Young Me - Now Me

If I had more time and enthusiasm, I'd totally be playing Young Me - Now Me.

(via Hyena in Petticoats).

I get 0/10 for marketing nouse.

Crikey, I'm such a fool sometimes. I should have been pimping my garage sale on this blog.

Oh well. Next time I move to the other end of the country, I'll be sure to talk up the resulting garage sale well in advance.

Saturday really felt like the first day of winter in Wellington. There was rain and biting cold winds that pushed the clouds quickly overhead. It wasn't ideal garage sale weather...

We started taking stuff outside at about 7.30am, and started bringing it all back it at about 7.45am when the rain came tumbling down. Eventually we figured the best thing was to shove everything in my sewing room and put up a notice on the fence telling everyone to pop around the back for the sale.

A surprising number of people showed up and we made enough money to cover our airfares down south. We also got rid of a whole lot of stuff that we would have had to pay to shift, so it feels like we've won twice.

There's still a pile of good books material and baby gear so I'm thinking we should try again this coming weekend, and just hope for better weather. Jules thinks differently... I'll keep working on him!

The cupcakes I made were a real hit. Unfortunately there were about 10 left over. I resisted for a very long time. A very, very long time. But they were too alluring. I devoured 5 for breakfast this morning and still haven't come down from the food colouring hit.

I used a cupcake recipe I found over at Hop Skip Jump - I really recommend you try it too.

2 tablespoons butter
0.75 cups caster sugar
2 eggs
1.5 cups self raising flour
0.5 cups milk

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add sifted flour and milk alternatively. Beat into a nice fine batter consistency, adding a few drops of vanilla extract. Bake in cupcake cases for about 10 minutes at 175 deg. C. Ice or fill with whipped cream when cold.

Buuuuuuuut, we all know that cupcakes are just a conduit to get icing to our mouths, so here is the AMAZING recipe I found in the depths of the net and just can't recommend highly enough:

5 oz (150g) softened butter (I use unsalted)
8 oz (250g) confectioners (icing) sugar
1 tsp vanilla (I use pure vanilla extract - the great taste makes the price forgettable)
2 tbsp hot water
Few drops of food colouring too if you fancy it

Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric beater. Once well combined, add the vanilla, water and food colouring (if you're using it). Beat until smooth and creamy.

Happiness is a cupcake with canary yellow icing

I made cupcakes for our garage sale today (and they sold well; note for next time), and this is the very special cupcake that had Jules's name on it.

I confuse me too

Am I engaged? No.

Even thinking of getting married? Nah.

Do I have thousands of dollars to spend on a ring? No sir-ee.

Can I stop looking at this website? Nope.

Remy and Sidney: how one dog was too good natured for his own good

 

On our holiday down south Remy and Sidney, the farm dog, fell totally in love with each other. Remy would pull Sidney's lips up almost over his eyes, yank his ears, chew his fur, and Sidney would give him a goofy look as if to say 'I don't know what you are or why you're doing this, but I want more'.

 

30 is a bunch of roses

 

I got back to Wellington on my birthday. My 30th to be exact. Yesterday I was filling out a survey and, at the end, they asked me to tick the age bracket I belonged to. Sweet jesus it took some effort to tear myself away from 25-29 and into 30-34.

I also had a most alarming dream about needing botox because, like the doctor in the dream explained, that's what I have to do now I'm 30. Blerdy botox won't be visiting these shores anytime soon.

My darling, darling boy Jules invited friends around for a spot of afternoon tea and bubbles and it was dandy. I was in bed by 8.30. Obviously all the excitement was just a bit too much.

Remy and my holiday down south was good fun once again. There was lots of sleeping and eating and a little thrifting. I picked up an amazing Liberty print shirt dress with a gored skirt and a self-fabric belt. I also scored myself a wee something that still makes my heart race when I see it - a full-length, dark chocolate coloured leather jacket, circa 1940 in mint condition for $10. Yep, 10 bucks. As you'd expect of the 40s, it has the most wonderful shaping at the waist, and lovely panels at the back that make the whole jacket fit perfectly. Ahhhh, so good.

Parenthetically, I'm watching The Way We Were (you know, Barbara Striesand and Robert Redford, oh and that song "MEMORIES, lalaLAlalalalala, something something something, of the way we were") and while the story so far isn't grabbing me, those frocks are. So pretty.

In no time at all we'll be living in South Canterbury. The list of things I have to do and the people I want to see before we go is so long that my nerves are getting jangled. I'm not quite sure why, but I find it too hard to write about the move. Maybe I'll just stay quiet about it for a while, just until I'm more comfortable writing about it.

I'm baaaAAAAAaaack!

Hullo fullas! I'm back in Wellington and I'm back online. I'm ALIVE again.

Having said that, I'm just popping in for a moment. We're moving in just a couple of weeks and there is so much to do. You know, blah, blah, blah.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll post about our time down south and the upcoming move.