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!

Oh so cute that wee poppet!
Yeah this has changed, so don't get freaked out, it's a bit weird but we will get familiar!!
I understand that weather can do that for sure. The weather is mightily crazy at present, it's flipping amazing over here and it should be cold and for you i'm thinking it should be nice but it's not! sucks!
We had wine tonight, had Kathy and Mark and their family around for dinner, roast lamb, wine and all sorts!  Loved it.  Well done on posting babe, you are super. xx

HI babe
so it looks like the post thing has changed. ohhh all looks rather scary.
just sitting drinking a glass of wine while watching some football...... enjoying the wine more than the football i must say. got the sniffles a bit..... bloody hate this crappy weather we are having... i def think I suffer from SAD, you know when you get down from the shitty weather? I am a much nicer person in the sun! ha that is so bad aye?
ok ok lets tr attach some random photos, these were from when i went to paris for ashers birthday

he is so sos sosososososo cute aye?

delicious little baby!

ok will post this then write again aer chatting with the parentals

Look @ me Aunty S .....

Coming to London for fitting help is a grand idea, thinks Olivia.

Great sharing this story with you the other day, funny times xx

what's been happening in our neck of the woods!

Woods, that's not where we live but there is always stuff happening!
Like how I have these things coming up:
30th party tomorrow night (me helping theme), ma here, preaching meeting this week followed by
40th party on Sat with me helping all day with my lovely friend Shelley. Bonus.
50th the next weekend - in Napier - exciting! No theming here or help - i'm hopeful.
Preaching on 13th May, on pride.  Somewhere amidst these events I have to find time to prep for this.
1st June - wedding for Hannah with a proposed hens do the weekend before. Prob need to find the girls a fancy schmancy dress to wear to that.
Retreat for work next week, lots of work on for work, no rest for the wicked!


Me not coping with change very well, just been recognizing that control-freak thing in me, has a lot to cope with in the next few weeks.  I have noted that of recent months, I have been getting really really good at boundary control, e.g. not saying yes to loads of people and being quite strict on myself.  Well done me.  I have also been thinking about how to go about starting to write my book and how to reconcile my singleness with my journey of faith.  Indeed some great things to think about.


Have come to a good wee thought I feel.  That verse about trusting God with all my heart has been popping up along with Pslm 37:4 re the delighting ourselves in the Lord.  Questions I'm asking myself - can I trust Him,  with Him knowing the type of crazy chicken that I am, to care for me in my current state and that he has great plans for my future?  I am having to think - does he know that I'm a scardy, nervous cat when it comes to even contemplating going on a date with a respective male? 
I'm thinking that I like that, the knowledge (and the building of trust) that He is and that He knows and that He is all OK with this part of my humanness (even though I may not).  This could prob have some holes in it (my new thoughts) but it's a real choice to have to keep handing it over to him, trusting his loving kindness. And I def feel quite comfy in that too.  Interesting. That's this week anyway!!


A few questions for you:
How is your heart (emotions and all) with the sale of the house? I heard through bec who had Rach tell her.  Small worlds!  Been thinking of you guys, hope you're feeling settled in all that that represents. 
Have you been doing any running?
I managed a few sessions and after I've got over some asthma I'm aiming to get back into it again.  Walking fast for 5 min then trying slow jogging, doing OK!! 


My GP told me that I shouldn't be having muesli (this great gluten free stuff i've been eating, with loads of sugar) and that really I shouldn't be eating anything with sugar. Heck he should hear the worse things I'm eating besides muesli!  I have been thinking a lot about that. This week i thought it would be a good idea to not eat any dessert type stuff or chic etc.  I started well, got to 3pm and had something. Man it's harder than i thought. 


I think the biggest things for me over this last few weeks have been the realization that my precious single friend is going to be a double friend and that, in some crazy way, it feels like she's leaving me.  
The other side of this whole marriage thing (which is wonderful for my friend by the way), is that it has kept changing (details of where it will be etc) and that I've realized I need time to get used to change (and that i don't cope so well with it even though i may think I'm faking it OK!).
So the last few weeks have been hard, i've felt like the feelings I've had (mostly annoyance at the expectation on me to have to organize a whole lot of things) which have made me feel like a bi-arch, are actually probably OK.  BUT i need to do something with those, pray or something good like that.


That is a whole lot of blah, with some q's for you in the middle. The girls of my life are doing fabulously well, school is back and they are settling in well.  One girl told Liv how babies were made so she had some convo's about that today using the 's' word.  Not much is given away and she seems happy answering her own q's.  We shall see how long that lasts.  K is more like me every day, wonderful at engaging with adults with questions of interest.  She also needs time to refuel as she can only keep that up for so long, like me.  Nice to refuel.
How do you refuel when study and work and life are full-on?!  I guess going to Italy is one idea!

my fav of all flowers, the hydranga.  I pay $3 and get the joy of one of these for a few weeks.  I have some growing but they aren't in season at my place yet!! 

I still need to write to Gill and J barron thanking them for the printer and for letting us stay in Jan, ahhhhhhhh naughty me. We also have a thank you card from liv to send to you guys for birthday love.  sorry, bad us. 


Love you - oh one more q:  have you heard of the supper club thing in London?  Like an underground eating thing?!  I'm hoping to get a cool book produced by someone in london that does it. apparently a wonderful read and beautifully presented.
love love, xx