Fridays Fabulous 5

Here is this weeks installment.  Don't you just love Fridays.

1.  This weeks link is one that really got me thinking.  It comes from the New Zealand Herald, the local newspaper.  The articile Michael Duncan: Binge-drinking the new danger game       has really got me thinking about what that means for our DD 9 years and what kind of risks we can encourage her to take to try and minimalise the risks that seem to prevalent.

2.  I love this advertisement.  It was on TV a few years ago but I cam across it on YouTube.




3.  Shopping on line is fairly new to me.  I have taken to it like a duck on water.  At the moment I am keen on sourcing clothing that fits my daughter without dressing her like a baby as she is small.  All the nickers that she fits are that of a 5 year old with princesses and fairies etc on them.  Nothing seems to fit in New Zealand so the internet has come in handy.  This site has just the thing.  It has small and half sizes, skinny fit and everything bigger.  Things that just suit a 9 year old. By on sale and the cost is very good in our dollar.

4.  Two of my pages won challenges of at Weeds and Wildflowers.  I am so excited.  here they are.

McKenzie's Christmas Thoughts

Ouch

I dont scrapbook to win or to get lots of comments but there is no doubt that I like the fact that other people like my pages and not just me.

5.  We have formed a plan for a house to move after out house sells.  At least a plan is better than no plan at all.  So check out these sites and just think that one of these, or something like it, will be part of the plan.

Atlas Building Removers

Haines House Haulage

Craig Walker Building Removers

Have a fantastic day.

Home for Sale

I listed our house for private sale on 18 December after nearly three years of renovating it.  There was nothing really difficult to do as far as renovations goes,  but we were slow and had to wait for the money to accumulate etc.  During that time I have been come the plasterer and DH a painter.  We are not likely to change our professions any time soon as we are really slow at this but it sure saved us a lot of money.

We learnt many things about renovating a home over these years.  Things that we will take into consideration when we buy our next place will be

1.  We need a  place to store the furniture etc from the room we are working on.  We do not what to have to live around boxes again for months and months.

2.  Be bolder with colour but not too much so that it dates and needs painting again and again.

3.  Use Youtube more.  That is where we got all our tiling skills from and the job looked great when it was finished.

4.  Have a timeline and stick to it.

5.  Have more fun doing it.  This might be hard to achieve but we should look into it.

As for the house for sale.  We have a couple coming back for a second viewing.  Fingers crossed that after only two weeks on the market that they love the place and offer us an acceptable price.  This would be really good as it is very hard to keep the house looking terrific while the school holidays are on.

As for what we will move too.  Who knows.  Watch this space is what I say.

Wordless Wednesday 6 January

More Wordless Wednesday from me.

I hope your day is as much fun as my boys were having today.

I am on a mission.

I know that each year I try to do something about my weight control etc etc so this year I have made a decision to document my efforts with a photo and some journalling.  I plan of teaching myself something about managing my emotional eating and finding the no excuse method of exercising.  Also I need to teach Hayden how to ride his bike safely around the footpaths so that I do not have to be limited by the fact that he is now too heavy to push in the all terrain buggy.  40kgs is just too much to manage now.  It is all part of my efforts to EMBRACE life this year.  So naturally I did a search and came up with a list of things to try.  I will report back to let you know what works and what doesn't.

Here it is:

1.  Learn to relax.........must work out some relaxing music to put on my ipod, deep breathing exercises is recommended and exercises to relax.  Thought that I might give this a try

2.  Try not to think negatively....memorise a self affirmation to repeatedly say.

3.  Exercise daily.....something that I am working on.

4.   Snacking....have guilt free snacks handy.  Go to the supermarket when full.

5.  Keep trying until you find something that works.

Hmmmmm I will see what it means for me.  Off to find the music, relaxing exercises and deep breathing exercises.  Must be a good place to start.

Edit  found the music on YouTube. Now to find the ipod stuff.

Monday Menu 4 January 2010

Welcome to the new year everyone and the fist installment for 2010 of my monday menus.

Monday  Freezer meal with potatos and peas.

Tuesday Middle Eastern pizzas Weight Watcher recipe from Magazine January 2010


Wednesday  Burgers 


Thursday creamy coconut stir fry


Friday  bbq whole chicken and salad


Saturday   cold meat and salad.


Sunday  Leftovers

P365 Final installment 2009

It is done.  I actually finished each week and am so proud of myself.  Here are the final pages for your viewing.

week 49

The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

Week 50

The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

week 51

 The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

Week 52

The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

P365 Last Day

The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

Look out for my plans for this year.

Fridays Fabulous 5 (1 January)

1.  It has been a glorious day here.  1st day of the 1st month 2010.  The sun was shining and warm, the children were happy and someone is interested in looking at our house that is for sale.

Not the best photos of my front yard but the trees are green and lush, the sky a stunning blue and the sun is still shining and 7pm.

2.  I finished all weekly pages for my Project 365.  I started 01/01/09 and finished 31/12/09.  I can't believe that it is finished.  Thanks to my DH and children who checked with me each day what the photo was and even suggested what shots to take.

3.  My favourte music this Summer holidays is from the CD (yes I am that old that downing is not natural), The Greatest New Zealand Songbook, The Music.  Check it our here.

4.  The best scrapbooking kit I have just go is Sweet Tooth by Cinnamon Designs.

I cant wait to use it.

5.  This weeks blog post that has got me going back is by the fabulous Laura, at I'm an Organizing Junkie.  I think that I need her help at the moment.

My Word

As I mentioned yesterday on my blog the year 2010 was going guided by the word EMBRACE.  This wonderful concept comes from the fantastic blogger Ali Edwards.  I have thought that now was the time to embrace more of what life has to offer and hopefully make my life more fulfilling.  I look forward to seeing what this means to me.

And so with that here is a quote and image to start me off

“I embrace emerging experience.
I participate in discovery.
I am a butterfly.
I am not a butterfly collector.
I want the experience of the butterfly.”

 

by William Stafford

(the image comes from this free butterfly image sharing site )

Have you chosen a word and what is it.  I would love to know.

Wordless Wednesday 30 December

My Wordless Wednesday contribution for this week.

My DD at leisure.

2009 Reflections.

I have been sitting here and reflecting on the year 2009.  It has had it's ups and downs, what with having greater financial freedom and me discovering a way that I can work and still stay sane.  Well that is only because I stepped over the line of sanity and took on too much but now I know my limit.  Catching up with our great friends from Brunei who have immigrated here from the UK was also fabulous and now we are off camping with them.

Hayden's health has been great too.  His white cell cystine count is under 1 ???whatever the measurement is, which is the desired level for Cystinotic patients, no seizures in 2 years, only one unplanned hospital stay and two fabulous people who helps us out at home, Phyllis who does my after school care so I can work and Paul who helps out at dinner and bedtime.  I cant thank them enough as their help keep our sane more ways than one.  Hayden is now more tolerant of the monthly blood taken out of his portacath and that means no screaming, kicking etc each month which I am grateful for.  Kath and the wonderful nurses at Daystay who take Hayden's bloods, so efficient and knowing when it comes to Hayden.

Andre started school and loved it.  Such a bonus when they love school.  He settled in well and that meant I was home alone for the first time since McKenzie was born in 2000.  I did not know myself. 

McKenzie, my wonderful little girl.  My how she is growing up and how proud she makes us.  Diligent and hardworking both at school and in the sporting arena.  The efforts acknowledged with trophies and awards.

Of course it can go without saying that my DH is wonderful.  Without his support I would not have been able to work or be the person I am today.  He is my best friend, my compliment, my sounding board.  He takes the crap from me and pulls me back onto level with I am dreaming way too much.  He is the love of my life which I cant do without.

The low point really came when my great friend Lee was tragically struck by a car while riding her bike and left of dead on the side of the road.  She left behind a husband and young primary school age son.  My thoughts go out to them ever time I think of Brunei where they were living when this happened.

Life always has its ups and downs.  Each year I try and achieve something new or focus on something I think needs attention.  Last year it was all about time management for me.  This year well it is about embracing life and making sure that we live life to its fullest,( in a sane kind of way).

So now I am off to fine tune what that means to me,what I might be able to do about it and how by me doing this my family will benefit too.

Finally as I always say....there is always someone worse off than you.....and if you think that then life can be so much more positive and forward moving.