Wanaka

Hiii guys it has come to my last day in Wanaka :( Tomorrow we are driving down to Arrowtown and I love it there sooo much!!

In the last couple of days we have driven down to Cromwell and my Dad and brother when go-carting (I was too scared to haha!!) we have walked up to a winery where my parents did some tasting I was offered but I am terrified of all kinds of drugs even a little after being overdosed at the hospital and I am only 4 years underage!!! So wine umm nooo!! I cant even drink normal coffee!! It has to be decafe!! It really scared the hell out o f me!! yep thats me but i suppose it isnt the worst thing to be scared of!! We have been swimming in the lake and soo much swimming in the motel pool the cholrine has made my skin all dry and horrible!! haha!!

We have also been to puzzling world which was sooo cool!! All illusions and weird rooms!! And we went out for tea and I ate a whole pizza minus 2 slices which I am really happy about even ordering pizza!! Well it was a small-ish pizza but still!!

Happy new years eve!!

Heyy guys!! Happy new years, I hope you  had a lovely year and are looking forward and have a even better 2015!!! I cant believe how fast this year has gone by!! It wasnt the best year ever for me, well it was probably the worst.. but thats okay!! I have a whole new year to look forward to and make the best year yet!!

 This year I spent over two weeks locked away in my room to anxious to come out, I was scared of my family and leaving my 'safe' space, I had noo idea what it was and the doctors said I had a virus and I presumed I was just sick and it would go away soon but it just got worse and worse and eventually I was diagnosed with social anxiety and GAD. I was throwing up every day before school with anxiety and spent first and second period most days with the councilor as I couldnt cope going strait to my classes. I had to see a councilor/ psychologist twice a week to try and get me out of my room and to school. I had run out of health and english when I had to present a powerpoint and explain a long questions answer infront of the class in complete panic and anxiety attack, thankfully I have the most awesome friend and teacher who and just soo amazing and helped me!! And many more bad anxiety and GAD related events which I just dont want to remember. I spent over two weeks in hospital with a kidney infection and not eating and because I was really sick the nurses didnt care I wasnt eating and that was when I reached my lowest weight but because I was soo underweight before I came in as I didnt eat at school or breakfast etc. when i first came in I could barely breathe the gave me a normal dose of morphine for a 14 yr old but I was very underweight as had a massive reaction as I was overdosed on it and it was horrible, I dont remember anything in a time frame of about 2 hours and the stuff I do remember involves bright flashing colours everywhere buzzing and throwing  up. And then my dietitian at the hospital got super mad at me at my weight and my anxiety got to me when it came to putting weight on and it when sooo  downhill from there and fortisips etc. ahh!!

But enough of the bad stuff this year I have got my anxiety disorder under control and even did a 3 min speech infront of the whole class and got 3/4 excellence on it and one merit which is pretty much full marks which I am still super proud of myself as earlier I had run out of that same class when asked a question!! I reached a healthy weight and got back into baking which I use to be terrified of and enjoy it. And best of all I can leave my room and bus 40 min into town by myself to meet my friend at the mall full of people and have lunch there and eat what I want!!!!!!! and I can bus to school and go to class without my mum having to come in at sit with me with the Councillor and can enjoy class and be good at it too!!! So lots of positives too!! And I hope that 2015 can have even more!! YAY!! I am going to go to bed but I think my brother plans to stay up to see it in but I am soo tired and i like my routine and want to stick with it even though I know I will probably be woken up by the fireworks as we are staying in town where they are going to be lit :(  but oh well! :)

I hope you have a great new year full of lots of positive surprises!! good luck!!
Lots of love Livvy
xoxo :)

My Christmas 2014 :)

Hiii I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and could enjoy it too !!!
I got my laptop that I wanted (and I need one for school next year as well) and this is the first ever post written on it...exciting!! And now I can post pictures anytime I want yay!! I had a great time with all my family and grandparents and they seemed to like all the presents I got for them as well :) and of course the food was delicious and I did eat a lot of it, probably too much ;)

 our table

 hhahah I didnt take a picture fast enough before my family got stuck into the cake :)

 the ham

 simple shortbread, just ask if you want me to post the recipe :)

 Christmas morning after we put all our presents under the tree (well 'Santa' did :))

 Trifle and my chocolate truffles 

And our good Kiwi Pav :) My fav 

How did you spend your Christmas?? I hope it was great!!

Lots of love Livvy xoxo 

Holiday!

Hiiii guys I hope you had a lovely Christmas!!!
This will just be a quick update as yesterday we got up early and travelled all the way down to Oamaru for the night and today we will be continuing down to Wanaka which will probably take the whole day to get there then we will be staying there for 5 days then down more to Arrowtown for 9 days. We don't have any Internet connection at the moment so. Am sitting outside a cafe hahah!! So I won't have time to upload any photos from Christmas or Oamaru :( so hopefully tonight in Wanaka we will!!
On our way down we stopped at our friends batch on the gorge and that was super fun!! Even though it wasn't the hottest day ever we still went down to the river and it was sooo cold!! When we put our head under you would get a giant brain freeze!! But that didn't stop us :) it was about 4 degrees or colder and it was seriously freezing!! Then we went back and played some badminton and football and then back on the road again.
Well anyway we have to get going again now, so I hope you are all well and had a lovely Christmas!!!
Lots of love Livvy xoxox :)

Only three days to go!!

Wow I am sooo excited :) :) 3 days!!
And I think I am pretty much ready to go :) I spent about 3 hours today wrapping up presents I got every one, it shouldn't of taken that long but me being me it all had to be perfect each with their own little hand made tag and ribbons perfectly curled so yes it took me a while ;) haha!!
Today has also been spent baking yayy!! :) some chocolate truffles and Christmas tree chocolates (well that's what we call them they are just homemade chocolates with nuts and fruit mince mix and cranberries etc. added into them and int my little tree moulds to set :)) and a chocolate cake which kinda turned into a blackforest cake of sorts, with mock cream and cherries inside but it tastes really good!! As we has friends over for afternoon tea :)
Tomorrow I hope to go and see mocking jay as I know I still haven't yet!! If I can find someone to go with that is hopefully R changes his mind and comes with me :)
And some bad news.. My gingerbread house got knocked my one side has completely collapsed :( but we still have half a house that is still standing!! Haha it can now only be viewed from side on!! But on the good side we had some gingerbread to nibble up :)

I hope you are well and have a very lovely and merry christmas!!
Lots of love Livvy
Xoxoxo :)

5 days till Christmas!!

I can't believe there is only 5 days untill Christmas!!! The year has gone by sooo fast!! A very hard year, with big challenges but also filled with lots of fun and joy! I can't wait until Christmas! But I don't want tit to be over either! I love having decorations up and lovely Christmas baking to eat in the lead up to the big day.

Yesterday we went out for our annual Christmas lunch with our family friends that we do every year to a lovely cafe called the raspberry cafe as you can go out and pick your own raspberries and other berries out the back. Sadly this year the season has been very late so we probably won't have many berries except strawberries for christmas! And there won't be any cherries either :( well there are but they are soooo expensive as the aren't very available about $30-40 for 1kg!! It is all very sad as I love Christmas berries and cherries!! Well anyway for lunch I had a adult size BLT open sandwich which I was super proud of as it was from the adult menu and I ate all of it when normally I struggle eating a kids sized one, I always get weird looks when i Order from the kids menu!! Hahah!! But not this time! And for desert as this place is known for its amazing deserts I had a meringue with strawberries and cream which was very good!

Today was nt very exciting and was spent going to the library in the morning to pick up my series DVD (and books of course!! Only about 10 of them ;))  which I wanted to watch then watching it all afternoon on my bed, well not all afternoon about 1,30 hours and eating my sushi for lunch :)
Then I played some badminton with my brother without a net as we couldn't be bothered to put it up ;) and I can happily say I suck at it! I can barely hit the ball shuttlecock haha I dont think you can call a little feathered thing a ball!?? But it was super fun until I got stung by a bee :( which was not fun at all and hurt a lot! I blame R fr stirring up them from hitting the lavender bushes so many times and making them buzz around hahah!! But t was probably my fault for hitting them in that direction a lot, not n purpose though, hahah I really am terrible at it ;) but it had gone down now which is good as it went all swollen and puffy but it is alright now ;) it just hurts to walk as t is on the bottom of my foot!!

Tomorrow my mum and I are going t make the Christmas fruit cake!! Yay baking!! :) and like always t is my jodpb to ice and decorate it which I am really looking forward t doing :) yay!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!! Stay strong ;)
Lots of love Livvy xoxo :)

Completed Gingerbread house!!

pictures fron the very start to very end all finished and pretty!!

 My friend came over and decorated it with me :) it kind of looks like a church but wasnt meant to, it was meant to be a window hahah!! you just cant really see the curtains!!

And the recipe :) I found it made tonnes of dough and made over 80 other cookies which we have frozen and given away :)

Ingredients :

250g butter softened

1 cup of Brown Sugar

½ cup Golden syrup

½ cup molasses

1 egg plus 1 yolk

5 cups (750g) plain flour

2 tablespoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons mixed spice

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan forced. Line 4 oven trays with baking paper.

Use an electric beater to beat the butter and brown sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add golden syrup, molasses and egg and yolk and beat until combined. Sift the flour and spices and bicarbonate of soda and mix to a dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.

Roll dough between two sheets of baking paper to 5mm thickness on oven trays. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut shapes for house using patterns out of baking paper so the template doesn’t stick to the dough

Remove the top layer of baking paper.

Cut out the dough using the template and place on baking tray

Bake gingerbread door for 8 minutes and larger panels for 10 – 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool on oven trays.

When cool assemble using royal icing, i bought mine :)

original recipe is HERE if you would like it, this version I have changed some ingredients and steps to which I have found works better and tastes nicer :)