07.29.08
Man Flu
Luckily it appears (so far!) that is not in this household. But, a friend sent this link through – and it’s just way too funny not to share!! It really is worth clicking and giggling for the next 2 or 3 minutes 
In other news, I discovered that I know “Tuesday” in Maori as Turei…. yet schools are taught different versions – Tuesday = Ratu. So when I heard Mr 7 telling hubby about something to do with Maori Language Week and thought I could cleverly add my impressive knowledge, Mr 7 was very quick to play the corrective teacher. I was very confused! Turns out, that what I learnt in younger days is a transliteration – a form that is close to English. And the new form that is being taught a more “traditional” form that has been officially recognised by the Maori Language Commission since 1990. So there you go – both Mum and son are correct. And I promise it wasn’t a slightly competitve streak in me showing through as to who might have been correct 
Truly. 
And is it just me, or are there things that we would have learnt at school that have changed – and now there are new versions of the “truth”?? Things like Pteradactyls are no longer dinosaurs, the Great Wall of China is NOT visible from space, Pluto is not a planet (I knew this one, as I heard it announced on the radio the day it was “decided”). Are there things out there that you knew as a kid, but are now taught differently?
It was quite pleasant here weather wise today – I should have hung my washing out to dry afterall. I was expecting more of the rain. Because, you know, I just haven’t had enough of the driving, wet, cold, muddy, sodden weather.
OK – you know I’m fibbing….. Roll on Spring and Summer already!!
07.25.08
Brrrrrr!
Cripes it’s chilly – and then some! Still, at least today it isn’t raining as well as being Brass Monkeys cold.
I’ve not been out and about much at all the last few days. Being very good and putting my head in between the cotton-wool-brain inducing material that is Litigation or Estates legal material. Sigh, it’s tough work, I’m telling you! Still, I’m making headway. Or at least that is how I’m feeling. The renewed commitment to getting through the course work rather than sinking into a funk because there is SO MUCH of the course work to get through is paying off.
And the crafting as reward moments are like little beacons. Last night I went to a friend’s church women’s evening and was shown how to make a cute little mini-album. It will be just perfect for a teacher’s gift at the end of the year. Tonight, I might do some cards or work on a couple of uncompleted layouts. I feel like I’ve earned the pleasure of either pretty paper or pretty fabric
But I’m getting crafty in other ways too.
I usually stop in most mornings at an elderly neighbour’s after the school run in the morning. Mainly to check how she is doing, partly as a guaranteed 45 minutes of social interation during the day. She’s been working on a tapestry of a horse and has been struggling with her eyesight as she waits for her second cateract operation. There are big bits where the colours are easily distinguishable, and I guess about a third were there are lots of colour changes and it’s not so easy for her to work on. She is also an absolute beginner when it comes to handcrafts… she started these kind of projects as a result of getting to know me Anyway, in order to help her out, I’ve been working on the harder parts for her. It’s coming together quite nicely with the two of us working almost daily on it. And it’s been a great solution: she gets the continued motivation to keep working on it, I get a 30 minute fix of craftiness along with coffee and company.
Perfect!
07.23.08
WoooHooot Wednesday
Yes, it’s time to join Janine in her day of good tidings.
My list includes the fact I managed to choose some fabric – online no less! – and it has arrived. This would be for the lovely bag I want to make up. The fabric I chose was the Joel Dewberry “Chestnut Hill” colours – and it is every bit as rich and vibrant as I was hoping it would be. (To be specific, I chose in the eggplant colours; “branches”, “ironwork”, “buttercup” and “modern petal”) I’m thrilled!
And yeah: if anyone wants me to make one, I can. You’ll need to be extremely patient – it might not get to you for a year or two. And you’ll need to supply the fabric! 
Please form an orderly queue to the left, thanks.
I’ve realised I need to seriously get on top of my study and have managed to actually do some every day so far this week. There’s a lot of material to get through – but I’m committed to getting back on top of this and ensuring I complete this year. It means I need to NOT do the crafty things so much (because I LOVE that more than the study and can easily incorrectly choose one task over the other…..) That’s a real bummer. But it means I’m still focussed on getting the discipline right – and it means I have some excellent rewards waiting for my attention
Shoes. I managed to get a pair today for Mr 4 that support his arches and ankles well. I didn’t need to travel into Wellington and they were on sale. He’s not thrilled with them because they are lace-ups, but they are good for his feet. It’s a bummer that it takes an enormous effort for me to ensure I get good shoes for him, so I’m always pleased when I get a pair that get virtually all the ticks. The one tick off these ones is the fact he’s not thrilled by them too – but now his toes are not touching the ends so they must be more comfortable. Plus: I told them the store manager he should seriously consider stocking a particular brand that I can get in town – and he was very keen on the idea. Fingers crossed that will be followed up on and I will have a local stockist of what I want. (ETA: yes, they are expensive 
, but Mr 4’s feet have a few issues where I need to consider quality over price…. so…..)
Coffee and cupcakes with friends – yeah, I’m still in the afterglow of Monday’s exploits!
It’s 4pm – and I think I know what we’re having for dinner tonight. Possibly.
07.22.08
New neighbour
Yes, we have a new neighbour. Little Lauren arrived just after midnight on Saturday morning. Her mum stunned me by arriving back home a little more than 12 hours afterwards. Man, how do women do that?? 
No photos yet, but you’ll just have to trust me that she is really, really cute. She is the little sister of Neighbour Mr (Mr 7’s bestie). And in a couple of months time, she is going to look stunning, because she’ll be wearing this:
It’s the first time I’ve ever knitted an “all in one” style baby jacket (ie, one that has no side seams) so was very thrilled it didn’t look oddly out of proportion when I was finished. I then had time to make a card before popping the gift over – I needed to wait to find out if “it” was a boy or a girl. The family are thrilled because now there are 2 boys and 2 girls. Nice and even.
While I was putting the card together, Mr 4 wanted to do some crafting too – and he make this… he loves using my fiskars squeeze punch and loves to snip with my scissors. I think he did a pretty good job. Good enough, he decided to keep the card for himself. LOL
And then before we heard about new baby arrivals, Mr 7 had a game before the weather got really wet. The ground was still pretty muddy – umm… understatement!!! Our mud-monkey scored a try too so was super pleased with himself. There was so much mud, I made him get undressed at the front door!! And I’m STILL getting the mud out….!!
I’m hoping I will have some picks of my own to share soon – Beverley took some lovely pictures for me with her camera. If you’ve already been to her blog, you’ll know where we went for a get together with Janine yesterday morning. Truly fun: sunshine, a bus ride, cupcakes and a good coffee with friends. Great Monday!!
(…..and I’m hoping for some of those photos for my scrapbook )
ETA: Beverley has indeed been kind to me and emailed some pictures through. The stand itself has me in presentation envy (I just cannot compete with the actual cupcake making ) and there is my one. A piece of banana, lemon and sour cream heaven.
07.18.08
Holiday fun and stuff: the photos
Yes, finally, I managed to get my act together and download some photos. There’s a few to be gone through and picked out for scrapping.
This is the view from our kitchen window at the apartment in Hanmer – delightful, isn’t it? We overlooked the golf course and it was snow from our place all the way to the mountains.
Yes, it’s a blurry action shot, but you get a taste of the sheer joy these two had with their very first experience of snow. The woolley mittens proved no match and Mr 4 was inside with cold hands as soon as they had turned into ice-blocks!
Probably because the wet, cold gloves had come off and bare hands were being used. Mainly to gather snow for eating. Apparently that’s better than an ice-block!
While Mr 4 was thawing out his hands, Mr 7 was making snow angels on the green.
And I couldn’t help but jump the fence myself and help with snowman building. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I built a snowman and I’d forgotten all correct techniques.
Snowman number one definitely looks more like a snow ghost!
While mum and Mr 7 were having fun across the field, the first of the absolutely beautiful doggies at this place realised that Mr 7 was a fun monkey and clearly a soul-mate. She got all excited at the mere sight of Mr 7 and so when the snow man was done, Mr 7 came and introduced himself properly.
From there, they were virtually inseperable. Both dogs were the most stunning, well-behaved, quiet, friendly golden retrievers. And Mr 7 enjoyed every second. I’ve captured a few moments when they were just hanging out – in the freezing cold later in the day. I didn’t actually know where he was and then discovered they were both outside, really just hanging.
Oh, and being fed snow! Not sure if that is a good thing for dogs or not, so this activity was curtailed at bit.
Then we went out for an explore of the village. And of course found many delightful cafes and had a lovely lunch. And proceeded to walk that lovely lunch off – around by the lake / stream walkway. Where there was LOTS of snow.
And we honed our snow man building skills.
Rolling them first helps make them REALLY big!! So big, Mr 7 can hardly push it any further.
So Mr 4 comes to the rescue…. two are definitely better for pushing the snow into BIGGER balls of snow!
Oh! See how Mr 4 has new gloves? We found a place that sold great snow gear. I got some proper gloves for me too – having had my fingers frozen off in the morning, I decided the only way I was going to join in the snowball fights was if I had a decent pair as well.
Making the snowballs.
Throwing them – darn – I have no shots of their great aim. Probably because I was running!! (I also should admit to the slight competitive streak coming through: I made sure I got them with some great shots as well!! Heeheee!)
Another snowman that we made – and hugged. Cute, hey?
Now we are in Christchurch and waiting for the band marching to start. We have cousin S with us for they day (My little brother’s daughter). The Mr’s and S found lovely long willow switches that looked and behaved like fishing rods. So while we were waiting for Titan to march, there was a lot of fishing being done in the Avon.
Lots of looking at the water flowing too. I forget how pretty the Avon is to just sit and contemplate.
Now, here is what we made the trip for: the band nationals. Titan is marching (Hubby is there on the end, playing the tenor horn)
The kids all enjoyed the spectacle – as did quite a few locals. There was quite a decent crowd that came and watched the display.
As for the results, well, the band were really pleased with how they played. Unfortunately, their results weren’t quite as reflective of that. There was a feeling of being a bit robbed, but overall, the band knew they had played well and made do with that. Pelorus won the B-grade – so at least it was another Wellington band
On the way back home again. We stopped off in Kaikoura for a run around and some energy busting. This playground was just what we needed.
So yes, it was a very fun trip. And as you can see, there’s definitely a few highlights waiting to be scrapped into the albums.
07.17.08
On-line shopping
Ok, so yes, I KNOW I was meant to be uploading a bunch of photos for you all today… they might still come a bit later. Trouble is, I’ve been surfing online, trying to find some fabric for this little baby:
It’s the Miranda Day tote from Lazy Girls Designs – (a pattern I picked up from The Quilter’s Barn in Blenheim… another practical souvenir!) and the truth is, I love the fabric in this picture as much as I love the bag itself. Wouldn’t it be great to say, hey, I love that fabric, where can I get some that won’t sting me in postage – and that is exactly what I want??
But hopefully, thanks to the power of the internet and trawling for hours while the Mr’s plus Neighbour Mr are playing downstairs (and raiding the pantry ) I think I found some. At least I hope I have… I quite like the loooks of Joel Dewberry’s Chestnut hill collection I think I’m leaning towards the “Stream” palette. What do you think??
07.15.08
Home again!
Why is it that your own bed always feels the best? I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a week and I’m convinced it was because it was my own bed. All the other beds slept in were perfectly fine (well, except ONE!) yet, last night was the first really good night’s sleep.
We arrived last night back home after a very smooth crossing in the Ferry. You all know that I was dreading it a little as the weather was threatening to be lumpy. Again, I was very grateful. I got a bit of study in while the Mr’s and Hubby were occupied in the play-gym area located about 5 decks below me. An excellent spot to be at this point in the proceedings. Yes, Mr 7 was well over-tired and doing the whingey, whiney thing extraordinarily well. Pushed my buttons?? Oh yes!!
One of the totally fun aspects to my part of the trip was getting to meet Tanya Leigh and Vicky the other night. It was fun to actually get to meet these two ladies in person…. and I had a ball. Not a lot of scrapping though – depsite my efforts to purchase some supplies and get some photos printed. That might have been because of the chatting and the laughing. Maybe.
This morning was a lazy start. Hubby had taken the day of work, which isn’t the usual thing. But it gives us all the chance to unwind and prepare to get back into the swing of things tomorrow. I only got out of my PJs around 10ish this morning…. very decadent! And now, I see I have about eleventy-billion e-mails, blogs, and forum posts to catch up on. All the while getting the washing through, organising the house (why is it that the house seems to need attention even though you haven’t been home????) and possibly organising some food for the monsters. Best get to it!
Promise some photos in the next day or two. Really!
07.11.08
An update from the road
We made it to Christchurch on Wednesday. Discovered I needed to purchase a map…. I’ve been away long enough that although I can proabably still feel my way around the city, it will use less fuel if I actually know where I need to go! LOL
Hubby was to be dropped off at Rangi Ruru hostel as that was where the band was staying. Now, in my time down here, I’ve driven past the school any number of times. Yet I had in my brain it was more towards upper Riccarton. Turns out that was Middleton Grange school I was thinking of… and Rangi Ruru is still in Merivale where it has always been. See, I needed a map. Just to remind me.
The first night we stayed in what I am convinced has probably featured in a few axe murderer movies. Very dodgy…. so thankfully the sister let us stay for dinner so that all we had to do was go and sleep there (after checking under the beds!!). Breakfast was at Mcd’s…. I really wanted to bet out of there fast! Then our main place was still being serviced so we had some time to kill first. We ended up at Riccarton mall and catching Kung Fu panda! Fun!!!
Tonight the Mr’s are off to have a sleepover at their cousins so I get a night to go do something on my own. Yippee! I’m going over to Tanya Leigh’s for one of her StampinScrap crops. Best thing about this is I have no photos as yet (altough I have called in at a shop and grabbed some papers ) No really, the best thing about this plan is I actually get to meet Tanya, and now Vicky too… awesome!!! I think Mrs Frizz’s sister is also going to be there… so look out Michelle… I might come away with some dirt!!
Right, my time is up on the motel’s pc… so catch you all again soon!
07.07.08
Anyone missing me yet???
Hee heee! I’m away on holiday. Again!
With the family this time. Hubby has the brass band national champs in Christchurchand and we’ve come down a few days earlier to have a bit of a break. We had a booking on the ferry and reports of nasty weather had me feeling squeamish for days before departure. I do not like ferry crossings at the best of times. I definitely do not like them when it gets more than a little swell on. And did you see the weather that was due to come through??? I decided ignorance was indeed bliss and refused to acknowledge any further weather reports.
Happily for us, we had a great sailing. Really great. We then drove to Hanmer springs. Awesome!! Why? Because there was TONS of snow!! And we has a fabulous time. There were two lovely dogs who befriended Mr 7. He actaully cried when it came to departure time this morning – he wanted to take them with us. They would have made wonderful pets, but they already had a family. We had wonderful snowball fights, built several snowmen around the town and a nice long soak in the hot pools. I remember now why Hanmer is such a cool place… pity it’s too far for us to come on a regular basis. Got GREAT photos. Which I can’t share just now because I didn’t bring the doofah thingy to download. But I did bring the chargers so I can keep taking great photos…..
This morning we travelled further south to Ashburton to my mum’s. Snowed as we left – so very pretty. We are here for a few couple of nights before we head back to Christchurch. Apparently the weather is meant to go nasty again come Tursday…… here’s hoping we get the good weather back before we get back on that big boat next Monday! 
07.04.08
Dare # 48
I thought I had shared this page a while back, but I see I hadn’t. For the first time is absolutely ages, I got a NZ Dare page done inside the time limits. # 48 was to use stamping, at least a couple of times. I had already thought about what I was going to do in terms of getting another kid’s album page done, and this side was going to be really simple. In order to be part of the dare, I also added some stamping to the background cardstock.
There will be an adjoining page completed too…. once I take the photos! It’s the photo taking that is holding me back on getting through these pages. But no matter how slowly these albums are coming together, the Mr’s are loving them already. This page is for Mr 7’s album…. a similar one was done for Mr 4. They crack me up, because they have taken to looking through them when they come in from school or kindy…. just in case I’ve added a new page. Mr 4 has also started to take it in the car with him whenever he can. I get the feeling I need to get a move on and just finish them already!
