if you like pina coladas.... and getting caught in the rain...

....now that song is in your head.
you're welcome.

i have an abundance of limes (thanks to my mama's tree that keeps on giving)
and the need for cake.
everything in moderation right?

so i adapted an Annabel Langbein recipe for passionfruit and coconut cake.
http://www.annabel-langbein.com/

lime and coconut. a pina colada in cake form? why...yes please.

so with help of my trusty side-kick...

we got cracking...

and then i forgot to take pics of the cake making process...

but this is what came out of the oven after we ...

creamed together 90 gms softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar.
the added 2 eggs...one at a time...
then a tsp vanilla essence.
and then 1 cup desiccated coconut and 1 1/4 cup self raising flour
and 1/2 cup of milk.
the zest of 1 1/2 limes was added and the juice from 1/2 a lime (we had pretty juicy limes)

pop it all in a greased and lined 20cm cake tin.
and i baked it for around 40 mins.

(and i guess if you want the full on pina colada experience pop half cup of crushed pineapple in the mix, eliminating half of the milk...)

let cool before the icing bit.

for the icing i softened about 50 gms butter and added around 1 cup (?? i just eyeballed it) of icing sugar...

then a sexy lime was zested and squeezed within an inch of it's life.
(and a splash of the pineapple juice if you are leaning that way :) )

an adornment of coconut and lime.

pretty cake and pretty flowers.

saved from the rose bushed before i attack...i mean..prune them.

such a delicious crumby cake. 

cake for the WIN!

a very good start to the monday.

x

food, glorious food.

so.
it's time for this mama to start eating better. not that i eat BAD (all the time...) but i have got the point where i need to be more thoughtful about the food i put in this body of mine.
i have been feeling sluggish, meh...just lacking that energy to pump you through the day.
the thing is i have so much knowledge of food and what it can do for you, thanks to being raised by a mama that has taught me nutrition well.

i think to keep myself accountable i shall share what i make on this little space of mine. and perhaps it might be of interest to ya'll. i make most of my dinner 'recipes' up. i.e....what is lurking in the fridge.

so without further a-dew...

last nights dinner.

drum roll please.

roasted kumara, chickpeas, spinach, red onions.

sauteed with garlic and cumin seeds.

i served it up with a big squeeeeeeze of lemon and greek yogurt. 

DAAAYUM. it was good.

and then.....today for lunch. i honestly didn't take long to get together.

a minestrone soup.

i just cut up int 1cm-ish dice some vege-aroonies.

mushrooms

celery

carrots

kumara

spring onions.

sauteed those puppies off in some olive oil.

added a load of garlic.

no vampires, cold and flu's or men will come near me!

S&Pep.

theeeeen, i added a tin of chopped tomatoes in juice.

and 2 cups of chicken stock.

and let that cook for a while, and then add a handful of pasta.

taa-daaa. 

vege-alicious.

i topped it with a handful of spinach, a dollop of sour cream, shaved parmesan and spring onions.

cracked black pepper.

again. so good.

i may have two hug helpings of this.

and i may feeling like a stuffed thing right now.

at least i know it's all good.

i'm sure my body will thank me for this.

love to hear your go-to body-feel-good foods.

share share share.

it is good to share.

peace.

happy one and half years boo!

this little chick is 18 months now.

she is a sassy little lass.
still not a fan of sleeping
knows what she wants
kisses everything
'huggles' everyone
still has a mean 'whatchyou talkin bout willis' face
dresses herself up in tutus and my underwear. (such a good look)
still walks like a cowboy
loves anything with wheels or tracks (wonder where she gets that from!?)
has a love/hate relationship with the cat.

Daisy boo, dimples magoo. you are a joy.

wood...or not too wood?

 so room....we meet again. prepare to met your maker...

the lounge.

i have been waiting since the day we moved in 3 years ago to give you a facelift.

and with the grossest most health hazardous carpet in the neighbourhood....it was it or me.

so here she is in all her 'before' picture glory.

so here's the deal. we want to rip the carpet up in the large foyer and sitting room too...but with this house that has been moved here we don't know what state the floorboards will be like.

so worst case scenario is we re-carpet. 

best case is we sand those suckers and have wooden floors.

(either a light stain or i REALLY love bleached floorboards...but the jury is not out yet)

so with a beer in hand and a huge deep breath we started pulling...and by we....i mean the Lars...

and we discovered....

yuss....step one. 

only 50 metres of carpet to go...

bearded Lars....a.k.a Al Borland.

so far...so good.

although a fair ammount of the floor is jackson pollock-like with the same delightful cream paint on the walls...oh how i love cream. (i don't love cream)

so...we made it to the other end of the room with only a few boards that need some attention. not bad for a 103 year old home!

and this. this i am hoping has the biggest makeover. 

might be a case of getting a bit artistic on it.

a little helper.

so there you go. let the madness ensue.

we have a huge tin of paint, a new buffet/t.v cabinet from freedom furniture (retro styles baby!) and a new tele sitting in it's box as motivation.

anyone for some old red velvet drapes? no..? no takers?

van hoofies.

i have not been this excited about shoes since i was 13 and got my first pair of cherry doc martins that i slept with for a week.

i saw these vans online and having been a chuck taylor girl for years i took a leap of faith and ordered these puppies. they are 'mens' shoes. but with a bit of emailing back and forth with the skate shop they reassured me that a) i wouldn't look like a gump wearing blokes shoes and b) i had the right size (an 8 instead of 9 for my big hooves)

(underground skate if any one is interested. they have an online shop but also a facebook where they post lots of other goodies...with free courier over 100 buckaroos. score)

so the courier guy threw the parcel at my door this morning. thanks for your gentle caring hands dude. not.

and in true fashion my girls ripped the parcel apart before i had a chance to blink.

and then i lost one in the toy bin. (thanks destructive daisy)...

they are Dane Reynolds Aloha hi-top vans.

but here we are. and i shall rock them around the house wearing my pj pants and Lars hoodies. don't be jealous at how amazing i must look.

light love.

we have one of our industrial lamps up.

this is a big deal people.

big.



there is another one to go up in the dining area still...but i shall celebrate this small accomplishment.
nearly two years of being light-less here.

so many photo's of it will ensue.

with a gorgeous model. (aka...a stubborn 1 year old that wasn't moving.)

Little D's thinking face. 

hrmmm....i wonder if i could do a triple back flip off this sucker?

such a goon

(oooh look a whole lotta crap under the side table. keeping it real peeps)

a bit of thursday morning table dancing? ... don't mind if i do.

okay. a pic where the light is actually in the frame.

alright alright alriiight.

still have that gapping space on the wall.

keep watching it maybe something will happen.

or not.

zee light.

...oh look. old stripey sloth pillow just hangin. chillin. maxin. relaxin.

in other non-light related news. i am attending the Porirua Expo on the 4th May to sell my wares. and by wares i mean paintings and hopefully prints of those paintings. 

it's gonna be good good time. and soooo much going on for the kiddos. and free. and the last weekend of the school holidays. ah yes please.

here is one of those pretties.

also so happy that in this wee country girls can marry boys, boys can marry girls, girls can marry girls and boys can marry boys. 

happy days. X

this too...

one of those weeks people.
one of those emotionally draining, kick in the teeth, sticky-hot, moody children, hubby's first week at new job with long hours, baby night waking weeks.
that feels like it. just. won't. let .up.


honestly. i have been moping. letting the blues take over. pity party for one.

so i gave myself a great big metaphorical (because...if only was that flexible!) kick in the arse.

because. this is my job. no one else is going to do it.

THIS TOO SHALL PASS.

not only the shitty times. the times where i want for children to reach an age that is easier (hahahaha...no such thing)
but pass will these precious moments.
moments that amongst all the fog we miss.

here's trouble.
playing with Indie's french knitting.

i love Daisy's evil, head throwing back laugh.

muuwahahahaaaa.

such  concentration  little one.

and one more time .

cue evil laugh

the old boys retirement.

ha! bet you thought i was talking about the Lars then.

he's still got a few good years in him.

i have taken upon myself to lug the (9 ft 6...i think) atlas woods surf board down and out of the garage.
we have had dreams of restoring it back to it's natural glory (after some smart soul sprayed it with orange car paint to match their mates mark one cortina. it was the 90's. ahem.)

anyhoo. to restore him back it would cost a bazillion dollars.
and i quite dig the fanta-ry orange.
and the not so charming story behind the ownership...won't go there. may be incriminating to a certain someone.

so a decoration he shall be.
a very handsome one at that.

a cosy wee set up going on in the living room (with another two seater couch facing this one.
couch is about 7 years old from harvey norman. certainly survived the test of time with three little kiddos.
owl cushion free with a 'your home and garden mag'...my monthly vice.
teal felt cushion from my mum.
crochet nana blanket from the op shop.
shoe basket hand-me-down from my mum, as is the coffee table covered in cookbooks.

so now it's time to source some funky artwork for that massive blank space.
will fill you in when i do.

i'm think 4 white frames with some colourful somethings in them. hung in 2X2.
or maybe some record covers.