Fridays Fabulous 5 # 13

This week I have an eclectic collection of finds for you. 

1.  I might just be tempted to get out my knitting needles and make one of there berets.  Perfect for those days I go to work and my unruley is untameable.

2.  I love these perfect little pouches found on the How about Orange site.  I just might get my sewing machine out.

3.  If you are a New Zealander then you will know a little something about the mighty All Black rugby union team.  Here is a little something they do in their endeavours to get and stay fit.

4.  We have heaps of wood around our house left over from when we dismantled the deck around the pool so I thought we might just have a go at making a boxed garden for my herbs.

5.  Finally these quotes from Dr Seuss I just love.  I feel the need to print them out and hang them on the wall. (PS sorry about the size of the image.  I thought it would be good large so that everyone could read it.)

I wonder if you have some favourite links.  I love for you to link me up.

Wordless Wednesday 3 July

Here is my son during the school holidays.  We are all really tired in our house and he was just taking a little time for himself.

I am linking this post to My Little Drummer Boys

The holidays list

Here the holidays are short and it is the two week break that lands in winter.  Just after the winter equinox and the weather then decides to turn bad and remember that it is officially winter.  This ofcourse limits our choice of outdoor activities but does not limit the amount of fun we can have.  (Ok the holiday are on day two and I have already done two of these things today)


Orthodontist appointment for McKenzie

Performing Arts Competition for McKenzie

Hospital visit to sort Hayden port a cath

Drop off and pick up Hayden from Residential Respite Care

Make a herb garden for the deck

A movie and popcorn afternoon.

Make friendship braclets with McKenzie

Out on a family picnic (hope the weather sorts itself out)

Go play golf with Andre, ok I will caddy

The egg and vinegar experiement

A hand shadow night.

Out to the movies (I am sure the weather dictate this)

Baking with the children

Those cleaning jobs around the house.

Wardrobe shelving needs to be built

Out exercising me with the children on their bikes

 

 

Monday Menu 2 July

I missed posting last week.  Just something had to give and it was my blog.  So now it is school holidays and I am feeling like I have time to pick this back up.

So here is my menu for this week

Monday  hamburgers with salad vegetables

Tuesday  chicken tikka masala on rice with salad

Wednesday  baked falafel with tahini

Thursday  tuna corn and cheese sandwich

Friday  ham, corn and pasta pie

Saturday  cold meat and salad

Sunday  leftovers

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

June in Numbers

I can't believe how quickly the month of June has gone.  It has been very eventful and exhausting in our house. 

29 June marked the end of the second school term here in New Zealand.  We are all well ready for a holiday, the staycation variety, and can't wait for a chance to let life just happen.

6 days of hockey out of 9 days was the number of days McKenzie played hockey in her endeavour to be selected for Aucklands under 13 girls hockey team and yes she made the team for which she was very excited about.

8 was the number of days McKenzie was then sick after trialling for the hockey team.  I think she had a cold on top of the end of the school term exhaustion and her body put up a protest. 

Last month we had had 7 days of struggling with the insurance company over the car accident we were involved in.  Now I can report that we have continued all of June, 30 days, without my husbands work car.  Still waiting for it come out of the panel beaters shops.  Hmmmmm

1 is the port a cath that is not working.  1 is also the number of dye tests the port a cath had to have to see if it could be fixed before he has to have surgery.Finally 0 is the number of monthly blood test Hayden had because his port a cath was not working.

( Haydens port a cath is there so blood can be accessed and IV fluids can be administered when he is sick)

70,000 litres is the amount of water the water tanks at our house now have.  Yes the two tanks are full to overflowing.  That is because it has been raining in the last couple of weeks and our tanks collect the water so we have water for everyday use at home.

1 day of fishing for Andre who has decided that him and fishing are just the perfect father and son activity.

64 litres is representative of the amount of milk my family uses in one month.  You would think in New Zealand it would be a cheap comodity but sadly not and $280,96 a lot of money really.

I am linking this post to Notes on Paper

Wordless Wednesday 20 June

Just sometimes the best stories don't have the best photos but here they are anyway.  Andre had decided that he was going to be Bear Grills and sleep in our Fejoa tree over night.



This first photo is the bed in the tree with wood as the base and branches to act as the matress.

Then there is the talking to me trying to persuade me that it was a good idea to sleep outside for the night.

Then finally the demonstration that the bed holds his weight.

Needless to say Andre slept inside where it was warm.

I am linking this to My Little Drummer Boys

Insulation

Our house is not new.  In fact it is old enough to be in need of a good renovation job.......30 something years old. 

New Zealand is not well known for robust building construction.  Now I don't mean here the structural work but the everything else stuff...insulation in particular.

This year we have been lucky enough to take advantage of a government initiative to insulate homes built before 1980, that is us.  It also targets families with the medically fragile.  That is us again.  So with two big ticks and the lure of a 66% discount on ceiling and under floor heating we went ahead with the process.

Now that we are having really cold days and even colder nights I can tell you that this is the best piece of investment that we could have made.  I know that I love my house warm, and that I run my fire all winter day and night, the insulation has made a great difference.  My fire does not need to run as hot to make my house tropically warm, my electric blanket is not getting a long workout and of course I can still walk around my house with shorts and t shirt on while it is frosty outside.

Now we just need to look at our curtains as there is no discount for double glazing and we will be ready to wear swim suits inside all winter next year  (insert a big smily face right here.)

So there is the truck with the insulation.

and here is the ceiling, now well insulated keeping us toasty warm.

Mondays Menu 18 June

Two weeks of the school term  to go and we are running on overdrive.  We are all really tired.  I even had to go to the supermarket late last night so we had food for Tuesday.

Anyway here is my menu for this week to help me cope with all that is being thrown this way.

Monday  A frezer meal pre cooked.....the plan for tonight fell apart so an emergency meal was on the table instead.

Tuesday  Shepards pie with salad.

Wednesday  Dahl with naan bread

Thursday  Crockpot stew

Friday  Pizza homemade

Saturday steak, baked potato and salad

Sunday   Leftovers

I am linking this to I'm an Organising Junkie

Fridays Fabulous 5 # 12

Here I am with yet another week of things I have that I love.

My new music to run to.
21 by Adele

Then there is this Mosaic Maker.  Might just be perfect for your blog or even getting printed out.  Personally I can't wait to give this a try.

Of course I am always marking pages I think would be a great thing to do in the school holidays.  This friendship braclet, at Purlbees web site ,looks just like one of those activities.

My list would not be perfect without some food thing and here is a new to me recipe for strawberry jam at Bits of Everything. I know if you are like me and live where it is winter just now then you wont be making this until summer but I thought that I needed it bookmarked so I can get back to it when I want to find this in a hurry.

Finally there is this and if you are a teacher, especially a relief (supply) teacher then this is just the perfect link.  It will generate worksheets and answers with the ability to adjust the level as you need. 

I would love it if you read this and have favourite things if you can link me up.

Finally

there is only one way to describe what happened to day and that is ....finally.  Yes you read it.  After nearly 14 months of waiting, seeing 3 Occupational Therapist depart their job  we are finally in possession of one Hayden appropriate carseat and one all terrain buggy suitable for running with and use when at those early morning sports fixtures. Of course the long wait was primarily because we could not afford these items and were waiting for some funding in a pool of money from the government.

I know that this buggy will never be out grown by Hayden as he is just about 10 cm short of his full grown height.  He sure has room to grow into it and  same with the carseat. 

The carseat is escape proof so fingers crossed it holds up to this end of its description.  He loves it and I know if he is throwing a tantrum he will no longer be able to escape.

Then there is the buggy.  Way big, fits in the car and Hayden loves it without even stepping foot outside for a test drive.

I am sure smiling today.