Lifestyle blog with business tips for creative entrepreneurs, bloggers, photographers. Korean beauty product reviews. Travel guides for Asia. Styled Portrait photographer in South Korea. Banting Recipes. Owning a dog in South Korea Brand photography for businesses. Creative headshots and professional portraits in south Africa. South African photographer
This parcel arrived for me from a very dear friend in South Korea. Claire and I first met while waiting to board our plan for the start of our Teaching English in South Korea Adventure. That was in 2010.
We have been friends ever since, and even though vast amounts of oceans separate us, whenever we do chat over Skype, we pick up right where we left off every time. I miss you Clairebear. Thank you for the wonderful package!
Hello again friends! I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend, and that you all are feeling refreshed and ready for yet another short week, in preparation for lots of stuffing of faces with Easter eggs and hot cross buns!
Farmboy and I, along with our friends Kelly & Nathan headed off to Sodwana Bay (near the Mozambique border, up the North Coast) for the long weekend, with tents and blow up mattresses in tow. Apart from a very nasty incident last wednesday evening when my precious camera and Farmboy's work laptop were 'liberated' from my LOCKED car (using who knows what kind of sci-fi tech) but apart from that, the weekend was swell. Here are some snaps taken with Nathan's iPhone (ah man I really am mad about Instagram) with being without a camera and all...
{If you are ever looking for a holiday destination that feels very exotic and tropical, with incredible snorkeling and only about a 4.5 hour drive from PMB, then head out to Sodwana Bay}
These are a few images I've pinned onto my {pastel} Pinterest board lately...
I just love these soft hues of mint & sea green
After reading Nadia's lovely House & Leisure post on Freshly Found last week, I just had to do a post on the gorgeous paper roses Denise (the brains behind the brand) created for our wedding in September last year. Denise has expanded her paper flower range which began with roses and lilies made from vintage books, to now include recycled paper proteas and strelitzias. Every single one is lovingly hand crafted, with exquisite attention to detail.
And here are the gorgeous paper roses that Denise lovingly crafted especially for our wedding, photographed by Jacki Bruniquel...
Visit Freshly Found's blog here and their online shop here.
This little cutie is Ayla-Grace, daughter of Veronica & Jared. Isn't she such a sweetie?
We had a lot of fun, even though it was pretty hard work getting this little one to smile :)
Thank you Ayla-Grace for being so patient and understanding, even with a big black camera in your face all afternoon...
Ingredients
2 3/4 cup / 255g rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup / 125g whole wheat flour
2/3 cup / 45g wheat bran (or germ)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup / 225g unsalted butter
1 cup / 185g natural cane sugar or light brown sugar
1 cup / 170 g firmly packed Muscovado or dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
200g Bar One (I used 2 x EXTRA sized bars) chopped.
Preheat the oven to 350F / 180 C.
Line two baking sheets with wax paper and set aside. What worked better for me after a few tries was Holsum smeared all over the pans, finished off with flour.
In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, wheat bran, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Either by hand, or using an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar for 3+ minutes, scraping down sides a few times along the way. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla - scraping the sides of the bowl another time or two. Add the dry mixture, and stir until everything barely comes together. Then stir in the chocolate, mixing until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Use a small ice-cream scoop, spoon, or 1/4 cup measuring cup, to make uniform dough balls. I used a metal 1/4-cup measuring cup, filling it about 3/4 full. Arrange each cookie at least 3-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. They'll flatten out quite a bit. I squashed a small chunk of bar one into each dough ball for some extra yumminess.
For extra crisp cookies, bake until deeply, deeply golden on the bottom, about 15+ minutes. Rotate the pans once about 2/3 the way through baking - back to front, top to bottom. Like your cookies a little chewier? Bake for less time. Cool on a rack.
Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.
Prep time: 20 min - Cook time: 15 min
{adapted from my absolute favourite recipe site: 100 cookbooks}
As of 2 weeks ago, I am sad (and a little bashful) to say that I have again returned to the ranks of the unemployed. I was in a wonderful {temporary} post, teaching full time as a Grade 3 teacher until the Department of Education placed their permanent teacher. We all thought it would take years for that to actually happen, but alas, 6 weeks later and I was out of a job. So I am now a lady of leisure, which trust me, sounds a lot more glamorous that it is. But, in between handing our my CV and going to interviews, I do get to meet up with friends for lots of tea drinking and spend lots of time getting my bake on (watch out for a yummy Whole Wheat & Oats BarOne Chocolate Cookie recipe up later today!).
I'm hoping the lack of jobs is God's way of nudging us towards some overseas adventures :)
So this is where I am spending my morning today...
A drive around the Natal Midlands always leads to some exciting find, whether it is a lovely coffee, boutique store or Antique barn. And thats exactly what happened when Farmboy and I headed out a few weekends ago in search of a fishing spot.
I present to you, Lions River Trading Post:
Address:
11km from Howick
-29.4632, 30.1643
Telephone Number:
+27 33 234 4098
Open 9am - 5pm daily.
The last post in my series {Blogger Tips} was on how to centre your header image/text , and today I'm going to be showing you how to do the same with your menu bar. Once you've got your header exactly where you want it, you need your menu bar to be adjusted accordingly so your blog doesn't look wonky :)
On my old blog, my menu bar (which is actually just a list of pages that I have put under my header as opposed to being on the left or right hand side) is at the top of my blog. I have pages such as "Home" "About", "Contact" etc.
To have your pages line up nicely with my header, here's what you gotta do:
TEMPLATE > CUSTOMIZE > ADVANCED (scroll down to) > ADD CSS
Paste the following code and hit enter
.PageList {text-align:center !important;}
.PageList li {display:inline !important; float:none !important;}
Make sure to look at the live preview, if you're happy then click APPLY TO BLOG and there you go! Easy peasy!
Let me know if you found this helpful!
xxx
I recently had a short stint on a generic form of Ruaccutane for my problem skin. I had been on Ruaccutane when I was in High School and it had done wonders for my skin, but for who knows what reasons, my skin decided to act up again. I tried all sorts of lotions and potions, anti-biotics and finally had had enough, so I chatted to my Doctor about another course of these pills. I can't even begin to explain what a difference I've seen in my skin. It is crystal clear now, and I barely ever wear any foundation anymore.
But, although seeming to be a wonder product, there are lots of side effects to this drug, and anyone considering it should have a thorough chat to their doctor before making a decision. For me the worst side effect was dryness. My skin, nose, lips and hair became incredibly dry (this was great as my hair just never got greasy) but not so great as nothing I tried could take away the dryness. Finally, I thought I would give Cetaphil a try. I had always heard dermatologists recommended Cetaphil to their patients before or after any treatments, but the packaging always looked so unappealing. And considering that I am a self confessed package junkie (often buying products just because they look pretty on the shelf...how silly I know!) I was reluctant at first.
But, these plain little bottles and tubes were a life saver. They were the only products that calmed my skin, restored moisture, and left my face feeling supple, fresh, and clean all day. The UVA/UVB defense is excellent for sun protection, and although it does leave the skin a little greasy, wrinkles aren't a good look either, and you can feel the protection on your skin from the get go. All products in the range are fragrance free, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic, making them perfect for any number of sensitive skins.
I found these to be much cheaper at Dischem than Clicks, with savings of more than R50 per product at the time of purchase. The Cleansing Lotion 125ml was around the R65 (if i can remember correctly) and the Moisturizing Cream & UVA/UVB Defense were both around the R80 mark. All in all these products were fantastic for my very dry skin, and I would definitely recommend them.
Here are some photographs (taken by our awesome photographer on the day Jacki Bruniquel) of the food we had at our wedding in September last year. Farmboy and I were very particular about the kind of food we were after, we were wanting mezze style platter with lots and lots of choice for everyone. We had the most phenomenal catering company Harris & Homes, headed up by the wonderful Sarah.
Our menu was written up on home made chalkboards which were hung up above the food. Canape starters were served outside while the guests mingled and chatted during the family photo session.
Salads, sides and mains were served on gorgeous wooden boards, with sauces and jams served in little glass bottles.
Our dessert station/Candy Bar, was placed on a beautiful on yellow wood cabinet type stand that Farmboy found himself, and jars were filled with every sweetie you can think of.
We opted for red-velvet cupcakes as well as a rose topped red-velvet cake for our wedding cake.
Every last detail was thought of, and Sarah helped to make all our foodie dreams come true. See for yourself...
{photographer: Jacki Bruniquel}
{catering: Sarah from Harris & Homes Boutique Catering in Durban}
This past weekend I had a very quick trip up to Joburg (Farmboy is away in Zambia so I thought a very quick visit home was in order). I met up with my dear friend and recent maid of honour at my wedding, Louise. Here are some snaps from our lunch date at one of our favourite hang out places, Wolves Cafe in Illovo. By the by, their red-velvet cake is to die for!
The lovely lady behind the cafe, Angie has an awesome blog called Luck Pony. Go and pay her a visit, you won't be disappointed as her blog is filled to the brim with goodies that will have you scrolling for hours.
Good morning lovely readers. Today you will find this post on blogging over on my lovely friend Nadia's blog Nadia van der Mescht you will find lots of bits of advice/words of encouragement on the following topics:
So pop on over to Nadia van der Mescht to read more
xxx
So, as of 4 weeks ago, I was offered a teaching post at a lovely Primary school here in Pietermaritzburg. I can't believe just how suddenly everything has happened! I am the new Grade 3 teacher and I am loving every second of it. Its crazy hard work, lots of admin, lots of listening to lots of kiddies tell you about their latest pencil case or their mommy's favourite type of chocolate, but at the end of the day I can happily say that look forward to the next day. I worry that my kids aren't learning enough language skills or Afrikaans, but I know we make up for it in computers (all my 8 year olds can now use PowerPoint!) and in English where we have been writing all sorts of weird and fascinating stories about what happens when the electricity goes off.
Here is what I made my little ones for Valentines Day. So easy, looks great and promotes reading...what a win!
When I invested in my first proper {grown up} makeup brush, my MAC 18 foundation brush pictured top right, I had no idea that it would need to be looked after and cleaned. I was under the impression I would rinse it under the tap for a few seconds every few weeks. But, after giving all my brushes a quick spring clean after investing in MAC's brush cleaner (click here for a post on spring cleaning your brushes that I wrote a little while ago) I saw just how filthy these little guys can get. And thats what we are putting on our faces everyday! EEK!
So here is a post on how to give your brushes a deep clean, which I would recommend doing once a week. It's super easy, very budget friendly, and will keep your brushes in top condition lasting for many years to come.
Lifestyle blog with business tips for creative entrepreneurs, bloggers, photographers. Korean beauty product reviews. Travel guides for Asia. Styled Portrait photographer in South Korea. Banting Recipes. Owning a dog in South Korea. Korean jindo rescue dog. #CGScreative
I’m Roxy & I’m so excited that you’re here. Welcome to my {pretty} little corner of the world wide web.
CGS is a lifestyle blog, where I share all sorts of posts from pregnancy, to life with (3) babies on a dairy farm, to makeup & skincare reviews. I was also a #clothnappy addict, and always loved sharing tips and advice on how to start using cloth for your babes. I’m also very into making my own Kombucha and yoghurt, and I swear by a strict routine and no sugar or processed carbs in your little one’s diet…I share tips & recipes for how you can do the same. Finally, I also love sharing more about blogging & tips for running a creative business.
So get comfy, grab a cup of tea and & make yourself at home.
x
