Up Close

Cape Town stadium - ain't it pretty? We've all seen photos of it from afar, with the mountain in the background. But only when you get up close and personal with it do you appreciate it's true beauty.

Oh and the best of all? The stadium is so well designed there is no queue in the woman's bathroom. With 64 000 people in the stadium, there is no queue. I still can't believe it, but I love it!

x a

Ayoba!

This afternoon Bafana Bafana play France in their final group match. And I am still shouting and rooting for our boys! Wherever you are in the country, make sure you watch the game and show some support for our team!

(OK, I know we probably won't go through to the next round. But hey, do you remember the feeling you had when Thsabalala scored that goal in the opening game? That alone is worth watching the game and shouting for one more goal from the team! And yes, I am the ever optimist!)

x a

House Rules

I remember one day in primary school we were asked to stand up and tell the class about the rules we have in our homes. I got up, and realised that we didn't have many rules. Sure, I asked if I could put the TV on, checked if it was OK that I have another glass of Coke, and we kinda had a bed time.

The other kids got up and recited long lists of rules such as:

"Wash your hands before dinner"

"In bed and lights off by 8"

"Put your dirty clothes in the basket everyday"

"Afternoon nap for 1 hour at 3 o'clock"

"Stay out of the kitchen" (Yes, this was someones house rule)

"Do your homework straight after school" and then the parents would check it (oh, I always forged my mom's signature when tests had to be signed..shhhhh)

...And so it went on. I realised that my parents let me and my brother be. If we didn't put the dirty clothes in the hamper in time for washing, we just didn't have clothes to wear. If we didn't put the dirty lunchbox in the sink we just wouldn't have lunch the next day. If we had to watch McGiver and go to bed at 10, we would just be really exhausted the next day.

So, we learned. Quickly.

On the other hand, I love this poster with it's 'Family Rules' from Etsy seller Harper Grace. It lists simple things like "Smile" and "Use kind words" that I think are way more important to remember than to be in bed by 8.

Have a look at her shop here.

Ava launches in South Africa

Without a doubt I can say you saw it here first! ;) Ava tampons have finally launched in South Africa. Not only do these pretty tampons come in a gorgeous tin, but they are premium quality as well.

The tin protects your tampons in your handbag, and probably more importantly, hides the fact that you've got tampons in your bag! We've all had that experience of taking out your wallet / keys / cellphone / whatever and then see tampons flying. Oh, very embarrassing.

I have been working on this product now for 2 and a half years, all to ensure that we have the very best quality tampons for Ava. I won't bore you with a long sales pitch, but just know that Ava is at the forefront of design, quality and understanding women and their needs. Have a look at http://www.loveava.co.za/ for more.

Ava Secrets are available exclusively at selected Clicks stores nationwide.

Hope you love it as much as I do!

x a

Sneak peek....

Just to get you a little excited (of nog meer nuusskierig?) as to what is coming on Monday!

Colour for winter

I know winter is supposed to mean white, grey, muted tones etc. And I do like grey (a lot) at the moment and all variations of it (blue-grey, purple-grey), but right now my nails are painted in lumo orange and I love it. It makes me happy and makes me smile overtime I look down and see them!

I never spend on nail colour, probably because I end up only using about a third of it before I get bored and move on to the next colour. So these stunning colours from Charlie are a great buy at only R40 ront a pop. Right now I'm wearing the orange, but the pink is also divine.

(Oh, neat trick: mix your colours. I had deep dark purple on my nails the other day, then painted 1 coat of the pink - it really looked great).

I'm dying to try the turquoise, just worried it will make me look like I've got frostbite.

I love...

... free stuff!

Visi (arguably the best local decor mag) have loads of free down loadable goodies on their website. Gift tags, desktop wallpapers, wrapping paper, stuff like that. And it's good.

Go have a look at Visi and see what I mean. It's also a great website for some general inspiration!

x a

Chilli Poppers... Yum!

It was a Sunday morning and M and I, together with bestest friend Mia, set of to Rafiki's. She said we should try the chili poppers, 'dis die beste'. I was sceptical, as I don't like chilli's much.

But we had it, loved it, and ever since then (it's been more than 2 years) I have always ordered chili poppers if it was on the menu.

Today I stumbled on this blog entry. 2 girls setting of to find the best chili poppers in Cape Town. Of the 5 placed on their list, I've only had the chili poppers of 2 of these establishments. Have to agree - Neighbourhood in Long street have great chili poppers. The variety is fantastic!

On Sunday M and I popped into Cafe Sofia (Rondebosch) for a cuppa, and ended having the stuffed chilli's. Very good! It's got me thinking that chili poppers are a bit like scrambled eggs and bacon - you have to try really hard to stuff it up.

Do you have a favourite spot to go for the poppers? Let me know!