Sunday, December 28, 2014

Life lately - 28 December 2014

First things first, **MERRY CHRISTMAS**!!! I really hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, spent time with loved ones, and ate lots of yummy foods!!
We have been so busy this week! It's kinda crazy!
Sadly, we didn't take alot of pictures but we did manage quite a few selfies!! On Monday we had our Fake Christmas (Frismas) party with the besties!
If you're following me on instagram you'll already have had a sneak peak at some photos!
On the 24th we celebrated Christmas with Riaan's family, it's kinda become a new tradition doing this, everyone brings a plate of snacks and Riaan's dad dresses up as Father Christmas. He arrives with a big bag of presents for the children, much to their delight. For about an hour he sits chatting to them and handing out presents, followed by squeals of joy from little kiddies opening presents. I love the sheer happiness on the kiddies faces as Father Christmas calls out their names, it's priceless!!
 
After all the presents had been handed out Father Christmas had to leave to go feed his Reindeer and deliver gifts to all the other children in the world, and after a very merry send-off the children disappeared with their toys, it was play time!! Then it was the adults turn to open their gifts, we do a secret Santa for the adults, it's lots of fun and the gifts are always awesome!!

On Christmas Day we had lunch with Riaan's parents and had a lazy afternoon nap infront of the tv. Dad went on a very spontaneous trip to Durban, they left on Christmas Eve so we didn't see him for Christmas. Later on Christmas day we went to Mom's house for Christmas day fondue, it was delicious and it was definitely one of my favourite Christmases to date! I promise promise promise I'll be sharing the recipe for the cheese fondue in the new year!It's amazeballs!!

We spent boxing day packing the last of our stuff and moving boxes into storage. It also happened to be our three year engagement anniversary!! Damn, time flies!! It's been an awesome 3 years, keeps getting better!

Yesterday we moved whats left of our furniture out of the house,with the help of our awesome friends, despite the imminent rain - it held out just long enough for us to finish the move! This was followed by a very well deserved braai and a few too many drinks!! Today we cleaned the townhouse and the tenants started moving in.

SO! We're officially landlords...

We'll be staying at Riaan's parents for the next 2 weeks until we set of on our adventure! I'm so excited!!!

But right now I have a bunch of paperwork to go through for my new job, I'm so freaking excited for this job, it's going to be awesome!!

Also, I need to buy a new black coat, mine has been retired after 6 years of very loyal wearing - I was starting to look like a weeshuiskind! LOL This may pose a problem though as it's the middle of summer here, so the shops don't really have winter clothes in stock! JOY!!

I know I'm probably saying excited WAAAAY too much, but you guys don't understand, or maybe you do... Whatevs, I'm still excited!


Monday, October 13, 2014

#Blogtober14 Days 12 & 13

I missed day 12, BUT since there aren't really any rules when it comes to blogtober, AND since rules are made to be broken, today I will post day 12 and day 13.

#Blogtober14 Day 12 - The best advice...
I have received so much good advice in my short lifetime from family, friends, colleagues, clients and pinterest...this makes deciding which piece of advice is the best a difficult task.

The following rank in my top three:
1. Don't compare your chapter 1 to someone else's chapter 20.
2. Do what makes you happy.
3. Don't change who you are for anyone, be yourself, you are unique and special.

  

So that's that, a few wise words to start off your week!

#Blogtober14 Day 13 - My favourite fall recipe...
Since fall is all about the pumpkins, and even though it isn't fall over here, today I will share a South African favourite with you guys - Pumpkin fritters (Pampoenkoekies as known by Afrikaans people) from the Hibiscus coast seconds website, I don't have my family recipe on hand at the moment.

Pumpkin fritters are delicious, especially when served warm with crunchy cinnamon sugar, the are usually served as a side dish for a main meal but its so sweet you can almost serve it as desert!


What you're gonna need:
500 g pumpkin
1 cup plain flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt

How you're gonna do it:
First you steam the pumpkin until tender. Mash thoroughly and allow to cool.
Then you combine the cooled pumpkin, flour, egg, baking powder and salt.
In a non-stick frying pan, add a drizzle of vegetable oil.
Using a bit of kitchen paper, spread the oil lightly around the pan.
Then spoon tablespoons of the pumpkin batter into the pan and fry over a medium heat.
After a couple minutes, flip the fritters over and lightly press to spread the batter out slightly.
Cook for another 3 minutes and flip over again. Give them another couple of minutes per side.
Remove from the pan and place on kitchen paper.
Whilst still warm, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve.

Enjoy!

*Image sourced from Pinterest

Saturday, October 11, 2014

If I were president....#Blogtober14 Day 11

I doubt I know quite enough about politics to tackle today's post, and that's not the reason I'm just making it...I was baking!!! But here goes....


Besides my photobombers, I think I look pretty cute in my presidential hat!!

If I were president of South Africa I would instate the following - Ignoring all the glaringly obvious issues that our country faces (corruption, crime, fraud etc):
- Weekends would be 3 days long, work hours would increase by an hour a day from Monday - Thursday, but who cares, Friday is an off day!!
- "Work" would include and require at least one hour of physical activity/meditation a day - you may choose your poison!!
- E-tolls would be banished!
- I would implement a decent public transport system.
- I would implement a health-care system that provides good quality health care for all citizens for a small fee.
- Healthy food would be cheaper than junk food.
- Crocs would be destroyed...ALL of them!!!
- All forms of social media would be down from 6 to 8 - dinner time - get off your phones rude people!!!
- I would instate a livable minimum wage for all people holding a job, seriously, why is there all this poverty??
- Inter-continental travel would be cheaper.
- Murder would be punishable by death.

Ok, before this gets too serious...well, that would be nice, wouldn't it! When the world revolved around us and what we want! What would you want to change if you were president??



Tuesday, October 07, 2014

My Best/Worst Vacation...#Blogtober14 Day7

I really don't think it is possible to have a bad holiday - the fact that you're not at home doing the same old thing is reason enough to smile. Bonus points if you're in another town/city and double points if you're in another country!! Unless some natural disaster strikes or you end up re-living the likes of "Taken" and "The Impossible", then you're having a really bad holiday!

I, however, am lucky enough not to have re-lived said movies, and in South Africa besides the occasional flash-flood we don't have natural disasters, we do have unnatural disasters though (The government, The SAPS, Parliament...I could continue but I'm sure you get the point).

I have had many wonderful breakaways and holidays, some involved sleeping in tents at music festivals, others involved fancy hotels and lounging about by the pool - from one extreme to the next - you cannot compare!!

Anyway, my absolute best vacation (so far) was our Honeymoon, it was awesome! We spent it in Cape Town and behaved like tourists in our own country. We bought souvenirs, saw almost all of the main attractions, ate way too much, drank great wine and enjoyed a sunset on the beach overlooking Table Mountain almost every afternoon. It was absolutely perfect in every way.
Beautiful sunset from The Ambassador Hotel
On top of Table Mountain
Wine tasting at Groot Constantia
Relaxing on Clifton Beach
 
Boat ride from Hout Bay to Seal Island
At the Cape Point National Park
Bloubergstrand with a view of Table Mountain! Oh my soul the water is cold!!
Wine tasting at Constantia Glen
The view at Cape Point
The lighthouse at Cape Point
Kayaking in Sea Point
Kayaking in Sea Point
When I think about leaving South Africa and the things I will miss, Cape Town is definitely one of those things. Every time I have gone there I come back to Johannesburg with a heavy heart, I love it there!! There is a place for everyone in Cape Town, it's diversity is what I love most! If you haven't been, you need to add it to you travel agenda!!

So I'd like to know have you been to Cape Town? And what is your favourite thing to do there? If you live in Cape Town feel free to share with us some local tips and hot spots!




Sunday, October 05, 2014

My spring bucket list...#Blogtober14 Day 5


So I missed Day 4 - My favourite photo I've posted on Instagram, its only because we had an awesome bachelorette weekend for a friend of mine. As it goes with bachelorettes, we had very little sleep and tons of fun, it started on Friday night at 7:30pm and ended this morning at about 11!! I'm finished, but it was great and well worth it!!

This is my favourite instapic, it's of our gorgeous kitty, Arya, we got her in May and this photo was taken about a month after we got her, she has such character and is so cute! We love her to bits!! You can follow me in Instagram here.

Moving along, since "Fall" has already come and gone in SA, I have decided to do a Spring bucket list, I'm keeping it short and realistic because Spring is already 1 third gone and I'm a busy lady!

So here it is:
1. Plant flowers in our garden - our plants had a rough winter!
2. Have a picnic that doesn't consist of only Woolies foods.
3. Make and fly a kite - I haven't flown a kite in years!
4. Take the Hartebeespoort Cableway.
5. Hike in the Magaliesburg/Drakensburg mountains.
6. Complete the Honeydew A-maze-ing mazes.
7. Go to a Drive-in movie @ Menlyn Park - Grease style!
8. Kiss in the rain.
9. Rent some bicycles and find a park to ride around in.
10. Pick flowers and fill a vase with them.

I will keep you guys up to date as I cross off the items on the Spring bucket list! It's definitely going to be a busy season!! What is your Fall/Spring bucket list??




Thursday, October 02, 2014

October already??


Is it just me, or has this year just flown past??

As I get older I feel like the years pass by quicker and quicker. I can remember last October like it was just yesterday! Planning a surprise 50th party for my 2nd mom (Mom-in-law), prepping for my final exam for my degree! Hell, I can vaguely remember when I was about 10 years old, being that nosey little kid hanging around the adults, and hearing them saying the exact same thing! The years seem to be passing quicker, maybe it's just because we're busier? Who knows!

A lot has changed in a year, but some things will always stay the same...like my need to start Christmas shopping when October rolls around. Am I the only one that does this??? Never mind the fact that more than half of our family still have to celebrate their birthdays...

October fills me with a sense of urgency and a need to get things done, with it's promises of summer just around the corner, Jacaranda trees lining the roads in full bloom - reminding me that the year is drawing to a close.

This is a street in Kensington lined with Jacaranda Trees, they're not this purple yet, but within a week or 2 they should be!
This October promises to be a busy one! With close friends of ours getting married and 2 milestone birthdays, and I'm the baker for all 3 occasions!! YAY!! Not to mention it's cancer awareness month, this is a issue that hits close to home - My Gran passed away from cancer and I have two amazingly strong friends fighting this dreadful disease... Ladies please have your girls checked out, they never fail in having you checked out! *wink wink*

I feel like I need to get more organised as this year's end draws closer. I need to get my s#*! together - like the kind of girl that always wears matching underwear - wearing matching underwear makes you feel like you have some sort of feminine super power! Hahaha anyway I've strayed off topic but whatever.

I hope everyone has a wonderful October!

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

I'm sorry for my unplanned hiatus

I am sorry! No, really, I am!!
I know I've been a bad little blogger for the past few days, 9 days without posting...it's getting on my nerves, but I just haven't had a break! It's been crazy! What with work and family commitments. Since it was so busy I have quite a bit to say so this post might end up being a bit of a long one...I'll try my best to keep it short and sweet!

Last week was hectically busy!

On Sunday we spent the whole day on set shooting a car advertisment, we were supposed to be background people but Riaan ended up being put front and centre which is pretty cool! It's all pretty top secret because the car hasn't been released yet, so we couldn't take pictures, but it was so interesting! I was fascinated and in awe, by the time we left I was convinced that I could totes have an on-screen day job!!

On Tuesday we had team building, we went for breakfast in Hyde Park and then we went to Acrobranch in Melrose! Acrobranch is an outdoor sort of obstacle course up in the trees, it starts off about a meter above the ground, and gradually gets higher and higher. About half way through you find yourself at least four meters off the ground standing on a ledge, hooking your zip line mechanism to a cable spanning about 10 metres across the grass to another tree, silently convincing yourself to jump of the ledge and zip over the grass to the other side, there is after all no other way down!! With walk ways, chain bridges, cargo rope nets and zip lines to name a few, linking you from tree to tree, it takes about an hour and a half to complete the entire course. At one point I found myself feeling like Jane of the Jungle, I had to take hold of a really think rope and swing from one ledge to a rope net spanned between two trees *insert Tarzan-like yowling sound here*, after grabbing hold of the net I had to climb it to get to the next ledge about 1.5m above. They also have a 200m zip line across a field of grass, it's super fun and quite fast!! This course was a great upper body workout, and we had great fun but if you're afraid of heights and not able to do physical activity for at least two hours then I don't recommend this. If you're an adrenaline junkie and up for a challenge, DO IT!!



Wednesday was National Heritage Day over here in Sunny SA, and the traditional thing to do on NHD is BRAAI of course!! Haha, this year we did not follow tradition, the original plan was to head down to Hartebeesport Dam, ride the cable cars up the mountain and enjoy a late brunch, unfortunately the cable cars were down for maintenance. Oh well, next time right! So we ended up going shopping and after that we met with Riaan's Mom and her sisters, for a catch-up session complete with tea and scones. It was unplanned but a great way to spend a day off!

During the week I also managed to whip up some delicious diet friendly "Ice Cream" which I will post the recipe for tomorrow, I found it on The Londoner's blog, its really delicious but I have altered the recipe a teensy little bit, just to make it easier.

On Friday morning I was up bright and early to catch a flight to the Mother City, although I was going for work, I was excited because I love Cape Town! It's easily my most favourite place in SA!! On arrival we were met with grey skies and a drizzle, but by the afternoon it cleared up and we went for dinner at Shimmy Beach. It's an awesome hot-spot with the locals and the food is divine, not to mention the vast selection of local wines, which is right up my alley!!

On Saturday morning we woke up the most pathetic drizzle, it was fine but the wind was blowing and everything was wet, resulting in our plans to hike Table Mountain being foiled! Luckily in Cape Town we are spoiled for choice when it comes to activities, so off we went to The Old Biscuit Mill, for a morning of Gourmet food, Craft beers, lots of people watching and browsing the dozens of stalls of unique hand made goodies.

Craft Beers
Fresh Oysters
Shrooooms!!
Colourful and very busy dining area
Fresh fruit juices
Delicious Fritata with Smoked Salmon, Poached Egg and Hollandaise Sauce!!
American Style Crepes with Banana and lots of Nutella - These were so so good!!
More Craft Beers
Seafood Paella
Vintage style swimwear

Wooden Jewelry
Pretty Necklaces
Wooden Sunnies and Watches - Pretty Funky!!
Afterwards we went to watch the rugby, SA vs Aus, Rugby isn't really my thing but there is nothing quite as special for me, as a nation that can come together to support their sportsmen the way South Africa does. It literally gave me chills!

On Sunday morning I was off again, back to Jo'burg, Riaan and I had a delicious breakfast at Nice, it's a rustic cafe in Parkhurst 4th Avenue. Their food is fresh, bursting with flavour and well presented.
As you can see we had a hard time making up our minds on what to order!!
We couldn't decide, so we shared!
Open croissant with scrambled egg, avocado and smoked salmon
Left: Toast basket with a poached egg, crispy bacon and tomato relish
Right: Crumpets with crispy bacon, mascarpone cheese and strawberries drizzled with syrup
I promise not to be so quite this week, I am thinking of starting a weekly blog topic, I have a few ideas but if you have any ideas or anything you'd like me to write about, please let me know in the comments!!