Wednesday 24 December 2014

Christmas Wishes 2014

I for one cannot believe just how quickly 2014 has flown - can you?!
 
And what a year...
 
The year definitely started out with one SUPER huge surprise, our gorgeous Miss C (who I was 100% convinced was a boy) arrived in January.
 
 
 
After quite a number of struggles to get here, I just feel so blessed to have two gorgeous kiddies in my life.

Adjusting to two kids was definitely challenging at times this year, but I definitely think that this was also compounded by the fact that we embarked on a 4 month extension project that took almost double that time to complete!
 
 
 
The extension definitely zapped a lot of time and energy this year, but it has definitely been worth it as we put the finishing touches on our family home over the summer holidays. I cannot wait to share with you all of the final progress shots and the room reveals next year, what a project it has been!!
 
It was definitely a year for BIG birthday's this year, Mr B turned 3 this month and my Mum is 70 next week - happy birthday Mum!!
 
I spent many, many hours this year planning a big surprise party for my Mum, which we held earlier this month and boy was it worth it to see her face. Not sure if it was sheer terror, or a big surprise, but she definitely wasn't expecting the soiree that she had.
 
This is likely to be my final post for the year, so I wanted to thank each and every one of you for checking in and taking the time to read my blog, follow my Facebook or Instagram accounts this year. I cannot tell you just how much it means to be to have you here!
 
I started out this blog as a way of having some contact with the 'outside' world, after leaving the workforce in 2011 (to have Brodie). In that time, I have 'met' the most amazing readers and I absolutely love reading your emails, comments, shopping buys and your questions each week. It really has lead to so many different opportunities and friendships, and I thank each of you for being part of that.
 
I sincerely wish each and every one of you a safe and happy Christmas and New Year, and really hope that you will stick around to see what 2015 has in store.
 
Til then....
 
 


 

Tuesday 23 December 2014

Miss C's Christening: Part 2 - Touch of Glitter & Lace Dessert Table

As I prepare to finish up blogging for the year, I knew that I had to finally get the post out for part #2 of Miss C's Christening. After all part #1 made it debut on the blog waaaayyy back in October.... so blaming the extension for that!! 
 
If you have forgotten what the heck part #1 looked like, then you can read up on it here.
 
Now on to part #2, a look at the Dessert Table that I put together for the day.
 
 
After doing events for my little man for the past 2 years, I was a bit excited to finally be able to plan a girly event for our baby girl!
 
 
 

I adore polka dots (no secret there!) and pink and gold, so the theme was super easy for me to decide upon for our baptism celebration.

I teamed pink and white with accents of gold glitter and lace for a soft but feminine baptism table.

Our intimate family event was scheduled for Morning Tea time, so we had a selection of morning tea sweet treats for our close family and friends who came along to celebrate.

 





 
Of course it is never too early for candy, and we had some on the table to thank our sweet guests for sharing our day!

 

Vendor Credits

 
All Cake Stands, Tables, Cloth, Candy Jars, Props and Vases are available to hire through my little Event Hire business - Utterly Organised Events.
The stunning cake is by Jessie Lee Cakes
The Chocolate Éclairs, Cookies, Mini Cupcakes and Cakepops are by Sweet Creations by Sharms
The Macarons are by Bespoke Cakes - Viv seriously makes THE BEST macs in Melbourne!!
All other food items were created by me (or good old fashioned Coles in the case of the doughnuts!!)
Printed Material by Memories are Sweet.
Styling, set up, photography and flowers also by UtterlyOrganised Events
 
And with January just around the corner, I am madly working away on Miss C's 1st birthday party (can you believe it is one year already?!) with the amazing Ally from Mint Imprint. I cannot wait to share this with you - promise not to make you wait 3 months like this time - haha!! 
 

Sunday 7 December 2014

dish'd Food Store Review and Giveaway

{This product talk is brought to you by Nuffnang and dish'd}
 
Gourmet Frozen Food?!
 
Frozen Food that is Gourmet?!
 
It is definitely not often that you see the terms Gourmet and Frozen Food thrown together in the same sentence is it?! Well dish'd Food Store is a new and super exciting brand in the market place that is set to change the way we (and our tastebuds) think about frozen food.

But this is not your average frozen food I might add. The dish'd menu is extensive and features a range of high quality frozen meals, meats and desserts. All items have been frozen fresh to retain their nutritional and flavour credentials, and you can taste it!
 
Servicing Melbourne and Sydney (Metro) areas, you simply order online and have your food conveniently delivered to your door the very next day - simple! 

Each dish has been thoroughly tested and many researched in consultation with professional chefs such as Chef Jacques Raymond (seriously!). Dishes are from various cuisines from around the globe, with a heavy feature of our family favourite - Italian!!
 
I was given the opportunity to try these for myself and boy oh boy, it was hard not to order everything from the menu - take a look for yourself - it will make your mouth water!
 
Here are my thoughts on the food and the experience...
 
 

The Website...

 
First up was trying out the website - this was a cinch!

Someone has put a lot of time and effort in to developing a site which is completely user friendly.



Absolutely love being able to read the reviews on the various dishes/products as well as the ingredients, nutritional information and how to prepare at the same time.
 
Score: 10/10 - Website was flawless. Only issue was mopping up the drool from my keyboard while I browsed!
 

The Delivery...

 
I placed my order very late (close to midnight) one night fully expecting to have missed the cut off for 'next day' delivery. In spite of this, I was able to check the box for next day delivery.
 
If you want to order items for a special event or occasion (and don't have the room in your freezer to store), you can nominate a future date as well - how great is that for Chrissie time or for events?

When I woke up the next day I received a text message advising me that my goodies were on board with a driver for delivery that day.

What I love about dish'd is that you don't need to be home to accept the delivery. I provided authority to leave my dish'd goodies on my porch so I didn't need to wait home all day - so convenient if you are at work during the business day.

I was actually not at home when the delivery arrived, but instead I received an sms to alert me to the fact that these had been delivered.

When I arrived home (very excited I might add!), I found the items to be safely popped out of the shade on our front porch. Items were well packaged in a container with dry ice. The contents were perfectly frozen when I went to unpack.


Score: 9/10 - Delivery was great. So prompt and loved the SMS updates.

With the packaging materials, would be great if there was a next day service where you had your container/dry ice collected. It is quite bulky and hard to dispose of. They do offer a collection with your next order, which is a great recycling initiative!
 

And the Food...



Well as you can see, I ordered quite the little haul here! But I placed my order with Christmas in mind, the sweet treats and desserts (Baked Lemon Tart and Chocolate Ganache and Salted Caramel Tart) are going to save me a bit of baking come 23rd of December - cannot wait to try these out!

So far we have tried:

Mozzerella and Pesto Pizza: This was a HUGE hit! Full of flavour and didn't taste at all like the cardboard variants that you usually find in the freezer aisle.


Perfect to serve up with your Sunday Spag Bol!

Vegetable Lasagne: I found this to be a little bit salty for my liking and the hubby complained about the mushrooms, probably wouldn't order this one again.

Castella and Mascarpone Ravioli: Loved this! Full of flavour and tasted just like homemade fresh pasta. Mr B woofed it down and asked for seconds!

Ricotta and Spinach Tortelli Mezzaluna: This had to be my favourite! Loved the butter and sage sauce and the Tortelli was so tasty.


The portion size was generous too.

Potato Dauphinos: This is a fancy word for a fabulous potato bake. So easy to bake - literally pour the packet below in a dish and bake.

Perfect for Chrissie day - why peel potatoes when you can sip bubbly and pop this in the oven instead? Exactly!!



This will definitely be making its' way back in to a meal at our house soon. Was amazing served with roast chicken and veggies.

Score: Overall 8/10. The taste was definitely what you expect from your average frozen meal. The portion sizes were good. All (apart from the lasagne), I would gladly have on my plate again.

I cannot wait to try the rest out over the festive season - especially that Chocolate Tart which is taunting me each time I open up our freezer door!
 

Would I order again?!

Absolutely! We have never been big freezer eaters, but I can totally see how convenient it is to stash away some high quality meals like these for hot summer nights when you don't want to be slaving over a hot stove or just to give yourself a well earned night off from the kitchen!

The extensive finger food range would be perfect for parties and festive occasions such as Christmas - which is when I plan to whip out that Salted Caramel number (if I can hold out that long!!)

Price wise the meals were comparable with what you would get at your local Coles or Wollies, but far more superior in quality.

dish'd also have a brilliant introductory offer on at the moment, whereby orders over $50.00 receive a $30.00 saving and free delivery too. This is such a great opportunity to try it out and stock the freezer for the holiday season at the same time!
 

Want to try dish'd too?

 
Now for your chance to try it out yourself, I have a $50.00 gift voucher for one very lucky ready. Simply follow the Rafflecopter prompts below and be sure to leave a comment below telling me what you would add to your cart from the dish'd range if you were the lucky winner.
 

Enter Here

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
 

Terms and Conditions

 
- The giveaway will be hosted by Rafflecopter and is open to Melbourne and NSW (Metro) residents only
- There will be one lucky winner of a $50.00 gift voucher
- dish'd currently only service Melbourne and Sydney metro areas, so recipient must live within these areas
- Winner MUST leave a blog comment below as a condition of entry (mandatory)
  - The announcement of the lucky winner will be made on the Utterly Organised Facebook Page and displayed on the Rafflecopter widget above
- The lucky winner will have 5 days to contact Utterly Organised and claim their prize
- Failure to claim prize within designated period will result in another winner being drawn
- Any questions on the competition can be directed to utterlyorganised@gmail.com
 
 
Good Luck!!
 

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