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.

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:

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).

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

Happy Birthday Dezzy Delightful

So sweet on her 4th birthday; and still cute today.

Happy birthday Eade. 

Love

m, xox

Day of the Dead

Today Ruby took part in the Spookers Run for Your Freakin' Life race. Honestly, I didn't really know how revolting it would be, and I'm not talking about the zombies. Mud, mud, mud. Some kids pulled out before it began. Some kids cried and screamed the whole way through. But Ruby's not a screamer or a cry baby; she just wanted to get to the end without losing all of her four tags which was the aim.

Luckily there was a big fire hose and water slide at the end to wash some of the gunk off. 

She had a blast and finished a happy but cold and tired. She is now sleeping peacefully. Eadie has said that she wants to do it next year – Yyaaay!

Return to Flaxmill Bay

We've just come back from a week at Flaxmill Bay on the Corormandel Peninsula. Actually, it was a day short of a week as the weather started to pack in we decided to come home and have a day getting organised before going back to school on Monday.

The trip started with a slight hitch when we discovered we had a flat tyre. At least we found out before we got on the motorway.

We stayed in this dinky little motel which is a hop, skip and a jump from the beach. We lasted six nights without killing each other, but we did come close at times.

The view is spectacular and the water was crystal clear. It would be just like the Mediterranean if it were a few degrees warmer! 

Lonely Bay was a short walk away...

And we finally made it to Cathedral Cove this visit. Swimming around from cave to cave. It's every bit as beautiful as it looks.