Corey's Snow Beanie

When I asked Corey if I could make him a beanie to take to the snow like mine I didn't really expect him to say yes. When he did I jumped right in so I could get it made before he changed his mind.

I used the same pattern as I used for mine - Pete's Skull Snowboard Beanie. I used Moda Vera Shiver in a light grey and dark grey. The wool was a bit thicker than the wool I used on mine which made it a bit bigger but that was okay cause Corey has a bigger head than I do. I thought I better leave off the pom pom if I actually wanted him to wear. I thought about putting one on then thought I would be pushing my luck. I am so excited now to be going to the snow. Only 13 more weeks till we leave. Which means only 13 more weeks until I am finished with uni forever!

A Little Bit Country Dress

I finally finished this dress this morning that I have been working on now for about 3 weeks. I have been taking it a bit slowly as the idea that I had first did not work. Originally I wanted the skirt to be really full and gathered but when I tried that because the fabric is so soft it did not hold its shape very well and looked a bit dodgy. So I decided to make it a bit less full and pleat it a little.

The skirt was made using Vogue 8184 for the bodice and the skirt I just made up. This is my first time using a fabric that I have to pattern match. and I am pretty impressed with my results. I showed my mum at afternoon tea this afternoon and she said I did a really good job! I was a little scared going into it but I realised that it really isn't as hard as I thought it would be.

I added some white love heart buttons to the front to add a little more detail. I bought these a while ago from Spotlight because they were so cute and this is the first project I have thought to use them on. I am so happy I did because they look so cute! I love this dress. I feel a little country in it. It looks really good with my cowboy boots too so it will be getting a lot of wear when the weather cools down.

Now i have conquered my first pattern matching project I think I will be doing it a lot more!

The Blind Side

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If you only see one movie this year make it The Blind Side! Corey and I went and saw it last night and it was incredible. Sandra Bullock definately deserved that Oscar win. She has amazing talent and was just superb in this movie.

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For those who don't know The Blind Side is the true story of the life of Michael Oher (pictured above) who plays offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. The story is incredibly emotional and touching. I cried quite a few times through the movie. There are so many moments where you just want to reach into the movie screen and give Michael a big hug.

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The scene above has got to be one of my favourites. And yes it was one of the moments where I was a bit teary too. It was just so sweet and reminds you of your own childhood and it made me sad to think of all the things Michael missed out on in his childhood.

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So take it from me, if you are looking for a great film to see that has both incredible acting and an awesome story to tell make it this one. You won't be disappointed!

Snow Bunny Beanie

The first thing I said to Corey when we booked our snow trip is "I have to knit a beanie with ear flaps!" I have always wanted one and going to the snow is the perfect excuse to make one.

I used the Pete's Skull Snow Board Beanie pattern from Ravelry. The wool is Moda Vera Chantilly and it was knit on 6mm needles. I am so excited with the finished product. I think i may make another one for Corey to take with him. From start to finish the beanie took me only 2 days! The wool was bought from Spotlight with the help of Corey. I wanted to get a bright pink but when Corey saw this one he told me to get it because it matched my snow gloves. See.....

Pretty cool huh?And of course I had to add a pom pom on top for a little extra something! I am even more excited now for our snow trip. It is going to be so much fun!

101 things in 1001 days - progress report 2

I just realised that it has been a while since I have done an update on my 101 things in 1001 days progress so I thought I would post a quick update for you all.

Newly Completed Tasks:

No. 6 - move out of home

No. 12 - take a multivitamin every day for two months - I think this did me a lot of good. I tend to get sick a lot. Ever since I had glandular fever in highschool my immune system is a bit crappy. I felt so much better during the 2 months I was taking a multivitamin. I slept better, I didn't get sick at all and I just generally felt like I had more energy. Unfortunately during packing and moving I finished my 2 month supply and never went and got more. I really need to go get some so I can keep staying healthy and feeling good.

No. 41 - Learn how to make ice cream - this was so so so much fun! I will definately be making more ice cream soon.

No. 62 - Buy Photoshop - Okay, I didn't actually buy it. Corey bought it for me for Valentine's Day but the end result is still the same. Now I just have to learn how to use it properly!

In Progress Tasks:

Make all the patterns in my collection

Knit 10 items from my Ravlery queue - so far I have made 2 and am working on my third.

Have 30 handmade items in my wardrobe (by me or others) - so far I have 8.

So that is my progress so far. I feel like I am accomplishing things at an okay pace but I would like to start being a bit more proactive with this list. I might start picking a goal each week to work on to try and complete some more things a bit faster.

Do you have any special goals you are working towards this year?

Happy Birthday Hayley!

Today is my darling big sisters 24th birthday so I just had to pop on here and wish her a very very happy birthday! She is the most inspiring, strong willed, determined, self confident, beautiful and simply amazing person I know. If I can grow up to be half as amazing a person as she is I will be very happy with myself. Love you Hayley, millions and millions. Love Kat xoxoxoxoxo

What's Cooking?

So it has been a while since I did a what's cooking post so when I saw this recipe I decided that this would be one that I needed to share. Tonight's dinner was Soy Beef Stir-fry from Recipes+ magazine. What I love about this recipe is its not only is it really yummy but it is also helping me and Corey to eat more vegetables. We are not eating anywhere near enough lately so I am trying to use as many vegetables in our dinners as we can. This is my favourite healthy dinner so far!

Soy Beef Stir Fry from Recipes+

• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 2 cloves of garlic (I used minced garlic)
• 550g beef rump steak, thinly sliced
• 2 medium red onions, cut in wedges
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red capsicum, thinkly sliced
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs mirin seasoning
• 3 tbs sesame oil
• 1 bunch (300g) baby bok choy, coarsely shredded
• 1 tbs spoon sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Heat wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil and swirl to coat surface. Stir-fry garlic for 30 seconds. Transfer garlic to a bowl.

Add 2 teaspoons of remaining oil to wok. Stir-fry beef in batches for 2-3 minutes or until seared. Transfer for a heatproof bowl.

Heat remaining oil in wok. Add onion, carrot and capsicum. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Return beef with soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil. Toss for 3-4 minutes or until heated. Add bok choy and stir fry for 30 seconds. Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately.

Do you have any other healthy but quick recipes you can share with me?

My Daily Style

So i'm getting back into the swing of my daily style posts. I wore this outfit to uni today. The dress is new from Target. I bought it this past Sunday. I have this habit of needing to wear new things as soon as I buy them. I was going to wear it yesterday but it was rainy and cold so my jeans won over. Luckily the sun decided to come out today so I was able to wear my new dress. Corey spent the whole day calling me his "little hippy".

Dress: Target $45

Shoes: Target $25

Leggings: Big W $10

Belt: Valleygirl $10

Vest: Cotton On $25

Necklace: Diva $10

You may have noticed that I have made the photos on my blog bigger. Everyone time I posted the photos before they seemed tiny to me so I had a play around with the html code in my blog and now I can post bigger pictures. Let me know if you think they are too big.

(500) Days of Summer

I have read many posts around blogland about this movie and from all accounts hear it was amazing so when I saw it in the video shop on cheap tuesday I just knew I had to get it. And may I just say I am mighty glad I did borrow it. It is AMAZING! It is the best movie I have watched in a while in fact. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt work so well together. They are both so adorably kooky! As much as I like Zooey Deschanel I did not like her character in the movie. She is a bit of a bitch! But she wears some awesome outfits....

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My favourite scene has got to be when they are running through ikea pretending to live in all the room displays. Hilarious! If you have not seen this movie make sure you hire it out and watch it. Its the perfect thing to brighten up a rainy day.

What is the best movie you have seen lately?

Cinnamon and Banana Muffins

Today while I was sitting at home waiting for Telstra to come and install our internet (and they never turned up!) I decided to use up the bananas that had been sitting neglected in our fruit bowl and make some banana muffins. I used the Banana and Cinnamon Muffin recipe from Australian Womens Weekly's Bake cookbook. I also could not go past icing them with some cream cheese icing which as you know is a bit of a weakness of mine. These were absolutely delicious! I even sent my sister home with some to take in her lunches for work this week. I forgot to bring the recipe around to mum's house to post but I saw a delicious looking recipe for Banana and Honey muffins over at Frills in the Hills so if you would like to make some pop over and check her recipe out!

A New Shalom!

Do you remember last year when I made the Shalom Cardi? It was my first big knitting project. Up until then all I had made was scarves and berets so I was trying to break out of my comfort zone. The trouble is that in all my excitement to make a big project I bought a yarn that was too thick for the project and as a result the cardi stretched out of shape and looked horrible. So I decided to make it again.

Pattern: Shalom Cardigan from Involving the Senses

Wool: Spotlight Basiscs Bulky

This cardi is so quick and easy to make and looks great worn over a t-shirt or a long sleeve top. I really want to take it to the snow and wear it with brown boots and jeans. I would have done a proper modeled pic but it was just too hot today to do it. Also while I am here can I just say sorry for my crapping blogging schedule of late. We have not yet got the internet connected at the new house and so I can only use the net when I am at uni or mum's house. That is why I have been a bit absent of the commenting front too. Hopefully the internet will be connected next Tuesday afternoon but with all the trouble we have been having with Telstra I won't be surprised if it isn't.

Daily Style

I have not done a daily style post in a while so I though why not do one today. It was been super rainy and gloomy for the past few days. I am not complaining though because I love the rain and having the opportunity to dress a bit more winterish. I am a winter girl from way back!

Skirt: Made by me approx $10

Bodysuit: K-mart $15

Cardigan: Cotton On Outlet $15

Cowboy Boots: Rubi Shoes $40

Belt: Valley Girl $15

Beret: Made by me approx $5

Usually I only wear my cowboy boots with jeans and I have been wanting to wear them with either a dress or skirt for ages but have not felt comfortable. This morning when I put this outfit on though I knew instantly I wanted to wear my cowboy boots. I am really happy with the outcome! Hopefully this whether sticks around a while longer. God knows we need the rain and it makes it more fun for me when getting dressed in the morning ;)

Honey Jumble Slice

Wednesday nights are family dinner night at mum and dads house. Me, Corey, Hayley and Kieran come home to have dinner with Mum (dad works nights) and usually me and Corey come around early to see my cousin Kara and her daughter Grace who visit every Wednesday afternoon after kindy. Mum always makes afternoon tea so this week I decided that I would bring something along. So I made honey jumble slice.

I love honey jumble biscuits so when I saw this recipe in an old issue of That's Life I just had to give it a go. My icing was a little too runny as you can see in the photo but it was still delicious! If your a fan of the bscuits too I recommend giving this recipe a try.

Honey Jumble Slice

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp ginger

2 tbs of honey

1 tsp bicarb soda

125g butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups icing sugar

2 tbs hot water (approx)

pink food coloring (optional)

1. melt butter and honey in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Add bicard soda and sit to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl sift flour, ginger and mixed spice. Add brown sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the honey/butter mixture and the egg.
3. Mix until ingredients are well combined. Press mixture into a baking pan. The one I used was a 23cm square cake tin.
4. Cook for 18-20 minutes in a 180 degree celsius oven. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. Mix icing sugar and to make a smooth icing. Add extra water or icing sugar as needed. Tint icing sugar pink and spread on top of cooled slice.
6. Slice and enjoy!