Joyce Farm House

A little while ago a friend and I took advantage of an open for inspection to have a look around Joyce Farm House in Baulkham Hills, NSW. 

By the end of our sticky beak I had visualised where the kids would sleep and was wondering what the local school would be like. It was so lovely, in every which way. Except - and it was capital letters except - for the noise from Old Windsor Rd and the M7.

The rooms were large with gorgeous outlooks from every window and fireplaces. I was picturing Mr3 playing with his cars in the hallways. Beautiful floorboards, outside areas and the kitchen was so sweet with windows looking out onto the rear yard. The garden was delightful and with wide verandahs and covered areas there was plenty of places to watch the kids ride around the circular driveway or swinging in the Jacarandas. 

It has inspired me to revisit all the Historic Homes I visited as a student around Sydney but with eyes that appreciate them for the part they play in our history. 

Joyce Farm House sold for $856 000.

x

A solution to the Lego ... maybe :)

I have heard about these and daydreamed about making one (which is never going to happen).

Found the following information on the manufacturers website

• Quickly closes for hands free carrying and storage
• Washable and wipeable high quality fabrics
• Velcroed storage pocket to stow the drawstring
• 5' Lay-n-Go features inside pockets / shoulder strap
• 18" Lay-n-Go LITE is perfect for life life on the go
• Lead and Phthalate Free

Don't think it will be the perfect solution. That would be a little robot style vacuum cleaner that zooms around the floor, behind doors, under chairs, behind beds, on top of tables, in the bath and collects all the little random pieces that end up EVERYWHERE!


Find them at Pinklily

Masterchef interview with a difference - Kate Bracks

Here is a link to Kate's recently released cookbook.

The MONSTER at the end of this book

I had a love / hate relationship with this book as a kid and so was wary of buying it as an app. But ... it was so much fun reading it with mr3 that I am glad I did. There was lots of interaction between us the readers and the ipad which I love when a children's story is converted. It managed to convey that same sense of fear and excitement that I had as a child when it was read to me. There was lots of "YES!" and "You do it mum, I can't!".

There is also Monster 2, but Monster 1 gets the most giggles and is the most read here :)

App store link

And the winners are ...

Congratulations Rohani, Linnea and Jess! You are the winners of a $10 voucher for Bakers Delight. Please email your address to me at hello@jenniferbarker.com.au


Thank you everyone for your entries. I wish I could give you all a voucher! 


Remember tomorrow is Bundraising day - $1 from every 6 pack of hot cross buns sold will be donated to hospitals around Australia & NZ.


Hope you all have a lovely weekend :)

Baker's Delight giveaway :)

Love how passionate we are about our favourite foods! Thank you for your entries. I am encouraged to try some new things after reading some of the entries for the 3 $10 vouchers for Baker's Delight.

It did say that 12pm was the cut off time for entries. I am changing it to 4pm as I completely forgot I need to pop up to the kids school for my son's assembly.

Thanks for understanding & stay tuned :)

Jen x

[GIVEAWAY] My obsession with Baker's Delight!

When I received an email from the marketing department of Baker's Delight asking me to review their Hot Cross Buns, my first thought was that either my husband or a friend had sent me a joke. I am a BIG fan of Baker's Delight bread and tell anyone who will listen how grateful I am for the difference I believe it has made to my daughters behaviour since she has made the switch to it.


When the major supermarkets introduced their $1 bread last year I shivered. It is so tempting to want to save money with the purchase of a cheaper loaf ... especially when you have four hungry children to feed. However, having a more settled, calmer and more focused child is worth EVERY. SINGLE. CENT.


After much research, mainly through a book called Fed Up by Sue Dengate discovered that the preservative 280 (an anti-mould preservative - man made additive) commonly causes inattentive, unsettled children. Since the major bread companies have withdrawn it from their mix, they have increased the sugar and vinegar in their mixes.


Yes, I warned you I could talk about Baker's Delight forever!


But this post is not about their bread (or their pizza bases which I LOVE and use every weekend) or their wholemeal Vegemite scrolls which are super handy for outings, but one of my favourites - their hot cross buns. In my opinion, they can't sell them soon enough every calendar year.


Last Saturday morning I headed by invitation to one of my local stores. David Ralph owns three Bakers Delight stores; Norwest, Baulkham Hills and Carlingford. He is an intelligent, friendly man who LOVES what he does. His passion for his product is evident in the way he talks about the process of the dough from flour to the end result on the shelf. His staff are friendly and fun loving and his stores have the same buzz that you see in their tv commercials :)




Some facts about Baker's Delights hot cross buns ...


• They are made fresh in the bakery every day. On the Thursday before Good Friday each store can make close to a 1000. Wow! Thank goodness they don't have to knead by hand :)
• They don’t use frozen or readymade dough - all the ingredients go in one by one.
• Because they’re so fresh, they’re always soft.
• Hot cross buns are available in traditional, fruitless, mocha and choc chip.

How do you eat your hot cross buns? The hubby, the kids and I love them fresh from the bakery, just the way they are. If I am feeling a little naughty I will add some butter. My parents love theirs heated in the oven with butter. We are traditional hot cross bun lovers. With fruit. 50% of the bun is fruit and the fruit isn't squishy or broken up. The fruit is sweet but not too sweet. I have friends who can't go past the mocha and choc chip but I am a traditional kind of girl.

This Saturday, the 24th of March is ‘Bundraiser’ Day. It will see all 614 Bakers Delight bakeries across Australia donate $1 from every six-pack of hot cross buns sold to hospitals across the country. They are aiming to surpass the $104,000 fundraising target set last year. That money will make a significant difference to sick children this Easter. Love that :)


Here is a list of hospitals set to benefit from Bakers Delight’s fundraising efforts:

• Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation (NSW)
• Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal (VIC)
• Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation (QLD)
• Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation (WA)
• Women and Children’s Hospital Foundation (SA)
• Royal Hobart Hospital (TAS)
• Canberra Hospital Foundation (ACT)
• John Hunter Children’s Hospital (NEWC)
• Starship Foundation (NZ)

Another reason to head back there this Saturday! We are planning to have some for afternoon tea with friends together with a mug of Campos coffee or T2 tea.

To win a $10 voucher for you to enjoy your own packet of hot cross buns and a few dollars to spare ... comment on this blog telling me what your favourite Bakers Delight product is and why. We will pop all of your responses in a box and draw one this Friday, 23rd March at 12pm AEST. I have 3 to give away. Good luck! (Australian residents only)


PS. I discovered that you can ask them for a print out of the ingredients of any of their products at the till. Suits a fussy mum like me :)

Ingrid from Cocoon Couture

Life is a funny thing, full of unexpected turns. One of the unexpected turns for me was running an online business. It was hard work - a steep learning curve - but I did get to meet lots of lovely people and was in a position to help people treat themselves and others to great products.

One of the fabulous and incredibly talented women I met was Ingrid Daniell, the creator and designer of Cocoon Couture. I interviewed her here way back in 2009 :)

Over the weekend the Herald Sun featured her home. It is a beautiful reflection of her style. A beautiful home for her, Clif and her two boys.

Country Style

A free MOZI tote with this months Country Style magazine - win! :)

How is it possible?

March already? My favourite month :)

Love Autumn.

This month I am going to try really really hard to do this: Thank you Fat Mum Slim

At home

from A little delightful

Love the world wide web for ideas to do with the kids. With all the wet weather this summer - fresh ideas are very, very welcome!

free downloadable printable pinwheel from here

Simple idea but gorgeous from one of my favourite bloggers 

Completely random observation - has anyone else noticed how popular maps have suddenly become? And the price - crazy. School storerooms are sitting on a goldmine. This photo is from Bondville. The rest of Rowan's room has the same sweet vintage feel :)

Supergirl Party

There is something about this birthday party that really appeals to me. It is sweet, girly but also fun and adventurous. Different, not princessy. Love it! I think I may steal the idea for my 40th - which is a LONG way off :)

It is from this blog. I wish there were more posts on there. Love the sister's style!

Valentine's Day ...

Bee my valentine - how cute!! Will you be my love bug? The people at www.mooo.com.au are seriously clever and seriously corny :)

Whilst you are there, have a look at their name label pack. Your supply of name labels may be like mine, needing some replenishments after being used for a few years.

This one made me laugh. Out loud. It must be late and I must be tired :)

Other cute Valentine's Day offerings ...

1. These would look great in red for Valentine's Day or for a party - or just for fun!

2. Gorgeous shopfronts

3. If you are really organised, celebrate the 14 days of Valentines.

4. This is my idea of a lovely gift for Valentine's day for your friendly neighbour, your friend, your mum

5. Finally, she is just gorgeous. Another generous blogger with a free downloadable template :)

Happy Valentine's Day! Have you come across something gorgeous to share?

(love this florist!) 

Starting tomorrow ...

*Starting tomorrow* I'll eat more meals that I haven't created before. I fall into a rut of making the same favourite dishes over and over. Here are a couple that look fantastic and might get me enthused!  ...

(Superfood Salad by Teresa Cutter or The Healthy Chef)

Donna Hay's artichoke and feta tarts

I like this (via Sarah Wilson)

justine pocock flickr

Talking about Sarah Wilson, her I Quit Sugar Diet looks good. Really good. I should start today ;)

Spineless Classics

Phoebe from My Favourite is the Australian distributor of these fascinating posters. They look fantastic framed. So good seeing something new in the gift market that is original, especially for blokes!

Find more here

Blog Love

Fat Mum Slim's blog first came onto my radar courtesy of Kidspot. Her blog is real and she is generous with her words and ideas. Love it!

Coffee Cup Obsession

Can one have too many coffee mugs? Well, yes. They do clutter up the cupboards. But boy oh boy there are some fun designs out there! Sometimes I choose the colour of the mug according to the mood I am in. More often than not I use a Cath Kidston one because if I get the chance to make a cup I indulge in a large one!

1 & 2 Cath Kidston
3, 4 & 5 McLaggan Smith - you must check out this site. I love the mug "Keep Calm and Kiss me Quick"
6 Mozi 
7. Scrabble, see link for no.8
8. Penguin Pride and Prejudice
9. Pantone

My Favourites this week

These are fantastic for kids at home - they are easy to clean and I am told, comfortable!

These are fantastic for babies at home, at the beach, on holidays, when visiting ... so handy :)

These are not only super to rest feet on, but also become a handy seat for little or big people. I am told it is even comfy as a cushion

You feel a little silly, but I am sure my posture is improving because of this

I could have her music playing all day, every day

I am really looking forward to the trade fairs coming up and seeing the new designs from some of my favourite Australian designers, especially Alimrose Designs and Cocoon Couture.

I am dreaming of going here, the place that is!

Amazing photographer whose images make you feel as though you are in the room with the subject

Lego, lego and lego. Can you imagine working in that office!