Tuesday, March 31, 2009

This is not a drill, I repeat, NOT A DRILL!!!

Seriously, I am not having you on. Darryl had a little 'procedure' yesterday (for want of a better word!). For those of you who know him, and his total fear of needles, these photos will blow you away! I'll let them speak for themselves:



Yup, that's my totally cute and very clever little sister Gemma dishing out the punishment! She has always wanted to be a tattooist (is that a word even?), and only recently bought all the gear and started to teach herself. Darryl is not the first tattoo she has done, but he IS the first paying customer - how cool is that?!
And now that it has had time for the swelling to go down....... (although it's not the best lighting, indoors at night)

This is one thing that I never thought I'd ever ever ever see Darryl do... especially given the fact he's terrified of needles. I think it's pretty cool that he let Gem be the person to give him his first bit of ink!
Righto, that's it from moi.... Toodles, B x

Card, cards and more cards...

Here you go - the first 6 are the ones we followed the card class kit to make (with a bit of poetic licence taken as to colours etc)


And these ones were the other ones I got made during the afternoon, playing with all the yummy buffet goodness on display on the table, and lots of the glimmermists! Just imagine 36 women let loose on a table covered in prima goodness and about a zillion different glimmer mist colours squirting in all directions, ha ha ha! Hilariously messy fun!







This last one (above) is my favourite for the weekend. I am SO not throwing out any old jeans anymore, they are being chopped into shreds for future use, ha ha ha!
Right, I have another post to be working on, so see ya soon!
Toodles, B x

Nic Howard, Cupcakes and Cards!

Hi-de-hi campers.... well, the weekend disappeared awfully fast I have to say.

D left on Friday just after lunch for his boys weekend away. By the time I picked J up from school, and called past my Nans to borrow a cake stand, it was time to help Rach get set up at the hall for Saturday's crop...and I didn't leave there until about 8pm, by which time J needed to get to bed. I spent the evening making cupcakes for the next day (recipes to follow, as requested!), and fell into bed at about 1am! Oops.

Saturday morning I got up at 7.30am to put frosting on the cupcakes, cos they're just not as pretty without it, are they?! Then drop J at Mums about 9am, and off to the crop...yeah!

I have to say that I LOVED the classes we did on Saturday, although I was feeling a bit ordinary (have had a stuffed-in-the-head headcold thing since last Thursday). Our layout in the morning was orange and purple (I know, I can hear you saying 'what the...' ), but it really does look very cool. I will post a pic once I have scanned my layout at work today. Edited: pic below...



I rolled out the cupcakes after morning class, and then after stuffing our faces we literally rolled into our afternoon class.



The afternoon class was the "All You Can CrEATe Card Buffet".... what a totally awesome class. All the goodies you need in your kit to make 6 cards, with instructions, and a table FULL of lovely prima flower goodness and all the glimmermist a girl can handle! I got 14 cards made by the time I went home. Sweet! Likewise, I will post some pics once I have scanned them at work :)

It was really nice to meet and talk to Nic Howard in person. Strangely, you kind of feel like you know someone already when you have read their blog on a regular basis, even though you really don't. She is such a cool, laid back chick, and it was just awesome to have her in Timmers for our classes. Lets hope she wants to come back again some day! Maybe I can bribe her with cupcakes, teeheehee!

Now I have to say that by the end of the crop, there was not a cupcake to be seen. And I received SEVERAL requests for the recipes, so here goes:

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Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes


60g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 c water
90g butter, softened
1 c brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 eggs
2/3 c self-raising flour
2 T cocoa
1/3 c ground almonds
(you can buy this stuff in little 70g pkts from the supermarket where you find raisins etc)
100g frozen raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C
2. Put chocolate and water into a saucepan . Over a low heat, stir until smooth. Set aside.
3. Place eggs, sugar and butter in a large bowl.
4. Beat with an electric beater until just combined.
5. Sift in flour and cocoa, add ground almonds. Stir to combine.
6. Next, stir in the warm chocolate mixture.
7. Finally, fold in the raspberries.
8. Divide the mixture into cupcake papers
(I use the straight-sided ones that you can use without using your muffin tins, just bake them on an oven tray)
9. Bake for 40-45mins until firm to touch.
10. Eat!!!! Yum yum yum!

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Caramel Mudcake Cupcakes

100g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
125g butter, coarsely chopped
2/3 c brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
2/3 c milk
1 c plain flour
1/3 c self-raising flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
2. Combine chocolate, butter, sugar, syrup and milk in a saucepan.
3. Stir over a low heat until melted and combined
(I had a few small bits of white choc that just would not combine - not a problem)
4. Allow to cool for about 15 mins.
5. Sift the flours and mix into caramel mixture.
6. Next, stir in the egg.
7. Divide the mixture into cupcake papers.
8. Bake for 30 mins.
9. EAT!!!!
PS - These cupcakes are not your usual light and fluffy cupcakes. Being mudcake ones, they are delicious, but do resemble small windowless buildings, and are very filling. You have been warned!

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Buttercream Frosting

150g butter
250g icing sugar
1 t vanilla
2 t hot water

NB: For the caramel cupcakes, I used caramel essence instead of vanilla, and for the chocolate cupcakes I used 2T of cocoa powder instead of the vanilla. This frosting is very versatile!
Beat together butter and icing sugar until light and creamy. Once well combined, add vanilla (or caramel, or cocoa etc) and hot water. Beat again until smooth.
Best piped on top of cupcakes, and decorated with cutesy sprinkles!

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Well, that's it from me for this post, I will update it once I get my photos sorted. I have another post to do today (when I get the chance) about what D has been up to. In the meantime, I'd better go make some lunches and get to work!

Toodles, B x

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Check this out!

You ladies all have to have a look at this - it's got my curiosity up, especially given they are talking about chocolate, ha ha ha!  Ya gotta love that!

Managed to survive a circuit at the gym yesterday lunchtime, a group PT session up and down and up and down and up and down the Soundshell stairs last night, AND a step class tonight.  Nuts!

Tonight is catch-up-on-the-mountain-of-washing-night, then tomorrow night it's pack-up-the-husband night, ready for his road trip with the boys to Hanmer.

Only three more sleeps until Nic Howard classes - yeah!

Gotta go drag my tired arse outta my lovely lazyboy chair and sort some washing.  Lucky for me D sorted and washed it all, I just have to hang it.... grrrr, clothes airer season again already.  Oh well, there's worse things my visitors could see than my clean knickers drying in the lounge... at least they're CLEAN!  ha ha ha.

Toodles, B x

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Mamma Mia Movie Challenge?

Erm, yes... I have put my name down for this at the gym...  



Next Friday night, they are going to show Mamma Mia on the flat screens in the cardio room.  While we work out.  For the whole movie.  I think I'm nuts.  I'm actually looking forward to seeing if I can do it!  The plan is to be on a machine, be it the cross-trainer, a bike, a rowing machine or a step machine, and get 'moved-along' to a new station every 10 minutes.  For an hour and a half.  And THEORETICALLY we won't notice how much it (might) hurt if we are absorbed in the movie!  I'll let you know how THAT goes!  Ha ha ha.

Oh, and tonight was weigh-in night again. I forgot to tell you about last week - I won the money (for not putting on any weight, when everyone else did!).  This week I didn't lose anything either, in fact I put on 300gm, but that's to be expected when you go out for tea one night, and have friends over for tea another, and have dessert both times, and miss going to the gym because you're so busy at work....  Phew!  Time to stop for a breath! Teehee.

Well, this weekend is going to be crazy busy....

D is going to be away with his mates on a boys trip to Hanmer - a two day trail ride near Waiau.  And I am going to be spending Saturday at TWO Nic Howard classes run by Embellish It.  

Not to mention that at some stage I need to write a bunch more letters to businesses to talk them into donating to the Pink Ribbon Breakfast that I am organising, or thank them for their help already.  Check out my older posts if you want to know more about Timaru's Pink Ribbon Breakfast.

Not to mention that our spare room appears to have exploded once again, and I would like to try and find some space in there to set up my study/work from home space.  Oh Joy.

Right, that's about it from me for now.  Might go fossick through some of my scrap stuff while I watch/listen to Brothers and Sisters.

Toodles, B x

Dinner conversation...

Tonight at the tea table, as D is pouring J a glass of milk....

J:  "You know, cows have gutters that you squeeze, and the milk goes into a bucket, then you take it to the sukermarket, and they put it in a bottle"

D:  "Really?"

J:  "Yup.  I know a lot about milk"

D:  "Do you just?"

J:  "Nope, not really"

Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha 

Too cute!


Thursday, March 19, 2009

Pink Ribbon Breakfast

Greetings blog-stalkers!

Just in case some of you out there have somehow missed my email, I am organising a New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation fundraiser to be held in a couple of months.   
(Edited to add PRB now less than a week away - Sat 23 May, 9am)



Your $15 ticket gets you a healthy buffet breakfast (muesli, fruit, yoghurt, toasts/spreads etc and gives $5 direct to the NZBCF. There will also be a speaker from the Mammography Unit, and a local woman will talk about what her breast cancer experience has been like for her. If you would like to be emailed a flyer, drop me a line and I'll flick it straight back to you. Tickets are available from Sopheze Coffee Lounge, Paper Plus, Cobblers Inn, or ME! Get out there and get yourself one (or several) QUICK - limited numbers available. Go on..... GO!

I said to myself... I can do this, and do it well. Life is short. Raise awareness. Maybe save lives. Who knows?

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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Ok, so this is WAY COOL!

This is me - in Super Hero version!!! Ha ha ha ha.



If you need a good laugh, and have the time to have a play, check out http://www.cpbintegrated.com/theherofactory/ - Way. Too. Cool. SERIOUSLY! Ha ha ha.

Right - I am off to read some more blog posts on Google Reader - it's only been a couple of days, and I have 86 unread posts to look at - Aaaarggghhhh!!!!! Toodles, B x
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Monday, March 9, 2009

Super quick post tonight...

So much to tell, so little time - I need to get to bed!  I will elaborate more maybe tomorrow or the next day...

- I survived the Hadlow to Harbour.  Ma and I power walked the 10km in 96 mins.

- Jake biked the 10km and apparently "I biked sooo far Mummy it felt like I was biking to Africa" !!!

- I had another weight loss this week, although didn't take the money.  800gm loss today, amazing 500gm loss last Monday immediately following Raincliff.

- I was presented with Member of the Month at Timaru Woman at lunchtime today, for effort, dedication, achievement etc

- I got measured for the end of my 30 day mission today - total loss 14cm.... 4cm off waist, 4cm off hips, 3cm off upper arm, 1.5cm off thigh, 1.5cm off chest.  Fabulous!  

- I have lost nearly 5kg over the past 6 weeks so far.

- Thanks to my efforts in the 10km walk, I no longer have pain-free use of my legs! Ha ha ha.

- I received the papers for my second Open Polytech course today, and opened them up to find that my first Progress Review is due on Friday week.  Talk about starting with a hiss and a roar. 

- I received a drive through RAK today!!!

Right, I seriously have to go to bed now.... Toodles peeps!  B x

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Raincliff, Rain, Running and Rabbits?

Seriously, those four things sum up my weekend, really they do!  Last weekend was the Raincliff Scrap Camp, and it was FAB!  Although I have to confess to being rather tired this week, but that's all my own doing.

The weather was rubbish - it rained rather a lot, much like it has almost every other day lately too.  Grrr.  Although, that's mighty fine weather for scrapping in - no reason to feel bad for not being outside doing healthier things like running.  But I did.  Go running, that is.  Well, when I say running, picture it like this: run-a-bit, walk-a-bit, run-a-bit, walk-a-bit-more, sweat-a-lot, run-a-bit, etc etc etc.  You get the idea, yeah?  Oh and apparently the cows out that way love my rendition of Voules Vous by Abba, and That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings, ha ha ha ha ha!  They were moo-ing along with me (or was that complaining? I'm not too sure tbh!)

Oh and rabbits?  Yes, RABBITS!  Or should I say bunnies?  Scrap Bunnies of course!  Teeheehee.

Righto... here's some pics to explain what the heck I'm blah-ing on about:

The Scrap Bunnies (aka our table at camp)



You might recognise some of these ladies as last year's Scrap Angels!

And, surprisingly, through all the talking, eating, shopping etc, I managed to get some scrapping done too!...

My Friday night effort
 This layout that took from about 6pm until 3am to finish - there's a LOT of bead work on there!  I love these pictures - the cute looking blonde is me, at about the age of 2.  See, I was cute once!  Oh, please excuse the poor display effort - I was not near the large scanner at work today, and this computer doesn't have the software on it to stitch the images, so you get a handmade bang-up job instead.  Oh well, you get the idea...

Mini-canvas

This mini canvas is very me - bright and cheeky!  I finally got to use the Hambly acetate photo frames I bought ages ago, and lots of my favourite bright papers and ribbons.  Yummo!

Mini Blackboard Book - cover

Inside left, page 1

Inside right, page 2


In reality, this board book is WAY cuter than it looks here - it has about 6 pages in it, and I have used mini photos (the ones you print 2-Up at Harvey Norman), and many many many sprockets that I spent hours sorting out!  I hand cut several until I was happy with one, then scanned it into Rachel's laptop and imported it into her Klic-n-Kut.  Wonderful.  I cut them out in seven different colours and three different sizes - very handy when you have two 'bike-heads' in the family, not to mention little boy birthday cards etc that I need to make every so often.  Way way way cool.  Seriously!  That was the reason I was up until 5am on the Sunday morning.  But it was so worth it.  Really.  You have to be a scrapbooker to understand me thinks, but they are seriously cool.

Right, I have now had my fix of Dancing with the Stars for the evening.  Tamati Coffey and Rebecca Hobbs are my two favourite celebs thus far.  What do you reckon?  I am a huge DWTS fan, so pleased it's back!

I'm off to beddie-byes now.... catch y'all later!  Toodles, B x