I was moaning yesterday at the lack of cancellations for our area’s rugby games. When we got to the designated grounds, it was soft but not too bad, and the temperature wasn’t cold, so OK, let’s get on with it.
And then the rain set in. Again.
This is how the Under 10 game looked being played at Trentham Memorial Park:
Mr 9 was also captain for the day, which he loved.
And this is definitely a teeny-tiny taste of what we did on our camping trip to Hastings….
past memory and present tense collide!
Strolling through a flea market in Napier on a VERY hot day, we discovered a caravan selling real Belgian waffles. Echte Belgische wafels. Two varieties: Brussels and Liege. It’s the Liege variety that I used to adore whenever I was wandering in Antwerp… they were the ones sold from the hole in the wall vendors. The crunchy bits of pearl sugar…mmmmm. Super nice on a cold, winter day while you were out and about along the Meir. Actually, in truth, they were super tasty ANY time of year, but to hold something warm in your hand while strolling in winter and then eating something warm…. simply blissful.
The caravan vendor in Napier we spotted was from Belgium and we enjoyed chatting to him and his family friend that was working with him while on a holiday from Belgium. Sampling the tastes he had on display instantly brought back those yummy memories from 10 (yes, really!!) plus years ago. I was trying to persuade him that he should definitely find a hole in the wall in Welly… I’m sure it would go down a treat! He totally LOVED the fact that without thinking, I refused the plastic plate and cutlery for Mr 6 who had chosen the Liege wafle and opted just for the serviette. Just like in Belgie. (Apparently we kiwis prefer to have it served on the plate and have the knife and fork…. trust me… go with the serviette!).
Mr 9 preferred the lighter, crunchier Brussels waffle. The best one of those I tasted back then was from a cafe that specialised in them, just off the Grote Markt in Brussels.
Man, the memories that one little treat has brought back!!
The week in between Christmas and New Year is usually one spent relaxing, having spent the energy on the Christmas festivities and lead up and reviewing the year just about done, while looking forward to the new beginnings that New Year always presents.
This year is a little different.
While we’re still relaxing, we’re also in Post-Holiday mode. We did our Christmas getaway the week before Christmas this year – which is just one of the reasons I was juggling a few extra balls in the air while the Hubster was away! Trying to finish school, get pressies, sort stuff, get ready for holiday all prior to 17th December…. was…. interesting!!
Well, I did it. I determined that this year, Christmas away would mean that the very barest of traditions would be brought with us to Ohope. That meant we got our family Christmas, but in a relaxed fashion. It was a good plan: the Mr’s declared the day as being “… the best Christmas, EVER!”
I’m pretty pleased with that statement! 
So, a week in Ohope – across the road from one of the nicest beaches I know. Warm, sunny days every day. Swimming in the surf. Running along the beach in the balmy evenings (well, for me that would be one of those evenings!) Pick Your Own berries for Christmas. Santa Stockings and way too many presents. Mini roast lamb and pavlova with lashing of berries, cream and coulis. And then topped off with a trip up the road for an hour to Paengaroa and spending the day unexpectedly with my Brother and his fiance at her parents property.
Just Awesome!
I’m now in post-vacation mode – washing, grocery shopping and tidying away. One of my chores on the To Do list is to down load pictorial evidence of the above activities.
I’m in the “Bit in the Middle” now so I’ll hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, are enjoying your own Bits in the Middles and will catch up again soon.
There’s a piece of news that is 95%-99% certain – but I’m not actually going to share that with you just yet as that is highly likely to jinx it completely!
But because of this news, Hubby agreed that I could get a little something:
It’s not a full-on SLR but I decided, having admired my friend Liz’ for months and months now, that I’m not really a photographer-photographer. I want a camera that has a lot of features I get to play with, great zoom, will do some things for itself and basically give me crisper pictures than the tough camera I’ve been using. The Mju was always meant to be Hubby’s – to go kayaking and cycling with. But because it had a lot of neat scene settings on it, I had fun using it. I’ve become less and less impressed with some of the photos once printed though as it seemed very susceptible to producing noise. I played with a whole bunch of settings but nothing really seemed to improve it.
Then another friend, Del, lent me her S5 to take some pics. It felt like an SLR, but was smaller. And it took great pics! Great – I couldn’t believe how clever I was – er, the camera was. Well, the s5 has been replaced by the SX10 which in turn is already replaced by the SX20 very recently. Having done a bunch of homework, there are some hiccups in the SX20 which meant a lot of people were preferring the model it replaced. And seeing as there is a significant price differential, I opted for the SX10.
And I did a bunch of homework on that too – Hubby is currently here:
Has been for almost two weeks in fact. We were hoping that he might find the model I wanted a bit cheaper as electronics are often cheaper in Asia. But alas, not really the case in this case. And after hunting out as much info as I could online to pass on to him, I find I can get quite good deals here. Until finally this morning I clinched the best deal of all! Almost $150 off the RRP. Yay – go me!! Hubs gets to collect it on his way to customs as he makes his way home 
Anyway, that is why I am so excited – I’ll be getting my hands on my very sought after new toy on Saturday. Wooo-hoooo!!
Anyway, all that nonsense and mayhem aside, the last two weeks around the place have been *interesting*.
First two weeks of terms pretty much done. Those two weeks come hand in hand with Term 4 school swimming. Two very, very tired school boys reside in this house at present. It wasn’t helped too much with me getting a touch of tummy bug overnight on Friday/Saturday. It definitely isn’t pleasant, and I had to call in reinforcements to help with the Mr’s. Thank you Donna and Bevan and C and M!!!!
But my tour of solo-duty is pretty much up – Mr 5 has a countdown calendar going so he knows how many sleeps until Daddy is home. Mr 8 has tried very hard to limit the tantrums.
The second car is now warrented again, and I have even started on a couple of large-ish projects I’ve been meaning to get done for a long time now. The Angus-a-fied back lawn has seen some repair work, and hopefully in a couple of weeks I’ll be rewarded with green, grass-like shoots showing. Likewise, my wardrobe no longer has an excess of very old clothes that were never going to see the light of day on me again. Having Hubs absent for a little while has proved beneficial.
But we are definitely looking forward to Saturday and having him home again.
And it’s NOT just because of the package he’ll have picked up on the way through. Although I am looking forward to that as well.
Ok, so I’ve been 38 for a whole week now. Kept that one quiet didn’t I??! So different from last year but hey, you have to have change. It’s only been quiet out here in blogland though. On the day, I was truly spoiled by friends and family and it made me realise just how lucky I am to have the friends (and family!) I have.
All the birthday cards I received have been handmade – including one from a neighbour and friend who doesn’t consider herself a cardmaker at all, but knows how much I love them. Awesome. Her son E (who happens to be one of Mr 8′s besties) knocked on my door a little after dinner time and was standing on the doorstep with a little cupcake soap box. He’d brought it just for me from the $2 shop…. which I thought was just about the nicest thing. Of course he was completely grossed out by the fact I kissed and hugged him by way of thanks!!
Earlier in the day I set out for an unknown destination thanks to *The Girls* – Beverley, Janine, and Sarah. By way of some instructions that had been sent to me I was a little wary that I might be getting into some sort of Amazing Race!! A bonus was that I discovered a parking place in town that was pretty darn cheap and I’ll certainly be keeping that in mind for the future. Our first destination was Martha’s Pantry where a High tea had been organised.
This place is truly amazing – very cute, and inspirational. The tea is served in real teacups, the food is in lady-like bite sized morsels but Oh-So-Tasty-And-Goooooood. And to add to the overall ambience, the place was filled with modern handmade crafts.
Thanks to Beverley and her great camera….. I realised just as I was leaving home that mine had still-flat batteries. I reckon Bev’s photos would have been better than mine anyway so I think it might be a good thing I hadn’t charged mine!! 
After our morning tea that did for lunch and afternoon tea as well (…..we did linger you know!), the rest of the late morning was spent wandering the wonderful upper Cuba Street where we found Minerva – simply the best bookshop dedicated to all things related to textile crafts, and Madame Fancy Pants – another store just stcked with all things good and handmade. Bliss!! And just to rund out the day, we finally headed over to Karori where Inky Pinky is located as is Piece by Piece (a fantastic little quilt shop). It is safe to say our minds were just stuffed full of inspiration and I think we all came home thinking of the next project we had in mind!
After school on thursdays I looked after Donna’s son, C, (another of Mr 8′s besties too as it happens). Well, he came home with my Mr’s with a wee package that looks worse for wear in this pic simply because I had to open it. Clever Donna has worked out how to reuse a pull-tabbed can. Apparently she opened the can from the bottom with one of those magnetic openers, washed the can after emptying its contents, refilled with goodies and sealed it back up again before decorating it. Man, that just had me stumped and I was worried about using the pull-tab… but you’ll see that lasted for all of a few seconds!!
At dinner time I was presented with the gifts from teh family… Hubby brought home a lovely sparkly Pandora Bead having taken heed of my desire for colour to be added:
And the boys gave me a Soda-Stream! Now, I need to tell you that it was something that I had suggested to Hubby as a gift from the Mr’s as I knew they would love it too and it was coming up for a good discount on the Farmers Cardholders Day. We have had a lot of fun making the drinks over the past week – and you just know the Mr’s love the ….errr…”Buzzing” sound!
And to cap it off, Hubby and I went with Donna and B to watch the latest Star Trek movie on Friday. I can tell you that choice raised a few eyebrows among the mums at school…. But let me assure you all that it was indeed my choice – I love sci-fi books and movies and having seen the shorts for this movie, it was one that I really wanted to see.
Yesterday I started hearing about people receiving a response for their submissions for the third issue of the new Innovations magazine that is about to be launched here. I thought I had missed out as I hadn’t heard anything.
BUT………..
On checking messages one last time before hitting the hay last night, I saw that in fact I actually received a “Yes Please!” note a little later in the day. Patience has never been my strong point. I immediately started doing the happy dance and I don’t think the smile has left my face yet!! This will be the first time I’ve been published – and in the company of ladies whose work I greatly admire.
And it’s funny, because while I do scrap for my own enjoyment, there’s been a bit of frustration at being turned down every time I’ve submitted to the other magazine in the past. A little bit of “maybe I’m not good enough”… creeping in. Which is silly, because I know my family really enjoy my pages. But it is just pure fun to know that I will finally see my name in lights so to speak and know that yes, I am good enough with what I do!! Yup, still doing the happy dance today!!
And to celebrate, I might have to do a wee bit of shopping. The lovely ladies at Scrappin Patch in Christchurch are celebrating a year in their new space this weekend. And what better way to celebrate than to share the joy? With 30% off things instore. Great sale! …..Ok, so I’ll see you there, right?!
Because that’s what I am folks!
Mr4 has just the one week left of kindy – yep, he’s a school-boy from Monday week. The feedback I’ve been given from the teachers about his visits is nothing short of fantastic and makes me so very proud of the little fella.
So why do I need to confess you all about how insane I am? Well, Mr soon to be 5 requested that for his party he have a particular cake and a banner. Yeah, not really that much to ask for is it? Not something to really send you into a tailspin? Well, that’s because you guys are not me!!
Bit by bit ideas have been percolating around this brain of mine (a very dangerous thing to happen at times!) and in discussions with hubby, more ideas have been concocted. Before we know we are, I have a full-on Star Wars themed party on my hands.
You would have seen me at Spotlight today. Choosing a pattern with Soon-To-Be-Mr5 that best resembled a jedi costume. Yes indeed folks. One week out from the party, I’ve decided to make the Mr’s Jedi costumes. And a few other bits and pieces for the kids.
The truth is that the 5th party was always the last “big” shindig I intended for both boys. And I’m really having fun putting the ideas together, so I’m going with it.
But my sanity? Seriously questionable.
Gosh, it seems to come around quickly. Yep it’s CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) time again in the US. We scrapbookers get hit twice a year with all the fantastic goodness that papers, tools and embelishments our eyes can take.
Last night when I was looking for a specific few papers to launch myself into a project I’ve been meaning to get done for some time, I actually thought, “You know, Kelly, you really need to use some of this paper before buying anymore”. It seems a strange thing to have so much great stuff to choose from and still be tempted by the new stuff.
So I am going to resist. At least for a while. I know me….. there will be something I simply have to have right now. This is one thing:
For a start, those buckets are just adorable…. then there is the goodies held inside. Um, yeah, I’ll be first in line at the local for these ones. But what I’m loving more, wait – MOST, is the concept of “open product”.
Getting exactly what you want. No packaging. Man, this is good stuff. Not just in terms of scrapping, but merchandising fullstop. It’s a particular bug-bear of mine that soooo much product comes in far too much packaging. This is something I would like to see more of in general shopping.
But you know I’m just loving the product too, right??!
Oh, and they also have a wee giveaway going, so make sure you do take a peek.
That’s all from me today – I need to download some pics from our cool bushwalk for tomorrow.
See you!
So hard to believe that we are at the very end of another year. I was thinking this morning how this time of year is always spent reflecting. Lists come up for everything – what was good, bad, ugly, hot, not, coming up, going down, Top 10 of this, that and the other. I haven’t even glanced at the TV listings, but I’m sure there will be the usual retrospectives on too, leading into the countdown.
Funny too, how ringing in the New Year with a party, drinks and lots of singing seems to hearald in the NEW. A new beginning for most everything. The new year brings in the chance to draw a line under whatever else has just happened, turn a new page, start with a clean slate.
And while I am unlikely to actually be anywhere but the land of nod come the magic hour, I’m still drawn to reflect upon the year me and mine have had. And this year, I feel it’s been by and large a good one. Lots of room for improvement, yes certainly (….those decluttering plans are yet to be effected for one!), but lots of things that we’ve been able to celebrate at the time, and again upon reflection.
This afternoon, while I was mucking around in my photo albums on the computer, I was trying to identify the few photos I want to print for the December page I’ve got ready thanks to the SBO comp. These photos really need to be the essence to just capture what our December was like this year, because they will all be about 1″ square. And as I was going through them, I was having a hard time trying to figure out each picture to represent the day I’m filling in on the layout.
I’ve selected the ones I’ll use on the page, but I also pulled a little something together as I was playing around in Picassa.
This one doesn’t feature other faces as I haven’t permission to pop them here, but it gives you the flavour of our December I think.
It covers days 1-25 in our month, and features:
I love how Picassa collages let you do stuff like this. And I’m going to print a very similar one for another December page. Maybe that’s how I’m spending my New Year’s Eve: scrapbooking!!
And that really brings my blog to a close for 2008. I wish a very Happy New Year to you all, hoping 2009 brings you lots of goodness and happiness.
See you round the place on the same bat-channel in 2009
This blog is actually two years old this month….Wow! Actually, I would have missed the milestone myself had I not read someone else also celebrating two years in cyberland.
And what better way to celebrate than to pop up some more bling…. Yippeee! Thanks to Donna for awarding me with this pretty:
I actually spotted this one on another US blog a while back, loved it so much that I asked if I could pinch it and start handing it out round my favourite NZ blogs. Well, I never heard back from that lady, and I was too wimpy to just grab it from her anyway, so I’m thrilled to be awarded it properly. Even if it does mean one of the people I was going to award it to has in fact beaten me to the punchline!!
As usual, there are a couple of rules to accepting this lovely….
