2 DAYS in a row sunshine UNBELIEVABLE

We have sure had some rain, and although rugby has finished doing your shopping/chores/business around town makes for miserable times when its raining!!!

Samuel has been hard out practicing for Kapa Haka he is thoroughly enjoying Te Aha Maori Classes and Te Reo, and they had planned a weekend Wananga(meeting/hui) August 26th (night of) all day 27th-29th!!! YOU eat sleep and breathe Kapa Haka I put my name down as kitchen bitch!!!!

YIP you guessed it get to school Friday arvo to pick up Samuel as per usual (school just finds out A RAVE is on that Friday of the Wananga) and hastily moves weekend meeting forward to yip the weekend just gone on 2 hours notice! I have been cooking dinner breakfast lunch supper morning/arvo tea for 20 people and will do it all again on the 3rd sep-5th sep!!! the last "RAVE" that happened and the students were at Marae practicing etc, a head count revealed EXTRA BODIES!!!! haha so never again the Maori Teachers said its too hard too contain 20 students let alone the hanger ons!!! lol

I did my famous chilli mince A HUGE HIT, in the crockpot of course, AND my equally famous butter chicken these are dead simple and I just add noodles to one and rice to the other NOT HARD. Lunches were baked stuffed potatoes as I wanted the kids to have complex carbs as they rehearsed Fri until 1am sat morn and then rehearsed Sat sat night until 12.30am Sunday I did cheese on toast for supper and soup (once again in the crockpot! pumpkin soup homemade) I had 3 crockpots 1 was mine 2 on loan!!

I did cooked brekkie both mornings sausage bacon french toast and grilled toms with spag and baked beans mixed. And made savoury scones muffins and me yummy Chocolate cake (Black forest with cream!)

Now amazingly several of the students had never had chilli mince OR butter chicken and they loved it I put the usual into me chilli but this time I added rissoles cut into quarters and mince onion garlic toms spag tinned and tom puree along with grated carrot grated courgette chilli beans mushrooms Now several of the students came back for seconds and I said to them AT the END what was in it you should have seen their faces priceless I got "ohhhhhhh I don't like carrot/garlic/mushroom onion BUT I could not taste it in that your the BOMB WHAEA"(pronounced "fire" means mother), I made homemade butter chicken sauce and they loved it yet when asked what was in it you know curry spices coconut milk chilli they were amazed (what do they eat at home!) Samuel was laughing he was like gee you guys I am spoilt! and yet for us it is just a matter of assembling and letting the crockpot do all the work, I did easy peasy stuffed apples with sultanas and cinnamon and brown sugar for pudding one night and bread and butter pudding the next night easy stuff really.

The next meeting I am doing stuffed potatoes for lunch corn fritters for another lunch they are having roast pork one night and roast chicken the next night and the usual cooked brekkie. But a request has been put in for bread and butter pudding and the chocolate cake surprise surprise!I must say though not much sleep went on and they were tired I WILL remember to take ear plugs next time OR sleep in my car with the seats folded down like I normally do where it is peaceful and quiet!I can fit JUST a king single mattress in the back of my station wagon is VERY handy.

We got home around lunchtime emptied car (which was a disgrace) showered did 2 loads washing got them dry miraculously and had lovely chicken chasseur with mashed carrot and parsnip garlic mashed peas with fresh mint and butterfly potatoes! I did however manage a nana nap in that time too and do some grocery shopping. Had an amazing sleep NO WONDER! and am back on deck today.

I hope others have had productive weekends and been doing my SHARE of relaxing!

Ciao