May in Numbers

Gosh May has been a busy month in my house.  I am not sure that my numbers truely reflect this but anyway here is my month in numbers.

17 is the number of days that we have had our fire going this winter so far.  As we do not have any other form of heating/ cooling and are suckers for a warm house we have a wood burner.  Luckily we have access to a renewable pine plantation that provides us with free fire wood.

3  is the number of flaxes we moved from the front of the house to the back.  It was a big job but now it is done.

Sadly we had 1 rear end accident.  Not our fault as we were stopped at a red traffic light but the insurance company is really trying to treat us as a the bady in this situation.  Unfortunately it was our little airport car.  The one my husband takes out to the airport and leaves there while he is out of the country.  Now it looks like the insurance company is trying to right off our car and then we will be stuck and we dont have the cash at this moment to replace it.  So here is the 7 days of struggling with the insurance company and more days to come.

Luckily in May we had only 8 autumn days of rain.  Fabulous really.  I guess that was why our fire went on as our mornings were frost and 0 degrees C but the days gloriously sunny.  This photo is sunset on one of those fabulous days.

Then there were the 4 children I took to Haydens renal appointment at Starship Hospital.  Luckly there were 2 Clown Doctors and 1 rescue helcopter to give some entertainment.

(This photo is found here along with an article worth a read especially if you are one of the creative people)

I am linking this post to Notes on Paper blog where you can read other peoples numbers for May.

Fabulous Fridays Finds #11

Oh my poor blog has been neglected.  Here I am this week with just a few links I have loved this week.

1.  When I find some time here is my idea of the perfect little project for adding a little quirk to my house.  Little pot planters here I come.

2.  I need to do some baking for the school lunch boxes. I love the idea of browsing My Baking Additions cookie list and recipes.  I have no idea which I will try but they all look too good not to have a go at something.

3.  This month list of ideas of daily photos you could take is now up at Katrina Kennedy's site.  This months printable list is here.

4.  I am the bearer of never ending bad hair days.  Just perhaps I might need to try this idea out I found at More Design Please

5.  I found this little article about Must have apps for your smart phone.  Oh it all could be so adictive.

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.