that perfect, high paying, close to home job. I have no idea where to even start with this cake though…spectacular! Well done Amy on a fantastic job!

Here's a peek at my favourite images:

Cat x

uh oh...wardrobe malfunction

I haven't been very active on my little blog lately and the main reason is that I've been working my butt off at the gym or at Pilates this week. Considering I hadn't done any exercise since before Christmas, I knew I needed to get my act into gear. I kept seeing the Seinfeld scene where George puts his back out and the doctor advises that it was a result of 'EXTREME INACTIVITY'! Not to mention that my wedding is looming and I have less than 10 months to lose my tummy and get rid of my 'bye bye' arms.

In the spirit of my renewed enthusiasm for activity, I decided to go for a swim today. No, not just decided...I actually really wanted to go. Believe it or not, swimming is actually one thing I do enjoy doing. I'm not terribly good at it and I'm terrified of deep water, but I do enjoy paddling about in the water and calling it exercise.

So I slipped on my lovely cozzies for the occasion. Cozzies, I might add, that I paid far too much for, on a whim one day when I thought that buying something expensive would make me feel more grown up...and RIP, a great big tear down one of the seems. So much for paying for quality...

I made a weak effort to still go, even driving to Target Country to see if they'd have something suitable, but have now decided that it just wasn't meant to be today. Perhaps it's the universe's way of saying 'relax, you've done enough for now. Take it easy before another hectic week'. And who am I to disobey? So, on this beautiful rainy Sydney day, I'm going to do just that...I think I'll start by making a cup of tea and flicking through my new jewellery making book I bought yesterday. Then I might catch up the news from some of my favourite blogs. Whatever you're up to I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Cat x