My Home Wellingtontown

photostory friday and the busy birthday

2012-01-27T12:44:00.000+13:00

mr scrappy's birthday was on wednesday
no - that's no him doing zumba in a local park
but that's me in the pink bottoms, lime top and dora the explorer hat
why a dora explorer hat you ask?
well, i DID bring my own age appropriate cap, but my 15 year old did not
and it was frikkin hot and sunny
so i did what all good parents do
and wore the too small pink hat that belongs to a 4 year old
(her mum had 2 for her don't panic)

the zumba demo was part of the local council 'push play' promotion designed to get people active

works for me!

our fabulous instructors

they sure can move!

then later in the day it was onto mr scrappy's birthday dinner

check out my seafood risotto - YUM!!!

from dinner it was onto the botanical gardens for the summer twilight movie

you can't get much for free these days = but this movie was

kaikohe demolition

a good ole' kiwi movie

in fact - they don't make 'em much more kiwi than this!

although it was an absolutely gorgeous night, we still brought blankets

(and low chairs) - we know how to get comfy!

like i said - comfy...

happy friday!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

how 2012 is keeping me on my toes

2012-01-24T16:29:00.000+13:00

at this time every year, we'd normally be doing this

but for the first time in 10 years - we didn't.

we went here instead!

(fiji)

and it was gooooooood

because this child was going to be doing this

for 9 days (leaving on her birthday)

we had her birthday 3 days earlier

man overboard!!!

this was taken on her ACTUAL birthday

(at 6.50AM!!!!)

waiting to leave for summer rowing camp

not camping has given us the opportunity to lots of different things in and around wellington that we wouldn't normally do

like winery days

and going to the RACES!

ok - we haven't actually BEEN yet, but come saturday - i'll be wearing this!!!

my first fascinator! very exciting

oh, and this child is leaving home in 3 weeks

personally i think she's a little YOUNG to be leaving home, but that's how she looked to me yesterday, but then i blinked and...

she grew up

damn her

so she's moving out:

the younger 2 girls start their 2nd and 3rd years at college (high school)

there's major room swaps happening

furniture being purchased

carpets being cleaned

rooms being painted

trips to australia (me and miss 22)

weekends away

plus all the usual stuff that fills our weeks and weekends

like i said

2012 is keeping me on my toes

wordful wednesday and how life goes on

2012-01-18T17:12:00.000+13:00

some of the moments i feel truly blessed, are when opportunities arise to spend time with my girls (particularly the older ones) that i know i wouldn't have if i was in paid employment

such an opportunity occurred yesterday

miss 20 and her 2 best friends had been to the funeral of a girl they went to college (high school) with.

their friend was 19 and an absolute light. she was one of those rare human beings that ACTUALLY would have changed the world.

the girls had dinner at our house after the funeral and i suggested that we all go out for brunch the next day

(my brunch - yuuum!)

the day was an absolute stunner

after breakfast we went for a walk along the beachfront

having just eaten - it was a little too soon for 'jumpy pics', so they just waved instead!

i hope they know how precious they are

photostory friday: cool things to do on a sunday afternoon

2012-01-15T15:45:00.001+13:00

book tickets to see this

which is playing here

with this gorgeous blogger

NYC - here i come

AGAIN!!!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

photostory friday and the christmas mixed bag

2011-12-31T16:22:00.000+13:00

pictures like the one below seem like a distant memory right now

prior to and just and after christmas, we had the most AMAZING SUMMER weather

as you would expect in summer!

we made the most of the great run of weather with picnics and BBQs and trips to the beach like this one with my folks, who spent christmas with us

for the past 3 days though, it's been cold and wet

BLECH

these pictures are from eastbourne beach

the first three pics are instagram from my iphone

LUUUUUURVE instagram!!!

i've always looked longingly at blogging photographers and their gorgeous photoshoot locales, particularly sandy beach/boardwalks and thought how cool it would be to take photos somewhere like that

today i had my chance

well, sort of!

it was SO HOT the girls didn't want to come out from under the shade, but i DID manage to snap a few shots on my phone

man, it has a good camera!

no post-processing, as i don't have the time to play around on the computer this afternoon

i still think they turned out ok!

and this is where me, mr scrappy, our 4 girls and one boyfriend will be tomorrow night

FIJI!!!!!

(and yes, it's the rainy season, but it's HOT, and there's pools, beaches and cocktails

and that's all good to me!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday: christmas is for ALL children

2011-12-21T08:54:00.001+13:00

there are so many photos i could have used today, but i couldn't go past this one:

miss 22 dragging out ALL the christmas presents from under the tree, checking each and every label until she found the ones with her name on them.

i just love it.

at one point, she looked up at her boyfriend, who was sitting on the sofa next to me and said:

"what are you doing?

get down here and help!"

classic

photostory friday and now for something completely different: NOT!!!

2011-12-16T08:35:00.000+13:00

if you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that i like to dress up

A LOT

this photo was taken last saturday at the zumba christmas party

we were doing a dance routine

also taken on saturday - what's a christmas party without TWO fancy dress outfits!?!?!

my friend's barn dance

a 50th RED party

tara's 'glamorous sallies' 40th birthday party

me in my $22 dress and mr scrappy in his $8 blazer

grease sing-a-long on wednesday night

another friend's 50th

and of course our 'salvatian army' dinner party

the aim was to find EVERYTHING you needed for the dinner party at a thrift store

including dinnerware!

i hope you don't think i always dress in pink from head to toe!

and these photos were all taken within the last 12 months!!!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday and blowing the trumpet less blown

2011-12-06T14:30:00.001+13:00

as women we are very quick to point out our flaws

we look in the mirror and immediately see, even seek out the 'bits' we like the least and the parts we'd like to change the most

if you don't do that, then YAY - i celebrate you

as i celebrate my own self

i have discovered [in my 40s], an acceptance of myself that i've had at no other time in my life

i can only imagine (hope and look forward to) this acceptance continuing to grow into my 50s

(which is only a little over a year away!)

i didn't know my husband took this photo

he was using the telefoto lens to photograph miss 13 during her rowing regatta, where without it, they would have been mere specs on the river/water

i was so happy to see this picture appear in our photo library when i uploaded the weekend's photos this morning, and i love my husband even more for photographing me in such a flattering light

my slim legs

my round butt

my nice shoulders

my zumba biceps

and my fabulous tattoo designed by my gorgeous daughter

what do YOU love about your body?

wordful wednesday and the pearly whites

2011-11-29T17:14:00.000+13:00

although i've been through the whole teeth-straightening business before

(with miss now-20)

i'm constantly amazed at solid bone can be re-arranged!

lower braces and spring in place

june 2010

august 2010

november 2011

the entire process took less than 18 months

compared with 3 years from start to finish for miss 20

technology marches on!

photostory friday: with thanks to kate sheppard

2011-11-26T15:28:00.002+13:00

things about this photo to note:

i'm wearing mustard. being a warm-toned girl - mustard looks good on me.

i was also wearing a mustard skirt in this photo. (you'll just have to take my word for it)

the sun is out and it's gorgeously warm

we're sitting on the deck of our local cafe (we, 5/6ths of our family)

we had (well, those 18 years and older) just voted

which seques very nicely into the historical information i'm about to impart to you.

here goes:

When the Governor of New Zealand, Lord Glasgow signed the Electoral Act into law on 19 SEPTEMBER 1893, New Zealand became the FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD to give women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

Kate Sheppard was the leader and main figurehead of the suffragist movement in New Zealand.

she was a source of inspiration to suffragists and campaigners for equality between the sexes, both in New Zealand and throughout the world

this is not a photo of Kate Sheppard.

it is however, a photo of my 20 year old, who voted for the first time today

thanks Kate

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday - and the silliness continues

2011-11-16T13:24:00.001+13:00

sunday night was the inaugural UGLY T-SHIRT AND DVD NIGHT

for my zumba friends

held at my house

my girls (who are zumba 'babies') got into the theme of the night

finding ugly t-shirts was not difficult

this classic i'm 'modelling' is from the menswear section of a local thrift store

there were over a dozen willing contenders, but the winner on the night...

maria, wearing her husband's FAVOURITE T-SHIRT!!!

i even bought a little trophy and had it engraved

maria gets to enjoy the winner's spoils until our next evening which will be held early next year.

photostory friday and the once-in-a-lifetime 11/11/11

2011-11-11T15:39:00.000+13:00

coz i'm a nerd, and nerd's can be a little ocd (well, this one is) and as a scrapbooker, i also love numbers

like that time i took a photo on the 6th of july in 2008 at 11 seconds and 10 minutes past 9

(i'll give you a minute)...

anyhoo - today was GORGEOUS, as are these lovely ladies, 2 of whom i went on a lovely walk with, because i'm currently AWOL from zumba with a calf strain

after the walk and before we all went our separate ways, i insisted we take a photo

at 11.11AM on 11/11/11

(because we can)

then i used PIXLR-O-MATIC to apply the filter (on my iphone)

the rest are our 'prior to 11.11am' photos where we mucked around to get the best angle for the sun

which we didn't quite manage to perfect

but who cares!!!

and some trivia to finish:

11.11.11 is special because there is no other date that consists of all the same number. The day comes around once every 100 years, meaning today is the only time many people will be alive to experience the unique date.

- Some websites are predicting the date 11.11.11 marks the end of the world because the comet Elenin, Earth, Venus and Mercury are expected to align.

- 111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

- 11.11.11 marks the 93^rd anniversary of Armistice Day. Armistice Day was the last day of WWI. It is observed with one minute of silence at 11am.

- The date is seen as being a lucky and many people around the world have chosen to make it their wedding date. Thousands are expected to flock to Las Vegas... there's no forgetting the anniversary!

- The number 11.11.11 is a classic example of apophenia, the human urge to see patterns in essentially random events.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday and my love of the silliness

2011-11-10T17:32:00.002+13:00

this weekend just gone, i hopped on a plane and flew to australia to surprise my bestie tara

she moved away almost 2 years ago, and i've been lucky enough to visit her 6 times

TWO of those times she didn't even know i was coming.

her surprise is priceless and brings me much joy.

i always go for a long weekend (fri-mon) and we always manage to hit the mall, the beach, the local watering hole, and make some magic in the kitchen

this time was no different

my current cupcake fad: red velvet cupcakes

those red candy-coated chocolate balls are called jaffas

jaffas are legend in australia and new zealand, because when movie theatres weren't carpeted and sloped down, people would roll JAFFAS down the aisle

it's also believed that the orange/chocolate flavour is now described as JAFFA because of this particular lolly (candy)

anyway - they also make very good FAUX NIPPLES

the weather was spectacular, so we went boating one morning

and then to the beach in the afternoon

whoever put out this sign clearly had a sense of humour

gotta love it

Purple {Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge}

2011-11-10T13:33:00.000+13:00

more shots from our local botanical gardens

fairly sure none of these shots are from my garden

coz green figures i have not!

pansies or sweet peas?

either way - they're adorable

and of course tulips

LOVE.

post-it note tuesday

2011-11-09T22:57:00.001+13:00

thanks paula!

Red {Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge}

2011-10-31T16:35:00.001+13:00

i'm loving that i can participate in this challenge, even though it's SPRING here!

having said that, the last couple of days have felt positively SUMMERY

bring it on!

a couple of photos today:

this one is the pohutukawa = a tree that is native to new zealand

i love it that it ONLY grows here - not ANYWHERE else in the world!

it's hardy too - it'll even grow on the side of a cliff!

then some more beautiful spring tulips from our botantical gardens

i've applied a filter i downloaded from the coffee shoppe blog

can't remember which ones, but i played around a bit and loved the result!

Orange {Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge}

2011-10-22T13:57:00.000+13:00

i really surprised myself with how many 'orange' photos i had!

i originally went straight to my one and only pumpkin patch series of photos (from my 2008 NY trip) but then thought about all the gorgeous spring tulips that i've photographed at our botanical gardens over the years and found this single orange flower photograph hiding in amongst the tulips

SOTC - could have spent hours adding filters'n'such

but i didn't!

taken back in 2006

wordful wednesday: why i'm in awe of my children

2011-10-19T09:29:00.001+13:00

they find something they're good at, that they love

and just go for it

*******

they find something they're good at, that they love

and they excel

*********

they find something they're good at, that they love

and they totally rock it

*********

they love THEMSELVES, and aren't afraid to let you know

gotta love THAT

i heart faces: tickled pink

2011-10-18T09:49:00.001+13:00

choosing a photo for this month's challenge was easy

a few weeks back, my zumba 'family' and i attended a PINKATHON organised by one of our zumba instructors, to raise money for breast cancer awareness

the pinkathon was in honour of one of our instructor's best friends who had lost her battle with cancer at the far too young age of 32

you should have seen the hall - it was a sea of pink, but i just couldn't go past joy's 'flowery boobies'

they said it all really, and i'm so glad she gave me her permission to use the photo today

i've desaturated the image, but left her pink flowery boobies super pink

and that's all i have to say about that

PSF: rugby, rowing, going pink and zumba: the randomness of a blogger who hasn't blogged in a while

2011-10-15T15:41:00.000+13:00

sharing a few photos from the past few weeks, which have been varied and busy to say the least!

how i ever found time to work the first half of this year is beyond me :)

some photos from my time as a rugby world cup volunteer, which is now sadly over!

it's hard to describe the atmosphere in new zealand, particularly while wellington was hosting

as a rugby loving nation in the last 2 weeks of a 6 week tournament, NOTHING else is happening except rugby

as a volunteer, we were truly treated well. although we chose to give of our time freely, there were perks

like meeting some of the all blacks

who signed my top

sadly, i was not wearing it at the time

behind me is 1/12th of our entire naval force

yes, we are lovers not fighters

11 of the ships were in wellington all at the same time

it was awesome, especially as one of them was right outside the volunteer centre, and i was operating the mini i-site (information) for tourists, of which there were plenty

australians, welsh, south african, french, tongan, samoan, american and irish

more on the irish later

the temporary 'winter wonderland' ice rink set up on our waterfront

the name of it is funny because it's spring here

my final volunteer shift is hard to describe

20,000 irish, welsh, south african and australia rugby fans descended upon our city and i spent the whole day directing, walking, showing and chatting with many of them

it was amazing

but back to the irish

these guys thought i was giving out free hugs, so i obliged

how could i not! to describe the atmosphere as FESTIVE is a GIANT UNDERSTATEMENT

one supporting the welsh and one the irish

both happy

even mr scrappy managed to score a free ticket to the game

the welsh won by the way

and what's spring without spring tulips!

and zumba pinkathon's?

a breast cancer fundraiser i attended a few weeks back

it's not difficult to find pink in my house

me in my volunteer uniform

one of the unexpected perks of being a volunteer was winning free tickets to the ALL BLACKS v Argentina game in auckland last weekend

i'm a fan

so are these guys

they were sitting behind us at the game

mr scrappy and his brother

i took this because i marveled at how they even hold their beer the same way!

me, my SIL, BIL and mr scrappy

the all blacks doing the haka before the game

my SIL and i outside the park before the game

they live on a livestyle block and during the week these gorgeous creatures came into the world

then it was back home and on the road to collect miss 13 from her 5 day rowing camp

that's her behind the guy in the yellow singlet (3rd from the left - including the coxen)

look at her go!

they had to share the river with a paddle steamer

the final day included a regatta where all rowers were put into mixed crews to compete

guess which crew won?

and to the winners go the spoils

each crew member got to write their name on the strapping tape

now THAT's what i call a trophy!

then it was onto the BITCH AND SWAP with 20 of my zumba girlfriends (at my house)

of course there were was no bitching and lots of swapping!

everyone brought their pre-loved clothing and, well - the concept isnt' a difficult one!

the hostess is always well treated tho!

of course no swap is complete without cosmos

and red velvet cupcakes!

my friends had clothing racks to lend, which made it very organised and a lot of fun

and that's me!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Yellow {Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge}

2011-10-15T14:10:00.001+13:00

and even though it's SPRING on my side of the world, i love that alicia has made this challenge open, so i get to use this photo i took at PRINCETON back in october 2008

the colours were absolutely amazing

unlike ANYTHING we get here. EVER!!!

thanks alicia!!!

wordful wednesday and my life right now

2011-10-04T16:29:00.002+13:00

which hasn't involved a lot of blogging, but it HAS involved LOTS of rugby world cup VOLUNTEERING, WATCHING rugby, walking, standing, talking, directing, marshalling, helping tourists -

and this room

has become my home away from home

that's the USA rugby world cup team

(well, some of them) when they came to visit the volunteers

yes - there are perks!

and our wonderful city waterfront

has become my 'walk to work' when i'm volunteering

check out that blue sky

you can't beat wellington on a good day!

my volunteering and the entire rugby world cup competition continues to be an amazing experience, topped off by 2 days out of town this weekend to auckland to watch the ALL BLACKS play argentina

CAN'T WAIT!!!

when i've not been volunteering, i've been at zumba with my zumba family

they're awesome

this photo was taken on saturday at a breast cancer foundation fundraiser

we did zumba for 90 minutes

and it was good

and of course it's SPRING!!!

spring means tulips

the end

PS: oh, and the american rugby player in the grey on the far left of the photo back up the top?

he hugged me

wordful wednesday and the memorable quotes

2011-09-14T09:08:00.002+12:00

we're one of those families that love movies and movie trivia

we love quoting (and often mis-quoting) tv and movie lines and over the years, we've somehow built many tv and movie quotes into our everyday conversation.

recently, i went to not one but TWO high teas at a local cafe that is known for its high tea and all things pretty and fine (that would be martha's pantry in wellington!)

depending on the number of people at the table, you can have up to THREE pots of tea at your table, and we found ourselves selecting a DARJEELING tea, and before we knew it - were heard to be quoting TOY STORY:

you know the one:

"one minute you're defending the WHOLE galaxy, then suddenly you find yourself SUCKING down DARJEELING with MRS NESBITT!!!"

martha's pantry has a wide selection of gorgeous hats as decoration on the walls, but patrons are more than welcome to wear them whilst having their high tea.

the 2nd time i went was with mr scrappy's nieces

they'd never been to a high tea before and absolutely loved it

they were very keen to wear hats!

because we watch friends re-run nightly, quotes from the 10 seasons can often be heard in our house, and because miss 15 is studying french, whenever anything remotely related to french comes up, this can invariably be heard:

TOOT ALA SMORE!

closely followed by...

POOOOO!

oh how we laughed when joey learned to speak french

wordful wednesday: ME: as seen in last week's national paper

2011-09-06T14:55:00.001+12:00

this is the photo that appeared in last wednesday's edition of the dominion post

the wonderfully written article makes me sound like mother theresa, but it's all true i swear!

the 2011 rugby world cup (hosted by new zealand) starts this weekend, and as a volunteer, i couldn't be more excited.

so far i've helped hand out uniforms to fellow volunteers

handed out accreditation to the world's media

...and yesterday, i was at the south african team welcome

if you're a rugby playing nation - the RWC is a BIG DEAL.

so, if you don't see much of me, i'm out volunteering and generally having an awesome time at this once in a lifetime event.

you can read the article HERE

and read more about the event itself here.

gotta fly!

photostory friday - thoughts on motherhood: A RE-POST

2011-08-26T10:50:00.000+12:00

i've never re-posted before, but i just love seeing pictures of my girls when they were younger, and i figure there's no better time for this kind of sentimentality than on their birthdays, when we as mothers - marvel at how the years have flown by.

this is a re-post from when my [now] 22 year old was turning 19

i've added a couple of her most recent photos at the end.

my eldest baby is now living away from home, has a wonderful boyfriend, is close to finishing her degree in design where she is on track for FIRST CLASS HONOURS.

i'm so proud!

love you sweetie!!!

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

19 years ago today, i was 3 days from becoming a mother for the first time. i was 5 days overdue thinking (like all first time mothers do) that this baby was never going to come! i had waited for this day for 26 years and was so full of hope and anticipation for what lay ahead.

ever since i was a litle girl, i had dreamed of growing up, getting married and having babies.

i'm sure there would be plenty of pioneering career women clutching at their chests reading this, but i for one believe it's an honourable profession to raise your children well and set them loose on the world in the hope that they will leave their mark on the planet, just as we hope we do.

as i looked through the rose coloured glasses of my final days of my first pregnancy i had no idea of the tiredness, angst, fret, exhaustion, worry, anger, happiness, pride and sheer joy that the next 19 years would produce, and i am constantly in awe of my daughters.

as i write this however, i am quite sick of my family! well, to tell the truth, i'm sick of the sound of my own voice: get in the shower, go to bed, shut the door, don't say shut up, did you brush your teeth, empty the dishwasher, say please, give me a kiss, don't slam the door - you get the picture!

come monday though, all that will be (temporarily) forgotten as we bask in the glow of yet another family birthday.

i think we've done pretty well with our first born. got her to 19 years OLD (to quote her!) with only a few cuts and bruises and i just wanted to share these pictures with you all.

i never would have complained about my clearly tidy little bump if i'd been able to see myself 9 months pregnant with my 4th child 8 years later!

i remember thinking what a beautiful colour she was. pulled from me (footling breech) arms flailing all 8lb 12 1/2 oz of her!

no words are necessary...

tripping climbing onto a kiddy chair was all it took for these 8 stitches.

she used to have such a high pain threshold she didn't even realise she'd broken her arm til a week later leaning on it, she thought 'it was a bit sore'!

apart from that - she's in pretty good shape, although she now needs reading glasses to go with her distance glasses. i have to laugh because when we went to the specialist together, she was CERTAIN i would be the one needing glasses!

yes, that's an american school she's standing outside of! i guess it was their open day?

first day of kindergarten. not sure what ever became of 'girl-who-does-weird-things-with-her-headband-'

fast forward 14 years, and all it takes is the blink of an eye...

happy birthday darling. love you lots!

and a couple of recent pics:

3 generations

me and my eldest 2 girls two weeks ago as we were heading off to the chocolate festival

oh yeah!!!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday and my zumba peeps

2011-08-23T21:21:00.002+12:00

i wonder if these guys know how much they mean to me

on one of our last nights together, i said to tara (before she moved away)

"i worry about how much fun i'm going to have without you"

sound selfish?

maybe, but when your 'go-to' girl moves away, it's a legitimate concern

well, it was for me

18 months later - while there will never be a replacement for my 'go-to girl tara' - my new zumba 'family' of friends are some of the most vibrant, fun, interesting women i know.

as well as zumba, we go to the movies, have morning gatherings (like the one in this pic) - and we're planning a girls' night of cocktails and dancing.

tara really is my only friend who could stay out til the wee small hours ripping up the dance floor, and
while it's not going to be the same without her, i'll be more than happy to have a 'boogie' for her with these gals next month.

...and in case you're wondering - we're posing a move from one of our latest zumba tracks!!!

photostory friday and 'that day it snowed in wellington'

2011-08-18T18:08:00.000+12:00

and KEPT on snowing!

i've lived in wellington since december 1983 and it's snowed ONLY ONCE

i remember this ONLY ONCE, because when we arrived back to nz after living in atlanta for a year and a half, miss 21 (who was 6 at the time), said "mum, does it ever snow in wellington?" (because we had experienced some extreme weather in hotlanta, ie snow where snow is a highly unusual occurrence) -

and i said "NO, it NEVER snows in wellington"

fast forward to august 14, 2011

miss 13 and i were at a learn to row meeting at their school when it started to snow

and MAN did it snow.

it was the most treacherous 1.9 MILE drive home of MY LIFE

it was not helped by the barrage of questions from miss 13

"does snow melt on the road"

"will school be on tomorrow?"

"do dogs like snow?"

...you get the idea...

at one point i just said 'please stop talking', and it was obviously in that serious 'mother tone' that means please stop talking. actually.

me and my poor little 1.3cc car barely made it home

it simply gave up at the bottom of the drive

once home safely, there was nothing to do but photograph this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and simply enjoy the beauty of the situation

our driveway - before i completely destroyed it trying to ascend it in the car!

they be boobs, not stumpy arms

my daughters clearly have their mother's sense of humour!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

that first photo has made it to the TOP 10 in our local paper
you can vote for it here!

wordful wednesday and the middle-age planker

2011-08-16T11:27:00.001+12:00

this post could alternatively be entitled:

"the strange things 4 women get up to on a girls' weekend in sydney"

i don't even know how we decided to start planking in the middle of this building

we were making our way back to the hotel from darling harbour - wending our way through overpasses and hotels and buildings and came upon these big fat chairs

of course WHEN you SEE a big fat chair - you MUST plank on it!

i had wanted to lay across the top of some stairs, but the more sensible in my group suggested being slightly closer to the ground...

it wasn't until a few days later, that we discovered that australian prime minister julia gillard had recently made planking a FEDERAL OFFENCE!!!

yep, i'm a rebel

my crime

MIDDLE-AGE PLANKING

photostory friday and a true love story

2011-08-11T14:23:00.003+12:00

these are my in-laws on their wedding day

1948

2002

my mother in-law birthed SEVEN children

enough for a netball team

or a band

(that's mr scrappy in the red)

for them it's always been about family

17 grandchildren

6 great-grand children

a life totally devoted to family

(on the occasion of their 80th birthday)

the past few years were tough

old age can be harsh and unforgiving

but there are so many happy memories

born 2 months apart

married for 63 years

they died within 3 weeks of each other

and it's been a privilege to know them for the past 30 years

they will be missed

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

i heart faces: friendship photo challenge

2011-08-08T14:38:00.000+12:00

i literally have THOUSANDS of photos of tara and i in my photo library, however i simply couldn't go past this one taken last september, when i flew from wellington to australia to surprise her for the weekend.

priceless.

i smile so wide every time i look at it.

photostory friday: netball

2011-08-05T07:44:00.001+12:00

i've probably posted about netball in the past

netball is the number 1 sport played by women (and girls) in new zealand

we have the commonwealth games gold medal in netball

however, our arch rivals, the australian diamonds [netball team] - have wrested the world title from us in overtime twice in a row

it's always a battle royale

back in the trenches however, my girls are both playing in the same team this year (as they are only one school year apart)

this is GREAT news for me, as i never miss a game AND i get to umpire all their games

mr scrappy took some great shots on this particular day

so to re-cap the major differences between NETBALL and BASKETBALL

basketball: 5 players per team

netball: 7 players per team

basketball: dribbling

netball: NO dribbling

miss 13 looking to offload

ALWAYS keep your eye on the ball

not the other way around!

miss 14 receiving a pass

a mid-air take from miss 13

a take on the run from miss 14

miss 14 plays GS (Goal Shoot), so my girls play at opposite ends of the court

and a great re-bound from miss 13 (GD: Goal Defence)

this game was played during the world cup and we'd all been watching a LOT of netball on tv!

and there's me umpiring proceedings

the joy of victory

i think they won by 8 goals

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday and the bridge climb

2011-08-03T16:12:00.001+12:00

WE DID IT!!!

this was so much fun - especially given the fact that the weather the day BEFORE was rubbish, as was the day AFTER!

the sun sure did shine for us and it was such a treat

because tara is afraid of heights (yep!) - we got to right at the front behind our leader, so we got to quiz him all about OPRAH's bridge climb. he was in charge of the oprah crew photographer for the day, so we heard all about why the helicopter had to dash off to re-fuel at the critical moment!

it was pretty amazing having cars speed by right under our feet and trains rumble right OVER our heads

it was pretty amazing being at EYE LEVEL when helicopters flew by

TARA was amazing

she had a 'moment' where she had to scale the FOUR VERTICAL LADDERS

on her own (only one person on a ladder at a time)

but after that she totally forgot about being afraid and just took it all in

and there was so much to take in

breathtaking

AND lots of fun facts

did you know:

the two flags atop the bridge are 5 metres x 10 metres and only last 3-4 months before being replaced at a cost of $2000?

in spring the flags last even less time because of spring winds

the flags are the New South Wales state flag and the Australian flag

opened in 1932, it's the world's widest long span bridge

the world's 5th longest spanning- arch bridge; and

the world's tallest steel arch bridge

it has a permanent crew of 100 working on it full-time

when the bridge was first opened, only FIVE cars existed on the 'north shore'

FIVE CARS!!!

the bridge builders were forward thinkers, but you can imagine how everyone thought the bridge to be a total monstrosity and completely unnecessary at the time

people have been paying to climb the bridge since 1998

in MARCH 2010 bridge climbers totalled TWO AND A HALF MILLION

wordful wednesday and the wild ride

2011-07-27T08:25:00.001+12:00

so much has happened since this photo was taken

i finished up at my work

flew to sydney

climbed the sydney harbour bridge

had a fabulous girls' weekend in sydney

had a wonderful 'GLAM SALLIES' party to help tara celebrate turning 40

that's me in my $22 dress and mr scrappy in his $8.90 sports coat

after a whirlwind 5 days in australia we flew home

got the phone call that mr scrappy's mother had passed away

(she'd been ill for some time)

then i got sick

REALLY sick

somehow i managed to get on the plane for the funeral

my MIL got a wonderful send-off and being around family (a very large one!) sure helped

that was last friday

and i've been out of the house only once since!

and it's the school holidays!

thankfully my girls are of an age where they can help me and i haven't had to sweat that their school holidays have been a total bust.

phew

wordful wednesday: this time tomorrow

2011-07-13T08:47:00.000+12:00

tara and i will be here...

...doing this

yes, the girl who is afraid of heights and hates to fly (tara, not me) is ascending the sydney harbour bridge

now that she's a fabulous 40 year old - she's keen to push her boundaries!

the bridge climb is my birthday gift to her

then, once we've descended back into solid ground, it's cocktails here

with this fabulous view

then it's back here for some zzzzzzzs before painting the town red on friday

saturday we're back at tara's for her 'GLAM SALLIES' party, which will feature song and dance, but you're just going to have to wait for piccies and details!

happy wednesday!

wordful wednesday: playing dress-ups

2011-07-07T11:23:00.001+12:00

oh how i love a mirror with decent lighting so i can take these kinds of pictures

of course i only ever seem to find them in hotels...

...or more specifically - hotel bathrooms!

i was at the sky city grand for our work conference - and it was indeed a grand hotel

not too shabby for sue for a couple of nights!

no kids

no laundry

no running/driving around

no cooking dinners

all work and no play, but fun work it was

never left the building for 3 days, but i love conferences

love meeting and interacting with our members and exhibitors

and generally making nice with the peeps

it's exhausting of course, but still a tonne of fun

this was me all dolled up before our conference dinner

as you can see, i got the girls out - i loves me my water bra!!!

i got the necklace in new york at a fair that my blog friend daryl took me to

from memory, she knew the lady on the stand where i bought this, so i got a great price!

*sigh* - i miss new york

hi my name is sue and it's been 19days since my last blog post

2011-06-29T11:05:00.001+12:00

what can i say, apart from the fact that sometimes life gets in the way of blogging!

so here's an update from my place to yours:

it's winter

it's cold and wet

kids have been sick

parents are visiting

it's cold and wet

kids have been sick

i've been away for work

i thought i was finishing up at work but they asked me to stay on

it's cold and wet

kids have been sick

miss 13 and 14 (who are on the same netball team) are having a great season. in fact they're their school's most successful team right now!

when i umpire the girls' netball games, i get wet (on account of the winteriness-ness of the season)

i think i might be addicted to ZUMBA

if you have to be addicted to something, why not let it be good for you, right?

i'm back into crocheting, after an absence of over 35 years and absolutely loving it

..and the shortest day has already passed, so it's onwards and upwards towards spring - although it certainly doesn't look like it right now!!!

THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO:

flying to australia for tara's 40th next month

wellington on a plate events
wellington on plate (check it out - be jealous!)
(cupcakes, cocktails, murder mysteries, 12 course meals, high tea, high fashion)
and a couple of photos to finish

some quiet weekends in front of the fire with the kids and a DVD

day-time zumba (when i finally finish work!)

and a couple of photos to finish...

that's me in the neon lime and miss 14 (in the purple and pink) at DRUMS ALIVE, a WAY COOL event that our zumba instructor organised.

swiss balls, drum sticks, music, movement and a whole lotta fun

i can't wait for the regular drums alive classes to start!

photostory friday and the week through my iphone

2011-06-10T09:04:00.000+12:00

i now find myself totally SPOILT for choice when it comes to taking photos.

a canon 60D and a brand spanking new lumix TZ20

after having my iphone for a few months, i've really started to enjoy taking pics on it

i'm particularly partial to INSTAGRAM.

if you don't know what that is, it's an iphone app, where you take the pic, apply a cool filter, add a caption, geotag yourself and post to facebook (and twitter if you have it - which i don't!)

it's pretty cool.

so here a few photos from my week - via my iphone

last saturday morning - all ready to get my 'craft on' at handmade 2011

i hand-stithced the victoria work box over 13 years ago, AND lined the basket!

the mayor of wellington opened the event

she was speaking as i arrived

an upcycled card from my first class

the words 'live, laugh and love' were punched out of an old dictionary and i doodled around the circles

gift bag made from an old children's book

in the afternoon i made a fabric basket - in less than TWO HOURS

from start to finish!!!

these machines are BRAND NEW

they're like the 21st century version of the one i have at home

push buttons instead of levers - WAHOO!!!

TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

fully lined y'all...

the old fashioned photo booth

these things are so popular now - even DIY ones!

the gorgeous lounge at hippopotamus hotel where my crochet class was on sunday morning

it had been over 35 years since my grandmother had taught me to crochet and since i'd picked up a crochet hook, so it was quite an emotional reunion

but also like riding a bike - i've almost finished the scarf during the week and am planning on buying wool today and making beanies!

anyone else photograph lovely bathrooms they see in nice hotels?

nope - just me?

brand new store opened up in one of our malls

my daughter wanted me to take this to send to her friend who loves this store!

then on wednesday

HAPPY MAIL FROM OREGON!!!

the lovely kim aka the ungourmet sent me this box of lovely treats

THANKS KIM - I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR MY GOODIES!!!

(esp the huckleberry jelly beans - nom nom.....)

then last night at zumba, someone (miss 14!) stopped doing zumba long enough to grab my phone and snap me on stage!

that's me in the neon lime green and pink

with my arms in the air like that - i figure i'm either one step AHEAD of everyone, or one behind!!!

how was YOUR week?

HAPPY PSFRIDAY!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday and the new camera

2011-06-08T12:20:00.001+12:00

so you may remember that after my daughter took my point and shoot to school and its subsequent lens denting, that mr scrappy offered to 'take a look at it'...

i can save you some time and let you all know that all that remained after mr scrappy's 'look' was this...

so he dutifully went and did his online research, then sent me to view the TZ20
(which to me, kinda sounds like a Terminator Model!)

although it's slightly chunkier than my last point-and-shoot-lives-in-my-handbag camera, after using it this past weekend to photograph my classwork/projects at the handmade convention, i'm completely sold.

I LOVE IT!!!

wordful wednesday: finding the silver lining

2011-06-01T20:02:00.002+12:00

on a scale of 'sucky', having your best friend move to another country is right up there with 'bites the big one'

we used to do EVERYTHING together

talk most days

see each other all the time

...and our kids are best friends too

AND I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING

(except maybe make trans-tasman airfares SUPER cheap!)

however, every cloud has a silver lining

and these ZUMBA ladies are just that

exercise, friendship and good food

you can't ask for better than that!

photostory friday: we LOVES to dress up

2011-05-27T08:46:00.001+12:00

if you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that we does love ourselves a good fancy dress party.

this month we've been to not ONE, but TWO fancy dress 50ths

it seems that birthday parties that end with a ZERO are the flavour of the moment (the moment being the past few years!) for us

there was a time when we went to a lot of 40ths

i don't ever remember going to any 30ths though

maye we were all busy havin' babies and chasing around after kids

or maybe we felt we hadn't lived enough to celebrate a birthday with a ZERO on the end of it yet

maybe it took until we were 40 to get comfortable enough with ourselves to embrace the idea that it's OK to celebrate YOU - at any age!

personally, i can't WAIT to turn 50 and celebrate

my friends think i'm mad - and i'm ok with that!

in the meantime however, i am MORE THAN HAPPY to help others celebrate THEIR 50thsssss

first up - chris's RED 50th birthday. red because HIS mother had a red party when SHE was 50

me being me, i totally embraced the red

i even wrapped chris's present in red paper with red ribbon and put it in a red bag (along with a red card)

OCD much???

if you're my facebook friend and know my last name, you'll know why this picture is apt

the birthday boy

our friends and long-time neighbours

the birthday boy's niece and son and daughter

'twas a sea of red!

my friend 'chatty', had just go back from the UK

(right after the royal wedding...)

then last weekend 3 of my friends from our local community got together to celebrate THEIR 50th birthdays

the theme was

COME AS YOUR FAVOURITE 60s ICON

because i couldn't stand the thought of another scratchy wig, i bought this 6 year old girl's school uniform from a thrift store for $1 - took it apart and put it back together

and went as MY OWN FAVOURITE 60s ICON!!!

notice anything about my scrappy's - sorry, the CRIMSON AVENGER'S outfit?

(very clever recycling i thought!)

my friend's son leading the way with YMCA

(which yes, i realise, wasn't from the 60s, but always a party favourite!)

the birthday girls

KICKIN' SHOES!!!!!

the photo booth

these are so popular now!

this swimsuit actually belonged to HER mother in the 60s, and if i could rock it like she totally did, then i'd wear it too - wahoo ali!!!

(she went as Miss New Zealand just in case you were wondering - AND she made the sash too!)

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday: "i'll just take it apart to have a look at it", he said

2011-05-24T17:41:00.001+12:00

miss 14 forgot to charge her camera battery, so asked if she could take my point-and-shoot to school

before she had her own camera, it wasn't unusual for the kids to borrow mine and nothing untoward ever happened.

i bought my lumix in hong kong 3 years ago and it's travelled the word and taken THOUSANDS of great photos

however

on this day an accident befell my camera at school

if you look closely you can see that the front of the lens is bent slightly downwards, so it couldn't close (or open)

my poor baby was so upset at breaking my camera that she took it to the local tech shop after school to see if she could get it fixed

they wanted to charge her $55 to take a look at it and told her it would probably cost $200 for a new lens

(the whole camera brand new was around $400 3 years ago!)

when she got home she fell apart and confessed in a flood of tears :(

i really appreciated her honesty and she was clearly distraught, and (the truth!) i had just the WEEKEND BEFORE said to mr scrappy that i thought it was time to upgrade

soooooooooo

my husband (THE ENGINEER), said

"let me just take it apart [to see if i can fix it]"

his verdict?

"it's broken"

YA THINK!!!!!

PS: thank heavens for the upcoming queen' birthday sales!

photostory friday: scrapmates' high tea

2011-05-20T08:32:00.001+12:00

so i missed a wordful wednesday AND a photostory friday - i guess i've been busy!

i've been meaning to share these photos with you since the actual event (which was back in the first week of january), but the photos have been doing the rounds, so better late than never eh?

this was our scrapmates high tea.

i've mentioned my scrapmates group before - it's an email scrapbooking group. most of us are based here in wellington - some are a little further afield. we answer daily questions, have online challenges, scrap together, eat together - and on this day - we donned our pearls, washed our best china, and took tea together!!!

i can't remember who made these, but they were cream-filled yumminess

i made these dainty little cucumber sandwiches

if you were clever, you could get three in your mouth at once.....

kelly's macaroons - delish and just the right amount of chewy-ness!

nat's scones. i think they were nat's!

my cup and saucer

my mother won this as a spot prize at a dance in 1955

a SPOT PRIZE. at a DANCE!

in 1955 - isn't it gorgeous!

our wonderful scrapmates 'leader' KRIS

natalie

our host for the day carmel - note the pearls!

kelly

and mandy - and more pearls!

michelle

and then me - wearing MY pearls!

group shot - with our little pinkies extended!

then it was time for the jumpy pics

some of the girls were new to this

here's me giving a little instruction

'you want to pull your knees up like so'.....

kelly thought it was hilarious

we didn't always get the perfect shot

so we tried...

tried...

and tried again

too much fun

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

WW: thoughts on a photo

2011-05-11T12:18:00.002+12:00

when i look at this photo, i realise that a VERY specific, VERY busy time of my parenting experience, is over

it probably doesn't feel 'specific', in that i've been a parent for 22 years, but those early years of perpetual tiredness, noise, hands-on, messy, whiny, sleeplessness-ness...are over

as someone once said (and i wish i could remember who it was!)

...the days are long, but the years are short

and that is SO TRUE

my youngest child (that's her in the gold and purple sequins) is now 13
and at college (high school)

my eldest (that's her with her feet on the furniture), is 22 this year and living in a flat (luckily not far from home)

and i get to sleep through the night, and wake up on my own

when i look at this photo, i feel happiness not sadness, because i wouldn't change a thing. really i wouldn't. well, maybe that time miss 14 threw up on mr scrappy when we were on a boat, and the staff 'helpfully' brought him a serviette (napkin) to stem and flow and clean it up.

that i'd change

i'd have them bring him something more absorbent.

KIDDING!!!

of course there are things to miss:

tea parties with every soft toy and doll they own
that oh so wonderful imaginery play
dressing up (ok, they still do that)
afternoon naps. ok, they still happen, but it's me doing the napping!

when i look at this picture, i think of the following things:

that miss 13 wasn't TOO COOL to sit with her little sisters (aged 5 and 6)
miss 14 still has 'hazel' (the grey and white bunny) - the white bits are now grey, but she's still around
the plastic shoe crate sitting just outside the door

the shoes my family wore aren't yet so big that a crate won't hold them...

that my girls don't drink out of and eat off plastic dinnerware anymore

when i look at this picture i wonder:

what will they remember?

what traditions will they carry on?

how will they remember their childhood?

how much will I remember!!!

photostory friday and the right royal wedding party

2011-05-06T17:46:00.001+12:00

i was planning on watching the royal wedding at home, but was very happy to receive an invite to my zumba-buddy nicky's royal wedding party!

she downloaded some printables to 'brit' up her cucumber sandwiches...

princess maisy got in on the act too!

wine for the royal subjects

and we were instructed to wear our own wedding veils!

which i did!

i downloaded these kate middleton masks - quite convincing, don't you think?

shy royal wedding watchers

and i made cupcakes and used these gorgeous downloadables from living locurto

cute huh?

apparently taking a photo of the tv is a bit twee, but i don't care!

i'm a real royalist (is that a word!?) and was very excited to watch the wedding

i thought kate was calm and poised, and certainly seems more prepared than di was, for the life that awaits her.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday: i can see clearly now (and there wasn't even any rain)

2011-05-03T20:46:00.003+12:00

yep, i got me some reading glasses!

i'd had pretty bad eye strain the last couple of weeks at work - the words simply wouldn't stand still for me, and i was getting a pain above my right eye, so off i went for an eye test.

turns out my right eye was doing all the work for my [weak] left eye

i knew my left eye was weak, coz i'd worn glasses as a child

wearing glasses in the early 70s is not NEARLY as much fun as it is now

not NEARLY by half.....

THERAPY! I NEED THERAPY!!!!!!!!!

photostory friday: on being girls

2011-04-29T16:43:00.000+12:00

tara's miss 14 flew over from australia to stay with us for 9 days during the school holidays

(which are sadly drawing to a close)

the holidays included easter, where i finally got around to installing some 'actions' in photoshop

you can see some of my handiwork ...

for much of the holiday, these 14 year old girls did pretty much what 14 year old girls the world over do

braided hair

imagined what it might be like to be blind...

took bubble baths

read teen magazines

facebooked

took photos of each other

read thoughtful hand-written notes to/from each other

texted

played board games

...and jenga too

they were just kids

long may it last

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday and the millionaire

2011-04-27T09:01:00.001+12:00

oh where to start with what's going on in this photograph!

firstly, i wanted to capture some sunlight on miss 21's hair, as over easter i became obsessed with photoshop actions and textures. i got the sunlight ok, but there's really not much else to be done with this shot!

then there's tara's miss 14; visiting from australia to spend time with her BFF (MY miss 14)
having not seen an ipad before, she quickly became enamoured and spent many an hour playing 'who wants to be a millionaire', solitaire and zombie booth!

then there's miss 21 and miss 13 holding $2700 in large bills.

that would be because miss 19 had just sold her motorbike on trade me, and the dude who bought it, insisted on paying cash - on the weekend! 'i guess we'll just have to put it under the mattress until monday' i said to mr scrappy!

then there's the bowl of cheerios balanced precariously on our leather sofa.

why do kids do that???

one of life's great mysteries i guess.....

PS: fun trivia from new zealand for your WW: that's Lord Rutherford of Nelson on the $100 note. he's a kiwi (of course!) - ya know, that guy that SPLIT THE ATOM, won a nobel prize in chemistry in 1921 - THAT guy.

photostory friday and the actions

2011-04-22T21:52:00.001+12:00

on my to-do list, along with:
'buy zumba shoes''take the girls to get their passport photos taken'
and
'buy bananas' (on a day where everything is shut!)
was
'teach yourself how to use full photoshop'
today i finally got around to having a play with some actions from the coffeeshop blog
that rita sure is a clever girl!
as much as i wanted to do the whole step-by-step to see how it's done, my clever design student daughter showed me how to download the action set and load them into photoshop.
if you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that i've been a slave to PSE and was all set to make the switch to CS4 in the new year, when mr scrappy installed APERTURE on our mac.
aperture has quite the range of photo editing tools, so i've been using them, but now that i've discovered these actions and i know how to load them into CS4 - well, a whole new world has opened up for me!
so without further ado, here's what i've been doing this good friday

sunkissed colour tint and lens flare action (without the lens flare)

johnna's tea party action

i think i'm hooked!
feel free to suggest any other freebie actions i might like!!!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

photostory friday: where limes collide

2011-04-14T18:23:00.002+12:00

so here's how i came to make my VERY FIRST cheesecake

tara made this cheesecake and told me about it via email and it sounded just DIVINE!

then friends of ours gave me a giant bag of limes

so what's a girl to do?

make her very first cheesecake. EVER!!!

easy peasy biscuit base that gets cooked first

miss 14 juicing the limes

large quantities of cream cheese and sour cream

yummy to lick!

cheesecake mixture on top of base - cooked on low heat for 50 mins

candying the limes

sugaring the limes

sugaring the limes MACRO style!

hmmmmm - then when you leave the house, your husband (who has had NO part of the process up until this point) - takes the cheesecake out of the oven and pops the spring form pan and this giant crack [in the universe] appears!!!

grrrrrrrrr

but i couldn't be mad, coz when i came home, miss 14 says to me

"mum! i didn't stuff it up!!!"

(she was in charge of the 50-minute cooking bit)

so when life gives you cracked cheesecake

you make a smiley face

KEY LIME PIE

BASE

150g digestive biccies finely crushed (graham crackers)

2 tablespoons sugar

50g butter, melted

FILLING

570g cream cheese (not low fat), softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream (not low fat)

3 tablespoons plain flour

3 large eggs

3/4 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

CANDIED LIME

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups caster sugar

3-4 limes , thinly sliced

La Method

Preheat oven to 190 degrees (C)

Combine bisc crumbs and sugar, stir in butter. Pat mixture evenly onto the bottom and 1cm up the side of a buttered 25cm springform tin. Bake the base in the centre of the oven for 8 mins. Transfer pan to a rack and set aside to cool.

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and flour, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the lime juice and vanilla, beat until smooth. Pour the filling over the base and bake for 15 mins, then reduce the temperature to 120 degrees and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the centre is BARELY set. Allow to cool on a rack, then refrigerate overnight, covered.

For the candied lime, place the water and one cup of the sugar in a pan. Boil until the sugar dissolves. Add the lime slices and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile place the rest of the sugar on a flat tray.

Remove the limes from the heat , strain and dry on absorbent paper. Cool slightly then place one at a time on the tray of sugar to coat. Place around the edge of the cheesecake in an overlapping manner and serve.

...and here's a measurements converter for anyone who needs it!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday: third time's the charm

2011-04-14T13:34:00.001+12:00

i bet you all went 'awwwwwwwwwwwwwww' when you saw this photo

you did. didn't you?

i would too. i love my girls

i don't know where the last 22 years went, but they're still my babies, AND my young ladies - all rolled into one.

this photo was taken on my birthday - almost 3 weeks ago

of course not ALL the photos that were taken turned out so well.....

that's miss 22 (on my right) pinching me in the side just as the photo's being taken)

and i have NO idea what's happening behind me in this one!!!

yep - the 3rd time was the charm

photostory friday: a meme by any other name

2011-04-08T09:18:00.001+12:00

7 weeks ago i posted my 97th PSF and was looking forward to my 100th

yesterday i was directing WW bloggy friend angie to my bathroom makeover post and realised that i'd already posted 103 PSFs - how'd that happen?????

so 2+ years have come and gone, and during that time i've met (virtually and actually) many wonderful blog friends.

one of my more recent blog friends is alysha over at supermom.

today she posted a "Daybook", also known as a meme, and i thought 'why not?'

so on pre-wintry friday from the bottom of the world in Wellywood, New Zealand

- here's my Friday Daybook

outside my window

blue sky, but still cold. calm

i am thinking

if i don't get off this computer and scrap the layout i was planning to, i'm not going to get it done before zumba class!

i am thankful for

freedom of choice, my day off, friends

i am learning

computers, social networking and blogging are AWESOME, but also great time wasters

i am wearing

track pants, pj top and hoodie (a vision of morningness!)

i am creating

still working on some scrapbooking layouts from my March Layout-a-Day (LOAD) where i completed 30 layouts in 31 days

i am going

to ZUMBA class at midday

i am reading

'the law of enclosures by dale peck'

i am hoping

i get some scrapping done this morning!

i am hearing

'billionaire' on the radio

around the house

quiet. miss 19 still alseep, everyone else gone to school and work

one of my favourite things

quiet weekend mornings. coffee with my hubs

plans for the weekend

housework tomorrow morning. dinner and a show tomorrow night with friends
maybe a visit to our recently refurbished Government House on sunday afternoon

and a picture to finish

does this picture scream TOURIST or what!?!?!!?

i'm in the process of making a couple of photobooks from my trip to NY in 2008 and wishing i could just jump on a plane go back - i LOVE this place!

this photo was taken on my SEX AND THE CITY TOUR.

'the pleasure chest' being the scene of the famous rabbit purchase

and this spot right here is where i would insert a youtube clip, but i couldn't find one!

true SATC fans will just have to remember it :)

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

wordful wednesday: princeton? yeah, i go there...

2011-04-07T10:10:00.002+12:00

well, i went once, but it was so beautiful i'll remember it forever

i felt smarter just BEING there

i can't decide whether i was more awestruck by being on the 'hallowed ground',
or by the beauty of the leaf change

in my neck of the woods, we see more of the evergreen variety of trees, and i'd NEVER in my 45 years (at the time), seen such leaf change, such variety of colours...

...heck - i'd never even SEEN leaves this colour before!

i could have sat here forever

i've SERIOUSLY never seen leaves this colour before

the other thing i couldn't quite get my head around, was how such PRISTINE grounds could have such MESSY POLES!!!!!

can i suggest a noticeboard people?