Sunday, December 1, 2013

Choir girl (2)

After having seen Ruby perform in the choir at the Town Hall a few times, this year it was Ava's turn.




"Dynamite" was a crowd pleaser. Ava wouldn't let me post the video but let me know if you want to see it.


Santa parade



Last weekend Eadie and Ava took part in the Farmer's Santa Parade. We braved the crowds and stood in the scorching sun to see the Minnie Girls pass by. Sadly the music got mixed up so instead of doing their choreographed dance, they waved and high-fived the crowd. 




After the Minnie Girls, my next favourite thing was watching the Man of Steel fly overhead even if it was because he blocked the sun for a fleeting moment.






Then there were some [Kiwi flavoured] classics.






Sadly I didn't get a photo of the man in the red suit. The girls loved taking part and Ruby said next year she wants to do it too. So I' guess I'll get a photo of him then.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Top cat


Our very cute little kitty cat turned one this week. He has grown a bit, well quite a lot actually, but he remains as cute and playful as ever (although we would prefer it if he were a bit more affectionate).

Ben got special cat food treats for his birthday and we celebrated with cat cup cakes.


Happy Birthday Ben!!



Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Spotty, dotty t-shirt


This post is going to be accompanied by a brief explanation as I'm not very good at typing with my left hand.

I saw this "how-to" on the web a while back and put it in the "must do" compartment of my brain. I was going through my t-shirts on the weekend, looking for a particular top that had been swallowed up by the overflowing drawer. I came across a plain, black t-shirt and, with a bit of spare time on my hands, knew that today was the day to reach into the "must do" pile.

It was really easy and I had all of the necessary equipment on hand which was a bonus. Ruby watched me do it and we both got excited as the little dots appeared – it was like watching a Polaroid develop! I thought the final product was pretty cool but when your twelve year old daughter says "Wow, that looks like a Karen Walker top," you know you're onto a winner!






You should definitely try this at home.


Saturday, September 14, 2013

Upholstery 103: ski slope chair


This is my latest work of art. It's a ski slope chair for Ruby's room. The grey fabric is almost like an army blanket and the pink piping adds contrast and a bit of fun. Considering the ugly duckling was a freebie, I think it has turned out quite nice.

Before:



After:




Sunday, August 4, 2013

Gnocchi

There has been a bit of talk on the subject of gnocchi. The girls remembered making it with me when they were smaller and I talked about getting a lesson on how to make it from the only expert I know -Nonna. I remember Corina, my cousin Simone and I getting a lesson from her one day, rolling the dough out on her kitchen table. Sadly, it has been a long time since I've made it and I could find the recipe which makes me wonder if I actually wrote it down. I did remember some important steps along the way but of course mine was always going to be different to Nonna's because it's gluten free.

Eadie was really keen to have gnocchi for dinner and keen to help. Ruby and Ava were distracted by the TV which may have been a good thing in hindsight as it allowed Eadie and I to talk and I got to share the secrets I learned from Nonna.

Here's how we did it, captured again, in images (so quicker to get something posted if you just let the photos speak for themselves) (a bit lazy, yes, I know).








Saturday, August 3, 2013

Aunty Jordy Visits



Wow, time really has slipped by. This month we had a visit from Aunty Jordy which was a very nice distraction. With blue skies above, we took to the slopes of Mt Ruapehu for the first time this year. We have a pretty good history when it comes to weather conditions when skiing. One day we got turned away mid-way our drive up but that was due to over-capacity on the mountain - seriously though, who wants to be there then?


OK, so this is simply a snap-fest which will hopefully capture the moment. 









I captured this early morning shot from the car park on our last day up the mountain. It was so beautiful.


Ruby and Ava decided to get some cheap thrills sledding.


My new Samsung Galaxy takes awesome photos and is great for posting straight to Facebook and Instagram but what should be a simple procedure to import photos to my iMac is, well, not so simple, so you miss out on some awesome pics.

We completed the 'winter wonderland' theme with some ice skating in Aotea Square.




Finished off with a visit to Kiwiyo.



It was really nice having you visit us Aunty Jordy. I hope our mad household didn't freak you out too much. Come again soon. m, xox