I heart the All Blacks!!

Raise your hands if you're a proud Kiwi right now?  (Both hands up!)  I am sooo happy and proud that our All Blacks were victorious against France at the RWC 2011 grand final on the weekend.  It was the longest and most excruciating 80 minutes of my life.  I had the pleasure of watching the game with my dear husband and other family members in the city.  It was a great atmosphere and a thrilling experience.  Everyone held their breath in the last few minutes of the game, it was so nerve wrecking I felt as though I was about to pass out.  It was very still and all you could feel and hear were the hearts of the nation beating.  I kept praying and claiming our victory.  God answered my prayer and the rest of New Zealand's, too, so all the praise goes to Him!

I have sooo many cool pics to share with you all from the weekend, but I haven't uploaded them yet.  Check back later as I will be updating this post.  xo

All Blacks Birthday!!

On the weekend (when the All Blacks triumphed over the Wallabies) my nephew Landon James had his All Blacks birthday party!  What a great day it was!  All the kiddos (and the adults) rocked up with their All Blacks jerseys and RWC related clothing.  Let's just say Chipmunks was blacked out with all our kids!  It was definitely easy to tell whose kids belong to what party, hehe.  It was such a fun day for our family and all those who were there to celebrate his birthday with us.

Of course, it wouldn't be an All Blacks party without an All Blacks cake!  So what better than an All Blacks jersey for a cake!!  Here are some pics for you to enjoy!

I was so stoked to have found these super cool RWC taffy at a candy shop!  They had all the countries involved at this year's Rugby World Cup, which is awesome!!!  I loved how the vibrant colours of the candies added a wow factor to the very black cake :-).

Click after the jump for more pics of the cake at the party, including some with the birthday boy himself...

All Blacks!!

Well, that's all I can talk about today!  I still have my AB tattoos on my face from last night, hehe.  What a great performance by the All Blacks!  It was definitely worth losing my voice over (sorry to my family who were a little bit freaked out by my passionate screams).  Ahhh!!  I still can't get over it.

Wallabies' dreams fade to Black.
Source: The Australian

What a thrilling experience it was!  Credit goes to all the boys for working together in a tactical running rugby game.  And of course, special credit goes to Aaron Cruden - you the bomb!!

Image source: NZH

For such a young man (and don't forget a new member to the AB squad), you shined like a star last night.  A right-footed Dan Carter?  You definitely showed us that you have what it takes to wear that number 10 jersey.  (To read an article on Aaron Cruden's performance last night, click here).

And don't forget about my man, Cory Jane - wow, you definitely deserved man of the match!  You caught all the high balls Oz bombed your way with ease and style.

Image source: 3News

My man Piri, although you didn't get all the kicks and you were feeling under the weather, you still managed to do your job well so BIG UPS for that.  You did your nation proud and your Granddad, too.

Image source: Super Sport

I could go on all day about each player, but I think I'll save you the time (hehe).  I'm just sooo proud of our boys!!  And to be a kiwi right now!!  Can't wait for this Sunday when we face the French!  All I can say is FRENCH TOAST!!

Well, that's it from me this glorious Monday!!  I'm in such a good mood that the cloudy sky isn't bothering me one bit!  See you all tomorrow!  I will be sharing more All Blacks goodies - this time in cake form!!  So tune in guys!!

Me and my eldest son - ALL BLACKS ALL THE WAY!!!

xo

NZ Proud!

Good morning everyone!  How was your weekend?  Hope it was productive and fun!  Mine was both, but I forgot to also add TIRING!  On Saturday was my son's soccer prizegiving, followed by Wacky's 1st pirate birthday party, then a spectacular All Blacks win against France (that my lucky brother got to watch LIVE at Eden Park - sooo jealous),

Daniel Carter
Image source: NZ Herald online, Photo: Getty Images

topped with the Warriors' victory over the Storm that put them in the grand finals (which will be against Manly in Sydney)!!

Warriors centre Lewis Brown as the final hooter blew.
Image source: NZ herald online, Photo: Getty Images

Wow, and that's just one day!  All I can say is I am very proud to be a NZer right now.  :-)

But, what about (yesterday) Sunday?  Well, more rugby for me and my family of course.  We managed to catch Manu Samoa win against Fiji, and Argentina's nail-biting win again Scotland!  My son Javaughn was sooo thrilled his adopted country Argentina won 13-12.

Image source: NZ herald online, Photo: Mark Mitchell

But, of course, even though I missed the game, I have to mention how proud I am of Ireland's charging win against Russia yesterday, too.  Ireland is one of my fave's in the RWC ever since their win over Australia.  They're definitely one to watch out for.

Image source: NZ herald online, Photo: Alan Gibson

Wow, I have to say, I am going to miss the RWC when it's over.  But, until that day comes, I will live in and savour the moment.

Before I go, here's something sweet from me to you for breakfast...

Cinnamon swirls baking in the oven...

Ahhh!  Fresh from the oven, and drizzled with a delectable vanilla bean icing...just lovely.

Have a sugary Monday guys!  See you all again tomorrow for even more sugar!

xo

Rugby birthday to ME!

Good morning peeps!  Hope you had a great weekend!  I sure did!  It was my birthday yesterday!  It was a Rugby-filled Birthday weekend for me!  Whoop whoop!

Image source: Sky sports

As much as I loved the fact that the All Blacks crushed Japan (which really was a given), I especially enjoyed the Australia versus Ireland match on Saturday.  I was a mad woman running up and down my house, cheering for Ireland!  My poor hubby was looking at me in a scared/strange manner, lol.  He knew not to spoil my moment, so he let me be.  During the conversions I'd be saying screaming, "com'on Sexton!  Do it!!!"

Image source: BBC Sport

My poor son got outta bed and came into the lounge (not very happy with my behaviour) saying, "Mum, show some respect please!  I'm sleeping!"  Ooops, sorry Jubs!  Yesss, I am guilty of enjoying my rugby too much.  But, hey, who doesn't?  Okay, I do know 'some' who don't...actually, scratch that, I know ONE person who doesn't...and that is my bestie (Keshia), hehe.  She switches off when you start talking about rugby, she even snores!  Don't worry, she's getting better.  She has no choice because her hubby-to-be loves the game.  :-)

Switching codes for a moment, another game I really enjoyed watching was the Warriors versus Tigers.   Man, first half looked pretty discouraging, but I knew not to give up on my Warriors.  Come second half and they owned that game!  It was super close, though!!  22-20!  I was praying while watching that game I tell ya!  The player that stood out for me was Maloney, even though he didn't get Man of the Match.  He was phenomenal!

Image source: 1Click

AND, another league game I thoroughly enjoyed watching was Broncos versus Dragons.  Talk about nail-biting!  13-12!  So glad the Broncos won!  My hubby's cousin Ben Te'o plays for them, so gotta show some love!  Man of the Match for me was Darren Lockyer - simply sensational!

Image source: Couriermail

Okay, so no cakes to share today, but don't be discouraged!  I have plenty of cakes in store for you in the days ahead.  I still have my brother JR's 30th birthday cake I made the other week to share with y'all, plus a special cake made by my sister-in-law (Gaile) for me and my youngest brother, Jan.  Sooo many sugary delights in store for you guys, so be sure to come back!

xo

RWC spectacular!

Hey guys!  Who enjoyed the RWC opening last Friday?  Did you see it live?  Or on tele?  Or did you miss the whole thing?  As for me and family, we decided to join in on some of the RWC hype on Friday night.  We watched the super cool fire works display from under the bridge!  It was the best view!  There were lots of people, but nothing too crazy like town.  We managed to find parking ten minutes before the fireworks started.  We even found a perfect spot next to the water.  It was a beautiful, clear night.  My three boys enjoyed it sooo much!  My twinnies were glued to the sky.  There were different colours exploding everywhere.  The patterns that came out were spectacular.  It was sooo big and loud you could feel the ground trembling.  We thought this would scare our little ones, but they loved every minute of it!  It was nice to see so many families there.  Our eldest boy imagined the whole thing was a Pokemon battle, he was lovin' it!  I was sooo gutted I forgot to bring my camera to capture the fireworks, but I think it was meant to be.  I think it was one of those 'better to live in the moment' moments.  Had I been taking photos all night, I would have missed the whole experience, so by the end of the night I was quite grateful I didn't have the camera.  It was a nice time with the fam :-)  Of course, knowing me, I still managed to find a way to document this experience (with my phone) - although unclear, they're enough to remind us of what a great night it was!

Okay, now I confess for the following pics you're about to witness...definitely doesn't paint the picture I described above, but it really was a beautiful night!  Sorry, again, this is all my Nokia X6 was able to produce...I'll see if I can put some more pics up later that my hubby took with his Android...maybe we'll get better pics, we'll see...

Afterwards, we rushed outta there and headed to Massey to my sister's casa where we watched the All Blacks play Tonga.  The one most talked about highlight of that game was when Sonny Bill Williams (SBW) took his super tight shirt off when one of his sleeves were ripped off during a tackle.  You should have heard the (ladies in the) crowd roar, haha.  While all the men were rolling their eyes (jealous much?), hehehe.  I gotta admit, my sister and I were one of those roarers, lol.  For those who missed out, here are some pics I found online...

Anyway, enough about shirtless rugby players!  Our internet is still giving us grief, so the Fathers' Day post I promised y'all will have to wait yet another day.  Hope you're all warm and cosy in this cold weather!  I pray no more tornadoes come our way - too scary!  See you all again soon!

xo

Day 1 - Rugby World Cup 2011

Good morning peeps!  First of all, I'm sorry, I know I said I was going to share our Fathers' Day highlights with you today, but our broadband connection is super s-l-o-w, so I can't upload too many pics, etc.  I will just have to try again next week.

Today, I'll keep it short and sweet.  Are you wearing black or red today?  As you know, tonight's opening match will be NZ versus Tonga.  I swear it's bleeding out there!  There's red EVERYWHERE!  It's sooo nice to see so many Tongan supporters.  We even have Tongan ninjas!  If you don't believe me, check out the pics below..

My cousin (in-law) Dos was supposed to be one of them!  hehehe.  Now, I have to say, that's loyalty right thurr!  I absolutely love the Tongans and their culture.  I have so many Tongan friends and having had the opportunity to teach Tongan kids, as well as be part of our high school Tongan group three years in a row, I feel like I'm part Tongan.  However, I have to say, I'll be wearing black today.  Maybe with a little bit of red to support my Tongan friends, who knows :-)  I'm excited to see what the other nations come up with when it's their turn to play.  I love how creative people get!

If you're up for a short quiz to test your knowledge on the RWC, then click here.  My aunty emailed it to me just this morning.  My hubby forgot to eat his HUMBLE PIE today and emailed back boasting that he got 20/20 - LOL.

Anyway, the front of my house is a proud All Blacks supporter - I have the whole flag and bunting thing goin' on.  Not as cool as my neighbour's one, who actually has the bunting with all the flags on it, but still pretty cool.  My bunting's on the cheapo side - made of black rubbish bags and gift wrapping paper, hehehe.  When your budget is low, you tend to get crafty, hehe!

Before I go, I would like to greet my big brother a VERY HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY today!  What a great day to have it!  See you this weekend bro!!

That's it from me folks!  Have a wonderful Rugby day and see you all again next week!!!  Blessings!!

xo