Blessed Birthday

March 16, 20152 Comments

I take pictures of EVERYTHING but at my birthday get together this weekend I apparently didnt, I’m so annoyed that I did not bring my camera and take pictures of all my awesome family who spent Friday with me and my girlfriends who enjoyed a day at the spa with me, I did take pictures while setting up though and HAD TO SHARE…

How awesome is this e-card from by buddy Sal… Her blog

Friday night my family came over for the traditional birthday pot en dop … I’m South African like that then the next day a bunch of my friends went to Beauty with a Difference Spa

Thanks Beauty with a Difference for our lovely treatments

The snack table I created, cause I have time on my hands like that (NOT)

I didn’t make the cupcakes

Doilies in cones make for popcorn holders and folded doilies make chip holders

My awesome salad dressing made from walnut and rocket pesto from Nanaga
I made a basic vinaigrette and mixed with pesto, OMW awesomeness

Cupcakes from Bernadette in Uitenhage

yummmmy

milk and cookies shots… vanilla milk with romany cream tarts

I made the salads, mixed herbs, feta, tomato and cashews

water cause I’m fancy

The thank you gifts, rose gold studs from my favourite online shop, hehe. chai hand scrub and lollies

The day of my birthday me and Robyn went for cocktails and nachos on the beach after work because…
YEAH IT’S MY BIRTHDAY 🙂

Canderel chocolate bunnies, work for birthdays too

March 13, 2015August 7, 20162 Comments

We all know by now that I’m not supposed to be having sugar 🙁 but I loooove chocolate…

Canderel was kind enough to give me a hamper of treats so I don’t have to sit out this Easter… and you know what! the chocolate is ACTUALLY quite nice, seriously I prefer it to sugary brands, I kid you not, the chocolate has a great texture and they even have different flavours…Rob says it’s cause my body knows I’m not allowed others, but I beg too differ and I caught him eating like half a slab… whose body knows what now buddy?

They shared this great recipe for Easter lollies and I thought, hey why not make for my birthday, soooo I did… NOM NOM NOM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

Dark chocolate bow see, I got all creative

Here is their recipe (I made 3 bunnies with a slab and a half of choc though)

Serves: Makes 4 large lollies

Ingredients:

3 x 85g Canderel milk chocolate slabs
Clear plastic chocolate egg mould (or any other shape you fancy) with 4 compartments and spaces for sticks
4 plastic or wooden lollipop sticks
Glitter for dusting (optional)

Method:

Make sure the mould is clean and dry before starting. Bring two cups of water to the boil in a large pot. Place a smaller pot or bowl over the larger one. Break the Canderel milk chocolate into pieces and place in the small bowl. Turn the heat down to a simmer and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Place the moulds on a hard, flat surface and pour in the melted chocolate. Gently tap the mould on the hard surface to get rid of any air bubbles.
Insert the stick at an angle about 3cm into the chocolate, ensuring that it’s well covered. Press the stick down flat in the stick channel, then place the mould in the fridge to set. When set, the chocolate will start coming away from the mould and no longer look wet.
Once completely set, remove the chocolates from the moulds. Sprinkle over some glitter and store in an airtight container in a cool dark place (not the fridge).

Watch out for more canderel inspired recipes 🙂

*product for review

So how’d I do on the 30 before 30 list?

March 12, 20152 Comments

On the eve of my 30th I thought I’d try out one of those 30 by 30 checklists the magazines are always going on about, I found this at sheknows.com and it’s been uhm enlightening…

1. Try an extreme sport
I don’t think I even know what an extreme sport is, so no, but I like body boarding (liked- in my bikini days) and the other day I went on a boat 60kms into the sea to release a elephant seal back into the wild, I was sea sick in front of a nature documentary crew, it doesn’t get more extreme (or embarrassing) than that

just kidding I don’t iron

2. Date a bad boy
Boys… I had worst taste in guys before my husband, let men use me for money, favors and even just to be the girl you introduce to your mom while you fool around in the background… I was even the other woman without knowing.

3. Open a retirement account
Yeah I have this (okay so it was set up by work and by Rob, but it exists)

4. Dye your hair a crazy color
I don’t dye my hair, I was once held down by by sister and a friend who forcefully put blonde streaks in my hair, but that’s it for me and adventure in colour. I have really big hair don’t need to dye it and look like bozo

5. Do a girls-trip. Just because
Yes!!! best memories, whoop whoop, CT for a concert, EL for a weekend long party (there were guys chaperoning this one but we were single so it still counts) Mosel Bay (chaperoned) and EL just me and two gal pals

6. Sing Karaoke
I sang on stage LOADS in my life even won the media version of a game show with my rendition of cococabana . . . you know music and fashion were always my passion – hehehe

7. Pay off your credit cards
uhmmmmm – the mind is willing but the wallet is weak

8. Buy something totally frivolous, ridiculously expensive and utterly fabulous
I’m a sensible shopper (tell this to my credit cards) but I do go into YDE shoe sale like ……

9. Fall in love
Yes!!!!

10. Crash a party
Oh wow YES with my late friend Mso – Elle magazine fashion launch, whoop whoop

11. TravelI got to visit Brazil for fashion week! can you say career highlight – really want to travel with my boys!

Image result for eleanor douglas-meyers brazil

I took this pic from my hotel room

12. Volunteer
Yes but not nearly enough

13. Do something you’re totally terrified of
The boat thing from number one, there was water everywhere and my swimming is NOT of the best

14. Meet a drag queen
OMW yes!!! also found out that my childhood babysitter does drag, so that’s interesting, lol

in Brazil

15. Buy yourself an amazing piece of jewelryI don’t do well with jewelry I lose pricey pieces, but buy tons of costume stuff, TONS

16. Love your body
Working on this one…

kidding kidding

17. Learn how to change a tire
My dad made sure of this and plugs and roof tiles, lol

not this though, that’s what garages are for

18. Reconnect with an old friend/family member
I’ve been trying to make a point of this-Thanks FaceBook

19. Ask for a raise
I did this, it ended with me taking another job…

20. Take a dance class
Hip hop and belly dancing and uhm ja

21. Schedule a health check-up
I did this and am now very aware of my mortality,lol

22. Understand your taxes

I e-file, that’s enough, hehe

23. Apply for your dream job
Waiting for people to pay me to be a socialite…

24. Do something insanely romantic for someone you love.
I suck!

25. Host a dinner party for your family
does co-hosting count

26. Master an amazing dishI can I can!!!

27. Swim in the ocean
I live nearish to the beach so hit this somewhere in the 80s

28. Go to dinner and a movie by yourselfI’ve done this, for reviews… not the best

29. Live alone
I was in a long distance marriage does that count?

30. Ask a guy out

no comment!

Onsie wishes…diy (Kay-lynn guest post)

March 11, 2015Leave a comment

I come from a family of makerers well technically it’s a family of Douglases but we like to make things, 90% of us like to write, create, bake, sew, built… it’s in the genes… So I don’t know why it took me so long to feature one of my familia’s creations as a DIY guest post

So here we go, this is my 16 year old cousin Kay-lynn who is sweet and nice and thinks I am ancient.

For her sister’s baby shower she created an awesome frame of hanging onsies, for people to pick one, write a special message on and then place in a box, for the mom to be to keep and read when she needs a pick me up… here is how she did it:

Use a template of the onsie you want and trace it onto coloured card, I hand drew this but you can simply print one

Cut out the onsies and highlight the outline of each on both sides

Decorate each onsie individually using stickers and gems

I then asked my dad to make a wooden frame (a big photoframe would do) I painted it white and used ribbon to make “washing lines”, I then hung each onsie onto it with a cute little peg

Thanks for the guest post KAY-LYNN 🙂

Florence NOTingale…

March 10, 20152 Comments

I have never felt quite as “motherly” as I do this week.

Both my boys are sick, Rob with bronchitis and Aidan with tonsillitis, meanwhile I’m struggling to swallow and breath and (to the relief of many) talk.

You don’t really “get to be sick” as a mom though, even though Rob sent me off to bed early due to me having work today (he is off), I soon had both of them wanting to lay in bed with me cause they missed me.

Rob dozed off into a drugged slumber while Aidan insisted on taking up the remainder of the bed while I told him his favourite bedtime story over and over and over.

Then he invented imaginary eina’s for me to kiss and then he wants to “huggy kissy mummy” then he wants to play a gayme (leap pad) then he passes out mid chatting.

I ended up sleeping on the floor – thanks for the plush rug mom in law – because I just couldn’t handle the heat or Aidan’s need to sit on my face.

Yes there are two other beds in the house, no I didn’t think of it, heat makes me silly.

A sick Aidan is an unpredictable Aidan, it’s so strange, he asks sweetly can he watch Dora, may he build blocks can he please have milk then he freaks out because his tower breaks and he lays down crying till something distracts him and we are happy go lucky like nothing ever happened.

He is not a good eater on the best of days and with his sore throat we can’t even get a cracker in him-I wish I could feed him through osmosis.

Meanwhile Rob is a sick man, I rest my case … Hehehe

Actually he is not the complainy type, even cooking supper and taking himself and Aidan to the doctor and pharmacy, I’m just not very good at being the Florence Nightingale type.

I can administer medicine but that’s it, I’d suck as a doctor, sick people make me feel awkward and act awkward.

So I just hover asking someone who is clearly not well, how they are feeling…I can’t even make chicken soup – I tried, it was a colossal failure.

Lucky for me they are pretty easy patients who just need me to be there, and I’d happily do that every time.

Win a magic mesh kids shade for your car

March 9, 2015Leave a comment

Aidan’s dinosaur (dragon) he LOVES IT

See above? That’s our new sun shade solution for the car… We used to have one of those ones that suction on but it kept falling off and then we got the sock kind that sometimes interfered with the window and other times didn’t. We knew we needed something different when Aidan loudly exlaimed…shoo I burn mummy on a longish trip when the stupid suction thing fell off for the umpteenth time.

The kind people at MagicMesh let us try out their innovative product and we love it!!!

Okay I didn’t love the fact that our car windows are crazy small and I almost had to decapitate a knight…it still looks good though and if I had bothered to look at my car window before deciding on a design I would have gone with something smaller…. They have TONS of options

It’s pretty awesome that Aidan can see his little dinosaur (dragon) from the inside but you don’t see it from the outside, which was kind of important to me because I feel like random cartoon windows are not chic, they just aren’t…

I went around this weekend showing people look now you see it now you don’t… I really did (I’m easily amused)

Here is why you should get one:

UV protectionEliminates blind spots

Universal fitDoesn’t affect window operation
Not seen from outside