this is my first easter away from home but i’m in good hands spending my weekend in hawkes bay at the best friend kate’s house. while i am missing my mom’s amazing cooking and the fun we have at home, i’m looking forward to making some new easter traditions. hope you have a great day celebrating christ’s resurrection! now excuse me while i go finish my peeps my mom sent from home.
my computer is finally fixed! actually apple gave me a new computer but that’s a whole different story… but now i’m back and have tons to post about! i know the holidays have come and gone but here are some snapshots of my favorite time of the year
christmas eve
of every day of the year, christmas eve is always the one i look forward to most but this one beat all others. besides scurrying like a crazy person trying to get my semifreddo done in time to put in the freezer, it was a fun and delicious christmas eve. we went to five crowns, my favorite holiday tradition and enjoyed the good food and holiday cheer. there are carolers that come round to every table and its just not christmas eve without hearing them sing ‘the holly and the ivy’. afterwards, we went back to our house for a little dessert get together. it was a truly wonderful and magical night
christmas day
christmas day around here is alot more chill and casual than christmas eve. we usually gather at my grandmas and have mexican food and open the remaining presents. i made a quinoa mexican salad which was a nice alternative to the usual heavy, meat filled mexican dishes and a ricotta blood orange cheesecake which i plan to make again in the near future.
as i mentioned in my last post, i did the flowers and decorations for my schools thanksgiving feast last thursday. since we are on the southern hemisphere, we are going into summer so my choice of flora and fauna was vastly different than typical thanksgiving decor like berries and leaves. i used mostly wild flowers and grasses from the fields surrounding my college and bottles from the many ginger sodas we drink around here. i also made an homage to fall in one of the windows thanks to some decals and a leaf garland my mom sent me so i would still get a taste of fall. my favorite part of the whole project was creating the wonderful smelling jasmine garlands for the curtain rods and mantle. decorating reminded me how much i love working with flowers and of my job last summer interning for a wedding florist. i could definitely do this for the rest of my life.
thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday. not because of the food, though it is delicious, or even the company, whether it be family at home or friends in a distant country, but because it is a day to celebrate everything God has blessed me with and done in my life. this year, i have so much to be thankful for like being able to study in this beautiful country, the new friends i’ve made and the old friends i cherish, my cute puppy back home, my wonderful family, the things i consider necessities like a laptop, phone, camera, car, food and a roof over my head and even things that are seemingly silly in comparison but still make life great like my morning coffee, cute shoes, blogs, beautiful photography, good books, yoga, tea and the like. though i wasn’t home this thanksgiving for the second year in a row, it was still a great time eating yummy food and spending time with my college family. i did all the flowers and decorations for our celebration (post to come) which i had a blast with! it was a thanksgiving i will always remember and be thankful for.
happy halloween everyone! because new zealand is on the southern hemisphere, it is spring right now which basically means i have had two springs this year. though spring is fantastic, fall is my favorite season. i’ve really been missing the falling leaves, apple cider and crisp air of autumn. but just because the weather is warming up doesn’t mean i can’t enjoy some of my favorite things about fall: halloween and pumpkin treats! i made these pumpkin spice cupcakes for my school’s halloween dinner and they were the perfect reminder of fall and extremely yummy! next semester, i’ll get my fall fix here in new zealand but for now, these cupcakes are helping to fill the void
today was my moms birthday! to celebrate this joyous occasion, i made a yellow cake with vanilla frosting from magnolia bakery (one of the things i miss most about nyc) and a whimsical banner to go on top. i didn’t have much time to make it but it was a relatively simple recipe so i could whip it out in no time. i love making cakes and this one was no exception! i made the banner by gluing felt to string then trying it to two long sticks. it was so easy to make and the best part is it’s reusable! so happy birthday momma! hope you’re day was fantastic