Three of the BEST Banana Cake Treats – ONE pack of cake mix. Not even joking! Banana Cake is that culinary staple that every home baker busts out from time to time. Whenever I’ve got a couple of overripe bananas attracting fruit flies (the shame!) …
In many parts of the western world, hair removal to some degree is simply a part of life for most women and has been for their entire adult lives. Daily hair removal ::::::sigh:::::: If hair grows back that fast it obviously serves some purpose, but at …
As many of you probably have, I’ve read numerous John Grisham novels over the years, always safe in the knowledge that I was almost ‘guaranteed’ a good read. The best seller, Rogue Lawyer is no different, though the main character, Sebastian Rudd and the disjointed construct of the first third of the book took me a while to warm to.
Rudd is not typical lawyer material in any sense of the word. His character translates as rough, unrefined, unpolished and definitely a far cry from the slick, courtroom efficienados usually portrayed in legal novels. For me, Rudd is the point of difference in this book. I’m not sure if I like him, but as a reader you can’t help but admire the way he handles his shit.
It’s a convoluted plot. Initially there were so many separate scenarios that I thought Rogue Lawyer was simply a series of short accounts of Rudd’s cases and very colourful clientele. This is not the case but sets the scene for a twisted tale of kidnapping and corruption, intertwined with Rudd’s own failings and conflicts as an estranged parent.
The crimes and criminals painted by Grisham in Rogue Lawyer are dirty, thug-level evil. This is a novel far removed from corporate, white-collar, hands-clean crime. It’s not pretty and I think that’s what caught me by surprise. To be honest I’m not sure I would go back for another date with Sebastian Rudd, the writing is fundamentally Grisham, but the voice was so different in this novel that I was stretched a little.
Action? Yes.
Lawyering level 6/10 – the drama in this book is mostly played out outside the realms of the courtroom.
Evil villains? So many I lost track.
Die-hard Grisham fans will be happy, Rogue Lawyer is a great read, a novel I looked forward to picking up each evening but not my favourite offering from the undisputed master of legal thrillers.
The 4th trimester is becoming a more common talking point and something that new mums are increasingly being made aware of. Newborns and their mothers do not pop out of the birthing suite ready for lattes, playgroups and power walks with the Mountain Buggy – …
Ok guys, here’s a Mother’s Day idea all done and dusted for you; 1 x copy of The Dressmaker 1 x pretty gift bag or gift box A couple of treats for Mum to enjoy and pamper herself with while she watches this fabulous movie; …
Ahhhh yes. I love photos. Photos, photos photos, all day long.
Every day. Photos.
Photos on my hard-drive, photos on my Instagram, Snapchat, FB……. wherever I can whack up some digital snaps I do. We used to be ridiculously diligent about getting our precious snaps printed out but yeah, life.
So, to make it up to my Mum and our assorted Nana’s that love a hard copy picture, I’ve created a super-cute, super-easy project you can knock out in no time and wow your Mum with on Mother’s Day.
You’re welcome!
Step 1: Download and install both Printicular from Warehouse Stationery and Phonto (a text-on-photo app)
Step 2: You will need 31 square photos, so resize your images using your native Apple or Android editing features first. If you have ‘Save original photos’ selected in your Instagram app, you probably have all the images you need to get started!
Step 3:
Step 4: Once you are ready to order;
Step 5: Head into Warehouse Stationery to pick up your images and get your calendar wirebound
Step 6: Create the stand by folding the 2 covers along the bottom edge of the photos and glueing together to make a flat edge
If you’re not feeling the urge to make something yourself, check out my 3 favourite gift ideas available to order online and ready to personalize;
1. Photo Blocks 2. Photo Books 3. Hard Phone Case $29.95
Competition closes 15th May 10pm. NZ residents only.
This post was made possible thanks to Warehouse Stationery.
Stuffed mushrooms make a super-easy, quick dinner that is one of our favourites. It’s perfect for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking a ‘meaty’ meal with multiple sides and multiple pots and pans to wash – plus, it’s kind-of a little bit fancy. …
The latest range of on-trend kids ‘Fashionery’ is in store now, just in time to kick off Term 2! Make sure to read to the end for your chance to win $100 to spend at Warehouse Stationery. The end of the first school term leaves …
Our back door opens to a flat concrete patio complete with roof, the perfect spot to enclose for winter play with the addition of two sides of roll-up PVC blinds. I can see it now……
That’s on the wish list.
A very rainy first weekend of the school holidays was a sign – it was time for action.
With no funds for an extension, a reno or just those roller blinds ( Lotto wth?), I figured I had to get creative with what we have. Move over mower, it’s garage time.
We don’t actually use our garage for its intended purpose, that is, no car has ever been parked in there. That would be weird right???
Pro tip > If you’re thinking about checking the suitability of your own little concrete den for a playroom transformation, I’d totally recommend actually scoping out the space before hand.
Not me. I just dived right in and went shopping.
With Nixon.
In the pouring rain.
Once environmental factors had been taken under consideration (torrential rain!) it was obvious that this was going to be a one-stop-shop affair, so Nix and I headed to The Warehouse where I was pretty sure I could find most things on the Pinterest board that existed only in my head.
I was right thank goodness, we found everything we needed at #thewarehousenz…….and maybe some things we just ‘wanted’ oops!
Pro tip > It actually might help to curate a Playroom Pinterest board! I’ve made one for you to give you some inspo, check it out here!
Start from the ground upYou can’t hang out in your garage during winter on a concrete floor. I wanted something thick, hardwearing and that didn’t look too out of place in a garage. Jute is perfect for the job, helping to blur the lines between trying to put an indoor space in an external garage lol. There were probably 5 rugs I was agonising over but I was so pumped at finding the large Jute rug one first, so I took it as a sign!
I wanted two seating options, one for Nix and one for Big People. I wasn’t planning on a Paw Patrol Moon Chair tbh, but if you saw his little face when he spotted it……..anyway, it’s in the garage, he loves it and I LOVE my styley, geometric beanbag. Our wifi reaches to the garage so Dave and I have a comfy spot to sit and work while Nix paints and plays.
An easel has been on Nix’s wishlist for a while so I really couldn’t deny his artistic expression any longer (considering I was putting together a messy play area!). It was another ‘AHA’ moment when I found the Kids Caboodle Whiteboard/Easel combo in the furniture department. Many I’ve looked at are very lightweight and flimsy – Nix would knock these over in a flash, cue the end of painting! There was also a matching shelving unit with lots of little coloured boxes for DVD and book storage which has been fully utilised already!
Add in a plastic kids table for arts and crafts and a heavy duty storage rack for ALL the toys I’m going to be moving out of the house and I was finished in the furniture department.
Let’s face it, it’s a garage, there’s only so much you can do!
I used a vintage sheet to cover up some ‘garage-y stuff’, hung some cahh-yoot Frozen bunting and whacked some nails in the beams to hang some banners I spotted in the Homewares department. On trend and at the right price, these are perfect for any kids space. Don’t forget a snuggly throw for watching movies or reading on the bean bag!
No messy playroom would be complete without Kinetic Sand, Paints, Markers and a BIG cardboard play shop that you can DRAW ON!!! Found on clearance for $10.48!!!! How could you not?? Nix was freaking out when I assembled it, it’s definitely his favourite part of the whole playroom.
We were storing an entertainment unit and a little TV in the garage so I picked up a baby DVD player for $39 WHAAATT?!? Couldn’t believe that one, cue #bargainfeeling! So now on yucky days, one or both of the boys can head out to the garage and chill out with Doc McStuffins or Star Wars.
End result? We freaking LOVE this little corner of the garage! It’s so nice to have created a usable space without taking out another mortgage. We’ve combined unused items we already owned with some key new pieces and a little re-organization and voila! At least one corner of our garage is totally awesome and ready for school holiday fun.
If you’re looking to grab any of these playroom essentials, I shopped three main categories at The Warehouse for this little project;
Or, check out my Pinterest Board for all shopping details and please share if you decide to tackle a Bargain Playroom at your house!
This post was made possible by our friends at The Warehouse.
For 6 years now Ethan has played rugby for our local club. We have lived, breathed and loved rugby each winter for each of those years and look forward to doing it all over again with Nixon – god help us! E missed his first …