Happy New Year

From my family to you all I wish you the very best for a wonderful and fullfilling New Year.

PS We have all just been enjoying an afternoon of swimming and thus the attire.

Nothing like setting myself a few goals

With 2010 almost over I thought that I would set myself some goals, hopefully achievable.  So without saying here is my list for 2011.  (They are in no particular order)

• definitely go on regular date nights
• maintain and fine tune fitness, health and wellbeing
• increase the number of everyday recipes I can make that the whole family enjoys
• make a recipe book
• put the finishing rouches to the last two years of P365 so I can print them out into a hard bound book.
• Essence is my word for the year.  I fully intend to investige this for me. (Watch for a blog post to come)
• I know this one is a bit odd but with the challenges our disabled son brings our life we need to work out how to socialise more.  So that is it socialise more
• read more. 
• put the fun back in life by creating fun family moments
• take a trip to oz
• organise work for 2012...yes I know that is 12 months away but it will take that long to train someone to help with Hayden and then to find a place to work in town.

That it.  What more could I fit in really?

Wordless Wednesday 29 December 2010

The last Wordless Wednesday of the Year.  Can you believe it?

I am linking to My Little Drummer Boys

Monday Menu 27 December

My last menu for 2010.  I just dont know where the year has gone.

Monday  pot roast meat cooked in the slow cooker with salad

Tuesday  beef wrap

Wednesday  easy vegetable curry

Thursday  korma vegetable curry  (this recipe with a korma curry paste)

Friday  Macaroni and vegetable soup

Saturday  lamb chops (on the bbq) with baked potato and salad

Sunday  chicken kebab with salad on egg noodles

I think I might just do it.

I  am always setting myself goals at the beginning of the year.  Yes I am goal driven but hopefully it also keeps me focussed.  For me food, fitness and motivation are always on the list, usually under the same bullet point.

This year though I am very proud of myself because I think I might just achieve a good level of fitness (well for me anyway) and consequently my thin wardrobe is going to get a work out this summer.

I know that I fluctuate and at times my thinking persuades me that it is ok not to exercise, not to plan my menus ahead but deep down I know that I need to do both of these things.  I have got past the fact that I think I cant run while push the 33kg (buggy and DS2) but guess what I can and I am doing it.

I even scrapped booked about excersizing while the children where at school.

Credits can be found here.

 That was way back in March 2010.  It has taken me all this time to accept that I have no easy solution and enough with the excuses.

Now to add a few more new recipes to my list of can do and all like list and next year I will be looking at maintaining things at my happy level.

Naturally there will be challenges as I know I am an emotional eater but I am determined that I can over come this.  Perhaps I can just make sure I cook in advance when I am working and DH is away.

So here three of us are,  DD did not want to be take part in our photo moment, DS2 in the buggy still with medication to finish, DS3 with his bike ready to go and ofcouse me all ready.

My Favourites for 2011

This year has had some great finds I thought that I would share just five of my favourites



My favourite music find

Cold Play - Left Right Left Right album not only is it live but you can officially download it for free.


My favourite new find restaurant

Secret Thai Garden


My favourite christmas site find

The White Envelope


My favourite quote

You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when.  You can only decide how you're going to live.  Now.  by Joan Baez

My favourite discovery about me

I can stand in front of the camera and not just behind.  This now means that my image and not only my words is being recorded for properity.

Just take a look.  This photo was taken in October

My favourite exercise

Running.  Can you believe it.  I am doing the C5K plan and really enjoying it.  Have my shoes and ipod and off I go.  I use this music not because I like it but because I can run to it.

Wordless Wednesday 22 December

So Santa is a decoration on our tree that my husband got in Frankfurt a couple of years ago.  This year my children have decided to stage santa in a scene.  At this moment he is grabbing presents.  They are having a great time deciding the story behind each scene

I am linking to My Little Drummer Boys.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Monday Menu 20 December

A little late posting but here it is.

Monday  Leftovers, cold meat, potatoes and salad.  Now my fridge is emptier.

Tuesday  One pot italian beef stew

Wednesday  Chicken and Advocdo wraps

Thursday  Chicken curry pasta

Friday  goats cheesea and bacon pizza

Saturday  Chirstmas day   I am taking some nibbles.  Fresh fruit and vege with a curried yoghurt dip.  I hope everyone else is thinking light food as I have lost 3kg of late and am trying hard to stay that way over this time.

Sunday  bacon and pumpkin pizza

Merry Christmas to you all

Holidays have begun.

Here in New Zealand the summer holiday have just begun.  As I am a teacher that also means I am on holiday.  So the children and I have made a list of things we can do during the holidays.  Things that we can affort and they would like to do.  Perhaps even discover some new tradition for our summer holdiays.

So here it is the wish list for the holdiays.

• bake / make icecream at home
• take photos and print them
• swimming at the pool
• swimming at the beach and go boggy boarding
• collect pipis at the beach
• box carting
• hiking - find a new place
• movies
• art n craft day
• read a book day
• ride bikes at the park.
• science experiments
• go out for lunch
• ice cream sundays
• boards games
• a spa day.

I hope the list does not grow any longer I think there is enough fun packed into this list to last our holidays.

Wordless Wednesday 15 December

Andre performing his part of the puppet show he did with his reading group at school.

I am linking up to Little Drummer Boy

Lists

I am a list person.  I have one big list that covers many things and at this time of the year the list is longer than usual.  Added to the usual must do things that Christmas brings upon us we have all the Hayden must do things before the festive season shuts down many businesses for a couple of weeks.  It would be awful to run out of any part of his medication.  We are also hosting Christmas for my inlaws at DH is going to be away for Christams an early Christmas for us.

I know many people would be saying I need to have an electronic diary.  Trust me, I thought long and hard about one of these and apart from making my handbag lighter I am not sure that there are too many other benefits.  I need to be able to see more than one page at once.  I keep not only Haydens important to know information but the days DH is away and home on his work roster, the days that I am working plus all those other to do things that crop up in everyday life.  I need a full page for each day and my system requires colour coding with hilighters and instant access to months gone by.  Of course I write everything down.  Without doing that I find it hard to sleep as I keep waking up thinking that I must remember this that and the other thing.

So roll on the finishing of the lists so that I can get in the groove of more of this kind of life during the long summer holidays.

Monday Menu 13 December

My last week of work before the summer holidays.  Oh I can't wait for the holidays to arrive.  Anyway we have a couple of Christmas functions to go to this week so my menu is going to look a bit bare.

Monday  Sweet and Sour Stirfry  This week I have used Bok Coy for the first time to expand the children pallet.  It is seasonally cheap here too.

Tuesday  goats cheese and bacon pizza with green salad

Wednesday  Thai curry stirfry

Thursday  chicken wraps

Friday  Flafels and salad

Saturday  Christmas with my family I am taking a fresh fruitsalad made with strawberries, watermelon and pineaplle.

Sunday  We are hosting Christmas for my husabands family as he is going to be away in London with work on Christmas Day.

P365 November 2010

Finally here are my pages for this project

week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

All products on these pages come from Weeds and Wildflowers. 

My Advent Activites

This years advent activities have evolved a little more.  I am trying to do the fun stuff and the reason for the season things too.

So here is the list just incase anyone was interested.  I would be keen to find out anything else that people do that I could think of adding to my list of activities.

• Light the advent candle
• Try and be really kind and helpful today.Secretly choose a special
• Someone and do something for them without them knowing.
• Sing lots of Christmas Carols
• Spend the evening reading Christmas books
• Visit Santa and have your photo taken with him
• Christmas baking
• Lets make a Christmas decoration
• Visiting a special light display at night.
• Organise a gift for a neighbour
• Watch a Christmas movie and eat popcorn\
• Make a pine cone wreath
• Make a gift for Grandparents
• Decorate the christmas tree
• Lets go Christmas Shopping
• Lets picnic under the Christmas tree
• Find the best Christmas website
• Make reindeer food
• Post letter to Santa
• Write letters to Santa
• Secretly gift to someone. Try and think of some special way to do this.
• Try and do a chore for someone else with letting them know that you have done it.
• Decide how to spend our charity money jar.
• Read the birth of Christ story
• Tell the nativity story
• Interview each child about Christmas

Wordless Wednesday 8 December

Here is Andre at his school athletics yesterday.

I am linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Little Drummer Boys.

I have gone Hybrid - temporarily

I have been taking a break from my digital scrapbooking to take on some hybrid crafts.  Definition of hybrid for me is design on computer, print out and assemble.  I am sure that other so inclined would do way more with their hybrid efforts but I am very please with what I have created and how well the scissors and I co-operated.  No glue was required which is a bonus as far as I am concerned so all is well.

There they are those trusty scissors.

So what have I been making you might as. Christmas Cards to start with. Two one for family and friends and the other for the children to take to school for their teacher. They really are the same card with a few alterations.


The Chirstmas card for the family.

Note to self (must find out how to photography cards better like the clever hybrid ladies do)

I used pop dots to elevate the Santa on the card.

Then I saw this advent calendar I simply fell in love with.  Pop over to My Digital Art Studio and take a look.  Here is my version.  I didn't have the tools to do the rosettes so I have improvised.  Infact now that I sit here I have a couple more ideas on how to dress up my advent calendar.

For this i used a gold and glitter covered bamboo Christmas tree, glue dots, bull dog clips, scissors my computer and printer

 I will try and take another photo when I put my other couple of ideas into action.

Inside each little card is an advent activity for the the children with or without me to do. I will try and pop back tomorrow and post those idea.

Monday Menu 6 December

This weeks menu is here and looking good...well  I think so

Monday   whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker with baked potatos and green vege.

Tuesday  DD birthday her choice of food.

Wednesday  goats cheese and prosciutto pizzas

Thursday Roasted vege frittata

Friday  Flafels and salad

Saturday  chicken meatballs with couscous

Sunday  Leftovers


Sorry not so many links with weeks.  decided to use my books for once.

Wordless Wednesday 1 December

Here is my photo for Wednesday

Monday Menu 29 November

I am really tired.  it is the end of both the calendar year and the school year.  So my menu is very simple this week and made of things that will keep me on track and not require lots of energy.

Monday  spaghetti bolignaise

Tuesday  Wraps - chicken

Wednesday  Chicken and salad

Thursday  meatballs and spaghetti

Friday  toasted sandwiches

Saturday  baked flaffel sandwich

Sunday Leftovers

Christmas is almost here

Can you believe it ..... Christmas is almost here.  Each year when the Christmas season is here I try and come up with a great craft for my children to do.  One that we can keep getting out year after year.  This year will be no exception.  So I have gathered together a range of craft activities that can be done.  As of yet I am to decide what will actually be the 'one' but I am sure I will become inspired.  But I have come across something just to get my thought process in action.  I thought that I would share some of them here and add more as I come across them.

Advent calendars

A summary of Advent calendars on The Crafty Crow

This thread at The DigiChick has some great ideas for Advent Calendars and such like

A paper heart craft by Reese Dixon

Flower Ornament found on How About Orange

And then this list at kidspot with too many to show one at a time so I thought A link to the page would do the job.


I would love to find more so please link me up with your favourite.

My diary

I ask myself why is it that at this time of the year my diary is so fully of committments for both the adults and children that decisions on what to do are having to be made.  In our house it is either quiet and no social activities for weeks or the complete opposite. 

Of course this is not helped by the fact that I am organising two birthday parties in consecutive weekends.  I am so not organised enough for my liking.

To keep my sanity I am doing the following...

1.  Playing my relaxing music.  You know the sort that I can hum or sing along two when no one is listening.

2.  I am writing all the to do things down in my diary and prioritising things.  This is so I can sleep at night and achieve things that need to be done in a timely manner.

3.  Trying really hard to find time for myself.  Now that might just mean 10 minutes here or there.

4.  Eating healthily.  I now that it works for me so I am trying to diligently follow a plan.

5.  Trying to exercise more even when I am working.  tomorrow I am orienteering with the children

My diary



Wordless Wednesday 24 November

Here is my photo for today.  Nothing like something going on to ruin a photo.
McKenzie and Andre having a bit of fun.

I am linking to Babble On for Wordless Wednesday (Okay I am posting this late tuesday night)

Monday Menu 22 November

It is monday again.  Here is my menu linked to I'm an Organising Junkie

Monday  Mediterranean Pizza

Tuesday  salmon patties with salad

Wednesday  meatballs, spaghetti and salad

Thursday   steak n kidney crockpot  (last evening at hockey for the year so we will rest this recipe til next year)

Friday  vegetarian quesadillas

Saturday  pork and pinto bean nachos

Sunday  left overs

How Old is Too Old

We are still looking to sell our house so we can move on.  It is taking quite some time to sell but the right person to buy must be out there.  This LO tells something about where we are at with the selling.

The kit I used was Home Sweet Home by dinskip.

So we know that what we can affort is a 2 acre piece of land with a relocated home.  A relocated home is one that has been moved from one site to another.  Preloved I guess you could call it.

This brings me to the point of my thoughts.  How old is too old when it comes to these preloved homes.  Some of them were built 100 odd years ago and still have the original wall panelling on them.  The cost to relocate them is a fair amount considering they probably would be best suited for the fire brigade to practise on.  Then the renovations, well I supposed a bottomless pit of money would be the best way to describe how much it would cost to return these character filled old beauties to better days.

Now there are newer preloved homes that people are selling which would be much better suited to us.  Less old world character but would provide us with more modern facitilies, less time needed to renovate and of course fewer dollars needed in the long run.

In the mean time we sit and wait for the right person to come along and buy our house.

Wordless Wednesday 17 November

Here is my photo for the week.  I am linked to Babble On and Wordless Wednesday

I tried to get a fun photo for my Christmas cards this year.  This shot is one of the many I took.  Still looks for the right photo and am going to try again this weekend.



Being Reminded

Two weeks ago I was realy sick with a kidney infection. It really laid me out.  In fact I don't think that I have ever been as unwell as I was for that time.  The sore back the hot and cold shakes and shivers etc.  It was very timely to be reminded that once again I am not superhuman. 

More to it there is nothing like remembering how important it is to look after my health.  As a consequence of me being so unwell my husband, who was away overseas with work had to return home.  This took him two days to do.  I couldn't get out to bed to tend to Hayden, my disabled sons medical plan in the early evening and middle of the night and finally I had to rely on my Mum to come and help me out.

Three days of IV antibiotics followed by a 7 day oral antibiotic plan and I was well but tired.

The moral of the story is always go to the doctor when you feel unwell (even if you only think that you have pulled a muscle in your back like I did).  I realise this now that I have been told that I should have been in hospital but the medical profession did not know what to do with my disabled son.  Lastly I must have an emergency care plan for Hayden.

I hope you all keep well in the months to come and do not end up in a predicament like me

Monday Menu 16 November

I am late posting this but I promise I always write this menu on a Sunday night.  Naturally sunday night for me is saturday night for others in the world

Monday  crockpot corned beef with baked potato and green vege  (This recipe was a winner)

Tuesday  Spaghetti Bolignaise

Wednesday  Bacon and Egg  Pie and baked potato with salad

Thurdsay  curried chicken salad with baked whole wheat tortilla chips

Friday  Hamburgers homemade

Saturday  Out for dinner

Sunday  leftovers used on pizza for a gormet topping of vege.

Wordless Wednesday 10 November

Spring time fun for my children.

I am linked to

Wordles Wednesday

Babble On

P365 October 2010

This journey has nearly come to an end.  October was a little short on photos but here are my pages.

                                                                            Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

All pages are made with SS 10 kit from Weeds and Wildflowers



Monday Menu 8 November

I have been really sick with a kidney infection so my blog has been neglicted in the last week and ofcourse my menu was not followed at all.  Now I am on the other side of things and getting better here is the menu I have planned for this week.

Monday  bacon and egg pie with baked potato and peas

Tuesday  Sweet n Sour stirfry using cold meat up.

Wednesday  chicken and vege noodle stirfry ( I will post the recipe when I have cooked it)

Thursday  Tex Mex Trukey and Black Bean Saute

Friday  Ham and Capsicum fritata  I may change my mind as there is a great selection of fritatas on this thread link

Saturday  chicken and chilli wraps

Sunday  Leftovers

Monday Menu 2 November

It is November already...I can't believe it.

Here is my menu which i link to Organising Junkie

Monday  Creamy Thai Stir fry

Tuesday chicken breast baked potato and salad

Wednesday  Thai chicken pasta

Thursday  Crockpot dinner steak and kidney ( will link it as the recipe is on my blog)

Friday  Meatballs and spaghetti

Saturday  hamburgers tuna patties

Sunday Leftovers

Summer

I love summer.  I love the smiles that some with the warm sun,  the smells of grass being cut and barbeques.  I love the feeling of sun on my skin. So last weekend when the those first days of really warm weather and th children were asking me if they could go for a swim I packed a picnic and took them to Kariotari Beach.  It is a 40 minute drive with black sand (because of iron ore).  It was perfect.  The salty wind gently blew the children we having fun and all was good.

You can see the iconic flags found at beaches across New Zealand to keep the swimmers safe.  This beach is prone to rips.

We didn't spend too long there and the children were all sun screened up with hats and such like.  They had just been for a swim here and couldn't wait to go and find shells to design sandcastles with.

Of course such memories need to be recorded more permanently so here is my page.

The kit and template are by the lovely Donna Duncombe.  Credits are found here.



Wordless Wednesday 27 October

Welcome to my Wordless Wednesday

An icon sign of the season.  (The beach is Kariotahi and the sand is black (iron ore based sand))

Monday Menu 25 October

This week it is feeling very summery so I am planning meals that fit the season.

Monday  chicken and salad (because we are off to the beach and can be done in a jiffy when we get home all tired)

Tuesday  corn fritters and advocado salsa with green veg

Wednesday  Thai Stirfry with rice

Thursday  creamy tuna pasta bake with salad

Friday  homemade hamburgers

Saturday  Grilled meatball kebabs with salad

sunday   Leftovers

success

Success comes in all shapes and forms.  This year McKenzie has expereinced a lot of sporting success.  This is truely a testament to all the time and effort she puts into her hockey which she plays with passion.

Don't be fooled that this comes easy and without some heart break along the way.  McKenzie has missed a couple of friends birthday parties over the winter because of her hockey committments.  I am so proud of her though and hope that she will continue to bring to her hockey the same passion and dedication that I have seen this year. 

She has been rewarded handsomely winning trophies both at the club and regional represative level, she was named captain and had to conquer her fear of speaking in front of crouds and finally has been selected as part of a talent squad for next year.

Long may her passion and dedication last.

The credits for this page are here

The credits for this are here

The Photo Shoot.

Andre arrived home last week telling me that he has a homework challenge which involed taking photos of him and his bike.  To add to this he was very exciting which is not always the case with him.

anyway before I had had a chance to take a breath I was getting instructions on what shots need to be taken, the fact that I needed to take a couple of action shots and then the camera would need to be set on macro so he could take some close ups.

Finally the photos are taken and here they are

Taken by me (under guidance from Andre)

Then ofcourse his photos to reflect the working parts of the bike.  His area of learning at school.

Naturally these needed printing out and we were out of cartridge so off to the shops I went to sort this.

Of course this needed to be scrapped to here is the result.

The credits for this can be found here at Weeds and Wildflowers



Wordless Wednesday 20 October

Here is my photo for Wordless Wednesday.  The Blue Lake outside of Rotorua.  It is a grey day so it is not so blue in the photo.



Mondays Menu 18 October

I have lost my blogging mojo but here is my menu for the week. 

Monday  bbq chicken with potatos and green vege

Tuesday  zucchini pancakes with tomato and onion relish served with rice salad

Wednesday  Thai style chicken and noodle salad

Thursday  chicken in the crockpot with salad

Friday  Nachos

Saturday  Sausage meat and vege meat loaf with salad

Sunday  leftovers.

Wordless Wednesday 13 October

The light was just perfect for this photo.  Not touching up or filters applied.

Monday Menu 11 October

Here is this weeks menu and as usual it is linked to The Organising Junkie

Monday  Steak and Kidney crockpot meal

Tuesday  Stirfry the children loved this last week so I thought that I would introduce zucchini to the stirfry

Wednesday  Wraps using cold meat and salad vegetables.

Thursday  Quiche and salad

Friday  Meatballs and spaghetti

Saturday  Chicken on the bbq with

Sunday  Leftovers

P365 September 2010

I am hanging in there with these pages.  Here are my September pages, they are all made with SS 9 page.