Leaves are Falling

Here in New Zealand, Spring has finally arrived! However, I have had a few activities I still wanted to do for Autumn and Winter, and when I saw a Facebook prompt about doing leaf activities I decided to spend an afternoon crafting with my two boys.

The first thing we did was to print out a leaf template and smear glue all over it.



Then we placed bits of coloured paper over the leaf templates.



The next step was to run the templates through the laminator.



We then cut out the colourful leaves.



The boys were very excited to see the finished product!



This activity took only a few minutes to set up, and the boys loved it. Glue and coloured paper can be used for a range of activities, and the possibilities for templates are endless. you could do colourful dinosaurs, planets- the choice is yours!

Linking up with the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop and Mom's Library.

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A portrait of my children, once a week, in 2014.

Lucas has a beautiful smile, but always hams it up for the camera.



Adam is being a "little teapot" with Dad's sunglasses!



Joining in here.

What's Cooking Wednesday #23

My boys are both kitchen whizzes, and so when I saw this book I knew we would get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

This book follows in the footsteps of the original "I want to be a chef" book by the same author, but focus on baking and the skills needed for success in the kitchen. Baking is a lot more precise than putting a meal together, and I am lucky that both my boys are quite mathematical and enjoy measuring, weighing and converting cooking times.

We decided to make a version of the Apricot Cookies featured in this book.



Apricot Cookies
adapted from I want to be a chef Baking

120g butter, cubed
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 tablespoons good-quality apricot jam
200g dried apricots, chopped
1 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup plain flour

Lemon icing:
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 lemons, juiced

Line two trays with baking paper. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy then add the jam and apricots- mix to blend.

Lucas thinks the cake mixer is hilarious- as long as it doesn't get too loud!

Stir in the combined sifted flours.

The boys love to sift and make it "snow" into the bowl.


The good thing about baking with the boys is that they can do a job each- sifting and juicing going on! It can get messy but it keeps the boys happy.

Divide the mixture into two portions and roll up in the baking paper to form two logs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Cut the logs into 1cm slices and place on the trays. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.



It was at this stage that I realised the boys had put all plain flour into the mix and no self raising flour, so the cookies came out rather flat!

Combine the icing sugar, lemon juice and 3 teaspoons of hot water. Drizzle over the cookies.




The verdict- Even though we had a bit of a flour failure, the cookie taste was so good! They were a very soft cookie, nice and chewy. We will be making these again and again, with the correct flour of course! I encourage you to make these cookies with your kids, baking is such a great skill to have and kids get a kick out of creating something to eat.



Linking up with Mom's Library, Worth Casing Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday

Outfit under $100- on the Case!

At the beginning of this month, Ms Mystery Case put forward the following challenge.

The idea is to put together an outfit under $100. I have chosen to work with New Zealand dollars for this challenge, which I hope is OK!

I was very excited to take part, since most of my outfits are under $100 anyway due to thrift shops, secondhand online retailers and swapping clothes with friends. To challenge myself more, I am going to put together an outfit using items that can currently be found online or instore, featuring the latest Spring trends. This way, the outfit will be more relevant to other people looking for ideas on how to put together an outfit for under $100.

Two two trends I have focused on are monochrome and floral- two of my go-to looks for Spring anyway, so I am glad they are trending again.

Outfit under $100 Spring challenge by laurenmoore-ii featuring a black sleeveless blouse

Sunglasses
ezibuy.co.nz

Enamel Hinge Bangle in BLACK #19155 - colette by colette hayman
8.98 NZD - colettehayman.com.au

Black sleeveless blouse
sammydress.com

Casual Style Straight Leg Drawstring Floral Print All-Match Shorts For...
sammydress.com

Sandals Kelly Thong Sandals Number One Shoes - Number One Shoes
numberoneshoes.co.nz

The top is so cute, and black and white together are always easy to wear with any other clothing item. This particular top is from one of my favourite online stores, Sammydress, and is a bargain at only $14.94.

The shorts are also from Sammydress, and come in at a cheap as chips $11.03. These will be great for spring and summer to be on trend, yet not spend a lot of money keeping up to date with what is popular.

 I always try to spend less on "trend" items, and splurge a bit more on the staples and accessories to go with each piece. This is why the shoes and sunglasses are my two most expensive items, as they will be staples with most outfits throughout the season. Number One Shoes and Ezibuy are well known in Australia and New Zealand for great basics at affordable prices.

Lastly, a fun bracelet works with bare arms to add interest, and once again this piece can be worn with a number of other items in my closet. Colette Hayman is a relatively new store to Christchurch, and it has come across from Australian shores, so I am sure a lot of you will be familiar with their on-trend accessories and bags! I could spend all day in that shop- but here I have shown restraint and just gone with the bangle.

Here is a full breakdown of the items and cost:
Black sleeveless blouse: $14.94
Floral shorts: $11.03
Sandals: $34.99
Sunglasses: $29.99
Bangle: $8.98
Total cost: $99.93

This outfit just scrapes under budget, but is full of versatile pieces that can be worn in different ways. the shorts would be great with a plain white t-shirt, the top would be very cute with black pants and heels for an evening get together, and all of the accessories have been chosen with multi-tasking in mind.

If you think you are up for the challenge, join in with us!

Linking up with Wardrobe Wednesday and What Wives Wear.

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A portrait of my children, once a week, in 2014.

Lucas was very proud of his Duplo creation.



Adam loves to draw.



Joining in here.

What's Cooking Wednesday #22

Some people have been asking for the recipe for my Lamington Cake, so today is your lucky day!



Raspberry Lamington Cake
adapted from Real magazine

You will need:
2 x 20cm ready made sponge cakes
1 85g packet raspberry jelly
250g dessicated coconut
300ml bottle cream, whipped
3 tablespoons rasberry jam
1 1/2 cups thawed frozen raspberries, pureed with a stick blender or food processor

Put the jelly crystals in a bowl; pour over 1 cup of boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add the raspberry puree and mix well. Leave jelly to cool, cover and place in the fridge for about 45 minutes until the jelly begins to thicken and become the consistency of raw egg white.

Place a sheet of baking paper on top of two wire racks and put the sponge cakes on top. Spoon the setting jelly over the cakes, covering them evenly.

Sprinkle coconut over the top of the cake and press into the sides of the cake.

Swirl the raspberry jam through the cream. Place the cake on a serving plate, uncovered side upwards, and spread the raspberry cream on top then place the second cake on top. Decorate with extra coconut and raspberries.

The verdict: One happy birthday boy!



This cake was visually appealing, easy to assemble and it tasted great! I can't wait to make a chocolate version.

Kids Can Help- Father's Day Ideas

Here in New Zealand, we celebrate Father's Day on the first Sunday in September. That means that Father's Day falls on the 7th September this year. That is this Sunday...where did the time go?

I have been accumulating some ideas for gifts that my two boys can make for their Dad, and I thought I would share them with you. Malcolm- if you are reading this then look away!



1. First up, we always have a cooked breakfast on Sundays, so Father's Day will be a mega breakfast. I love this idea to make Dad pancakes using stencils and icing sugar. The boys are already whizzes in the kitchen, so at least I will have two helpers to make these.

2. Handmade gifts are great, but I find a lot of them aren't practical or just don't last. This toddler artwork t-shirt is cute but will also be used, which makes it a win in my book! Lucas and Adam will love drawing on t-shirts to do a great drawing for their Dad.

3. Every Dad deserves a special treat, and manly cupcakes with mustaches on top will do for dessert nicely. I have some chocolate mustache moulds already, so these should be a cinch to make. Once again, the boys will be able to help with most steps to these cupcakes, and Lucas already has the chocolate cupcake batter recipe memorised!

4. I think this book would be a great accompaniment to the t-shirt gift, as the boys love to read with Malcolm and we always tend to get a Father themed book for Father's Day.

5. Of course, we will need a card to go with the present, and this adorable monster hug card can be easily made with the help of the two boys. They have made similar hug cards in the past and loved them, so I am sure this card will be appreciated by all.

6. I can't forget my Dad and also my father-in-law, who sports a pretty awesome mustache. My two should enjoy picking out lots of candy to put in these lolly jars for their Granddads, and will probably end up getting some lollies for themselves too.

If you need some extra inspiration, be sure to check out my Gift Ideas board on Pinterest!