Spontaneous trip to Russell

These days being spontaneous and towing along a small brood for the ride is a rarity. An oxymoron even. Usually trips out of town need to be planned...at least a day in advance. And don't even talk to me about holidays with kids...that takes months...or in our case years worth of saving and planning.

So last Saturday I had the day off, and decided to see what my mum and dad were up to for the day. They were going to Russell (Bay of Islands)  for an art and craft show that was a Fundraiser for the old church. It was already 10am, we gave ourselves 15 minutes to get our A into G in the car and on our 1 hour trip out of town. 

I told her we would meet her there. Blow me down we caught them on the car ferry from Opua to Russell  just in time. Lucky...since we were having difficulty with her phone.  

{Car Ferry Opua to Russell}

{Art and Crafts fair}

{A clever man carving.} 

{Russell Waterfront}

{Teaching the kids to Skim stones.} 

{Fish and Chips....
with vinegar for the pommy fella}

{So hard to get a good selfie with the SLR...my arms aren't long enough with the lens.} 

{New Zealands oldest church}

{Flagstaff Hill}

 Ah the kids must be growing up if we can make it out the door with the bare essentials for the day (a nappy bag, wallet and keys, and few snacks)....Roll on future spontaneous trips on rare days off together. 

time for a catch up.

• well good morning ya'll.I finally have moment to myself...yes there is washing to do...and last nights dishes...but they can wait. Because its time for a bullet point pondering post. 

• The tummy is full...hubby and I had a rare breakfast out together this morning...alone. BC-before children... we used to have breakfast out ALL the time. It was our thing. We had our favourite spot...which is still my favourite coffee house all these years later. Today we tried somewhere new..and both had a 'ARF English breakfast. Half=Arf in British. So good. 

• My poor wee poppet of a 9 year old had an accident at school last week. Participating in school fitness she and her friend were trying to tag  the same person and her face smacked into her friends forehead and her permanent front tooth fell out. I was called on my cell phone straight away by a very worried sounding school secretary (Paisley Jade). I high tailed it there and made it in under 5 minutes. I knew exactly what to do! I had within the last few months googled "what to do if  your permanent tooth is knocked out"...I cannot even even remember why I had googled it! I read that it was an emergency to get it back in there ASAP. Thankfully the school nurse had placed it in milk and in a bag which was the other essential thing to do.  I rang the hospital dental service and they would see her straight away. We managed to get there within the magic hour. Time is critical. My girl is brave. Like really she is. She was crying I got there...I calmed her down and she stopped crying and hasn't cried about it since. Even when  the dentist shoved it back in the socket...and after the subsequent bleeding a few days later. She really is a trooper. The dentists say that there will be a lot on ongoing care and procedures with it all and it will probably never last forever requiring a falsie...but she assured us they will make it look good again. ARGHH! Kids and the silly things they do to themselves! 

• I have been working a day or two extra than usual, which is good. The other day, I had a nursing student working with me...my first one in YEARS! Because I usually work such unsociable hours like nights and weekends..I usually avoid them. But it felt good to pass on some knowledge. Having to explain everything you do is probably quite good to do once in while...because you can get into a rut and just do things because that's the way you've always done it and not really think anymore. I should do it more often. 

• A new house is being built behind our section . BOO! The neighbours had subdivided their land and the section had been on the market for years. But alas...someone finally bought it...and it looks like their lounge window will look right down the hill and  into our kitchen and dining window. We'll have to pull the blinds down now. No more quick dashes to get a glass of water in my undies in the morning now! TMI?

• Master Zak Zak has started Play Gym. I have tried the library fun-time and mainly music with this little guy...but so far this preschool activity has been the most suited to his personality. He really just needs a place to run and get rid of energy. He usually hates following directions and action songs so I was pleasantly surprised when I caught him actually following along with the teacher. Perhaps its an age thing too. They start off with a few songs then have a circuit set up for the rest of it. Up and over and jumps...all great learning for the little chap. But following directions...waiting your turn...are the big things that this little spoilt-yougest-child needs a good dose of! Only one tanty that particular morning and it was right at the end...so that is already an improvement after three times going. The teacher is a lovely lady too!

• Hubby and I have October off on holiday together. We were hoping to take the kids to Wellington...but with all the shaking down there at the moment...maybe we better stay in Northland....where it never shakes...Maybe you guys should move up here...Just saying?! 

• Home renovations maybe on the to do list in October instead. We have one room left in the house that desperately needs a makeover....our bathroom.  I hate it. The shower was installed wrong by the previous owners and leaks through the floor boards sometimes. We'll have to save up some more for that job...bathrooms are expensive! AND we need a wall retained in the back yard. Goodness....the joys of being a home owner! 
• Speaking of home renos... we are a little obsessed with the show  House Rules. I didn't want to like it because Im not a fan of the auzzie show "the block". But I have really enjoyed the show and  the contestants.It looks like it is in its last week of programming..so I wonder who will win. No spoilers please!
• SPRING IS AROUND THE CORNER!! just a little but excited about that! Winter I will not miss you. Although I am glad I bought myself a puffer jacket this year... Why didn't someone tell me about these wonderful creations sooner. It's like hanging out in a sleeping bag...instantly warm! Winter fashion is not my favourite season. I can't wait for jandals, shorts and a tee shirt. I would totally rock living on a tropical island.  
• So it seems as though some of my favourite bloggers are dropping the blogging thing...boo. I miss you guys...Widge...Gail... Stacey... Weza... Liz. I'm looking at you gals.   Darn you Instragram....*waves fist*. Just kidding. Kind of. 
• Aint this the truth!

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. 

Jacksta  

A pretty Tree

I loved this photo that my hubby took a few years ago of the kids in front of a very cool tree.

 Instantly the greenness of it reminded me of this scripture in the bible.  

This tree is right next to a pretty secluded river...at the bottom of our city mountain.

And the words ring true. 

May you be blessed too. 

New Food Friday -Calzone

Calzone

Have you ever tried it? This was my first time making the Italian dish.  Its basically a homemade pizza crossed with a Cornish pasty.

How to make Calzone.

Make a batch of home  pizza dough. I made mine in the bread maker using the dough setting. Make the dough according to your manufacturers instructions.

Once the dough has proved...roll it out into a circle shape.

Fill one side of the dough with what ever you feel like or whats in the fridge. I went for a layer of ham...then a layer of spinach (for some green to make it healthier), a layer of bolognaise mince, lots of mozzarella and   Parmesan cheese.
Fold over the unfilled side of dough over the filling. Pinch together the dough so that it creates a tight seal all the way along.
Slice a couple of air vent on the top of the dough parcel. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with course sea salt.
Bake for 20-30 minutes

Sick of pizza. Try this!
It tasted delicious!

Diago, the light bulb holder

Saturday Morning: Miss Joy says..there's a funny smell in my room. Its just the eggs we are having for breakfast I assured her. Turns out... not so much. The smell was more of a burning smell...plastic McDonalds toy verses hot bulb from her bedside lamp.
Luckily we found it before I burned in my sleep while I slept off my night shift.
The culprit...Mr Zakzak.
This naughty little stunt ranks up there with the other kids doing things like:
a) finding all the cameo cremes have had the cremes licked out of them with the biscuit parts all over the floor.
b) Someone had peeled all the bananas...not to eat...  just peeled.
c) Having poo finger painted all over the back of a white bed room door.

Kids are cute...but they sure do break a lot of stuff.

There is this funny website dedicated to stuff kids ruin...maybe I should submit the photo.

Life in bullet points.

• Its been a while since the last bullet points post. 

Doing dishes in PJS

• Schools back! These holidays went way too fast. Now the older two are at a nice age where they can mostly entertain themselves...it doesn't seem so stressful. I just added a smattering of fun stuff...intermingled with "if you haven't tidied your room and done your chores...then we cant do tomorrows fun stuff", the house stayed fairly orderly. There was however twice as much laundry!

• Last Saturday after I slept off my super busy night shift, my darling hubster came home and announced we were going out for a surprise dinner. All of the kids were away with both sets of grand parents and it was just the two of us. Eek! He did not give away where we were going at all! This control freak is not a big fan of surprises...but this one was kind of fun. We ended up at a newly opened restaurant 20 minutes out of town called Outboards Resturant. The menu sounded quite delicious... and I really wanted to try about three of the entrees. I opted for one, a poached salmon Tian. Whats a Tian you ask? I didn't know either so I googled it at the table on my smart phone...and then decided it looked yum. Yay for technology. A nice little place, would definitely recommend it. 

Salmon and Shrimp "Tian" with avacodo and micro greens

• I'm doing a new challenge,  a movie challenge. I am trying to make my way through the greatest movies of all time, as rated on IMDB. I like movies...but I'm trying to get out of the usual ROMCOM, comedy and action/genres. Hubster doesn't see how this is a "challenge", but it is for me. I don't generally enjoy fantasy...made up worlds with new creatures and place names. It all gets a bit much for my little brain, so I am trying to get out of my comfort zone and try new stuff. I also as a rule hate watching anything made before 1990! So the first movie I watched was a black and white movie called "Casablanca"...I finally watched the classic line "here's looking at you kid".  So for the last month I haven't even been near the new release section of the DVD store...and these movies are $1 on a Monday. Good cheap entertainment. 

• Here's the list of the top twenty of all time. Have you seen many of them? I'm avoiding the R18s and if my local DVD stores don't have them I wont see some of the older ones. Turns out I have seen most of them. I got to the Star Wars one and decided to watch it all from Episode 1.  

IMDb Charts

Rank	Rating	Title	Votes
1.	9.2	The Shawshank Redemption (1994)	1,009,339
2.	9.2	The Godfather (1972)	712,529
3.	9.0	The Godfather: Part II (1974)	461,084
4.	8.9	Pulp Fiction (1994)	783,229
5.	8.9	The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)	304,307
6.	8.9	The Dark Knight (2008)	984,506
7.	8.9	12 Angry Men (1957)	247,823
8.	8.9	Schindler's List (1993)	514,363
9.	8.8	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(2003)	717,958
10.	8.8	Fight Club (1999)	766,939
11.	8.8	Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back(1980)	491,032
12.	8.8	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001)	742,130
13.	8.8	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)	420,244
14.	8.7	Inception (2010)	794,869
15.	8.7	Goodfellas (1990)	438,220
16.	8.7	Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)	552,242
17.	8.7	Seven Samurai (1954)	153,738
18.	8.7	Forrest Gump (1994)	666,713
19.	8.7	The Matrix (1999)	725,450
20.	8.7	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)	644,289

• I hung out with these lovely bloggers in the holidays. Good times.  

• My kids are all germ free for the first time in MONTHS. It been a long while of snot noses...especially the little guy. I was starting to call him the runt of the litter.

• After a lazy last term of no after school activities I have re-started swimming lessons. They cost a fortune..but I have a pipe dream of one of my kids being a triathlete...I'm thinking maybe Joe could. That boy can run... And the littlest fella master Zak is going to start kiddie Gymnastics....surely one of my kids could make me proud by representing NZ in something!

• MY lovely MIL celebrated her birthday last weekend. We went out for pizza and champagne...

• How exciting is the whole royal baby thing!? I know some people are over it already...but this is big. The boy will be the future KING. I was hoping for it to be a girl. The Queen had recently changed the law so that gender was not a factor when deciding who was in line for the throne which was a great movement towards gender equality. Obviously the Queen decided...being a lady never stopped her from being a great head of the Monarch. Very cool Queen indeed. 

• READING:  "the Happiness Project" My first bought i-book Im reading on my phone. I'm a little bored with it..but I'm going to finish reading because I paid for it. 

• LISTENING TO: Kim Walker-Smith and Skyla Smiths new CD "HOME". Very folksy.

• FRETTING about the new home insurance changes. 

• I was thinking of starting a new regular feature on my blog called FOOD FRIDAY. So watch this space on Friday...if I could work out a linky party...I would...

• EEEK Spring is around the corner! 

Creating

I may not have much talent with the crochet, quilting or knitting like a lot of you gals...but one thing that I do like creating is food. I see something I would like to try and make and then figure out a way of making it.
Because the post children body is no where near what it should look like, I try and cut out the extra sugary baking treats...or try and tweak them to make as great tasting but slightly healthier. Which is why I love the "Healthy Food Guide Magazine and website". Have you ever tried their website? It has a great database of all their recipes with the calories worked out. Best of all it is a NZ website....so you know we have all the ingredients at the local supermarket.  It also has a selection of recipes that are gluten free, low GI, low cost and vegetarian etc.


HFG Chocolate Brownie

Their latest magazine cover had their most favourite recipe of all time...chocolate brownie (recipe). It is made with apple sauce as the base instead of the copious amounts of butter and sugar and eggs that are in the regular recipe. I just happened to have bit of stewed apples that my MIL had prepared for me from her orchard... so bonus!

HFG Chocolate Brownie

While it wasn't as chocolaty as the regular brownie...it was still a nice treat. Unfortunately I didn't have any walnuts, but substituted them with macadamia nuts. The kids were none the wiser and gobbled them up! It was a winner at a dessert night I took them to also. The top had a nice crunch while the centre was super moist.  Will definitely try this one again.

Lemon Slice

I had a bunch of lemons in the fruit bowl and decided to make some lemon slice. I wasnt following a particular recipe...I just had an idea of how I wanted it to look and taste and made it up as I went along.
I went with a shortbread type base...a lemony/condensed milk filling and a sprinkle of coconut over the top.
It didn't quite turn out as gooey as I had hoped...I had used the light version of the condensed milk...and whole eggs..instead of just the yolk. It still tasted great...and again the kids loved it. I'll try this one again...tweaking the the ingredients a little until I get it right.

Lemon and coconut Slice

Cannelloni 

You may remember we bought our selves a pasta maker...and when we have few extra hours(!) up our sleeve for dinner we give it a go. It takes us a while to make our pasta sheets from scratch. 

I had an idea to give cannelloni a try. The filling was made out of spinach, onion, salami, garlic, and ricotta cheese.  Pasta is thinly rolled and is then cut into rectangles, filled and rolled. 

The rolls are placed on top of a tomato pasata (pureed tomato and herb), and then have a bechamel (cheese) sauce over the top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.  Baked until all golden and cooked.  

Overall it was quite a nice dish...but it lacked seasoning...more salt and more pepper.

 It was a fun dish to make....but next time I'll find a meatier filling with a bit more kick.  

filling

hubby rolling

Place into oven dish with a layer of tomato underneath.
Then a layer of tomato over the top.

delicious cheesy goodness.

My new camera is getting a work out with these lovely food shots. Looking through them makes me want to make them all over again!
Nothing like getting in the kitchen next to a warm oven and making some delicious food.