2013 whoop whoop

Hello 2013!

My new look is here.  Red glasses.

My daughters red fake glasses.

photos from chrissy day follow:

It was a very hot day!  So hot that we nearly died of heat exposure.  So weird as i'm sure you recall Chrissy day in NZ is normally a crazy cold windy and rainy day!

Liv sporting the new christmas apparel

Us in Napier. I love the Hawkes Bay. We could definately move there.

Funny story - these were real choc lindt bears so Kathy (our friend who was staying too) wrapped two of the bears up with stones in them. Liv and Kai took the special ones only to find rocks!

Doing lunch out in Havelock N.

Our new addition.  Scratching and biting are a common occurence. She looks sweet but might need to go and live in heaven soon, i feel.

Getting to hang out with the friends in Waikanae.

The sun was amazing. We had a few lovely picnics at the beach and river with all the kids. Girls loved it!

Waikanae beach on a good day. Who can argue with that!

We have had a lovely holiday time. IT's been amazing. I loved catching up with the Rachels and Ruth.  We have Bec and her kids here this week for a few nights so that's been lovely. Kaiya has been carrying the 7 month old around and loving it.  We have fitted in 4 extra people so that has been good to experience. We might be able to do it again!

Back to work next week, Liv's early birthday party, Grandma staying while I work. 

I have read, rested and enjoyed summer food.

Bliss. So good for me.  

I am hopeful that this year is better than last.

I am hopeful that I could perhaps buy a house, fly to Melbourne for a weekend to visit a lovely friend and maybe turn 40.

What are your goals?

I am thinking some of mine need to relate more to health and my spiritual journey - finding some pathways that help me rest and relax in God without feeling I have to perform.

There are a few people round at the mo so i can't focus on the more important feelings/thoughts, or perhaps i don't have any, but I'll write again soon my darling friend.

Hope things are good. Very good.

Love me

chrissy 2012

Hi babe!

Countdown is on - not long till Paris again whoop whoop! How cool to see your folks (who have your gifts from us by the way!) soon, love that!

Here are a few photos from Christmas in our place - the girls have added some tinsel to their rooms in traditional slap-hap form but it looks like beauty to them so that's nice!

I have given in to getting a bunny rabbit, got a free hutch from church and we'll give it a go! How hard can it be?! I have some friends who wont mind giving it the spade if i get sick of it!!

Girls are with me from chrissy eve, we'll head to church for a short service, come home and revel in their gifts and then the father will pick them up for a few hours.  It's worked out really nicely, thankfully! Mum and I both agreed to go out for dinner - i worked out mostly i do all the work on christmas day and how nice to not have to do any!! Girls will eat lunch with dave i think and then we'll go swimming at the school pool and out for dinner in their new clothes at a lovely hotel.  Not much work for me!

A wreath i just made, yes out of pom poms!

Liv delighted in helping me make upside-down santa pants!

hard to get a good photo of this but at night, the chrissy tree behind the fire lights up and is really rather cool.

ah the old scrabble letters, they say so much

The girls in their recent dance outfits.

I'm having a few friends round at Kathy's place on Thurs pm for a wee bit of Thai and dessert (bday time!) and then Amy, Claire and Pip rock up to mine on Fri and we will go out for dinner (babysitter sorted!).  

24th will be people coming round for drinks - i hope!  last year when matt was here I tried to make this toblerone and baileys concoction - supposed to be a drink but i beat the cream and alcohol too long and made a smoothie type drink. people seemed to love it but had to eat it with a spoon, not a drink!

Love you, to the moon and back xx

Hello dear heart.  Look at us, such rockers!

Thank you again, for the time of my life!  I am in awe at the amazing time I had with you guys and because of you guys. 

Here are a few wee fav shots from my time away, which seems very far away!

Love this shot - a little clevage, a lot of gorgeousness, Bliss x

Really enjoyed all the diff times i got to hang with these ladies, such fun and valuable conversation.

This photo is on my lock screen.  You rocked that dress I must say - and those tights just made it all worth while.  We will never be the same now we have a pair of those clever tights.

I love this photo, taken while on the road with my bro.  Such fabulous memories, running for toilets, drinking tea, coffee and beer, riding bikes, more toilets, wet tents, hotels, super convo's, more toilet time.  Felt so at peace, as always, with that man!

Got to have high T with him even,  Brugge of course. Love Brugge. just like you said I would x

And it's proof, I drank beer, like a whole glass.  The score was fairly even, however the bro would like to think he was the closest to winning.

And well this just makes me laugh.   Rap.  Wrap.  The english major must be me?

Another tart for a true tart.  I could have taken a suitcase full home of these wee puppies.

Love this shot in Rome, look at my face.  Brilliant! Maybe i was picturing someone else?

A top from Oliver Bonas.  can't wait till it is actually sunny here in the land of the LOOOOOONG white cloud.

Ahhh what to do when I get home?  How will i cope?

Sorry if i was a bad influence on you!

These wee joys, were over the moon with seeing their mamma.  

Pretty excited that their mamma got to see Bear Grylls.

The fashion-conscious have been relieved with all the delicious clothes the aunty and uncle gave.  

The relatives are mentioned everytime the clothes are worn, so pretty much every day!!

Thank you Sez. Time with you was so special.

My heart was well loved and encouraged and I felt i could go on in this next stage whatever is round the corner.

Round the corner may be bunnies and chickens. 

Had a few conversations with some people this week re buying girls a bunny for chrissy and considering buying some chickens.

Hillarious. you can imagine i'll be pretty useless at sorting all that but it felt like real sunshine on a cloudy day for some reason.  The girls have been part of the conversations and are rather excited.

My only hope is that i have a big spade in the garage incase i need to get rid of any of the animals in the dark of night!

Love you, will write again soon,

God bless you my friend, my dear sister.

Sez xx

July happenings x

Hi babe-a-licious!!

It's been a very long time since I've done this

and I feel very far away from you for not having done so. Also my terrible contact esp since you have been sick.  What a dope I am!  

I hope you are much better precious one.  

We have been having a pretty good winter except I am feeling especially lard-like.

I need some desperate measure of help, lipo-suction or whatever!

 I am mindful i'll have quite a lot of walking when I'm overseas but I need it now!

I've decided not to eat any sweet things at the moment.

that sounds all well and good but considering i LOVE sweety treaty's, this could be bloody hard. 

(check out Liv's painted tongue here)

The weather here has been particularly wonderful. It's still cold but the sun has been shining loads and it's very weird I'm thinking! 

Girls playing hockey this year again, K has been scoring some goals more regularly so that's cool. Liv looks like I would at the end of a game, red cheeks of cuteness.  She is a bit disappointed having not scored a goal yet but perhaps like me, she'll score at a sportscamp to redeem herself!

We bike into town most weekends, girls hate the thought of it and complain profusely but once on the old bike, we have a brill time!  Liv got top in her class for bike skills the other day so she has been telling me off today if i don't signal clearly.  NERD!

Speaking of nerds, K got into the maths extension program me at school and they just had a comp on Fri.  Her team didn't do so well but it's been a great experience for her.  Her english is much better than her maths so it's been a thrill that she has been chosen for this.  The photo of her in her school unif is last photo!

An ice skating rink came to Palmerston so we gave that a go.  Liv loved it, i was wondering how she would handle but she did really well. K loves any kind of skating!

I preached last Sunday on Cain and Able.  I was stoked with how it went and I got loads of positive comments. do you guys remember how i did that story 'scott the duck?' using a lisp?  not sure if i ever did it in front of you guys, but i did it infront of 200 adults and they seemed to enjoy it a lot.  Have to bring the funny in!  No more of that this year, so glad it's over so i can get my head in the game for coming to see you guys.

I have one event at church i'm organizing for work early September and then I'll be FREEE to focus on leaving the country!

Holiday sleepovers in the lounge.

Liv imitating someone off a movie we watched the other night. She is a character!

K got Highly commended for her jazz exam.  She seems to be a champ at some things for sure and I'm really proud.  She got some second-hand all-star shoes which she is adoring and hardly taking off!

Liv wonders at times what her talent is and is pretty tempted to give up the piano.  I'm praying for her that she finds her place and what she is meant to be doing that she shines in and loves too.  

She does tap-dancing and piano she's not sure exactly

 I'm eagerly anticipating my wee trip to your side of the world.

I'm mostly looking forward to being with you and matt and relaxing with you guys.  You help me relax!

Maybe, just thought of this, i could be looking forward to drinking some sangria with you again!

A few things I'm thinking of - can you flick me some ideas of things you think i could do?

Matt said Brigette said i could go and stay and i guess i could maybe catch a bus somewhere else when i'm there.  Whatyathink?  Would you be keen to come on a little trip?  

Also prob keen to do that from Paris, head on the fast train somewhere south.

Not sure how to go about this, need a few suggestions if you have any!

Love you, so much xx

a bit of this and that

Hi my lovely friends, my lovely family.

Here are the cute ones.

Ones that say the funniest things (like "we are doing geometry in maths mum and some boys and i decided that the p is like a cylinder and the v is like a triangle".  Good to know what they are teaching in schools these days!), ones that are clever indeed with their minds (see writing example below, written tonight after the teacher has commented on writers catching our attention at the beginning of the story!),   ones that take my breath away and often blow my mind.

Ones that together with my own life-business, help make me rather tired.

It's been a tiring few weeks. I'm a bit worn out doing mothering on me own.

I'm def alive. But been petering or staggering a bit more over these last few hills.

Our 'thank you Lord' board.  Girls write pretty regularly on it. The prayer at the bottom is my manipulative way of getting them to stop arguing.  Hasn't worked. Oh well.

Since rubbing the above off, we have a shopping list - with the word 'needs' above it.  It only includes the most fattening things you can dream of.  Things i don't need any encouragement in buying.  Shall be rubbin that off very soon!

My girl who can say with confidence that she was coming 3rd to last but ended up coming 10th to last as she passed some people.  Thank the Lord.

My fav sentence is at the end - "a bird dead in the grasp of the tigers mouth is a trophy for the glorious beast".

Oh my goodness.

I asked her if she could write a poem for when I write a book.

She promptly replied that I would probably be the one who would write a poem for her as she would be writing the book.

Love you guys, always xx

(please note: the above has no defined flow or categorically clever writing.  It's just rambles.  hope it makes some sort of sense. xx

The wedding

Hens night - we started at 5 at this local place called the fish. of course nobody was there except 7 or so 30+ ladies because we are all so old and wanted to get home in time for our beauty sleep. 

Had a great cocktail - chi, feijoa vodka and some other helpful substance like lemonade. emmmmm

(please note, i've included this photo as i think i look quite nice in this one and a lot of the wedding ones caught my double chin.  i really need to focus on my poses before i go to important events.  My 10th time being a bridesmaid - yeah!)

We got ready for the wedding and then met the men and some onlookers at the Square in 5pm. Sun was setting, great photo opportunities.  Bridey a bit shy so didn't want to walk down an isle but to meet groomy before the wedding.  I did get called the wedding planner in the speeches, i admit I def had some brilliant ideas to help my dear friend.  Change of career? 

Matt has met Jeremy, the Best man.  We were great attendants!

Lovely friend Kathy whom I hope you get to meet someday Sez.  Married to Mark who is in a photo later with Kaiya

How cute are these girls?  Liv has boots on which you can't see. They were so flipping excited about this event, new jackets, Liv had new everything pretty much and K got high heels as well as a furry jack.  They loved glammin it up!!

We arrived at the cafe, hung out with everyone over canapés and then we headed outside to a courtyard where Mr and Miss became Mr and Mrs.

It was the 1st June.  Should have been freezing.

Not at all.  Mild and super special.  Intimate and candle lit.

You can see Brocky's head here by the fence Matt. 

I made jars with candles and wire holders, hearts stamped with their initials. Lit up they were gorgeous (apart from the few that got dropped!).

Mulled wine, cooked in our crockpots made for a warm-heart experience (warmed ribena for the kids).  So proud of these few ideas which just made the evening!

Apart from planning weddings I've been watching Revenge on line.  If you haven't watched it I'm sure you'd love it.

I've had the weekend to myself so have had dinner at K and M's and been to the movies and not much else really.  

Girls home today.  

Not sure if i told you but K got into a maths team at school. One of the top 8 students in her year to get into this team.  Maths isn't even her best topic so I'm so proud of her.

Sadly she got so nervous about Cross country that she didn't do that.  Just like her mum - feel like I've told you this but not sure how to check my older posts so sorry if this is repeat.

She now tells people she got a nervous disposition (Grandmas words).  Hillarious, not.

Liv is going to do a tap exam soon, so cute.  She is doing really well with piano lessons, my wee genius on the piano I hope!

Need to chat to you guys soon when suits.

I will look at flights etc this week and would prob need to book in the next few.

Wondering if that is going to suit you guys?  Prob leave here around 21st Sep, stay for 3 weeks, visit some friends around London, do a trip to a groovy place with you guys if you were keen/available?  

Be good to chat.

I love you, oh funny story i must tell you re 4, 18 year olds following me. I got so nervous that i drove up a curve when trying to park as these lovely boys asked me what we could do next!  They had followed me from a takeaway joint.

Hillarious, brilliant for making Sarah feel flattered.

They were really nice, thankfully. Not thugs.

I told them i was flattered but rather old to be engaging in anything other than conversation!!

Love always, u bless me xx