Day Seven

Wow!  Where did the week go huh?

Today started on such a wrong foot I’ve been out of sorts all day!  Spare a thought for Jess who is the reason we were in a wee rush this morning.  She came to me last night complaining of a sore gum and when I looked she had a large red lump there.  So this morning a friend rang the dental clinic and said we suspected an abscess, I was told to take her in right then.  So Jos was dropped at another friends for a lift to school and I whipped Jess up to Fernworth school where the clinic is for South Invercargill primary students.  The dental nurse was a doll and took Jess straight away.  And yes it was an abscess and a baby molar had to come out.   Jess was soooo brave – the needle hurt more than anything else she said lol.  But because she had a tooth pulled and wasn’t a happy lass I popped over to her school and told them she was staying home.  I had to take her to work with me – thankfully it was only a few hours and she was content to read – she is reading one of my old childhood books The Dollshouse Caper – cool book!!!

Anyway for some reason only known to God and female hormones I just could not find my groove this afternoon.  So I decided to take a few pictures of things in front of me that are plenty of reason to be happy and what me make me smile.

I ended up with heaps of pictures – and made myself smile I am blessed with a beautiful family, a lovely home, and all the other wonderful things that make up my life – blessed

Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway. (Emory Austin)

The huge wall rub on in my conservatory

The painting Jess made when she was 5 that we love so much it hangs in the kitchen over the door.

My room, my retreat!

Jess and Jos – whatever they may be up to

My gardens, my books and dvds, my scrap space and the clutter of kids toys under the deck…..

When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.                             (Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief)

What a wonderful week this has been, and this challenge has encouraged me to take more time to document the little things – hugs Vicky for for pointing me in the right direction – its been fun hasnt it?

A typical morning

So alarms go off and we roll over and try to go back to sleep – seriously we do!!  I hate getting out of bed,  especially in the dead of winter when its still dark and oh so cold.

Leo heads out to the kitchen and starts breakfast and I make the bed and double check the kids are up.  We split the paper in half – Leo reads so slowly I get the front half first

Jos wanders out and feeds the cats before he gets his own breakfast, not sure why he does this, but its such a habit now I doubt he really thinks about it.

Rice bubbles and a milo for breakfast.

Jess monopolises the bathroom – to the point where we had to make a rule that she isn’t allowed to lock the door in the mornings.

Making lunches…

Everyone’s gear ready to go…

Leo is away up country today so I wont see him til late tonight.

Josef finds a quiet moment to read – he is reading Matilda at the moment

We have this routine down pat.  Its important everyone does their part because we have to be out the door by 8am.  I think I’m lucky my kids work with me and we have happy starts to the day.

I hope you all had a great day

Hello Sunshine

Oh My Giddy Aunt – the sun is out and I am warm lol!  And look washing – on the line!

Even Texas was loving the sunshine – man this cat sleeps in some weird positions!

My amethyst Buddha – he sits on the window sill of the big window that faces the hospital.  When we moved into this house Leo and I were always sick with something.  So Buddha came to stay.  Feng Shui has the Laughing Buddha as symbolizing health, happiness, longevity and prosperity.  I wanted amethyst because amethyst placed in a window that receives full sun promotes healing.  Buddha placed in the window that faces the hospital protects us. 

Can you tell which bedroom door belongs to Jess and which one belongs to Jos?

Have a fabulous day

Day 4 already!

Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence–neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish–it is an imponderably valuable gift. (Maya Angelou)

I had the camera in the car when I was picking Jess up from school – I like the slightly befuddled look on her face – she could see me and was wondering why on earth I was taking a picture of someones mailbox lol

Then I nipped over to Ashleigh’s and grabbed Brooke to come play for a couple of hours, wee dude has got a cold and sounds so clogged up – but she is still such a happy kid

Josef came home from school bearing this yummy apple pie he had made in Catering. (We had Home Economics, Ashleigh had Cooking and now Josef has Catering – what next lol)

Jess was off to Repertory tonight, she loves her drama classes.  Tonight she came home with a note wanting parent help – I want to but there is a mum who helps out who drives me nuts (long story, short she spoils her daughter rotten and the girl rubs it into her classmates and cant understand why the kids dont like her, the mum actually told me I should cut Jessies hair off because long hair is ‘filthy’)  – so deciding to be parent help which I love is a dilema – hmmmmm what to do about opinionated peoples huh?

Happy Tuesday

Roadworks, homework and bad weather

I came home from work this morning to find the street leading to mine a mess.  Big diggers and trucks forcing cars to creep along.  I live on a no exit street so I really don’t have any choice but to come down the through street but I’m so done with road works at the moment – they have been ongoing in my area for months now and they seem to pick up the pace and block areas off at peak traffic times.

At the moment I’m reading this baby – its a big book lol and it has a wee tendency to waffle but over all its not a bad yarn.

After school on a Monday is chill time for Jess, she tunes in and tunes out – quite literally!

Josef on the other hand likes to get his homework for the week over with and does it all when he gets home.  Then he is free the rest of the week – good study scheme – long may he be this way

And this – I’m so so so over seeing on the nightly news at the moment – its like someone up there has decided Southland is a sponge and wants to see how much we can hold – grrrrr!

I don’t do Mondays !!!

Updated at 7.50pm

But this helps – I’m sitting in the conservatory uploading photos and I can hear really loud running water – I had to grab the camera – only my husband would do this in the rain

Questionable…

From Hannahs blog - she was interviewed with five questions and I found the answers really cool so I thought it would be interesting to see what I thought about things – so I asked her to send me 5 questions…

1. I know you love scrapbooking. Tell us how you got started, and what inspires you to be creative.
I started scrapbooking in 2000 after seeing some of the layouts done by ladies in the genealogy group I belong to had done.  I loved they way they had made it fun and interesting, because looking at photos in an album can be a little dull sometimes especially when you haven’t a clue of the what/why/who or how.  I get my inspiration from the photos.  I always start with the photos I want to scrap and then add the papers, etc.  I am continually inspired by the talent I see on the internet – loads of fabulous ideas to steal I also admit I am inspired to continue when my friends and family make positive reinforcing comments about what I have chosen as my “life work’.  And yes I call it this because when I am gone there will be this tremendous wealth of documented history for future generations.

2. Who is your role model?
I can’t say I have one as such, there are people who I admire and would love to have their strength of character and there are people who inspire me to look within for the good and best and most beautiful.  I admire those who have
overcome obstacles and those who who encourage you to make the best of what you have and be happy.

3. What is your favourite quote?
Its in my blog at the moment – just love this…
The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.
Alan Alda

4. If you could invite THREE famous people (dead or alive) to dinner, who would they be?
Alan Alda – I have always admired this man, he is a fabulous comedian and I like his line of thinking about life.
Barack Obama – the man is living proof we can live our dreams!
John Lennon – it would make Leo a very very very happy man

5. Would you rather go to a movie at the cinema, or watch a DVD at home?
Easy – watch a DVD at home.  I’m deaf (or hearing impaired to be politically correct) so when I go to the movies I miss to much of the dialogue and it can get frustrating.  Watching at home – I have subtitles, microwave popcorn, a pause button and no line for the toilet

Now, if you would like ME to interview YOU, here’s what to do:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will email you 5 questions.
3. You answer the questions on your blog.

And at 3.30pm

today we pretty much had given up on the day   The weather has been the pits all weekend with a constant drizzle and the forecast for the week ahead doesn’t look promising.   But we had a quick visit from Ash and Steven with the girls.  Opa is here for the afternoon so Oma can have a bit of free time to visit her friend.  Opa has slipped mentally in the last year or two and can’t be left alone.   Opa was impressed with how chubby Jordan is lol

Leo introduced Opa to mindless tv viewing and they watched My Name Is Earl – rofl – what a great show to watch with your Dad.

The kids are doing something on Leo’s laptop – I think its You Tube – They have been watching the new episodes of Doctor Who on there.

And me, I had a productive afternoon scrapbooking, a layout for Scrap the Girls and the Feb challenge for Designs by Chris ( a digital cutter forum)

Right Now…

Following Vicky’s lead I grabbed my camera and at 4.45pm on a cold wet Saturday afternoon this is what we are all doing…

Jessie has hauled out her old dollshouse and is renovating it!!??  Using what looks suspiciously like some of my scrap stuff…Jos is updating the journal he keeps for all his Club Penguin adventures…

Tea is cooking in the oven and creating the most delicious aroma…

Washing is drying in front of the fire we lit for the first time since probably September last year…

Leo is painting the ceiling in the shower after he decided to blast the paint off with a steamer in an effort to remove grime I could never reach…Have a great day:)

A Week Of Real Life

So I’m doing my weekly run of blog hopping and came across Vicky’s gorgeous blog Everyday Beautiful.  I love to read this blog because this woman is seriously someone I wish I knew personally, everything is so real and down to earth and so very honest.  Anyway she is challenging us to do this…

The idea is to post everyday one, or more photos and maybe a few words if that’s your cup of tea, a photo of real life. nothing fancy just a bit of your everyday.

I think this will be the perfect push I need to get me out of my rut, I am doing the 365 challenge and have gotten into the habit of taking photo everywhere

I want to share Josef’s school Athletics Day.  I missed it last year because I had to work but this year I was rapt it fell on my only weekday off Wow I was so impressed – the school spirit was amazing.  All the boys had to dress up in their house colours for the day – Josef is Pierce and wore black – just in case you didnt get that from the photo lol.  The boys get into their groups and each group enters the field with chants – all those boys – it was loud!  They try to intimidate each other and rouse each others spirits.  Its is truely a spectical and I must have watched open mouthed for quite a bit.  Josef himself was so caught up in the the atmosphere – I actually seen him chanting!!!  My shy boy was out there roaring with the best of them -  he thoroughly enjoyed himself.  He was a little bummed he just missed out on the high jump – which made me chuckle because honestly Jos is tiny – he is the shortest in his class – and he just missedout on the high jump – hmmmm   Jos enjoys sport but he is not competitive at all, he plays for fun and prefers team things so athletics was just a fun day for him.   He was tired out and hyper all in the same breath after school – a shower to find him under all that black paint and an early tea and he was off to bed with a book.

I’m cold…

Summer is almost over and my favourite season is nearly here but man oh man I am cold!  I just cant warm up, my fingers always seem to be on the verge of a major rebellion lol – like falling off and finding a new owner who is warmer than me.  I need sun shine!! Somebody nice send me some please

My laptop is being a boomarang at the moment and bouncing between me and the repairman – nasty nasty technology!!  Its is refusing to play nice, frustrating mainly because I never had these kind of issues with the desktop computer.  Today I have it – we will see how long this lasts lol

I lost my pages on WordPress – I was editing something and when I clicked update I got a big box that said “We are sorry but the site is undergoing maintenance etc etc please try again in a few minutes”  so I hit refresh and my photo page was gone.  I even tried changing the theme a few times because different themes do different things – but nope it was gone.    So I’m trying to decide if I want to start all over again or not…

Last weekend – not  this one just been but Waitangi Weekend (time flies)   Leo and I went tramping with the kids to the KiwiBurn again.  Its a great walk with kids and they love it.  Im hoping this is a sign of things to come because tramping with the kids would be so cool. Its a fabulous way to spend time with your kids and not have to spend great amounts of money I also found the time to do a Kiwi Icon search for Scrappin Patches Waitangi Weekend challenges – I can see these becoming a layout in the near future