Making Lemonade

A saying that I’ve picked up from books and movies and TV is about when life throws you lemonade; make lemonade. It’s not a saying that I grew up hearing but it’s one that always made me smile once I did start hearing it. Right now, I’m making lemonade.

As we headed back into school last week and the Mr’s started back into their routines, we appeared to be settleing into  our groove. I felt refreshed and ready to really get stuck into the dual role of home and work.

Then my manager called at home on Sunday evening.

She had been called into a meeting on Friday and it was one that had I worked those hours, I would also have been called into. She was told that her role had been disestablished – and therefore so was mine. It’s in relation to the legal aid review that came out last year. Although we were both expecting that particular boot to drop, it was a shock to have it  happen now. Because of various communications , we thought it was more like to be towards the end of the year. Her role and mine are the only two immediately affected in such a direct manner. It’s a little hard to swallow.

Monday was the most surreal working day of my life: I knew what was about to be announced but was to continue to work until all staff were informed a little later in the morning. I think I pulled off keeping it together through that day. Yesterday was a little tougher as the news really sinks in…. the dream job that I have loved since starting there only in November is about to go.

Thanks to a lot of deep breathing on my part and an amazing amount of support being given to me, I’m feeling a little stronger. No doubt there will be up days and down days as I go through this particular ride. But I am finding the ability to see the positive in this news.

Three months ago I didn’t have any recent experience of being employed. Now I have and I will get a great reference to boot. I now have a lot more confidence in my abilities to actually work in this environment; whereas before I thought I probably could do it, I now know that I absolutely can do it.  Before I kind of-sort of knew what direction I want to take, now I have two equally good options to work with and in doing so, increase my chances of finding something in either admin or legal exec. Before I was mounting my quest for a job on my own, now I have the support and advice from several respected people to try and help open doors. While I thought this role was just the most perfect one there was, maybe something even better is going to come up.

All of those things are the lemonade that is coming from the huge lemon that came my way. It’s going to be a little rough until I know how things are going to play out, but I know I have the support of some really wonderful people and that I am unspeakingly grateful for that. Another piece of advice given to me just after the news came out was to look after myself. I’m taking that to heart – and have given myself permission to feel sad and angry and all those things. But I’m determined to see this through and get to the other side. You’ll still see me laughing and making the usual lame jokes!

So yeah, that’s the curve ball I’m dealing with at the moment. I’ll keep you posted. Keep me in your thoughts or prayers for the moment – I might need them!

And so it’s Tuesday

Tuesday is my Hump Day. My insanely busy day – after school at least. Two swimming times, travel time, 60 minutes to get home, eat and get back out to pick up Mr 8′s mate and drop off to cubs. It is the one day that I would never usually add something into the mix.

So why on earth did I put something in there for today? Cos I’m mad is the only reason I can think of right now.

Last week I had to take our family car for its WOF. And having pointed out it needed a new bulb for a rear light, the only thing I thought might have been an issue were possibly the tyres.

Now, I have had to go to a place other than my usual mechanic because six months ago, I discovered that W&A had gone bust and they refused to tell me were Barry had gone. That annoyed me becuase he’s a great mechanic, and one that I have trusted over the years to be straight with me.

So I head to another big name place where I know I’m paying more for labour costs but expect a good job. Big mistake.

At this WOF check, not only did they fail to call me as requested should any work other than the known blown bulb need doing, when I did turn up, they had failed the car on about $800 worth of work. Excluding labour. Going through the list, my heart sank…. I was expecting maybe tyres but not all these jobs…. and the list seemed endless. And then they said “seatbelts not retracting.”

Woah!

Back up!! Did you just say that the seatbelts don’t retract? Yes, he did. Alarm bells start jangling. You mean, these seatbelts here, I questioned as a demonstrated perfectly functioning seatbelts retracting in the front. Well, yeah, those were the ones down here. Well, why don’t they work – when clearly they do…? I questioned. Let me go check, I’m told.

He comes back…… oh, it was the centre belt.

Ok, so you have marked down here that the front seatbelts have failed because they don’t work, but as they do work you really meant it was the centre back belt. The one that we haven’t used at all since the last time you passed it six months ago? What exactly is the issue with it? Um….. it doesn’t work. What doesn’t work? I almost hiss through clenched teeth – all the alarm bells ringing for me. Ummmm…. it doesn’t work. You mean this one that is working very well now? I ask. Yeah – that one – it’s a bit dirty.

By now I’ve had enough. I’ve been pulled up on perfectly working seatbelts plus a whole lot of other expensive jobs that supposedly need doing.

I tell him that I think there is a lot of BS coming from his team and that if any work needs doing, it will not be them receiving payment. And then I drive off to VTNZ. Which I probably should have done in the first place, except I like one-stop shopping.

I discovered that there is a natinal computer system – they knew I’d just failed elsewhere. he wanted to have a chat with me after his check….. He couldn’t find issues and wanted to find out why I had failed 30 minutes prior. He looked at me like I’d grown another head as I told him my perfectly functioning seatbelts and nearly new wiper blades were among some of the failures earlier.

I was still failed. For two nails in a left hand tyre that wasn’t picked up by the last lot, and a funny bulb pattern in my headlight. That was the only thing the two places agreed on. So today I went to a garage to get these things done. It cost me around $50 – including labour – to have them sorted out.

A saving of over $800.

I will never, ever use that first place again. What makes me wild is that if they hadn’t harped on about the seatbelts, I would have trusted them on the rest of the work – I knew no differently.

And my very busy, crazy Tuesday got a little crazier as I had to catch a bus in order to get to and from the new mechanic. But it has been so very worthwhile! I haven’t found Barry yet, but I think this new place is almost as good. Thank goodness for decent human beings!!

Hey There!

Oh.My.Goddness!!

Who stole July? I didn’t realise it had been so long since I last posted and you know, pretty much a whole month went by. And you know what? This post isn’t even going to start covering it!! So that means I have some more photos to pop up on here – which I will do. But tomorrow. Or tonight. Or, you know, some time soon. They just got downloaded on the PC so a little decision making and they’ll be good to go. There’ll be some circus highlights, some fireworks, some beach shots and a birthday. Because that was our July. It pretty much all happened during the school holidays and I have a feeling that’s how July happened. School Holidays. Need I say more??

So why did I pop on here today anyway if I wasn’t doing a what have we been up to post? Well, my SU blog is so new that a blog candy giveaway has almost gone unnoticed. So, I thought, why not make sure my lovely regular blog pals all have a chance. Just pop on over to here and leave a comment as to what the notebook might be used for and I’ll include you guys in the random draw. I’m going to close it tomorrow night – so head on over and leave your mark I’m happy to post anywhere in the world, so don’t be shy.

And in a very sweeping general thing, life is doing pretty well in general. We’re back at school/work/play routines. Hubby has his 40th on Friday (Tomorrow..!!) and is slightly bemused by the fact middle age is right there! The sun is coming out more often to play – we won’t talk about the wet and windy days in between. It’s really beginning to feel like the end of winter is just around the corner. I’ve even started Spring Cleaning. In small doses. No need to get carried away now, is there??

Right, now I have to head to the school library to get some books processed and out on the shelves – so catch you again soon.

Blogosphere Book Circle: February

I’m glad I spotted Penny’s invitation to join this online book circle. I love reading books and being thoroughly absorbed into them. As life goes by, it’s all too easy to find yourself reading nothing more than the junk mail that arrives in the letterbox. Some of that is great to read too…. how else do you find out where you need to purchase that next “must-have” from? Last year, reading was by and large text books, or study notes. And while they were “must-reads”, it’s not the same thing as reading for the pure enjoyment of reading.

So I was late on board the reading circle and only just found my copy of the book of the month, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Societyby Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

Juliet Ashton lives in London after World War II and is trying to find a subject for her next book when she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, who lives on Guernsey, one of the Channel islands between England and France. Dawsey has purchased a secondhand book by Charles Lamb that had Juliet’s name and address in the cover. He is writing her to see if she can recommend other books by Lamb.

Dawsey’s letters make Juliet interested in life on Guernsey, which was occupied by Germans during the war. She begins exchanging letters with other members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a hodge-podge group of readers who formed their society as an alibi to keep from getting arrested by the Nazis.

Through the letters, readers come to know and love Juliet and a variety of friends and foes on Guernsey.

What did I like / dislike about the book?

I loved the humour that came through clearly in the character of Juliet. The way the letters allowed the story to unfold in front of the reader made the story more cosy for me. I was able to easily be transported into the story and feel involved in the plot. I was impressed with how the story was upbeat, yet was dealing with subject matter much darker in terms of it drawing upon recollections of Nazi occupation and life on the island during the war. While not drawn to tears at what I was reading, it certainly was able to make clear the horrors people faced at this time. (Think starvation and deprivation, forced seperation from loved ones, uncertainty of life or death….) I think that it was the device of using letters as ways of reporting what was told rather than the more confronting first person style of writing that made the book much more accessible, up beat and very humourous.

If you haven’t already read this book, I could highly recommend it.

Normal service will resume shortly.

Well, having given you a small insight into how our January disappeared before our very eyes, it seems February is set to join it just as quickly.

I’ve been meaning to get on to post almost every day – but something or other always manages to avert me from my mission. So, this really is just a very quick post to let you all know “Do Not Adjust Your Set….”

Two things that were on my must do list for today have been taken care of. We had a slow puncture – actually, must have had it for a while if the truth be told. But when it gets to having to reinflate the tyre almost daily, you really begin to feel it probably needs looking into. So I did. There was a nail stuck in it. Thank goodness for Tony’s Tyres and their free puncture repair service. Yeah, that doesn’t sound much like an ad does it now? Anyway, saved me having to change a flat tyre and funnily enough, the car drives a bit better now too.

Plus, I took Angus with me and while they were fixing the tyre, I took him for a walk. Two birds with one stone. It was quite interesting because I realised that living in a hillside burb, he doesn’t see cars as much as I assume so. Being a little unsure of this new environment is good. He got a little too comfortable round home last week and decided on the one day he was home alone that it was a good thing to dig, and pull, and pretty much destroy the irrigation system. Yeah….muttley is lucky to still be amongst the living. I was a clever girl though and DIY’ed the repairs. And if he so much as looks at the garden again, he’s going to hear about it……..

I’ve not been too scrappy lately – but I have been working on various wee projects. Waiting for that mojo to come back. My first layout for the year is almost done – I started it on Friday night and almost got it finished. So you know that the procrastination queen will take, ohhhhhhhh, at least a week to finalise it. Sheeesh, I’m bad!!

So yes, I’m still around. I’m probably reading all your goings on – and not commenting much. Because I’m really bad like that

I’ve also been dumbfounded in the last few days watching the news about the fires in Australia. It’s just so devastating and heart-wrenching.

And so, because I can’t bear to watch anymore news right now, here is something a little uplifting for you. Enjoy.

Officially, we’re on holidays

Kindy finished today at 12.30. Mr 7 and I went to the mall just prior in order for him to choose a gift from himself to Mr4, plus a few other little errands in order to get a step or two away from being “done”. We had a lovely morning tea at Butler’s – yes, the place that gives you a little handmade chocolate with your drink (mmmmmm….).

Earlier in the day, I was congratulating myself on being so close to being *all done*. And then I went and checked e-mails and blogs.

Make that attempted to.

Hmmmmm…… computer is whirring away as it should, modem lights are all on as they should be. What is going on?? The monitor is refusing to come on – or off. Just in Stand-by. A quick call to my friend’s hubby B and he more or less confirms what I’m suspecting: the monitor has given up the ghost. He suggests I check the warrenty because it could still be covered.

Plugging in another monitor that is from our ancient PC, I squint my way around the internet (the screen is *only* 15″ LOL), find Dell and plug in the necessary details. It looks like I’m only days out of warrenty…. cool… I’ll give it a go and plead the small time period and see how my luck goes.

“Ummmm…. what do you mean only days out of warrenty ma’am? (translation: what kind of crack have you been smoking you idiot??!) The warrenty expired in March!“

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…. the date was in american format!!!

So. No free replacement then. Hmmmmmm. Can I live without my daily connection to blogs and emails and forums and friends?! Well, no. Think, think, think. Can we put up with the little old monitor being sat beside us in a clearly temporary position on the deck….well…………….. possibly. But it’s like to cause permanent eye issues (health and safety first, people!)

Can I persuade hubby we really should get a new monitor. Like now. Apparently I can!! Wooohooo!!! Done and ordered. Delivery on Monday.

Now, I can sit back and wrap the gifts with the Mr’s; bake some gingerbread men and possibly even get those out of town items into the post tomorrow.

Because now, the Mr’s are at home from school and kindy. And I remain connected to cyberland, with squinting only an issue for days and not weeks; we are now officially on holidays.

PS: do you need gift tags still? Cathy Zielske has given “us” a template for some lovely, simple tags right here. Just print, and trim.

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.

Just another day in pre-exam life

OMGosh!!!! Exam 1 is tomorrow afternoon. Exam 2 is Tuesday afternoon. I feel like I need another 2 months before turning the question paper over. Yet at the same time, if I look at another set of notes, I think my brain will just EXPLODE!!

This morning I was woken up around 3.30am for some reason. Kids were sound asleep so it wasn’t them. Do you think I could be back to dream land? Nope! The old brain is fair fizzing now. So today I am just casually looking over the stuff for tomorrow’s exam. Just so it knows I am totally freaked out by it I still think I can answer some questions.

The small part of my brain not completely taken up with keeping those butterflies within low altitudes of my stomach is already thinking onwards. To Wednesday. To FREEDOM!!! Gees, it seems like a get out of jail card or something! Honestly, I have been so submersed in the material to get through lately, I feel like I have been absent from the real world for aaaaaaages. I simply cannot wait to begin the HUGE list of projects sitting on the back burner. Like that bag I want to make, like the de-cluttering of the house that seriously needed doing about four years ago. Like the garden tidy up and transformation. Like my exercise and fitness plan (say what??!) Oh, and ALL those scrapping projects I soooooooo wanted to get done but had to leave. (Ummm….. that DOES include your CJ Beverley! )

But right now? I’m remembering to breath.

…..Breath In……..Breath out……….

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

Spotlight, oh how I love thee

Ok, so Beverley has had me in cupcake envy since she introduced her cupcake stand of the century. I’ve been coveting it from afar for quite some time.

Then last week, my girlfriend Donna had several of us around for a Stampin Up evening. All fun and good, except, what did I spy?? Nothing as grand as Beverley’s one, but gorgeous and cute all the same. No picture folks, but you will have to trust me on the fact I was in a near faint when I spied it on her supper table. 3 tiers, same white wire look, but lower and a little more low-key. Perfect, really, for me.

“Where did you get that?” was the question I just had to ask. “Oh, that? In Spotlight. I got it a few months back.”

And she never told me????? Some friend! Actually, she probably was being a good friend because she probably knew I’d spent the spare grocery money on scrapbooking goods that week.

Today, I was going to pop into Spotlight in Kaiwhara. I was there to pick up a thermos that was on special that looked perfect for Mr 7 to take his much loved noodles to school and actually still have them warm to eat at lunchtime. Possibly even to take a warm soup to school. When I can trust him with such treats – trust him not to spill the contents through his bag.

I was at the checkout, Mr 4 having dropped the thermos several times. It’s great that they are made out of plastic these days and not glass, eh? Then a thought whizzed through my brain.

I’m in Spotlight. Right near the kitchen section. Where those cupcake stands were found a few months back. OMGosh!! A quick text assured me I was in the right area but looking was not finding them. So I asked a staff member. Who had to ask at least two other members of staff. Because no-one had any idea.

Suddenly, a box must have moved among the glasses. It caught my eye. I needed to take a closer look. Indeed, it said cupcake on the side. Cupcake stand even. But it was ugly – nasty silver and all that. I was just about to give up, then two shelves over and down a bit was a rather plain box. With a picture that look vaguely familiar. OMGoodness!!!

It came home with me.

Happy? Very!

And I see it only has 3 tiers to fill. Awesome. So, ladies…… I need your favourite cupcake and / or icing (frosting) recipes. Feel free to leave me these in teh comments…. the family will be taste testing

ETA: there’s a reason the I’ve blurred the photo…