guestpost // noodle's chocolate crunch cupcake >>>

i have a delicious sounding recipe from fern and penny at penny bakes love for you today - can't wait to try it out!

ingredients-

115g good quality dark chocolate- we use Green & Blacks

85g unsalted organic butter at room temperature

250mls organic semi skimmed milk

180g golden caster or soft dark brown sugar

3 medium free range, organic eggs- separated into bowls.

195g plain sifted flour

Seeds- no quantity here, it's totally down to you to decide just how seedy you want them.

pinch of salt

good quality, organic granola.

pinch of baking soda

1tsp of good quality vanilla extract.

step one-

Start buy melting your chocolate, in a bowl over some simmering water- or in the microwave, but be warned! it's super easy to burn it this way so go careful and slow! 

step two

Cream your butter and sugar until 'Light and Fluffy' and set aside- Next take your egg yolks and beat for several minutes. Slowly add your yolks to your butter/sugar combo and mix well... next add your super scummy (and not burnt!) melted chocolate, try to resist licking the spoon! ;)

step three

In a separate bowl mix all your dry ingredients, except your seeds..we aren't ready for those yet! Pour your milk and extract into a jug. . Now! to mix your mixes! In your main bowl (your sugar and butter mix) add some of the dry ingredients, followed by part of the milk mixture. Beat as you go, slowly adding your mixes into one. Add in your chosen seed mix- I used pumpkin, sunflower & sesame seeds, but feel free to experiment with whatever takes your fancy! I probably used around 3 tbsp into my mixture. When fully combined and thoroughly mixed, it's time to use you're egg whites. Using an electric hand mixer beat the whites until they begin to peak. Using a metal spoon fold the whites into your batter- be sure not to beat your mixture, your aiming for lots of air so your cupcakes rise all super cute and fluffy.. we don't want flat chocolate pancakes (hey.. now there's an idea!)

step four

Fill your cases carefully.. your aiming for just less than half full. Take your granola- I used a combination of Sainsbury's 'SO' organic granola & Lizzi's treacle and pecan granola - and sprinkle over the top to add that fantastic CRUNCH! These will take between 15-20 minutes at 190*/Gas mark 5. Keep a close eye, but avoid opening the oven if possible. A metal skewer in the center of your cupcake will tell you when they are done.

These are a suitable treat for children over 1, due to the seed content.. but are super yummy for mama's & daddy's also. :-)

These cupcakes lend themselves to any topping- forgo the seeds & granola and top with your favourite icing.. add blueberries during the last stage of mixing for a fruity twist. This recipe is super versatile, so share your variations!

Enjoy!

Fern & Penny

xox

PennyBakesLove.Blogspot.com

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guest post // The other side of vulnerability: share what you really, really love

Vulnerability is hot. 

You have seen it a lot around the blogosphere lately: Transparency. Authenticity. Vulnerability.

And shame. 

And so it has become that being open and authentic has gotten a bad rep, because we all think we have to share all that we don’t like about ourselves to be vulnerable. But vulnerability is not only about raw emotions – the loneliness, insecurity and depression. Vulnerability is also about love, joy and excitement. To illustrate, I’ll share a little story with you.

…

I’m sitting in Starbucks and it’s a bright sunny morning. I got myself a table with access to power (important!) and the café is full of people like me. Freelancers, students and others who just need some alone time out of the house. People are working. 

The barista’s are busy taking orders to give people their morning caffeine fix. The hustle and bustle is energising and exciting.

And then a really catchy song comes on on the café speakers. Yeah! I’m in a good mood and start singing along. I add some nice moves. I’m feelin’ gooood! 

And then I realise what I’m doing. My face instantly turns red. Oh, my gosh. Did I just do that!? Did I just sing? In public? And to this song? I quickly look around the room to see if anyone noticed. The song is currently on the top 10. What will people think? That I actually like pop music? I’m horrified. 

To explain, I don’t like popular music. Not officially. If it’s on the list – I’m out. 

Why? 

Because I’m too cool for that kind of mainstream music. 

Or am I? 

…

This little (true!) story illustrates something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. That vulnerability is not only about the parts of ourselves that we dislike. It is also about what we think is really, really nice. 

Like a catchy song. 

Because when you care about something, you are revealing a big part of yourself. 

And so, when I show people that I actually like a pop song, I am showing them a part of who I am. And that’s a part of me that I’m insecure about. Will people still like me even if I love mainstream music? Even when it doesn’t really fit the image I have created for myself? Will people still like me when I’m being absolutely one hundred percent goofy and silly? 

Being vulnerable is not only about being open about what we struggle with. Being vulnerable is also about being open about what we love.

Being open about what ignites us. 

What makes our hearts stir. 

And the more you’re excited about something, the more dangerous it is to be open about it. 

Like your dreams. 

Because how often do you really share your innermost secret dreams with anybody? 

Not very often, you say? 

Me neither. 

But I’ve found that practising openness and vulnerability when it comes to being open about our dreams and passions has the power to change the whole game. 

Because when you are open about your dreams – your wishes, your hopes, your love for something – you are giving people the space they need to rise up to support you. 

And so, if you are ready to start practising this new vulnerability thing, you might want to start in the opposite end from what you thought. Start with sharing what you love. Start with sharing your dreams. Start with showing people the parts of yourself that you’re really proud of.

Be uncool. 

And sing with me: 

I wish I knew then 

What I know now 

Wouldn't dive in 

Wouldn't bow down

Gravity hurts 

You made it so sweet 

Till I woke up on 

On the concrete 

Falling from cloud 9 

Crashing from the high 

I'm letting go tonight

I'm falling from cloud 9

(From Wide Awake by Katy Perry)

******************************

Marthe Hagen (Hello, that’s me!) is a soulful and adventurous writer and imagemaker. I live in Norway and am passionate about writing, reading and exploring the world. I write, inspire, aim high, ask hard questions, crash and burn (I live life much like a phoenix) over at The Freedom Experiment. 

A Freedom Experiment is about giving yourself the freedom to be you. It’s about making tough choices, taking control, and following your dreams. I am a collector of dreams and would love it if you want to share your dream in my Dreambank. You can also connect with me on Twitter and Facebook. I’m excited to meet you! 

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guestpost // 5 kids’ movies every millennium child should see

I’m going to say it: they don’t make kids movies like they used to. Sure, the technology is getting better and the graphics are more impressive… but is it just me or is the heart and story missing from most of them? Just me? Probably. But don’t tell me you don’t think the movies we knew as kids (or our parents knew) weren’t just that much better.

Case in point: these are the top 5 kids movies I would make sure any child who ever enters my life (whether as a niece or nephew, or simply the children of friends) sees before I ever sit them down in front of Cars 2.

The Sandlot

Ok, yeah, not the most critically-acclaimed movie. But those horror stories of the monster dog next door, and the adventures of this boy’s baseball team had me hooked. I still get goosebumps every time I hear “for.ev.er. for.ev.er.”

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

This is mainly on my list because my mom really loved watching this with me. It’s a fun little story about a witch played by Angela Lansbury (Murder She Wrote, anyone?) who hopes to stop a Nazi invasion of Britain, while also taking care of 3 kids. What more do you need than magic, animated characters and a flying bed?!

The Nightmare before Christmas

Tim Burtons at his best! Amiright?! Sure, it’s scary at times, and really creepy at others, but it has a great message behind it. And what other film could be both a Halloween and Christmas classic?

A Little Princess

Such a sweet story about a free-spirited little girl orphaned at a girl’s boarding school when her father dies in the war. I cried the first time I watched it. And then I decided I needed to be Sara Crewe when I grew up. Also, it has the best breakfast scene ever (until it’s ruined, that is).

Toy Story

How could I not include this? I’d dare say it’s one of the best movies ever made, for kids or adults!

What are the top kids’ movies you would want any child born today to see?

thanks yael!! be sure to stop by her blog and say hi!

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guestpost + giveaway // hidden beauty photography

Warning: This post contains an overload of photos

Hey all you Enchanted Pixies!!! I'm so so so happy to be here with y'all today!!! My name is Rachel and I blog over at Hidden Beauty Photography! You can also find me on Facebook (head on over and join my parties!!! It's where the cool people are. ;)

I'm a 17 year old photographer trying to navigate through the world without breaking down from drama and stress, trying to keep a smile on my face the whole way. About a year ago I discovered my passion for photography, and every since then you can always find me with something related to photography!

I create PhotoShop Actions for CS, you can find them here! And in honor of my guest post and giveaway here, I'm offering a discount! Enter the code ENCHANTED at checkout to get $50 off your entire purchase!! This code will only be good for a week, so go go go!

I'm a lover of hair, jewelry, nail polish, and all that good stuff!! I'm always playing with my own hair to try to find a cute new way to wear it! {I'm kind of overly obsessed with my hair because several years ago my sister cut it... chopped it to be more exact. It was boy-cut short. Devastating! So now that it's long I'm obsessed with it. Hehe!}

Today I'm going to share with you one of my quick hairstyles -- a lazy-ish way to get a boho-type messy braid! (please excuse the bad quality of photos!!!)

What I did today was I just let my hair air-dry, so it looked like this when I started....

Then I alternated (randomlly) between curling loose braids, and curling just chunks of hair. Don't worry about getting the curls nice (you don't even have to curl loose braids, I just did that to get a bit more of a wave)

I just did a few curls on each side, just on the top layer. You can of course skip the curls, I just did it to add a little more to the braid (the curls help add to the messyish part of it).

After I had those curls done, I spritzed a little hairspray over, waited a bit, then I ran my fingers through it to break up the braids and curls....

After that was done, I grabbed the headband I wanted to use (I decided to kind of clash with everything else because I wanted too, so my headband is a bit more....elegant, I guess you can say, than everything else)

Once I had the headband on, I took my bangs on either side of my face, and tucked them under the headband....

Now it's time to braid! I pulled my hair over to opposite side than the headband detail, so that it wouldn't be super heavy on one side.... When I braided, I didn't pull them tight, you just put them over each other, making sure to keep your hair relaxed and loose. Once I had it down all the way, I held onto one strand, and pushed the other two up to bunch it a bit at the top.

Once this was done, I pulled some of the fly-aways that weren't long enough and pinned them down, but I didn't bother getting them all, just the biggest one. After all, it's supposed to be messy!!!

Yes, I had to do one with a peace sign. I couldn't resist. Hehe!

And there you go, a super easy and fast boho-ish braid!!! Oh and please excuse me looking gross. See, I adore blog readers, because I'll post pics with me looking bad! Haha!!

So head on over to my blog and Facebook and say hi!!! I love my new friends, my old friends, and my future friends. So stop being my future friend and come be my new friend so that we can become old friends! YAY!

Psst.... I also have some pretty epic giveaways going on over on my blog. Come check it out! They end at the end of the month!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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guest post // the funny thing of it is

Hi, I'm Julie and I blog over at The Funny Thing Of It Is!

I have a little confession to make, nothing too exciting, most likely over the top ordinary & boring, yet I'm going to put it out there,well, for the sake of this post. ;) I constantly struggle with letting everyone and everything but me define my worth! Please tell me I'm not the only one!

Have you ever done that? I mean, I don't purposely tell myself, "Ok today, you are worth 17 cents, because this person didn't pay attention to you..." or "today you are worth $15 bucks because you got a great compliment!"but nevertheless, I do it in my own little way.

I let my circumstances, comparisons, and the way people treat me...(even if they don't even mean anything by it or realize they did it) define how I feel about myself. And I realize that is SO wrong for SO many reasons. But we all do it at times I think. We let the fact that we live paycheck to paycheck, or that our ex-boyfriend crushed us, or that we had an abusive childhood, or that some super famous blogger didn't respond to us...  suddenly make us feel sort of "unworthy." Unworthy of what? Unworthy of life? Because that's just silly, isn't it?

Yet, I struggle with this, I swear, daily!

I get this overwhelming feeling of "small." I'm just this small person, not worth someone else's precious time or I don't have the big bucks to do certain things I would love to do, so life must immediately be chalked up as boring or mundane.

That's not true.

There are only TWO things that can determine your value:

YOU and GOD!

Well, God created you with intent and purpose.  Have you ever created something you love... and were so proud of your work ....and then just trashed it?

  
No! You created it for a reason and you love your work. It's easy to see what God thinks of us and how much value he places on our lives if you just look...

"She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far Above Rubies or pearls."

(prov. 31:10)

Bur for some reason, we don't want to believe that. We are the ONLY other person that can determine our worth. We can believe what we want to about ourselves! And not only that, but every experience, sadness, rejection, hurt is only a jumping off point to help others and speak value & truth into THEIR lives!

Do you realise that?!

EVERY SINGLE hard time you have been through..

have you been through a miscarriage, have you been broken up with, have people talked bad about you, have you felt neglected or ignored, have you struggled with money, have you lost your job, have you not done as well in school as you would have liked, have your children got into trouble... whatever it is that has got you down...take those experiences... and instead of letting those things eat away at your worth, use them, grow from them, and encourage others who are going through the same things.

Personally I think the highest value is on those who've helped others. Those who have been through all kinds of crap in life, but refuse to let the "crap" define them... and instead they love others. They are an encouragement to others!

And if you use those hard experiences, those rejections as a jumping off point to be a HUGE blessing to another person, then YOUR VALUE is far above what you could ever dream! Especially in the eyes of the person whose life you spoke into. Trust me.

Even this post, is me, taking those bad thoughts about myself, those worthless thoughts, those down and out, guess I'm nobody type thoughts that try to bombard my mind...and I'm turning them around to encourage YOU to do the same thing. You get what I'm saying??

There is PRICELESS TREASURE right there, in You!

Even though I have struggled with this throughout my life, I refuse to let myself be valued in the eyes of another.. or in the eyes of what "I think" another is saying. My heart is to LOVE ON PEOPLE,and make sure they know how precious they are!!

I want to give a HUGE HUGE thanks to Polly, because I met this amazingly creative wife and mother from Wales (who knew I'd ever meet someone from Wales?).. through a re-tweet about an adspace giveaway! And I am so glad I did!

Don't forget to come visit me at The Funny Thing Of It Is, where I blog more encouragement, inspiration, fun and kid stories than I have time for!

Love you all, Julie

 thanks so much julie!! so glad that we met :) please make sure you stop by and say hi to julie - her blog is fantastic!

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