Wordless Wednesday 7 May

Just feeling a little blue in my house so I took this selfie.

Feeling much better now.

I am linking this post to My Little Drummer Boys.

It is all about colour

It really is about perception of space when it comes to paint and indoor space.  While I am no expert when it comes to colour and design but as my house is under going a complete colour change.  A previous owner had painted feature walls with heavy bold colours.  Black walls with heavy black curtains....lets not forget the canary yellow family room.  Yes every wall canary yellow.  In fact every room in the house had a feature wall equally bold as the black.  Each room had black curtains.  I had always joked that a colour blind person had last painted our house.

I had always thought that living where we do, in the countryside that the colour canvas should be from outside the windows.  You know, the green grass and barren trees in the winter and in the summer the browning grass, green trees and flowers.

So we are painting neutral walls and boy does the outside really come into us now.  The curtains are still to be replaced but I can't wait.

So you can see what I am talking about here is the blue feature room in my daughters room (couldn't find the right photo to show the black walls).  We just emptied her room on Monday.

Here are the cathedral ceilings that are the feature in half the house.  Each beam was sanded primed a number of times and then top coated twice.  My husband did a great job of that.

Of course the final colour is  as you can see. 

Colour has made just the most incredible difference in our house.  I will try and write more about it we finish dressing all the rooms.

Mondays Menu 5 May

My blog has had a break while we have been trying to finish the painting of the inside of our house.

So here, now that school is back in for term two, is this weeks menu.

Monday  steak and kidney crockpot

Tuesday  bacon and egg pie with baked potato and steamed vege

Wednesday  beef creamy coconut stir fry 

Thursday   chicken wraps

Friday  curried pumpkin and bacon soup with homemade bread.

Saturday  homemade hamburgers 

Sunday leftovers

(with it being Monday evening here I took a photo of my crockpot in action.)

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

Fridays Fabulous 5 #54

Another week of links.  So lets get started.

• Here I live in New Zealand and here are 69 facts about the country I live in.
• I just love this breast cancer video.  Very emotional and a great reminder as my mother is a survivor of breast cancer making me more at risk.  So here is the I Touch Myself Project.
• For those that like challenges here is Whats on your desk?
• What about writing a poem a day.  I am in awe.  Take a look at this artists art journalling too.
• Then if you love your own handwriting you might like to go this post and then follow the link.

There you have it for this week.

Did I really live there?

It is hard to believe that from 2000 until 2006 we lived in Brunei.  This is not a postcard. 

This photo was taken by us, looking out from The Empire Hotel, Brunei.  A 5 star (could be 6 star but does not serve alcohol) resort sitting on the shore of the South East China Sea.  Every  Sunday we would visit the water park here with our friends the Allcocks and spend the day.  Sometimes we would dress up and go out for a very posh dinner.  This sure was a western style treat in Brunei.  We loved every moment of our time there.  Sometimes I just have to pinch myself to help me remember that this was our reality back then. 

 (credits here)

Memories like this deserve to be part of an album.  So I thought I would slowly try and work my way through the photos I have and finally get this done.

Wordless Wednesday 16 April.

Today I felt like having a play with my Photoshop filters so here is the product of playing. 

This is just a small selection of colouring in things that Hayden likes to keep in a box.  It is just a pity he is not always in the right 'space' to pick them all up after he has tipped them all out.

I am linking this post to My Little Drummer Boys.

Mondays Menu 14 April

The last week of the school term.  Quick and easy is the key for this week.

Monday......stir fry chicken

Tuesday  spaghetti bolognaise

Wednesday  sausage with gravy, potato and salad

Thursday wraps homemade style.

Friday  Japanese chicken on rice

Saturday  Homemade Hamburgers

Sunday  leftovers

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

Reflecting on Happiness

I have been working hard to finish projects I start.  So naturally I Was very excitedwhen another of my notebooks arrived back from the printers.  It gives me a tangible something to reflect on and move on from.  Teamed up with some great music and I will have moments of relection....empowerment too I hope.

Here my book is in a prime spot in house, resting on a book stand I bought when we lived in Brunei.

 Now just to sit on that comfy chair with my book.

Fridays Fabulous 5 # 53

Here we are at Friday again.  So here are my links for the week.

• If you play hockey then you will understand this post of facts that only hockey players (or their mums) will understand.
• If you are looking at some parenting thoughts then the straight speaking Nigel Latta is the man for the job.  Here is his blog Goldfish Wisdom 
• We have been trying to get rid of paint smell from a freshly painted room.  So here are some home remedy ideas worth a try.  I use the candle and onion.   Not sure but the room was ok to sleep in the next day.

•  What about treating your back lift photos.  How about Orange blog looks at this.
• Finally,  I am a teacher and can not help  loving teacher/ learning web sites.  So this interactive periodic table a really fabulous way of learning.

Have a great weekend.

When we all get just a little touchy.

With the end of the long 12 week term just 5 school days away  we, in my house are getting a little touchy with each other.  It is only natural that this will happen when we are all really tired.  So in an effort to lighten up the moment I thought a little fun was needed.  So I introduced some happy faces into the house.

Andre needed a smile or two while doing his homework....really hard fractions.

 Hayden and DH decided to try and make Andre laugh.

It was a fun moment just before dinner.

Now to find another week of little happy moments to play with so that the touchy moments due to being tired.