Miss Kitty Shops: New winter boots

 

It's starting to get a bit cooler here in Sydney. The days are still warm and sunny but the evenings bring with them a chill and the promise of winter. Mornings are frosty and dark. The winter doona has gone onto the bed and for the first time this season night I used my electric blanket to heat the sheets before I crawled between them.

As much as I like the stunning summers here in Sydney, there is something lovely about the mild winters we have. They are cool enough to require nice winter clothes and indulge in braises and mash, but not so cold that your nose starts to run as you nip down the driveway to collect the mail.

One of the things I love most about winter (other than braises and mash, which everyone loves) is winter fashion: knits and cashmere and tights and pretty warm dresses. And boots.

I didn't bother with buying boots last year. We were spending quite a bit of winter overseas in the Northern summer and I thought I would survive without them. I missed them terribly for the time we were here and none of my existing boots seemed to fit with my new Mummy lifestyle (i.e. they all have impractical heels. Perfect for chasing toddlers around in the park. And walking with a pram).

So once I started to feel the chill in the air I knew it was time to start my boot search. It didn't take very long. It started and finished at one site - the trusty, wonderful Duo.

I have bought and worn many pairs of Duo boots and shoes over the years. I really struggle to find well made, comfortable boots that fit both my large (size 41) feet and my curvaceous calves.The best thing about Duo is that the boots are fit both to your shoe size and your calf width, delivering a perfect fit. For an even better result, I always read the reviews of the boots to see what other purchasers have said about them.

I wanted something with a great comfy sole, rounded toe, flat (little or no heel) and black. For me they were more a casual boot, as my lifestyle doesn't really call for much else at the moment. Those were my criteria. I found my perfect boot in the Malmo. By all reports they are ridiculously comfortable which is exactly what I am after right now. And they are simple and classic enough I can team them with a pair of jeans or dress them up with a fab scarf and jersey dress for a more formal or dressy look.

Another wonderful advantage of Duo is the Free International Courier Shipping. What? I hear you all exclaim! FREE?? You can't ship something to the next suburb here in Australia without it costing a fortune, let alone a pair of boots. PLUS if you ship them out of the EU (which you do if they are coming to Australia) you get your VAT back as well. So the Malmos cost me the sum total of $165 delivered. Such good value for all leather boots. That actually fit.

I was very tempted to snag a pair of Blayes as well, but given the mildness of the winters we have here, can I really justify the cost? It's only 95 pounds... Plus delivery (as delivery is 15 pounds on sale boots and shoes), minus VAT. Hmmm... Maybe I will... Maybe.

In the meantime, I am eagerly awaiting the delivery of my new boots. And the promise of a busy winter filled with lots of walking and running around the playground.

For - as Ned Stark reminds us - Winter is Coming.

Miss Kitty Bakes: easy peasy peanut butter chocolate fudge cookies

It's been a busy week over here at Kitty HQ. Poor Georgie was sick which required a trip to the doctor, then we had a visit from Mama Kitty and then Mr K came down with Bronchitis... Nothing better than having a house full of invalids to keep you on your toes!

So when I got the craving to bake something soothing and comforting last night, it also needed to be quick and easy. I felt the need for chocolate but couldn't be bothered melting it and creaming butter and separating eggs... I didn't want to wait the hour and a half it takes to bake brownies... Seeking inspiration I turned to Pinterest.

I have had mixed results with Pinterest. I'm sure most people have seen the wonderful Pintester blog which seriously leaves me rolling on the floor - sometimes she is not far off the mark with her culinary disasters. But when I saw these cookies, I knew I was onto something great.

Unfortunately I only had 2/3 of a cup of nutella in the house (the travesty!!) and a trip to the supermarket wasn't on the cards at 7pm on a Sunday evening, so I made an executive decision and thus the peanut butter chocolate fudge cookie was born.

These cookies have many things going for them: salty and sweet, quick and easy... And very very addictive. You have been warned!

Miss Kitty's easy peasy peanut butter chocolate fudge cookies
(adapted from The Ambitious Kitchen)

2/3 cup nutella
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1 egg
Sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Combine nutella, peanut butter, plain flour, sugar and egg in the bowl with an electric mixer and beat until combined. Place dough into the freezer for 10 minutes or the fridge for an hour.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the tray then remove to a rack to cool. Best eaten while warm.

Well, straight from the tray. 

Makes 18 smallish cookies.

Miss Kitty Bakes: Our own bread

There are few smells that truly kill me: fresh roses, the garden after rain, vanilla, coconut and the smell of fresh bread baking. I could never work in a bakery - other than the 3am starts (which we have established really do not work for me with recent teething shenanigans), I would eat far too much bread. Certainly far more than is good for me.

One of the advantages of being a stay at home mum is that you can do a lot more baking from scratch. Well, in this case, baking bread from a box. I will not lie, my fear of yeast has meant I started slowly with bread mixes but I am gradually working my way up to starting my own sourdough starter. Maybe next week...

The advantage of baking your own bread is that you know exactly what goes into it. No preservatives, no nasties. Better for kids. Better for you. It's a couple of minutes of activity interspersed with some solid waiting, during which time you get on with other stuff, like the hundreds of loads of washing I seem to always have piled up... And at the end of it all, you have this amazing thing, scenting your kitchen with wholesome yeasty goodness. All for the sum total of $2 for the ingredients, if you are lazy like me and buy the mix. Even less if you make it properly from scratch. Around here, an artisinal loaf sets you back $8 on a good day. So not only is it better for you and gives you a sense of achievement and accomplishment, you are actually being thrifty at the same time. Winner winner!

It really isn't hard, you just follow the instructions on the box. They are fairly precise and if I can make decent bread in my awful old oven then I reckon anyone could do it. Certainly worth a shot. And imagine how your kitchen would smell with that wonderful scent emanating from it...

Have I convinced you to start baking your own bread yet?

Kitty

PS: Before anyone asks, I have been using Laucke mixes. You can get them pretty much everywhere. Our favourite is the Soy and Linseed pictured above.

Holy Grail: Jo Malone body moisturisers

Keeping the theme of moisture running (and what a theme - here in Sydney it's been bucketing!)...

I'm a sucker for a good body moisturiser. Something emollient and fragrant always works for me. I used to be a big fan of Philosophy body creams but recently they seem to have become somewhat... thin... Or maybe my body needs a thicker cream to combat Australia's drying environment?

If I am out and about outside I will often use Kiehls Creme de Corps Lightweight Body Lotion with SPF 30+ (which they have recently discontinued, much to my chagrin - they still make the lotion, just not with sunscreen). It has a wonderfully natural coconut smell which is really the essence of summer in a bottle. But now that it's getting colder and I don't need the SPF under the layers of cardigans and scarves I seem to be wearing, I revert to my all time favourite moisturiser: Jo Malone.

There are two different types of body creams produced by this estimable perfumery: Body Creme and hand and body lotion. To use a cooking analogy, the Creme is thicker and more emollient, like double cream. The lotion is more like single cream: a great hydrator and good for everyday.

Both have their place in my bathroom, but I find as the days get colder and I need that little bit of extra comfort, I reach more and more for the Creme.

The good news is that both options have great longevity when it comes to scent. You can also layer your favourite Jo Malone perfume over the moisturiser to either give it more staying power or create a new different aroma.I often wear the Lime, Basil and Mandarin Body Creme with the Grapefruit perfume (although I have to say all that yummy citrus does have the downside of making me a tad hungry).

Unfortunately the price of these wonderful creams is the downside. The Creme is $130 for 175ml and the lotion is $105 for 250ml. But, as a treat, they are worth the splurge. And if you can get them on your travels overseas where it is cheaper, all the better!

Do you have a favourite body cream?

Kitty

Holy Grail: Malin + Goetz's lip moisturiser

One of the disadvantages of being a, well, slightly more mature woman, is that you end up having to pay a little more attention to your skin care routine. It's just not as easy as the old days of my 20s where I could fall into bed, make up still on and be fine the next morning (albeit somewhat panda-eyed). My skin care regime is planned with the precision of a military tactical assault nowadays. Cleanse, moisturise, tone, buff, scrub, hydrate!

Case in point: I had coffee the other day with a few friends and a topic of national importance came up. The application of red lipstick (see? we cover all the big topics at our coffee dates). Some people swear by lip liners, others foundation their lips first, some apply, then powder, then apply again... But most of the women still encountered feathering. Or bleeding. Ew.

Not me. And I will share with you the reason why.

I have always been a huge fan of keeping my lips moisturised. Particularly as we move into winter and the cold weather means chapping and a dry cracked pucker. I always have something on them: for years I used Kiehl's Cranberry lip balm - which is indeed a great product - but I was recently introduced to Malin + Goetz's Lip Moisturiser. What a difference. It's a gel formulation and contains absorbent fatty acids, which unlike traditional oils, waxes and silicones that are often licked off or wiped away, nourish immediately upon impact while offering a continual layer of hydrating protection throughout the day and night.  It's also fragrance, flavor, paraben and color free and leave your lips beautifully shiny (which, as a busy mum is a bonus because you can feel polished without having to slap on the lippy).

When I wake up in the morning, it's still on my lips. One application lasts almost all day as well, whereas I would often find myself reapplying lip balm again and again.And it has made a dramatic difference to those little feathery lines around my mouth too, making red lipstick application an absolute breeze. And the best thing? You can use it over a lipstick or a stain to give a glossy polished look while still moisturising and hydrating. Double duty product!!


You can buy Malin + Goetz products at Mecca Cosmetica. I think at $18 this is a real bargain and a great addition to anyone's cosmetic kit.

You can all thank me later.

Kitty

Some things I love #1

Inspired by the wonderful ButWhyMummyWhy, I have decided to try and share a few of my favourite things on a semi-regular basis. I know I have been a bit of an absentee blogger recently, what with holidays with baby and our ever increasing social schedule, but I am hoping to get back into it over the following weeks.

Something I read: interiors magazines. Too many of them. Our house is filled with Belle, Inside Out, Vogue.... Seeking inspiration for our rebuild.... For me, its a very exciting project, if somewhat daunting. We have barely touched this house in the 7 years we have been here (knowing full well we were going to demolish) and the last time we bought a piece of furniture - our couches - it took us 9 months to decide... Hence getting in early with the research. We have a full house to decorate. Scary times.

 

Something I watched: We are ripping through The Good Wife at a cracking pace. I never watched this the first time around and am delighting in the storylines, the clothes, the relationships, the clothes... I can't wait for the next episode.

Something I wore: running shoes. Getting back into training after a few weeks off. Too much wine, food and lazing about on holidays made it hard this week!

Something I listened to: sick of Baby Einstein, we have moved onto classical for our car trips. Georgie is yet to be convinced but she seems to be digging Amici Forever..
 

Something I cannot live without: our recent trip to Margaret River has revived my appreciation for artisan chocolate and there is none better than Bahen & Co. Their 70% dark chocolate with roasted almonds and sea salt is the bees knees. More on this soon!

So are there some things you can't live without?

Kitty xx

On travel with children: they joys and challenges...

 Georgie having lunch at Cullen

I make no bones about it - having children (or in our case, a child) is the best thing that ever happened to Mr K and I. It's also the hardest thing we have ever done.

I know it's a very tiny first world problem, but the one thing I have struggled with over the last few months has been lack of - or broken - sleep. We have had a bit of a rough trot on the sleep front - what with 5 teeth (including 4 molars) coming though since mid-December (one more still to come) and three colds.

 Tiny footprints: Early morning walks at at Smiths Beach

Our trip to Western Australia was fabulous, but no picnic. Poor Georgie never settled into the time zone shift which meant for some very very early (3am) mornings for Mama and Papa. Despite that, we had a wonderful time and Georgie was on her best behaviour for much of the trip. We visited some fabulous wineries: Stella Bella, Cape Mentelle, Cullen and the always Fabulous Moss Wood (hello Erika!). All worth visiting if you are in the Margaret River vicinity, especially Moss Wood.

For us, it was the first time on holidays we really had to balance the needs of a toddler and our own desires. Our pre-baby wine region visits used to consist of 8-10 wineries a day, involved and complicated discussions with winemakers about crop yields, irrigation, vintages, oak and tannins, a quick stop for lunch and long, complex dinners.

Our trip post-baby allowed us to visit approximately two wineries per day (taking turns to alternate the baby wrangling) with a lunch in-between and a long stop at a park, duck pond or other such baby friendly activity. In some respects much more relaxing, but requires a lot more planning.

We are off to Hawaii in May. I am hoping for another, slightly more relaxing trip and that Georgie will slip a little better into the time zone. And perhaps she'll like the beaches a little better there.

Kitty