Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Well, if you ask me that is, I can't guarantee anyone else will deliver just because you asked. Woodles challenged me to find some gorgeous little boy/baby boy clothes that aren't covered in skulls and cross bones. I also hate all the rude slogans on little boy tops and the ugly prints so here are a few cute pieces I'd buy if I had a little boy. No pirates in sight and no camo print either. *I had a bit of trouble with this post because so many of the stores I like for little boy gifts have coded their photos so I can't copy and paste them here for you. It toook some time to find this little bunch but I think Woodles will approve.



This gorgeous little cream jumper (aka sweater for the Americans) is from Krickets, a Canadian childrenswear company (distributed here by old school Aussie company Lyndonkids) I love 100% cotton knits because they are perfect with a shirt and not too warm for our gentle Sydney winters.


The funky zipper gives the jumper a modern look while the stripes are more classic. Forget Bob The Builder polyster, this is one cool top for your little fellow. I love that it has a neat little beanie that matches. This top and hat would work brilliantly with jeans or chinos or the pants featured below.


Also by Krickets, these little corduroy trousers are so sweet. A nice bright navy coloured soft cord, the fabric looks great. I like that they haven't covered them with giant chunky pockets. Come on people, cargo is so 90's give it a rest! These look hard wearing and as with all cord they are sure to wash and wear well.

You can find Krickets at quite a few online retailers but I borrowed these pics from a cute online store called Maddison Lane.





This sweet little raglan top in cream cotton with a white stripe is from Jean Bourget. I love that it has three non matching buttons down the front and the whimsical panda is cute but not too cheesy-girly.

The little cotton trousers have a tweed-plaid look to them, this picture doesn't really show the depth to the pattern.

I think this is a stylish little outfit for a little guy who likes his fashions understated but cute. I borrowed the pic from Shop Baby Trends where it is on sale 40% off, but if you do a search on Jean Bourget you will find it elsewhere.





I mentioned Velvet and Tweed the other day when I was talking about gorgeous trousers for little girls well I don't think you can go past this beautiful green shirt for your little boys.

It has long sleeves (which look gorgeous rolled up don't you think?) and a cute little pocket at the front. Unlike most kidswear these days this stylish little shirt is not made in China. It is made in San Francisco! The fabric is bright and fresh, two shades of green check with a white background. Adorable with jeans or little shorts or my favourite babywear item- overalls!

Be quick, they're having a 40% off sale PLUS the kind people at V&T emailed me and offered my readers free shipping even to Australia. Enter this code at checkout: StepfordFreeShip



This sweet little duffle coat has cute whales printed on the soft cotton jersey lining. I love it! Oobi Baby has some really nice things for little boys and girls. Another Aussie company you mustn't miss, you can find their stuff all over the web and in lots of stores as well.



This image I borrowed from Babys Got Style. Imagine how cute this little jacket would look with some brown cord pants or the jeans I found below.
Rock Your Baby is an Australian kidswear store I don't normally like because they have lots of those loud slogany tops that I hate and those twitty onesies with fake tuexedo fronts.

They do, however, sell a very nice pair of jeans for your little boys! These stovepipe are really cute.

I don't like the whole head to toe trendy punk look so I'd pair them with a nice top and knitted vest if I had a little boy. I think they are fabulous jeans. You can buy them at the RYB online store or at Babys Got Style where I got this image.

Fast Friday Funny- Puked in my Mouth

Now everyone had seen the Jizz in my Pants video right?



Well this is the girl version, I Puked In My Mouth.



Ok so it is high school humour and I'm oh 10 years out of high school and I have a child and I'm married and I should have better things to do with my time. But I don't. So sue me. I found this quite funny!



It's been a while since the sight of a dorky guy in a nightclub trying out a pick up line has actually made me laugh let alone puke in my mouth but I can still remember some of the most memorable jerks.



Like the time a guy stood on my toe (on purpose) and when I said "ouch, excuse me you are standing on my foot" he replied " I know, I meant to. I got your attention though didn't I? Can I buy you a drink?" Umm no thanks, loser.



Or the time a guy looked me straight in the face and said "my friend over there, he thinks you are really hot, I told him your friend is cuter but I reckon I've got more chance with you, you look more approachable. What do you reckon?"



Uh-huh. Yep. Thanks but no thanks, loser.



Can you recall any failed "pick up lines" losers have tried on you? Gosh I can't believe how old I feel just recalling my "youth", I'm not even 30 yet.

Mushrooms?

Someone smart (not me) once said "life is too short to stuff a mushroom." I couldn't agree more.

Starting tomorrow I'm on a non-essential meals cooking strike. Tinkers food is the only exception.

So you can be sure there won't be any mushroom stuffing on my agenda this week. There are, however some super cute mushrooms on my mind. THESE HERE.

So whatever you do, don't forget to enter the giveaway this week or you will miss out on your weekly dose of mushroom love! Don't forget Tinker and I will draw the winner on Friday (Sydney time) so get in quick!

What's For Dinner Wednesday? Chicken Pot Pie

Brought to you by my favourite jailbird housewife, Martha Stewart, this low fat chicken pot pie is easy and perfect for a two dish mid week meal. I have changed it slightly just to save me some time and extra washing up. If you prefer to do things the Martha way, you can find the original recipe on her site.

Hopefully it won't go the way of my ocean trout pie after Sunday's disaster cooking day. Come to think of it, I have had more failures in the kitchen this month than I have had all my cooking life! So maybe I should have a new blog segment keeping score of disasters versus successes?

Ok so today's low fat pie sounds very easy, please let me know if you also give it a go and let me know what yours is like because at the rate I'm going even the most simple recipes are ruinable.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 large pieces of chicken breast (12 to 14 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low-fat (1%) milk
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 filo sheets (each 12 by 17 inches), thawed

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast 20- 30 minutes. Shred meat, and set aside.

While chicken is roasting, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium.

Add carrots, onion, and thyme; season with salt and pepper, and cook until carrots are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer and thickens.

Remove from heat; stir in peas, lemon juice, and chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Pour filling into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

Stack filo on a work surface. Using a paring knife, cut out an 11-inch circle from the stack; discard trimmings. Stack 2 circles on work surface, and brush gently with 1 teaspoon oil; repeat with remaining circles and oil.

*I'm using one large square baking dish so I don't have to worry about the fiddly trimming, I'll just whack the ready cut squares of filo onto my pie filling*

Place pastry stack over filling, and press down about 1/2 inch from the edge so pastry fits inside rim of pie plate. Bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let potpie cool 15 minutes before serving.


I have not bothered to translate into metric because I think most of us here in the metric world are more used to translating from imperial than they are doing the reverse. Let me know if you can't, and I'll edit this post.

Tuesday Snapshot- Stitches & Chocolate

So this is my Tuesday. An absolutely massive box of exquisite Laurent Meric's Cacao chocolates and a stunning summer dress for the Tinker made by... yours truly!

Sometimes I need to stop and pinch myself when I think about how lucky I am to have such lovely friends. For the past four days my good friend and sewing guru Theoreticgal has been my house guest. She came to Sydney laden with gifts for the Tinker and all manner of awesome sewing gadgets for me as well as a pattern and some fabric to make the little dress above.

She did a lot of hand holding to get me to make the dress and it turned out brilliantly. I will do another post showing you more detail and telling you how we put it all together. Theoreticgal is quite the house guest. Not only did she have to endure my crazy Griffon Bruxellois dogs as room mates but she had to eat my food.

Last night courtesy of a gorgeous mutual friend with connections to Australia's number 1 restaurant, I made dinner with a kilo of the most amazing ocean trout. I thought I'd whip up a yummy fish pie with Monday being my meat free day as per our new diet. Anyway I made a complete mess of the meal and it ended up being a plate of gruel.

For my most generous and most gourmet friend I served up a plate of gruel. It was a disaster, a funny one in retrospect but a disaster none the less. What went wrong? I have no idea. It tasted fine but the consistency was a nightmare. Lately all of my cooking pursuits have ended in tears. I think it is a sign. So from today forward I am on a cooking strike bar the food I make for my Tinker. Luckily I have my box of amazing award winning chocolates to sustain me for a few days until I hire a full time chef or perhaps invest in a truckload of 2 minute noodles.

Tinker's Trouser Tips

All Mouth and No Trousers...

Such a funny little phrase, I must use it more. Sounds like a saying that would apply to me I think. Slightly wittier than my woodpecker analogy.

I'm a big fan of wearing trousers, my late Grandad is rolling in his grave I am sure. He was more a Deuteronomy man than a Katharine Hepburn fan!

While I am a big fan of classic smocked dresses for little girls I also love trousers on my Tinker and with her being tall but skinny I have done a lot of trying and buying to find the right trousers.

I thought I might do a little Tinker trouser post for you, with some of my very favourite tiny trousers for stylish tots on the market right now:

These little beauties are by Marie Chantal, Beige Classic Twill Skinny Tessa trousers.

They are so stylish and so cute, perfect wardrobe essential for your little fashionista. Understated but beautifully made these trousers can be dressed up with a pretty blouse or dressed down with a cute tshirt.

You won't find colours that rape your eyes or obnoxious patterns at Marie Chantal, this is the home of classic, elegant childrenswear.

Subtle finishes like the button down pockets at the back make this pair of beautifully made trousers a wardrobe staple for the discerning toddler... or her mama.You can find out more on one of my most-hit baby style sites here!

From one of my all time favourite designers for chic little girls, Ses Petites Mains comes this adorable little pair of trousers Lydia in maxim denim.

So nautical, so stylish and perfect for my Tinker because they have an adjustable waist. Never one to wear a boat shoe, but I am a big believer in nautical. Not over the top "yo ho yo hee hee" but a stripe here and a military button there makes for a classic look that I adore.

I wish they made my size in these trousers because I'd buy the whole store. The buttons are so cute, I am in love! They are so pretty with their relaxed wide leg perfect with a tiny pair of twinkling ballet flats peeping out the front, no?

Friends in high places. It's lucky I have such talented friends, or I'd be lost. My dear friend Wynona has created these adorable cord trousers for her label Ivy Designs. Audrey made from pinwale corduroy is the ultimate in autumn pants!

If you are anything like me you will love the feel, look and warmth of corduroy and pinwale is the cheese! The wales are thin and lightweight so you don't look like a chunky Christmas ornament.

I am a massive fan. The rickrack detailing makes the Audrey perfect for the little one who likes a retro touch to her trousers... or the mummy who chooses for her!

Last but not least is this dose of extreme cuteness.

Velvet and Tweed's Sailorette trousers are to die for. The nautical detailing, the funky wide leg, the beautiful blue fabric...

What more could you want? These are the cutest little spring pants.

Imagine them with a sweet little white top and white sandals or even now in winter you could add a chunky navy knit jacket. Just gorgeous.

This is preppy, heirloom chic at it's best. I adore this store as well. *sigh* I love them all!