Wordless Wednesday 23 May

Today my photo is a little bit of Kiwi number 8 wire technology.

Here you have my DH version of a peg bucket.  It has a piece of bent wire as a hook, a plastic hook from the useless peg bucket that broke.  The bucket is a plant pot which is really perfect as it has pre made holes in for the water to drain away.  What more could I need?

I think I might just have to start selling this little beauty.

I am linking this post to My Little Drummer Boys

Why is it that you tend to make a mess before things start looking better?

I am looking at the front of my house.  It is sadly needing some work done to the garden...well that is if you call it a garden.  Of course gardens cost money to construct and that is something that is not available just yet.  Fortunately it is the right time of the year to do some planting.  We, in Auckland, have just experienced the warmest April since records begun and even though we are having cool evenings and very fresh mornings the days are beautifully sunny.  Just look at this morning, the sky and my paddocks look just perfect for a May morning.

Costing nothing but our labour DH and decided to move the lovely New Zealand native flaxes that have been planted in the front.  I love these flaxes as the attract the Tui when in flower.  Unfortunately they grow really large, have plenty and messy flowers when really close to the house and really look best in wide spaces.  This flax can be seen road side in a large group.  Spectacular really. 

Well, with spade in hand, DH and I dug and pulled and tugged and transplanted the three flaxes and put them in our yard. 

(Here is the front of the house with the blocks just resting waiting for me to do something with them.  The dirt will all need to be moved back from the deck so we can paint it and then dirt with need to be bought so we can build a garden.)

Now of course the front of the house looks way worse than when we started,  the masonary blocks need to be sold or got rid of and something a little more tasteful put in the front as a border and eventurally in place of the flaxes and Yukkas (they are going too) we are planning a cottagy kind of garden.  You know the sort.  One that has lots of green and flowers and is very tolerant of my type of gardening.  Hmmmm the plant and hope sort of gardening.

So after a few days work work and looking glorious our flaxes have a new home.  I could not help but take this photo of one in its wide space looking stunning against the setting sun.  So I guess that the messy front is well compensated for my happily surviving, newly transplants New Zealand Flax.

Monday Menu 21 May

My blog has been neglected in the last week.  Something had to give in my week and sadly it was blogging.  Hopefully this week wont be so challenging time wise.

Anyway here is my menu for this week.

Monday  Cold chicken meat, baked potato and frozen vege.

Tuesday  pot roast  on rice

Wednesday  sheppards pie with salad

Thursday  fried rice

Friday  cold meat, baked potato and salad

Saturday  curried lentil and pumpkin soup with McKenzie bread

Sunday   left overs

I am linking this to I'm an Organising Junkie

Wordless Wednesday 16 May

We had our first frost of winter in the last week.  Of course we have moved just outside of suburbia to the rural fringe and that gives us greater exposure to frosts.  Of course taking a photo of it on my deck was the first thing I thought of (well second after how cold it was outside).

So with out anything more to say here is our light frost last week.

I am linking this post to My Little Drummer Boys

I am the first to admit

Here it is, there is no more hiding.  I am eating too much of the wrong foods and need to pay more attention to it.  I know there will be some of you who will be saying why are you worrying.  But for me it is a problem I know what is like to be borderline anorexic so my sense of what is a good weight is a little different than most.  I am working on that.  I too know why I over eat and extras.

Anyway enough of that.  This post is to say that as of today I am promising my self to keep the exercising up (even when it is cold and wet outside) and to look after my food intake.  I promise myself not to get onto the scales anything more than once a weekand most of all promise to set a fine example to my children.

 I know not a good look but there I am out on the road running.

Monday Menu 14 May

So my week has started off with typical wintery style weather.  My menu has not yet adapted but I am sure we will enjoy it.

Monday  steak potato and salad

Tuesday  Chicken Curry Pasta

Wednesday  Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

Thursday  Cajun Chicken Pasta

Friday  Butter Chicken

Saturday  Country Chicken Pot Pie

Sunday  Leftovers

I am linking this post to I'm an Organising Junkie

Just for my Mum

I know that my mum does not read my blog but I will print this off for her.

So to all mums out there happy mothers day.

The credits for this page can be found at Nuts4Digi here.

Fabulous Friday Finds #10

I have not created a post like this for some time but I thought that there was lots out there in the world wide web that might just deserve a recommentation or two.

• With it being Mothers Day here in New Zealand a card for the slow to be organised can be found at How About Orange.  I know that the spelling is from the other side of the world for us here but I love the card.  Just download and print.

• My favourite scrapbooking kit I might just have to justify getting is Artplay Palette Wander by Anna Aspnes

• This post from Kate Elizabeth Conner I have bookmarked to share with my daughter when the time is right

• What about this colour palette from Donna Duncombe.  She does this every week and I can't wait to see what she comes up with.  I might just have to give this a go myself if only I could work out how to create the palette.

• Then there is the post Watermark you Images from Brown Paper Bags.  It sure has got me thinking.

Wordless Wednesday 9 May

I took this photo with my point and snap camera.  No editing undertaken.

The super moon on Sunday evening at my house.  It was 30 % brighter and 14% larger than with be in years.

Pity my little camera could not get any more detail.

I am linking this post to My Little Drummer Boys.

Dearth

With winters arrival imminent I am prompted to think about when summer will arrive.  Yes, I can see the smiles on the faces of people I know thinking what does Tamara think she is complaining about.  Winter in my city does not involve snow, nor too many frosts.  Yes it is cold but only cold to me who will run winter heating all winter so I can walk around the house with my shorts and t'shirt on.

I think though that I will be dreaming of those times of carefree childhood summers.  Bucket and spade in hand, swimming with unabandoned freedom while I sit in front of my fire. 

With that thought in mind I created this Art Journaling page.

You can find the credits for this page here.

Monday Menu 7 May

Here is my menu for this week.

Monday  savoury mince, baked potato and green vege

Tuesday  freezer meal

Wednesday  stir fry rice

Thursday  sweet and sour stirfry vege on noodles

Friday  steak and salad

Saturday  noodly dinner

I am linking this post to I'm an Organising Junkie

The Sparrow

My children discovered a sparrow injured in our yard this week.

They tried very hard to look after it because its wing was injured.  They took it worms they supplied it water.  I did not have the heart to tell them that it was a fruitless task.

Two days it survived and sadly the day came when they went out before school and found it dead.  After school bought this moment.

I really love how they gave the bird a tasteful resting place.

April in Numbers

Whew what a month.  I can't believe that it is May as I write this

So without further ado here we go on a journey of my month.

3 days and 2 nights are the number that go with the stay in hospital my son Hayden had this month.  Yes I was with him.  It is nothing unusual, part of his medical condition.

Here he is waiting for the IV fluids to be attached and blood tests. 

Mentioning blood tests.  Twice a day for 3 days was the number of finger prick tests he had to check Haydens electrolyte levels.

1 is the number of night respite care we got and 7 is the number of night we would have had if Hayden had not got sick.

14 was the number summery Autumn days we had in Auckland during the school holidays this year.  It was almost like the summer we never really had was finally arriving.

This is down my driveway.  Looking really lovely on one of those days.

3 was the number hockey games McKenzie played before the season has started.

(Credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi)

1 was the number of teeth that Hayden that Hayden pulled out. He still has his is baby ones and is nearly 10.

4.3km is the distance that I run/ walk trying to push Hayden in his very small buggy that we are trying to get funding to replace.  The usual story is that I run pushing Hayden in the buggy and my other two children ride their bikes.

550 km is the distance we travel every week getting work, taking the children to school and being the general taxi service for all in the house.

1 day is what it took to  insulate our house under a New Zealand Government initiative and discount.  We got additonal ceiling and new underfloor insultion installed at 1/ 3 of the cost because of Haydens medical condition.  Excuse the photo of the yellow walls we have in our house.  We are going to paint them next summer to something more pleasant on the eye. DH is modelling the insulation we had put in.

I am linking this post to Notes on Paper. 

Wordless Wednesday 2 May

Wow it is May already and I can't believe that winter is nearly here.  Here are just a couple of photos for this week.

 Some cookies I have just made for McKenzie to take to school as a shared morning tea.

After walking half way up the ranges in Hunia.  This reserve is very close to where we live with trails to walk. dedicated bike trails and picnicing places.

I am linking this to My Little Drummer Boys

Monday Menu 30 April

Here is my menu this week.

Monday  beef and vege wrap

Tuesday  bacon and egg pie with salad

Wednesday  crockpot corned beef with vege

Thursday  spagehetti bolognese

Friday  Asian Edamane Fried Rice

Saturday  Huevos Ranchoeros

Sunday  Left overs

I am linking this to I'm an Organising Junkie