moanaline is six!

on saturday we celebrated madeline's sixth birthday in island style... with a moana birthday party!

(dress from big w) 

for those of you who don't already know, my husband is actually samoan (yes i know, he has red hair! i can see that, thank you for pointing it out though lol. his father's grandmother was maori and his mother samoan, so people mostly assume the red hair came through the maori side. not so. his cousin who is darker skinned with dark hair and eyes, has had two children that are like little dougs! so, we can confirm, it's definitely the samoan line that's passed on the red gene)

anyway, back to the party. when madeline loved moana, we certainly didn't discourage it in any way, as really, it's written as a story of the polynesians, especially those of the samoan islands (fun fact: the rock who voiced maui, is samoan!) and when she decided she wanted a moana party, i was thrilled!

decorations were easy, lots of blue, watery looking goodness: 

blue confetti balloons (big w party store) - $3 for a pack of 3

moana napkins (big w party store) - $5 for a pack of 16

moana bunting, 10 cups and 10 plates (aliexpress) $9.85

maddie was thrilled to get this pineapple lamp in the mail from a family friend the day before the party which was perfect as a decoration (available here from kmart online)

tablecloth is also from kmart (actually a doona cover! haha)

when we went to samoa as a family in 2014, doug desperately wanted to get himself a carved drum, but was concerned about getting it home... flash forward a few months when my parents finished their voluntary mission (working at church college) we made it happen! mum and dad had it shipped with their other items and it's taken pride of place in our house. it was a perfect decoration for the party!

the cake was incredible, made as always by my best friend jennifer, it was a masterpiece! 3 layers of coconut/vanilla cake with ombre wave icing and biscuit crumb "sand." we bought the moana figures at the disney store in the usa when we were over in february, but similar can be found on aliexpress also.

drinks were fresh water and ocean water (lemonade with blue food colouring... noted for next time is that i used wayyyyy too much colouring, there were blue mouths right left and centre on the kids)

and my lovely husband spent hours making this gorgeous "secret underwater cave" in our theatre room with green streamers ($1 for a pack of six from our local red dot (cheap store)) the girls loved it and squealed with excitement when they got to go and and play pass the parcel and have some pics at the end of the party

pin the nose on pua brought much excitement... i had googled some games knowing that it was going to be raining (worst news ever when you have a party!) and couldn't find a free one, so i made my own! please feel free to leave a comment if you want me to email it to you, it's not super fancy, but it's free! the girls loved it! there was a lot of laughter ♥

the aftermath!

leftover noses! i love pua! i was so sad he wasn't in the movie more! :(

prize was a moana colouring book ($2 from big w)

as usual i spent the day before baking, to make sure everything was perfect, yes i am a complete control freak! i made heart of te fiti cookies...

hei hei's chicken feed (corn fritters)

ocean jelly slice (blue jelly slice)

beach sand slice (lemon pie bars)

island coconuts (meatballs made by nanna babs)

pigs in a blanket (mini sausage rolls)

te ka's ash cake (brownies)

sailboat swirls (mini quiches also from the kitchen of nanna babs)

under the sea crackers (limited edition arnotts shapes available at woolworths!)

kakamora (chocolate truffles)

tamatoa's treasure (caramel popcorn with added jewels to make them shiiiiiiiny)

hei hei's egg sandwiches 

to make the food labels, i found all these pictures on google and then added the type, again, not fancy... but free! leave me a comment and i can email them out.

joseph was pretty shy at the party and stayed behind nanna in the background (and flat our refused to wear the adorable maui shirt we had bought him! :( i was so sad!) but i managed to get this cute snap of him enjoying one of the te fiti cookies, to be honest i am sure he ate about 8 of them... eep. 

food was a hit and demolished... made it all worth it!

we played pass the parcel (of course... what is a kids party without a game of pass the parcel! layers contained lollies and sheets of under the sea stickers ($2 for a book from the local cheap shop) and the middle had a moana necklace (i'm wearing one in the 2nd picture - $2.59 from ebay, came super quick and looks great!) and another ocean themed sticker book

maddie was so pleased with her party and just looked thrilled and important the whole day to be having her first one with school friends. our girl is growing up so fast!

finally it was cake time... and this cake did not disappoint! aunty jenny had even managed to find some blue "ocean" flamed candles and they were the talk of the party. so so cool!

last but not least, the girlies took home a coconut with some treats inside.

i love planning parties, once it all comes together and works out, all the effort doesn't matter... just how happy your kid is! 

we love you moana-line! hope you loved your island party! ♥

(more photos on instagram - #moanalineissix)

moana party prep

sometimes i think i enjoy the party prep more than the party! i have so much thinking of ideas and seeing them come to life. madeline decided that this year she'd like a moana party for her birthday, so my mind went into overload thinking what i could do to make the party that little bit cooler.

my very awesome best friend jen got to work making chocolate wraps that i could print to cover the aldi 40g chocolates ($2.99 for 5), you simply remove their paper (very carefully) and then add your own print (a standard size 4x6 photo wrapped fits perfectly) and hold in place with a small piece of tape.

these were to go inside these awesome coconut cups i ordered from ebay here ($2.95 each with flat rate postage for $7.95 no matter how many you order) along with some allens pineapples and a white lollipop (which totally looks like a coconut on a stick)

i decided to make jelly slice (because it's a crowd pleaser and would totally look like ocean slice with the blue white and sandy colour... only this was a huge fail. i am reporting back so no one else has to go through this... i bought the awesome looking new aeroplane glitter jelly (because who doesn't like glitter) but after being in the fridge on top of the slice all day long it still wasn't set!!!! it seems as though the glitter jelly uses a different setting agent than the regular gelatine in most jellies and adding the additional gelatine required to get it solid enough to hold on the slice had caused it to react and not set. long story short, i'll be heading off to coles in the morning on an emergency non-glitter jelly run after i tip this lot off.

i desperately wanted to make heart of te fiti cookies. for those of you that have seen moana, the movie centres on a small green stone called the heart of te fiti and i wanted to give it a go! i used the recipe i used last year to make the pineapple cookies last year and got to work. i was in the middle of rolling out the dough when madeline came into the kitchen and said, "mum, what are you doing?" i replied, "i'm making heart of te fiti cookies" "oh. why aren't they green?" oh my gosh. why weren't they green?! my darling girl with all the innocence of a child had saved me hours of icing the cookies with common sense. back in the mixer with some green food colouring, then back onto the bench to roll again.

i used a pumpkin cookie cutter that i picked up at coles in a 4 pack for a few dollars after halloween last year then used the knife i was lifting the cookies with to cut off the stem. easy!

into the oven they went... then once they were cool i iced them (same icing recipe from the pineapple cookie post mentioned above) with a simple swirl. they aren't perfect, that's for sure, but i love them!

i also made some "tamatoa's shiny treasure" by using caramel popcorn with some cute shiny gold stars and pearls to make it extra shiiiiiiiny!!

and some "beach sand slice" aka lemon pie bars, which my friend lisa used to make allll the time when she lived in australia. they are excellent and i strongly suggest you give them a try while lemons are in season. 

stay tuned... party is tomorrow and we are super excited at makeshift motonui. i can't wait to show off pictures!

madeline is six!

this morning i woke up and just like that madeline was six! i swear it was just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital - and now she is a little lady, wants to pick her own clothes, have an opinion and worst of all, talk back! (oh my goodness, i wonder where she learned that from?) i am so proud to be her mum and love that she will not have decisions made for her. i hope she grows up to be independent and continues to show the strong will she has, not allowing the opinions of others to sway her.

we have received excellent feedback from madeline's school teacher. she reads extremely well for her age and isn't afraid to read around words and use other ones to work out the story. she is writing all by herself and sounds out words she doesn't know (even if they aren't correct) so that she can "do it by myself!" her maths skills are great too and we spend our time in the car doing simple sums and spelling every word she can think of. watch out world. madeline is coming for you!

maddie and joseph got to spend the afternoon with my mum as i had to attend a funeral nearby, and she was thrilled to see a beautifully set table when we arrived, with her a gorgeous decorated cake for her to enjoy. she was one happy little girl!

nanna even let her cut the cake herself, something mummy would never allow (i'm far too ocd) and serve the pieces. 

after a long drive home, she was thrilled to see more gifts and a huge balloon from mummy and daddy. i was way more excited than her about the big one, a framed map of all the old landmarks in paris. i am obsessed with it and can't wait to see it hanging in her room.

more cake after dinner (this girl is going to be caked out) and then finally off to bed, so that mum can continue preparations for her birthday party this weekend. she may kill me some times, but i am so lucky she is mine ♥

happy birthday maddie!

margaret river chocolate factory

it's madeline's sixth birthday tomorrow and it was doug's day off today, so i asked madeline what she'd like to do and received a very enthusiastic response of "go to the chocolate factory!!" apparently their bus had passed it each day during their two weeks of school swimming lessons at the end of the term and she was busting to go and check it out.

i think she may have been a teeny bit disappointed that it wasn't bustling and bright and cheerful like the chocolate factory in willy wonka and the chocolate factory but she was happy to watch them put the chocolate into moulds, make the chocolate balls coated in sprinkles and watch the machines stirring it about. both of my kidlets were especially happy to taste the free samples on offer... and happily picked an ice cream each (rocky road for joseph and bubblegum for madeline)

it was a fun little family outing for us... and i have a feeling we will be getting dragged back in the future. but for chocolate? i don't mind a bit!

york salvos for the win

this is what $50 will get you if you op shop in york at the salvation army jumble sale at 71 avon terrace york: open monday, thursday and friday 9:30 (but sometimes a little earlier depending on who is volunteering that day) - until 12 noon.  plus as an added bonus, they have a "coffee shop" in the church hall monday and friday where the older (please let it be known that i did not say old) ladies who volunteer make excellent hot chocolate/ coffee and scones with jam and cream. totally worth the drive from perth, especially when my parents live half an hour away. 

but. back to the bargains... this week i was lucky enough to discover a genuine (definitely the real deal) mimco medium pouch (feast your eyes on the rrp here if you will) in excellent condition. i was so stoked. i have considered buying one on a few occasions but could never justify the price tag, so was beyond excited to find it. i did a little happy dance right then and there, a very dignified one in case the opshop ladies caught on and charged me more (who am i kidding, these are old ducks in a country town just over an hour east of perth) but i can happily report i paid a total of one dollar. that's right, you read that corrrectly, one dollar. the best bit? the link that holds the pull tab to the pouch was missing and the tab seemed to be missing... but it was inside the pouch! if you are an avid opshopper, you'd know this is a miracle and i am still getting over it. what a win!

plus, i also scored a mimco bag (also genuine) front and center in the pic above, for a friend who also loves (and can't afford) mimco. there are two pretty happy girls here this week. ♥

maddie lost a tooth!

what a milestone!

miss madeline lost her first tooth last week and couldn't be prouder of herself. she came to me a few days before telling me her tooth was hurting which baffled me a little, until i pressed on it and it moved! oh she was so thrilled, her friends have started to lose their teeth and she hates to be the last.

a few days it got super loose and was just hanging by a thread in her mouth at which time she came to me and told me she needed me to help her (ew gross!) so i wiggled it a little until it popped out of her gum! then we left it out for the tooth fairy who was super generous and gave her $4. (lucky kid. that was purely because her grandparents happened to be at our house and doubled what we had haha)

our little girl is growing up at a crazy rate... it seems like just yesterday she was a baby - and now she's turning six next week!