A Deli Day Off!

I had a day off from Halfpenny Home today and went off to visit my best mate who owns a fantastic deli in Norwich, and I love food so much that it all adds up to great way to spend a day off!
I was so very proud of Danda when she opened up Clarke and Ravenscroft as she knew exactly the sort of foods she wanted to supply to people and exactly how she wanted the shop in St. Gregory's Alley to look.
I love to visit Danda because as well as spending some time together I also get to stock up on loads of foody treats!

The gap in the cheese counter above is where the piece of Mrs Temples' Binham Blue was before I added it to my basket, yum!
I was under strict instructions from my Pa to not go mad on the cheese shopping - but I still did! Brown paper carrier bags straining I was dragged away from the deli to have the birthday lunch that I had come to Norwich for...the day was, after all supposed to be all about the Birthday Gal!

I (very) proudly presented her with a scarf knitted (by my not so fair hands) in Stardust Garland by Knit Collage - a beautiful yarn for a beautiful Birthday Girl!
Hope she's pleased with it, Nic x

HYPNOAQUATIC

Dornbracht - Transforming Water Triptych from The Brainstormclub on Vimeo.

From The Brainstorm Club: "The films demonstrate the relationship between body, water and spirit."

Dornbracht - Transforming Water 360 degree from The Brainstormclub on Vimeo.

The Toxic Brew

Hi there!  I hope that you are having a great day!  Today,  I just wanted to share this video with you.  I think that you will really enjoy it and learn a lot from it.  It is about the using everyday cleaners and how it effects your family including asthma, allergies, etc.  I think it in very interesting, but I would because I really get into this kind of stuff, lol!

Well, what did you think?  What did you learn?  Interesting, right?

With Shaklee, I believe that the small act of scouring the sink can be part of the giant act of changing the world.

Get Clean offers you nontoxic and natural cleaning choices that are SAFE, POWERFUL, GREEN and SMART. Because when it comes to keeping your house clean and the earth safe, you shouldn’t have to choose. When you use Get Clean, you’re never simply cleaning. While you make your home cleaner, you can make your family healthier. You also make the planet healthier for other families as well.

My family has been using Get Clean products for over 11 years and we still LOVE them!

Not only do I save money, I get my house clean while KEEPING MY FAMILY SAFE!!!  This is really important to me and I wanted to share this information with you especially with our FREE MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL going on right now (through the end of December!)

A Get Clean Starter Kit qualifies!

A membership gets you 15% off all Shaklee products and there are no minimums to keep your membership!

Read about my TOP 10 Shaklee products here.

How can you eliminate toxins in your home?

Have a great week!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball Recipe

 

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup better, softened

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Graham crackers

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy.

Gradually add sugar;  beat just until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap; shape into ball.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans.

Serve with graham crackers.

Enjoy! :)

YIELD: 1 cheese ball (about 2 cups)

My Grandma made this at a family party and everyone went crazy over it!  It was the hit of the party!!!

She got this recipe from Taste of Home magazine.  It was one of the best holiday recipes of 2006.

This makes an easy, delicious dessert to bring to your next Christmas party.  This also great change from cookies and pies (although those are awesome too!)

What Christmas desserts are your favorite?

Do you have a signature dish?

Have a great week!

Don’t forget about our December Special,

FREE LIFETIME SHAKLEE MEMBERSHIPS with a order over $70 (member price)

A Get Clean Starter Kit qualifies!

A membership gets you 15% off all Shaklee products and there are no minimums to keep your membership!

Read about my TOP 10 Shaklee products here.

 

~♥ Gifts and Gobs ♥~

Hello blogging friends...not sure what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but it has been snowing like crazy here for a couple of days...not the kind of snow for making snowmen, but the kind that is fluffy.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Several days ago I received a package in the mail and this is what I found when I opened it.

I just couldn't wait until Christmas to open them!

                      My dear blogging friend, Kelli from 
"Lovely Vintage Country Life" sent these to me...I was so touched by her kindness...won't you stop over to say hello to her...she has a sweet blog. 
Click Here to visit Kelli.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I know you're all curious what I gave my friend, Lisa, as a gift for hosting the Gob making party.

Here is what I gave her...

We had so much fun that I thought I'd share a few pictures of the Gob making party with you.

Debbie making the icing.

 Lisa measuring the ingredients.

Sally and Lisa (oh no, Sally blinked)

 Me and Lisa

 Sue and Debbie

 The best way to drink tea...with a candy cane in it!

 Sally, Sue and Debbie

Me and Lisa

 Ready to put into the oven.

There's nothing better than a Gob!

Here's the happy group of Gob makers!
(sorry, Sue, not sure why I am soooo close)
L to R - Me, Sue, Debbie, Sally & Lisa

Thanks for stopping by...I always enjoy the company.
♥ Kim

p.s.  A special thank you to the ladies from the Gob making party for allowing me put their pictures on my blog.  Thanks to Sue for the use of several of her pictures.

The textile artist Jane Southgate paid a visit to Halfpenny Home today - it's always great to see Jane as she always brings along plenty of cake and inspiration with her!
We helped Jane with a little natural dyeing in the Summer when we dyed some fleece, yarns and fabrics for her artwork.
To see more please do pay a visit to Jane's Blog where you will see some great photos of her work!

We were admiring one of the new Colinette Point Five yarns that Sam had test knitted up for us - Autum Leaves, it's so lovely with it's subtle browns and blues along with flashes of orange!
Just like the rest of us Jane is busy making a lot of the Christmas presents that she will be giving this year. She's made a fair few scarves of this ruffley yarn but not in this colour!

Jane had come along this morning to make some covered buttons with the button press in the studio, she'd done her prep during breakfast this morning - the circles of fabric needed for the die are exactly the same size as a plastic milk bottle cap!

Two cups of tea and a bit of cake later there's a whole load of buttons, a few knitting pattern problems solved and 42 buttons (+ the 3 that Jane did for me!) on the main HH work table.

What a great way to spend a chilly morning! Nic x

AUTHENTIC MARINE MAMMAL

Freediving World Record - 88m without fins from william trubridge on Vimeo.

New Zealand freediving champion William Trubridge set a new world record two years ago in the Constant Weight without fins discipline. He's broken his own sequential records ever since and will be trying to best his own record again (of 95 meters/ 312 feet) in a blue hole in the Bahamas in a few days time.

What I like best about this video is the way you can see the moment when his buoyancy flips from positive to negative and he no longer has to kick to descend. On the other hand, he then has to frog-kick hard for most of the way up before he can simply float to ascend.

In his own words:

I have a relationship with the depths
they beckon me beyond my means
cold dark vacant pressure
forever night, endless dreams

(William Trubridge freediving at Dean's Blue Hole, the Bahamas.)