Jamaican Fruitcake Recipe

Growing up in my native Jamaica, I had a 'front-row seat' to scrumptious meals shared throughout the holiday during the Christmas season. 

Of the many foods consumed, my favorite was the delicious Jamaican fruitcake, a complement of my mom. She upheld this tradition annually, and ensured that as kids, we got our very own cake, baked in a tiny cleaned up tuna can. Oh, how I treasure those childhood memories of our beautiful island home! Precious and tender feelings that stay embedded in my heart. 

My desire to replicate my mom's baking skills now has me mixing up yummy batters each December. 

I am tooting my horn, but I think it's safe to say I have finally perfected my craft 😏. My cakes are mouthwatering, reminisce of the two-day consumption in my household (not revealing the biggest consumer, of course). Ha!

Well, enough chit-chatting. Let's now delve into the hidden secrets of the batter 😋.

You must first gather the ingredients needed to make this delicious cake.

These include

Guest Bathroom Reveal! - ORC : Week 7

Hello everyone! Reveal day has finally come! For the first time in ORC history, we reveled in the excitement of a week's extension. Our host, Linda, graciously prioritized recent disaster victims. 

A big thank you to my amazing sponsors - Pfister, HomeRight, and Sylvie Demers, who assisted me with the completion of this makeover. 

… and without further ado, I present to you the long anticipated Guest Bathroom Makeover!

A reminder of how it all started 

HomeRight Paint Stick EZ Twist Review : ORC - Week 6

This post is sponsored by HomeRight.

Hello everyone! Welcome to the final stretch of the One Room Challenge that involves 20 designers and more than 200 guest participants decorating a space in 6 short weeks. Regretfully, I posted nothing for week five so I worked hard this past week trying to catch up. You can refer back to each week to review my progress.

                       Week 2 - Started here

Week 3

Week 4

               Week 5 - No post

                        Week 6 - You are here

I mentioned in a previous post that I planned on painting the bathroom ceiling before tackling the installation of the wallpaper. I had heard great things about the famous PaintStick EZ Twist, so I thought it would be a good idea to try it out. HomeRight was gracious enough to send me one immediately after I reached out to them, and, oh my gosh! Let me just say to you that this paint stick totally changed my "painting" life. First of all, I had no need for a drop cloth because there were absolutely no drips to contend with. Second, there was no reason to use a paint tray. Remarkably, the Paint Stick came with a fill tube which transfers the paint directly from the can to the stick, then finally to the roller. Last, it helped me complete the job in a very short amount of time.  

Guest Bathroom Update - ORC: Week 4

Before I begin, let me first say how happy I am to learn of the one week extension to the One Room Challenge, provided to us by Linda. I happened to have gotten this information from cocoandjack's blog, in case some of you are interested in verifying it. 

Well, I must add that this week has been smooth-sailing, as I do not recall experiencing any hiccups. I patched and sanded the torn drywall, and painted the room. Although I plan on using wallpaper, it only adheres to painted surfaces, so painting was a must. I received the vanity, and I like the white, but I am really itching to paint it - decisions, decisions, hmmm. Also, after much seeking, I finally got a contractor who agreed to install the floor tiles this upcoming Saturday. Believe me when I say I cannot move forward until this happens because almost everything else is contingent upon the tile installation. I cannot have a vanity and toilet put in before they complete this work order. So, do you really know how excited I am about gaining an additional week? Super-excited! :)
 The contractor will replace the tub/shower faucet this weekend, as well. 

If you have been following along, you would recall I changed my design plan. Here are a few items I received to use in the space... I am in love with this wallpaper. The colors are so very subtle.

New Guest Bathroom Plan: Week 3 - ORC

With time swiftly passing, I catapulted into "Usain" mode, where I picked up some lightning speed  :). For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name Usain Bolt, he is a recently retired Jamaican sprinter, and is the first person to hold both the 100 and 200 meters world records since fully automatic time became mandatory. 

Well, before I delve into my situation, let me first say thank you to my amazing sponsor, Pfister who graciously partnered with me to redo this space. I am eternally grateful for the brands that help to support this blog.

Now back to basics - if you have been following along, then you might recall the design board I previously posted for my bathroom makeover here. The plan included a very bright floral wallpaper, colorful pom pom basket, and a tassel shower curtain. Well, I should let you know, I received the wallpaper in the mail, and was very excited to have it hung. But alas, to my dismay, after unrolling it, I watched as the bathroom quickly drowned in all its brilliance. It was difficult to accept that the wallpaper dominated and overwhelmed the tiny space, when held up against the wall. This disappointment quickly prompted a change, however, and here I am today, with a new plan of action; ready and anxious to execute. I have included links to the items in case you are interested in purchasing. 

Bathroom Design Revamp

Pfister tub and shower faucet I cactus art I deer head I wallpaper I paint I rug I shower curtain I waste basket I mirror  vase I soap pump I  I word art

Guest Bathroom Makeover - ORC: Week 2

Well, after much pondering, I decided to join with the group of participants in the ever so famous One Room Challenge. It is now in its 10th season, and involves a group of designers and guests who make over a room/space in just 6 short weeks. The excitement comes from watching each of us push ourselves to the limit while working within time constraints; and might I add, the end results are always amazing! 

For this challenge, I will be making over my guest bathroom which unfortunately, is quite a mess in its current state. No worries, I created a design board to take my mind away from all the ugliness that surrounds me :).

Design Board

The floor tile I chose, is temporarily out of stock, so I am keeping my fingers crossed it will be restocked in time for me to complete the work. If not, I will need to go searching for something else. 

Land of the Free! Home of the Brave!

Happy Independence my friends! It is the best feeling in the world to have the reassurance that you are free - free from oppression; free from pain, free from bondage and chains. Just possessing basic knowledge of the fact that we can move about expressly as we so desire, brings total peace of mind. 

I am thankful for this God-given freedom and for the men and women who fought valiantly so that we could attain this right. 

Yesterday, I celebrated with my family in the simplest of fashion. Despite the simplicity, we bonded over food :), and all plans for dieting went out the window. 

Reviving an Old Love Seat

Hello everyone! Today is the first day of summer and I hope you are hydrating to stay cool. I am sharing with you my very first attempt at reupholstery. A few years ago I received this old, beaten down sofa and did not want to part with it because of its good bones. Despite its unappealing nature it is extremely comfy and firm. The first thing I did was remove the seat covers to get an accurate measurement for the replacements.

Now, this is what the sofa looks like now...

and here is the sad state it was in before 

Afterwards, I got rid of the skirt to expose some beautiful wooden legs underneath, which I proceeded to paint white. I pretty much winged the rest of it, tugging and stapling until I was done. I am sorry to say I do not have progressive photos because I got extremely caught up trying to finish. I must also add that I used a manual stapler to do the job, which was a big no, no. (Please never try that at home- I beg of you). My fingers really suffered as a result :).

Now, here is the end product; a beautiful lounger that my kids can enjoy. Thanks for reading and have a great day/summer!