Wishing you all a life filled with laughter...

I read a couple of blogs this morning that caused me to thank my lucky stars for the life I have with my hubby and two daughters.. Perhaps I should always think this, but emigrating can put a huge strain on any relationship. My poor old hubby has taken the brunt of this... wiping away the tears when I'm homesick and doing everything in his power to make me feel at home, here, in the USA... Although, the one thing that has always remained constant is our ability to laugh together... through the good times and the bad (not that we've had many really bad times)... Our little home has always heard the sound of us laughing like a pair of teenagers watching South Park.

The picture above was taken when we visited the UK for a couple of months just after our first daughter was born... We were contemplating moving back there then... We visited Norfolk on the east coast of England, and, while waiting for my step-father to return with some fish and chips, my hubby spied this old lady hiding from her husband, ready to pounce on him as he came out of the public restrooms... Obviously, she had a lot of faith in his ticker *heart*.. We both agreed that we can only hope to make it to such an age, still having our facilities, sense of humour, and, most of all, each other... This picture hangs in our hallway now... just outside our bedroom... acting as a visual cue as to what really matters in life... laughter... because if you have that, then you always have something that can turn your day around...
Wishing you all a long life, full of laughter...

A cup of tea & a recipe for almond & white chocolate chip cookies

I like to bake something every week... I grew up around my mum baking... licking the cake batter off the spoon, helping make pastry leaves to decorate her meat and potato pie... One of my earliest memories is being beside my mum in the kitchen, helping her make Sunday dinner. Once becoming a home maker myself, this early passion for cooking really took hold. Now, I'm not about to profess to being the next Nigella Lawson or Martha Stewart, as I often make a complete hash of a recipe... However, I do try my best, in hope that this love of cooking will somehow diffuse into my daughters and, hopefully, then into their daughters...  My mum also said that 'a way to a mans heart is through is stomach,' so I'm hoping that this will give them a head-start on that, too... in many years to come, of course...

Anyhoo, my eldest daughter loves cookies (please don't berate me for letting her eat this sugary treat), and so, to indulge her,  once the weather turns cooler, I make cookies most weekends... I try a variety of combinations... sometimes good, sometimes bad...

This week, I tried vanilla almond milk for the first time, and, I have to say, it was quite delicious. With this in mind, I decided to make an almond white chocolate chip cookie.

Don't you just want to eat raw cookie dough? 

Just over 10 minutes later and they look like this!

I love them, but then again, I have an insatiable sweet tooth.. The hubby is the better judge and he's just had his second, so maybe I'm onto something... I've included the recipe below, just in case you want to give them a try...

Almond White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

! ¼ Cups of all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup of butter or margarine (1 stick) softened

½ cup of brown sugar

¼ cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon almond essence

 1½ cup of white chocolate chips

½ cup of chopped almonds

Method

1.   Preheat the oven to 375F. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt.

2.   In a mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar and softened butter. With the mixer on a medium setting, beat, until light and fluffy.

3.   Add the egg and almond essence to the butter and sugars, and beat until well combined.

4.   Reduce the mixer to a low speed and beat in the flour, until just blended.

5.   With a wooden spoon, stir in the white chocolate chips and chopped almonds.

6.   Drop the dough by well-rounded teaspoons, approx 2 inches apart, on two ungreased cookie sheets. I like to make these cookies pretty big, so that they’re nice and gooey in the middle, so the key is to putting a good sized teaspoon of dough on your cookie sheet!

7.    Pop the cookies in the oven and bake until golden around the edges… between 10 and 12 minutes. I like my cookies a little soft, so I usually start checking them at around 10 minutes (depending on the size of the cookie).

8.   Once baked, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, using a wide spatula. I can’t resist these cookies so I usually have one with a cup of tea while the chips are still gooey… Mmmmmm… enjoy!

Normal Service Resumed...

Firstly, I'll apologise for the sporadic posting over the past couple of weeks; with visitors in town, my nights on the laptop are few and far between... Anyways... today, my brother returned to the UK, and so, I write with a heavy heart... I'm not going to harp on about how much I miss my family though. I think that that is a given for anyone who has chosen to emigrate... all I will say to all you folk living near your family is, make the most of them...

Me & my brother circa 1980... Wow, look at that wallpaper and not forgetting my brothers attempt at growing a moustache! 

Anyhoo, on a much lighter note, there are a couple of advantages to my sibling's departure.. namely, that we will get our bed back. Yes, the house is that small that I will give up my own bed. The hubby and I have been bunking up with the girls, for the past week or so, which they naturally loved... Now, I can sing the praises of the aero-bed for a night or so, but, after four nights, it becomes less like sleeping on air and more like nails! Hallelujah for my bed!!  It may not be a swanky bed, and it may not look like a bed from a Beautiful Homes magazine, but, for tonight, it is my dream bed!

My lovely imperfect bed... after the girls had rolled around in it...

The second plus point at being back to a four member family is that our shopping bill will decrease to a normal level (and not like we are feeding a boy scout troop!). I really didn't realise just how much men and teenage boys eat... talk about hollow legs! I just hope that my girls don't grow up into teenage eating machines, otherwise the hubby and I are off to the poor house!

Yes... I do eat that many biscuits...

Anyways, tomorrow, after having a lovely nights sleep, I intend on waking up, savouring my tea and biscuits in the peace and quite of the early morning, donning my marigolds (rubber gloves), and cleaning this messy house! Boy, is it messy!!

Poised ready for battle with the mess!

After all that, I think I'll sink into an armchair and plan what my guest room will look like... Of course, one day, this tiny house will have one... one day...
Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!

A little bit of home comfort...

So, my brother is here, and, as with all visitors from the UK, he very kindly agreed to be my pack mule and bring me some English delights across the pond!  I'd definitely say that my style has stayed true to my home country in that I try to create an English country cottage here in New Jersey. Unfortunately, the style that I yearn for is most definitely European, which often means an over exaggerated price tag here in the States. Trying to circumnavigate these budgetary and geographical restraints, I patiently wait for sales in the UK and ship to my mum's back in England, with the mindset that they will eventually make it to the US...  This does mean that I torture myself when I come across items that are just too large to be passed off as regular luggage.

Anyhoo, the worst part of this whole buying process is the waiting... waiting for a visit from a family member or my annual trip to the UK... I'm in home decor purgatory... imagining where I'll put my new purchases once here in NJ... Sometimes, I think that this shopping limbo is just not worth it, and I should just try a new look for our home... But, these thoughts soon disappear when my bubble wrapped goodies are handed over...

With this past visit, my brother carried this Union Jack cushion over with him. I brought it to sit on the shoe box by the kitchen back door. I recently read an article in the UK edition of The Times, stating that Union Jack emblazoned home accessories were soooo last decade... I hate following fashion fads or being told what is 'in' or 'out', so I brought this anyway, to remind me of home and make me smile. What's wrong with a bit of patriotism anyway?

Do you have any patriotic home accessories?
I know that some of my followers have left their home country too, and was wondering whether their decorating style reflects that of their homeland or, is it just me?

An oar.. No Boat... Any Ideas?

I have a question, but first I'll give you a little bit of background...
A few weeks back, I was shopping at my local farmers market... I say farmers market, but it also has the best garden center attached to it... Anyways, the garden center part, has beautiful seasonal displays selling home accessories... Naturally, being so close to the beach, the summer display had a nautical theme... this included some gorgeous tea-lights, wrapped in rope.. I wish I had a picture to show you, but because I procrastinated for so long (wondering where I could hang them from), they had sold out by the time I'd finally got my act together... They've obviously left a lasting impression on me, as I'm writing about them here...
Anyhoo, skulking away from the display, bottom lip hanging on the floor, I spied this old oar ( or paddle... I'm not in the know)... and it had a tag on it... it was for sale (a consignment piece and a bargain at $5) and so, I snapped it up... this time I wasn't going to waste any time thinking about where it was going to go in my tiny home!!

I wrapped the rope around the handle for decoration and to help steady it on the wall

My plan was to take the tag off and tell the hubby that I had found it at the beach... How could I justify buying a oar (even if only for $5)?  Unfortunately, life got the better of me (namely my two daughters) and the oar sat next to the back door (with tag), to greet the hubby when he returned home from work... Luckily, he didn't ask why I had brought  a oar when we don't have a boat, and agreed to pop it up on the wall in the kitchen...
It now lives here, over my laundry area... I can't say laundry room, because that would be stretching the truth to far, but behind these louvre doors, I can assure you is a washer, a dryer and a mountain of ironing to do...

The oar over the laundry area... yes our kitchen is that small

Now, here's the thing... Originally, I had wanted to get a wooden 'Laundry' sign from Ballard Designs, to hang in this spot... but then the oar came along...

With the sign in mind, I figured I would paint the oar off white, distress it, and maybe even stencil laundry on the paddle part... you know, just in case someone wanted to know where my laundry was kept and was baffled as to where it could  possibly be in such a huge house...

I figured I could stencil 'Laundry' on this part...

The hubby, however, likes the oar just the way it is... not painted, not distressed and not telling all and sundry where the laundry is...
So my question to you, is; Should I doctor up the oar, or leave it be? Or, do you have any other ideas for it?
I really would love to hear your opinions, as I'm torn...

A Slice of England in Pennsylvania

We're at the Poconos and I'm once again reminded just how relaxing this place is. We don't get to visit here as often as we would like, now that we have the little ones... Travelling lightly or nipping away for the weekend with toddlers is pretty much non-existent, and so, when we do the 'Effort v Enjoyment' calculation, I usually deem that the effort exerted outweighs any enjoyment garnished... However, when I am entertaining, I view life through new and improved glasses... and so the get-a-way  cabin becomes all the more desirable... I mean, just look at the mountains, lakes, and fresh air.. I get so good at selling this place, I sell it to myself!

Anyways, a few years back, the hubby and I found a place called 'The Settlers Inn' in a little town named Hawley, and this place has become a unique selling point for me... Hawley echoes an age that has long gone. Within this quaint town is an Inn that gives more than a graceful nod to an English pub. With it's English craftsman interior, English ales, and a stunning English cottage garden, I'd be forgiven for thinking I'd hoofed it back to the mother country!

As much as I lurve the ole USA, I certainly miss a good English pub... the beer garden in the summer, the crackling fire in the winter... oh, how I yearn for these... but, boy does this place deliver... It's like a little slice of England in the USA.  

So there we were today, sat on the deck... the hubby tucking into some fantastic food, me drinking a lovely cup of tea (would have been even better if it were a PG)... 

The gardens are amazing... perfect for walking around after eating a delicious lunch...

We then popped into the garden shop attached to the Inn called 'The Potting Shed'... the hubby picked up a cowboy hat, which he assured me was actually a gardening hat... I was just too busy perusing the beautiful gardening accessories... namely a large basket for carrying flowers and vegetables around the garden... not that I have a vegetable patch, but I would have used this basket if I had....

We then strolled along the river, where my brother showed off his 'stone skimming' prowess... the hubby watched in awe...

All in all, this place makes me realise that I don't have to be in England to appreciate beauty and a good pub... It's right here on my doorstep...

Hoping that everyone out there is also having a fantastic weekend and making the most of this beautiful summer!

A lazy afternoon...

What better way to spend a day than next to a lake... collecting snails (Ok, that bit wasn't quite so glamorous.. they looked nice, but smelt awful)...

..before heading back to a cabin, sitting on the porch with a cup of tea, and breathing in the fresh mountain air...

Sorry, the posts have been few and far between this week, but sometimes a girl just has to relax...

I have some beautiful experiences to share with you soon, though... Wishing everyone a wonderful and relaxing weekend...

Italian Lemon Sponge Cake

On our last day at Cape Cod, we took our final stroll along Chatham Main Street and popped into a few shops, including the a charity shop, (where I spied a gorgeous teapot, but it was obviously priced for the vacation market, at $22)... Anyways, the kids were at the whiny, 'I've not been fed for at least 2 hours stage' (I thought they were supposed to grow out of this, past two months)... but, as luck would have it, conveniently placed next door to the charity shop, was a cafe. A cafe where I tried the most delicious cake called an Italian Lemon Cream Cake...

I hadn't tried this cake before and there may be many variations of it, but to me, this tasted like a lemony Victoria Sponge, filled with mascarpone cheese... It was yummy (sorry I couldn't think of a better adjective)...

Like all good tasting things, it was probably packed with calories, but a little of what you like doesn't do you any harm... That's what my mum always told me anyway!

Anyhoo, my brothers in town, and so, I figured I would try to bake this cake in honor of his arrival!

I'm guessing Mascarpone is fattening?

I use this timer to make sure the eggs & sugar are whipped up at least 7 mins... Key to making this cake!

I didn't get the recipe for the actual cake, but I figured I would improvise, combining the recipe for a Victoria Sponge Cake, with an Italian Lemon Cream Cake recipe... So, if you want to give my version a whirl, the recipe is below... If you have the actual recipe for this, leave a comment and let me know it, or you could let me in on any of your cake recipes and I'll have a bash at baking them!

Italian Lemon Sponge Cake

For the sponge cake

75g / 1/2 Cup plain flour

150g / 1 cup self raising flour

6 eggs

220g / 1 cup fine sugar

2 tbsp boiling water

For the filling

225g / 8oz mascarpone or cream cheese

250 g / 2 cups powdered sugar

4 tsp lemon juice

Zest of half a lemon

240 ml / 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp Vanilla Sugar (optional)

lemon curd (optional for filling)

Powdered sugar for dusting


I converted the grammes into US measures and so they are approx. I used US measures when I made the cake and it worked out great!

Method

1.   Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Brush two deep 9 inch round cake tins with melted butter and line the bases with baking paper. Dust lightly with flour, shaking off excess flour.

2.   Sift the flours 3 times. Beat the eggs with electric beaters for 7 mins or until thick and pale.

3.   Gradually add the sugar to the eggs, beating well after each addition.

4.   Using a large metal spoon fold in the sifted flour and hot water (I always make a cup of tea here too... well if the kettles on...) 

5.   Spread the cake mixture evenly between the two tins and bake for around 25 minutes, or until the sponge is lightly golden and shrinks from the side of the tin. Leave the sponges in their tins for around 5 mins before turning out and cooling on a wire rack.

6.   To make the filling, mix the mascarpone & powdered sugar with an electric mixer. Add the lemon juice and combine and lemon zest.

7.   In a separate bowl whip the cream until soft peaks are formed, adding the vanilla sugar as mixing.

8.   Combine the cream cheese mixture with the whipping cream, stirring by hand until blended.

9.   Spread the lemon curd evenly over one of the sponges, top with the cream mixture and sandwich with the second sponge. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Because this cake has only a little fat, it’s best eaten on the day it is made. Alternatively, once cooled you can freeze it for up to one month… I personally like to just tuck in though!

Distressing Chairs... In more ways than one!

Well, let me tell you I have been a busy bunny. After posting the pictures of my kitchen last week, I decided to squeeze a spot of DIY (Do-It-Yourself), pre-brother visit... the night is wasted on sleeping anyway! My assigned project was to tackle those kitchen chairs... Yes, they had already been painted, but when looking back at the pictures, I decided to distress them. This had been my initial plan, when I'd first set about revamping them. Once painted though, they looked so clean... crisp... no drips... These were the product of meticulous painting. How / why would I rough them up? So, they remained untarnished... Now, this caused problems... I think I've mentioned before that I have two toddlers running around this place, and they just lurve to bash Little People, Little People paraphernalia,  Toy Story figurines and any other hard objects into all furniture... As you can imagine, this doesn't bode well for freshly painted chairs... Chairs just begging to be chipped or scuffed... It's a bit like when you got a new pair of trainers (sneakers) as a kid...all white and gleaming, and you just knew, that at some point, they were going to be 'christened' with a great dirty mark! Well, the hubby figured that he was going to be the first to 'christen' the chairs and unleash my wrath. In an attempt to get out of this self imposed fate,  he very gingerly exited after every meal, so as not to bash them into the table... and scooped up figurine yielding kiddies, when they ventured too close to the chairs. The poor guy was living on a knifes edge, waiting for that first dink...

Well, I was the first to do it... I bit the bullet and decided to age them... Let me tell you, it was a lump in the throat moment when I scraped that first bit of paint off... But that was it. I'd committed and so, I finished all of them before bed, had my cuppa and then decided that I'd ruined the chairs.... I told myself that they would look better after I'd slept on it... thing's are always better in the morning... right?  I reviewed my 'un-handy' work the next day with fresh eyes.... yep, still ruined...

The hubby loves them... the kids bashed them into the side of the table this morning... they love 'em... Me... I'm not sold yet, but I am warming to them. The tension in the kitchen has dissipated.  Looking on the bright side, I do think this shabby look fits in around this place... I wonder if I can pass the bite marks on my youngest's crib as the shabby chic look too??

Anyhoo, let me know what you think. Should I have left the chairs in their perfectly painted state or, are you loving the bashed and crashed look?.... Tell me the truth... I can take it, I'm a big girl now...

An antique box and a tatty old deck of cards..

The weekend is coming and it's going to be a frantic one for me... My brother and his family fly in from the UK and it's the first time they'll have been to this pad.. Anyways, because our home is the size of a shoe box, we're only going to stay here for a few days, and then we're off to the in-laws cabin in the Pocono Mountains...  I love my brother and all, but our place is just too tiny to spend 10 days here, with 4 adults, 1 teenager, 2 toddlers, a dog and a cat...

Going to the cabin has plus points for soooo many reasons... It's twice the size of this place... it's 10 degrees cooler... it has an authentic English pub nearby (a BIG plus) and, there are lots of antique places! The last time I visited these was with my mum and step-father. He's majorly into antiquing and passes on a lots of said antiques to me at each visit.. I'd hung my nose over these little dutch houses for an age and he finally sent them home with me (my eldest smashed one...Phew for superglue)...

He also gave me these antique bottles... I particularly love the little blue 'Boots the Chemist' bottle (being a Nottinghamshire lass and all)..

Anyhoo, while visiting one antique shop in the Poconos, I spied this beautiful card box... ummed and ahhhed over it and left the shop... My step-father met me at the car with the box as a surprise... Now this little gem, has a special place in my heart for two reasons... the first being that I will always think of my lovely step-father, and the second being that it holds a tatty old deck of cards... a deck of cards that travelled with me and the hubby, the length and breadth of Australia, and then here to New Jersey...

These cards have played a lot of 'Palace' in a lot of beautiful places.. They have gotten me out of a lot of washing-up duties (I was always the better player.. cough cough), and they have kept the hubby and I amused when there was nothing else to do...
And so, to anyone else this is a antique card box, but to me it holds a lot of very good memories. Can't wait to trawl the antique shops to see what I find this time...

Wishing you all a lovely weekend. Lx