the family that dresses up together...

...stays together.
because no one else will want to stand beside you.

we had a 5 year olds M party this morning. (Happy Birthday sweet Maddi :)

we weren't sure whether we would we be making it with little D feeling less than chipper this week.
but we rallied together this morning and got our outfits sorted.
(with a quick run to a friends house by the Lars to get a certain bossy-i-need-to-be-a-mermaid-or-else's tail...)

it was such a fun party at a park. so glad we got out and about.

so here is our mermaid...(the tiara was added later as a last minute addition...obviously Indie has never heard of Coco Chanel's mantra...)

and then we had the MUMMY... lordie i love this kid.

Once upon a time...there was a mechanic and a mouse.
he even smelt like a mechanic. so pleasant.

this wee mouse is slowly on the mend. she loved having the ears on though.

and i bet you are wondering what yours truely dressed up as...

minnie mouse?

a man?

m..m.mmmm an m&m?

oh no.

A MICROWAVE!

i am so cool sometimes. i bet my daughters are going to love being in public with me in a few years.

colour popping the old side table.

so the Lars and i bought this side table 5 or so years ago from a second hand store.
and ever since we have had it i stared at the orangey varnished wood and mentally painted it in my mind.

i haven't got a before picture... but this is the during.

this is in the garage...not my house...although my carpet does some what resemble this after a  few weeks of school holidays.

so with a bit of sanding...well a lot because the varnished that sucker good...and a slap of the brightest paint in the paint shop, we have this POP of colour.

oh yes 2013 you are full of YES. and this is pretty much true to colour...i have a good man who lets me indulge in crazy colour everywhere.
one day i'll get a photo to fill that green frame...one day.
a wooden puzzle, lamp (known as the onion lamp) wooden numbers and old milk bottles that usually have flowers in them...oh and that wee rock by the frame is a painted snail by Indie. cute.

and underneath.
a bag full of nappies and wipes for daisy, a letterbox that is supposed to be gracing the front gate instead of 'manky antville' letterbox that resides there now.
also a blanket and another bag of blocks.
and a rouge red block underneath...story of my life.

i find all sorts poked in that letterbox. from toys to cameras to bikkies...yum.

i also changed up the handles. i grabbed these ones from bunnings for 5 bucks each. i wasn't too sure but they were the right price and the only ones that didn't look like they belonged in 1990's nana house.

but i put them on and i quite dig them.

tadaaa! that zebra painting is still going strong. i did it in 2007 and it's the only painting i still love.

now i am looking around for my next victim/project.
have you indulged in a little d.i.y these holidays?

DIY flour tortillas...

i have been wanting to have a crack at these flour tortillas for a while now. and they are super easy.
i used the Annabel recipe from her new book.
delish!

what you will need:

3 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup neutral oil
1 cup very hot water.

place flour.salt. baking powder in a bowl and add water and hot water.
mix to combine and knead for 3 minutes.
the dough should be soft enough to roll easily.

first you make the dough and leave it to rest for 15 minutes.

i divided it into 16 balls to roll out.

then you roll roll roll your flatbreads...gentle down the stream. or just in your kitchen. which ever you prefer.

mine weren't perfectly round...but i like things a bit rustic.

you cook them on one side for about 1 minute until they get all bubbly.

then...you guessed it you flip and do the other side!

at the same time i was cooking up some thai-pork-balls. 

(excuse my oven...it's a but rustic at the moment too...)

and wrap away! i put out grated carrot and cheese and sliced cucumber with the pork balls. with an avocado and garlic dressing (which was all i had in the fridge but it was good)

now when we have build-your-own meals this always happens...

such a happy wee tortilla.

they were a hit with the critics.

which makes for a happy camper.

beach and the blues.

what a great year it has been so far. you know... all five days of it.

yesterday we had a wee trip to himatangi beach with my parents (the mama and the papa), and hung out with one BILLION blue bottles.
(managed to find a wee space that hadn't been invaded for some good sand castle diggin'.)

Daisy is in love with the beach...and had a huge sleep in the salt air. bless her.

and then today we ventured out pohangina valley to Kim's, a friend from my former life's house. (back before kids when i worked in a restaurant)

it was an awesome morning, i was going to take the kiddos out by myself, but Lars decided he wanted to tag along which added to the sweetness.

we visited the the pick-your-own blueberries and have a wicked stash in our freezer...hello antioxidants! 

the girls were great wee foragers! 

 a bit of a selfie for ya'll...to show off my new sunnies. i picked them up at the checkout of the super market and they are the comfiest sunnies EVER. i love surprise wins.

and the cost 20 buckeroos. yes.

Kim also has some friendly animals (apart from old grumpy cat ;) that live at her place.

one was this cow. who's tongue wrapped right around my arm when i attempted to feed her an apple.

Indie was far braver than i! 

oh this year is going to be a goodun'

i can feel it in my nuggets...:)

word up!

a whole 365 days of possibility lies ahead...well 364 because i spent the 1st January eating cheese and crackers.
the year just past i look back and feel as though i accomplished...well...not so much. but really it was a year of survival, and i feel okay letting myself have that. i needed to put everything i had into my family. and honestly it was hard, and very tiring and overwhelming. looking back it was totally worth it.
my word for last year i chose was possibility. but i think the universe had a different word for me. 'family' 'survival' ...or possibly 'hermit'. ha.

this year however.
my word shall be BRAVE.

not in a Bear Grylls kind of way.
bravery in a feeling the fear of finding 'myself' after having kids kind of way. sounds all very fluffy i know but there is a comforting blanket of being a mother. i guess because the focus is not really on me...it's on children. (look at the pretty pretty children!)
where as stepping out (particularly in a arty/business sense) it's all me. and that makes me feel vulnerable.
so i need my warpaint on.
be brave.

three bed-headed excited wee gals.

(Honor's face still cracks me up...Indie woke her up to see the pressies, Honor sooo doesn't do mornings.)

Wishing you all an amazing, fulfilling new year.

do you have word to guide you through?

*insert Homer Simpson drool here*

i made doughnuts...or donuts...how are we supposed to spell it ?
whatever.
i made them...baked doughnuts. deep-fryer-free doughnuts.
so proud.
i myself am not a fan of the nut of dough...but my kids are obsessed. everytime i head to the supermarket there is a request for them. and at 4-5 bucks a pop for 13 itty-bitty things i wasn't so keen.
seriously. scrooge mum came into play.

i have had this tray hanging around for a while now in my baking cupboard and decided to give it a whirl.
so i'm not too sure where you buy them...but i'd say they would be easy to find.

this is what the tin in question looks like...i don't trust non-stick things so i greased it up real good!

this wee gem was brushed with butter and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar...

and then devoured by this wee gem..

ha!

the recipe for baked doughnuts

makes about 12 of these bad-boys.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp melted butter

mix all together in a bowl...and i found it easier to spoon into a plastic bag and 'pipe' into the doughnut molds.

oven pre-heated to 200 bake.
8-10 mins

and voila!

and the possibilities are endless for toppings...

the oldest noise-maker and I made choccy iced ones today (she was home from school recovering from a nasty bug...and chocolate aids in this process apparently)

(i can't stand melted chocolate...i can only eat it when it's hard...strange the things you find out about yourself as you grow up )

oh. and there were sprinkles.

so glad you are on the mend little Larsen. we missed your cheeky face.

martha eat ya heart out!

it's craft of the week tiiiiime...
who am i kidding...more like craft of the year at the rate i can go.
i have to say i always feel pretty chuffed with myself when i finish something creative. especially when it's not on deadline for somebody else...deadlines stress me.
pretty sure my brain is 99% right brain...with the 1% left being my ability to guess ETA's on road trips. its a skill.

i digress.

my project.

i had this choice lamp base...with a respectable off-white shade. that then found it's home in a 3 year old with a pack of crayons room.
delightful.
needless to say the shade was now every shade of the rainbow. on one side.

it sat dormant for a year or two...until i had a sudden rush of craftism yesterday.

i had some gorgeous fabric i brought before little D was born.  (obviously i forgot how much time babies take up...)

so with some scissors and amazing knot tying ability i created this beauty.

the peachy fabric gives a lovely soft glow.
just peachy.

and  LOOK...Daisy's chair finally made it into her room. it is perfect for those midnight cuddles.

and while i have my crafty pants on...

i also created this wee wall display. planning on adding to it but have no idea what just yet.

the little bird was $1 from the second shop and the frame is one from an old canvas i ripped apart. i though about painting it but i quite like the raw wood. 

so that's my creative buzz from the weekend. long may it stick around.