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

Merry May times

Hey babe

I mean so well, to do more on this, but alas you are having to put up with my slow-snail-like pace!

A few catch-up things – some to get you excited about our chat over the weekend I’m hoping!

Wondering if you have done this supper club thing?  It’s a book written by some women in England and it is gorgeous but the idea is underground dining – a little bit black market but really fun!  Have you heard of it?  We should do it if suits when I happen to pop myself over the many seas!

Girls both doing well at piano. K going to do an exam in Nov, grade one. Wowzers! They get up each am and practice around 6:45, alternating with practicing or getting ready for school and then swapping.  Liv is very good at reading the notes, she has a brain for picking that up. Very proud.  I’m worried she might know notes better than her sis who has been learning a year longer!

Been loving the autumn leaves.  My camera skills don’t do it justice but the colours are so vibrant esp when the sun is shining through the leaves.  I think I first noticed autumn leaves when I was still living in Raumati.  Life was hard for a few years there and I remember noticing them, like they were an art exhibition just for me as I travelled around the community.  Glimpses of them now seem to make me go ahhhhh..  Do you like them, even though it’s probably hard for you to recall being closer to spring for you?

My vac blew up the other day. I hate having to spend money on boring things like that.  BUT when I went to napier for a 50^th the other weekend, I did buy something cute that I love:  check it out!

The 50^th party was really fun and I got to go with some delicious woman and I had such fun!  Hannah gets married in a few weeks and the excitement for that is building.  The girls have new dresses etc so that’s been fun.  Kaiya has a leopard print fluffy jacket to go with her dress and she wanted high-heels.  HIllarious! I’ll send photos when it all goes ahead.

My head – yip shorter and I’m loving it.  I have this new hair powder which I’ll have to talk to you about if you have fine hair (can’t remember if you do).  You scatter the powder in your roots and mess it up like you’ve back combed it and then you settle it down. All day you can zhush it up again and it stays there.  It’s amazing!

Funny story – Came home from work/school etc and a playdate and we were all a bit grumpy. I was especially grumpy and rather a rude mother (hard to believe I know).  The girls were highly offended and I overheard them whispering in the bath.  I said sorry in the end, after some time to breathe it all out.  K wasn’t so responsive, she was pretty angry at me and seemed to have made a vow to cut me out. I talked with her about that and about the vow she had appeared to make.  But liv, she was a softie, was keen to be right with her old grumpy mumma bear and fessed up to their plan – in their nakedness, surrounded by some bubbles, they had sketched a run-away plan!  Good old Liv, she gave into her soft heart and her need to be in relationship.  Love it, good example for me and K.

This is a guessing game we play sometimes:

(bad photos, apologies)

OK so had some thoughts about coming over (actually for at least 1.5 years).  Wondered if I was selfish thinking of coming myself but just kept it quite settled in my heart, thinking about it every now and then.  Talked a bit to mum about it this year and she is so keen for me to do this (she would say yes about anything I’m sure!).  She has even helped me sort out how I would have the girls looked after etc.

Anyway – read this book – it’s her second book all about buying a chateau in Normandy and how they’ve done it up and host people over the summer and teach them to cook frenchy ways and shop at the markets etc.  I am in love with this book and the whole idea.

Next thing: got a really amazing word from Greg B the other evening, parts of it about needing to go to Europe, needing to find what I’ve lost by going there (as it’s a romantic place (places) etc.  He talked about how my character has been jigged, how I’ve lost something I should’t have.  He saw a picture of me when I was 14 and thought I needed to go back to that time and discover the joy I had ra ra ra. I can’t recall 14 being that great and I think I have a lot of fun etc BUT I’m happy to do what he suggests!! Anyway there is a bit more to it all but I thought how interesting it was with the thoughts I’d been having, not sure why I’d been having them and feeling quite quilty that I was being selfish!  He talked with me about being so responsible and that he felt I needed to be irresponsible (not in a bad way I’m assuming, although I said was he encouraging me to get with a few French fellas.  Hilarious his answer was!).

Check the website out if you wanna – I’d love to do it when I come visit, we could do it together if you were keen and it didn’t cost the earth?  Most of all, I’m most keen to come and be with you.  I am dreaming/delighting in thoughts of how great that will be.  And to be with Matty of course.

Saw some comedian talk about Piha beach, mocking how it is such a cruisy beach to swim at.  Again, I laughed at myself and how my parenting surely lacked that day!

Girls were watching highschool musical the other day and I heard one weeping. I came out to lounge surprised to find it was Kaiya and surprised it wasn’t because Liv had punched her.   Anyway she was crying because Troy and Gabriella had broken up.  She was weeping.  “I don’t want to grow up mum”.  She had had a huge reaction of emotion to a fake situation but a real one for the psychy in her life.  It was a beautiful moment to talk with her about something she is very level headed about normally. Very matter-of-fact.  She let me in on her private world when we did a wee activity previous to that, one where she wrote that her biggest hope is that we would get together again. She wrote that down under 3 categories.  I never knew that, she is a very balanced wee poppet, always trying to say the right thing where her ma and pa are concerned, so that both of us feel valued and special! Crazy.

Speaking of crazy, here we are, loving you from afar, our dear Sez.  Better go to bed now, love YOU!