My Mr Price find of the week, some must-have items this winter and how to wear leggings...

I had to browse the accessories long and hard and tear their rails apart, but I found this really funky belt in an amazing red.

It will look fab around a crisp white shirt - which is my must-have item this winter.  I also managed to find the white shirt at Mr P - its tailored, extra long, and has slight embellisment on the front.   The extra length shirt is so important when wearing with leggings, which I've finally worked out how to wear!

The trick is the length of the top you wear over them.  It must sit and fit below your butt cheeks (any longer and it looks strange unless you're wearing an oversized jersey or dress) and any shorter and you don't look good from the front (anyone heard of camel toe?)  You can layer tops underneath if there's one you particularly want to show off - make sure the one underneath is the length I'm talking about.  Leggings do fit tightly, so they can make you feel self-conscious, but give them a chance and you'll be sold on their comfort and warmth!

And a last word - don't be afraid of bright colour leggings - I saw red leggings with a black and white outfit - it was fab.  If only I had taken a photo!  But I'm now on the look out for some for myself!

And if you need to see it in action check out:

http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z35/fashionunder100/fu1002/?action=view&current=hild.jpg

Good Housekeeping to launch in South Africa

I attended the launch of Good Housekeeping magazine this morning. 


It's going to be the magazine which speaks to women 25+, who are (more) settled and happy to stay at home on a Friday night.  So I guess that should mean me?

I paged through the sample edition from the US (which is what our SA version will be based on) and it was pleasant enough.  I chuckled at one or two articles: 'Be a calmer Mom' and a reader page where she admits to less-than-perfect Mother behaviour. 

Let me admit that while I am considered settled and more than happy to be home on a Friday night - reading Elle or Marie Claire - edgy, out there and trendy does appeal to me more.  Perhaps it helps me escape and will keep me hip?

Buying Good Housekeeping is not going to make me feel that way.

It all comes down to content.  If they can keep the content modern, relevant and in touch with us modern 'settled' types - perhaps I will feel that it adds so much to my life I can't be without it.  Hopefully it won't become a generic, must-please-everyone middle aged read.  This remains to be seen.

Good Housekeeping launches in South Africa in October 2011.

Rachel Weisz marries Daniel Craig in secret New York wedding ceremony | Film | The Guardian

Don't they make a gorgeous couple :-)

Rachel Weisz marries Daniel Craig in secret New York wedding ceremony | Film | The Guardian

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/daniel-craig-rachel-weisz-secretly-205637

Let's hope it lasts...trying to stay away from the prying-media eye is a good start!

Closet Space | Second Hand Online Clothing Store | Cape Town, South Africa

Just got sent a link to this online clothing auction idea - what a great concept! I'm going to look through my cupboard and see if there is anything I can add! It would be good to know when they're going to get new stuff in.

Closet Space | Second Hand Online Clothing Store | Cape Town, South Africa

I still think there's an opportunity to do wardrobe swops!  Online or not - it would be such fun to get a group of girlfriends together and share the clothes you think will suit each other.

Friday night supper - steak, pommes frites and hollandaise

Pete's cooking me supper tonight! Yippee!  I was inspired by my best mate Kate (who, unfortunately for me, lives in the UK) when she shared her husband's supper idea two nights ago.

So we're having a salad to start (more about that below) a steak (a free-range rump from Woolworths - the only meat worth eating) with french fries (pommes frites) and I'll try my hand at a hollandaise sauce - calorific, but delicious.








The wine is Warwick Pinotage (2009) which we discovered at our father's day lunch at the estate www.warwickwine.com last Sunday.  Its wonderfully smooth and easy to drink and it says on the lable enjoy with a good steak - so there you go!

Here's my sneaky salad:

• Packet of bitter mix leaves (like rocket, watercress, baby spinach)
• Grated raw beetroot
• Mint (if you can find some)
• Granny Smith apple sliced thinly
• Cranberries
• Blue cheese
  Balsamic oil / olive oil dressing mix to taste.

I love the tangy / sweet / sour mix!

And here's my easy hollandaise recipe:

• 1 x egg yolk (beaten) and placed in a good size bowl
• Heat up about 2 / 3 tbsp of butter (use a microwave - super quick)
• Heat up juice of one big lemon
• Then get your whisk ready and slowly from a height, drip the butter (hot and melted) into the egg yolk beating all the time.
• Then do the same with the hot lemon juice and keep whisking
• The mixture should start thickening - you need to do taste tests and check to see whether you need more butter / lemon or both - until you get to the taste / sharpness you like!
• Don't forget black pepper and salt afterwards

And serve immediately!

YUM - I can't wait to tuck in!

Google's Winter Solstice

Google

City Bowl Market

Thanks to my friend Louise, I now know about the new market happening down my street!  www.citybowlmarket.co.za 

at 14 Hope Street.

It's gourmet food - lots of samply bits and delicious delicious coffee - a strong selling point!  We tried the chicken wanton noodles for lunch and they were fresh, tasty and a real treat.

We've always been reluctant to go to the markets as they can be crowded and cramped - not ideal when you have a toddler who needs to run around.


 The hidden gem in this market was the outside jungle gym (look for the double doors next to the pancake man and walk up and around the passage)  A lovely grassy patch, some chairs for the grown-ups to sit on and a quiet jungle gym for Samuel to explore!

We'll definitely be going back.

PS - and Samuel enjoyed his babychino there too (see previous post!)

The Joy of the Babychino

I can hold and sip like a grown-up!

Samuel is finally at an age where he appreciates a good coffee shop and we're loving it!  It's all thanks to the babychino:  a little espresso cup filled with milky foam and a sprinkle of chocolate.  Dished up on a saucer with a teaspoon.  Who thought such a simple thing could keep him entertained for at least 10 minutes while we get to savour and enjoy our caffeine fix.  Throw in a croissant and you've got about 15 minutes!

It's now my mission this winter to find places we all can enjoy with good coffee and some indoor space.  That's if your toddler is as susceptible to sugar as ours is - the chocolate sprinkles need to be run-off afterwards.

Wembley Square www.wembleysquare.co.za has a Vida E with indoor space and a suped-up car (those R5 coin jobs) and a Saturday kids area with supervision.  This is serious luxury during a wet winter morning as you can even get to glance at a paper between sips of coffee and making sure the toddlers aren't tearing the place apart.   I think they should do it on a Sunday as well!

Upstairs at the Waterfront is another good spot - there's space between the tables and less pedestrian traffic for toddlers to cause major chaos.

Its my mission this winter to find some more of these places.  Somewhere we all can enjoy a really good coffee and Samuel has his fun at the same time!

Anyone got their own secret spots?

YUM!

Naartjies and weather nostalgia

I sat on the front steps with Samuel recently, aborbing the Cape afternoon sunshine, and watched him peel a naartjie. I'm captivated as his face squeezes up as the sweet/sour juice hits his tongue.  So cute.

These moments gave me weather nostalgia. It reminds me of childhood days in Kwa-Zulu Natal where the autumn days are always sunny.  Afternoons lying next to the pool and watching my mom lie on the warmed slasto opposite me; both of us absorbing the sun's perfect temperature. We'd eat naartjies off the trees that grew in our garden.  Then just enjoy those late afternoon minutes before the sun dipped behind the mountain the winter chill hidden in the shadows crept back.

Happy memories to make me nostalgic and a wonderful story to share with Samuel about his Granny!

Check out Google's home page today

Google

I (heart) Google's home page today.

It's a Les Paul guitar in honour of his birthday - and you can even strum the strings! Awesome! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul

Intel® The Museum of Me

Intel® The Museum of Me

You have to try this. The perfect mix of brilliant back-end programming and awesome 3D design.

Attention to the little boys

Here's my lament about trying to find toddler boy clothes...

My search for fun, funky, good quality toddler boy clothes continues. Once again Woolworths has the most disappointing winter range for boys ages 1-3. Goodness knows who the buyer is, but clearly and sadly they have no clue. If you were to dress your boytjie in their range he'd look just like a Walton-boy in lots of navy blue, bottle green and red polyester trackpants and boring cotton long-sleeve t-shirts (plain I add).  Their baby-boy range is gorgeous but enter toddler years and its a serious let down.

Mr Price is far better on the fun and funky (and almost every t-shirt Samuel has comes from them) But good luck trying to find the sizes in their other items!  PEP is another store - super cheap - and remarkably cute!  I found Samuel some jeans and a surfer t-shirt here for under R70!

I won't go into detail about how disappointing the boys' pyjamas are either.  A 2-year old isnt exactly into Spiderman / Ben 10 yet - but he doesn't have a choice.  Luckily when I was in the UK I bought Samuel some brilliant step-in, zip-up pyjamas - they're warm and practical and he loves them.  It's not a struggle to get him dressed after a bath...he wants to get into them.  I don't blame him!

Just woken up - too cute!

The back of the PJ's even has a tail!  And the feet are non-slip

I know Woolworths can improve the boys clothes - after all the toddler girls stuff is gorgeous.  So come on Woolies - isn't it time you paid some attention to the little boys?