Three discoveries today...

Just a quickie.....here are three things I've stumbled across today which have made me giggle (and unfortunately snort into my tea), become inspired and finally made me very hungry.  All found via the wondrous world of Facebook. 

Firstly, an absolutely amazing post about parenthood which was linked to on a baby society board on FB.  The author of this blog rebelled against the reams of smug and seemingly effortless mummy (and daddy)-bloggers around (me included, I suppose?!) and produced a list of 14 tests to determine whether you're truly ready to be a parent.  Chetna at Mamami blog posted it back in 2011, it was originally by Rob Parsons a few years back, but I can't find the link to that! Plus, Chetna's blog is so pretty! Just click on the link below.

The list is hilarious and oh-so-dry.  Whilst we have a few months yet until we have to face the mess side of things I can already see some of the truth behind the quippy-ness!  But of course the 10% of stains and stress she alludes to is by far outweighed by the 90% of amazingness.......see! Smug me!

Secondly, the website of an illustrator extraordinaire....Holly Clifton-Brown.  Her work is just amazing and so inspired.  I am in awe. Whilst I admit that I can draw, I think of it as just a fairly good attempt at copying what I see.  Holly's work requires so much imagination and creativity.  It's all so pretty and cheerful, yet there's something quirky and dream-like about it too.  I love the finches and tits commissions she has done.....maybe I can persuade Husband to commission her to do something for little Pip!? Also, the wedding invitation is just divine....dammit.....18 months too late!! 

As an aside, Holly appears to be mutual friends with 4 of my own FB friends (which is how a comment about her website appeared on my News Feed), none of whom, as far as I'm aware, know each other .....

1. a great friend from university
2. a friends' ex-boyfriend (lovely guy, but maybe I should cull him now?!)
3. a friends' old housemate (also lovely, but haven't spoken to her since we became friends on FB, ergo, potentially also cull-able?)
4. one of our lovely hosts from the safari camp we stayed at on our honeymoon in Zambia

How very random! It's a small world / six degrees of separation and all of that.

Finally, again on the baby society page I follow, a friend (actually, my cousin-in-law!) had posted a photo of a recent culinary masterpiece along with the recipe....both sounded and looked delicious.  It was a recipe for Breakfast Cookies from Catherine McCord's Weelicious cookbook. 

Take a look here at the video (yes video!) for the recipe (Catherine's little girl is very sweet!).  I love how they are so much healthier than normal biscuits and I conveniently have three hideous looking bananas lurking in the fruit bowl as I type, so I think their fate is sealed!  

Breakfast Cookies

- 2 cup old fashioned oats

- 3 very ripe bananas

- 1 cup pitted and chopped dried medjool dates (or raisins)

- 1/4 cup of coconut oil (or veg or canola)

- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 tsp salt

Mash bananas, add remaining ingredients & mix well
Allow mixture to sit for 10 mins
Spoon onto baking paper
Bake at 170 degrees for 25 mins or until golden

You can also add choc chips or chopped nuts. They freeze for 3 months and can be eaten straight from the freezer, once defrosted, obviously!  I have tinned dates, not dried, so I shall try them and see if it still works!


Hmmm, well this post hasn't been quite as quick as I'd intended and as a consequence I now have to hoover my lunch in the next 7 minutes before I go to wake Pippa up for hers! Whoops!  Organised as ever!

I shall update on the outcome of the cookies....