Pay it Forward

I am going to copy Robin's wording so I don't muck this up....so here goes..

So do you want to play with me? The first 3 visitors to my blog and leave a comment saying that they would like to be involved will receive a handmade gift from me within 365 days. You must email me to confirm your details.

These 3 visitors must have their own blog, place the PIF logo on your blog and link it back to me. Then you must offer the same to the first 3 visitors to visit your blog and follow the above steps that I have done. Remember their is no stress...you have one year to PIF.

So....does anyone want to join us?

Study Study Study!

After living in Australia for 20 years, I've decided I should become an Aussie! So for the last few days I've been busy studying for the Citizenship Test tomorrow!
Did we know the 1st of Sept was national Wattle day??? Hubby was most surprised to hear that! LoL
So everyone keep fingers crossed for me!

Gevulde Speculaas

This is a recipe which made around the 6th of December when the dutch exchange their presents! My Oma used to make huge amounts of this! the recipe I'm going to give here is for a 9inch square cake tin

Ingredients:
almond spice (see recipe for amandelspijs, 2 batches)
200 g flour
150 g butter
100 g caster sugar or brown sugar

How to:
Line the square cake tin[9 inch].
Mix all the ingredients except for the almond spice together.

Divide the speculaas mix into two and press the first amount into the bottom of the tin.

Add the almond spice on top and then cover this with a layer of speculaas from the second amount of speculaas.

Decorate with almonds.

Bake for 30 minutes in a moderate oven[350F/180C].

Amandelspijs (almond filling)
This recipe makes 1.5 cups, you'll need 3 cups

ingredients:
150 g almond meal
125 g sugar
egg
vanilla essence
almond essence

how to:

Mix together well and put in a sterilised jar.
Allow to stand for at least a fortnight if not longer.

Christmas Quilt.

As I was saying the other day, I made a Christmas Bowtie quilt, I used some of my Christmas fabrics collection for this.

The Quilt is handpieced and hand quilted,I might sew the binding on with the machine though!

Of course there is no use doing all this hard work without Quality Control:

Cosmo checking if Mum does a good job basting the quilt ready for hand quilting.

I'm quilting a 1/4" outside the Bow Tie and crosshatching in the setting squares, I have a Holly leaf template for the borders.

My Santa Collection

For as long as I've been in Australia (20y next Aug)I've been collecting Santas.

Here is a pic of them! For most years I bought just any old Santa, but for the last 3 years I've been buying the Heartwood Creek Santas.

What I've been doing!

My Tree

Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer aka L

The kids Tree

After a week of either me or someone else in the house hving a nasty cold (thank you for sharing tha one with Mummy, I hope to return the favour one day by moving in with you when I'm old and grey L!!) We had a rather busy weekend! D went to a cherry farm with a friend, now I've been eating cherries since sunday! I even swallowed a few pips, does that mean will a Cherry tree grow out of my nose?? (I'll keep you posted!! LoL)

Seeing hubby went away with some mates and eldest dd K went to Melb for the weekend and M had to work, it was just L and me, so we planned it to the max! Saturday we set up the Christmas Trees and decorations, made Chocolate Crackles, then went off to see a movie ( Beverley Hills Chihauhau), then on Sunday we made paper mache snowballs (free pattern from Sassafras Hill Primitives) and today we're going to finish painting them!

I'm back!

I've survived the cold I had last week, even survived hubby getting it too!
Will be back later on with pics of Xmas decorations that went up on the weekend!