Festive Frenzy

Summer is here.. CORN COBS! Yum!

Actually it's not. I'm not really stressed. Busy, but not stressed. 
Christmas is for the kids. That's the thing about it - it's SO exciting for them. And we don't have enough festival action in our western lives I recon.. so we make it a yearly ritual. Traditions.


I thought I'd put some photos up of what's been going on.. as I am one of those people that like to get rid of Christmas on about the 26th if I have the energy! I HATE seeing Christmas related stuff around in the new year..


So..

JOhn gave these to the kids in his class on the last day.. Cute.

TREES AT THE METEOR.. a fantastic event here in Hamilton. Basically as art exhibition - decorate/make a tree. AMAZING every year is utterly entertaining..
This tree won the overall prize - it was called MARBELLS and kids could roll ball bearings down the flowers and it made a tubular bells effect.. Very cool. Iris hung out there for literally an hour.

And this is where my boys hung out for ages! A lego diorama. Such a cool carnival scene. NZers - the white carriage had a ghost selling 'ghost chips' Classic.

Loved this one made of jeans.

The Giving Tree. Op shopped stuffed toys.

This one was called SOCIAL COMMEN-TREE. 

Kids with their free hot chocolates!

There was a great slide show with loads of classic paintings featuring captions like this. Theme of the whole thing was Compassion vs Consumption.


With my family this year (my siblings etc) we are doing MAKE, BAKE, SEW, GROW for presents, so that it what I'm trying to get finished. I leave things to the last minute. It's how I get things done!


Hope YOU'RE all enjoying the festive frenzy and making merry!

No longer Camera-less

I left my camera at my Dad's place in Auckland. Doh! I was just about to resort to using old photos when Dad paid us a surprise visit yesterday.. A good effort for the old fulla as it's a 1 1/2 hour drive and it has been POURING with rain all over the land for the whole week. It was the first time he's seen our house actually, which we've been in for a few months now..

I went out for a Turkish feast last night with some friends. I didn't get any photos of them or the food! What kind of blogger am I?!!

I've mentioned before about how I find it IMPOSSIBLE to get good photos of myself, by myself. And I don't live with a photographer! 
So this was an attempt at a frock photo. Mmm. Not great! I look like a grumpy old housewife. 
You can see a bit of a bump there. I must be nearly 5months. I lose track a bit..
Preggy frock - gifted from my sister-in-law. Love it.
Cardy - had it for years and years. Op shopped. I once wore this when I was about 18 and an ex boyfriend commented that I looked like I was wearing a grown-up version of a baby outfit. He was trying to make me feel embarrassed but I was SO proud and happy!!! Aside: I think I might have been able to do the buttons up back then LOL!!

This was a scene from our Auckland weekend.. I LOVE Iris eating her way through the decorations.


The kids finished school today for the Summer holidays! YAY!! I LOVE the holidays.
So excited today - they could hardly get to sleep tonight. You'd think christmas was just around the corner..

I am hoping to get a few things sorted around this place over Summer... am I dreaming? Probably - but I'll do my darnedest!


Love and light..
x

December - whaat?

Don't you just love this?!! It was on the cover of the sunday supplement that comes with our paper, last year. Dressed in their best, but look at the grim faces. Love it!

I find it a bit too frenzied.. but I do love the traditions and excitement of christmas for the kids.

It was SOOOO exciting for us as kids, and I guess that all comes rushing back to me at this time of year.

I found these at a garage sale for 50c last year. I like to keep them in their box though - they look so nice in there! In an original Swan Lake choc box too.

Summer has arrived here. Lots of sun and getting hot. And the FRUIT!!  Yumness!

Thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post. Very comforting. xx

My Mum

Yesterday (1st December) was the day my Mum died, 10 years ago.

I didn't think it would affect me as much as it did, yesterday. After all, it's just another day in 10 years..

I was fine until I went into an op shop and a song came on the radio that reminded me of her.

And that was it for me.

Not a great photo of any of us.. but never mind.. 

About 5 weeks before she died. She looks unwell, but was managing a smile, bless her heart.

When I got home I looked on facebook and saw lovely memory messages from my two aunties (Mum's sisters) and one of them had changed her profile pic to one of Mum, in memory.

That pretty much finished me off. It all felt so raw and such a greyness hung over me all day.

I pretty much cried all day, on and off.

I love this quote. It has helped me through times such as this. 

" .. love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign.. to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone,will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin."

(From Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling) 

(Sorry about the misery - next post will be cheerful, I promise!)

Feeling GOOd!!

OK.. It's been a LONG time! Over a month since my last post.

And here's why.. I've been SO SICK.

It's pregnancy-related..

That's right - Number 5 will be arriving in May!

I am now feeling terrific, since a few weeks back.

I cannot begin to explain how unwell I was. You may have experienced it, or maybe not. It's like the worst hangover ever. And you can't really take anything for it. You don't want to move, and CAN'T move your head or your body. No energy. No motivation. Vomiting and constant nausea..

My mojo is coming back too.. 

So I shall throw some photos in of various, random things. Not very exciting, but it's all been a blur! These photos are from when the cloud was lifting..

Me on my birthday - which this year was 11 11 11!
Each year on such dates we take a photo with  the numbers..
I'll try and track down the 10 10 10 and 999 etc at some stage!

My twin bruv and me..
We had a BBQ. First BBQ of the season. 

At 11. 11 on the 11. 11. 11.
With the oven clock!

Another photo of me (there aren't often very many - I'm usually on the other side of the camera)
Not a huge zoo fan. But this was a kindergarten trip and to be fair, the animals have HUGE spaces in which to roam/play/live. 

I am looking forward to catching up on what my blog-fellows have been doing!

Recent Finds (ex loft) and Maxi Murder

 I have got SO MUCH to sort through!! Each time I start I feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, and I wilt.. Very short bursts I'm afraid - a SLOW process! 


But I am still excited as there are SO MANY cool things in there.. WOW I've found some brilliant things over the years! I had forgotten about a lot of it!

Like this sample book from Japan..

Bloody fantastic!

These are clothes that I have worn a lot over the years, but completely forgot about them  for about 10 years at least. 

Sometimes I'd find a photo and think to myself "What the hell happened to that dress/coat/shirt/skirt?" 

The memories come flooding back.. it's a beautiful thing!
Trouble is, quite a lot of it doesn't fit me right at this moment! 
Can be remedied eventually..

Fantastic wide tie. One of my boys bounced in and asked me how to tie it. I tried about 8 times and failed each time.. He was most unimpressed!

Just as well I'm not a bloke.

I took a photo of myself (well my shoulder) in this fab shirt jacket thing. Magnificent. 

I was thrilled when I came across this maxi. I often have thought about it and wondered what I did with it..

But then...
I saw this!!!
Remember I said that I converted quite a few maxis in the very early 90s..

I must have had a change of heart half way through this attack..
Butchered! How shameful.


Have a lovely long weekend NZers
and Happy Days to y'all out there, wherever in the world you be!

Rugby

So oil spill aside, the Rugby World Cup is approaching the France/NZ final. So here's my All Blacks tribute song which I've finally put on Youtube. 
Thanks Vix - it's a version of Travie McCoy's original.. I'm not that good at pop music these days... - ed.

Thank you for the comments on my Oil rant. It's the biggest story here in my view, Rugby aside!

spOILed

I try to save this blog for happy and non-political stuff..

But I can't help mention this oil situation again.

The ship has leaked 350 TONNES into the ocean and there is apparently 700 TONNES more on board. 

As it is heading for Summer the usual pasttime of us NZers is seriously affected in this area of the land. 

And that is a selfish way to look at it..

1000+ birds washed ashore that have died and loads more rescued. As it is Springtime this impacts on their populations.. if they don't die and leave their babies to die, they'll take oil back to the nest and they'll all die anyway.

And then there's the fish and marine life..

And then there's the shellfish..

And the other pollution from the ship's containers...

It goes on.

But we can't have it both ways.

We are an oil-dependent society. WAY TOO MUCH!

A situation like this never occured from a solar panel or a wind turbine.

Rant over.

But it's depressing ain't it?!

BOO!

I bet you thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth!

Nearly! 

I've just been buried under piles of stuff like this..

there are quite a few treasures in here.. but MAN it's a busy job sorting through!

And of course it's dependent on weather and kids and all that...

And I have just realised that all the kids' clothes are the wrong season. Where are all the boys' shorts??? Summer is really on its way.

Three very Summery and very cool dresses I found in the loft stuff .. Phew got them just in time! Next year would have been too late for Iris! My Mum made all of these, and my sisters and I wore them all at one time or another..



Marine disaster going on here in NZ. A dirty great oil leak spoiling some of our popular beaches. Very tragic.

It seems that the support for the All Blacks is going a bit far - when the beaches are painted black. (bad Rugby World Cup joke)
It is very heartbreaking to know about that nasty toxicity floating our way. And just in time for summer too.



School holidays are happnin' right now too. 2 weeks of NOT having to make the lunches and be out the door at any particular time.

Joe's bike pikelet. That boy loves school holidays!

Lego City around here! Love it!

Recent finds from the Loft

More stuff I pulled out from my treasure hunting/loft-diving/box sorting!!
Such fun!

How cool are these shorts?!

This is a dress I wore when I was a kid.. it might keep for Iris.. if  I can convince her how cool it is one day!

Dress-style togs (bathers/swimming costume..) on the left. Halter neck.
Beautiful pink synthetic party dress on the right. 

Another dress I wore at about 8 or 9. I am going to copy this pattern as it is super easy. The bodice is a rectangle with a cord threaded through to create the tie up. (halter neck)

Another cool polka dot party dress that languished in my Mum and Dads' dress up box for years! Orange lining. Adult size luckily! 

I wait for the wind to blow out the creases. I don't do ironing. Ever!
I shall wash this (I was just airing these things out) and that should do it!

I was always trying to fit into this mini skirt. I love it so.

The end.
Of part 2!

x

recent finds

I went to the dump shop yesterday. It is always crammed with stuff, but has an extremely high turnover.. especially in the Springtime!

It was worth the trip.

I do wish people would donate their things to charity (op shops) rather than the dump, mind you. I believe the shop is privately owned.. but I might be wrong.

This is what I got:

Completely kitsch mounted canvas photo. I was smitten with this! So weird I love it. It is now on the wall in Gilly's bedroom.

I now have 6 of these exact pillow cases! These ones appear to be brand new. $1 the pair.

Find of the day.. Genuine marimekko retro fabric. This is folded both ways.... so is twice as wide and twice as long.  $4

Shirt. $1

How can anyone chuck this out?! Got this for $5. 

John is in love with this!

I shall do a new post tomorrow with more on my recent finds from home.. but here's preview!

Linking this post up to Virginia and the other thriftaholics!

have a lovely Friday!!!

xx