Last day of August

and I'm having a sick day trying to recover from the "cold that never ends".

Some layouts I've done recently:

Reading back through my old posts recently and I realise my blog has got fairly boring - a fact reflected in the decreasing number of comments. Will have to muster up some enthusiasm for more interesting posts.

The future is rosy

Conversation with Tim this morning on the way to school...

Tim: I'm going backwards.
Me: Why?
Tim: Because your feet go further than mine.
Me: That's because my legs are longer than yours - see? *demonstrates* When your legs are as long as mine you will be able to keep up. In fact, you'll probably be taller than Mummy. You might even be taller than Daddy.
Tim: But I will still hug you because I like you so much.
Me: *melts* Oh good, I'd like that.

Spring in the air

The daffs are out along Twin Oaks Drive in Cornwall Park so thence we went to try and get a decent photo or two for Aunty N who is off overseas next month. And also to allow the Man-Flu-afflicted to have a sleep. I have the same disease but seem to be less stricken with it.

The kiddoes seem to have fun anyway!

Random

Menu planning!
Haven't done this for so long but need to get back into it, (plus the fortnightly shopping thing) so here it is...

Monday - Pre-frozen Frankfurter soup (left overs from last week)
Tuesday - Lamb & pune tagine (crockpot), rice, steamed veges
Wednesday - Feta & Spinach Filo pie, yams, cheese souffle
Thursday - Chicken Mussaman curry, some veges
Friday - Rissoles or similar, beetroot salad
Saturday - Lasagne with the usual stuff
Sunday - pizza

Baking: Firepot Cafe's Berry Slice, Cheesecake for a zert one night

And for next week:

Monday - Lentil and Sausage casserole (crockpot), rice & veges
Tuesday - Lamb & pea tagine, roast vege couscous
Wednesday - Potato/egg fritatta (from the Slater Kitchen diaries pg 119) with spinach salad
Thursday - Cockaleekie soup
Friday - an egg curry plus some other vege curry involving cauliflower
Saturday - TBA
Sunday - roast beef etc

Baking: TBA

As a celebration of Library week I've posted a Day in the Life log at my alternate blog Diligent Room.

Check out what is on at your local library. Today it's I <3 Library Week Website. Plus there are several competitions to enter if you're feeling creative!

DH and I had a weekend away (just the 2 of us). I've yet to organise photos from it for this blog, but you can see a couple he took at Wingspan and there are some on my Facebook.

July Reading Round Up

The Spymaster's Lady/ Joanna Bourne
Annique Villiers, the elusive spy known as the Fox Cub, has outwitted, outmaneuvered and outfoxed every man she's ever met, until British spymaster Robert Grey steps into a French prison. Grey's mission is to capture the Cub and uncover exactly what she knows and who she works for. As enemies, they hate one another; as fellow prisoners they must band together to escape. Their truce is filled with suspicion, but there's also a spark of something more -- a forbidden passion that threatens their missions. As they flee through the countryside, pursued by enemies left and right, their tense alliance hangs on a thread. Surrounded by deception, piled-on secrets and heaped-on lies that go back decades, Grey and Annique become a force to be reckoned with in a world gone mad. ~ from the blurb
I read this one on the recommendation of another author whose work I admire. It was okay but I don't think I'll bother with any more of the series. It was quite well written for the genre (bodice ripper) but I think I've moved on from this style now because it doesn't grab me anymore.

Eleven on top/ Janet Evanovich
Stephanie decides to retire from her job as a bounty hunter as it is too eventful, and look for a "normal' kind of job. However this isn't as simple as it seems, and when she finds she is being stalked by a maniac who is intent on killing her, she takes a job in security to get the technical access she needs to find her stalker. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition ratchets up between the two men in her life - her on-again, off-again boyfriend, tough Trenton cop Joe Morelli and her badass boss, Ranger. Can Stephanie take the heat?~from the blurb
I used to enjoy this series and find them funny but again, I think I've moved on because I found myself rolling my eyes a lot...

World without end /Ken Follett
World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the centre of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of a natural disaster - the Black Death. ~from the blurb
I started out with reasonably high hopes about this one, which were slowly knocked down the closer I got to the end. In fact, I gave up and skimmed the last few chapters. Follett writes well and creates intricate scenarios and plot but I kept getting annoyed with one of the main protagonists which is more a reflection of me than anything!

Acqua Alta / Donna Leon
Commissaro Guido Brunetti of the Venice Questura is shocked to hear that his friend Brett Lynch has been savagely beaten in her own home. Then, with the storm clouds gathering fast over the city, a man's body is found and a terrible confrontation still awaits Brett. ~from the blurb
Crime & mystery set in Venice... really enjoy this series, this one was no exception. :)

Lord John and the hand of devils / Diana Gabaldon
The three mystery-adventure novellas of this volume span 1756 to 1758, in settings packed with dark secrets—and therefore dangers—for the soldier-hero with secrets of his own. The first novella finds Lord John swearing vengeance in London for a murdered government official, leading him to a deconsecrated abbey where members of the political elite indulge their basest desires. The second pits Lord John against a succubus that plagues his Prussian encampment, and combines humour with military strategy and supernatural myth. The third, most complex narrative finds Lord John investigating the cause of a cannon explosion in the English countryside that results in a fellow officer's death. ~from the blurb
Very much enjoyed this one - Lord John is an interesting character with wit and sufficient depth to capture my attention. I liked the last short story the best. Gabaldon has (so far) never failed to entertain and delight me. She's coming to New Zealand this year as part of the launch for her latest in the Outlander series and I hope to somehow get her to sign my copy. :)

May's Book Circle: The 19th Wife/ David Ebershoff

Thanks to Emma who lent me her copy! :)

The complex history of polygamy in the Mormon Church intertwines the story of Ann Eliza Young, the nineteenth and final wife of Brigham Young, who in 1875 leaves her husband and embarks on crusade to end polygamy, and a modern-day murder mystery in which a polygamous man has been found dead and one of his wives is accused of the crime.

I enjoyed this one a lot. Some of the modern-day mystery felt liked it jumped too easily from each clue but I enjoyed the character development of the story teller, Jordan. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of the Ann Eliza story though some aspects of her character weren't particularly likable. I'm always intrigued by stories of groups who pioneered the settlement of the western United States so that element of the book also piqued my attention.

They say the best stories are those that are about some sort of conflict and this one has heaps of it. The complexity of a polygamous relationship and the way it affects the whole "family" has been portrayed rather starkly and is quite disturbing. The thing that made me uncomfortable was the way the church leaders cloaked their own personal desires by claiming to be moved by God... the sad path to hypocrisy. Still, I'd recommend the book.

You can read the other reviews by leaping off from the links in this post.





























Some cards I made last week with my new Basic Grey stamps.

Sunday best

Submitted this to Innovations but the deadline for the relevant theme has passed and I haven't heard it was accepted so here it is on my blog! Did this a while ago - BG Lime Rickey collection.

I've created a monster

I finally let DS have at the lego collection my sisters and I had when we were younger. The first thing he does in the morning is dig it out. As soon as he is home he is playing again. I'm continually getting pestered to "help" i.e. make things from the "constructions" he's found in there.

I surprised myself when I did actually sit down with him and make some stuff up - remembered how much fun it is to build things.

Style Quiz

Here's something fun to do - take the style quiz from International School of Colour and Design.

Here are my results... nostalgic nest ;-)

Waikato Crop II

Last Saturday DH and I left the children with my long suffering Mum and sisters, and made our way down to the Waikato. DH went looking for waterfalls, and I joined a bunch of scrapbookers for a crop. :-)

It was a lovely warm room and a nice, low key crop. I enjoyed it very much. Great company, sweet baking and generous Prima goodness from Andrea at SBO too! It was nice to have no "pressure" to do anything in particular... not that there is anything wrong with that from time to time, but I wasn't in the mood for it that day.

I got 3 layouts done...

Biker chick - about how DD likes to ride with me on my bike to daycare/work. Not that I'm doing much of that right now! Too rainy and too dark on my way home. The papers are Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel range.

Time out - DS in time out for some misbehaviour. He looks so pathetic! LOL! Still we love him even when his behaviour isn't so good. This one used Basic Grey Lime Rickey.

Morning cuddle - this one mostly uses stuff from one of the SBO kits. The birdcage is Basic Grey Porcelain "Windermere", a beautiful paper. :-) The base paper is MME Bella Bella Bellezo "Pappillion", also very beautiful. I like the muted tones. The swirl is a Basic Grey Marrakech "Honey Bush".

Some of the participants - Vicky, Trina, Rae (holding sweet Arlo), Vicky and Maria..

Bridgett and Neen - seem to have missed out Neen's sister sorry!

Favourite things

Somebody sent this to me via email today:

It wouldn't be funny if it weren't so true... Julie Andrews turned 69 and to commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/ vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan 's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "The Sound Of Music."

Here are the actual lyrics she used:
"Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things..
When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad."

Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores. Please share Ms. Andrews' clever wit and humor with others who would appreciate it.

Well, I'm not quite in that category yet so here is my "middle aged" version of my favourite things... feel free to add your own verses!

Sleep ins and unbroken sleep in the night,
Laughter and singing and kids that don't fight,
Occasional chances to have a wild fling,
These are a few of my favourite things...

Dinners with chocolate and wine in clean glasses,
Undies that hold in the wobbles and flounces,
Dresses that make me feel fit for a king,
These are a few of my favourite things!

When the kids whine,
when the cat pukes,
when the day goes bad...
I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel so drab.

Family that helps out with odd baby sitting,
Thighs that are covered to hide all the pitting,
Husbands that stick with you through PMT,
These are a few of my favourite things...

Good books and coffee and time to enjoy it,
Crafty activities and scrapbooking friendships,
Fellowship and faith that gives my heart wings,
These are a few of my favourite things!

What that bill comes,
when the tea burns,
when I'm feeling sad..

I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

:-)

June Reading Round Up | June's Book Club Book Review

The notebook / Nicholas Sparks
In a Southern nursing home, an 80-year-old man reads from his diary to his wife, suffering from Alzheimer's. It's the story of their teenage romance, followed by years of separation because he was from the wrong class, followed by her decision, on his return from World War II, to be her own woman and marry him.~ from the blurb.
Call me cynical but the idea of grand passion is something I'm not sure I believe is possible. I'm all for romance but this one just seemed to good to be true. The real bits were the struggles and pains of the old man seeing his wife deteriorate... the rest was just too fairytale and contrived for me. Maybe the movie is better?

Living the good life / Linda Cockburn
A day-to-day account of an inspirational family experience - to see whether it is possible to live by the principles of domestic sustainability to their utmost degree. Alongside are fascinating facts and anecdotes on the environment, recipes and tips for people interested in changing their own way of life.~ from the blurb
Very much enjoyed this one - a true story set in Queensland, Australia of a family who set out to be self-sufficient (from their own backyard) and not spend any money for 6 months. Authentic and inspiring. They are fortunate to live in a climate where things grow mostly all year (rain issues notwithstanding). Not sure it could be done in Auckland! The goat might cause some neighbourly problems...
Linda has a blog - she and her family now live in Tasmania and are building a straw bale house. (extreme jealousy from me! at the straw bale house, not the Tasmania bit).

Journal / Hélène Berr ; translated from the French by David Bellos ; with an introduction and an essay by David Bellos ; and an afterword by Mariette Job
With her colleagues, Helen Barr plays the violin and she seeks refuge from the everyday in the "selfish magic" of English literature and poetry. But this is Paris under the occupation and her family is Jewish. In March 1944, Helene and her family are arrested, taken to Drancy Transit Camp and soon sent to Auschwitz. This is her journal. ~ from the blurb
I'll have to admit I found this one pretty harrowing - not so much because of the writer's experience but the horrors she relates happening around her. Especially to children. I find it very hard to read about that kind of stuff at present. Her writing is extremely poignant and some of her observations are thought provoking. Recommend you read it when you feel like a gloomy read.

Book Club Book of the Month
The Zookeepers Wife/Dianne Ackerman
Synopsis:
A true story, in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw - and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socialising, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants - otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes. With her exuberant prose and exquisite sensitivity to the natural world, Diane Ackerman engages us viscerally in the lives of the zoo animals, their keepers, and their hidden visitors. She shows us how Antonina refused to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her. ~ from the blurb

I was a bit disappointed in the book because I felt the writer didn't do the story true justice. There were moments of great descriptive writing, and the people themselves were obviously highly interesting people with a great story... but the book seemed to lack spark.

Janine, Mel, Sharon, have also reviewed this one.

I'm off to the Waikato on Saturday to crop in the presence of greatness! Some famous NZ scrapbookers will be there. :) :) I'll be in the corner fiddling with my photos and papers whilst trying to prevent my jaw opening too wide - might have to take some Malteasers to help keep it shut. LOL! Seriously looking forward to sitting down and doing some creative stuff. I'm managed to put together some page kit things and will attempt to leave the kitchen sink at home.

Wonder if I have time to make cookies to bring....

An award :)

Mim - over at Mim's Muddle has kindly awarded me with a bloggy award:

The Love My Friends Award is given to those bloggers who aspire, inspire and share the most beautiful of human attributes: art, wisdom and friendship. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more.

Wow - that is something to aspire to for sure... art, wisdom and friendship.

So here we are with my picks:

Rachel - my IRL friend who lives in KL at present. Very much admire her crafty productions, value her friendship and chats about parenting, faith, family etc. So annoyed I was sick this weekend and couldn't entertain her before she heads back.
Sharon - fellow scrapbooker/Twitterer/food lover, excellent photographer, mother to two boys and fellow book club member
Janine - I enjoy reading her posts, seeing where her creativity is taking her and what she's making and her honest blogging.
Kristen and Amy - my online friends who I met on a parenting forum before DS was conceived and with whom I've shared numerous milestones, discussions, worries about parenting. They both have green aspirations like me. I really, really want to meet them IRL someday, somehow. Both explore photography as a form of creativity.
Mel , Em & Hen - who make me laugh, faithfully comment on my blog and Facebook, share the book club books, parenting "issues"....

I also have a number of non-bloggy friends who I am grateful for their friendship, their creativity and just for being there.

weekend away

FIL has been in hospital for a gall bladder removal, so we went up north to see the whanau on the weekend.

We decided to go for a $2.00 thrill and check out the new toll road and tunnel. Reckon for $2.00 the tunnel should have been longer! ;-)












On the way up we thought we'd visit Tawharanui to see what it was like. DH wanted to vet it for photographic possibilities and I was keen to see what it was like for camping. It was a lovely crisp, clear day.

The kids and I played on the beach while DH wandered round the rocks.

Both of us have favourable reports about it so looks like we will re-visit it.

After lunch we headed further north to Whangarei. Tim complained about having a sore tummy. I thought he was just grumbling until he chundered all over the back seat, his car seat and the foot well just as we came into Warkworth. *gag* So we had to pull into the rest area and clean him up. Amazing what you can do with tissues and wet wipes! Thankfully we had some clean clothes for him. DH was ready to give up and go home but we'd come so far, and I knew SIL and MIL were keen for our visit. So we pressed on. Tim seemed ok - a bit pale but he thought it was cool I let him have chewing gum.

"I hold it with my teeth and don't swallow it eh Mum?"

We got there with no further puking incidents and I wrote it off as car sickness, but he did have another go after dinner so I sent him to bed early. He was fine the next day.

We visited FIL several times and spent a quiet weekend with them all. The kids enjoyed the novel toys, I enjoyed them messing up somebody else's lounge for a change!

Here they are Sunday morning before we headed out for church.

Here's SIL teasing her brother by giving him a kiss.

Here is MIL watching her kids being silly! :-)

FIL has been allowed to go home today, so everyone is pleased about that.

Welcome to the blogging world!

DH surprised me yesterday with the announcement he has begun a blog. :)

If you are interested in photography then you might like to add this one to your rss feed and make a few comments. He intends to blog about his work, techniques etc. Without sounding immodest, I do think he knows quite a lot about the topic ;)

Here is the link: http://roddersd29.wordpress.com/

Backyard Princess

Backyard Princess
Originally uploaded by pdugmore2001.

Was thinking of submitting this to the new magazine Innovations but can't be bothered writing out all the stuff I used so am posting it here instead. Lazy huh?

just for a giggle

Not sure what they are barbequing here at this new restaurant near my work but I'll bet it comes in pairs.

May Reading Round Up

Bonk: the curious coupling of science and sex /Mary Roach
Okay - you can stop snickering now. Honestly! You may remember me reviewing this author's other book Stiff (ahem). Well I happened to see that she'd written this one, and had also been on TEDTalks talking about her book so intrigued I got it out. Being a G-rated blog I can't tell you some of the more interesting items inside this book but suffice it to say it is well written and very interesting. And also funny. As a highly dedicated observer of humanity I very much enjoyed it. :)

So what else have I read?

I haven't read the Book Club's book of the month yet (still on the hold list) so I can't review that but some of the other girls have:
The 19th Wife / David Ebershoff
Mel, Susannah, Janine, Sharon,
Sharon has reviewed June's book as like me, she was on a long waiting list at the library. I've also read this month's book but will wait to post my review later - mainly for my own continuity, others need not feel such compunction.
Kate has reviewed April's book as she's had a lot of real life to deal with lately!

I managed to delete my reading history off my library card record so I can't remember if I read more than Bonk. Silly of me to rely on technology I suppose. I know I started to read The Opium Clerk/ Kunal Basu and couldn't get into it. There was also a book with a yellow cover but can't for the life of me remember what it was.

Oh!! Now I remember - I read these two.
Call the midwife : a true story of the East End in the 1950s / Jennifer Worth.
Shadows of the workhouse / Jennifer Worth

These are Worth's autobiography and I highly recommend them. As the title suggests, she worked as a nurse/midwife in the East End during WW2 and after. The stories she tells will make you laugh and some will make you cry. There were some beautiful stories of people overcoming poverty and others that will make you want to rage at the injustice. Great stuff. Includes a women who had 25 children. No, really!

She's written a third and final book which I've yet to read.

And I'm now on a Gabaldon kick right now which means I started on Cross stitch and am now on Fiery Cross - 4 books in2 weeks. I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea but I find them engrossing. I really like the ongoing story of the Jamie/Claire relationship. So many stories stop at the marriage day and leave it as "happily ever after". I also like the strange diseases etc she describes. I'm going to be very sad when the series ends. I hope she writes some more in similar vein since her other series (Lord John Grey) doesn't entirely reach me.

And apropos of nothing, I see Elizabeth George has killed off Inspector Lynley's wife and unborn child. *meh*

Jack Frost has been visiting

Yeah yeah, I know you Southerners have to "lick motorway clean wit' tongue" and all but the frosty mornings have provided us with a bit of entertainment. DS claimed he was going to "tell it for news" when he saw the ice in his sandpit.

Parenting Fail

DD is toilet training her baby.

I had a little pony

I made a little pony
I hoped you'd let it stay
'Cause Mummy has been anxious
For some cute hair dressing play

I've seen you by the mirror
Admiring your pretty self
I think that you resemble
A pixie or an elf






























Oh - and that is a ginger beer bottle she's holding. An empty one.

Here are some layouts I managed to do on the weekend instead of weeding the garden.

"Bur-day 2u": this is what DD says when she sees a birthday cake. In fact, ANY cake is a birthday cake. If you ask her who's birthday it is, she will say, "Yidia!"

In case you didn't know you must sing "Burday 2 you, hip ray hip ray hip ray" whenever you have cake. I am sure you will do that now. Don't let me down.

I broke out the BG Lime rickey for this one. Love the paper, not sure I am happy with the layout.




























This one is an attempt to scrapbook those inevitable "school" photos. I've created a pocket for the class one to go on the same layout (behind the pink dot PP). They laminated the class one much to my disgust. Again, this one didn't really turn out how I envisioned but never mind!