Poppins Book Nook- Books that were turned into Movies

Welcome to the June edition of Poppins Book Nook!

 This month's theme is Books That Were Turned Into Movies.

My boys have always had a story at bedtime, and currently we are working through the chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This was the perfect opportunity to watch the movie, based on J.K Rowling's wizarding world.

I set the table with a Hedwig centerpiece and a Basilisk.



The boys were excited to make their own Hedwigs from socks and pieces of felt. We used big googly eyes and the boys loved gluing everything together!



Dinner was owl inspired pizzas with a tortilla covered in spaghetti and cheese. I added ham wings and cucumber eyes, with a carrot beak.



I also made Butterbeer popcorn (recipe here) to eat as we watched the movie.



We had a great time watching Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, and talking about how the movie differed from what we had read in the book so far.

Click below to see how other members of Poppins Book Nook were inspired!

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - 3 Dinosaurs - ABC Creative Learning - As We Walk Along the Road - Brain Power Boy - Chestnut Grove Academy - Embracing Destiny - Every Bed of Roses - Farm Fresh Adventures - Growing in God's Grace - Kathys Cluttered Mind - My Bright Firefly - Peakle Pie - Preschool Powol Packets - Pray Species - SAHM I am - Stir The Wonder - Sunny Day Family - Sweet Silly Sara - Teach Beside Me - To the Moon and Back - Tots and Me - Tree Valley Academy - Witty Hoots

 Clip art by MelonHeadz.

An InLinkz Link-up

Spin the Pin- Tu-Tu Fun!

Today I am joining in with Jo at iCurvy and her fabulous Spin the Pin challenge!

The idea is to take style inspiration from a fellow fashionista's pinned outfit, and put our own twist the outfit.

I loved the animal print shoes and the tu-tu skirt, so here is my take....



I paired the skirt with a simple black top and added a cord jacket for added texture. The leopard print flats were definitely inspired by this pin, although I can't wear heels that high and so flats were my choice of footwear!

I paired this look with a simple gold necklace (gifted to me from the lovely Lauren!) and matched my lipstick to the skirt for a touch of glam.

This skirt is still in stock at Boohoo.com- and 25% off too!

Jacket: Sportsgirl, T-Shirt: Pagani (exact), Skirt: Boohoo (exact), Shoes: Number One Shoes (similar)

WCW Chilli Black Bean Pizza

I love quick and easy dinners, but sometimes it is hard to incorporate vegetables into family favourites. Today I am sharing with you a pizza that my whole family loves (shhh don't tell my boys it is healthy) and is a vegetarian style, filling alternative to our usual ham and cheese pizza. The other great thing is that the Delmaine beans are gluten free, so if you use a gluten free pizza base as well, you have a perfect dinner option for those who cannot eat gluten.

Chilli Black Bean Pizza
1 pizza base
1/2 can Delmaine Black Beans in Chilli Sauce
1/2 cup pizza sauce
generous handful fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 red capsicum, diced
1/2 cup grated cheese
125g light sour cream
1 fresh tomato, finely diced

On your pizza base, spread a thin layer of pizza sauce and then top with the black beans.



Top with the spinach, capsicum and cheese, then bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 15-20 minutes.



Cut into wedges and serve with diced fresh tomato and a dollop of sour cream on top.



A yummy, easy weeknight dinner that tastes fresh and fabulous! You can definitely add additional topings such as olives, mushrooms or guacamole, depending on what you have available.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Gift

Recently, I joined the Sisterhood of the Travelling Gift exchange- an idea formed for a gift swap between three lovely Australian ladies. They kindly opened it up to a few New Zealand ladies, and I got to send my parcel across the ditch.

I started off by investigating my sister's interests- teacups, chevron print and vintage items seemed to be high on her wishlist and so I decided to send a "Ray of Sunshine" package with these themes in mind.

Here are all the goodies I put together for her.



Lets have a closer look- first up I got these yellow tea towels with teacups printed on them.



I also made her a fabric ring.



A makeup bag always comes in handy.



And a custom vintage style print of a lady drinking tea!



And lastly, a pack of cute yellow chevron paper bags.



I wrapped it up and added some sun cut outs, as well as some gold polka dot washi tape and a card.



I made the card with the yellow chevron and sun theme, and added some more of the polka dot washi behind some of the words to tie it all together.



Off it goes to Australia- I hope my matched sister likes it!

WCW Banana Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream and Hokey Pokey Crumble

Today's creation is a bit of a mouthful- both to say and to eat!

My husband recently celebrated his birthday, and I wanted to come up with a spectacular cake that would look and taste amazing. I had a few bananas languishing in my fruit bowl (doesn't everyone?) and so it was only fair I make a banana cake. The idea evolved from there and I ended up with a creamy and delicious cake.

I you are not in New Zealand you may not be familiar with Hokey Pokey, so I have shared a step by step process below. If you are short on time you could top with a Crunchie or Honeycomb bar, but I love making hokey pokey and my boys love the science behind it!



Banana Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream and Hokey Pokey Crumble

For the cake
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups  mashed bananas
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a round cake tin.
Cream together sugar and butter then mix in sour cream and eggs. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla extract. Add the flour, salt and baking soda then mix well.
Pour batter into prepared tin, and bake in the middle rack of your oven for 35-40 minutes.

For the Brown Sugar Buttercream- original recipe from I Heart Eating
7 T. all-purpose flour
1 ¼ c. milk
1 ½ T. pure vanilla extract
1 ½ c. salted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ c. brown sugar, packed
Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it becomes thick.
Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract  and let it cool to room temperature.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy, then add the completely cooled milk mixture.
Beat for about 5 minutes until it looks like whipped cream.

For the Hokey Pokey
5 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda

Prepare a buttered glass baking dish.

Put sugar and golden syrup into a saucepan.



Heat gently, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.



Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Boil for two minutes. Stir occasionally, if necessary, to prevent burning. Remove from heat.

Add baking soda. Stir quickly until mixture froths up rapidly!



Pour into the buttered dish immediately.



Leave until cold and hard then place in a snaplock bag and crush with a rolling pin to form the crumble.



To create the cake, spread a thick layer of the buttercream on top of one cut circle and place the other circle on top.



Pipe remaining buttercream on the top of the cake using a star nozzle.



Sprinkle the Hokey pokey crumble over the top of the cake. You may want to do this just before serving as it does melt into the buttercream over time.



Slice and serve!



This cake was the perfect celebration cake, and a welcome change from a traditional chocolate birthday cake.



Even better, it still tasted great the next day!

Back To School Morning Routine Chart

I feel like I repeat myself at least five times every school morning, asking my son to do his jobs. I came up with the idea of creating a morning routine chart that would help him visualise his morning schedule, and also give him something tangible to use.

I started off by cutting a grid and some school morning related icons using my Cricut machine and the Chore Chart cartride. If you don't have a Cricut you can draw or cut out your own icons.



Then it was a matter of layering each image down the left hand side of the chart.



Once the images were layered and stuck down, I laminated the chart. This way, my son can tick off each colum for five days of the week. The last column will get a small sticker if he achieves the task for five days- and if each column has at least six stickers on each box at the end of the term he will earn a reward (of the Lego variety!). His jobs each morning are

• Have breakfast
• Get dressed
• Help to make lunch
• Brush teeth
• Pack backpack

As you can see, he has already gotten into the swing of things- this morning he still has to brush his teeth but he is on the right track to earning his Lego.



This simple chart has definitely made our mornings run more smoothly, and now Lucas knows what is expected of him. He is eager to tick the items off, and his attitude in the mornings has become a lot more helpful.

How do you motivate your children on school mornings? I would love to know!

Jeans for Genes

Today's post comes courtesy of the Sydney Fashion Hunter- read on to find out why I have banded with her and other bloggers to support Jeans for Genes!

Did you know that globally 1 in 20 kids are born with a birth defect or genetic disease? And that 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year? Or that retinal eye disease affects 1 in every 3,000? These are terrifying statistics but there is hope. The Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) is working hard to find real answers to create a healthier future for all children. The first Friday in August is Jeans For Genes day, the major fundraising campaign for CMRI. Today Australians across the country will slip on their favourite jeans and dig deep in their hip pockets in support of this fantastic cause. Every cent counts so please donate whatever you can here. As a Mum I have been a long time supporter. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to watch your child suffer a serious illness. Jeans For Genes may be an Australian event but I have decided to step it up a notch and go global! I've invited my favourite fashion bloggers from all corners of the Earth to show off their favourite denim to raise awareness and the response has been phenomenal. I know you can't wait to check them out so read on for all the details ...

Follow Me!

      

WCW Ham and Egg Pita Pies

I love having a quick an easy hot lunch during the weekends, and these Ham and Egg Pita Pies are a hit with my family. They are fun to make with your kids, or even a great breakfast on the go for days when you need to leave the house in the hurry but still want something hot and filling.

Ham and Egg Pita Pies
1 packet mini pita breads
4 tablespoons ham, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
8 eggs

Split pita breads in two rounds and push into the holes of a muffin tray.



Place 1 tablespoon chopped ham and 1/4 chopped tomato in each shell then gently break 1 egg on top of each pie.



Bake at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes or until eggs are set.



An easy, yummy and portable pie!



Linking up with Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons!