11.27.08
Round a lake
Hubby is doing part of the cycle round Taupo this weekend. It’s the first time he has done it. He decided to enter after a guy at work chatted to him about it and has been training with 50-60 km rides around the Hutt. For his first time hubby was registered for the 3rd leg, but as there are only 2 riders on his “team” (the first rider doing legs 1 & 2), hubby is hoping to also complete the 4th leg.
It’s been interesting seeing his new obsession – and the shopping that needs to be done for it. Lots of packages have been arriving via post and courier. All with hefty price tags. I’m feeling the need for a splurge myself on my own obsession….. wonder what it is that makes us get all competitive over spending on our respective hobbies!! 
We are all travelling north for the race tomorrow. We’re staying at the group organised accommodation at a camp in Mission Bay. So far it seems quite an easy lark for us – the team organisers (there was I think around 6 people in total doing the race – plus cling-ons) are doing a lot of stuff like food etc on all of our behalf. Quite literally we are rolling up to the camp ground tomorrow night with sleeping bags and a bit of luggage and then hanging out.
The Mr’s and I are going to spend the Saturday mucking around in Taupo. I’m sure there will be lots of stuff for us to explore and find. And I believe there is carnival type stuff happening around the event this year. Taupo will be heaving with people I’m sure!! Mr 7 must be looking forward to it because he was telling his teacher that he will be taking part in it next year. Nothing like goals!!
Speaking of Mr 7, I was updated this afternoon by his teacher and he has had a good week. She said that his concentration has improved a lot. Thank goodness! Now……….. if only he would remember to bring his listening ears home after school as well!!
11.25.08
Fun and Games
Last night saw my girlfriend and I launch our craft group at the local community centre. It’s something that has been talked about for a while and finally fitting in our plans with the community centre’s co-ordinator and all our schedules, we finally got it all done and dusted.
I was a little nervous about how many people we would get (or not get!) so roped in a couple of loyal friends as part of our rent a crowd. We needn’t have worried too much though: despite the torrential rain in the evening, we got 12 bodies along.
Not bad! Hopefully the support will continue and may even grow as the group will start properly in the new year.
We had four demonstrations /make and takes planned – and I think they went down pretty well. It took a little longer than I thought it might have – but that was largely due to the fact we hadn’t told people to bring their own supplies. We figured that people wanting to give it a go probably wouldn’t have things like trimmers etc hanging around their place.
One of the items I demonstrated was a little hanging treat box. It’s perfect for decorating the tree with instead of (or as well as!) candy canes, teacher’s gifts, or just as a little thing to brighten someone’s day.
Details: Stampin Up! stamps, wintergreen DSP, soft sage ink and cardstock, tag and word window punches, ribbon plus half a velcro spot as closure.
Inside is a Cadbury Magic Elf chocolate bar….yum!! You could easily put another kind of bar around the same size as a Freddo Frog bar. Note too that while I used a punch to create the inside opening, you could easily do this with a craft knife if you don’t have the punch.
If you like the looks of this, check out the tutorial from Angie Kennedy Juda right here.
Plus…. having made this after SBO’s week 4’s challenge announcement to make a christmas ornament or other decoration… I’m thrilled that I will be able to say I’ve completed the challenge for this week too. I’ve made about 6 now!
Donna demonstrated a great mini-pizzabox which makes an awesome little gift box, plus a cute little angel made from 3 punches. Go take a look here to see pics of those – plus if you like the looks of them, I’m sure Donna will send you instructions if you leave her a comment 
11.20.08
No need for sleeping aids tonight
Athletics tonight was mixed. Both Mr’s will sleep very well. I will too.
Mr 7 has had cloth ears for a while now. This morning, noticing that hubby was going to be leaving around 8.30 in the morning, I decided that Mr 4 and I would not wait for Mr 7 to complete the usual morning tasks. They are the same tasks that need to be done every morning – teeth, PJs, dressing oneself, finishing breakfast at. the. dining. table. Yet in each 24 hour period, the knowledge from previous days seems to sink into some vast black hole and become irretrievable. Meaning Mummy has to get on the reminder wagon. I swear, I’m just going to set up a tape recording of myself.
So this morning I decided that seeing as Mr 4 and I were ready to head off with Angus, we would. Mr 7 could bear the brunt of Hubby’s wrath instead if he so chose rather than actually getting ready. It meant that Mr 4 and I were at kindy at 8.20 (Kindy starts at 8.15) instead of 8.45. Big difference. Plus I was not hurrying two stragglers along the whole time. It was actually very pleasant.
I remembered that I needed to tell him he was walking home with his buddy this afternoon but had forgotten to do so, so I went to his classroom to leave him a note on his desk. Hubby and he arrived at the same moment I was making my way to class. Apparently he was not too worried that I’d left without him. Darn – so that learning opportunity went awry! I told the Mr that he needed to walk home with his buddy and wished him a good day.
After school, the two boys arrive home. Mr 7’s buddy looks a little teary – I find out that Mr 7 had forgotten to wait and had walked home on his own. Luckily C’s mum is at school to pick up C’s sister for pippins and was able to drive C up to our place – meeting Mr 7 almost home. They arrive home together and Mr 7 explains what happened. A few cuddles and reassurance plus some popcorn seem to put the world back in order.
Then.
Donna arrives to collect C at 5.30 – and fills me in on the rest of the story. Mr 7’s cloth ears have not been left at home and have instead been taken to school today. He has apparently not had a good day according to the teacher’s remarks and when I asked him to explain, I hear he wasn’t listening, has been talking and generally letting himself get distracted in class. So he’s now a front rower – meaning he is under closer watch of the teacher’s gaze.
All I want for christmas is a seven year old with ears in good working order.
We go through the “right time and place for hi-jinks” discussion. Again. I’m hoping the listening ears were on.
And then we head back to school. I was roped in as parent help and was dealing with the sprints (which is a total laugh because I. do. not. run. ) Ten minutes into the session, I get tapped on the shoulder by a parent. Mr 7 has a bloody mouth…. he was fooling around with the boy in front of him and his mouth and the boy’s head collided (thankfully not badly). A cuddle and a drink sorted that out. 20 minutes later, he’s back…. limping this time. Sore foot. Siiiiigh. Hubby says he’ll walk him home.
I look over to Mr 4’s group – he is having a blast. He’s in the javelin group (take note: these are spongey spear things, NOT actual javelins!). So I decide to keep going and let Mr 4 finish the evening. From my standpoint in the sprints, I miss seeing all his activities but friends kept me up to date with his progress. On the way home, he says he has had a great time and wants to do it again next week….yay! He is so tired, he barely gets himself into pj’s.
Meanwhile I check out Mr 7’s toe. It looks a bit swollen so I’m hoping some ice, elevation and a good night’s sleep will do the job.
As for me, I think I need some ice in that drink, elevation to my lips and then a good night’s sleep myself. Please point me in the direction of reliable listening ears and I will look into purchasing them tomorrow.
11.19.08
OK, who is hiding the rest of November’s days??
Because I’m sure some of them have slipped off the radar!! Yet again, I’m realising how fast the days are rolling by. Today, while doing a bit of christmas shopping, one of my favourite stores had in its window that there is just 36 days until Christmas. Just a wee shock to the system, because the last time anyone pointed that out, there were something like a 110 days to go. Or it certainly felt the case!
I am at the moment a bit be-twixt and be-tweened. Not really sure what I am up to (because not a lot really seems to be getting done) but I am busy (because I’m doing “stuff”). Anyone else kind of in that state too? But I’m feeling pretty good about this time of year. Still have lots of christmassy projects to get on with (like the eleventy billion and three christmas cards that just aren’t getting themselves made, or the teacher’s projects or……) and yet the plans are coming thick and fast in regards to what I want to do. I’m just not fazed this year as to whether they get done or not. I really think it’s helping with keeping the whole period fun and stress-free. The stuff that is getting done is the stuff I’m WANTING to do. Oh yeah, there is a few bits and bobs that MUST get done, but I’m backing away from the things I feel I SHOULD do – unless I’m WANTING to do it.
And what a difference it’s making.
Doing the blog rounds, I see there are a lot of friends out there doing the same kind of thing – keeping it simple this year. One of the best tips that comes up time and time again to help out is to create lists. I have at least 5 on the go at the moment – all a little related to each other, so really, it could be argued it was all part of one great big list. But this is where i have a huge giggle to myself….. I LOVE making lists. Love it. But I don’t often refer back to them. This is where that system kind of breaks down for me. Partly I think it’s because, having written it down, it’s committed to memory. And here is my kicker: if I really WANT to work through that list, I do. But if I don’t, generally there’s a whole lot of mental shrugging of shoulders if it doesn’t get worked on. LOL!! I really am my own worst enemy in terms of organisation!!!!!
One of the things I love to work through is my Christmas shopping list. The presents. I love to buy for people, working out what I think is really great this year. I love buying something for them that I feel suits their personality but nods its head to mine as well. A blending of two in a way. I really think this is why token gifts trouble me so. And at this point in time, usually, I’m often still trying to establish what is that *perfect* thing for someone.
This year?
I’m about done! Oh, don’t get me wrong – I’m not that organised that I have actually purchased all I need to – but I KNOW what I need to get still. And there’s only a few of those items I still need to actually obtain. Happily, there are quite a few things hidden currently around the house that I can start wrapping. And in some cases, start sending (*waves to J and to K in the US…. look for parcels in the next few weeks!*). That makes me happy!!
Oh, and the other Christmas thing I get to tick off? My christmas letter. I try to do one every year – mainly because it allows me to feel better about not being so great at keeping in touch throughout the year. I am such a bad friend in that respect!! Still, I love to give a brief recap and include it with the cards we send out (provided of course, I’ve finished making them!!). And as of this afternoon – the letter is finito. Woohoo!
OK, so enough drivel! If you’re still reading: well done! My stream of conciousness is not the easiest of things to navigate. I should know!!!
Angus Update:
Puppy is pretty much 6 months now. Do you think he’s grown any??
We have done three weeks of dog training now and it has been really good. I need to do more of the practising than I do, but the things we are learning are being implemented and hopefully, we will be seeing the benefits paying off as we do. I still think I’m going to buy a saddle for him and the Mr’s will be able to ride him to school!!
Mr 7 announced last week that he had an Excellent time on Athletics day and he wants to do athletics this summer. So, we now have Thursday evenings back up at the school and he is learning to sprint, jump, and throw stuff. It’s actually quite fun to watch and as long as we continue to get the good weather, I’m sure it’ll be fun. Mr 4 is thinking of joining the kindy boys that are doing it with their older siblings too. Watch this space – dinner picnics could become a regular thing!
And seeing as it is Wednesday, I might as well finish on another “wooohooo” moment – getting to catch up with Beverley, Janine and Sarah tomorrow for coffee. Looking forward to hearing all about Bev’s travels to QLD.
11.07.08
Verve is making it too easy!
I’ve alluded to the fact I need to get a move on with my Christmas Card production before. Well, now I’ve finally got started.
I knew I had tons of bright red and green that I purchased last year and probably some even the year before. However, with stuff that was going on around about this time last year, I just wasn’t in the headspace to do the cards. This year, I’ve been wanting to do it, but felt guilty at having stuff that no longer appealed to me, but also knowing that I really, really should use what I had.
Then Verve announces it is having a release party for some new seasonal stamps this coming Sunday (=Monday at 2pm NZ time). Fellow craft and blog buddy, Sarah is a guest designer this month – and that alone made it a little more exciting. And then….. Julee from Verve goes and designs a bunch of sketches for us all to take part in the release party. Cool!!
Especially when they are as cool as this:
Ummmmm!!! Can you say “Mass-production-perfection!” faster than me?? I don’t think so!
So I made a start. And the sketch is pretty darn perfect for that paper that I wasn’t so thrilled to be using. Now, I reckon they’re looking pretty good!
Now I will manage to create several more of these and then I will get to play with some new stuff and some new designs. What more could I ask for?? How about another 4 sketches – because that is what Julee has up her sleeve. Wooo-hooo!!
General card details: Cardstock from Timbral’s; PP – Doodlebug or Pebbles Inc; Ribbons – Stampin Up or other; Stamps – Stampin Up or Verve; Ink – Whisper; Accessories – Stampin Up tag punch, kindy glitz, foam dimensional adhesive
11.05.08
A very sweet Christmas Competition
This is the competition running over at SBO. It’s one of quite a few competitions running around the forums at the moment. I thought I’d give this one a go, and see how many weeks I manage to complete something. Definitely a way to get the old creative juices going. Because they really need to flow a bit faster… I mean, there are Christmas cards waiting to be done!!
Week one was to do some kind of Christmas countdown or advent. A LOT of people are using Ali E’s very cool idea of a daily journal. Would love to do that – but I have so many mini-album projects I want to get down before Christmas I thought it best not to add in another one. Instead, I took the concept and kept it to a page. It’ll be great to print out tiny photos (1 5/16 inch!) and add them in. Not all days will have a photo – some might just have journalling. Some may just have nothing – totally depending on what we do to get ready for the Christmas season.
Arguably, this is hybrid scrapping too. The calendar was from a project downloaded from Simple Scrapbooks* here. Now, the lady who put it together had a double paged 12×12 spread. Meaning her photo squares were bigger – and probably easier to work with. I may well have to invest in one of those fancy 13″ printers!!!
I found it hard not to jazz it up at the moment. I will probably add some more touches to it at the end of the month – but for now, the thought of just adding pics and journalling AND HAVING A PAGE COMPLETED for the holiday season AS IT HAPPENS is actually a tad exciting. Wooohoooo!!
Promise to share the final result at the end of December.
Ok, I’ll calm down now! I better. Dinner needs to be cooked tonight. And there are election results to watch. I almost wish I was American…. their election seems a whole lot more interesting than our one. Which is only in 3 days time. You’d never think it with all the US coverage!!
*Month to month Calendar from Catherine Bodine (Zip file, Photoshop templates)
11.04.08
The world keeps spinning
…and the days keep passing. I am ALWAYS amazed at how quickly time can pass. Especially when you have 101 things you want to get on and do and somehow not enough hours in the day to achieve it all. So, it’s been a busy week around here. Mostly just recovering from those exams. I’ve been surprised at how tired I’ve felt in the week to 10 days since they were done. Apparently I was running on adrenaline for a good month or so before hand and now that has all left, drained was what was left.
Instead of leaping into all the planned projects I had in mind, they’ve been started in a more piecemeal fashion. Which is OK, because I get to enjoy doing things slowly. And enjoy the fun of being in the moment a little more too.
Moments like creating stuff for Beverley who has a birthday coming up – AND a scrapping retreat in Aus. How cool is THAT??! I’ve given her the bits and pieces already, so I’m going to share here:
I know Beverley likes her birds, so I just had to use the Always birdie – and I really l like him in the Sage Shadow colour! The sentiments are Verve – I’m totally in love with their sentiments. Very much not overly mushy but still lovely. They have a release party coming up next week – and I think a little birdie may have shown me some of the new sets….. totally lovely!!
First use of Silver bells Glimmermist. Such an easy way to pop a bit of shimmer and glitz on a project. The ribbon was certainly celery – and in my mind’s eye it was not quite working with the colours. So I sponged a hint of sage shadow on it and it worked. But you know what?? Certainly celery and Sage Shadow DO work very nicely together – check out the wintergreen paper collection in the Stampin Up catelogue!
I’d purchased a few charm squares of cupcake fabric for my gift (another of Beverley’s loves!). I had popped out to Sawmiller’s Quiltery in Upper Hutt (that is a whole other post in itself… the yummy fabric, the amazing quilts…..!) and the bag was perfect as the gift bag. So I added a few touches and there it was.
Having done a spot of crafting in order to prepare, I was looking forward to getting together with the girls at the James Cook. Sarah and I took the car in – so easy to get to as it is right off the motorway. So hard to get out from – for four hours it cost us $34!!!! Daylight robbery. Had I known that, I would have organised to take the train – or even park in a completely different place. But because we were doing the High Tea there, it made sense to park there as well. Not again!!
A sample of the High Tea – and it was delicious!!
The birthday girl – arranging the composition of her photo. This is why I’m a snapshotter rather than a photographer!!
After enjoying a good old catch up and chat and food and endless cups of tea and coffee, we walked a few of the calories off by wandering around the Kirk’s christmas shop. Birds are everywhere this year!! I bought a couple of gorgeous red, feathery fellows for my tree.
The following day was the 31st – Halloween. This isn’t something that I’ve really got into before, but after the party our neighbours had last year, the Mr’s were totally looking forward to it again this year. L wasn’t up for organising a huge bash again as she had a new baby. However, it wasn’t going to get overlooked and we did a much smaller scale thing. Pizza and beer (yum!) for dinner, a couple of mates dressing up and a spot of doorknocking. The kids loved it – and got an amazing haul. The neighbours were very generous – and some got into the spirit of it all by dressing up, or making hte kids do something.
The first time they were asked what was their trick, they were stumped. then Mr 7 decided he had the perfect trick. Ear farts.
Yes, really.
The kids all thought that was fantastic so he got to perform the trick over and over. And over again.
Is that a genetic thing? Boys and fart noises from any part of their bodies??? !
The H’s.
Trick or treat! Mr 7 was a vet, Mr 4 was a sparkly wizard. See Mr 7’s pet carrier? He managed to persuade people not only to pop items in his trick or treat bag, but also into his pet carrier for Rusty pup. Hmmmmmm.
Baby L was also dressed up in her pram as a fairy – totally cute as a three month old. I was a sparkly witch with a sparkly purple hat, and not to be left out was Angus, the pirate dog!
