Paper bags for my Mom

I am going away in December/ January so I have made a simple paper bag with a little gift in it for my Mom for each day that I am away. Here's all the bags in a box

All bags laid out to see

A couple of close-ups

 

Including the cards I made

"Bubbles" for 31st December

Playing cards I had made

Top view

I am hoping that someone at the residence where she lives will be able to give her a bag each day

Chess board cake

Today's experiment - I bought the cake pans and decided that today was a good day to try it out. My normal cake recipe; I just think that I over-cooked the cake slightly

 Butter cream icing to sandwich the three layers together and stick the chocolate fingers around the outside

Whipped ganache spread over the top and piped

A view from the side

A slice

The inside

I can see all sorts of combinations here - pinks, blues, colours .....

It was quite easy to do once I worked out how I was using the pans

And some great goodies to be won

My friend Hilary runs Scrap it Simple in Christchurch. She is so very creative and has just got to her 400th blog post so is offering a wonderful prize - go and look here: http://scrapbookngfromtheheart.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/my-400th-blog-post-giveaway.html

A month of catch up

In October, a few trees fell on to SH1 which meant that all the pine trees at school had to come down. This photo shows the before

And this photo shows the view from my deck with all the trees down

 Colin and I did a catering job - here's one of the two groaning tables!

 A selcection of sweet treats

 Sandwiches, mini blinis with salmon and some crudites

 Hot savouries

So we worked really hard and were "all caked out" but there was plenty of food that tasted good


I also decided to make a Rainbow Cake - this is the outside - covered in white icing. The original icing I had on was a complete mess and I had to scrape it all off and start again

 The inside - it looks fantastic when cut

In other news, we are well in to exams with only three weeks of school left. Then I have two weeks to Christmas and a lovely holiday!

Cake Basics Class

Today I did a cake decorating class. I have wanted to learn how to work with fondant and today I had my opportunity. First thing we did was make bows. Mine was supposed to be a pale green but I didn't realise how little of the colouring I needed

 That meant I ended up with green hands too!

 Next step was to cover the cake in butter icing. The teacher suggested that we do a first layer, chill in the fridge and then do a second layer

 Pink fondant! Again, I used a bit more colour and ended up with a rather bright pink fondant

 As my hands show!

 Placing the stripes

 The finished cake - roses, butterflies and glitter!

I really enjoyed this class and can see myself using fondant quite a lot - even for cupcakes!

My Weight Loss

I know some people have already seen these photos but here they are again

Me on the ferry to Waiheke Island in 2010

 The same top today 16.5kgs lighter

Actually when I look at myself in that 2010 photo I can't beleive how big I was!

Daffodil Express

Four friends and I headed out last Sunday to Carterton on the Daffodil Express. Fundraising for daffodil Day (cancer) and also Plunket and St John's Ambulance

 We caught a bus to the daffodil farm - naughty girls at the back of the bus!

 A bunch of 24 daffodils for $4!

 In front of a flowering magnolia

 In front of the steam engine

 Me!

What a great day we had with lots of laughs!

Used to be two days of celebration

Yesterday should have been my 20th wedding anniversary. I couldn't sit in the one hour staff meeting at the beginning of the day, but once I started teaching it got better. All three of us went to the dentist in the afternoon with no treatments necessary! Then I had dinner with a friend last night. By the time I got home around 9.30pm I was exhausted emotionally

Then today Ross 18! When did he get to be so old? Makes me feel really older! One of his friends said he would get a chocolate mousse cake, so I suggested that they come for take aways as well. It was all a surprise to Ross and a lovely evening

His friends waiting for him

Ross arrives home to find his friends in his room

Eating Noodle Canteen take-aways

Chocolate mousse cake made specially for Ross

Birthday boy!

Tomorrow August exams start. Ross is studying; Colin is watching You Tube videos! Argh!!

Catch up

It's been school holidays and I have had a good time. Sometimes I go back thinking "Well, that was a waste of two weeks" because I have had nothing to show for it.

I have had lunch out with friends. I went to movies with a friend - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen- fabulous movie!

I have done some scrapping and filed many l/os that have been lying around. I have finished some UFOs which I will file today. I have packed some page kits for next week's scrapping.

I had an awesome seafood lunch with a friend

I did some alterations to some of my trousers - took them in 8cms! yes, I have lost 12kgs and feeling fantastic and very proud of myself

I have put the electricity, gas and telephone accounts in my number - go me!

Emotionally, I am still up and down because I did not ask for this. And I'm dreading next month as it should have been my 20th Wedding Anniversary

The weather today is dreadful, so I am going to catch up on some blog reading

The Formal

What a marvellous night! I'm sorry that you are being flooded with photos but I'm thrilled with how lovely we all looked! I was fortunate enough to have my hair done (differently form normal) and my make up professionally done so I felt great! Quite a few of the kids remarked that I looked so pretty - what an ego boost!

And my sons! Well, what can I say? They looked so handsome and I was so proud of them!

Such a long time!

Oh my word - I have neglected this poor little blog of mine! And now I come back and Blogger has changed everything - I'm so confused!

School holidays have been and gone and the next lot loom very close - yay!

I took the boys to Melbourne for Easter weekend and we had a great time

Next week is the Formal and I have TWO sons who will be dressed up and going!

In between I have done a bit of scrapping. I need to take photos and show what I have done. By the time I remember to take photos, it's getting dark though

Today

Today I celebrate how far I have travelled in this troubled year.

And I celebrate something else that I am not yet able to discuss.

At 8.30pm tonight I will celebrate with a drink and sayings "cheers" to me. Join me at the same time if you are able

Blogger comment moderation

I do not like the new blogger comment moderation!! I cannot read the letters! I tried three times to post a comment on someone's blog and have now given up as I got the letters wrong every time.

Just delete comments you don't like. I have not had comment moderation for a few years now and have had no problems (knock on wood)

An Award!

From Lainie

The Liebster Blog Award is meant for those blogs in Blog Land that have 200 or less followers. Liebster comes from German, meaning dearest or beloved but can also mean favourite. This award is such a wonderful way to show appreciation for those people who do beautiful work and inspire you but have a small following. As part of the tradition the award is passed along to five other blogs that have motivated and inspired you. To accept the award you must:

1. Link back to the person's blog who gave it to you and thank them.

2. Post the award on your blog.

3. Give the award to 5 bloggers (less than 200 followers) that you appreciate and value.

4. Leave a comment on the five blogs you chose to let them know.

Awarded to:

1. Jenny E (no not me!)

2. Shell

3. Katrina

4. Penny

5. Hilary

I could have chosen a lot more because these people all inspire me - crafty or otherwise!

More than a month later!

I feel like so much has happened yet so little

My eye op was a great success and I'm seeing better than I have for many, many years. The downside was I couldn't lift anything heavy for three weeks. Actually, the boys had to carry the groceries and the only time I was affected was I couldn't take much to scrapping two weeks ago!

Didn't matter though because I wasn't really in the right head space. I did two l/os neither of which have journalling yet. Maybe tomorrow when the weather bomb is set to hit

Both boys are enjoying school and coping well. My classes are settling down and I am enjoying most of them

It's my mom's birthday on Monday. We're going to SweetPea on Sunday and I have ordered flowers for Monday. She is struggling to settle but it's early days yet

And apart from that, not much activity in our house!