"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake"

Mum had Chemo on Thursday afternoon, so today I was at home chillin' with my Mama. This afternoon when we ventured out to the pharmacy, I popped into Pak'n'Save also. I picked up Butter & Margarine. This combination can only mean one thing in my house. Cupcakes.

Today I chose a simple recipe called 'Lemon Butterfly Cakes', from the book Cupcakes by Susanna Tee. I don't get the whole Butterfly cake thing. I find that most cupcake recipes are too light and fluffy, to pull this technique off, without crumbing the frosting. So I never Butterfly my cupcakes. Ever. I just frost them.



Here is the recipe I used, with my own adaptations.



Add to a large mixing bowl:

• Sift 1 1/8 Cups of Self-Raising Flour & 1/2 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 Cup of Margarine (I used Meadowlee)


• 1/2 cup Sugar


• 2 lightly beaten Eggs


• Rind of 1 Meyer Lemon, grated


• 2 TBSP Standard Milk

Beat ingredients together, with an electric Beater, until smooth.



Spoon into 12 cupcake papers, and bake for 12 - 15 minutes at 190°C, until lightly golden.

Cool slightly in tin, then turn out. Continue to cool on a wire rack. These are so light - it won't take long.



To make the Frosting place in to a medium sized bowl, 3/8 Cup of softened standard Butter, beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 1/2 Cup of Icing Sugar. Add 2 TBSP of fresh Lemon Juice. Beat until smooth. Once Cupcakes are cold, smother with frosting, or Pipe Frosting on to Cuppies.



These cakes are super light and delicate. Their flavour has subtle lemon notes, and buttery goodness. The frosting can only be described as sweet'n'sour. The Buttercream is sweet, but the lemon gives it an awesome tang. Frost using amounts A or B according to your own preference. I think A is just right for my tastes, but B looks prettier.

The finished product A):

The finished product B):

Apple Bottom 'Genes'

It's a raining, cold day today. I am snuggled up inside with the fire roaring. Days like these remind me of my pre-school childhood. Today I'm counting down my Top Five Childhood Toys.

5. Knitted Toys. My Nan made us every knitted toy under the sun. Seriously. They were so cute, just like the ones (if not the same as) on this website. I wonder where they all are now?

4. My Little Pony. I had a magic-message Earth Pony, called Windy. She was special. She was purple with dark pink hair with chartreuse streak and has a tree symbol. Her Tree symbol was the magic-message, as when you pressed your thumb against it the heat would turn it in to a kite. It was literally magic! On the other side of her bottom she had an apples symbol. She had a small pink bow on her right cheek & green eyes and curly hair. I played with her so much that she got worn really quickly. I also might have given her a hair cut.

3. Costume Ball Barbie. It wasn't the doll that I enjoyed the most. It was the clothes. My Mum was a dressmaker, and would buy small pieces of beautiful fabrics to make unique clothes for us. When she did dressmaking for clients she would often use the scraps to make replica's of the outfits she had sewn, for our Barbie's. She even made a replica of her Wedding dress. We had a large picnic hamper full of Barbie clothes.

2. Popple. I had an Orange Popple. He was so cute! I love how they rolled up in to their own pouch.

1. Patrick. This Goodluck Bear Carebear, was made for me by my Grandad's sister. He was always with me. I still have him today. This is where my adoration for Carebears began.

Did you have any of these toys as a Child?

"Baby, baby, baby ohhh"

If you haven't heard of Justin Bieber yet, you've probably been living under a rock. Either way, this video is perhaps the cutest thing, I've seen on the Internet lately

Today I am lining up

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

"I been in the right place, But it must have been the wrong time"

Sometimes, when I'm folding washing I catch a little bit of Ellen. On her talk show, Ellen DeGeneres, has a section called "What's wrong with these Photo's" Photo's. It's actually called that. These are some of those images...

You might have to click and enlarge, to see what the lemon one says. 

When I was preparing dinner last week, I took my very own "What's wrong with these photo's" photo.

That is a very large teaspoon. The board measures 34cm each way. Look at the size of those! Usually there are four or five Chicken Breasts in packs of the same price. Just these two beasts were in this pack. Surely chickens aren't naturally this big?

"Shut that baby up!"

Why is it that when I am out and about, I almost always come across a delusional parent?

These breeds of delusional parents have been transfixed by the miracle of reproduction, so much so that they have been mildly brainwashed. Brainwashed in to believing that their Child's bad behaviour, that annoys the entire store/cafe/library, is in fact cute.

I'm here to tell you that it isn't even remotely anywhere near as cute as you think it is. It's straight up rude. Not to mention unfair to the child. I mean, they've obviously been allowed to behave in such a way for quite sometime, why wouldn't they act up?



I think of myself as quite a child friendly person. Perhaps I should re-phrase, I think of myself as a well-behaved-Child friendly person. Over the past six months I have become more increasingly aware of bad behaved Children (or Parents?), especially in restaurants. I read this blog today, and I have to say, It ruffled my feathers.



I can hear people saying it now "You're not a Parent, you don't understand!"

You're quite right. I also don't understand how my parents didn't allow me to misbehave in public, yet so many parents do nowadays.

I have no idea how it is to be a parent. I babysat my God-Daughter last week for four hours, and found that to be hard work at times. Not hard work really, she's gorgeous and so good. I just wanted to pee at some stage during the day - that's all. I don't know how her Mother studies, runs a household, works and is able to be an amazing mother all at once, every single day.

Being a Parent is clearly hard work. But I don't think that is an excuse for the behaviour of the children I am about to tell you about.





Now I'm a reasonable person. Really, I am. I understand that children can be unpredictable, and a tad noisy at times. But here are some situations that I have been in, that I deem to be unacceptable...

• When the Fab-Four had a Birthday Brunch at an up-scale cafe on Oriental Parade, I was horrified at the in-action of a group of 10 or so parents who sat at the table behind us. There were children running everywhere, yelling and screaming, throwing food at each other, and literally using the bar stools we were seated on, as climbing frames. My girlfriend, had to physically remove a child from her leg, and another from under her seat, all the while the parents sat chatting. When my girlfriend asked one couple awkwardly, "Is this your child?", they laughed. They actually thought their bad behaviour was endearing.

• For our 4th anniversary Brad took me out to dinner at a local restaurant. Three Children used our small table as a base to play ring-around-a-rosie. Whilst running at full speed, and using our chairs as movement stabilisers, might I add. Where were their parents? Arguing over whether to get the Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Gris. Wow.

• Just recently, a girlfriend and I went to lunch in Raumati. One lady, arrived about five minutes after us, she had two children. One infant, and a boy aged about two years old. She let him run around the tables shrieking and pulling his tongue at people. This annoyed me. It annoyed another lady also, who told the lady it was inappropriate, and that she was trying to conduct a business lunch. What annoyed me even more, is that she allowed him to open the door, run out on to the footpath, and then the road - before she got up to collect him. This happened about four times. When she did eventually get up to bring him inside, she left the door wide open - every time. We were sitting right by the door. It was a freezing cold day. Every single time I had to get up to shut it. Every single time I got up, I gave her the look.

• Brad & I grabbed a late dinner one Saturday night at a casual local restaurant. Soon after we had ordered, a couple came in with their three kids, all in their pyjama's. Ten minutes later they were standing up in their chairs singing and yelling. The parents laughed. Not funny.

I'm not saying that parents shouldn't take their children out. What I am saying is, please be fair. If you are not going to do all that you can to ensure they don't disrupt other people, then perhaps you should call a babysitter. Let them play with toys, and breast feed them all you want, I just don't want to have to hear them shriek, all through my meal and have them climb on me, whilst you enjoy your meal. After all you made the decision to have a child, it's your responsibility to make sure they behave properly when in public. 

And if you can't? Then let me enjoy my meal, by staying home. They can climb on your furniture, throw food at you, jump on tables and shriek until the cows come home. I wonder if you will still find it cute then?





What do you think parents and non-parents alike? Do you think I'm being too harsh?

"I want a clean cup" interrupted the Hatter, "let's all move one place on."

A few years after my Nan passed away, her house was cleared out to be sold. I asked my Aunt if I could have a few of her teacups, any kind - I wasn't fussy.

She wrapped these up one year, and gave them to me as a part of my Christmas present.

They are so beautiful. I don't have a china cabinet, so at the moment they sit in my cupboard.

When Erica comes around for lunch, or just for tea & cake, I get these beauties out. I love how they have a cake plate as well as a saucer.



Do any of you have special treasures given to you by your Grandparents?

Lovely ladies - thanks for your contributions.

I like Hairspray too, but it is a fairly new edition for me, that's why it's not on here. I haven't seen Singin' in the Rain as a conscious being - I must do that. I agree most of these are on my 'Favourite Movie List' Musical or otherwise.

I think I might swap Dirty Dancing out and do a 'Dancing Flick' Top 5, this coming Friday. What do you guys think?

"I'm hopelessly devoted to you"

On Wednesday as I sat folding the washing, whilst the rain fell outside, I had a craving to watch Dirty Dancing. I Love musical Movies. Here are my Top Five Favourite, Non-Animated Movies.

5. The Sound of Music - We used to watch this, during the school holiday at my Nan's place. I'm pretty sure we watched this solely based on my Aunty Debs admiration for it. I tolerated it then, but I love it now. This is my favourite song & scene from the Film:

4. Mamma Mia! - A lot of people had mixed feelings about Mamma Mia! I was not one of them. I loved all of it - even the really cheesy, awfully sung bits. Mum forced ABBA down our throats as kids, which is probably why Kels & I love them to this very day. I find it really interesting that Kelsey hates MM! & I love it. Kelsey claims that it doesn't do ABBA justice. I argue that nothing can compare to ABBA, so considering that it's a pretty fair go. I love how a lot of the background music, was also ABBA. Like when Sophie walks down the aisle, the music playing, is an instrumental version of 'Knowing me, knowing You'. Also I find it to be a feast for the eyes.  

3. Dirty Dancing - Not technically a musical, more of a dance-ical really. I'm putting it on this list due to its fantastic choice of, and heavy use of great music. I love the scene with Baby & Johnny in the dance studio, when they lip-sync to 'Come here lover Boy.' Gorgeous story, good girl, meets bad boy, and they meet somewhere in the middle. I fall in love with the lake scene every time I see it.

2. Wizard of Oz - If you have been reading In My Shoes for a wee while, you will already realise my deep love for Wizard of Oz. I love this movie so much that I became familiar with the score for the opening titles & credits. One day after Netball when I was having a drink in the Kitchen, I heard this music and said "That sounds like Wizard of Oz." I ran into the lounge, and found that it was - and I cried tears of joy. Yea -I'm a crier. Huge crier. My family were amazed by my musical recognition, but just for the record, they laughed at my tears.

1. Grease - This is one that we watched over & over & over, when we were little. We used to try and learn the dances, using the play, pause, rewind & repeat tactic. It was fun! We would sing too, much to our parents and Grandparents disappointment I'm sure. We would also dress up. Sadly, Nan only had one Poodle skirt in her dress-ups & as I do not have the face shape to carry a high pony-tail, I quite often lost out. Even as a little boy, my cousin Cameron loved Grease. I have a clip somewhere of him dancing his booty off to 'Greased Lightning'. I will endeavour to find it. It is hilarious.

I'd love to hear what your faves are.

"This book I had again and again perused with delight."

When I was growing up, I had a fantastic story book full of stories from all over the world. I loved it. Sadly, in one of the many moves we made, the book got lost along the way.  12 years later, I was in A&E at Wellington Hospital, and in the waiting room, there amongst the books and toys, was the story-book.

We wrote down the ISBN, and once I was home & feeling better I popped online to have a bit of a search. I found it! Ta-da! Second hand and only $4.00. The downside was that it came from England, and cost me $25.00 to get it here. Well worth it, I thought.

Four weeks later it arrived, and I literally felt like a kid again.

As I flicked through the pages, the beautiful illustrations took me down memory lane. I felt strangely comforted by them.

This is from The Story of Persephone (obvious parts of the story were left out), maybe this is where my interest in the Classics originated?

This is from Sleeping Beauty. I love Illustrations that use full-pages, and corner space.

Then I flicked to the back of the book, and this, the most memorable story was infront of me again after all these years.

My Mum came to visit me later that afternoon. When I showed her the book, she looked as gleeful as me. She too flicked to the back, to The Elephant & the Bad Baby. She read it aloud to me, like she did when I was young. It sounded exactly the same as it did all those years ago.

"He called this Woman Pandora, because all they who dwelt on Olympus gave each a gift"

For my 21st Birthday, Brad's parents gave me a Pandora Charm bracelet as a gift. I had heard about them at the time, but hadn't paid much attention until I had one. Ever since I unwrapped it - I have been in love with it. I love how, every bracelet can be so different and reflect your personality.

John & Fi gave me the bracelet, with my star-sign bead, and the heart locket with a 14k gold key attached.

Soon after my birthday Bradley bought me a dolphin bead, to remind me of a moonlit swim I had with Moko the dolphin, that very summer. Sadly, he got lost, so he isn't pictured here.

The next bead is a treasure box, that Bradley also bought for me, because I am his 'Treasure'. Aww.

My Mum & Darren gave me the suitcase for my 22nd Birthday, to represent my first overseas trip.

My Dad gave me the Angel for Christmas, to celebrate becoming a God-Mother.

I bought the shoe, for obvious reasons, with some Christmas money that my Uncle gave me.

Darren's parents Pete & Wendy gave me the coloured bead & the initial.

The silver charm, with the garnet attached was a birthday gift this year, from Brad's Sister's.

I bought the non-Pandora safety bead, with the starts on, in Australia, to stop the loss of any more beads.

I can't wait to fill my bracelet with all sorts of different beads, to represent all the amazing things, I have to look forward to in life.

"I got 99 problems but a (blog) ain't one"

This is my 100th post! I feel old. I also feel the sudden urge to conduct a KPI and make development plan. Obviously I wont be doing that. But I have been thinking about the direction that In My Shoes will be taking.

I have thought about reigning in my flighty writing and refining my style. I have thought and thought and I have decided...that I wont. In my "academic" life, sure I can up my game, but I do not want In My Shoes, to become an outlet that I have to think about.

I write, how I think, and that is how it should be - for me at least. I am not naturally academic, it is something that I have to work really, really hard at when I'm studying. I have extreme respect for people who are able to uphold the correct conventions of the English Language at all times - but I am not one of them, and In My Shoes reflects that. I am bad at Spelling, Grammar & Syntax - and yes, I am an English Literature Major. I love certain forms literature, and at times can lose myself in a text completely. But the most important thing I have learnt through studying, is that is important to draw a distinction between your spheres of life. Work, Study, Family, Friends, Love & Health all are handled differently, even if just slightly. In My Shoes, for me, is a distinction of my character between all of these spheres.

I started blogging, to share my thoughts, and for some cathartic progression. For as long as In My Shoes exists, I will endeavour to serve both of these purposes. I thank you whole hearted, for reading along for the ride, and for your kind words of encouragement, support & sympathy. I hope that you can appreciate that, and read me as I am, floors flaws and all.

As for the post titles from here on in:

• 
  
  
  
  I will not be naming posts in a clear and descriptive manner. It's too hard for me to come up with a post title on my own, whilst maintaining emotional control.
  
  

• I will "go-with-the-flow", in a theme-less way.
  

• I will be naming posts after books, songs, albums, using lyrics, lines and quotes.
  

• I will place a related link.
  

That's enough words for now, here are some snapshots of my first 99 posts.

 

'Can you feel this magic in the air?'

There is a gorgeous wee lady, who I have worked with for years now. Next week she will be leaving us to give birth to a wee baby girl. Upon receiving an invite to her baby shower, I initiated the "What do you need?What do you already have? What would you really like?" conversation.

Well she pretty much has everything. Usually when confronted with this situation I default to buying loads of hooded towels, muslin wraps, teething toys & something for Mum & Dad. I'm organising 14 people to put a gift basket together - that's a truck load of hooded towels & muslin wraps. So after a quick process of elimination we found out that she does not have any children's books. So each of my workmates will select a book of their choice, to put into the gift basket. I think books are a fantastic present. If they are looked after properly, they can last a lifetime. I still have heaps of books that I had when I was a baby and they provide me with many beautiful memories of my childhood.

Here are my top five favourite children's books (I took my own pictures to prove it)



5. The Runaway Bunny - Written by Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrated by Clement Hurd

I first came across this book by studying the film Wit, in seventh form English. Click here to watch a touching scene from the film, which includes a reading of the story. It is a sweet story. Tracking down this book was a little tricky as it was published in 1942. The Illustrations reflect the time, with only a few of the Illustrations printed in full colour. If you don't watch the scene from the film, here is a quick run-down: The story is about a little bunny, who wishes to run away from his Mother Bunny. Each page, sees the little bunny suggesting things he could turn in to, in order to run away from his Mother. Each time he suggests something, the Mother Bunny says that she will turn in to something similar so that she is always with him. This is how the story ends...

"If you become a little boy and run into a house," said the mother bunny, "I will become your mother and catch you in my arms and hug you."

"Shucks," said the bunny, "I might just as well stay where I am and be your little bunny."

And so he did. "Have a carrot," said the mother bunny.

Shucks. Simply sweet.





4. Cork on the Ocean - Written by Mark Sommerset, Illustrated by Rowan

I found this gorgeous little book, at a weekend market day whilst I was on Waiheke Island for New Years. It is stunning. I left the flash back in the image so that you distinguish the two different textures used on the cover. The Illustrations are delectably simple. They give the appearance of pencil & pastel used on brown paper. Shades of turquoise are used, with pops of bright yellow. The story itself reflects the friendly & relaxed nature that washes over you when on Waiheke. Cork on the Ocean is the first book, Cork & the Bottle is the second. I could only afford the first one at the time sadly, but they have a fantastic website, where you can listen to a reading, and purchase books. Click here to visit their beautiful website.

3. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy - Written & Illustrated by Lynley Dodd

There are no words, just this photograph that I took:

2. Guess How Much I Love You - Written by Sam McBratney, Illustrated by Anita Jeram

This book is just so cute for children & adults alike.



I have been known to give this book as a baby gift and as a wedding gift. This quote sums up all my feelings for this book.

"I love you right up to the moon - and back."

Brad used to do a similar 'joke', when he would say "I love you", I would reply with "How much?"

He would then hold his thumb and his finger about an inch apart and say "this much..." "....times (x) infinity."

For our two year anniversary I gave him a copy of the book, and placed a post-it flag over the quote from "right", the post-it said "this much, times infinity." As well as being a gorgeous story, it also has beautiful whimsical illustrations.

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Written & Illustrated by Eric Carle

Who doesn't Love this book? I've loved this book, ever since I can remember. The illustrations are exquisite, a total feast for the eyes. Yet again the story is simple, yet delightful. The pop-up version of the book above, is one that a dear friend bought for me in Sydney. She brought it over, when we celebrated our Awesome-Foursome's Birthday. Words can't really explain how much I love this book. in fact I love it so much that n 2009, I had a Very Hungry Caterpillar Diary...

'We got to get right back to where we started from'

Oh my goodness! Blogger has been doing my head in today. I have figured out that posts that I had scheduled have not been posted! Humph! So here goes...

 

Christmas Day 1991, at Nan & Papa's house. This is probably a pivotal point in my shoe obsession. Although I seem quite excited about the Barbie, these shoes were my first pair of heels. Oh bless.

P.S This is my 98th post, only two more to go before I change the title theme.

"I know you're mine all mine all mine, But you look so good it hurts sometimes"

It's that time of week again...Top Five Friday! I think I need to take have taken a cue from Angela over at Striking Keys and make a heading for this beast.



On Sunday Brad & I will be making Desserts to take to his parents house for Mothers Day Dinner. Here are my top five favourite Desserts.





5. Torta Di More. Brads Mum, Fi makes this Tart from a Jamie Oliver recipe. It is delicious. Fi uses Amaretto instead of Grappa and we often call it 'Boozy pie' as she can be a tad heavy handed with the bottle - not that we mind.

4. Meringue Nests. My mum used to make these for our Birthday Parties as kids, every year without fail. She made them bright pink, filled with whipped cream and topped with heaps of sprinkles. I still love them exactly the same, but if I take them as my 'plate' somewhere I leave out the pink & replace the sprinkles with a chocolate-coated berry.

3. Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding. I have an amazingly easy, yet gorgeous recipe from a cookbook my Grandparents gave me for my seventh Birthday. It is so fudgy & deliciously comforting on a cold winter night. I used to make this when I lived in a flat in Kingston, Wellington. There were seven of us living there and five of them were boys. This massive, pudding claims to serve ten - but there were never any leftovers. Which is a shame because it's even better re-heated the next day.

2. Cheesecake. Oh the possibilities with this little lovely. I love it all - from Crofters Boysenberry Cheesecake to a New York style baked beauty. My favourite would have to be a Lemon Cheesecake - using my Nans recipe.

1. Tiramisu. If this is on the menu when we go out for dinner - I'm getting it. Without fail. I love this Dessert so much, that I am to afraid to try and make my own for fear of a) epic failure or b) epic win - epic scoff. The best one I've had so far is from a casual little restaurant down in Paraparaumu Beach called Lakota.

P.S Still in my concert Coma, and isn't this the most delish Music Video ever?

Brad: "She's high on information, But now I'm low on self-esteem"

Some nights, when we go to bed Brad & I do a quiz out of the 'Dominion Post Quiz Book 2009' before going to sleep. This is a segment of dialogue from last week:



Me: "Question Seven. Who won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1939?"



Brad: "Umm, was it the lady who was Dorothy, in Wizard of Oz?"



Me: "Hmm, that was 1939, but I'm pretty sure she didn't win an Oscar for it. Good guess though Baby."



Brad: "Whatever, I'm sticking with Dorothy. Lock it in!"



Me: "Hmm might have been the actress who played Scarlett O'Hara"



Brad: "What movie is that again?"



Me: "Gone with the Wind"



Brad: "Man, Julie Andrews was on fire that year!"

Me:

'Don't know how else to say it, don't want to see my parents go, One generation's length away, From fighting life out on my own'

I said that I would talk about Chemo. So I will. I don't want to - but Mum is due for her next course this Thursday, so I will. If you want to know how Mum found the treatment pop on over to I don't do Hats! for that side of things. This post will be about how I perceived the treatment to be.

It's quite a difficult concept to get your head around. To save someones life, you need to break them down before you can build them up. You literally need to take their immune system to the brink & then bring it back again. For some patients, Chemo takes them so close to death, they could probably see the gates of Heaven. Although I know it hardly ever feels heavenly. Luckily, my Mum isn't one of those patients, thanks to her vigilance, I wont have to see her go.



The whole process of Chemotherapy is strange. Actually, just going up to the Cancer & Blood centre leaves you feeling strange. We arrived at the hospital for Mums first treatment, and we sat in the waiting room. And boy did we wait. And then...we waited some more. The suspense was awful. I kept looking around the room & these are the three things that have stuck with me:





A. "It's not fair we shouldn't be here" - Anger







B. "That poor lady over there, she looks really sick" - Sadness







C. "Oh no - a child" - Guilt



After waiting what felt like an eternity, we finally saw the Dr. Well he was a qualified Dr. (just) but seeings as he looked like a less attractive version of Harry Potter, and he was wearing socks with a picture of a present and the words "Nice Package" on them - I was fairly reluctant to call him so. Anyway....we saw the Boy Doc, and then we were left alone in a room to do some more waiting. After another Fifteen minutes, we headed down the corridor, to where Mum would be receiving her treatment.



I hate that room. It is a sad, sad room. One big room, full of people on reclining chairs, looking out in to space, hooked up to bags of poison. My Marja was the most positive & optimistic person there - Go Mum!



Once all of the poison bags are good to go, you get to do something really fun. Guess what it is....Wait.



After five and a half hours at the hospital we finally got to take Mum home. The next few days were sucky. Mum was feeling sickly, then hot, then cold. She would be so hungry, so we would serve her up some food, then two minutes after she began eating, she would need to go to bed and sleep. She also found it very hard to sleep. I would get up in the night to go to the bathroom, and find her making fruit toast at 4.30am.





It's not easy. But it sure is worth it to get to keep my Mum. Although at times I do feel pangs of memory A. we are so lucky that we don't have to deal with B or C., and for that I am so very grateful.

I usually post a link, and although this "video" is lame, it has lyrics, and is the best clip that would allow me to embed. even if you don't like JM, take a listen. Beautiful concept.