my place and yours: a collection

This week's "My Place and Yours" theme was suggested by Fox's Lane.

I love embroidery, particularly that which has been done by other people as although I like the look of it, the doing bores me to tears.

Some time back Iacquired a collection of vintage embroidered hankies on eBay, which technically probably makes it someone else's collection, as I didn't do the collecting myself. I'm usually more of a tissue rather than hankie person, but now that I have about 30 of them, I might have to change the habit of a lifetime.

My favourite collection comprises only two pieces one of which is shown here. Both acid etched and engraved glass bowls were made by Melbourne artist Amanda Louden. My lovely husband bought them for me some years ago and I fully intend to grow the collection when finances allow.

The photo also shows some of my longest standing and most extensive collection, that of embroidered doilies. There is barely a surface in the house that is not festooned with a doily or two. Most of them came from op shops, although one of two of them were completed by my Mum.

We baked our favourite peanut and chocolate chip cookies for the cricket afternoon tea earlier today. I think what makes them so good is the use of golden caster sugar which gives a nice caramel-ly flavour. By all means use regular if that's all you have.

125g golden caster sugar

125g soft butter

1 egg

2 tbs crunchy peanut butter

175g sr flour

150g choc chips

2tbs milk

Preheat oven to 175C

Cream butter and sugar and add egg. Beat until well combined and creamy.

Add peanut butter and mix again.

Sift and add flour and choc chips.

Add milk until it is a soft dropping consistency.

Bake on lined trays for 15-20 minutes.

celebrity crush. part 1

Like the kooky girl in Notting Hill who tells Julia Roberts' character that she just knows they are going to be best friends, I'm positive that Jane Kennedy and I could be besties.

We both think her husband is funny, both went to Catholic girls' schools in Melbourne and neither of us can eat white bread and still fit into Bettina Liano jeans. And we both have dark hair. We'd have to be friends.

She's smart, she's attractive, she's funny and she can cook. We could hang out, watch old episodes of Frontline or the D Generation, eat meals from Jane's new book, and tell jokes that only former Catholic school girls would understand (Mary Magdalen goes into a bar.....)

Who's your celebrity crush?

oops!

A few weeks ago I ran a recipe book giveaway here on the blog. The thing is, I forgot to draw and announce a winner.

So, some weeks later, the winner is Aeonie. Aeonie, if you'd like to send me your details, I shall pop it in the post to you.

The photo above shows two lovely flower brooches made by Funky Flori and purchased at the very sweet Maribyrnong Makers Market on Saturday. The Christmas market is being held on 14 December and I may venture across town again. It is worth the drive for the sausages in bread alone.

From Seddon, the boys and I ventured to the Yarraville Market, via a shop selling the most divine coffee icecream. A little outside the parameters of my diet, but (and allow me a little self congratulating here) as I have lost 4kg so far and stuck to my low carb version of hell, I figured one little scoop wouldn't hurt.

I do like Melbourne's inner west with its village like suburbs, funky vibe and interesting shops although a quick reality check of the narrow frontages and small backyards, not to mention trucks, soon sends me scurrying back to my quiet, possibly boring, white bread corner of suburbia.

reading and the art of procrastination

I am writing a knitting pattern for a magazine at the moment. My way of pattern writing is probably not the most efficient. I basically get something in my head, play around with a few swatches and then knit it up, taking notes as I go. Once the item is finished, I then "read" the finished article, along with my notes and write the pattern from that.

Problem is, I fall into a "no need to write that down, I'll remember what I did there" trap and of course I can't remember when the pattern writing time comes. So, having finished the article, I am now up to the tedious, time consuming, frustrating, writing bit.

As a result, I'm having a lot of early nights as I tell myself I'm too tired to concentrate on the pattern. Of course, I'm never too tired to read when I get to bed and as a result, the "to be read" pile has shrunk dramatically in the past few weeks.

In summary:

• The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. I have opinions about this book. Op.in.ions. Despite the book being written in a naive style, from the perspective of a child, I have trouble seeing this as a children's book as positioned in a well known Australian book store chain or as mentioned in The Age review. Possibly I am being overprotective of my children, but this is not a book I would be encouraging them to read in childhood. Teen / young adult - yes. Child - no.
  
  Apart from that,Neither the book nor the film did much for me. This could have been a really haunting, moving story, but didn't hit the mark in my opinion.

• The Other Queen. My falling out of love affair with Philippa Gregory continues. Not only does she bang readers over the head with reiteration of key facts and names (Sir William Cecil becomes Lord Burghley. Okay. We get it) but this one is just plain boring. Mary Queen of Scots, such an interesting historical figure is rendered two dimentional here.

• Kitchen Confidential. Before watching his travel / food show No Reservations, my opinion of Anthony Bourdain was that he was self indulgent, thought he was too cool for school and a bit of a knob really. No Reservations changed that opinion. I love it and thought I would love his book, Kitchen Confidential. Unfortunately it only served to reinforce my initial thoughts on Mr Bourdain. He is a knob.

• Next up on the list is The Road Less Traveled by M Scott Peck. I tried to read this book when Conor was a baby, but tiredness and baby brain just meant it never happened for me. This time I am only a few pages in but am loving it and keenly identifying (in others of course!) many of the personality issues he refers to. The bit about delayed gratification certainly hits the mark with my pattern writing shirking self.

See the pretty wool pic at the start of this post? More beautiful, woolly hand dyed goodness from Suse whose hand dyeing abilities far out weigh my photography skills.

** I drafted this post a few days ago and just re-read it prior to hitting the publish button. I read somewhere that people on low carb diets are prone to bad temper. It would seem so.

back in black (and white, red and a touch of purple)

Saying that these black and white clips are my favourites leaves me with the guilt of a parent nominating a favourite child.

I hope the other hair clips don't grow up full of resentment and needing the help of a therapist.

These babies are off to Leeloo and will also be available in the store in a few days time. It's on the to do list, so don't hold your breath.

If you don't want to wait, get your people to talk to my people. We'll sort something out.

eye spy... my favourite gadget

When our 15 year old food processor finally gave up the ghost a few weeks ago, I would have been happy enough go to Kmart and pick up something that does the job.

This is not how it works around here. If you're going to buy something, buy something good.

After a few goes of this baby I am throughly smitten and convinced it was a good, if costly, purchase.

More gadgety goodness here and here.

my place and yours: my secret weapon(s)

Meet my secret weapons, Brian and his secret love, Marjorie.

Brian works in production, blocking hats for Sheeps Clothing. He may be a lightweight, but he is clever enough to know his limitations.

Marjorie on the other hand is the elegant house model who sees herself one day modelling race wear millinery. Her dream is to model a hat that one day will be worn by a drunken Neighbours starlet in a Melbourne Cup Day marquee.

Marjorie never even looks at Brian. Brian, although clever enough to see right through Marjorie, loves her with a passion and hopes that one day they will wear matching beanies.

More secret weapons at my place and yours HQ.