Number 40 ~ make madeleines

The last thing that was added to the list was 'make madeleines'...  Might seem like a simple thing to those who know what they are, but for me I felt like it needed to be added for it to actually happen!  You see, 3 (yes 3) Christmases ago I put a madeleine pan on my Christmas wish list and one found its way to me (thanks Lorinda)... I will admit right now I have a baking pan obsession - I have all shapes and sizes - square, round, rectangle, friand, flowers, big, little etc etc, so it only seemed right that a madeleine pan join the family!!!


 

 

BUT WHAT ARE MADELEINES??? 

 Only a few people have seen the entire 40 things before 40 list, and every one of these people asked "What are madeleines'? Well let me fill you in...  Madeleines are a French tea cake (thought of as a cookie) that are instantly recognizable with their scalloped shell shape that is ribbed on one side, and smooth, with a hump, on the other. Direct from the oven these buttery sponge cakes have wonderfully crisp edges and such a moist and tender crumb that they are best eaten right away.   (Please note the above is a copy/paste in case you thought I turned all formal and factual there for a minute and actually wrote that)     

 

 

So after obsessing with these little babies for a long time I have finally made them!  I have made madeleines!!!  And I will make them again - tucked away on pinterest I have recipes for lemon ones and lavender ones!!!   They were SO easy and quick!!!   

 

The ingredients are general pantry items so there was nothing special to buy! 

 

Double shift that flour!!! 

 

Fresh from the oven!!! 

 

 

 

And here they are!!!  Another 40 things before 40 thing crossed off the list!  

Number 12 ~ Get a tattoo

It's the 14th December which means... HOLY CRAP... not only is tomorrow my 39th birthday but it also means that I have only 12 months left to complete another 35 things on the list!  Thankfully I am on holidays next week for 3 weeks so hoping to cross off a few more... And today I crossed another one off the list! 

For ages my oldest sister and I have talked about getting matching sister tattoos but never really locked anything in...

Number 12 on my list was to get a tattoo...

Today my sister and I got our tattoos! 

We have toyed around with ideas for a long time... words, phrases, something French, Italian or Latin, pictures...



But before I continue let me tell you two facts here:

1. My sister and I are so different in every way.  EVERY WAY... We used to be in conflict with each other a lot in our young adult years but as I matured I realised that all the arguing in the world wasn't going to change who she was just as much as she couldn't change who I am... We might not be the "TV show perfect" kind of sisters but she is definitely someone I love wholeheartedly who I trust beyond trust, who will always be someone I can turn to and who knows I will always be here for her.   We have also been known to laugh until we've cried on more than one occasion..

2.  I am not a sheep... I didn't want a "sister" tattoo that EVERYONE has... (well the ones you find on google when you type in "sister tattoo" anyway).   The infinity sign with sisters in it is clearly a popular choice, followed closing by variations of this featuring hearts and things... Just the word "sister" seemed a popular choice... All fine and well but just not for us...

So finding the perfect tattoo was going to be a challenge...  (But hey, i'm always up for that... unless its skydiving that is)...

So the origin of our tattoos that we got today?  Well Easter last year the above facebook conversation happened... and became "our thing"... This picture is on hussy's fridge.  (She IS the one without pants on).  We mention this regularly.  We love this.

When I started to think about tattoo options this kept coming into my head.  It was cute and different, and I guess brought out our inner children...  But it would also be a complicated and weird (and I imagine somewhat expense) tattoo. 

Fast forward and an epiphany strikes.  It was cute, it was different and it was... perfect.  And when I told my sister she immediately envisioned it and loved the idea. 

We were originally going to also have text and each others names but didn't end up doing this...  Because we know what it means...

And here it is:

 

 

DIFFERENT FLOWERS FROM THE SAME GARDEN

 

We are wearing colours that mean something to us ~ i'm in the pink!  We are also holding each others flower... My sisters is on her leg and mine is on my arm - again significant of accepting each others differences.

 

I don't think it could be more perfect if we tried!!!