Review ~ The Master Plan...

I am a bit of a stationery addict!  Over the years I've amassed dozens of diaries, planners and organisers in the hope I would find 'The One'.  It never happened.  I would use one, trying it for a while but something was missing and I couldn't pinpoint what it was.

 

I tried a day to a page diary but wasn't really busy enough to fill it.  Next was a week to an opening.  A little better.  But since becoming a part time worker with a little one attending kindy, taking on a P&F Secretary role and blogger with a Facebook page I needed something that I could group those roles and see them at a glance. 

 

And then I found it.  The One...a horizontal planner.  The Master Plan.  I.love.it.

 

 

 

The horizontal planner lets me see in columns what is coming up for the week for each role.  This year with the addition of an extra column I was able to add a Projects line, which is fantastic and allows me to write down specific projects I'm working on. 

 

Use it to keep track of after school activities, play dates and appointments.  Being A5 size it's portable, pop it in your handbag or keep it at home as part of your Family Command Station.

 

I love that this year the pages are white which means if I have to use white out it doesn't stand out (I know, OCD much).  I'm also this year using my washi supplies and cards to brighten up my week ahead.  

 

The Plan is a 15 month calendar commencing in September & while I start using mine at the beginning of the year, I use the extra pages to write notes etc. There's also a removable notebook included. 

 

 

 

 

The menu planning section is a favourite because as you know we love to menu plan, 5 years and counting and saves us so much money and time.  Being able to see at a glance what's for dinner prompts me to get the meat for that night out of the freezer ready to go.

 

Even if you have already bought this years diary, it's never too late to change to the perfect planner.  When you make the switch you'll be buying it every year, trust me!  This is my second year and I haven't looked back.  The hardest part is choosing the colour.  I love the Mint, my signature colour for the year.

 

 



Thanks to the lovely ladies at Sweet Creations for sending me The Master Plan in mint to review & keep.  As always the opinions are my own. 

 

Annabel from Milestone Press has also kindly given me a copy of The Master Plan for one of you to win and love.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

  

Giveaway details

The Giveaway will run here on the Because Everything Counts blog page.

It will run from Tuesday 28 January and end Tuesday 4 February 2014.

Entry is open to Australian residents only.  One entry per person.  This is a game of skill and the winner will be chosen based on the answer given.

 

Comments require approval by me before publishing.  This reduces spam comments.  All genuine responses are published. 

 

If you have any issues with Rafflecopter please don't hesitate to message me via my Facebook page

How to Enter

Please leave your answer below and include your full name & email address. Good luck xx

 

 

 





 

My vintage 40th

This post is twelve months in the making!  Last January I turned 40. It's taken this long to a) get the photos off my phone and b) to admit that I have indeed turned 40 (but that's another story).

 

I decided early on I wanted a vintage look to the party.  I spent many hours visiting you-know-where for ideas.

 

The theme start with the invitation which was simple and I think gave a glimpse of what was to come.

 

Next was the cake.  I had an idea of what it was to look like but it was a combination of two cakes.  I put together a mock up and sent it to a gorgeous cake decorator, describing colours etc to her and she did an outstanding job of creating my vision.

 

 

 

I had a wishing well and the group of birdcages that made up the wishing well looked fabulous as you walked in.

 

 

I knew a lolly/dessert buffet was to be on offer and it was to all be old fashioned lollies and cakes.

 

 

Flowers were everywhere in vases and vessels sourced from our recycling shop.  Cleaned up and wrapped in lace they fitted in perfectly.

Adding a personal touch were photos of me as a child with my family. 
 

 

 

 

I'm so happy with how it all looked.  I made the most of what I had, the small budget and a room I couldn't do much to.  So many people stopped by and commented and some even asking if it was a wedding reception.  Love it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas traditions

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse....

 

I love those words, because they mark a family tradition that is 20 years old.  Every year on Christmas Eve I would read The Night Before Christmas to my boy, who is almost 21.  Now I read the exact same copy to my girl, nearly 5.

 

Traditions that are super special and something we look forward to.  Ones I hope my children continue in years to come.

 

This one remembers those who have passed, we have an angel on the tree for everyone of our special people who are no longer with us.

 

 

 

Each year we buy a new decoration for the tree, this is last year's from Bali.  Where I can, I add the year and where I got the decoration from.

 



 

 

A few more traditions, leaving out the Santa Key, a snack and drink for Santa and his Reindeer and watching Santa's message to Matilda via the Portable North Pole.

 

 



and my final tradition is wrapping the presents on Christmas Eve.  I've done this for years and I love it.  A nice snack, some good TV and I'm set. 

 

Ok, I'm off to finish this job right now.

 

Thanks again to Larissa from LMR Photography for photographing my tree. 

 

 

A handmade Christmas

We love a handmade Christmas.  I enjoy the feeling of giving and especially knowing I've made the gift.  I also love surrounding myself with handmade goodies for our home.

 

 

This year we made Christmas bark, rocky road and rosemary salt as gifts. 

 

 

 

For Miss Matilda's teachers I made ring bowls and personalised tree decorations.

 

A few clay decorations

 

 

A thumbprint Reindeer

 

 

 

I decided to make a wreath rather than buy one, using more of my clay decorations

 

 

 

and Santa hats

 

 

Christmas around our home

I love Christmas. I love decorating, baking, gift giving and of course spending time with friends and family.   Here's a little decorating around our home.  No room goes undecorated including the bathroom.   This year I decided to gather all of my glittery decorations and I love how the light makes them sparkle at night. 

Miss Matilda's room, and this year she had a great time decorating her tree.  Our Christmas book basket is getting a little full.

 

and our tree

 

 
Thanks so much to Larissa from LMR Photography for photographing our tree and buffet so beautifully.

Our "Elf" on the shelf ~ Twinkle

Our 'Elf" Twinkle has found her way from the North Pole and joins us nice and close to the big day.  Last Christmas she made her appearance a lot earlier but I just didn't have the time nor energy to plan and do anything with her sooner.

 

Yes, she's not the official Elf on the Shelf.  She is a 'Barbie' style doll who is a friend of Tinkerbell, she came complete with the boots and I just made a little Elf hat.  Last year I gave a few people a good laugh because she's not the official Elf, but that's ok. Matilda loved her and every morning would seek her out to see what Twinkle had been up to.  I think she's pretty cute.

 

Now to check out Pinterest and find some ideas of what to do with her over the next few days.

 

If you have an Elf Pinterest board please feel free to leave a link.

 

 

 

Winners Winners...

To say I'm excited about this weekends Confetti Fair is an understatement.  I have been stalking the vendors all week and can't wait to meet them and check out their stalls.

 

The fair is perfect timing too as I am in the throes of organising Miss Matilda's next birthday.

 

And without further adieu the winners of the two double passes to the Perth Confetti Fair are;

 

Sallyann Silver & Laura

 

Congratulations ladies, thanks for providing your email addresses.  I'll send you the tickets tonight.

 

 

 

Five minutes with....Claire from Confetti Fair

 

I love planning parties.  It's the details I love,  whether it's my 40th, hubby's Gran's 90th birthday dinner and especially Matilda's birthdays.  But I can spend hours on the net searching for ideas and stockists.

 

This has been made easier now thanks to Confetti Fair.  Confetti Fair has brought everything together in one amazing Fair.  Party ideas, stylists, you can choose stationery, book a planner, find favours. 

 

I'm so excited it is on it's way to Western Australia, Saturday 23rd November to be exact.  Until then I will be sharing some of the fabulousness that is Confetti Fair.

To find out more about the woman behind Confetti Fair, the lovely Claire 'sat' down with me and shared just how she does it all.

 

Successful time management, being a Single Mum and Entrepreneur, how do you do it? 

To be completely honest I am not that great with time management lol, I seem to have a million things open at once on my computer and flick back and forth between things as my brain will suddenly remember oooh I have to do that too. I tend to keep everything in my head (much to my staff’s dismay) but am learning to use the Outlook Calendar. My little one is, fortunately, really well behaved so I do manage to get a fair bit of work done during the day, but if he is having an off day (or I am) I come back to it at night. Thursday and Fridays are my full on work days. Life is a juggle and sometimes unexpected things happen so you just have to go with the flow with time management. In saying that though I think I could still learn a lot about it!

You are happiest when? 
Hmmm so many things, looking at my little boys face when he has just woken up and still has sleepy eyes, looking at an amazing party in awe, relaxing on the beach and when all of the vendors at the fair have finished setup and the visitors come in and watching them see the all of the prettiness for the first time.

 Where do you see Confetti Fair in the next 5 years?
Global domination lol, haha… I am launching Confetti Fair Magazine in February 2014 so that will certainly be an extension of the fair. Next year Confetti Fair will be held in Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Auckland. Who knows in another couple of years it could be even further overseas, I have had a number of requests to take it to America. My son will be school age then so who knows. At the moment I am just looking a couple of years ahead. I like to jump at opportunities when they arise rather than plan too far in to the future. 

What's in your handbag? 
Not a lot, I try to carry as little as possible so if I can go without a handbag I do. It will usually just be my purse, phone, tissues and a nail file. Even my son’s nappy bag (which doubles as a handbag) has the basics in it. 
 

What is the hardest thing about working in a home studio environment?
Being able to switch off and have that work/life balance right now.  My phone is my computer too so even if I have closed the studio door for the night my phone is always buzzing and beeping with updates, messages, emails etc.  The solitude can be hard at times too, thank goodness I have Stephanie in on a Thursday and Friday to bounce off.

To celebrate Confetti Fair coming to Perth, Claire has kindly given me two double passes to give away to my readers.  All you need to do is check out and like Confetti Fair's Facebook Page and leave me a blog comment here. Entry is via Rafflecopter below.

For a list of who will be at the Fair in Perth click here

For your chance to win one of two double passes to the Perth Confetti Fair, simply like their page and tell me "Are you planning a party?  Share with me....details...details."
Please ensure you leave your full name and email address in the comment.


The necessary details;

The competition runs from Thursday 14th November 2013 and ends Thursday 21st November 2013 at 5pm WA time. 

Winners will be announced Thursday 21st November 2013 6pm WA time. 

There are two sets of double passes to be won.  Open to WA residents only.  Tickets will be emailed to the winner.  Your email address must be in the comment for you to be eligible.

The winners will be selected at random, I look forward to reading your responses.
   

 

Recipe ~ Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots

As promised here is the recipe for the Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots.

 

Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots

Serves 6

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 40 minutes

 

Light dairy spread, melted, to grease, plus 2½ tablespoons extra

350g macaroni

¼ cup plain flour

2½ reduced-fat milk

2 cups chopped cooked chicken meat

1 cup frozen peas

3 green onions, finely chopped

⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

1 cup grated extra-light tasty cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 180°.  Brush ovenproof dishes with dairy spread to lightly grease.  Place on baking tray. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 12 minutes or until tender.  Drain.  Transfer to a large bowl. 

 

2. Heat extra dairy spread in a medium saucepan over moderate heat.  Add flour, cook and stir for 1 minute or until combined.  Remove from heat.  Gradually whisk in milk until smooth and combined.  Place over moderate heat, cook and stir for 5 minutes or until mixture comes to the boil and thickens slightly. Add to pasta with chicken, peas, onion, parsley, mustard and half of the cheese.  Season.  Mix well.  Spoon into prepared dishes; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

 

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.  Stand for 5 minutes.  Serve with salad.

 

Cooks notes ~

• The recipe suggests ramekins but I chose to use a large baking dish.
• I used the same pot throughout, from cooking the pasta to making the white sauce and then combining all ingredients before placing in baking tray.  Much less washing up.
• My trick with the white sauce is to add about ⅓cup of milk to the flour/butter mix "roux" and create a thick paste.  Then add the remaining milk.  This thickens a lot quicker than the traditional method
• I used 500g thigh fillet, the recipe suggested half a large BBQ chicken.
• This recipe is quite versatile.  I could imagine a tarragon/mushroom combination. Or adding diced vegies such as the frozen medley of corn/peas/carrots. 
• I cooked this in less time than the recipe stated.  It didn't take 20 minutes for the cheese to melt.  I liked that this could be a quick weeknight meal.  I wouldn't have chosen it if I thought it would take 60 minutes to cook. 

Enjoy x

 

 

  

A Menu Plan

A little late but nevertheless here it is; our plan for the week.

 

Most of this weeks recipes are from recipes+ magazine

 

Thursday

Lamb, Cannellini Bean & Feta Salad

This was super simple, and really nice.  We have decided this is our new favourite salad that we can add as a side dish to any meat.

 

Friday

Chinese Style Fish Fillets

 

Saturday

Chicken Curry

 

Sunday

Stir Fry Pork Larb

mmm not a fan of this one, the fish sauce made the place smell like feet!

 

Monday

Lamb Skewers with Beetroot and Chickpea Salsa

The beetroot will be from our garden

 

Tuesday

Linguine with Creamy Sauce

 

Wednesday

Korma Curry

 

As always I'm happy to share recipes, simply message me or leave a comment.

 

 

No-one said cake stands had to be just for cakes

I adore cake stands, in fact I'm a little addicted to them.  I actually don't want to count how many I have but I use them all.  For any occasion; for dessert buffets, morning tea's and for no particular reason but we have cake occasions.

 

But when is a cake stand not a cake stand?  When it becomes a display piece.

 

 

 

My favourite. This was part of a dessert buffet I did for my husbands Gran's 90th birthday. 

Her wedding photo. 

 

 

 

Sugar flowers from Gran's cake

 

 

 

I used them in a baby shower I threw for a friend

 

 

 

A little Christmas centrepiece

 

 

 

And of course, for food.