I FLEW!!!!

Well.... Fell. Out of a plane. And it was AWEOME! The mountain had stopped spewing ash so that was a little stink, would've been a very cool thing to see but at the same time I'm glad it didn't completely blow it's top! 

My sister and I all suited up and ready to roll!

Another thing to cross off my bucket list!

BUSY BUSY!

So, apart from the jumping on to add to the Photo Challenge I haven't done much blogging! But I have been creating a wee bit, I'm going to share the 1st attempts of my creations, I'm trying to upcycle and recreate on a minimum budget and working my way threw my Pinterest boards!

This is my 1st attempt at a Pillowcase Dress, using a retro case I found in an opshop for $1 a pair, calico from my box for the ties and the lace at the bottom I found in my grandmothers things. I want to make a matching skirt for me!

A reading nook idea I found here Pinterest

I found a pair of gorgeous pink and white stripped sheets on TM for $5 and the wood is salvaged from my Huni's work. 

Today I went opshopping, came home with a heap of material ($8 total), next week I will (hopefully) sit down with my finds and sewing machine and get creating! So stay tuned! 

I also want to share with you the 3 course meal we had tonite for my Sista's quarter century birthday, it was so delish! And not too expensive either! 

ENTREE: Vietnamese Rolls

So fresh and full of healthy stuff! Also Wheatfree!

DINNER: Asianstyle Slowcooked Pork Belly with

Ginger and Garlic Bok Choy and Courgettes & Spiced Kumara Mash

DESSERT: Ginger and Star Anise Infused Creme Brulee

Gotta love the Asian food markets! The best and cheapest place to buy all your Asain foods. Bin Inn is the place to go for spices too! But the score of the meal was the Pork Belly, usually $22 I picked up this piece for $7.50! It was fun creating a 3 course meal but glad I don't do it all the time! Soooo Full!

NOVEMBER PHOTO CHALLENGE

SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH "C"

Coffeetime

COLOUR

BREAKFAST

TV

5 O'CLOCK
Well, this wasn't at 5 but I was on my
way up to the Big Smoke to see Ben Harper!

A FAVOURITE THING
CRAYFISH!!!! Mmmmm

SOMETHING YOU DO EVERYDAY
Well, every week day, school drop off!
Miss A with her good friend!

NIGHT

WHERE YOU SLEPT

IN YOUR BAG

THE VIEW FROM YOUR WINDOW

THE LAST THING I BOUGHT

HAPPENED THIS WEEKEND
I completed the 12km run! Blister on the foot
but feeling pretty good!

SKY(diving)

A SOUND YOU HEARD
CHOO! CHOO!

Labour Weekend

Labour Weekend is traditionally the time to get all your vegies in the ground, well we got most of them in! Just need to figure out where to put the spuds so we can have new potatoes for Christmas Dinner! Yummy!

It's also been a great weekend with whanau! Aunty M and Baby Mac, gorgeous boy, came up for a few days, we celebrated Nan's birthday with White Choc Mudcake! The cousins turned up with Baby E, who is just super adorable! But the only one missing was Miss A, she's having a great time in Wellywood with her Papa, Oma and Aunties!

What did you do for your long weekend? Do you plant vegies every Labour Weekend?

Somethings cooking in the Kitchen

My blistah has been hinting at me for quite some time that I should make Macarons. You know, the french treats of deliciousness that have made a massive revival! So with egg whites thawed out I set out to give it a go

I was a bit worried that these were a bit flat and I had failed already. But I left them for the required time (1 hour) on the table and decided I better do some baking for the kids lunchboxes, school is back tomorrow!!!!

Master K washing his hands ready to help

I made ABC (apple, banana, chocolate) mini muffins, a GF Muesli slice loaded with LSA and extra seeds and dried fruits. AND made dinner ready for tonite while I am at work.

Now ready to put these flat, shiny discs in the oven and see how they go.

Not bad for a first attempt I must say!

With not much energy left or fancy fillings, I made a pink vanilla buttercream to fill

And by the sound of the Mmmmm's and Oooohh's they pass the taste test!

It's a good thing I have 4 willing taste testers to devour these as I am trying to stick to my healthy eating goal! Now to get the vege garden going. But for now, I better get ready for work!

Recipe thanks to Vanessa at Bubbalino.

P.S. We sampled an amazing macaron at the Markets a couple of weeks ago, Caramel with Salted Caramel filling. I think I mite attempt these for a birthday coming up in November! I found this on Pinterest!

Recipe found here:

Always with Butter

I Won Something!

A friend of a friend who is a photographer recently moved from the Big Smoke to H.town, and to promote herself was giving away a mini photoshoot on FB! And I won! I don't win anything! And a photoshoot is on my bucketlist..... Tick!

Here's a couple of pics from her preview!

Love them! Natalie is super talented! You wouldn't think Miss A has a massive carpet burn on the bridge of her nose! The kids really played along! Can't wait to see the rest of the pics!

Love my family! Aren't they just gorgeous!

Family Adventure @ Staglands

Holy Guacamole! This place is awesome! It was a bit of a queasy drive to get there but so worth it!