over the hump

Funny how I'm watching the days now I'm back at work...

Hump day is gone. Now it's Thursday and we're on the slippery slope to the weekend - yay! I think Friday is one of the best days of the week. You've got the anticipation of the weekend ahead, and the bulk of the working week behind you.

Work is going well. I'm catching on to the new things I need to know. I did my first orientation today with some nursing students. We got talking about breastfeeding. Funny the bond that motherhood can create. I'm enjoying the variety of queries I'm getting on the reference desk that serves both library clients.

Here are the layouts I did at the Waikato crop. I think I want to do some more to the My Be' one. It looks like it needs something under the smaller photo.

The third LO is still waiting for me to finish it!! I hope this weekend. I do need to finish off some bags for Mel first though.

So far the daycare arrangement seems to be working well. DD is a little tearful when I leave but she recovers in about 2 minutes or less once I'm out the door. She is eating well - they keep commenting on this! LOL! DS was the same. When he left daycare the teachers joked they'd have to tell the cook not to make extra noodles/rice on the days he was usually there. She is sleeping for about 2 hours too, which isn't bad. She normally sleeps around 3 hours at home so hopefully that time will increase.

DS is doing fine with my Mum. She is one of his favourite persons so it ought to be! Once he goes to school in Sept she will have some more time to herself which will make it a bit easier for her.

I am tired though. My body is having to adjust to a new routine. Not sleeping that great. I find it hard to get off to sleep and then DD comes into bed about 4am for (.)(.) so that means I don't sleep much after that. Having to get up at 6am and rush around getting kids ready rather than a leisurely 7am (with less pressure to get kids and myself dressed) is taking it's toll.

And work clothes! Where did they go? Seriously scraping the old wardrobe barrel here. LOL! Most of my old ones are my "fat" clothes that are scrunched into bags waiting to be taken to the op shop. So they're out. Church clothes are an option but I like to keep them separate. I think a visit to some 2nd hand places will be in order. Maybe my sister and friend Nel will have to act as Trinny and Susannah for me.

Help a NZ Scrapper out!

Six contestants left in Project Scrap away and Rachel is one of them. All hands to the pump people!

Leave a comment on the Immunity post with the terms Rachel's Friend, plus a link to your post promoting PSA and Scrap n Crop. And leave a comment on Rachel's post here.

Go the kiwi!!!

first day back

and I am really tired. It's surreal being back in what is a familiar environment but also unfamiliar because it is a different campus and slightly different team. All good - just different. The clientele are a different mix too.

The library I work at is the only joint library in New Zealand; that is a library that services both tertiary students and public library patrons. So when I work on the reference desk, I see all kinds of people. Today I did a 2 hour stint on the desk and answered questions from nursing students doing work on an assignment about community nursing and another doing nausea and vomiting. I also looked for CDs for a teenager who wanted music by Motley Crue, an older gentleman wanting books on managing ego, and a mother who wanted to prune her roses.

I have to remember how to use the library management system (LMS) I worked with before as well as learn an entirely different LMS as well because the 2 libraries run 2 different computer systems. (Long story, don't ask). I also need to learn about the borrowing rules and other procedures for the public library as well as remember those of my "home" library. So it's a bit of a challenge but in a good way.

It felt good to be back. I did miss the children though, especially when I saw the mums come in with the kids. Missy Moo did really well on her first day at day care. She did cry when I left but apparently settled for a quick hug with one of the teachers, and then got on with playing. She was pleased to see DH and DS when they picked her up but she didn't rush up to them in a relieved way.

This was good to hear because we had a strange evening on Sunday with a lady who started to go on and on about the evils of daycare and how it was wrong to leave DD in for such long hours. Needless to say this put the wind up me! I had to leave because it was upsetting me. If I had had more notice I may have been able to organise some home care for her but with only 2 working days in which to set it all up, I took what I could when I could. There are a number of different factors in why I have to go back to work and although I would love to work part time, that possibility has yet to arise.

One down side of it all is the short time I see my family in the mornings and evenings. I can see that weekends are going to be very precious. I shall have to put some housework systems in place so I'm not spending all my weekend doing catch up with boring stuff like that.

So - quick menu plan Monday

Monday - Slater soup
Tuesday - Stirfry
Wednesday - Tom yum soup (DH request)
Thursday - Sausages and lentils
Friday - Fish and chips (home made)
Saturday - Juicy spicy meatballs
Sunday - Winter Supper from Nigel Slater's Appetite
(Hoping to get some baking done too - maybe tomorrow! I need to vaccuum, make lunches and wash the kitchen floor before bedtime)

The Waikato Crop was great. I had a lovely time and was fortunate to win 3 very cool prizes. Big thanks to Vicky and Neen for organising it, and to the sponsors who added a bit of spice to the mixture! I really did enjoy meeting the ladies who I have been "talking to" via blogs and forums.

I did 2.5 LOs and intend to show them off but I need to get a good photo and but the time I got home tonight it was too late! (You can check out the photos on the blog to see I really did do some LOs). So watch this space.

Also must blog about Rachel for her immunity challenge.

If you've made it this far you are a hero! Sorry there are no photos!

Woo Hoot Wednesday

Kia ora! (It's Maori Language Week.)







Man this week is going fast. And it's getting faster!

1. My big woo hoot is that I have a JOB! Yay!!!!

It isn't with the people who interviewed me last week. No. I think that one is a dead loss because I've not heard from them via phone. Waiting on the cowardly letter from them.

But my old work rang with a position they need to fill asap. I'll be starting Monday! EEK! But it will be doing stuff I know how to do, and the kind of thing I like best. It is full time - slightly scary but part time work is so hard to find. I will have to apply for the position when it is advertised, but this time I will be the internal applicant. So I am taking a chance on that one, but I hope it is going to be worth my while.

It will be just down the road at our satellite campus so I shan't have to say Te kino hoki o te whaiwhai waka i t[e]nei ata! - The traffic was terrible this morning. Heh heh.

Funnily enough the day care had a space for DD immediately so things are slotting into place rather well. *wherefore did ye doubt o ye of little faith* I went and paid the deposit for her and she didn't want to leave, so that is a good sign. We'll spend some of tomorrow and Friday there as well.

I have no idea how this is going to all work but I'm trying to go with the flow. One thing for sure is that we will be slightly more comfortable financially which is a good thing. Maybe my car will be able to have a service at last... it hasn't had one for oh, say, 2 years. I'll bet if cars could talk it would be woo hooting about that one.

2. The crop on Saturday! Looking forward to it. Got a few more page kits sorted. Plus reprinted some of the badly aged colour photos of my MIL's for an 8x8 album I'm doing for her. Love it how PS can change the colour cast. The B&W ones are still good, so I will use those originals even though it means I won't be able to fit many on a page. I don't like to crop them you see.. my librarian/archivist tendencies coming through. But the reprints I did I have no compunction about cropping.

So many things to remember before we leave on Saturday but hopefully I won't forget anything essential.

Hei konā

Accidents happen

I should have known better, but I'd been waiting for DH to help me convert the cot into a toddler bed because DD has been climbing out of it. She surprised me in the middle of the night by coming into our bed. Normally the pitter patter in the night is DS coming to "sureep" with you Mummy." Not this time. This time it was someone smaller and infinitely more wriggly.

I had the side down so she could get out relatively easily but this morning she slipped and fell and cut her eyelid quite deeply on the low boy beside her bed. So off to A&E we went, and the helpful Dr glued it shut. I thought it might need a stitch but apparently they don't do that so often now.

We came home and I converted the bed myself ... and little girl is very pleased with her "new" bed. Or be' as she calls it.












She now sports a piratical air with her plaster! I've been telling her not to touch it ... so much so she now is calling it an "uh-uh" in response. LOL! (Which is what she is saying in this photo).

Menu Plan Monday 21/07/08

Monday - Chicken noodle soup
Tuesday - Homemade burgers
Wednesday - Fish cakes
Thursday - Dal pumpkin soup
Friday - Steak frites
Sat - going to Waikato crop so sister doing tea
Sun - pizza

Tummies around here are still a bit unsettled from this virus going round so I'm trying to keep things simple and not too rich. We are getting a delivery of organically raised Angus beef later in the week so I'll be interested to see what is in the pack. It includes steak and sausages - that I know.

I am very excited about this crop on Saturday! :-) I had my youngest sister lined up to baby sit the Possums but she decided to move to Australia, (left this morning), so I had a mild panic until my other sister and our friend Nel decided they could do it. They are going to the zoo (weather permitting), and me, DH and my Dad are heading south! Woohoo! I did tell my other sister that she just had to say no if she didn't want to babysit. ;-)

(Actually they moved there in hopes of better opportunity for her partner's work. Just didn't tell us until 6 weeks ago).

I'm stressing a bit about what to take. I want to make page kits but I'm going to have to have a bit of a clean up before I can "see" my desk. And I need to print some photos. So, lots to do this week!

I'm also nervously waiting to hear from the last job interview... supposed to hear early this week. I am NOT a patient person. Just want to get it over with!!

I enrolled DS at the school up the road this morning. Bit of a milestone there! He'll start in September, probably the day after his birthday. I just have to check the calendar to see when the holidays are. The school is happy for him to start on his birthday or after the holidays - whatever I prefer. So one of these days we'll do a school visit together and check out the classroom etc. I've already had a bit of a preview. His teacher will be the deputy principal.

DS has been eyeing up the sand pit that is at the end of the junior classes area. He thinks that he'll be able to play in there all the time. Sorry buddy.. it's not going to be like that!

June Reading Round Up

First up - a bit of PR...

Kiwi scrapper Rachel has made it to Challenge 9 of Project Scrap Away hosted by Scrap'n'Crop. It's all very exciting! But she once more needs the help of the blogging community to vote her some immunity.

Here's what to do (copied from super-enabler Janine):

1. Leave a comment on Rachel’s blog post here

2. If you have a blog please write a blog post about Rachel and Scrap-n-Crop and PSA and do the link thing.

3. Leave a comment on Rachel’s blog here to tell her you’ve done a post.

4. Go to the PSA blog to this post here and leave the following comment “Rachel’s friend and the link to your blog post about her”. No personal messages should be left in that post, just the above.

Thanks possums! :)

---

Death in a strange country, A Venetian Reckoning, Through a Glass Darkly / by Donna Leon
All crime stories in a series featuring Commisario Guido and his cohorts. The plots are intriguing and deal with some interesting sorts of issues. Subtle humour and descriptions of delicious Italian meals make it all good!

Letter from an age of reason/ by Nora Hague
Set at the beginning of the American Civil War, this is a story of 2 characters meeting across the divide of class status and "race". An historical love story but has a greater depth than just boy meets girl. Some interesting threads run through the story - feminism, madness, finding one's self - all in the context of the time period.

Cabbages & Kings: the origins of fruit and vegetables / by Jonathon Roberts
Non-fiction book dealing with the history and events around different fruits and vegetables. Highly interesting to the likes of me. Maybe not so much for anyone else.

Father lands / Emily Ballon
About a girl and her family dealing with family break up and school integration in the US. I liked the feisty heroine and got annoyed with her family. Great writing.

How to stop a heart from beating / by Jackie Ballantyne
"The year 1961 is a pivotal one for nine-year-old Solly McKeen. She is a loner in a family of doubles: a 'single' with no twin of her own, and seen as a bit of an oddity by everyone in her dairy-farming community in South Otago. On learning about the unnamed paupers' graves in the local cemetery, she promises to people them: imagining characters, names and causes of death for each. While Solly unravels death and fills in the blanks on the gravestones, she unwittingly uncovers family secrets."~description from the blurb. I really loved this book. Seen through the eyes of a child the complexities of adult relationships are so dumb - the lies we can tell each other to protect ourselves and others. Makes me realise the value of honesty mixed with mercy in a family.

Amber/ Deborah Challinor
The sequel to Kitty, we now find Kitty and Rian happily married and sailing the seas. They return to NZ and find themselves in the Bay of Islands during the time when Hone Heke was chopping flag poles down and things were heating up in Maori/European relations. Kitty gets sent south to Auckland and while she is there she adopts an orphan. Returning north she manages to get kidnapped and is eventually rescued by Rian et al. Great yarn.

Sea of lost love / Santa Montefiore
"An idyllic Cornish holiday in the summer of 1958. An aristocratic family, blessed with wealth and promise. But catastrophe strikes, the tragedy first breaks Celestria Montague's young heart - then shatters her every illusion. With the backing of her grandfather, a flamboyant American robber baron, Celestria sets out to unravel the deadly yet bizarre riddle. Amongst the orange groves of Italy's ruggedly beautiful southern coast, she finds a bewildering maze of masquerades and mirrors. In this labyrinth of deception, which threatens to destroy all her faith in family and affection, she meets a man who teaches her that truth is the heart of love." ~description taken from the blurb. Enjoyed the book though I felt the relationship between Celestria and her eventual lover somewhat contrived.

The gentleman's garden / Catherine Jenks
Very much enjoyed this one. The heroine, Dorothea goes with her husband Charles to Sydney, Australia when he is posted there with his regiment. The strangeness of the land, the social tensions and marital issues forces her into creating a little bit of "England" in her back yard. The garden is sort of peripheral to the relationships and conflict in the story but it makes a great back drop. At first I found Dorothea to be a bit wimpy but she did eventually grow a backbone, and there is a happy ending for some of the characters.

Layouts for June
Four 12x12
Two mini-albums (well, one was a squash album as a gift so it had no photos)
One 8x8

bits & bobs

A quick Menu Plan Monday:

Monday - pasta
Tuesday - Pie
Wednesday - stir fry
Thursday - Vego chilli
Friday - risotto
Saturday - lamb chops
Sunday - roast beef

Had a quiet birthday last week. DS offered to make me a train cake which was sweet of him. I asked him what presents I should get and he was of the opinion that I would like Molly and some other of the Thomas friends! LOL! So cute. I'm sure he'd love me to get them for my birthday just so he could play with them.

In any case, no trains turned up but I still was thoroughly spoiled!

I got a lovely tea set plus 2 matching mugs (not shown).














And a sponge cake from an elderly friend Ena who makes the best sponge in West Auckland.










Had to be quick to get this photo because DD was hovering and eyeing up the cake!!!










Some perfume. Normally I prefer to buy my own but it's difficult to argue against Dior. ;-)









My Mum made me another quilt. I so love the colours in this one. It's really me.





















A cookbook I've been wanting for ages. :-)

A food processor from DH thanks to the Visa Reward shop. I do have one that we inherited from the ILs. It is ancient and the plastic is starting to go brittle & has a few cracks. Plus I managed to break the grater/shredder plate holder trying to grate some parmesan so it only does chopping jobs. Which is fine... but I missed the other options. Anyone want an elderly Braun food processor that still goes? Might be good for a bach. Think I'll see about free cycling it.









Also got some new Cuttle bug embossing folders - Stylised Flowers, Swiss Dots and Perfectly Paisley. A friend gave me some BG Boxer rub ons and glazed brads. So cool!

Spent Friday night and Saturday making some cards. I borrowed some of my friend's Stampin' Up stamps as well as my own stuff.

One thing I discovered is that shimmer sheet goes through the Cuttlebug like a dream and looks awesome!

Cheering time!

Hello blog my old friend
I've come to post on you again

My IRL friend, stamping-guru-scrapping-goddess-extraordinaire Rachel has reached Challenge 8 of Project Scrap Away which is being hosted by Scrap 'n' Crop. Hooray! I am watching what she's doing with this latest challenge which is to use B&W and NO colour. Tricky.

There have been some awesome entries for this Project Scrap Away.

And now she needs some help to get points, so pretty please... here's what you can do.

Go to her blog and leave a comment.

Post about her and Project Scrap Away on your blog.

Leave a comment on the Project Scrap Away blog : Rachel's Friend + a link to your blog.

As for me - I've been doing various things. Sewing some bags, going to birthday parties, making some cards... just busy and not really feeling like blogging much. I have lots of ideas for posts but not much time to sit down to do it! I did make a bag for my Cuttlebug.


















DS has gone up north to stay with his gran and granddad so I have one very bored little girl who doesn't know what to do with herself and who follows me around getting into everything I try to do. She's adding more and more words to her vocab. The latest is "darti" and "guk" for dirty and yuk. (Said most often when changing nappies. In fact, she's started to tell me when her nap is "darti").
DH has got some lurg we've all had... made worse by the fact he's male and won't take any sick days.

So he's in bed (with his MP3 player). He pointed out to me that he now has a gallery up at one of the forums he posts on. "Maybe you'd like to put a link on your blog," he says.

Maybe I would!

My super talented photographer husband's Gallery!

Small children, small space

Small children, small space-1010489
Originally uploaded by pdugmore2001.

Finally finished this layout I've had on my desk for a week or more!!

I have another interview next week. (At least, as DH says I am pulling the interviews!) This one I would really like to get. Please cross fingers and toes for me!

Not feeling groovy

#3 rejection. Wonder how many more I'll get.

I've only been out of the workforce about 20 months.

Seriously beginning to wonder if I am flawed in some way that no one wants to employ me. If that is so, I wish someone would tell me what the problem is.

The last 2 positions had internal applicants who got the position.

Sour grapes? Probably.