tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34445713500653543172024-02-19T06:22:18.633+01:00The better Real LifeBaking, decorating, diy, lifeSquare-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-22028326675334060312015-12-03T15:00:00.000+01:002015-12-03T15:03:32.866+01:00Easiest cranberry sauce recipe with no added sugarEver since we lived in the USA my family has loved cranberry sauce and have it on our Christmas menu every year. We used to make it with a huge amount of sugar but these days we don´t eat refined sugar anymore. So I made a new great recipe. This cranberry sauce is easy to make, using just fresh cranberries, apples, cinnamon and vanilla. The later two will trick you into thinking you're eating something sweeter than you actually are.<br>
The only downside this sauce might have for you is that the color isn´t as bright red but more pinkish.<br>
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<h3>
Cranberry sauce with no added sugar</h3>
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1 bag (375 grams, about 2 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries<br>
5 jonagold apples<br>
1 large cinnamon stick<br>
2 vanilla beans <br>
optional: a twig of thyme<br>
<br>
Wash the cranberries and put them in a large pan.<br>
Add water to the cranberries until they are just about under. <br>
Peel and cut the apples in small pieces.<br>
Add the apples to the cranberries.<br>
Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise.<br>
Add vanilla, cinnamon and thyme if using to the cranberries.<br>
<br>
Heat the cranberries until boiling.<br>
Reduce heat to low and let boil for 10-15 minutes.<br>
<br>
Remove thyme, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick.<br>
Mash the cranberries and apples together.<br>
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All done!<br>
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If you find the cranberry sauce to still be too sour, you can add a tablespoon of sweetener of choice. I recommend either agave or maple syrup. <br>
<br>
If you are not eating the sauce immediately, pour into (sterilized) glass jar and add the cinnamon stick again.<br>
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<i>Is cranberry sauce a tradition at your house too? How do you like to make it?</i> <br>
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<br>Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-13927839016597826972015-11-28T11:07:00.001+01:002015-11-28T11:07:41.643+01:00How to cure hiccups fast and easy everytimeMy family learned this trick to cure hiccups over 20 years ago but somehow the word never spread. It's ridiculously easy and works every time. I'm not kidding.<br />
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When you first read this you will probably think it's a joke. If so, try it anyway. Hiccuping doesn't make you look sophisticated either so what have you got to loose?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://www.motherearthliving.com/~/media/Images/MEL/Editorial/Blogs/Natural%20Health/How%20to%20Get%20Rid%20of%20Hiccups%20with%20Herbs/cure%20hiccups%20logo" height="167" src="http://www.motherearthliving.com/%7E/media/Images/MEL/Editorial/Blogs/Natural%20Health/How%20to%20Get%20Rid%20of%20Hiccups%20with%20Herbs/cure%20hiccups%20logo" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No more hiccups!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
Step 1. Grab a glass of water or better yet a bottle that you can pick up with your teeth. </div>
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Step 2. Plug your ears and nose. Easiest done by putting your thumbs in your ears and your fingers on your nose. </div>
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Step 3. While keeping your nose and ears plugged drink at least half a glass of water. (It can work with just a mouthful of water but isn't as foolproof.) </div>
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If you are by yourself and don't have a bottle, it is possible to pick the glass up with your little pinkies. Otherwise get someone to help you. </div>
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Step 4. Victory dance! </div>
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(If it doesn't work, you probably didn't swallow often enough. Just try again with a bit more water. )</div>
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I don't remember where we learned this and have no idea why it works but it does so enjoy a hiccup free life!</div>
Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-68753280398919184522015-11-23T21:32:00.001+01:002015-11-23T21:35:09.216+01:00Marzipan recipe with agaveWho doesn't love marzipan?!! Sinterklaas (Saint Nicolas) is back in the Netherlands so it's time for sweets, sweets and more sweets. Marzipan usually comes in sausage form, or as figurines. I made this one as a roll covered in chocolate. It's gone before anyone saw what it was anyway! It took me a little while to get a sweetener that gave the marzipan the right taste. I see a lot of recipes for marzipan with honey but I think the honey has too much of a distinguished taste to use in this case. I have found that agave is the best replacement for white sugar when taste is an issue.<br />
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Easy to make, easy to eat!<br />
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<h3>
Marzipan with agave</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRGg35OFBN1wraQW-jZlxsI1lE9MESWYqY4BjT708lM6a5CDqaZ-Ij7LIUp3Uq1XuJGcc-Et1SOjE5Fvov4ZJTZSal8-S2I8WzB7lk7H_MVisVTgzu-EmAf3kuu3hVe6D5wNn9D3frig/s640/blogger-image--578465543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRGg35OFBN1wraQW-jZlxsI1lE9MESWYqY4BjT708lM6a5CDqaZ-Ij7LIUp3Uq1XuJGcc-Et1SOjE5Fvov4ZJTZSal8-S2I8WzB7lk7H_MVisVTgzu-EmAf3kuu3hVe6D5wNn9D3frig/s320/blogger-image--578465543.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makes me want to stop writing this blog and go and make some!</td></tr>
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150 grams (1 3/4 cups) almond flour
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100 gram (1/2 cup) light agave syrup </div>
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1 teaspoon almond extract</div>
<div>
plastic wrap </div>
optional: a bar of good quality dark chocolate and waxed paper<br />
<br />
Mix the flour, agave and almond.<br />
<br />
Yay you just made marzipan!<br />
<br />
Scoop the marzipan onto a piece of plastic wrap. Use the wrap to make a roll, wrap it tightly.<br />
Put the marzipan in the fridge overnight.<br />
<br />
Now you can either eat as is, or coat it with chocolate like I did.<br />
<br />
To do this put the marzipan in the freezer.<br />
Cut a piece of waxed paper the size of a plate and put it on one.<br />
<br />
Melt your bar of chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Don't let the bowl touch the water.<br />
Just before it has melted completely, take the bowl off of the pan and let stand on the counter.<br />
<br />
Put a piece of waxed paper on a baking tray.<br />
Stir the chocolate gently to see if everything has melted. If not let stand for a few more minutes.<br />
Pour the chocolate onto the baking tray.<br />
<br />
Take the marzipan out of the freezer, remove the plastic wrap and push a fork in on either side.<br />
Use the forks to roll the marzipan through the chocolate.<br />
Put the marzipan on your waxed paper covered plate.<br />
<br />
Keep the marzipan in the fridge until needed.<br />
Remove it one hour before serving.<br />
Cut in slices with a sharp knife. <br />
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Enjoy! <br />
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<i>(Note: I'm not sure if agave can be called unrefined or natural as it's not found quite like this in nature but goes through a process. A look on the web gives lots of contradictory articles about the (un)healthy aspects of agave. As far as I can tell agave is high in fructose, low in glucose. This makes it low on the Glycemic Index, meaning it doesn't spike your blood sugar levels. However it does have effects on blood sugar and insulin levels in the long term. Also some agave nectar or syrup is made by a chemical process. This doesn't make it any healthier. Always read the back of the packaging to be sure. </i><br />
<i>My opinion: Don't use agave on a daily basis or often in large quantities. Remember that every sugar is crap for your body. Try not to eat too much of it, enjoy it intensely when you do and eat more vegetables!)</i><br />
<br />
<i>Any thoughts on agave? Do you use it?</i><br />
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<br />Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-22888522439906584942015-10-18T15:42:00.000+02:002015-10-18T15:50:42.679+02:00Amaranth pancake recipe, gluten free, no sugar, no dairy, candida diet approved<div>
This is an awesome pancake recipe, gluten free, sugar free, lactose free (optional), candida diet approved and really yummy. Combine with veggies and eggs and you have a great dinner!</div>
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Last Saturday I took a small course in food photography. It was really fun and useful. Sadly I couldn't use the tips right away which means you still have to do with the awful pictures seen below, giggle.<br />
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I also started the Candida diet about a month ago. I did the no sugar, no lactose, no gluten, no carbs.... The first week I was ok, the second week I felt like throwing everything within reach against the wall (except my kids of course, they kept me sane enough to function), and the third week I was feeling so much better that I started eating normally again. I still eat a lot of veggies and try to keep the sugar to a minimum. </div>
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So hereby a nice healthy candida diet recipe. The pancakes have a nice nutty taste and work really well with veggies and eggs. No need for maple syrup on these :)</div>
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<h3>
Amaranth pancakes with veggies and eggs</h3>
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(Makes about 8 pancakes)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBXkbzxX6k_MYAknM0SJb7GiV6AN3LsrzmtArPkK9jIrAtVVet3xlq0Xzd6OnvtXpWUgijCzhwWtfNZsC67HDMBqCMlo-iUQ1KGBU_Plc0Zbl7zlRcVAdx_Rpx1owFJkl0rxdo5wnkEID/s640/blogger-image-1247923545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBXkbzxX6k_MYAknM0SJb7GiV6AN3LsrzmtArPkK9jIrAtVVet3xlq0Xzd6OnvtXpWUgijCzhwWtfNZsC67HDMBqCMlo-iUQ1KGBU_Plc0Zbl7zlRcVAdx_Rpx1owFJkl0rxdo5wnkEID/s320/blogger-image-1247923545.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The steam coming off the food made the picture blurry...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYeuXbKp2oN9Jy2W_GDyacE2ZuC6PlVJBZHooFvpQaflV2xLrLwvZIgQM8jNhfkwEszWMOILoA2jpt147NWG8fsEGtsjx_ecwO5kbFaSkFXeSwU_efgMD9APcL6AmFtT04KnjVmClnhxy/s640/blogger-image-1569911072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYeuXbKp2oN9Jy2W_GDyacE2ZuC6PlVJBZHooFvpQaflV2xLrLwvZIgQM8jNhfkwEszWMOILoA2jpt147NWG8fsEGtsjx_ecwO5kbFaSkFXeSwU_efgMD9APcL6AmFtT04KnjVmClnhxy/s320/blogger-image-1569911072.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my coffee grinder, so versatile</td></tr>
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<u>Amaranth flour</u> </div>
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First we need amaranth flour. This is easily made with a coffee grinder. I use a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SPEU?keywords=krups%20coffee&qid=1445175210&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3" target="_blank">Krups Spice and Coffee grinder</a>. Works really well and doesn't cost much, just 17 dollar! One tip: buy a little brush to get everything out.</div>
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Just
a few seconds of grinding is enough to turn the amaranth into flour.
The amaranth that didn't get chopped will make for a nice crunch in your
pancake!</div>
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<u>Pancake ingredients</u>: </div>
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1 cup amaranth flour</div>
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1 cup buttermilk or almond milk (other milk is fine too)</div>
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1 egg</div>
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda when using buttermilk or 1 teaspoon baking powder for other types of milk</div>
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Mix baking soda/baking powder with flour. Add milk and egg, mix well. </div>
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The batter will be quite thick but don't be tempted to add a lot of water. One or two tablespoons of water will make it a little bit more fluid without it getting impossible to flip the pancakes.</div>
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Bake small pancakes, add some (green) veggies (I used zucchini, broccoli and some carrots) and some scrambled eggs. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks just like a normal pancake :)</td></tr>
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My kids loved this!<br />
<br />
Looking for more pancake inspiration? How about these <a href="http://thebetterreallife.blogspot.nl/2014/03/healthy-american-breakfast-pancakes.html" target="">Healthy American pancakes</a> or these <a href="http://thebetterreallife.blogspot.nl/2013/06/dutch-pancake-recipe.html">classic Dutch pancakes</a>. </div>
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<i>Have you cooked with amaranth before? Any other good recipes I should try?</i></div>
Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-85709357650584773482015-07-13T23:08:00.001+02:002015-07-13T23:08:43.486+02:00Easy quick healthy ice cream, sugar free, no egg, no dairyWith the first heat wave already behind us, get yourself ready for
the next one with this great healthy ice cream recipe. It tastes
delicious and with just 2 base ingredients you can make a lot of
flavors. It takes about 5 minutes to make with a food processor and can
be eaten immediately which is a great plus when you have kids! Of course you can have more ice cream!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7r1Dc9u8ARwjMog9IOhapfddfnfAT4LKraid3L5DDwzTLKaPeHbQIVmpZRtnr_l1KCjP6XGDEmvKVkpaa8lC6TwTpERC6-n1uaumu0EobhTXb-vy7WBL0PKLkXFvQ53XCOJ2WCxRPPVdR/s1600/mangoicecream.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7r1Dc9u8ARwjMog9IOhapfddfnfAT4LKraid3L5DDwzTLKaPeHbQIVmpZRtnr_l1KCjP6XGDEmvKVkpaa8lC6TwTpERC6-n1uaumu0EobhTXb-vy7WBL0PKLkXFvQ53XCOJ2WCxRPPVdR/s400/mangoicecream.jpg" width="298" /> </a></div>
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I've included three different flavors but you can experiment when you understand the basics.<br />
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<h3>
Healthy ice cream</h3>
<i>Chocolate ice cream</i><br />
Ingredients:<br />
2 ripe bananas<br />
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa<br />
1/2 cup frozen blue berries<br />
<br />
<i>Forest fruit ice cream</i><br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 ripe banana<br />
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa<br />
250 grams (about 1,5 cups) frozen forest fruit<br />
<br />
<i>Mango ice cream</i><br />
Ingredients:<br />
2 ripe bananas<br />
250 grams (about 1,5 cups) frozen mango pieces<br />
<br />
Mix the bananas and cocoa if using, in a food processor until the banana resembles a liquid. <br />
Add the frozen fruit a handful at a time and mix until completely smooth.<br />
(Be sure to use a device that can handle frozen fruit. I broke my little mixer thing.)<br />
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That's it! You can eat your yummy healthy ice cream now!<br />
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If you feel your ice cream is too runny, pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Give it a good stir and repeat as needed.<br />
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Making ice cream really is this easy!<br />
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<b>Tips to make your own creations: </b><br />
-As
you can see I use a ripe banana as a base. Be sure to use a ripe but
not overripe banana. The taste will be too strong. (Unless of course you
want to make banana ice cream, then an overripe banana will be even
better)<br />
- Don't use big pieces of frozen fruit unless you are
sure your device can handle it. Adding a handful at a time will help
small devices handle the stress.<br />
- Experiment by adding pieces of chocolate and nuts. I recommend grinding these down separately and stirring them in at the end.<br />
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So what ice cream are you thinking of making? I would love to hear!Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-36307170181655812712015-05-22T21:41:00.001+02:002015-05-22T21:41:31.716+02:00Want to come to Disney World with me?It should come as no surprise to anyone who has read this blog that I love Disney World. It's right up there with the entire rocky mountain range (especially Canada and Boulder, Colorado. I would have loved to study there!) Luckily my hubby also likes both! The only thing holding us back is a lack of money. That might change if my blogs started earning dollars a day instead of pennies. Click a banner! go on, no pressure ;) (Kidding aside, I'm grateful to all of you who read this blog and I do not do this for money.) <div><br><div>Though Disneyland Paris is just a 6 hour drive away, it is very expensive. In part because they put it right next to Paris. Once in a while I check how much it would cost and it always seems that just a few days Disney Paris is just as expensive as two weeks Florida! Excluding transportation costs. I always end up choosing to save for a big trip to Florida, even if it is years away, than spend it on a few days Paris.</div></div><div> </div><div>You can imagine how excited I get when Disney turns on their webcam. They do this for special events and the one I like best is the 24 hour event they started having annually. It's going on right now so check it out:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4Iv1RBcxR0oRu8kUa5QFVT9_ZbEaao1XWeXq0lHD4uaiqUiicEJjvFfIFNdld4QaFM6NguI5j-AIC1B9XLynvhbUAI6oU481_LIsCU7fsyCmAGrLa_V4GPZ4GAyh7BDHE0njK_o9NWaw/s640/blogger-image-13003480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4Iv1RBcxR0oRu8kUa5QFVT9_ZbEaao1XWeXq0lHD4uaiqUiicEJjvFfIFNdld4QaFM6NguI5j-AIC1B9XLynvhbUAI6oU481_LIsCU7fsyCmAGrLa_V4GPZ4GAyh7BDHE0njK_o9NWaw/s640/blogger-image-13003480.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A great view of Disneyland, though a little small on my iphone... Tiny people :D</div><br></div><div>http://www.disneylandevent.com </div><div>This will get you no less than 6! Webcams in Disneyland California</div><div><br></div><div>http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/watch-coolest-summer-ever-live-stream-main-street-u-s-a-at-magic-kingdom-park/ </div><div>This is Floridas webcam, it is not as good as those from California but you can watch the parades and fireworks really well with this one! </div><div><br></div><div>Want to know when to watch the Florida cam, check this site for the scedule:</div><div>http://www.wdwmagic.com/events/coolest-summer-ever/news/20may2015-entertainment-and-attraction-operating-schedules-for-the-24-hour-'coolest-summer-ever'-event-at-the-magic-kingdom.htm</div><div><br></div><div>Wishes is awesome, as are the parades.</div><div><br></div><div>And the best part this year: the cams how sound now! Yay! You can hear the hustle and bustle of the theme park and all the beautiful music.</div><div><br></div><div>Have fun!!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-1186406678479395782015-05-21T22:33:00.002+02:002015-05-21T22:33:13.985+02:00Willow tree wedding cake and Scottish Outlander birthday cakeIt's been busy lately and here are the results: <br />
<h3>
'All we need is love, and a little cake' wedding cake</h3>
This is a wedding cake I made for friends. I had to make it bigger than we agreed upon of course, which was quite challenging considering I was also their master of ceremonies (at least that's what they call it here. It might be more comparable to maid of honor duties.).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmzqE8VeTfJLA6V8ehWzyDnQD-HIx4F8GGAzQrBaycSXOxJznmeFuaa1CrG8JrIfqrT6OQIRhueCIBWubFhjE7LwvQcJUQZASsUD4Brs6aXcOQ_ztCWUTvlsTuSKt0h6ItpmBeY_Fog70/s640/blogger-image--851968259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmzqE8VeTfJLA6V8ehWzyDnQD-HIx4F8GGAzQrBaycSXOxJznmeFuaa1CrG8JrIfqrT6OQIRhueCIBWubFhjE7LwvQcJUQZASsUD4Brs6aXcOQ_ztCWUTvlsTuSKt0h6ItpmBeY_Fog70/s400/blogger-image--851968259.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also made some sugar flowers, you can almost see one at the bottom </td></tr>
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<br />
This 5 tier cake has two flavors. The dark tiers are chocolate cake with mocha butter cream. I used chocolate ganache to crumb coat and the outer layer is a poured on chocolate gelatin.<br />
The top tier has the outline of Austrian mountains painted on it with royal icing. I did this to correspond with their wedding rings. They incorporated the design because they look out on these mountains from the apartment they rent when they go on ski vacation, which incidentally is also where he proposed!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRnP08VIW7rFa6X0PpsldQ3r-lO7QwGxt-ZScCxcIPKU7eBubZS116YiP_tyYbBUPnZkGAqiKCeCNeTxe2UCzFbueGAS0XG9E0cCzpUDlmSzJ1ZveK4sK3MhfjhYr3_VP1xJjul1tJlzs/s640/blogger-image-269403041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRnP08VIW7rFa6X0PpsldQ3r-lO7QwGxt-ZScCxcIPKU7eBubZS116YiP_tyYbBUPnZkGAqiKCeCNeTxe2UCzFbueGAS0XG9E0cCzpUDlmSzJ1ZveK4sK3MhfjhYr3_VP1xJjul1tJlzs/s400/blogger-image-269403041.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up a cake in formal dress hahaha </td></tr>
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The off white colored tiers are white chocolate cake with a champagne butter cream. It's also crumb coated with chocolate ganache and covered with natural marzipan (so no color added). The flowers/lace type design was made with royal icing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisdmq9IZ1HBDx6tMxf2t_6A1TZ9yLV7aD1jrLCy-O7qX4EkdUxMqJsAGdq82vAjRTd4lbHVJY58-thWEPKGS6o9tZhTQ5dq21RTGEVsqYAkvyNRa0Ppn3lJOrVqcXJVCvRRtdpY_b_amy/s640/blogger-image-862098031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisdmq9IZ1HBDx6tMxf2t_6A1TZ9yLV7aD1jrLCy-O7qX4EkdUxMqJsAGdq82vAjRTd4lbHVJY58-thWEPKGS6o9tZhTQ5dq21RTGEVsqYAkvyNRa0Ppn3lJOrVqcXJVCvRRtdpY_b_amy/s400/blogger-image-862098031.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little girl helped me decorate, she is standing just off camera but she was so sweet!</td></tr>
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The bride asked to have "All you need is love, and a little cake" added to the cake, maybe as a topper as she didn't want one of those traditional ones. I on the other hand had a (in my opinion) much better idea. I really love <a href="http://www.willowtree.com/" target="_blank">Willow Tree</a> figurines and while getting inspiration for a sculpture I wanted (more on that some other time) I noticed they have cake toppers. They have a few but this one resembled the bride and groom the most and I loved the design. The figures are really intimate but actually only touch in three places and you can look at it from any angle giving "...a different understanding of their shared feelings". The fact that you can look at it from any angle makes it nice for a cake because it means you can photograph from any angle and the topper will still be awesome! <br />
The great thing about this topper is, they can put the figurine somewhere in their house and it will look gorgeous, which is why this was my gift for them.<br />
(FYI: the topper is called <a href="http://www.willowtree.com/Around-You-Cake-Topper/27342,default,pd.html?start=1&cgid=1040010" target="_blank">Around You</a>, by Willow Tree. It's tested to ensure food safety and comes with a little piece of plastic to put between the topper and the cake as the topper is not waterproof.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6GvcCxjjUKPjI5RkesYC0B2ZTpt1fvsMou_SgcwzocanIGYKJa7BTsNiXYsuwbhcQcuvUjjJaQRULDObrGtzqwBsZ_R-YxebfKGCCxYj72IRSXyBoVy-YXizCsjYwtUqxoOvvsP-4NX1/s640/blogger-image--1376879568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6GvcCxjjUKPjI5RkesYC0B2ZTpt1fvsMou_SgcwzocanIGYKJa7BTsNiXYsuwbhcQcuvUjjJaQRULDObrGtzqwBsZ_R-YxebfKGCCxYj72IRSXyBoVy-YXizCsjYwtUqxoOvvsP-4NX1/s400/blogger-image--1376879568.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willow Tree on the mountain</td></tr>
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I did add the phrase to the cake, but decided it would fit better in the theme to make it say "All <u>we</u> need is love" and to add the "And a little cake" on the base plate. It's funny but I really didn't want that to be too obvious. The fruit was also on request. There was supposed to be more of it, but I didn't have much time on location to set up the cake so I couldn't try it out.<br />
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Anyway, I thought the cake turned out awesome! It looked exactly how I envisioned it, no big problems and the bride and groom were happy. Good enough for me ;)<br />
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So on to the next one.<br />
<h3>
a Scottish/Outlander themed birthday cake</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWFBHrc2hvedfA1ZJlBRo0JvZuXI983zcWV6wDQrt7YXJMt06_prffK0wKi-tZk2yr7__pj9jE3KvqJpiIE1-V2jkjV3iTh-VJtqSfMCKvtVHFkVlSJu6_QXO_SbQiz15Z4xZPSe0zm3K/s640/blogger-image--914153538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWFBHrc2hvedfA1ZJlBRo0JvZuXI983zcWV6wDQrt7YXJMt06_prffK0wKi-tZk2yr7__pj9jE3KvqJpiIE1-V2jkjV3iTh-VJtqSfMCKvtVHFkVlSJu6_QXO_SbQiz15Z4xZPSe0zm3K/s400/blogger-image--914153538.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a bit too green but I loved how it turned out</td></tr>
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The lady who ordered this wanted a Scottish/Outlander themed cake for her birthday. She wanted a stone circle, thistles and tartan, and the cake was only for 6 to 7 people! That's small!<br />
I decided to make the thistles life size and use a base board to put them on. That way the circle wouldn't be cluttered. I made little tufts of grass and put tiny points of purple on them to represent tiny thistles. You can't even see it in the pictures but it really made a difference, just a little pop of color near the circles!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUfCLOjWv-AFj5pKSA5GuQCqSCjzltyxqiCWhuX0baBQnWnc2ubnqeyoCwqsCoEiAjMwLNZcqpYLoL14gozvatSjBL67JdFXH59QBFwu6rz8j6EU522mnptkdBZkxQRbEpPIMv2o5H1aH/s640/blogger-image--236824340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUfCLOjWv-AFj5pKSA5GuQCqSCjzltyxqiCWhuX0baBQnWnc2ubnqeyoCwqsCoEiAjMwLNZcqpYLoL14gozvatSjBL67JdFXH59QBFwu6rz8j6EU522mnptkdBZkxQRbEpPIMv2o5H1aH/s400/blogger-image--236824340.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The thistles were fun to make</td></tr>
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I wasn't too impressed by the tartan printed on frosty sheet. It was hard to handle and had been printed a bit too dark (in the pictures it looks lighter than it did in real life). I still liked the way it turned out though.<br />
There was also a request to add a phrase on the cake. I'm presuming it's Scottish though the online translator didn't understand it. It basically said Happy Birthday Anna! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivD705vpWiieAjk7hBB4IQwnuOqaa6dOugQpcyGE2mC6nSytcJIIxJK3lmc7V_A_kRuHzxD9nYURPkxRwdtd9qS5Z6gejZhA_r3VZWA-ai2W6v6IiQy49XwSt7jDZBChnJNkvcbChTZORZ/s640/blogger-image--907093474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivD705vpWiieAjk7hBB4IQwnuOqaa6dOugQpcyGE2mC6nSytcJIIxJK3lmc7V_A_kRuHzxD9nYURPkxRwdtd9qS5Z6gejZhA_r3VZWA-ai2W6v6IiQy49XwSt7jDZBChnJNkvcbChTZORZ/s400/blogger-image--907093474.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tartan was a bit dark and hard to handle on frosty sheet. </td></tr>
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It was a fun cake to make. On request it was a coconut cake with a pineapple butter cream filling. I crumb coated with chocolate ganache because I had a long drive and I don't have air condition. It's covered with marzipan but the rocks are fondant and the piped on grass is butter cream.<br />
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The client loved the cake so that was awesome! I hope she noticed I made the stone circle like the one on Outlander! I might have to mail her just to ask :)<br />
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Now on to my Dad's birthday cakes! They are going to be fun :D<br />
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<i>So what do you think? Is the wedding cake extravagant enough? Did you recognize the rocks as those from Outlander?</i><br />
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<br />Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-8116298651027735732015-05-07T11:56:00.002+02:002015-05-08T23:11:37.780+02:00Gluten free chocolate chip cookies, no egg eitherThese gluten free chewy cookies also contain no egg and very little ingredients. They do not last long in our house and are great for unexpected company because they are so quick and easy to make!<br>
<h3>
Gluten free chocolate chip cookies</h3>
Makes about 12 medium cookies<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKS6IoSMU8eILRkQW3dnQbfjVaGpf4KDa75GQEMuAcAYZ03rtS6ctP6y7CCkUB3R4jcgujo8tqax7c7nny0JR1rqrl4dGtgGnPRkfWbVacxNb57ZfHvAzLMxNJByKPfb-y7BNNwwwJv8AW/s640/blogger-image--1711810087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKS6IoSMU8eILRkQW3dnQbfjVaGpf4KDa75GQEMuAcAYZ03rtS6ctP6y7CCkUB3R4jcgujo8tqax7c7nny0JR1rqrl4dGtgGnPRkfWbVacxNb57ZfHvAzLMxNJByKPfb-y7BNNwwwJv8AW/s640/blogger-image--1711810087.jpg"></a></div><br>
<u>Ingredients</u><br>
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300 grams (3 cups) almond flour<br>
90 grams (6 tbs) butter, room temperature<br>
5 medjool dates, pitted<br>
4 handfuls of chocolate chips<br>
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 F)<br>
Put a piece of wax paper on a tray. <br>
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Mix flour, butter and dates in a food processor until no big pieces of dates remain.<br>
Add up to 5 tablespoons water, one at a time, until the dough starts to form a ball.<br>
Add the chocolate chips (you can add as little or many as you like which is why I didn't give a clear amount)<br>
Mix the dough by hand until the chips are well spread.<br>
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Roll small balls from the dough, about the size of a golf ball.<br>
Put them on the tray, pressing them down to about 1 cm (1/3 inch) thickness.<br>
Keep in mind that these cookies do not spread or rise. What you make on the tray is what they are going to look like after you baked them.<br>
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Put the tray in the center of the oven (or if you can't put it in the center because you have a stupid oven just like me, put it above the center, not below).<br>
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.<br>
Let them cool on the tray.<br>
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Try not to burn your tongue! (I always do, they are just too yummy to wait for them to cool!)<br>
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Let me know what you think! <br>
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<br>Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-25010255489200556672015-02-11T21:20:00.000+01:002015-02-12T15:28:39.459+01:00Healthy apple crumble, no added sugar, no glutenMy toddler is always asking for cookies. No idea why, because we never have any. On those occasions when she gets really pushy, I try to make something yummy and healthy like this apple crumble.<br>
The apples are obviously just apples. The crumble is a bunch of raw super food (at least that is what they are calling it here) tied together with real butter.<br>
It's really good and leftovers are great for breakfast, mixed with some yoghurt.<br>
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(Be sure to buy products that are truly gluten free if this is important. Products like oatmeal are of themselves gluten free but the machines they are processed on are often not. Check the package to be sure!)<div><br>
<h3>
Healthy apple crumble</h3>
Makes 4 to 6 servings<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3uLd6OdwsJIdy8hSbS3Hgj1mVLOZH-JYC0aFC74RWxaVFqkIJ5qqLRroSfrptu5Y6A3g_miFHD2FlHtHVuvuyvwrgHIcE8kmEAdcghF48CdTPoXcSPibUGW5M8meTQ0CTmXy-P-Zt9cL/s640/blogger-image-1019607429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3uLd6OdwsJIdy8hSbS3Hgj1mVLOZH-JYC0aFC74RWxaVFqkIJ5qqLRroSfrptu5Y6A3g_miFHD2FlHtHVuvuyvwrgHIcE8kmEAdcghF48CdTPoXcSPibUGW5M8meTQ0CTmXy-P-Zt9cL/s640/blogger-image-1019607429.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div><u>Ingredients</u><br>
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8 or more sweet apples <br>
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs<br>
2 tablespoons hemp seed<br>
2 tablespoons flax seed<br>
5 tablespoons oatmeal</div><div>1/2 teaspoon salt<br>
5 gooey dates <br>
2 to 3 tablespoons butter<br>
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Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 fahrenheit) <br>
Take a small baking dish and butter the inside.<br>
Cut the apples into cubes and distribute them over the dish.<br><br>
Mix the dry ingredients (no dates) in a food processor until it turns into a flour like substance.<br>
Put the dates in and mix well.<br>
Add the butter until it just starts to clump.<br>
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Mix the crumble by hand until you have nice size clumps.<br>
Distribute the crumble over the apples.<br>
Bake for 20 minutes then add a loosely tented foil over the top.<br>
Bake for another 40 minutes or until apples are soft and just a bit mushy.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br>
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<br></div></div>Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-52886473761182393062015-01-13T21:05:00.000+01:002015-01-13T21:05:19.690+01:00Dutch split pea soup recipe also called snertSnert is a split pea soup closely linked to weather conditions. We eat the soup when it's 'snert weather' usually meaning wintry cold and wet either in the form of snow or in most cases rain. When iceskating in the Netherlands, snert is never far away (look for Koek-en-Zopie stalls on or near the ice).<br />
The soup is very thick and best made in large quantities the day before you plan to eat it. As the soup pan can be quite big, put a lid on it and keep it in the shed or garage (assuming that it's cold of course).<br />
<br />
It takes a while to make but not much effort. Give it a try, it's really good!<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u>Dutch split pea soup</u></h3>
Makes enough for at least 6 people,<br />
if that's too much you can easily half the recipe<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisW4stKTDYZOIszCKNE3PlkINnF2G7aiw_F9d62_l5pbZoHsTBxL3t3BPMbzOIsJjLNuh-wQcPKE9a1YXoZWm4IEDBAJcOONkq6AwzxzoaqzQ9eQKVwGuskugGGoN35YMe_EuapAe2pJvC/s1600/DutchFood_SnertWithBacon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisW4stKTDYZOIszCKNE3PlkINnF2G7aiw_F9d62_l5pbZoHsTBxL3t3BPMbzOIsJjLNuh-wQcPKE9a1YXoZWm4IEDBAJcOONkq6AwzxzoaqzQ9eQKVwGuskugGGoN35YMe_EuapAe2pJvC/s1600/DutchFood_SnertWithBacon.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snert! One of the thickest soups you'll ever eat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
900 grams (4 cups) split peas<br />
2 medium sized leeks<br />
2 medium onions<br />
2 wintercarrots (at least that is what they are called here, it's the thick dense type)<br />
1/2 celeriac<br />
5 stems of celery leaves<br />
2 laurel leaves<br />
1 kilo (about 2 pounds) pork belly<br />
2 smoked sausages <br />
salt and pepper<br />
<br />
<br />
Put four liters (a gallon) of water in a large soup pan. Add the pork belly and pour the peas on top of it. Also add the laurel leaves. Bring to a boil.<br />
<br />
After about ten minutes of boiling on medium heat, scoop the froth off.<br />
Boil on the lowest heat possible for an hour. Give it a good stir once in a while.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, roughly cut the leeks, onions, carrots, celeriac and celery.<br />
<br />
After the hour remove the pork and cut into cubes. Also remove the laurel leaves.<br />
Add the pork and vegetables and cook the soup another 30 minutes. Stir sporadically. <br />
<br />
Season the soup with pepper and salt (unless the pork belly was salted, then do not add any more).<br />
Slice the smoked sausages and add to the soup 5 minutes before the timer goes off.<br />
<br />
Leave the soup to settle overnight. If your wooden spoon can stand upright in it the next morning, you did it perfectly! :)<br />
<br />
Serve hot with rye bread topped with smoked bacon or cheese. <br />
<br />The soup will keep in the fridge for a couple of days but you can also freeze it really well.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-35640985207104551842015-01-09T16:53:00.003+01:002015-01-09T16:53:29.091+01:00Multitasking with awesomenessThe ultimate multitask: blogging while feeding a baby, cooking pea soup and melting coconut oil. Who doesn't love feeding pillows, without it I would be on the couch watching tv. (Which isn't too bad accept that the mediabox keeps getting stuck so I can only watch one channel.)<br />
<br />
And that is...if the toddler isn't home. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFgLgsLXq52N1wgAUkeVNHiJDVjeIjpQZKhsTnRtNyJ7qwm0nJbHTjXWbuvVc1GFgr8FKT-6Oz3rdrZZ9Walux55m8pxRYfi9tSZQ8ayRLs_CQo79Hs-6QGRHz9w1FOmrb6EBZv8USSFv/s1600/Me.jpg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFgLgsLXq52N1wgAUkeVNHiJDVjeIjpQZKhsTnRtNyJ7qwm0nJbHTjXWbuvVc1GFgr8FKT-6Oz3rdrZZ9Walux55m8pxRYfi9tSZQ8ayRLs_CQo79Hs-6QGRHz9w1FOmrb6EBZv8USSFv/s1600/Me.jpg.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When they are easiest but least funny</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I must say whoever said babies are hard obviously does not have a toddler running around! When I had my first daughter I thought I didn't have time for anything. I felt like a cow (you know, the ones that give milk) and <br />
<a name='more'></a>when I wasn't feeding I was either changing a diaper or trying to get her to sleep. Now I wonder what I did with all that leftover time I must have had. The baby at least sleeps part of the day.<br />
As for my toddler, she has gotten into the habit of tipping over any glass with liquid in it, pulling things out of the closet and putting them somewhere else. Mostly on the floor. Have you ever stepped on a lego duplo? Any mom with those in the house will know That Hurts! She pulled the keys off of my laptop keyboard. Incidentally I have just noticed I put them back wrong. She is the absolute sweetest big sister, meaning I have to pull her off of her little sister all the time so she won't breath in a bunch of hair or have her arm dislocated from being pulled the wrong way.<br />
<br />
We laugh though. A lot. Kids are just the funniest things on earth (sorry comedians, but it's true). My hubby asked kiddo1 "Do you want to go to the microphone store with me?". Her response: "No thank you, I would like to go to the playground please." Listening to Miles Davis she asked what is this? Is this music? It's kind of a fire truck. (sorry Miles...) And when asked "Are you going to put on your pajamas? " she said "I don't think so daddy." How do you respond to that? And how do you keep the smile from your face so you can argue that she has to. Consequently it's one of those moments when I think, maybe we should not have given her that choice, hahaha.<br />
<br />
The little one doesn't talk back yet but I know that won't last long. With a sister and two nieces we are probably in for a treat by the time this one finds the words.<br />
Kids are awesome. (perfect for Neil Pasricha, if he didn't have it already. For more awesome things check out his blog: <a href="http://www.1000awesomethings.com/" target="_blank">1000awesomethings.com</a> or read the books. It's hilarious!) <br />
<br />
Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-56931655381089482152014-11-07T22:13:00.001+01:002014-11-07T22:13:11.102+01:00Gorgeous children's beds for tiny bedrooms (yes I am still here, though it might not have seemed that way recently)It's been a while... Ok a seriously long time, since I blogged. Most days I can be found searching the web for refined sugar free recipes, natural cleaning tutorials or crafting ideas. This leads me mostly to sites of stay at home moms who are apparently the super woman kind. They have huge sites with tons of recipes they tried and tested themselves, and then market like crazy with blogs, tweets, ebooks, seminars, etsy stores... While also having the time and energy to push out 5 kids, which they home school and keep mentally entertained with age appropriate awesome activities.<br />
<br />
<div>
I am not that kind of mom.<br />
<br />
Yes I have a blog, I think up, try and test (and fail miserably lots of the time) recipes, I have a 2 year old and am pregnant, but that is exactly why I haven't blogged in ages. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Maybe if I didn't live on 40 square meters at the top of three flights of terribly small stairs it would be different. Maybe if I could walk out the front door, load my kid in the car and actually drive to a store somewhat close by it wouldn't take so much out of my day to get food. Now my choices are either walking while trying to get my toddler to keep moving, and having to carry my groceries, or I can take my bike which no longer has room to accommodate my belly between my seat and my toddler's and try not to faint while going over all those awesome canal bridges. Did I tell you I live smack dab in the middle of Amsterdam?</div>
<div>
Sometimes I start a crafting project but by the time I have it laid out on the table it will be time for lunch so I have to clean it up again. Right after lunch my daughter's favorite game will be to open mommy's sewing box and pull out all those fun little objects. I can't blame her, it does look like fun ;) Maybe I could cook up great recipes if my kitchen counter wasn't tiny and my cupboards weren't stuffed. It would also help if I could bend over to get those dishes out of the washer without having to sit down for at least a half an hour afterwards, just to recoup but that might happen to the best of pregnant moms now I think about it.<br />
<br />
I vowed never to be pregnant in this apartment again and obviously failed. On the bright side I was able to redo the bedroom in such a way that it no longer annoys be and I actually find it pretty.</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t6QFsNbkgQUXRTRcwzchBCYzKtrzBEvOsv03-QRq7GCQyfwfRz8YHbx7OwL2RI1LKF7MwMXAM7l-38vmy86-ruq8OVPKUKcFYq0yYh2NvXnelZeDOo6zdhKm14YoHcJBCYpNXCc6Bf_Q/s640/blogger-image-1018586334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t6QFsNbkgQUXRTRcwzchBCYzKtrzBEvOsv03-QRq7GCQyfwfRz8YHbx7OwL2RI1LKF7MwMXAM7l-38vmy86-ruq8OVPKUKcFYq0yYh2NvXnelZeDOo6zdhKm14YoHcJBCYpNXCc6Bf_Q/s640/blogger-image-1018586334.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small but pretty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We are also super fortunate to have my dad. He is pretty much a self made furniture maker and has been able to provide us with the best possible kids beds for the space we have. My daughter's new bed was delivered and installed last Sunday and it's hard to tell who loves it more, she or mommy and daddy. It looks like an absolute blast to play on and under while also giving us the needed space to put her toys so we could make some room for the baby. If you would like to know how to make this, feel free to contact me and I'll get my dad to work it out ;)</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMXLKYIG33LRRloHYibxkOM_wliATBn0gFyFUe1HINXdGhkWi-2LXl38_QHaC_kHBYHXiwDXKc9-O0cLnbJ1D5ag6w2522PP8qrFvx1-7L92ZCLm0QQGKbZopkaRZc6GuzKv7LOk5XLhk/s640/blogger-image-1147187509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMXLKYIG33LRRloHYibxkOM_wliATBn0gFyFUe1HINXdGhkWi-2LXl38_QHaC_kHBYHXiwDXKc9-O0cLnbJ1D5ag6w2522PP8qrFvx1-7L92ZCLm0QQGKbZopkaRZc6GuzKv7LOk5XLhk/s640/blogger-image-1147187509.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous toddler high bed! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
The baby bed has been in use for 2 years now, and for the last week we used it as a toddler bed but now it's back to being a bed for the baby. It's also a changing table saving us lots of space.</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBHlFlasEnSaJEs9ZRffiV_Nq4cYlJTTvgzvgcG1wL4Qf5bX8UnkueFIC-ZZFqWXYKmHK3M1TtKr1A5NB_EcWJWbNhdweAYqgyFaMv0-qeOMKP5OgsG7opBkwCp14_j8lQPOi3sc2H2SO/s640/blogger-image--1339618841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBHlFlasEnSaJEs9ZRffiV_Nq4cYlJTTvgzvgcG1wL4Qf5bX8UnkueFIC-ZZFqWXYKmHK3M1TtKr1A5NB_EcWJWbNhdweAYqgyFaMv0-qeOMKP5OgsG7opBkwCp14_j8lQPOi3sc2H2SO/s640/blogger-image--1339618841.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This isn't quite the baby bed yet... the mattress has to go up higher again. I'll take a pic tomorrow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Like I said, we might live small, it might be really annoying and more difficult but we are super fortunate and generally pretty happy!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also took some time to make some christmas stuff. That way I won't have to think about it when the baby gets here.</div>
<div>
I made a felt christmas tree for my toddler. Hopefully she won't touch the real one when she can play with this one. I thought about making a tutorial but it's so easy it just seemed useless. Felt sticks to itself so it's basically nothing more than cutting stuff out. I pasted the tree to the wall with poster gummy stuff (no idea what that's called) and used a glass to draw circles on felt and then cut them out. I might decorate them but I might not. Somehow I don't think she will care much :) I am also going to make some squirrel ornaments that look like the ones I made for our real tree.</div>
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<br /></div>
You can find these squirrel christmas ornaments on <a href="http://yougogirl.typepad.com/you_go_girl/2011/11/felt-squirrel-tutorialfinally.html" target="_blank">yougogirl</a>. There are a lot of fun felt ornaments on there! I try to make some new felt ornaments every year. They are just so cute :)<br />
<br />
My mom sent me her new recipe for refined sugar free, lactose free, egg free, gluten free pumpkin pie. I tasted it, and it's really yummy! (weird but true hahaha) I'll try to post that before the baby comes which will be in max. 5 weeks!<br />
<br />
Wish me luck pushing out a whole person without too much trouble! I'm pretty confident it will go better than last time but some extra crossed fingers wouldn't hurt ;)<br />
<br />
Have fun this holiday season and getting ready for it! Happy crafting!</div>
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Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-46811004258996198582014-03-28T13:38:00.002+01:002015-11-28T11:11:53.200+01:00Healthy American Breakfast Pancakes recipeIt has been too busy lately. I am behind on everything. I have a memory game tutorial lined up, a quick and easy petticoat skirt tutorial in the making and a bunch of recipes to share. But as none of those are finished (sorry!) I thought I would share my healthy morning pancake recipe.<br />
<br />
This is healthy between quotations because pancakes have
never been very unhealthy. It's those cups of maple syrup, butter and what
else you pour over them or serve with them that makes in not so healthy.
But this is definitely a healthier variant containing less gluten, more
fiber and you can even add fruit or vegs if you like. The taste will
still be great! O and no baking soda, or powder but a neat little trick I learned last week!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RXTeC8JBUEarTUOVg020or5lZ6C1SLcoquz66_u-RgMKAJMuZHpae3DrZLxFwvYXeZ5ZOz9GEVZpraPGg2C3IRWecdskmfcMojTmWQ-FeMRfKrdsWmLZh_AnS3NM7y-AoSewadIFlswy/s1600/American+pancakes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RXTeC8JBUEarTUOVg020or5lZ6C1SLcoquz66_u-RgMKAJMuZHpae3DrZLxFwvYXeZ5ZOz9GEVZpraPGg2C3IRWecdskmfcMojTmWQ-FeMRfKrdsWmLZh_AnS3NM7y-AoSewadIFlswy/s1600/American+pancakes.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>Healthy American Breakfast Pancakes</u><br />
In our case it was enough to feed 2 adults and a toddler (makes about 15 American sized pancakes)<br />
<br />
1 cup of (spelt) flour (you can use any other gluten flour you like but I recommend a whole wheat type)<br />
1/2 cup rolled oats (nothing added, just the basic rolled oats)<br />
1/2 cup buckwheat flour<br />
pinch of salt<br />
<br />
1 cup milk or milk substitute like rice milk <br />
1/2 cup yoghurt<br />
2 eggs<br />
optional: 1 grated piece of fruit, like apple or pear, or a handful of blueberries, or grated vegetables like zucchini<br />
<br />
1/2 cup sparkling water<br />
<br />
<br />
Mix the flours, oats and salt in a large bowl.<br />
Add the milk, stir well.<br />
Next add the yoghurt and eggs. Fully incorporate everything.<br />
Add the fruit or vegs if using, stir in gently. <br />
<br />
Heat the pan or whatever you are using to bake the pancakes.<br />
Add rice oil/ coconut oil or butter.<br />
<br />
Lastly add the sparkling water to the batter. Stir gently until well mixed.<br />
<br />
Spoon three batches of batter into the pan at a time. Bake on medium high heat until golden brown on the bottom and then flip and do the same for the other side.<br />
<br />
You can keep the pancakes warm in the oven or on a plate over a pan of boiling water.<br />
However if you aren't making too many as is the case with this recipe, you can easily stack them on a plate and cover them with a lid. They will still be hot when serving.<br />
<br />
Serve with bacon, eggs and hashbrowns for that all American Breakfast type plate. Otherwise just eat with maple syrup, honey, cheese, plain or whatever you like really.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<i>Need a gluten free pancake recipe, check out my easy to make <a href="http://thebetterreallife.blogspot.nl/2015/10/amaranth-pancakes.html">amaranth pancakes</a> </i><br />
<br />Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-32071337785555186682014-02-14T06:00:00.000+01:002014-02-14T06:00:06.449+01:00Going natural: quick, easy and not expensive at allHappy Valentine's Day! <br />
<br />
We passed a great milestone today, our dishwasher ran with the last toxic dishwasher soap cube. This means that the house is almost toxic cleaning products free! We still use conventional dish soap when washing dishes by hand but that is because we still have so much of it. I hate wasting stuff even it will kill you when you eat it. Does natural dishwasher do that? I honestly do not know. <br />
(It's by the way very hard to blog and watch Hope Floats at the same time...)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelG2cnmvxOs908RFGoxnk2SkYHdRiyEEhyq2qngJothzG6K4uDOeakaUAeEMXGtFohcubEWq_ECKeU-sr68ksYSN7o7FtUs_DFQhhMA1om8BzG7ich1Qowmm4lu3LZ3dZczgQ-_5i6ZdC/s640/blogger-image-1750716427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelG2cnmvxOs908RFGoxnk2SkYHdRiyEEhyq2qngJothzG6K4uDOeakaUAeEMXGtFohcubEWq_ECKeU-sr68ksYSN7o7FtUs_DFQhhMA1om8BzG7ich1Qowmm4lu3LZ3dZczgQ-_5i6ZdC/s400/blogger-image-1750716427.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My under the sink cabinet after removing (most) toxic cleaning products</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was surprisingly easy and quick to get rid of toxic cleaning products. I had already been changing our way of eating and the use of plastic over the course of a few months. This kept me online reading almost every day and then my in-laws told me there was a documentary on about products that are hurting our unborn babies.<br />
<a name='more'></a> It talked a lot about hormone disrupting substances that are found in a lot of the cleaning products (whether for personal use or for house cleaning). It enhances the chance of our kids becoming infertile among other things and while Denmark thinks it is serious enough to ban this stuff from all baby products, the Dutch government says there is not enough evidence. (Scientists strongly disagreed with that opinion by the way.) So I thought I would just get them out of our house on my own.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7trGa6WdX-xQ5RoZv6NitLfcpsmKsBgEjnDG6KwD4hlqfsERv9avWLkdxtu1wMjzE00ifgpltGlSDXa85IJGeL-9to2CUPzGl86-38WnAgkKwX84EHUdktT92GvGA8e_CBLoXH9s7tREc/s640/blogger-image-409678094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7trGa6WdX-xQ5RoZv6NitLfcpsmKsBgEjnDG6KwD4hlqfsERv9avWLkdxtu1wMjzE00ifgpltGlSDXa85IJGeL-9to2CUPzGl86-38WnAgkKwX84EHUdktT92GvGA8e_CBLoXH9s7tREc/s400/blogger-image-409678094.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The before picture...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
If you were wondering right now: we are not rich. After the new laws past in January we are anything but, financially that is. The rest of our life is very rich indeed :)<br />
My point is that going organic and natural generally just takes a little more commitment, not cash.<br />
<br />
<br />
I found a wonderful site: <a href="http://wellnessmama.com/" target="_blank">wellnessmama.com</a> It has a lot of recipes for making your own bodylotion, shampoo, soaps etc. It also talks about natural cleaning, healthy eating and has lots of recipes for those as well. I have come to the point where I think she overdoes it for me. For instance I cannot take all grains out of my life. That means all yummy baked goods are off limits... that is not going to happen. Ever.<br />
It did help me find a<a href="http://wellnessmama.com/3765/luxurious-homemade-lotion-recipe/" target="_blank"> great natural bodylotion </a>that is easy to make, as well as some <a href="http://wellnessmama.com/4770/how-to-make-lotion-bars/" target="_blank">lotion bars</a>, also easy to make and to use! And it got me using <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bronners-Organic-Baby-Mild-Castile-Liquid/dp/B000HK1OOY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391723336&sr=8-2&keywords=dr+bronner" target="_blank">Dr Bronners Magic Soap</a> (castille soap) which is good for almost every type of cleaning. The great thing about these recipes is they have great results, feel and smell wonderful, are super easy and quick (seriously!) to make, and last really long!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5T7s02mesxVY8yv76aU0go5D5NaQyXfQwMlq9AL-AwPg8IFxLUQDS8bh5wXW4HELNXPYXPnzg5qdKc9PN18sL3BuBjAxPJvnT2JufVbcp-jgQWdXel_WAzr-obQJDFY0-jqqNYBvAZ9A/s640/blogger-image-624205042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5T7s02mesxVY8yv76aU0go5D5NaQyXfQwMlq9AL-AwPg8IFxLUQDS8bh5wXW4HELNXPYXPnzg5qdKc9PN18sL3BuBjAxPJvnT2JufVbcp-jgQWdXel_WAzr-obQJDFY0-jqqNYBvAZ9A/s400/blogger-image-624205042.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now my most beloved cleaning products including my old fashioned household soap and microfibre cloths</td></tr>
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I had also spend quite a lot of time trying to find a non-toxic product for washing clothes. I already used Neutral but I found that it left my clothes stinky... which made me miss the perfume so much more! Eventually I bought an all natural soap but it was really expensive so I kept searching. Then I found soap nuts (I use <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecozone-Soap-nuts-replaces-detergents/dp/B00DI7J8AK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391723775&sr=8-2&keywords=soap+nuts" target="_blank">ecozone</a>). I LOVE THEM! And I wonder often why we have laundry detergents at all if we have these wonderful things (even my natural soap stands unused under the sink). People say the clothes smell a bit like apple but I just think they smell clean. <br />
The ecozone nuts are cheap, organic, and the packet says you can get 330 washes out of them. I use 5 soap nuts at a time, the bag to put them in is included, and you can use them about 5-7 times.<br />
I put most everything in the dryer and the fresh smell gets lost a bit in there. Therefor I used one of the cotton soap nuts bags and put a handful of fresh lavender in. I put it in along with the clothes and everything smells flowery, but not too much. I have been using the same bag for over a month now. Yay cheap!<br />
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Anyway I do not want to push anyone towards making their own soaps but it is pretty wonderful and frankly a lot nicer than the stuff I used to buy. My skin is clearer, my hair does not get oily for days, I do not need as much deodorant as I did (oh that is another thing that I am not making myself yet, I just do not want to stink!)...<br />
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And it did not take much work, time or money at all!<br />
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Oh and microfibre cloths, yay! They clean really, really well and for light cleaning you do not need any cleaning product at all.<br />
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<br />Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-2841388946538742382014-02-11T22:27:00.000+01:002015-10-18T15:45:58.784+02:00Spicy honey pumpkin pie recipe, no refined sugarThis is a smooth spicy honey-pumpkin pie. It is of course refined sugar free and simple to make. You do not need many ingredients or much time to whip this up!<br />
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<h3>
Spicy Honey Pumpkin pie </h3>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNARcp23lntNXaiOxQ0xQ7hhqsJ3zTVcuVfnQm-WcgtOJIT166cK68bTMKwemC-UiGIgdoA_dBAUSIKLn68EGW02CzT0eFYq1iMpt6oyADUEvnP-4Yjohq5-qyD4TKQqsTYvIoMcQqTM/s1600/pumpkin+pie.jpg" width="239" /></div>
</h3>
250 grams/ a cup of (organic) orange pumpkin, seeds removed and cut in small cubes (if organic you do not have to remove the skin) Alternatively you could use the same amount of canned pumpkin.<br />
3 tablespoons honey and 1 for decoration<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or speculaaskruiden if you know what those are)<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger<br />
1 pack of puff pastry <br />
<a name='more'></a>Medium pie shell<br />
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Let the puff pastry thaw if necessary.<br />
Grease the pie shell.<br />
Lay the puff pastry in the shell and let big parts hang over the side to fold over the top later. If using sheets be sure to stick them together with a bit of water.<br />
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 fahrenheit)<br />
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Steam the pumpkin until cooked/done. I usually use a metal sieve on a pan of boiling water covered with a lid from one of my pans. If you cannot steam it, just cook it for 10 minutes. <br />
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Mash and puree the pumpkin with 3 tablespoons water.<br />
Add the spices and honey, mix well.<br />
Let the mixture cool a bit.<br />
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Whisk the eggs into the pumpkin mixture.<br />
Pour the filling in the pie shell.<br />
Fold the overhanging puff pastry over the top so it rests on the filling.<br />
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Put the pie in the oven for an hour or until the filling has solidified and it bounces back when you push it.<br />
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Let the pie cool on a rack.<br />
Pour the last tablespoon of honey over the top just before serving.<br />
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Let me know if you make it :)<br />
Enjoy!<br />
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Ps I'm making a tutorial for a really cute, easy and super quick tutu type skirt for little girls. With pictures :) Check back soon! Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-1793244535097019342014-02-01T23:04:00.000+01:002014-02-01T23:07:38.706+01:00Elvis to keep away the terrors and some other things I have been up toMy hubby is watching a horror movie and even smidgins of it freak me out. With noise cancelling in-ear phones blaring Elvis into my brain I still seem to look up just when some little girl is puking blood or a freaky ghost is standing behind someone. I have therefor moved to our dining room table (actually just dining table, we wished we had a separate room hahaha) which has no view of the tv and resigned to writing this overdue post on Saturday night. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwad0HXzy3dNLn1G-GkaDEmTf19sZ1iIqCt0HVg3taHyAQ7vHdEKUoEx0gL8rB5KFwOw3PRaQ29t5O-As1St_8W4NqNLMAslukSSXjjwPOX5vmCKBnqsxPwwHvflr-rzKacXi353WtxlFd/s1600/elvis_stitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwad0HXzy3dNLn1G-GkaDEmTf19sZ1iIqCt0HVg3taHyAQ7vHdEKUoEx0gL8rB5KFwOw3PRaQ29t5O-As1St_8W4NqNLMAslukSSXjjwPOX5vmCKBnqsxPwwHvflr-rzKacXi353WtxlFd/s1600/elvis_stitch.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listening to Stitch's Elvis song on this great spotify Disney playlist 50 best of family and kids movies.</td></tr>
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I have been up to a lot lately. Too much to remember which sometimes leaves me doing stupid stuff like playing the Simpsons App until I get my thoughts straight.<br />
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I have been working on making a small picture book for toddlers to learn sign language. If you find that interesting please let me know. That would be a great boost to finish it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkA1J-NWGt13zNfyu-uc1FXOqpfwAbq2PcyK42cSVGZDUU_ybKmngVp6O8ilHhm0vjWgU3INFPYR-9347b8RBDkq5hJcnRcLC9PQ2456UeFtgnQuM9UFoyTFzXUPH68iVCSQqIwjrm-gg/s640/blogger-image-1789519765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkA1J-NWGt13zNfyu-uc1FXOqpfwAbq2PcyK42cSVGZDUU_ybKmngVp6O8ilHhm0vjWgU3INFPYR-9347b8RBDkq5hJcnRcLC9PQ2456UeFtgnQuM9UFoyTFzXUPH68iVCSQqIwjrm-gg/s320/blogger-image-1789519765.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying I love you</td></tr>
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I decided to make a whole new bear for my etsy store which is easy to make, looks cute and can be dressed. I plan to make them all unique, each one coming with a little subscription of their character and a matching set of clothes. Also I want to sell clothes and patterns on the side. It seems fun but my babe holds me back sometimes as I cannot use the sewing machine when she is not in her playpen or when she is asleep because it will wake her (our appartment is tiny.). I finished my second version and it looks great so I am starting production soon. Now onto the clothes! Fun :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhra5GFOfJkLsYv01sib53c8F4IdnE1AjUbm4ZJq4N_Fb5PLSzJJJicKiv7u88XRkJJdJ3VPu9B1dZS97AZgo1qOo1QtugkF-_XOd-acnfy5uu_AF0YsUTYHoG_PnPkdUdqfwlvzYNeGkua/s640/blogger-image--838148655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhra5GFOfJkLsYv01sib53c8F4IdnE1AjUbm4ZJq4N_Fb5PLSzJJJicKiv7u88XRkJJdJ3VPu9B1dZS97AZgo1qOo1QtugkF-_XOd-acnfy5uu_AF0YsUTYHoG_PnPkdUdqfwlvzYNeGkua/s320/blogger-image--838148655.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First prototype, his arms are already falling off...</td></tr>
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<br />
Furthermore I just put all my refined sugar stuff into a box, and it is a BIG box, goodness. My decorated cake shop has all but closed because I cannot make myself bake anymore of my usual recipes or use fondant to cover anything. I do not know how I am going to get rid of all this refined sugar. I think I am going to make things and try to sell them until I run out. It would sure clear up a lot of space in my kitchen.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3bJBEFXTq2sIjhfyl2unaJkKKOLi8UJZ8AmWM6PG88-r6LYWQ34trTfOe660P9YvTdnudXjUI5mtEy8L17J8yTdHDDkboYPq5-O3oFLw11TGb7-mPdYE33LtJwzv2KBfCo2Z5FmSquRL/s640/blogger-image--899936761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3bJBEFXTq2sIjhfyl2unaJkKKOLi8UJZ8AmWM6PG88-r6LYWQ34trTfOe660P9YvTdnudXjUI5mtEy8L17J8yTdHDDkboYPq5-O3oFLw11TGb7-mPdYE33LtJwzv2KBfCo2Z5FmSquRL/s320/blogger-image--899936761.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BIG amazon box full of refined sugar stuff and I have another one nearby, what to do, what to do...</td></tr>
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With both my nieces birthdays coming up I do have to think about how I am going to make them pretty cakes. Therefore I am starting a search for the perfect unrefined decorated cake. I have started work on a sugar free marzipan fondant that can be rolled out. If I find it you will be the first to know of course :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXQE06gmZxrSVHLR12e9CCEfKB-PqguI9p7zQ4rvzvo1owaPvL3DjJVLRNG0jdAdfDMhYFCLDtkDtZOcvDVQ7K3QpWhhOio0lwXoG3FPn5XXZC9KCeJVJJDaUjNF63xHs2YTq0qbti-Dj/s1600/taart+taart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXQE06gmZxrSVHLR12e9CCEfKB-PqguI9p7zQ4rvzvo1owaPvL3DjJVLRNG0jdAdfDMhYFCLDtkDtZOcvDVQ7K3QpWhhOio0lwXoG3FPn5XXZC9KCeJVJJDaUjNF63xHs2YTq0qbti-Dj/s1600/taart+taart.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake idea for my niece who is turning 1!</td></tr>
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Next week I will be posting a recipe for sugar free pumpkin pie and I am trying to update the site with small things like hover pin it buttons and a printer friendly version so keep checking back!<br />
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Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-8585086955641257032014-01-15T21:09:00.001+01:002014-02-01T22:20:50.095+01:00Easy Sugar free nutella recipe with raw cocoaThis super easy sugar free hazelnut spread is great for on bread, pancakes, or just a spoon but not as bad for you as nutella is. It's made with dates, raw cocoa and hazelnuts obviously.<br />
<div>
Creamy, yummy and definitely gives you the ability to keep the real nutella for weekends and special occasions!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuXVkv7whsY5IE56mbXroJMxkGV8NRYnmAz9YpGaGyO1O9eiZodCJ7ML2eXNfQ1RDQHDzzLSKcrLiY2vzG40NTmJrYOfeWciJRupQ7zhKhyphenhyphenRNIhTDVRlQBCmbMzE-BEe0co2db27SB9sS/s640/blogger-image--697333746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuXVkv7whsY5IE56mbXroJMxkGV8NRYnmAz9YpGaGyO1O9eiZodCJ7ML2eXNfQ1RDQHDzzLSKcrLiY2vzG40NTmJrYOfeWciJRupQ7zhKhyphenhyphenRNIhTDVRlQBCmbMzE-BEe0co2db27SB9sS/s320/blogger-image--697333746.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy to spread and eat ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTqdA9k2i6f1QObWxKwT66ePPoZfh4gZUynOsuHr7OQfjj_uZheSFHEZrwKrLy0t-2dYr__FP8fFC3cJfnu_LT2Cl1uKcb6SBr5Gw1hSUNwpNpYLrcIPoaMG1_jDSGkJrPnLGlh4GeSb6/s640/blogger-image--295915390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTqdA9k2i6f1QObWxKwT66ePPoZfh4gZUynOsuHr7OQfjj_uZheSFHEZrwKrLy0t-2dYr__FP8fFC3cJfnu_LT2Cl1uKcb6SBr5Gw1hSUNwpNpYLrcIPoaMG1_jDSGkJrPnLGlh4GeSb6/s320/blogger-image--295915390.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the hazelnut paste I usually buy</td></tr>
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<div>
<h3>
<b>Sugar free nutella hazelnut spread recipe</b></h3>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
175 grams ground hazelnut (I buy this in a jar, like you would peanut butter, you could grind your own I would expect, but my food processor is not good enough to try, it needs to be so fine that it releases its oils) </div>
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<br />
4 or 5 dates without the pit<br />
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<a name='more'></a> </div>
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2 tablespoons raw cocoa nibs (or 1 tablespoon raw cocoa powder)</div>
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<br />
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract</div>
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</div>
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<br />
1 tablespoon of butter (I use grass, you can also leave it out, just use more coconut oil)</div>
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Unscented coconut oil in liquid state and/or milk</div>
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Put all the ingredients except the coconut oil into a food processor, blender or something that chops electrically. If the hazelnut paste has an oil layer on top, be sure to get the right ratio of that in too.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Mix mix mix!!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdt1jkKouM906uDr8n3K1xIn6R9XUzG4YGS7NbxuoaWDf-1Cvy6D4nXZGy6hRLL6p901GHsH4yAMPkyB2rr7T4DAX51i3HNqrTXKbL8Kr1E629BOZTaBf1GjUQDJ_Ylxfy0i0U02zaJny/s640/blogger-image-1355300828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdt1jkKouM906uDr8n3K1xIn6R9XUzG4YGS7NbxuoaWDf-1Cvy6D4nXZGy6hRLL6p901GHsH4yAMPkyB2rr7T4DAX51i3HNqrTXKbL8Kr1E629BOZTaBf1GjUQDJ_Ylxfy0i0U02zaJny/s320/blogger-image-1355300828.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It feels good to eat this! My baby loves it too :)</td></tr>
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<div>
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<div>
If it isn't smooth enough, add coconut oil and/or milk a teaspoon at a time.</div>
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<div>
I keep this in the fridge because of the butter and milk. If it starts to dry out you can add a little coconut oil again.</div>
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Don't eat it all at once!</div>
Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-87958925674248754042014-01-12T19:31:00.003+01:002014-02-01T22:21:07.364+01:00How to of baby sign language part 2 and why you should persist! We starting signing to our daughter when she was 4 months old. After reading wonderful reviews saying that their kids already knew 10 signs at 6 months, and 50 when they were a year, I was really optimistic. At first it did seem to work well. Our baby learned Sleep really quickly and it was wondrous! Our tiny infant could tell us she was tired and when we put her to bed she wouldn't cry at all! It was a parent's dream come true!<br />
It was one part where we did not have to guess and so our baby was almost never cranky from lack of sleep :) It was a flying start... but not much more. At 8 months she hadn't learned any other sign and at 10 months with just the sign for Milk added, we stopped actively signing. But I did not want to give up.<br />
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<br /><br />
I used Babysignlanguage.com to learn the signs and they have an overview of 10 starter signs. The site says Mommy and Daddy are some of the signs baby can learn most easily as she has most need of them. Sounded like logic to me so I signed Daddy for months when calling him when she went to sleep. <br />
<a name='more'></a>She never signed it, not once, and eventually she could say Daddy really well so I stopped signing. Why sign when she can talk? We still used the sign for Sleep everytime we put her to bed and Milk was a regular as well, though she didn't use it often. It had become such a habit to sign these that we couldn't have stopped even if we had wanted to but anything else I just used sporadically when I thought of it.<br />
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And then it happened: 6 months later our baby has a huge vocabulary. You can ask her questions and she can answer Yes or No and actually mean it... she can say things like baby, food, water, more, chair, belly, eye, head, that, this etc... she has been asking What is that? with a pointing finger to show what she means for months now which we always dutifully answer... AND she has started signing! One day she just starting picking them up. Now she will say food but also sign food, the same goes for more, done, cheese (which she loves). She loves learning new signs too. She will repeat them to herself when driving in the car and apparently having nothing better to do. It is so cute, and sooo useful! Toddlers learning to talk are hard to understand and signing is sometimes hard for them but put the two together and I know what she means.<br />
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When she is hungry she can easily tell me, no communication issues whatsoever and when she was sick and didn't want to eat anything, she signed milk everytime. It turned out it was the only thing she could hold down and she knew it! No barfing, no crying, sick but not sad. It was wonderful!<br />
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<b>So if you think the ads and reviews are too good to be true or you have doubts your child is ever going to learn any sign at all. Take heart :) They all learn at their own pace and eventually they will catch on and it will be useful to you!</b><br />
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I am now learning baby signs like Be Careful, Stop, Quiet, Wait etc. I'm hoping that they will come in handy when she is older. My idea is that when she is too far away or it is too loud to say something I can sign it and she will still understand. Wouldn't that be great?!<br />
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<br />Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-42581924998508162882013-12-30T20:26:00.001+01:002014-02-01T22:21:26.829+01:00Apple beignets / fritters, sugar free, spelt flourI hope you had a wonderfully delicious christmas and I wish you a happy and healthy new year!<br />
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I made theses lovely apple beignets / fritters (difference??) for New Year's Eve. It uses a quick puff pastry recipe that is not a lot of work and has great results. Apple beignets in the Netherlands are always completely covered in refined sugar which tastes amazing but as I no longer eat it I covered these in Coconut blossom sugar. It gives it a surprisingly slightly spicy taste. Great for a party or when you want to fool yourself that anything apple has got to be healthy somehow :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuIMr_yt5zqmORugC1ShubiOOeD1N61HEZdxMzsa29eXk490gMXhb5JZBEhSfYUF590sdn6egeG62bzMwQx21BMOk6dGSeih2i-6RAnO2Q1kqCgKLmwqbTAFUlPAwTVA9Cn_F6c6CCPbv/s640/blogger-image-133177625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuIMr_yt5zqmORugC1ShubiOOeD1N61HEZdxMzsa29eXk490gMXhb5JZBEhSfYUF590sdn6egeG62bzMwQx21BMOk6dGSeih2i-6RAnO2Q1kqCgKLmwqbTAFUlPAwTVA9Cn_F6c6CCPbv/s640/blogger-image-133177625.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat them the same day, they will be at their best</td></tr>
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Read on for the recipe.<br />
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APPLE BEIGNETS/ FRITTERS</div>
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Dough:</div>
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250 grams cold butter</div>
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250 grams sifted spelt flour</div>
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1/2 teaspoon salt</div>
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125 ml icecold water</div>
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Filling:</div>
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4 bake apples</div>
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200 grams coconutblossom sugar</div>
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1 tablespoon cinnamon</div>
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Frying oil, you can use coconut oil for this, yummy!</div>
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Cut the butter in small cubes and put in refrigerator. Mix salt, flour and water. Add butter and quickly knead into a dough keeping the butter cubes largely intact. Roll the dough out to a rectangle about the size of a piece of printer paper, a few inches longer. </div>
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Fold the dough in three parts and roll out again. Fold it again and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. </div>
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Repeat the process twice.</div>
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Peel the apple and remove the core. Cut the apple into 4 equal slices.</div>
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Mix the sugar with the cinnamon and lightly coat the apple slices with it.</div>
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Roll the dough out to 2 mm thickness, 1/10 of an inch.</div>
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Cut out circles of 10 cm or 4 inch diameter.</div>
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Lay an apple slice on half of the dough circles.</div>
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You can put more cinnamon sugar in the hole in the apple slice, but you can also add marzipan, raisins , nuts, whatever you like :)</div>
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Moisten the side of the dough and add the second half of your dough circles onto the first. Press well so it sticks together.</div>
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Heat your oil to 180 degrees celsius or 350 fahrenheit.</div>
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Put 1-3 apple beignets in at a time, depending on the size of your pan.</div>
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Fry them for 6 minutes, turning halfway.</div>
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Leave them to drip on some kitchen paper or towel for a few minutes, then sprinkle with more sugar.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-40654204097808392152013-12-22T12:17:00.001+01:002014-02-01T22:22:06.887+01:00Felt ornament traditions and how to trace a child's handI like to make my own ornaments. Partly because it is cheap and partly because they are pretty especially felt. Last christmas was the first time our family contained 3 people and I decided we could do with a good Christmas tradition. Wanting it to be something doable not just in times of stress but also when my little girl gets bigger and wants to help, I decided to make an ornament based on her. Showing how much she has grown and a remembrance of that particular Christmas.<br />
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It's year two and I have two ornaments to show you:</div>
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I trace her hand first on paper and then cut it out of felt.</div>
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Tracing a 15 month old child's hand is btw not easy! So instead I rub a lot of coconut oil on it and press it on paper. I then trace the oil print. Works like a charm!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudBdS3PSDt33DOhIjOckZCzvNn-7QCQ2I4cfl4TImugUfxbQOiyO97X6OdwerxwiQgM1jM_usWO-5syl6nwjtqynxehomy6jAts7F9Ih9sWicPILOF37v-wZzdeDvIA3rbeLAOWfQwqn_/s640/blogger-image--892986290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudBdS3PSDt33DOhIjOckZCzvNn-7QCQ2I4cfl4TImugUfxbQOiyO97X6OdwerxwiQgM1jM_usWO-5syl6nwjtqynxehomy6jAts7F9Ih9sWicPILOF37v-wZzdeDvIA3rbeLAOWfQwqn_/s400/blogger-image--892986290.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then I make a little dolly wearing the same clothes as she does at Christmas. </div>
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The hand sort of represents angle wings because for the most part that is what she is :)</div>
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I also write the year on the back and right now I'm using a pen to make the face because everytime I try to embroider it, it is just ugly...</div>
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I also finished my bird ornament: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNrDxuHRsHZrcqm4uOftXyMCdE8kMdM84QLnCsrSaRZB3_ZxkXuNC4jDLaXW4dUXPQpL3hqS0eDBqXHeoa2UwNt-cztnwiTUvoiY1e667MocDVFG_AilXfT4sBcwZ6nlcnAfOuCPJWkKs/s640/blogger-image-1537763671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNrDxuHRsHZrcqm4uOftXyMCdE8kMdM84QLnCsrSaRZB3_ZxkXuNC4jDLaXW4dUXPQpL3hqS0eDBqXHeoa2UwNt-cztnwiTUvoiY1e667MocDVFG_AilXfT4sBcwZ6nlcnAfOuCPJWkKs/s400/blogger-image-1537763671.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pretty right ;) </div>
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Do you have a Christmas ornament tradition? I'd love to hear about it!</div>
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Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-64954515422141050062013-12-20T12:40:00.001+01:002014-02-01T22:23:21.640+01:00Sugarfree speltflour gingerbread recipe, good for cookies, cakes andhouses!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8ep4hotDPCjTCAMRQ5EWWJHIgfdcL2vHBIZEcQ6O7TxiaHVLiy_ijkY_a0LPVhxmxCg85OSLoWhhEXhjUTfBABRpuphyphenhyphennVI60vYvsrODE8u2KNwr6bDH6Pl-mRTj3P32A5SydxSqjD8l/s640/blogger-image-556390169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8ep4hotDPCjTCAMRQ5EWWJHIgfdcL2vHBIZEcQ6O7TxiaHVLiy_ijkY_a0LPVhxmxCg85OSLoWhhEXhjUTfBABRpuphyphenhyphennVI60vYvsrODE8u2KNwr6bDH6Pl-mRTj3P32A5SydxSqjD8l/s640/blogger-image-556390169.jpg" /></a>Amsterdam canal house</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eU2dndaxZbHP_WPZZe7cAnmOLJ4MU_3iUhNjosx3PJhyvGuq-WWzh5YM_zZvi97DQAUWR6ANIza_OrRZN22AgFtKAARdmCjeczSONLa3kLP7c64QxIJg9dgBGVyrbBaOpDVsFl9qhq_e/s640/blogger-image--849571182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eU2dndaxZbHP_WPZZe7cAnmOLJ4MU_3iUhNjosx3PJhyvGuq-WWzh5YM_zZvi97DQAUWR6ANIza_OrRZN22AgFtKAARdmCjeczSONLa3kLP7c64QxIJg9dgBGVyrbBaOpDVsFl9qhq_e/s640/blogger-image--849571182.jpg" /></a>It didn't last long...</div>
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This is the best gingerbread recipe I have ever tried, sugar free or not. It doesn't rise very much but just enough to make a soft cookie. It is tough enough to build a house with but not so hard that it breaks easy. It has a really yummy taste, though that is my opinion of course (And my family's). It makes a pretty golden cookie and can be used for anything really. I have made a gingerbread house with it, cookies and cake crusts. It is made with spelt flour which contributes to the lightness of the gingerbread and coconut blossom sugar and maple syrup to give it a rich taste.<br />
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(I always feel really weird typing sugar free and then saying it contains sugar... I have sworn <br />
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SUGAR FREE GINGERBREAD RECIPE</div>
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Enough to make a big house or lots and lots of cookies :)</div>
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Dry:</div>
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400 grams spelt flour and extra to roll on</div>
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda</div>
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1/4 teaspoon baking powder</div>
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2 teaspoons powdered ginger</div>
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2 teaspoons cinnamon</div>
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3/4 teaspoon powdered cloves</div>
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper</div>
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3/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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Other:</div>
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115 grams real butter (no subs or it will not work)</div>
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1 egg</div>
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275 grams Grade C maple syrup (205 ml)</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Have all your ingredients at room temperature before you start, especially the butter.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl, mix and set aside.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Mix the butter and sugar in a large bowl until they are light and creamy, about 8 minutes electric.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Add the egg together with a tablespoon flour mix. Beat until smooth though if it stays a bit curdeled that is ok. Pour in the maple syrup and beat on high for about 3 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Keep mixen on low speed while adding the flour a bit at a time.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">The dough will stay moist and sticky.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Dust a board with flour, quite thickly. Scoop half the dough onto it and rol it around with a floured hand. Make sure the dough ball is covered with flour all around and then lay it in a clean bowl. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Do the same with the other half and lay it on top of the first.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Cover the bowl with beeswrap, a tea towel or if you have neither plastic and let rest in the fridge for an hour.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Take the dough out of the fridge and put the first ball on a floured piece of baking paper. Dust with flour again, also dust your rolling pin. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Roll it out to 3 mm (about 1/8 inch) and cut cookies or walls out of it.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Put the cut outs on a clean sheat of baking paper that is on the baking tray. You can put the quite close together as they will hardly spread.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Put the baking tray in the fridge for 15 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C or 350 F.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Put the baking tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown but no dark edges.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Take the tray out of the oven but leave the gingerbread to cool on the tray.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Repeat with the other half of the dough or freeze it to use later. It can also be kept in the fridge for up to two days.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">The baked gingerbread will keep for quite a while without getting soggy or drying out. It really is a great recipe :D</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Make it pretty!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlHisUVVUAJmlH-Jndmuyhm-2FLijZdY3SAzxyrK8TVHa_d9JXF0MIaqDqr8vnt3ALRP6qQ8nFJ7UL0BurYwJ9920e3StKwFxXsxQUsjInbcYFVzTWTuekiYEA3ymiaw4CyEDHtM-0KO1/s640/blogger-image-1846005619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlHisUVVUAJmlH-Jndmuyhm-2FLijZdY3SAzxyrK8TVHa_d9JXF0MIaqDqr8vnt3ALRP6qQ8nFJ7UL0BurYwJ9920e3StKwFxXsxQUsjInbcYFVzTWTuekiYEA3ymiaw4CyEDHtM-0KO1/s640/blogger-image-1846005619.jpg" /></a>Gingerbread as mini cake crust</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpu6Kth4d7WOOJvYmr2A3vI7GcTLxIGKDHQRJI-N6sg84bSTCevB_bXhUT9dxNwlmJNO5O61yPJTGW4McWPQFWwcQ_ahP2PofPFV-ZFSsfKOeLJRa6Tq6-e28eEuvh96zl5Ry_2W7rACi/s640/blogger-image--799333133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpu6Kth4d7WOOJvYmr2A3vI7GcTLxIGKDHQRJI-N6sg84bSTCevB_bXhUT9dxNwlmJNO5O61yPJTGW4McWPQFWwcQ_ahP2PofPFV-ZFSsfKOeLJRa6Tq6-e28eEuvh96zl5Ry_2W7rACi/s640/blogger-image--799333133.jpg" /></a>All litt up :)</div>
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Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-73590968449998825202013-11-23T23:33:00.001+01:002013-11-23T23:33:32.885+01:00Easy felt flower diyTo complement a butterfly costume, I made a felt flower hair clip. It's really easy to make and versatile as you can make it in any color combo you like.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6YmFOKR291uUtdA8DNMS6wP47GTxfM_AtQXbfuM9aKkYzPiQbHPIGT01cvafpT6-A0FqR2CZqfbHZeH6wb5_JF4n7rvkcdCsm0ccztNI5h7mJsS4Wz-xbR0ZEbeid6a2vTio04bl72lm/s640/blogger-image--445339864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6YmFOKR291uUtdA8DNMS6wP47GTxfM_AtQXbfuM9aKkYzPiQbHPIGT01cvafpT6-A0FqR2CZqfbHZeH6wb5_JF4n7rvkcdCsm0ccztNI5h7mJsS4Wz-xbR0ZEbeid6a2vTio04bl72lm/s640/blogger-image--445339864.jpg"></a></div>I'll make some more pics when I make another one.</div><div><br></div><div>Materials needed:</div><div><br></div><div>Needle</div><div>thread in the color of the top petals</div><div>Two sheets of felt in a color of your choice</div><div>A pom pom thingy 1 cm diameter (0.4 inch though 0.5 is fine too)</div><div>A hair clip (see pic) no larger than 5 cm or 2 inches</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUQ4NMBeBdLnM6FuvAY9MEJYu8R_ZR5HSImt90O7UituGQwhiLDZXImu_3iD41IjoeNGj_rPLWLYVbtx8TGPYDUWsKlOKxa9o_Zn4Ax1FfyU4Au7u9m3D1npOjbuudN1BUef5ldqFnNG1/s640/blogger-image-1165944533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUQ4NMBeBdLnM6FuvAY9MEJYu8R_ZR5HSImt90O7UituGQwhiLDZXImu_3iD41IjoeNGj_rPLWLYVbtx8TGPYDUWsKlOKxa9o_Zn4Ax1FfyU4Au7u9m3D1npOjbuudN1BUef5ldqFnNG1/s640/blogger-image-1165944533.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are six petals to each level and all our the same size.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The bottom of the petal is 2 cm wide, 1 inch will work. The length is 5 cm, or 2 inches. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Just draw a petal (with those measurements) that you find pretty on a piece of paper and use that to cut 6 petals of each color.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Cut a square out of the bottom petal color. The side should be the same length as your hair clip. You are going to sew your flower on here and attach it to the clip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bottom petal circle (light pink in pic):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Take three petals and sew the corners together. Do the same with the other three. You now have two circles of petals. Lay them on top of each other as seen in the pic above and center them on the square. Sew the petals on the square by whip stitching the inner circle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Upper petal circle (dark pink in pic):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Take one corner of a petal and fold it over so the corner is now resting in the middle of the petal. See pic. Whip stitch back to the new corner. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Take a second petal and attach the corner of the first to the bottom center of the second. Now fold the corner of the second petal as you did the first.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The corner of the second petal should be touching the new corner of the first. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Whip stitch to the new corner of the second petal and repeat with the next 4 petals. The last petal should be attached to the first. You should now have a circle of petals that have one side folded over and are arranged as seen in the pic above. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Center the second circle of flowers on the first and whip stitch on the square in the same way as before. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Put the pom pom in the center and attach by pulling the needle through the square and the center of the pom pom leaving a good piece of thread behind. Then plunge right back through just next to where your needle came out. Tie a knot at the back of the square.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Your flower is done. You only need to attach it to the hair clip. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfCRhT1q-6ALrOJC401877ALjgQHhE8M40GA1wJpH_hQYWeaFy_GpY9wCm9l55Hq_vF4xbXpWNCG1MXWLVoDcJ_lY5waLfCEcsEsw-P_p1256CP2XGyrTRlIX-mMbBO417I_rSo8y0UZ5/s640/blogger-image--312612267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfCRhT1q-6ALrOJC401877ALjgQHhE8M40GA1wJpH_hQYWeaFy_GpY9wCm9l55Hq_vF4xbXpWNCG1MXWLVoDcJ_lY5waLfCEcsEsw-P_p1256CP2XGyrTRlIX-mMbBO417I_rSo8y0UZ5/s640/blogger-image--312612267.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Lay your hair clip diagonally on the square. My clip had a tiny hole on either side. I folded the corners of the square over and sewed them onto the holes. The other two corners I cut off .5 cm or 1/4 inch from the side of the clip. I linked these pieces by going under and over the clip tucking the corners in at the side. This way the clip is attached to the flower without being able to see it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I probably should have made some more pictures to explain but it really is quite simple.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Let me know if you make one! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div><div> </div><div> </div>Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-43249531708172601532013-11-23T21:49:00.001+01:002013-11-23T21:49:47.720+01:00Birds, butterflies and beesIt took me two days to make my daughter's wishlist for Sinterklaas and I don't mean two afternoons but morning to night. I've become one of those moms who tries to get every toxic thing away from my baby and subsequently spends hours a day researching anything from food and toys to lotion and detergent. Aaaaargh. The more I read the more I want to change what I buy and use. Between those tough and long searches for companies that still have a bit of integrity I did a bit of crafting this week and bought a lot of presents for others and for me :)<div><br></div><div>THE BUTTERFLY</div><div><br></div><div> I finished my nieces butterfly costume. Sadly I didn't have an appropriate sized mannequin to show it on so I hung it on mine.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yQSm68xP-RYDgDmv3RucrkdSjv2PMUc0s04Km4i73on0xKh3yDAOyB3PwhMzaiR0vuVVgccJidmVlIacpbWudpPGBOSIGjZEWi9Vi4z_Xt1yVb9ZyXRxpIOJHdUingWvfPBwOXXBeWim/s640/blogger-image--412061661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yQSm68xP-RYDgDmv3RucrkdSjv2PMUc0s04Km4i73on0xKh3yDAOyB3PwhMzaiR0vuVVgccJidmVlIacpbWudpPGBOSIGjZEWi9Vi4z_Xt1yVb9ZyXRxpIOJHdUingWvfPBwOXXBeWim/s640/blogger-image--412061661.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The wings I got at ikea, I would not have been able to make them for that kind of money. They cost 5€! I did embroider some swirls on them just to make them prettier. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzyh-MzXqOqOVv3pO-vEgKEWjductb292rsW8uVH69nK-0drPF6i2lfXNYsMwCvnGjm-7EgJLwWuuT8CzBZXRQsG_uhnEE3UmFtElRaMgXG_gTlPbHZamTqjgFQ-yLKFiYqwQ3SKZ1fLl/s640/blogger-image--669163051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzyh-MzXqOqOVv3pO-vEgKEWjductb292rsW8uVH69nK-0drPF6i2lfXNYsMwCvnGjm-7EgJLwWuuT8CzBZXRQsG_uhnEE3UmFtElRaMgXG_gTlPbHZamTqjgFQ-yLKFiYqwQ3SKZ1fLl/s640/blogger-image--669163051.jpg"></a></div><br></div>The hair clip is really simple to make, I'll post a tutorial of that later. It's made from felt and has a small clip on the back so it can easily attach to a small child's hair without the risk of it falling out or pulling too much.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSc635BjszF7Ffq75sXMVr3Lfc8CMr8vGfZPK30kj-O6euGZz-2dTgAiXluUpMd8VveEGFuLcKpKNjXx8b3Sh_GF4_dPmbzbB3Rft2eO-BW4aCd3PcwF6qxBhbiXB5DGJY1B4PqkvFYtG/s640/blogger-image--276650252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSc635BjszF7Ffq75sXMVr3Lfc8CMr8vGfZPK30kj-O6euGZz-2dTgAiXluUpMd8VveEGFuLcKpKNjXx8b3Sh_GF4_dPmbzbB3Rft2eO-BW4aCd3PcwF6qxBhbiXB5DGJY1B4PqkvFYtG/s640/blogger-image--276650252.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The skirt is a layer of tule, a layer of organza and some more tule. I ruffled the top hem of each layer and sewed them onto some elastic. I hope she fits it.... Might have been smart to ask her size.</div><div><br></div><div>THE BIRDS</div><div>I started on these nice bird ornaments for the Christmas tree. I also thought of making penguins and snowmen but just couldn't think of something cute and easy that could be made in lots of different colors.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQExrxa73poUiDMYJ-X0slfHC_t385qYWqgZja2QBkz9tPA_7DKxSBI6rOuouXJqnCu19kSV4M8hdscsC_1DS2-t3iR_wa3ppM6I3B1oAyWYg6m-8V1Q5VwD08z8TZd9n4sly3H6ghEzMA/s640/blogger-image-1664430662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQExrxa73poUiDMYJ-X0slfHC_t385qYWqgZja2QBkz9tPA_7DKxSBI6rOuouXJqnCu19kSV4M8hdscsC_1DS2-t3iR_wa3ppM6I3B1oAyWYg6m-8V1Q5VwD08z8TZd9n4sly3H6ghEzMA/s640/blogger-image-1664430662.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I was inspired by the bird ornaments that Larissa Holland of mmmcrafts makes so I thought I'd try my own version. Hope to have something pretty before christmas is over lol.</div><div><br></div><div>THE BEES</div><div><br></div><div>This made my day:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrtvkQ72tYSCiVBKvJnVDFf4ESt61VRVZU8dvdJdNxDDS4mf6scMtfjJav1zVvld-fDUKgF6YpsI-pRB0ypdu3bOsQAA8HPxudx4lx71fq_7bPDX55dMMeIbk9_Z9eLrRGVIER9ekAIlE/s640/blogger-image--925898451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrtvkQ72tYSCiVBKvJnVDFf4ESt61VRVZU8dvdJdNxDDS4mf6scMtfjJav1zVvld-fDUKgF6YpsI-pRB0ypdu3bOsQAA8HPxudx4lx71fq_7bPDX55dMMeIbk9_Z9eLrRGVIER9ekAIlE/s640/blogger-image--925898451.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>My Bee's wrap came today! I just couldn't stop smelling it. The combination of wax, jojoba oil and tree resin is intoxicating in a non toxic way :)</div><div>It's a "fresh, easy, natural" way to wrap stuff like cheese, sandwiches or veggies. You can also cover a bowl with it. I bought it to wrap cheese because it always comes in plastic and I just read those can be harmful. (Looking at the package I found it is toxic so good call!) The warmth of your hand will actually help mold the wrap and when it cools off again, it stiffens and seals. I love it! Now I won't be needing as much plastic wrap and this will last me a year! Yay!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-48532386863500854912013-11-17T21:47:00.000+01:002013-11-17T21:47:48.969+01:00Amazingly scrumptious chocolate pudding recipe almost sugar freeOh my, I just made the most amazingly scrumptious chocolate pudding! It is based on <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolatePudding.html" target="_blank">this recipe by Joy of Baking</a> but as has become my signature thing at the moment, it is almost sugar free. This by the way does <u>not</u> mean it is healthy like veggies or fruit. It just doesn't contain evil refined sugar... instead I have used maple syrup and stevia. Besides not being toxic, it is also dead easy to make! Yay!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Amazingly scrumptious chocolate pudding </h3>
Makes enough for 4 people, it's very filling<br />
Prep time: 1,5 hours including refrigeration<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oJm5QGLJfHxTEhvP5MuImFOOqauyZd0bytwBQy9-CGE9vEiFbSnoB_cKIxeLGPgpPLaj0SUIzT9I3WdGaBJ1Yf9-wNNLGzKv52EYr_Xhn1xPpqU0uT0MTwu7B__huPKnLCF7tsquZ3vs/s1600/amazing+chocolate+pudding+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oJm5QGLJfHxTEhvP5MuImFOOqauyZd0bytwBQy9-CGE9vEiFbSnoB_cKIxeLGPgpPLaj0SUIzT9I3WdGaBJ1Yf9-wNNLGzKv52EYr_Xhn1xPpqU0uT0MTwu7B__huPKnLCF7tsquZ3vs/s320/amazing+chocolate+pudding+2.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodness I need to learn how to make pics of food... Even mickey isn't looking too happy... It tastes much better than it looks, promise!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ingredients:<br />
- 2,5 tablespoons cornstarch<br />
- 30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
- 1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
- 100 ml maple syrup<br />
- 1/8 teaspoon stevia (95% steviolglycoside)<br />
- 3 large egg yolks<br />
- 315 ml milk<br />
- 100 ml whipping cream<br />
- 40 grams of dark chocolate in pieces (choose chocolate of good quality)<br />
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
- 15 grams of butter in pieces<br />
<br />
<br />
Mix the cornstarch with the cocoa and salt in a heat proof bowl. Mix it really well by scraping the back of the spoon over the side of the bowl until there are almost no lumps of cornstarch left. Add the stevia and the maple syrup and whisk well. Then whisk in the egg yolks until it's a uniform paste. Set aside.<br />
<br />
Put the milk and the cream in a saucepan and bring up to boiling point. Take it off the heat and slowly whisk it into the chocolate paste. <br />
<br />
Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan. Cook until it thickens, keep stirring! When it has the thickness of pudding, which it will be really quick, take it off the heat and beat vigorously for a few seconds.<br />
<br />
Stir in the butter, chocolate pieces and vanilla extract until well blended.<br />
<br />
Pour or scoop it into a clean bowl, press a piece of baking paper over the top and refrigerate for about an hour. (The baking paper will keep it from forming a film and it won't stick.)<br />
<br />
After the hour take the bowl out of the fridge, remove the paper and beat vigorously again. Your pudding is now done and ready to eat! Yay!<br />
<br />
You can eat it right away or cover it and refrigerate again until needed.<br />
<br />
<br />
Enjoy!Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444571350065354317.post-78081889855722925992013-11-15T14:41:00.000+01:002013-11-15T14:47:52.796+01:00My Child doll restoration<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEgfIsgxTK-gO0Ma0NojEywORiVGIB2zB6rDMoPHDanJ-4pQYpjG7jzE_KvyxaD8h1xK1nFvIhyphenhyphenNdoIyopH6hzvWd7W6PhOWSOQSIoPTST3LFi7HC4DTgStNV643kE533qPw4AzArQJUD/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEgfIsgxTK-gO0Ma0NojEywORiVGIB2zB6rDMoPHDanJ-4pQYpjG7jzE_KvyxaD8h1xK1nFvIhyphenhyphenNdoIyopH6hzvWd7W6PhOWSOQSIoPTST3LFi7HC4DTgStNV643kE533qPw4AzArQJUD/s320/036.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaned, make-up redone, but still missing fingers on her left hand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My Child dolls are so pretty! I've had mine since 1989 and after some hard core googling I found she was in pretty great shape for her age. She didn't have too much pilling, her skin wasn't sagging as bad as it could have, she still had clearly visible make-up and her hair was still in its original parting. The latter made me really happy because I saw the instructions for redoing a parting and it's a lot of work!<br />
<br />
So to clean her up I used the instructions on <a href="http://www.nodecaf.net/Marisa/mc/mcfixes.html" target="_blank">Marisa's page</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
WASHING: <br />
To wash your My Child Marisa's preferred method is the washing machine but I had an inkling she didn't have a front loader. I certainly would not recommend washing your doll in a front loader where she (or he..) will tumble and smash around. I don't think that will be good for the head or joints. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcTYWLHzK6nziV0Wf9hUod_E97v9krTAzv_Fu5ZSAJHgB08j4VmEefrwzqpxfWJZC2u36ZtizlSdItkbflj5AuusyYosgvOIMdzEzafyY7tp2xMxXEV0LOeZRCvhzeDuOOHD-AJ7r76wG/s1600/before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcTYWLHzK6nziV0Wf9hUod_E97v9krTAzv_Fu5ZSAJHgB08j4VmEefrwzqpxfWJZC2u36ZtizlSdItkbflj5AuusyYosgvOIMdzEzafyY7tp2xMxXEV0LOeZRCvhzeDuOOHD-AJ7r76wG/s320/before.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before, as you can see she still had a lot of make up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
First I bound the doll's hair so it wouldn't get tangled. As I have a My Child with two curly pigtails and an all-round fringe, I tied up both the pigtails and just let the fringe hang loose.<br />
<br />
I put the doll in a dish washing tub with some mild detergent. I splashed her around a bit and then let her soak for 30 minutes. She had quite a grimy face so I left her face down. <br />
After the half hour soak I did as Marisa instructed and pulled her out, squeezed her limbs and then put her back in to soak up the water again. It's a mild way of washing and strongly urge you not to rub the skin. This method works fine.<br />
For the face I used a method that strongly resembled torturing. Not that I'd ever done any before but I almost felt sorry for my dolly! I pulled her up out of the water by her shoulders and then smashed her face first back in. It worked like a charm though! Her face is bright and clean again, and her make-up stayed on.<br />
<br />
When I thought she had been cleaned enough I emptied the tub and filled it with clean water. I repeated the washing techniques just to get the soap out. I also just rinsed her under the tap.<br />
<br />
After having washed out the soap I let the doll soak in fabric softener solution for about 5 minutes after which I started on the hair. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DqxC3ONkCyN2gipulBag3C5K62dVRGWmJwnQDmT6SCwJp_tOLL7EaG0IopP-Ttj_uWXMAahg2nOs0eRDx9axMCHnY1Z0QkJKL2jLCOtRpzmp85v93oRd2KYcLBPwbqtA3Ho4E76bVagj/s1600/washed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DqxC3ONkCyN2gipulBag3C5K62dVRGWmJwnQDmT6SCwJp_tOLL7EaG0IopP-Ttj_uWXMAahg2nOs0eRDx9axMCHnY1Z0QkJKL2jLCOtRpzmp85v93oRd2KYcLBPwbqtA3Ho4E76bVagj/s320/washed.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washed and combed</td></tr>
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THE HAIR:<br />
(to see examples of different hair do's and make-up see <a href="http://vickysmychild.tripod.com/us.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>) <br />
<br />
Marisa said it would take patience, and she was not kidding. I recommend using gloves to do this. It is not good for your hands.<br />
I hung the doll with her hair over the now empty tub (like they do at the hairdresser) and poured fabric softener onto her hair. I splashed a little water on it and worked it into her hair. I left the pigtails in.<br />
After leaving the fabric softener in the hair for 5 minutes I got a comb and started brushing the fringe first. Starting at the tips and working back to the roots a little piece at a time. The fringe is short so it went pretty quick.<br />
Next I took one of the pigtails out and started brushing the same way. I used my fingers to separate 1/4 inch pieces of hair. I found that combing tiny pieces at a time actually went quicker than trying to comb through bigger parts at once.<br />
Take care not to comb the fringe into the pigtail!<br />
After combing all the pieces of one pigtail I put them all together and combed it all at once into a nice pigtail again. I then kept it together with a hair clip. Repeat for the other side :) <br />
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If needed I scooped some fabric softener water out of the tub still under her head and poured it onto the hair.<br />
After I was able to comb through all the hair with ease, I washed the fabric softener off and squeezed as much water out of the doll as possible. <br />
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Yay all done cleaning!<br />
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I decided not to put the hair in curlers so it has remained slightly frizzy. My doll's hair is just very curly. I cannot seem to find pictures that resemble her. All the My Dolls I can find have a much straighter fringe... Putting the hair in curlers might work to give it a more styled look. Might have to try that sometime.<br />
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After leaving her siting on a thick towel in front of the heater for 2 days it was on to the make-up!<br />
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MAKE-UP:<br />
I used make-up to redo the doll's make-up but I have seen people mention watercolor pencils. Whatever you choose don't try any type of pen. The lines will be way to hard, the make-up should have a soft look to it.<br />
There were two types of US doll make-up as<a href="http://www.ebay.com/gds/A-Guide-to-Mattel-My-Child-Dolls-/10000000005856148/g.html" target="_blank"> the guide on ebay </a>will tell you:<br />
"Lips could come in a shade of pink or peach, and eye makeup was either peachy brown or grey/black. (They [sic] grey/black eyeshadow only came with pink lips.)"<br />
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My doll had the grey/black eyeshadow and pink lips. The lips were ok and I only lightly touched them up with a corresponding rouge I had. I also used this to slightly highlight the cheeks.<br />
For the lashes I used brown waterproof eyeliner pencil as that seemed to match the original and the eyeshadow I accentuated with a bit of grey shadow brought on with a tiny brush.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISdfVsSTLTwcVMPWe-QbOGxxswdub_G0yXDx-cAr1mmH-bvtnONsKvR7WR4fMnfBaAhnR49XSCeuPZAGGTYhPyYbmU1A0seZ07APDVIeN8JL7FKtRbiKbBtfT5GhT8-L8wmX4x-dVK6jo/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISdfVsSTLTwcVMPWe-QbOGxxswdub_G0yXDx-cAr1mmH-bvtnONsKvR7WR4fMnfBaAhnR49XSCeuPZAGGTYhPyYbmU1A0seZ07APDVIeN8JL7FKtRbiKbBtfT5GhT8-L8wmX4x-dVK6jo/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3Db77MkbSMllpczekEtFgvVymPrW2kumBe9vUXzU5_h7C1Z6ruQWJejsKDazm7o8UuiP2KEuj-s1n3cNPBRW3GxfSqM2w_jo-4rYGw57jKZUxUoxAJXQrhk3MXA1R79XQQk2N3jIs04V/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3Db77MkbSMllpczekEtFgvVymPrW2kumBe9vUXzU5_h7C1Z6ruQWJejsKDazm7o8UuiP2KEuj-s1n3cNPBRW3GxfSqM2w_jo-4rYGw57jKZUxUoxAJXQrhk3MXA1R79XQQk2N3jIs04V/s320/032.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good as new!</td></tr>
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After restitching her left hand where the thread had come loose leaving her with no fingers, I put her back in her original dress. She comes from the last US series, so she doesn't have shoes...<br />
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The only downside of all this: now she is too pretty to let my one year old play with her! LOL. O well at least she will be able to when she grows up and in the meantime she sits on a shelf in my bedroom looking pretty :)<br />
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I intend to make her a new dress though. If I ever get around to it I'll let you know!<br />
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Do you have a My Child laying around or have you restored any? I would love to see what they look like! The dolls are so pretty and should definitely be treasured. They don't make them like this any more!<br />
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<br />Square-nOnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01354129666339233746noreply@blogger.com2