Sponsor in May

It's that time of the month again ... (no not THAT time - but if it is The Period Store can help you out!) 

Time to make sponsorship decisions! I swear I have no idea where April went, and I really don't know how its nearly May already! Feels like yesterday I was making my New Year's resolutions (oops - better get on to them!!).

Anyway, I have FREE ad swap spaces available and large ad spaces for only $8! Check out my sponsor page here.

PS. If your feeling lucky make sure your enter the giveaway I'm running with La Caseta de Paper to win three months ad space on each of our blogs!

Stuff I Luff #8

This weeks pretties:

1. Love the combo of the rustic wood and the fresh white

2. Such a beautiful dress!

3. This brownie is HEALTHY! Made with zucchini, bananas and apple sauce.

4. Yummy Italian soda with basil simple syrup

5. Love this!

6. Its true

7. Pretty kitty

8. Loving this pic

Loving this thoughtful post from my new favourite blog Always Rooney

X
Molly

Smudge Saturday: Sleeping In

Smudge and I are taking a well-deserved rest this weekend.  Well, I deserve a rest, Smudge does nothing but rest!! Our internet has been down this week so I'm catching up on all my fave blogs and a few tv shows I missed.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

X
Molly

Giveaway time!

Hey guys! Laura from Caseta de Paper and I are giving away three months of ad space each!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

X

Molly

23 Before 24

I've finally got around to writing my 23 goals/things to do before I turn 24.  I'm about three months late, so I only have nine months left...  better get crackin!

1. Learn to make macarons

2. Do some volunteer work

3. Get my full driver's license

4. Be comfortable driving a manual, and drive through a city

5. Develop a regular exercise routine

6. Have one technology-free day a month

7. Spend more quality time with the husband

8. Read four books

9. Reach more people with my blog

10. Achieve a better balance between uni, blogging and down time

11. Become a better housekeeper

12. Develop a more structured routine for running the house 'stuff

13. Do things straight away

14. Start running.  I don't plan on running a marathon or anything, but I would love to be able to get out and go for a short run

15. Do a few cool DIYs for the house

16. Smile more

17. Be a little kinder to strangers

18. Visit a place I've never been

19. Get a new hairstyle

20. Keep a fitness diary

21. Stay in touch with out-of-town friends more regularly

22. Stop biting the skin around my nails

23. Go swimming in the sea

Do you have a goal list? Leave me a link!

X

Molly

Stuff I Luff #7

This cauliflower soup looks yum!  /  Dreaming of hair like this.

Winter is here and I need a new coat like this:

   How cute is this?           Love this quote:             

Love the colours in this outfit by Delightfully Tacky

Would love to live in this house:

X

Molly

Smudge Saturday: Study date

Me and my Smudgie-pie have a study date planned today.  Study is always so much better when he's in my lap!!  The hubby and I are planning to have a much-needed day off tomorrow.  We're going to go shopping for some new winter wears and for a few things we need for the house.  Should be fun!

What do you have planned for the weekend?

X

Molly

Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce

• 1 3/4 cups packed pitted dates 
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 
  
• Sauce:

• 1 3/4 sticks (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Make pudding:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease muffin tins.

Coarsely chop dates and in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan simmer dates in water, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.

While mixture is standing, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon stir batter until just combined well.

Pour batter into muffin tins and set tin in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of muffin tin and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool muffins to warm on a rack.

Make sauce while pudding is cooling:
In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. 

Cool sauce to warm.

Remove muffins from the tin. Serve with ice cream and warm sauce.

I love to freeze both the muffins and the sauce.  These are my secret treats that I pull out on a bad day or when I just really need some dessert.  I just take out a muffin, put about a tablespoon of sauce over it and microwave for 30 seconds.  Yum!!

X

Molly

Take my hand..

I stumbled across the coolest photography project today - hundreds of photos of a guy being led around the world by his girlfriend.  See the rest of the pictures here.

What do you think?

X

Molly

Giveaway: Em's Birthday Bash

Hey Guys! Emma from Emma Dear is turning 27 and to celebrate, she's put together a giveaway! You can win a large ad space on my blog as well as heaps of other prizes!

C/O Emma Deer // Grits and Moxie // Gypsybeee //  Emphatically Elle // Ramsay Grace

C/O My Dearest Friend // East 80 // Young Mommy Memoirs

C/O Hopeless Notebook // Three Inch Stitch // Live Well and Breathe

C/O The Wandering Deer // Dear Sweetlings // Acute Designs

C/O Okay, Allison! // Ilaria Ruggeri // The Pepper and her Pups

C/O The Laughing Medusa // Bamboo Blossom // The Cottage Diaries

C/O Arrow in the Eye // Oh So Pretty // Pony Chops

C/O Lulu's Wonderland // Pretty Confused // Chane

C/O Zakka // Anchors & Honey

a Rafflecopter giveaway

... and remember, you can tweet once a day for more entries! :] 

X

Molly

South Island: Dunedin and Central Otago

1.Pretty buildings

2-4.Dunedin Railway Station 

5.Steepest street in the world

6.Picnic in the botanical gardens

7-11.Scenery around Central Otago

Dunedin had some of the most amazing architecture we saw on our trip.  The railway station is the second most photographed building in the southern hemisphere (behind the Sydney Opera House).  Its so big that it's hard to get a good photo though!  We went on the Cadbury chocolate factory tour and then walked up the steepest street, and I think we definitely worked off all the chocolate we ate!

Central Otago is really beautiful, with scenery unlike anything else in New Zealand.  It has a really warm climate and we ate some amazing stone fruit! At one place we were a bit confused when no one was at the shop, but then we figured out it was set up so you could pay via EFTPOS.  The new honesty box haha.  That's the South Island for ya!