Sky high

I took the girls up the sky tower this week. We've been living in Auckland for over three years and I still hadn't been up. Luckily we timed it well in between heavy down pours we've been having all week.

The verdict: Even though the glass panels in the floor were cool, the view is just as good from the top of our lovely Maungawhau (Mt Eden), and a lot less crowded.

Happy Easter

When I saw these bunny jars I couldn't resist making my own.

I used some old apple sauce jars (yes, sometimes I take shortcuts) and bought three different Scheich bunnies. Super glued them on. Gave them a few, and by a few I mean several, coats of white spray paint. Different colors would have been nice but I didn't want the project to cost too much. Let dry. Fill with eggs.

Happy Easter everyone!

Kale chips

Michael Van de Elzen is a bit of a guru. He owns one of my favourite restaurants in our local village – Molten. Last year he did a TV show called the Food Truck where he made healthy fast food options and took them to public events. Of course, the cook book followed and, thanks to my friend Tracy, I have a copy.

One of the things he made which was a hit with the kids was kale chips so I thought I'd give it a try. I've never cooked kale before; it's got quite a rubbery leaf.

You simply pull the leaves off the stalk, wash and dry them. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes at 175°C. They do shrink considerably, but they are very tasty. Even my fussy eater liked them.

Here's the recipe, but really, you don't need it.

It's a good Friday

Today I have been pottering around the house. The kids have been watching a bit of TV. I was surprised to learn that no advertising is allowed in NZ on Good Friday, Easter Sunday or Christmas Day. I don't know why I hadn't noticed before but it surely makes watching a movie on tele far more enjoyable. I like the idea of things being closed – since when did we need everything open 42/7?

I finally got around to making something which I've been thinking about for some time – a driftwood wall hanging. I got the idea from a pic I saw in Country Style magazine a loooong time ago (see pic below). I've had this magazine folded open at this page forever!

Even though I've got quite a collection of driftwood, I thought I'd start by making a mini-hanging before embarking on a bigger feature. Below is a "how-to" in pictures. I got the black string from a Trade Aid store; it's quite rustic.

I'm quite pleased with the results. I hope it doesn't look too amateurish but I quite like its imperfections. I need to find the right spot for it too. I haven't decided whether to trim the tails What do you think?

Charlton No.5

I have been trying to snap photos of our house that make it look organised and stylish, yet comfortable and lived-in. Unfortunately there are still a couple of boxes lurking about and the walls are fairly bare [we didn't have any wall space in our last house; in this one there's plenty!].

So let the tour begin! Firstly we have the back outside area. We are making good use of it at the moment thanks to an unbelievably good Kiwi summer. Sometimes we even have Sunday BBQs on a Thursday!



Then there's the lounge room and kitchen. The walls are quite blank and the previous owners had lots of artwork so there are hooks everywhere. Steve has utilised some of them by hanging sticks – very creative[?].

This is our front room. I guess you could call it the "sitting room". I'm not sure what to do with it? We don't really use it at the moment. It gets the morning sun in winter so maybe I'll be inspired when it gets a bit cooler.

Upstairs we have the master bedroom complete with reading nook, ensuite and BIG built-in wardrobes. Oh how I love storage!

Pretty things...

The study – looking a bit dishevelled.

Bits and pieces from Ruby's room. Ruby is really developing her own style; she has quite of list of things she needs wants. This room would have been the master bedroom in the original part of the house so it's quite big with good storage.

Eadie's room is very sweet with little bits of Eadie scattered around. Of all three girls, she is the tidiest by far!

It doesn't seem to matter what I do, Ava's room always looks like a bomb has hit it. I'm thinking of getting her a loft bed but Steve thinks that will just give her more floor space to spread the crap stuff [I've been getting in trouble for swearing lately]. What do you think? – about the bed, not the swearing.



Prehistoric miniscape

I've blogged before about how much I love terrariums. When I snatched this jar/vase on sale I knew immediately that it would be transformed into a prehistoric miniscape.

Only time will tell how long this era in time will last before the dinosaurs are extinct – again.

Back to Raglan

It had been a while, so the other day we went back to Raglan for a day trip. Blue skies and warm weather made for a beautiful day out.