Archive of ‘Made Me Smile’ category

Made Me Smile…running late

Hi All!

So I am often running late in life and this post is no exception. I’m sure you were absolutely devastated that I didn’t post this yesterday (! ;)) but I thought Tuesday would do. Looking after my 2 youngest brothers and the animals whilst my Dad and Step-Mum are in New York has been tiring and taken over most aspects of my life including blogging and makeup (which I haven’t touched all week, oops). Here was last week in smiles :)

Edd and Tilly napping after a long tiring day. What a pair of cuties.

Mid-week I got my SampleBar box which was a lovely addition to my day and I was rather pleased with the contents which you can read all about right here.

This is Flick and Tilly and they don’t share much love so this rare moment of happy eating had to captured as photographic proof that food is pretty awesome for bringing people together.

Saturday Night Edd and I went with his family to see the Mary Poppins stage musical in Auckland as a birthday present for his Mum. It was pretty incredible and I was smiling for almost every minute. Definitely recommend to everyone as we all enjoyed it immensely.

Seeing Callie clean her face like this makes me smile/giggle uncontrollably. Seriously, it’s kind of a problem especially in the middle of the night when Callie does this and I can’t help but giggle. Needless to say Edd wakes up pretty confused. I thought I would stop eventually but I have come to accept my brain just literally cannot accept all the cuteness. P.s. I miss Callie and can’t wait to go home to her at the end of this week :)

Amazing clouds in the sky captured mid-evening at a School art exhibition the boys and I trooped along to. Mr 5 was stoked at being able to play on the school playground at 7.30 pm instead of having to get ready for bed and was exhausted the next day haha.

Doggy Kisses. Need I say more?

Other things that made me smile this week: Passing every course for last semester with another strong A- average which I was pretty content to finish on. Soy chai lattes which are incredibly delicious despite me refusing to drink soy milk as a child. Cupcake day at School. Mr 5 being the best swimmer in his swimming class (I felt so proud I could have burst!). Dog walks in the hot sun that means it is almost summer. Making small but steady progress on Wedding planning.

Hope everyone enjoyed their week :)

xxx

Made Me Smile: Tea and other things

 

Hi All!

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend where-ever in the world you may be. Here are the things from the last week (or a small collection of them) that made me smile :)

Monday was my last exam (Hurrah!) so now I am officially unemployed for the first time in my life (sidenote-awkward…) however to celebrate (and because I am lazy) Edd and I got amazing takeaways from a Kiwi burger/fish and chips joint in Kingsland that do amazing food! As per the photo we also splurged on some Rekorderlig cider which I hadn’t tried and was DESPERATE to. These were the two flavors recommended via Twitter and they were right on. These are amazing and unlike any cider I have tried (I LOVE cider!). Slow to the party as always haha.

For me the lack of exams essentially means more time for coffees (or chai lattes in this case) and reading! Gone are the 4 years of textbooks and lecture notes that made me feel guilty when I picked up anything half interesting. I may be unemployed but at least I can read fiction guilt-free. Its the small things right :P? On a side note this book is amazing so far and I also have a post planned with my recent reads which some of you may find dead boring but I hope at least one internet soul finds slightly interesting :-/

Went to visit Edd’s rather lovely family this week, one of whom is Tilly the lovely old kitty who Edd misses quite a lot (though he would never admit it). I really am very lucky with my future in-laws! (the people…not just the pets…)

Saturday…Ugh Saturday where to begin. AMAZING day (all concentrated into a couple of hours mind you) with a wonderful friend who took me to her local tea cafe where we chose from the WALL of teas. I was seriously in tea-lovers heaven.

In the end we chose Caramel and Cream Rooibos tea (I’m pretty sure I spelt that wrong whoops) and it tasted like a tea version of Werthers Originals. Delicious.

Did I mention I also got pancakes? Not enough maple syrup (I mean is there ever really enough?) but hit my sweet spot for sure. If you live near Milford check this Tea place out…Sorry I can’t be more specific than that haha, useful right? It has tea in the name?

The other major thing that occurred this weekend was Edd and I taking over My dad’s house with Kids and Animals included (YAY) for two weeks whilst Dad and my Step Mum are living it up in New York. Meet Tilly. (p.s. Children are tiring).

And how could I leave a week in smiles without this familiar face? Edd is keeping her company for several nights this week and I pop in every now and again to make sure she knows we still love her. Baby.

Xx

Made Me Smile

Hi all!

So today was my final exam for my undergraduate BA/BSc degrees and it all feels kind of strange haha. But anyway, here is my past week in the things that made me smile.

So last Monday was the day of the worst exam of the year (which I hopefully still passed) so to recover on Tuesday I retreated to Waiuku (in the country down South of Auckland) where my mum, nana and 3 amazing siblings live along with a plethora of animals. Here are the bunnies and ducks :) A great day full of opshopping, chats over teas and coffee and being with people who have supported me over the past 4 years. I’m a very lucky person.

One of the large nmr of photos I took of Callie during her photoshoot on the car in the middle of the week. This girl can pull some pretty awesome faces.

Also this week we had new neighbours move in above us in the house we live  in which is subdivided into two flats. I was keen to scope them out as well as make them feel welcome so baked some of my normal, fail safe chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream on some and a new icing of peanut butter and cream cheese on the others. Both flavours were incredible and I’m not sure which is my favorite. Either way they both went down well and luckily there were a few left overs for Edd and I to munch on!

I was lucky enough to be bought an early Christmas present from the lovely Mr when I was totally sucked into buying some of the amazing mineral dead sea products from the mall. Although sceptical at first, after trying them out in store I was convinced. Since using them at home I LOVE the nail kit, the buffer works incredibly well and has a lifetime warranty so if it craps out I can get a new one yay! The body scrub and butter are divine as well and much needed for my poor dry skin. Made me very happy indeed.

Ok that same shopping trip as mentioned above Edd and I spotted this Fox mug at Starbucks and I was over the moon! Edd who understands my crazy love for foxes and annoyance that in NZ there is so little fox stuff so he bought it for me right away. It is now my official tea mug and spends every afternoon at my side. I love it. Possibly unhealthily so…

Mail is something that always makes me smile (when it doesn’t contain bills or loan statements of my hideous student loan) and this week I received my big order from MUA over in the UK. Boy was I like a kid at Christmas. Haul post coming up very very soon but here is a photo I snapped of one of my favorites – their lipstick in shade #1 which they sell for a grand total of 1 pound. Yup.

On Saturday Edd and I took my Grandma who is at a resthome due to her Alzheimers out for some delicious lunch at a restaurant called Elevation situated in the top of the Waitakeres in West Auckland. The food was great but my goodness that view! It was stunning. NZ is a blessing in its lush landscapes and blue skies and Saturday reminded me why I love it here.

Ill leave you with another stunning photo from the deck where we ate lunch. Seriously, if you are anywhere in Auckland make the time to take a trip up here and head on over to Piha while you’re at it! What a magnificent view.

Hope all had a beautiful weekend :)

Xx

Made Me Smile

 

Hi All,

So putting up this post was a bit of a challenge and I wasn’t planning on doing it at all but figured I would push through and throw up a few snapshots from this week.  Had an exam this afternoon that didn’t go very well at all. Most likely passed but was a generally unpleasant experience. Totally my fault and so I felt like crap all evening haha. Anyway, after some pizza and reassuring words/cuddles from Edd I feel a bit better. Anyway….here’s my week in smiles :)

So first up this week I ventured into the world of self-saucing puddings with this Ginger and Toffee self-saucing pudd. I have never thought these would work very well (at least not with my skill set) however after a twitterer tweeted she had succeeded and passed on the recipe to me which seemed unrealistically easy I figured what the heck? Plus, it was an excuse to stop studying for twenty minutes! This isn’t hugely attractive, I know, but trust me the taste was incredible!!! Very gingery so beware if you don’t want a ginger slap in the face but I loved it. Will definitely be made again although I may attempt a chocolate pudding first.

Sleepy morning sleep-ins with Callie. Need I say more?

So I was supposed to make some dinner but got carried away with photos with my October favorites so Edd took over and made this amazing butter chicken curry (with peas cause I need my frozen veggies!). The most Indian restaurant quality curry we’ve made at home. Thanks Edd!! Nomnom!

Wednesday night was Halloween of course and Edd and I went to Spookers (a haunted attraction type of thing) along with our old flatmate and a couple of her friends. It was terrifying and my throat was sore from screaming so much but definitely an adrenaline filled fun night. Here is the only photo of moi with one of the lovely dudes wandering around the grounds of the old mental institution. He was pretty friendly but the worms in his nose were a little off putting.

Sunday with my lovely brothers involved a school gala! I seriously love school galas. Seriously. This was Mr 5’s favorite thing, a giant blow up obstacle course. His little legs powered through this like nobodies business!

My favorite thing at the Gala was this rainbow slushy. How old am I again?

Aaand I’ll leave you with a kitty shot from Miss Flick (dad’s cat) in all her glorious sleepiness. She’s much more vicious when awake…

xx

 

Made Me Smile

Hi All,

I hope everyone has had a great week. Today I had my second exam (out of 5) and I have another one tomorrow so this post is a 5 minute throw up and hope I don’t make too many spelling mistakes haha (I seem to do those a lot lately). Here are some of the highlights of my slightly boring week of exams and study.

This amazing bunch of goodies was kindly bought for my by my mum! She went to some big sale while I studied my wee behind off and managed to choose products that I totally would have chosen for myself. She knows me so well (especially when it comes to nail polish). I also have a review for the mascara coming up in a wee while as I love trying new ones out.

This week was the week of birthdays with Mr 4 turning into Mr 5 and Dad also celebrating his birthday! These little tarts were my baking gift for dad. Having never ventured into the world of tarts before this was an interesting experience but I was actually really happy with how they turned out. Chocolate orange on the top and lemon curd below. Both rather scrumptious.

A huge highlight of this week was Callie getting her crazy, annoying Elizabethan collar removed along with the stitches on her tail (or rather what’s left of it…awkward). She has been so much happier and more like her crazy self since, as exemplified with this blurry shot of her helping herself to a treat.

Okay so I am not an Outfit of the day kind of person (I generally don’t buy many clothes as a poor student and wear jeans and a top of some description most days) but on Sunday it was birthday party time for Mr 5 and I couldn’t help but snap a photo of this dress as it is definitely one of my favorites!

Mr 5’s birthday party was held at Kelly Tarlton’s, the main aquarium here in Auckland.It turned out to be heaps of fun despite having 12 crazy 4/5 years olds running around high on sugar. The penguins were my absolute favorite  along with the big stingrays as pictured below which for some reason just seem like giant puppy dogs of the sea.

So there’s my week in smiles! Wish me luck in my exam tomorrow :)

Xx

Made Me Smile

So last week was the end of my lectures for my last undergraduate semester. Pretty exciting but a bit of an anti-climax to be honest, especially with the looming exams starting this Saturday (yup, even my weekends are victim to the hell that is my 5 exams). I can’t wait for exams to be over. I have so many posts I want to write but am lacking so much time at the moment and these 5 minute posts seem to be all I can muster :(

Regardless, here are the few small things that kept me smiling all week.

By now I am sure you aren’t surprised to see tea high on my list of weekly highlights. This is a new favorite and I have been completely in love with the sumptuous taste of this ceylon tea. It smells like Turkish delight and  tastes even better. A big pot of this each night has made the study seem a bit sweeter.

To celebrate the end of lectures I made some chocolate cupcakes with my first ever attempt at chocolate buttercream (I know, but I’m pretty new to this cupcake stuff). These were amazing and probably my favorite cupcakes (me-made) so far.

Thursday I received my first ever Sample Bar box. You can read all about it right here! This definitely made a nice break from a week full of Uni and getting something in the mail other than bills is always a true delight!

I dunno where this image comes from but during the week a lovely lady, Mish, sent an email to me with this and some rather fitting (adapted) Police lyrics. This made me giggle in a room full of silent students, studying away, and so I thought it definitely deserved a mention. Owls are pretty awesome (not as great as foxes though).

As usual I arrive late to every great party and these Arizona Tea drinks are amazing!!! Again, Mish told me all about these weeks ago and I was like “oh cool” and that was it. On my last day at Uni I saw them at the Munchie Mart (our awesome Uni dairy thing) and grabbed the most appealing. All in all, the nicest tea drink I’ve tried. Also, the bottles are so gorgeous that I can hardly bear to throw them out. Go get some!

Saturday involved Edd and I indulging in our new favorite treat. Eggs Benedict at St Lukes. Seriously amazing. I almost wish I didn’t enjoy them so much. My wallet would definitely thank me.

Lastly, Sunday saw me baking away with Mr 4 and Mr 10 (banana muffins at the request of Mr 4). This photo captures how Mr 4 is for the majority of our baking time and explains why my post-baking clean up can take quite  a while. He just finds it very exciting 😛 Mr 10 on the other hand takes baking (like all things) very seriously and so coping with a crazy 4 yr old can sometimes be a struggle. Its always a fun experience though :)

Here’s the more peaceful image I posted on Instagram. A rare moment of cooperation and tranquility. Don’t worry, this didn’t last long.

Hope you are all having a lovely week! Time to get back to studying (yay…)

Xx

Made Me Smile…Kinda

Hi All!

So this week has mainly consisted of vet trips, vet bills, angry kitty, annoying kitty, sad kitty, keeps me up at night kitty and so on with a not so small side of assignments. You get the picture. The bad news was that Monday night Callie had to go to the vets and she had her tail amputated Tuesday. The good news is that she can start healing (with one of those ridiculously annoying collars around her neck) and getting back to normal. Not my most favorite week. Here are the highlights :)

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Made Me Smile

Hi All!

Hope everyone had a fantastic week! Mine was up and down with a couple of tough assignments and more to come this week but I also found out that I did quite well on an assignment I thought I might fail and that I got top marks in one of my art history courses last semester yay! So here’s what made me smile this week

Callie took a liking to a shoe box this week! Had so many giggles because she only just fits in there with her head hanging out. Cat’s choose the weirdest places

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