So, I’ve mentioned previously that we are moving soon. And this will be our new home:

{above images are credited to A. Aranez}

Yup, the family and I are relocating to Hong Kong!! It has happened rather quickly with a job offer sent my way just before Christmas. It’s one of those opportunities that you know will only come around once in a life-time. So we are packing up and moving to HK. In fact, we are leaving at the end of this week!!! :-)

It’s been a whirlwind of activity and paperwork since just after new year, organising accommodation, schooling, storage, flights, mail redirection, etc. The to-do list was huge to begin with and it is encouraging to see it slowly reducing in size as the weeks have flown by!  I have been to Hong Kong numerous times on holidays but it will an exciting experience to live there for a year or so.

I will certainly miss Melbourne, my family and friends, and I will miss this house that we’ve grown into so comfortably over the last 8 months. And I think I will most definitely miss the freedom to go running outdoors and the clean, fresh air :-) But there are a lot of good things to look forward to in HK as well and it will be a good, fresh start.

Travelling a lot as a kid myself, I think it will be wonderful for the girls to experience a different country/culture/way of life while they’re still young. It’s funny that my eldest is the around the same age I was when my dad first relocated my family overseas to Asia from Australia :-)

So what happens to One Red Robin? I’m bringing only a very small portion of fabric and notions with me. I might get a new sewing machine while I’m there too. I know they have a huge Spotlight store over there, and I am looking forward to exploring all the small, crazy-cheap fabric shops. I’m planning to work on new designs for my sewing range with Pattern Press, but besides that, I don’t see much making happening in the next few months. So expect this blog to be filled with photos of our adventures in HK for a period of time whilst we settle in :-)

Hopefully my next post will be from our new home!

The lovely Holly posted up a link to a recipe for Dulche de Leche Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches – and I knew straight way that I had to try and make some! The key word in that last phrase being try :-)

Click over here for the recipe and to see what they SHOULD look like.

Now, this is how mine turned out:

Erm …. I can only put this down to the fact that my subconscious saw the word “sandwich” in the title and therefore subconsciously caused me to make them as flat and big as an actual sandwich :-)

But seriously, I think I put way too much butter in the cookie dough (and maybe overdosed on the peanut butter). And the condensed milk took, like, forever to firm up into dulche de leche, and I kinda gave up earlier than I should have (and then chucked it in the freezer for a little while, which helped to make it thicker).

I have to admit though that the actual peanut butter cookies, though flat and crunchy, turned out quite good. I could eat a couple of those in one sitting! And put all together, the sandwich is really delicious – crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle.

Ok, I better get back to the packing ….

Peppered in between the packing and the making in recent weeks, have been lots of kiddie birthdays and activities.

Fairy bread anyone?

How about some cordial with that?

And a box of shape cutters to go with your play-doh?

And this is wonderful – spotted at my eldest’s recent 7th birthday party at the Art Factory:

Love the colour you find in everyday life? Please feel free to join in!

I’m back from self-imposed blog-break! And with a rather boring photo of what I’ve been working on:

But I have a good reason for the boring photo – I’ve sewn up three new softie-related designs for an upcoming book, so I can’t do a full reveal just yet :-) I’ve written up the instructions and all that is left are the photo how-to’s and diagrams. I’m super, super, excited to be part of this book as the other contributors are my crafty heroes . . . . and my girls get to be involved too *insert ear-piercing girl squeal!!*

I’ve also been in the thick of packing/throwing out, organising, and paperwork for the big move. But more about the move next time :-)

A belated Happy February to you! I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead. We’re experiencing some crazy weather here in Australia – devastating floods and cyclone in Queensland, flash flooding here in Victoria (and today it is freezing cold – it’s meant to be Summer!), and deadly bushfires in Western Australia. Please keep all those affected in your thoughts and prayers. We Aussies are a tough bunch :-)