decorating

A touch of Christmas, a lot of love

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There is a house I pass on my way home from my usual grocery shop, that I’ve noticed for its decorations.

I’ve noticed it, because it stands out in a street where quite a few neighbours have gone to some kind of effort in decorating their front of house for Christmas. Matching red bows on the fence. Perfect lights hung across the roof. Festive Christmas characters on the lawn.

This house, has none of those. It has tinsel – two colours – green and red, and they’ve been strung throughout the beige picket fence.

Not in a perfect, deliberate, every 5th stump kind of way. More in a mismatched, let’s put it here, let’s put it there… maybe there, kinda way.

I noticed this house early on. And then, something about it, HIT ME.

It made me teary.

This house, this home, the people within it… I can guarantee you without knowing them personally, that these people are the embodiment of what Christmas is about.

Because the extent or magnitude of your Christmas decorations has nothing to do with how much you love it. Whether you spent $1000 in flashing lights, and 6 hours of your Sunday putting things up…

It actually means nothing. Sure, it does mean you love Christmas.

It also means you have two things. Time, and money.

The person who spent $5 on tinsel and 10 minutes on a Tuesday night to put it up, they ALSO, love Christmas.

And it tugs my heart so much, because they either don’t have the time, they don’t have the money, or maybe even both, and yet despite this, in a street full of so many perfectly placed and prettied Christmas decorations, they still put up their tinsel.

They still showcase their love for Christmas, with what little they have.

THAT is true love. That there, is what it’s all about.

I still smile at the fancy lights and decorations I come across at night, as baby girl wows in the car.

But this house right here…

It hits different. It hits in the heart. 💖

Don’t lose sight of what’s important at Christmas time. 🙏🎄

Mornington Peninsula chocola-treats

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I ordered a delicious and creative school holiday treat this last week for baby girl.

Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie in Flinders has a huge collection of online shopping sweet treats for you to enjoy. From hampers to fondue and brownie at home kits, and school holidays at home kits, as well as all the other little delectable sugary goodnesses they create, you can rest assured this place has something to help push any lockdown blues far, far away.

I initially wanted the cookie making and decorating kit, but alas it was sold out for days since I couldn’t locate it. So I decided on the Australian Animal Chocolate Making Kit, along with a little treat of my own (a packet of salted caramel coated pistachios 🤭).

The kit was super easy to understand with clear instructions for each step, and every item was labelled so well, it really is the stuff of an OCD-lister’s dreams. 💖

The pack comes with 3 animal stencils with ingredients to make all 3… and they are decent sized too. Baby girl and I decorated them with lollies and chocolate, and the final result?

Wait, but the taste?

UNBELIEVABLE.

So creamy, rich, this is the chocolate of royalty. An absolute must-try for everyone.

As well as a super fun activity for your kids (or human-sized kids) to enjoy, just as much is it funny, especially after we were done piping the chocolate and ended up piping it into our mouths.

I was such a bad, bad mum, and baby girl loved it. 🙂

Do yourself a favour and grab a kit, or any of their chocolates to appreciate the silky smoothness of their amazing chocolate creations. They deliver to all over Australia, so anyone can try a taste of a proper chocolaterie!

Check them out at: https://www.mpchoc.com.au/about-us/

When we can travel again, they can be found on 45 Cook Street, Flinders, Victoria. Their store is a chocolate and sweet-lovers dream. 😍

Decorating like a Rebel

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Doughnuts. Read, dough-nuts.

And then some people say donuts. Do-nuts. I can be a grammer nazi all I like, but when it comes down to it, if someone is gonna give you an opportunity to decorate delicious doughnuts and then take them home for a very reasonable price, well they can call them DO-NUTS all they like.

Insert school holidays. Insert Rebel Donuts. These guys do these decorating classes each school holiday break, and for $9.50 which includes the online processing fee (at the time of this writing) you can book yourself in to decorate not one, but two doughnuts!

Ok… so I may have omitted something here, but…

It’s for your kid… shhh. (Find one for the session if you don’t have one).

You (or your child) get to pick the filling – think nutella, caramel, cookies and cream, jam – and then the topping, which could be your doughnut dipped in white or milk melted chocolate, and then… you decorate to your hearts content!

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Think mini m&ms, sprinkles, chocolate licorice, hard candy and soft jellies… it’s a candy-lovers paradise!

These classes run most mornings during the week, and last for half an hour. Considering most doughnuts are about $4 and you are getting 2, customised to taste, and then further personalised by yours truly to pretty up… well it’s a pretty awesome deal.

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And then you go home. And you eat it. NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.

You can find Rebel Donuts at 968A Nepean Highway Mornington

Find details of their school holiday classes via rebeldonuts.com.au

Now we just need an adult decorating doughnut class… waiting patiently here…

(And you can read more about Rebel from my first intro into their doughnut world – tee-hee – here) 😉