09.29.08
Krafty Verve challenge
A couple of weeks ago, Verve started the September parade challenge, which was to do a card featuring natural elements like Kraft card, or twine or somesuch. Knowing I have some new Verve goodies, still to be inked, I thought it would be a great challenge. However, knowing I also have the serious revision thing going on, I have to be very good and ensure I’m not playing instead of studying. So, I did a quick card I needed for a pal of Mr 4’s:
Supplies: Kaiser stamps, Stazon ink, SU! cardstock and twine, scrap Kraft paper, watercolour pencils
I have since done another card for one of the Mr’s cousins but still have to upload it. I managed to use one of the Verve stamps on that one too, so I’ll feel better about that 
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Angus update:
Going to bed really well now. Night 3 saw a bit of wimpering as he was put to bed and that was it. The next few nights have seen him walk into the laundry with me, and settling happily. Yay! He does wake us in the morning, but with Daylight saving, so far that time is OK.
Our biggest issue now is the house-training…. I really hope we get this sorted soon. Anytime we’ve managed to get him to go outside, it seems to have been great luck rather than anything else. Yesterday was a bit of a nightmare as we were having “mistakes” soon after we’d taken him to the spot where he was meant to go. Grrrrrrr! However, we’ve decided to go the “crate training method” and I’m hoping this will allow us to get it sorted soon.
This method sounded a bit over the top to me when it was first suggested to us. However, as I need to have the time to revise, I can’t be 100% attentive to him so it seems like a good method for us all afterall. In addition, we want to make sure he has a happy space to be confined in if we have visitors that are not comfortable around dogs. Especially as he gets older – and bigger!
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My Circle Journal made its way home last week. It’s lovely and I have pictures to share too. But again, I’ll have to be a tease and promise that you will see those a bit later 
That’s my 15 minutes online time up, so have a great day!
09.26.08
Angus, meet my friends…..
We got to bring Angus home on Wednesday night. The Mr’s could barely contain themselves! That first night was “interesting”… he cried a lot in the laundry. I was so tired from the rushing around in preparation during the day and went to bed shortly after we got him settled in the laundry. Just after 2am I got woken, and he cried, yelped and howled off and on til around 6 in the morning. Oh man!!!
But during the day he settled in perfectly! He hasn’t been house-trained at the SPCA at all, so I had to keep an eye on him and be vigilent about taking him to the spot where we want to do his business. So far, no accidents in the day in the house! Woohooo!!
He has also met various neighbours, a neighbour’s dog plus extra kids. And taken it all in his stride! One neighbour works with dogs at the airport and he just could not believe how quickly Angus had settled in… right to finding spots in the sun and just chilling on his mat with the myriad of visitors we had yesterday.
So, so far, he’s one happy puppy!
09.22.08
In search of a name
Well, that week has flown by! I didn’t realise it had been a week since I left my last 2 cents worth on here.
So, it’s been a busy one. Catching up with Beverley, Janine and Sarah last Thursday being one of the highlights. Not much crafting going on, but a couple of projects had finishing touches etc. There’s a lot more to be done….. with the focus on the study, those ideas are just piling up on the back burner. 
But they might all have to wait for a bit. Don’t be surprised if the entries on here are a bit hit and miss: the exams are in 4 weeks time, so it really is time to crank up the revision habits. But there is another reason too. And that connects with the title….
Guessed?
Nope…. not pregnant!!
…… We’re getting a puppy!!!
The SPCA was up at the school for an adoption day and I suggested we take a trip up there to check them out. NOT WITH ANY INTENTION OF ADOPTING! It was more just an outing to get some fresh air and to show Hubby the types of dogs that are usually on offer. I’m a big pound puppy fan over pedigrees. In fact I spent a lot of time telling Mr 7 we were just LOOKING, there wasn’t going to be anything coming home with us etc etc.
Then I saw a face and caved!! I teasingly said to Hubby I was in love and we should make space in the car. He ran – he knew I’d persuade him if he didn’t! LOL
But over the rest of the evening, and through the next morning we kept running ideas back and forth. Part of the clincher was that he was part lab, and with me being home for another 7-9 months, now is really the perfect time to get a puppy and establish those boundaries.
A bit more research online, then a trip to the pound in Newtown. The kids loved him, I loved him and the total clincher at the end was his relaxed reaction to the SPCA’s own hussy cat winding up the dogs by wandering back and forth. Our puppy was all “meh…” Totally cool, calm and relaxed. Just the kind of puppy we want.
We’re sticking with the Pound’s name of Angus: he really suits it. Plus, “Monty” (which was the name Mr 7 always wanted to give a dog) just doesn’t fit. He is most probably a Mastiff-Lab cross… a big dog! So now, we are getting ready for his arrival. The section needs a once over from the SPCA, we need to get a kennel, and Mr 4 needs to choose the bowls. He gets this job seeing as Big Brother had the voting control over the name.
So yes, life is going to be “interesting” in the next wee while! Photos will be added as soon as we have some – and I’m sure you will agree he’s a total sweetheart!
09.15.08
Just quickly….
Just checking in very quickly as I’ve almost run out of alloted PC time for today ….the Litigation notes are in front of me to remind me that I MUST get off the computer!
- Saw the surgeon at the hospital last Wednesday re my gallstones. I’ve been booked in for surgery and should be sorted out within the next 6 months. Interestingly, my pain and symptom profile is not “normal” and while it is clear from the ultrasound that I do indeed have gallstones, it isn’t 100% certain that that is what is causing the pain. Great! So I’ve also been booked in for an endoscopy to see if there is another reason.
- The weather is fantastic the last couple of days. The Mr’s are picking out T-shirts and shorts for a change.
- Mr 4 had a kindy disco on Friday night – pirates and fairies. He wanted to go as batman, but the teachers really wanted to not have superheros there. So we begged and borrowed a few pirate goodies and he looked the part. And had fun!
- Hubby bought a new bike over the weekend. He’s getting ready to start commuting down our hill and over to the train station instead of using the car. I‘m wondering if that means I get to spend an equivalent amount in crafting goodies…...
- My stamps that I won from Trina’s blog showed up today – and they are very cool! I also ordered a few sentiment stamps from Verve the other day. Can’t wait to play with these
It’s all Sarah’s fault!!
That’s it from me for now….ciao!
09.10.08
Book club bargains
This month it is my turn to host the book club I belong to. Apart from getting together for a wine and a chat, I’m going to enjoy my turn as host because I’m hoping to fill my cupcake stand! Awesome!
This book club differs from another that I was part of while I was living in Europe. There, we all read the same book and came back the next month to discuss. I found this an interesting forum and really enjoyed these monthly outings.
Here, we contribute a small sum of money each month and the hostess chooses books using the total sum for the month and puts those books into essentially a private library. On the night we get together, the new books are introduced and then we browse through the selection that has built up, take the book /s that take our fancy and look forward to a good read. There are no due dates to return the book, we discuss the books to say how we found them and then we settle back for a good chat. With a glass of wine and maybe a bit of home baking. Good fun!
After about a year, you can imagine the collection is fairly huge. So the books that aren’t being taken home, or have been in the collection for a bit, are given to the original purchaser to keep. So it’s important to choose books that you think you would like in your collection at the end of the day. There is no pressure to buy the latest and greatest of whatever – using the monthly sum to buy lots of second hand books is equally valid as purchasing one great book to add. As you can see, I’ve quite enjoyed my last nine months or so of being part of the group. I’ve read a wide variety of books that I wouldn’t have otherwise come across – or heard about.
So today I hit the Dymock’s outlet shop at Queensgate. It’s a temporary shop selling discounted books for as long as there are no other retailers wanting the space. And I’m hoping they’ll be there for a while: there are some really interesting books I would love to get my hands on! I got about 8 books in total for around $70. Not bad!
I chose one I think the Mr’s will love: all about mechanic inventions over the times. I think big boys will also enjoy it and I think it will be taken out for hubby’s as well as kids. There was one on 100 years of plunket, another on headline NZ stories over the last century or so. These both interested me from the historical factor – I love reading about these facts and tid-bits of info. I got a pure fluff book: a novel based on the Bones TV series. No, it wasn’t written by Kathy Reichs who did the novels the TV series was based on – another writer has used the series as a jump point. I thought it was an interesting looking book – I love the Bones series
But the two that I am really looking forward to reading are “Ana’s Story” by Jenna Bush and “A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hilary Rodham Clinton” by Charles Bernstein.
The first I was curious about after seeing an interview with Jenna Bush after the book was published. Basically, she didn’t come across as the ditz I had taken her for. The book is apparently well written and really brings you as the reader into a world that we don’t often enjoy getting insights to. The second was also one that I was keen to read after seeing reviews. At one point I felt strongly that Hilary was a leader of our time and was keen to see the US finally led by a woman. Over time, that view I held has dipped and waned a bit – but she as a person still fascinates me. I’m not sure if this book is pro- or agin- Hilary per se, but I look forward to seeing the perspective of the writer that brought us Watergate has on her.
And it’s fair to say that among my texts, you’ll probably find my newly acquired Bones book
09.09.08
I did the Decathlon
LOL – could you imagine?? Only in my wildest dreams could I compete in a real decathlon – and even then I’d be questioning my sanity (even more than most people might on any given day!)
It’s Week 3 of the Sketchbook Olympics and the event for the week was the decathlon: to use no more and no less than 10 elements. Including the photo/s. At first I was thinking it was way too hard – then I realised that 10 elements meant a simpler page. And that kind of page is my sort of style. So I decided I to make time and get something done while I was at the crop on Saturday. I also had a fun photo to work with – my new gumboots!
My elements are the base cardstock, the patterned paper, title, journalling block, 2 ribbons, a stamp, the photo, the plastic tag and a brad.
The gallery is now open, so feel free to go check out the other entries. There are some really amazing pages done.
09.07.08
Sunny Sunday
Wow! The weather today is just stunning. I wish I could pop a little in a bottle and bring it out on those days that aren’t quite so nice.
I’ve been a bit absent with blogland over the past week. Head in the books – and so far it’s going ok. Not brilliant, but I feel like I am getting through the material so it’s all worth the effort.
During the week some of the girls and I got together with Sarah to celebrate her birthday that was on Wednesday. That was fun: lunch and crafty shopping. Wait, it wasn’t our birthday too?? Oh well! Now, making a card for a fellow card-maker can cause any amount of anxiety. But then, I figure, any effort is appreciated in that vein, so I went for it:
Then I went and decorated the inside too:
Clearly, I’m still taking photos with the shaky hand look. 
Yesterday I managed to get to a friend’s crop with a bunch of other girls. Great fun. This and SENZ were on my list of still-must-do’s prior to my exams in late October. It felt really good to just go and hang out. I’m pleased too that I got a couple of projects completed. One was for the Sketchbook Olympics so I won’t share that today.
But I did get my own layout from last week’s Scrapbook by Design bossy scrapper finished. I’m sure there is a boss’ perogative to be late in completing!
The funny thing about this layout is that after I saw this one, I was taken with it and thought it would make a great layout to lift and use for instructions. It turns out that it is Fifi’s sister!! Too funny!
Realising that I was going to need a card for today, I also whipped up this card. It was great, because I got to play with Sarah’s nestabilities. OMGosh! That’s all I’m going to say on that matter. For now. Plus, she very kindly let me get the wee sentiment inky for the first time: a little Verve one…. and I think I’m going to have to have a wee peek at their site because the sentiments were really my cup of tea. Ok, there were a couple that had us ROFL-ing…. but the hilarity at crop stays at crop.
And so onto our lovely Father’s Day. The Mr’s decided they wanted to make hubby breakfast in bed. The Peanut Butter Toast kind of breakfast. Something that Hubby isn’t quite as keen on as the rest of us. So he had organised some fruit toast instead. The Mr’s were so excited, they didn’t quite make it to the “no earlier than 7am” get up and go time. But they did come in for a snuggle until that hour. We listened to the last of the Sunday stories on the radio until 7.
Then Hubby decided to hit the road and head on over to the Wairarapa for lunch and a little look at a camping ground that he had been considering for a boys weekend. Lunch in Martinborough was lovely, the drive around Lake Ferry interesting. The campground not quite working. But hey, the reality check was good and now another place will be chosen. I think we’re having BBQ for dinner tonight so really, not a bad day.
09.02.08
But Wait! There’s more!!!!!
Last night was the Club prize-giving. There was a complete mob of boys and parents for the Junior sections of the club. Lots of running around and wrestling and general hi-jinks that seems to come with boys. There was a slight delay in proceedings as some wee fingers had turned off the lights and we had to wait for them to warm up before they came on again.
Inside the practice gym, there was again some semblance of organisation, but mainly lots of noisey boys, waiting for the start of the proceedings. Being the first time we’d come to one of these, we weren’t too sure of what was going to happen. The boys were finally asked to go and group into their teams in a semi-organised fasshion.
Now, this being prize-giving, we knew trophies for Most Valued and Most Improved players were going to be handed out to those members of each team in each grade. Knowing full well how a certain Mr’s sense of justice and right and wrong can easily go pear-shaped, I’d put in a fair amount of ground work. we covered most bases I thought: how it is more important to be a team member, how any winner of a trophy can only be a winner thanks to team mates, how even if you really wanted to be the winner yourself you should still be happy for the team mate that was recognised. I was holding my breath.
Now, here I can tell you that secretly we were hoping everyone else would recognise the talent that me and Hubby felt was there for all to see – you know, in that completely biased pride way you have for your own child’s success! We believed we had seen improvement through the season. Plus the sheer enthusiasm for the game shone through. But despite all the hopes we might have secretly held, we didn’t have any expectations.
Well, we could have:
That’s my Mr!! He’s collecting “Most Improved Player for Randwick Meats Under 7 team” – voted in unanimously! I was so thrilled to hear his name get called – and so proud to see him walking up to collect the trophy from the Caption of the club’s Premier team.
He was super proud when he got to bring the trophy home and show Hubby. I was even prouder because as we were walking back to the car, there was plenty of excitement and a few “I Rock!!” being said. And then he looked up and said “But my team is good too isn’t it, mum?”
And thankfully there was the club’s photographer there taking official photos. Because I was way too far away to take anything decent!
His class mate that encouraged him to join this club but who played in the next grade was also given his team’s MIP. That thrilled both boys as much as their individual achievements did. And there will be some celebrating going on in the class room this morning during News time.
09.01.08
And the season draws to an end
That could be officially the winter as today is the first day of spring and all. However, in our house – or at least in Mr 7’s world – we are talking junior rugby season. It’s done. All over. First pair of boots still quite wearable. I have a funny feeling that is to do with the amount of games they did not see.
The last game of the season however was great. The day was sunny and warming up to be a great day. We all trotted down to the park (all wearing gumboots except for the actual player!) and cheered. The fun thing was that that the two Under 7 teams were officially playing each other. How do you tell which team is which? By the colour of their rippers of course! They must have better sight than I do at that speed, because it looked like a sea of blue and white to me!
Originally it was mooted that the end of season event would be followed up with a BBQ and a swim at one of the local pools. Then an eagle-eyed mum (not me!) spotted that there was a home game for the Lions – and what was more, it was an afternoon game. So the coaches overbooked the number of kids going and the two teams along with siblings and mostly dads piled on down to the caketin.
For Mr 4 it was his first taste of attending a “big” game. He was a bit non-plussed at first, but soon got into the swing of things. Although, the way he tells it the best thing wasn’t that he got to go, the rugby, the tries or even train ride in and out. Nope, it was the bottle of Lemonade that he got to drink!
Life is good when you’re little
