Nutella Brownies!

So, I found this recipe for Nutella Brownies online, and - I have some Nutella to use up! Perfect! 

The best helper! Modeling with the Nutella! 

Super stirrer! Loves to help Mommy and Gramma bake! 

Loving it! Model pose! {or possibly, mom, quit taking photos of me!}

Before it went into the oven - look at all that chocolate yumminess! 

Yummy!! Tracy - these are coming your way tomorrow!! Hope you love chocolate!! ;) 

Joining in with Fun with Food!

♥ Exploring: Bridge to Nowhere...

I ♥ exploring beautiful New Zealand, and the Bridge to Nowhere had been on my 'Bucket List' for quite some time. 

So, when the Mr came home and said his work Christmas-do was headed there - WE WERE IN. 

(He wasn't as enthused, originally. But LOVED it in the end.)

The Bridge to Nowhere History is quite fascinating - This simple concrete bridge symbolises a failed attempt at back country pioneering by a community of returned World War 1 servicemen and their families.

 Can you imagine trying to FARM this?!?! 

The land in Whanganui National Park is very remote, hilly and WILD. And incredibly gorgeous. 

We arrived in Pipiriki, after a very long, and winding trip to get there, and went via jetboat to the Bridge to Nowhere landing. You can also canoe or kayak - and we did see plenty of people enjoying the river this way as well.  

Here we go! (It's actually a very easy walk to the bridge from the river.) 

Start of our hike! 

After we visited the Bridge to Nowhere, we went via jetboat to the lodge for a yummy dinner. 

Want to stay here for a holiday? Check it out - Lodge & Tours. Awesome place, great atmosphere  yummy food and amazing views! (No, I am not paid, just really enjoyed it!)

Mr Ed enjoying the view and a cold one... 

Have you been on a jetboat? Because, you should. Such good fun!! 

Things I'm Loving: Wellington Zoo!

Linking in with Meghan!

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for..no matter how simple it is.

Last weekend, we loaded up the SUV and were off to the Wellington Zoo!

Poor Gma was squished in the back with Miss G and Cousin K! :)
Miss G was getting a bit sleepy, but caught her 2nd wind when we got to the zoo!!

Loving all of the animals, the perfect weather and great company! What a fun day!! Miss G absolutely adored the small monkeys! She was just laughing at them playing and running around in their area. {Not a fan of the bigger animals. Esp the 'naughty monkeys'.} 

Taught Miss G how to say, "Lions, and Tigers, and Bears... Oh My!" So, guess what we've been hearing lately... Too funny though! 

Cousin K enjoyed seeing all of the animals up close as well - it's just so fun seeing the look of delight on the girls faces! 

Wellington Zoo is such a great zoo for families - you can bring in your picnic lunch and just have a very fun couple hours!

We will definitely visit again! :)

{Obviously, I found this quite funny!}

Loving: Happy Birthday Miss G!! {And Mr Ed!}

Linking in with Meghan for this weeks Things I'm Loving! 

This weekend, we celebrated the lovely Miss G's 2nd and the lovely Cousin K's 1st birthdays, with a very fun friends and family BBQ. 

{And, of course we acknowledged Mr Ed's birthday as well, as he shares the day with Miss G!} 

My gorgeous 2-year old! 

Cousin K is ONE! 

On the menu was a combination of American foods - sloppy joes, potato salad and some Kiwi favorites - sausages and fairy bread!

I don't think we could have asked for a better day, it was pretty fabulous!

Things I'm Loving: Christmas!

"I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for..no matter how simple it is."

Linking up with Meghan - check out what others are loving this holiday season! 

Me, Mr Ed and Miss G on Christmas afternoon. (We are all hot!)

I'm loving we spent Christmas with good friends! It was 31 degrees (88F) and 85% humidity here in the Manawatu. Yikes! But, it was an awesome day to spend with friends. The kids spent a good portion of the day in the pool. Even Santa visited! Miss G was definitely NOT keen on him... 

Loving the HOT Christmas with friends! 

The girls! 

Trouble! Miss S and Miss G cruising around the yard! 

Auntie Abbey taught Miss G how to go down head first - she was so INTO that!

I'm loving the fun-filled Saturday we had with my sister and her family just before they went up to Northland for the holidays (lucky!). The cousins love to get together! We even SKYPED with Gma and Gpa in the USA! 

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! 

Look what Santa brought me!?!? 

Boxing Day - what is it?

Today is Boxing Day in New Zealand - what is that? Well, let's find out!

As an expat American, living in New Zealand, this holiday baffled me - what is it really all about?

According to Wikipedia, Boxing Day is traditionally the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts from their superiors.

Here in New Zealand, Boxing Day means for many people -SALES and Boxing Day races!

So, hopefully that semi-answers my American friends and families questions! :)

Did we do either? Well, no... The Mr went fishing this morning, Miss G had a sleep in, and I enjoyed some yummy coffee while reading my next book...

Then we all enjoyed some time in the much loved pool - Miss G had a BLAST!

And, we are ending this HOT (29C/84F) and HUMID (87%) day with a lovely BBQ. Gotta love summer Christmas! :)

Book Club: The Blind Assassin

For December's MRS READALOT'S BOOK CLUB - I am reviewing The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.

I'm going to be honest, it was super hard for me to get into this book. But, once I was, I could hardly put the book down (much to Mr Ed's annoyance)... I was drawn into Iris' and Laura's lives - the book moving between segments of their lives - and back into 'present day'. It was very exciting and extremely captivating. I would definitely add this to your 'to read list' - and read it now!! ;)

Further description of the book:

The Blind Assassin opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader expects to settle into Laura's story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a-novel. Entitled The Blind Assassin, it is a science fiction story told by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. When we return to Iris, it is through a 1947 newspaper article announcing the discovery of a sailboat carrying the dead body of her husband, a distinguished industrialist. Brilliantly weaving together such seemingly disparate elements, Atwood creates a world of astonishing vision and unforgettable impact.

Grab the link - and join on in! Review The Blind Assassin - or join in with a book you love! :)



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Things I'm LOVING

Well, I am *nearly* finished with nursing school for the year - I am going out on my community placement on Monday for 6 weeks, of 40 hours/week. Really looking forward to it, it should be quite good fun! I was meant to go out last week, but my placement was unexpectedly canceled, and thankfully my lecturer found me another one. It is in a neighboring town, but should be quite fun and a good experience nonetheless...

So, Miss G and I have had THREE weeks together! Talk about fun times - we've been getting into all sorts of mischief and fun! Riding bikes with her little mouse, playing beauty parlor with mom, changing tires with dad, photo shoots and well, then I found her with her bike on the bed! She was getting ready to jump it off... Needless to say, bike is an outside only toy now...

Linking up with Megan for Things I'm Loving - head over and see what others are loving as well. :)

Dandy Handy

How cute is this? Seriously. Such a good 'helper' for daddy! And, she's fully into the grease and definitely not afraid to get dirty! She is definitely not a 'girly girl'!! Love it!

Book Club: Winter Rose

Linking up with Mrs Readalots Recent Reads...

(Want to join in? Click HERE for details!)

I have recently read The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. Actually, I just finished it today. It is the 2nd book in a 3-part triology - of The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose and The Wild Rose. It follows the story of the Finnegan family siblings - a poor family from East London who lost their parents and baby sister drastically, their individual rise to success, and the books detail each of the siblings finding true love.

The book really captivated me, and I really hated to put it down. The Winter Rose focused on the middle brother, Charlie, or Sid as he have become known - and how he finds, loses and finds his love again... The book brings you around the globe, and in such detail, that you feel as though you are there.

I would highly recommend this trilogy to anyone - it's such a captivating and delightful read. I find myself a bit sad that the story is now over... (I have already read 1 and 3...)

Good stuff and happy reading!

Things I'm Loving - early October!

I am totally loving the 2012 Capture Your Grief project for infant and pregnancy loss I am participating in memory of my Angel Degen. It is extremely difficult, emotionally draining, heartbreaking ... but so rewarding. Love. Take a peek up - and you will see my tab  that I am updating daily with photos. :)

Loving that little Miss G, Miss K, my friend Ner and I all went to the Polkadots concert together. It was so cute to watch the girls dance and really getting into it. Loved the excitement on their faces... So adorable!

Loving that my first essay in my nursing programme - FINAL year - came back with excellent marks. Woohoo!!

Loving that I have a forced break this weekend from school - as the server is being updated. Yipee- what kinds of mischief can we get into this weekend?? ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!! Linking up with Megan at...

Day 1 - Sunrise

Please follow me as I link in with CarlyMarie for the 2012 Capture Your Grief awareness project - I will be updating my page  - 2012 Capture Your Grief daily. xo

Things I'm LOVING - FIRST of June!

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for...no matter how simple it is. 

Linking up with Meghan for 'thing's I'm loving'...
I'm loving that my 2nd year of nursing school is nearly wrapped up... It also appears that I will have straight A's... WOOHOO!!! :) (waiting on 2x marks)
I'm loving this cute girl! 

I'm loving the cousin love between Miss G and Cousin K! 

I'm loving that Miss G and I are headed to the USA (and to summer!) to visit friends and family soon! Can't wait!!! :)

Thing I'm Loving - 4 May 2012

I'm loving that Palmy is such a generous city! The Child Cancer Foundation - Manawatu /Whanganui branch raised over $13,000 in one day with the Big Rigs! 

This is a fun day for kids - the CCF kids (either kids on chemo, or their siblings) ride into the city in a Big Rig to start the day. And, then for the remainder of the day, anyone can jump in for a lap in a big rig for a gold coin donation! Awesome day! 

Here are two videos from the day - Mr Ed was wonderful and donated his time to drive a truck all day for the cause - and huge thanks to the owner of the truck!  

All the rigs coming into town in convoy...

Giving rides - Mr Ed is around the 4-minute mark. 

Posing by the truck - Mr Ed, Miss G and Miss B! 

Linking up with Paisley Jade for Things I'm LOVING! 

Things I'm Loving - Mangahao-Makahika Track

Linking up with Paisley Jade for this week's edition of Things I'm Loving...

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.  

Plans changed a bit for us this Easter last minute and unfortunately we were no longer able to get away.  So we decided to turn it into an opportunity and had an amazing 'stay-cation' being tourists at home! 

I headed into ZING YOGA on Friday morning for a bit of re-energizing and re-aligning. Perfect. Love Nat. Anyone in the Palmy area - should definitely visit Nat for all of their yoga needs. Amazing. Miss G had a fun morning playing with her friend Sophie and Mr Ed was out with the boys for the day.

Saturday, we decided to get out into the bush and explore some more of the amazing country we live in! Tramping boots on and off we were! The Te Araroa Trail, The Long Pathway, is a 3,000 km trail stretching from Cape Reinga in the far north to Bluff at the bottom of the south island. We jumped on the trail just behind Shannon, and hiked 2 1/2 hours of the Mangahao-Makahika Track. Love. 

Miss G and Mr Ed all ready to go at the start of the track! 

A beautiful fantail followed us for the first few minutes. LOVE.

So adorable! 

Amazing scenery! 

Had to get a photo of Pixie and I! 

On the way back down! 

 It was a very fun day, and we decided not to take advantage of the beautiful scenery - we need to get out more! We aren't planning to be here for heaps longer, so really must check off some more of our 'must-see' list! So, hopefully we will find some more 'dog-friendly' tracks to explore in the next couple months! 

Loving the perfect days we've had to do so! 

Easter service started our Sunday -  fabulous church service - followed by a lovely lunch on George Street. We then took in the NZ Model Trucks display and enjoyed seeing all the hard work people put into their great models. Love. Easter dinner was quite festive for us - 2nd annual dinner with good friends. Awesome time with all the kids and friends. House was again packed, but it was lovely to spend together. 

Today [Monday] we got rolling mid-morning, and split another load of firewood. Our sheds are PACKED with wood - which we are loving. Must stay warm in the winter! 

So all and all, we had a fabulous stay-cation. Loving the weather, loving the meaning of the season, loving spending quality time with good mates and loving seeing some more of the countryside. 

Happy Easter everyone! xx