Play Dough kits FTW!

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Aidan loves play dough! as you can see:

http://instagram.com/p/w6236fgPTF/?modal=true
 
 
 
 

 I quite love it myself, it’s such an awesome learning tool and has become one of my favourite gifts to give…I create little kits and so far it has been quite the hit… Using this RECIPE  I make play dough and package it with whatever I think the one receiving the gift might like, here are three kits I made over Christmas 🙂

AIDAN’S KIT:


I used a double-decker lunch box to store his play dough and a little fire engine box to store the bits and pieces
A baking set (around R30 from crazy stores)
 and two soap dishes (R1 each, I kid you not) full of buttons and things to stick on

 
I added popsicle sticks and paint stamps which make great dough embossers

The soap dishes became mini nature and  monster kits… Because he loves bugs and monsters
Monster kit: Googly eyes, hands and feet buttons
Nature kit: Mini bugs, tree and flower buttons
Just printed out pictures for the top and stuck on with contact plastic – and there you go

 

For two special little girls:

My friend’s daughters LOVE play dough and according to her played with the play dough from Aidan’s party till the dough just could not anymore, hehehe. I used the same double-decker lunch boxes for them (mine currently holds a salad in the fridge) and filled the top with play dough and the bottom with craft supplies; sticks, pompoms, googly eyes, pipe cleaners … and they LOVED it 🙂 I stuck their initials on their containers because who doesn’t love personalised things.

For Aidan’s cousin Kammy:

As an addition to the gifts we bought as Kammy’s Christmas gift I decided to add some play dough.
I took a tub which used to contain food, chicken livers to be exact, hehe, and used pretty scrapbooking paper and a sparkly flower to decorate the top. I added three different colours of play dough and a little butterfly cookie cutter to make one girl’s day. She actually played with this way before the store bought gifts.
 

I will probably be making way more kits, I might have a problem 🙂

Bella’s Coffee Shop in Uitenhage

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I live in Uitenhage a town in NMB just outside Port Elizabeth where I work.  I quite like it (I’m a small town girl like that). I like going for trips and knowing I get to come home to the jacaranda trees, neighbours I know by name and a community safe enough to take walks in (most of the time-I mean a woman did lose her arm to a dog not to long ago and I was mugged in town years ago).
As much as I like living in Uitenhage I will admit that us “town’s folk” have one annoying pastime; complaining that there is nothing to do!
 So I for one am very glad to be seeing all the progress in the last few years or so. Shops, markets, spas and so forth are popping up all over the place and we even have a McDonald’s now (only people from Uitenhage will get what a big deal that is…driving for an hour for a R10 pack of fries is now a thing of the past, hehe).
But in all seriousness it’s really nice to see the town I love grow like this…yes we have a long way to go, but I chose to be a glass half full kind of girl…

With this in mind I thought I’d feature some of my favourite places in Uitenhage, starting with a newish coffee shop, Bella’s.

What I liked:
– It’s an awesome place to take your kids (Uitenhage doesn’t have much of that to be honest)
– The food it good (steak salad FTW) and they are not pricey (you all know I’m not about pricey)
– The service was friendly and prompt (even though they were quite full when we went and we had to wait – I don’t mind as long as servers tell me what’s going on and are nice about it…hate when restaurants act like they are doing you a favour)
– Aidan had a blast and we felt at home
– Diverse clientele (This part of the Eastern Cape can be kind of racist so any place where everyone feels comfortable gets a thumbs up in my book.)
– They are half gift shop… You can buy anything from photo frames and sweets to clothes and accessories (great when you are running late to the shops; “Do we stop for lunch or buy aunt so and so a gift?” why not do both, hehehe)
– You can host kids parties, baby showers and the like there
– They seem to be working on covering the play area which is great because the sun in Uitenhage does not play

What I didn’t like so much:
–  A plug near play area (very easy to fix though-a plug cover and we are good to go)
–  You can’t get into the sand pit area without getting on all fours so retrieving a kid is not so easy

So all in all they get a thumbs up from me and Aidan, we are taking Rob soon so will know his opinion soon enough (he mostly cares about the food to be honest)

A job change for the new year

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So today is my second last day in my current job.
 
As of next week this time I will be back in the field. I will be going back to interviewing people and writing stories. I know that many people didn’t even realise I ever stopped, but yes for the past three years I’ve been focusing on sub editing and design and now I’m venturing back into the “line of duty”.
 
 I’m trying not to doubt myself, stepping down from a comfortable “management” position to a job were I’m likely to have five superiors at any given time is quite an ask. But writing is in my blood and asking a creative person to sit behind a desk, whole day, everyday, is not the best idea.
 
 I have really loved my job, but at the end of the day I need a change. I’ve been too comfortable lately, working on autopilot almost. I figure that if I’m going to be spending most of my time at work I might as well  add some excitement into my life. As a journalist/reporter I will get to meet new people and learn their stories, I love that. I also get to leave the office, something I haven’t done in the past three years! Challenging myself daily (because you all know I’m only a people person from behind my keyboard).


 

I wont lie, I’m nervous, it’s been a while since I sat in a news conference with people asking me for story ideas, the thought makes me all anxsty…But the great thing is, my mistakes are now my own to make. My current position comes with the added responsibility  of owning up to any mistake made by a member of the team. As their supervisor, their mistakes or tardiness’s reflect badly on me, cant wait for the only thing that reflects badly on me, to be me (hehehe).


 

A friend of mine asked a while back, “If you could write anything what would it be?” and I said “inspirational stories that make people think” I get the feeling God was listening in on that conversation.

 

My new job requires me to  focus on “happy news”, “uplifting stories” news that restores your faith in humanity a little. That is soooo me! and that brief is what made me think that this is the path God wants me on at the moment.

 

Wish me luck guys. . .

Merry Christmas from our family to yours

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Merry Christmas all, may God’s grace rain down on you this festive season. We had an awesome day full of spoils, love and laughter. We started out at our house, then my parents, then Rob’s mom…. here are some pictures….

Christmas 2014….US
My gifts from Rob… This man gets me! I can’t wait to use my glue gun 🙂
nail polish sets and dark chocolate, need I say more!!! 
So amazing to see Aidan’s excitement over gifts…. “Oh wow”

Dressing up your kid is part of the fun of parenthood…am I right, hehe
Our gifts
Christmas selfie
Aidan LOVES his wack a mole game
Working up an appetite
With Uncle Clayton
With Aunty Anthea
I love love this photo
Someone had fun
A little Larry Kingish
Food glorious food!
With Aunty Nicole
Wouldn’t be Áidan without an impromptu nap
This cracker knows me!!! needlework set nogal
More gifts! ‘From other gran
Lucky boy
Kid didn’t know what to play with first,
 at one point he was on his plasma car while playing building  blocks and cars
His oldest cousin Kamryn
Oh how I love personalised gifts
Pretty necklace from my mom and sister
These two charged me 10 million 19 rands (seriously) for a plastic burger
With Ouma Helen (Rob’s mom) she loves him to bits
With my Dad…Oh how matchy matchy
FAMILY LOVE

Stylist for the day with Weddington Way

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When the people over at Weddington Way asked me to try my hand at playing stylist I jumped at the chance. Who doesn’t love playing dress up?
The challenge was creating a New Year’s Eve bridesmaid look using one of their dresses, and since I will be a bridesmaid early next year it was right up my ally… I chose their Elizabeth bridesmaid dress and went for a subtle pin-up look. I believe that being part of a wedding is one of the few occasions you can “dress up” so I just had to add some whimsy with lace booties and a petticoat (not much call for it in my everyday life)

Dress: The dress is cute and flattering and even features pockets for your tissues (perfect if you are the crying at wedding type)
Necklace: I’m not usually one for strapless, so this necklace is perfect; coverage with a touch of old hollywood glamour
Earrings and bracelet: With a necklace that is that striking I opted to keep the other accessories minimalistic 
Nails: This grey manicure is EVERYTHING
Petticoat: Adds whimsy and flare
Boots: I thought why not be a little different so instead of the obvious choice of strappy sandals I opted for  lace booties
Hair and make-up: I went for a subtle pin-up look that is pretty and not overwhelming

What do you think?


Picture credits:
necklace from: http://nihal123.loveitsomuch.com/
earrings and bracelet from www.pearldistributers.com
shoes from www.thehunt.com
petticoat from www.dressdoit.com
nails from www.yourstylejourney.com
hair and make-up Selita Ebanks

Prayers for Aidan’s brothers…

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I’m not sure if God brother is a “thing” well lets imagine it is, Aidan will be getting two of those by his next birthday.
Seriously his Godmother (my sister) and Godfather (Rob’s brother) are both expecting little boys in the new year and we are very excited.
Caleb (my sister’s child) will be here in February and the yet unnamed Meyers boy, hehehe, will be here in March.
We are very excited as Aidan will have two new playmates, which includes a buddy right next door. This means people can’t play the “he is so lonely have a baby right away card” for a while, hehehe (selfish I know)
Anyway we got the shock of our lives this weekend when my sister was admitted to hospital, with “complications”…
Caleb being exactly the age Logan was when he died…It brought back so many emotions and it’s safe to say the family was well and truly freaked out!
It was such a scary time and we honestly never realised just how affected we all are by child loss and fear and not wanting to be anywhere near a hospital.
They are both fine now and I like to think God just used this experience to kind of “wake us up”  we all realised just how wanted (albeit unexpected) this child is and how ready we all are to make him part of the family…

I know first hand that child birth is not a instant mix situation so I keep praying for both of them to be  safe and sound…

I won’t lie it’s kinda scary to know that Aidan getting partners in crime… Next year this time, we will have a 2-year-old and a nine month in Uitenhage and a 2-year-old and eight month old in PE.
I can already see Aidan “helping”  his cousins get into trouble, like he does with any friend that visits… getting them to hand him things he is not allowed to play with and open doors he is not allowed to go through… and this will be the case at BOTH grandmother’s houses.

If these boys are anything like their cousin…Basically a well mannered monkey, hehehe…wish us luck..

Exciting times ahead…