Author: Yvette

The Balance of Life

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  “There is a little secret something so amazing, so miraculous and so wonderful that we should share it with everyone we know once we learn it. The secret is that there is nothing that others can do to really hurt us from the outside when we do not allow our own thoughts to hurt us on the inside. Once we take care of what is going on inside of our minds and our hearts and our souls, anything that tries to come at us from the outside simply can have no influence on our life.”                  Bravegirls Club

Light eDition

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I’m not sure where the week has gone, but it’s flying by… What better way than to stay focused on one day at a time and start each day with a new long list of gratitude’s and bucket list of wishes… This macro shot is one I see everyday (screensaver), it helps me to remember my theme word for twentytwelve of FOCUS…and its beautiful sunlit petals expresses my take on this weeks photo challenge theme of light with Kim Klassen, with only a subtle texture enhancement with kkplastersquared. There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.  ~Edith Wharton Have a wonderful day, my friends Yvette,,,x

Cherry 3.14

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Who can say no if you’re in the know of this one… I’ve never actually made this delight before and wanted to try it, Sunday afternoon, time to relax after a morning of teaching and where do I head, but for the kitchen. Fresh cherries are not in season so the best next thing is canned pitted cherries and mixed berries in their natural juices, …I love making pastry, but just wasn’t up to waiting an hour for it to rest in the fridge so opted for the ready made pastry sheets. No rocket science here…my friends..just making good use of pre-canned, pre-cut, pre-made…and the test kitchen is in business. And as you can see, the results were fantastic, a beautiful crusty rustic pastry, with the glorious ‘beefy’ plump taste of cherries and mixed sweet fruits. Read on for the recipe…

Autumn TeaTime

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With all these wonderful warm colours of Autumn, there’s nothing better than sitting by a sunlit window, sipping a cup of warm tea and eating a piece of Banana Nutmeg Cake. Sharing with you my new Royal Albert – Country Roses serving plate. A lovely oval design with cross-hatching embossing,filigree and gold trim, with handles of beautiful cut-out hearts. A beautiful addition to my china collection. For afternoon tea, there’s a serving of freshly homemade Banana Nutmeg Cake, served in petite paper doilies, and Royal Albert – Country Roses serviettes.   Welcome to all those lovely ladies, who are joining me for tea, and a chat in the afternoon sunlight. Wish you were all here, relaxing with me, just a little time for you and me, and see the beautiful hues of Autumn in our garden. Piping hot tea served in Royal Albert, bone china petite Val d’or tea cups, and beautiful paper filigree heart  – place cards. Can you see your name?   Here’s my quick recipe for Banana Nutmeg Cake 1/2 cup sugar …

Sweet Blessings

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A beautiful  Sunday, and Happy Mothers Day. I made a special cake for my sister today to celebrate Mother’s Day with the family. A Vanilla Strawberry Buttercake. Its the first time I’ve used this giant cupcake tin, so a little trial and error, but some great results. And some wonderful ideas for future baking were discussed by us girls….  A Mothers Blessing Thank you, Holy Father, for Your special gift of mothers; for the example of Your unconditional love they share with their children. Thank You for the mother who lets her child know without doubt he or she is loved, and for the child who returns that love. Lord, today we pray You will protect and guide mothers everywhere; that You will grant them Your wisdom in loving and teaching their children. Today, may children everywhere remember the warm caresses and whispers in the night; the tears dried and Band-Aids, the peach cobbler, the laughter; and the blood curdling scream, ‘No!’ at the brink of danger. Thank You for the mothers who played with …

Beeted Chocolate Fudge Cake

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The crisp cool mornings have arrived with the changing colours of our trees, and the early evening smoke clouds from chimney tops from warm lit fires. Autumn is here, and with it beautiful Autumn vegetables. Pumpkins, Squash, Parsnips and beautiful, beautiful Beetroot. I bought this beautiful bunch of beetroot from our local Organic Grocer, such wonderful fresh produce, this bunch cost AUS $3.50, and I used it for a couple of dishes. My first idea was to make that gorgeous magenta rich Bosch soup, but I didn’t have too many green flags on that one..so I thought I might be a little sneaky and make a chocolate fudge cake..everyone loves chocolate! I had seen red velvet cupcakes before made with beetroot, lower in calories and beetroot gives the mixture a smoother, moist texture. Scouting through many wonderful new and exciting beetroot dishes, I found this one from the ‘girls’ from the BBC program ‘Cook yourself Thin’, I have adapted it due to the amount of coffee in it, not good for the smaller generation. It …

Texture Tuesday – Let’s get Creative eDition

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Vintage Roses This weeks challenge, was even more a challenge for myself, I was determined to sit down and learn something new in Photoshop Elements, instead of my usual fly through with Picasa 3. What better way then to sit down with Kim Klassens, Beyond Layers and her Photoshop Test Kitchen – Elements The Essentials. Headphones, coffee and a learning will to ensure a new direction to textures and my photos. original photo + kk_mustardseed + kk_dream, mixing both blend modes and opacities. ‘We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine,we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born.  Astrology does not lay claim to anything more’  Carl Gustav Jung Have a wonderful week, my friends Yvette…x

You First

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Another challenge with Kim Klassen’s ‘Beyond Layers’. Bit by bit, layer by layer, finding the true inner self and capturing those wonderful moments, and times that I as a person grab onto the ‘me’ time. Last weeks self portrait challenge, wasn’t easy for myself and some other members of the group, but hey! it was a release to confront the self image, the reflection of the ‘true’ me and with Kim’s encouragement continue on this self discovery journey. So what better way to continue but ‘take the time’, embrace the ah ha moments that I can truly say, I’m doing this for me, I’m taking some time (and not feeling guilty) to do the things I love. I grabbed the moment of spending a few days with a wonderful friend, who was on her mission to excel in her new years resolution, of making time to visit family more often  Family not at her doorstep, travelling to the ‘bush’ some kilometers away from her home. I too, was on a mission, find time to do …