Ms. Deb's Desk

Australia Day

2012-01-26T14:59:00.000+10:30

We had great plans, Mr. Mac and I, for our very first Australia Day but things happen along the way while you're making plans and so you have to adapt and change... So this has been my Australia Day so far...

sleeping in late,
eating a leisurely breakfast (please note the All Blacks Weet-Bix bowl, - you can take the wench out of New Zealand but you can't take the New Zealand out of the wench - yeeha!!!),
reading (The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson),
hobbling up and down the stairs (I twisted my ankle/foot somehow on Tuesday and it still hurts like hell),
mooching on the internet while the husband and one of the sons watch war movies (in black and white with sub-titles...does that make them more cultured, I wonder...?) on DVD,
wearing my most garish rose and polka dot skirt (just cos)
and going for a brief outing to drop the other son off to spend the day with friends (with a side-trip to Camelot on the way home, munted ankle be damned, this girl needed some more pretty paper cos it's time to get back in to scrapping, teehee)!

The Annual Wander - Part Five (Last Part, I promise!)

2012-01-19T16:12:00.002+10:30

For our last three nights in Melbourne we moved to 'Camp Kurrajong' (aka my ex-sister-in-law and her husband's house). Matt and Josh and my nieces moved out of the house and slept in tents in the backyard. The tents may have grown uncomfortably warm in the full sun but the upside was they were located right next to the pool...

The teens spent hours in the pool each day. They almost acquired permanently water-wrinkled toes and fingers but they also had loads of fun and kept super-cool :)

On New Year's Eve we all went in to the city again. First stop was to see the view from the floor Nick's office is on. Turns out from the 42nd floor you can see for miles...

Back on street-level the guys all went off to feast on burgers and fries (have learned not to risk saying, "chips" here as it will almost instantly identify you as a Kiwi) and go on a river cruise for a relaxing couple of hours...this left Margs, me and my birthday girl niece to go shopping...yeeha! Shopping in Melbourne with no supervision! Woot! A few hours later we stopped for lunch at Koko Black - I ordered a Hot Chocolate Affogato and a plate of chocolaty nibbley yumminess (I would have taken a photo but I'd already dived on in and munched away on half of it before I thought about it...) and then it was back to walking and shopping. I think my favourite shop of the day was Reader's Feast but then they had so many great books to look at it, it was an easy pick!

We caught the train back to Camp Kurrajong just in time to sit down to the barbecue that the guys (who turned out to have got back way earlier than us) had made...then it was time for a little lie-down (and some quiet burping) before travelling back in to the city on the train to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks. By the time the train reached Flinders Street Station it was packed but up on street-level the crowds were even more intense...we squeezed across the bridge to the Alexandra Gardens where we found a spot to sit and wait for midnight. The fireworks were amazing and went on for about a quarter hour.

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As soon as the pyrotechnics had finished we began making our way back to the train station. A short walk that would have usually taken us about 10 minutes turned in to a very long, intense, hot and sweaty crush. We eventually made it to Flinders Street Station...then through the turnstiles and in to the station itself...and then finally down on to the platforms and on to a train. It was crazy, completely and totally crazy, an experience and a half to be sure but don't count on me wanting to repeat it any decade soon!

By the time we made it back to Camp Kurrajong it was after 3am...we crashed in to bed and the first day of 2012 was spent snoozing and blobbing about being as lazy as possible in preparation for our drive back to Adelaide the next day.

The Annual Wander - Luna Park

2012-01-16T15:11:00.001+10:30

The Navman got us safely out to St.Kilda to visit Luna Park on our second full day in Melbourne.

The guys were really keen to go on the Scenic Railway. I knew that if we didn't make it our first ride and I had time to think about it, I probably wouldn't ride on it, so we went to line up for it straight away. I kept on telling myself that it had to be safe because it's been used every day since 1912 but then...it has been used every day since 1912 (also it probably doesn't pay to read "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" before riding an old wooden roller coaster either). If you look closely at the photo you can see my knuckles are absolutely white because I'm holding on to the rail in front of me so hard. I'd love to say my screams were ones of pure joy but they weren't, they were just plain old screams of terror, but, HEY! We rode it and have the photo to prove it (and I never have to do it again)!

Another oldie but a goodie - the bumper cars...

I was really keen to ride on the ferris wheel but the guys gave me loads of cheek about my choice as they said it was a 'soft' ride... I only rode it for one revolution because I am such a baby and luckily Mr. Mac was happy to hop off the ride then too...the lads stayed on for all five revolutions and later deemed it the scariest ride in the park because it went so slowly that it gave them far too much time to think about the possibility of it falling to pieces while they were on it!

So, after the absence of speed on the ferris wheel a dose of high-speed stomach-churning whirling was obviously called for...

We stayed at Luna Park for hours and rode every ride...EVERY ride...some of them twice (although obviously not the ferris wheel or the Scenic Railway) and then it was time for ice cream and the return trip to Williamstown.

The Annual Wander - Part Three

2012-01-14T12:49:00.001+10:30

The first real day of our holiday in Melbourne dawned bright and shiny. Luckily we were able to eject the teens out of their beds and get them through to have some breakfast before noon... Matt was delighted to find a koala in his plate of Cheerios (I know...I couldn't see it either but he insisted I take a photo as proof...and besides, who am I to judge? Someone I know knows someone who once saw Jesus in their bowl of Cornflakes, so obviously these things can happen...).

At about mid-morning we wandered off to the local railway station and caught a train in to the city and spent the day doing the kinda things you'd expect of someone visiting Melbourne...

We rode on the trams...

We visited Chinatown...

We looked at the shops... (and then we looked at some more and then some more and... oh boy...are you sensing a pattern here? Suffice it to say, we looked at a lot of shops!)

and we ate Breadtop goodies and fed the crumbs to the birds and then walked and looked and wandered a lot more before riding the train back out to Williamstown again.

The Annual Wander - Part Two

2012-01-13T20:21:00.002+10:30

After an early start and a long day on the road it was wonderful to reach the place we were going to stay in Williamstown, Melbourne. We enjoyed a little nana-nap and then freshened up with a shower before heading out to a restaurant in Yarraville to share a delicious celebration dinner for my niece's 21st birthday...Happy Birthday Hon!!!

It makes me smile at how great these guys all get on together - they may not see each other for long stretches of time but when they do get together there is always lots of talking and laughter and this evening was no different.

Williamstown is less than 10kms from Melbourne's CBD. If you go and stroll along the Williamstown waterfront you can see the buildings of the CBD across the water. It's a quiet suburb filled with lots of interesting older buildings, cafes and bars...and the sunsets are pretty wonderful too.

The Annual Wander - Part One

2012-01-11T22:09:00.000+10:30

It's Summer time and that means it's time for the annual Mac family wander.

Woke up at 5am and bundled everyone in to the car - did a head count (it's early, way early and mistakes can happen). Began travelling. Got momentarily confused when the Navman listed the next driving instruction as, "Take second exit at the roundabout," (ie: continue straight on) because as far as we were aware there are no roundabouts on the highway...checked the screen again and saw that the instruction is for a place 296kms away...had a giggle...kept driving...

Drove some more and then some more...time to swap drivers...got used to the grunt of Mr. Mac's work car (this is no itty bitty polite little lady car and it's not coloured lilac either - more's the pity...). Started to feel my inner petrol-head come to the fore...yeeha!

***Excuse the Bingo Wings and triple chin!!!***

One long straight after another, big, big, BIG open skies and the constant rumble of the car moving along the road...

means a break or two were definitely called for to stop a behind-the-wheel snooze from happening (and doesn't 'Powernap Area' sound so much more butch than 'Rest Area' ? Ha!).

After 8 hours of driving we finally reached the outskirts of Melbourne and our borrowed Navman began to earn it's keep by leading us to our motel.

Wildlife and Wusses

2011-12-24T18:13:00.000+10:30

As suspected my good intentions re: taking photos every day during December have been forgotten in the face of a fairly full-on last two weeks *sigh*

I began work as an administrator for a senior care company on 12 December and transferring between two different work sites, learning a whole new job, making nice with a whole new set of people and walking about in heels all day has been a little tiring to say the least.

Matt arrived late in the evening of 16 December so the Mighty Macs are at full strength once again (after 4 1/2 months). Oh there were tears at the airport and some fairly substantial hugs at the Arrivals gate (but as Josh was quick to point out it didn't matter cos no one knows us here anyway)!

As it turns out the word for 18 December, "Scary", was taken care of by an eight-legged visitor to the place I was working last week. The RSM was showing me around and had just got through telling me how scared she is of spiders when we spotted a suspicious black shape on the ceiling in one of the hallways. Closer inspection (which rapidly became more distant inspection...) proved the shape to be a Huntsman Spider. Eeeeeeeeeeeek! I'm afraid my inner big-girl's-blouse got the better of me and I let out a little shriek. This was a big and meaty looking spider (and I am almost sure he was watching us). We could have tried to persuade him to leave the building (and spare the residents a bit of a surprise) but instead we retreated to reception and had a Christmas chocolate to calm our nerves (I double-checked my job description that evening and there is absolutely nothing in there about dealing with the children of Aragog).

As it turns out the RSM and I are not the only ones who were reluctant to deal with the Huntsman. Over the course of the afternoon we asked two delivery men if they could please deal to the spider on the hall ceiling. Both assured us they would but both mysteriously "forgot" to keep their promise (and the first one actually gave a small strangled cry when he got to the top of the stairs and saw it). We ended up leaving a window partly open and the next day the spider was not to be seen...we just hoped it had found it's own way back outside.

And Four More...

2011-12-13T15:18:00.002+10:30

I'm actually a little bit proud of myself. I've taken photos every day for thirteen days and that's a bit of a commitment record for me. Let me explain...I'm the person who buys a diary every year and really and truly intends to write in something every single day. This happens every year. Every year... *sigh* Usually by the time double digit dates roll around in January I have lost my motivation and all my good intentions have gone by the way-side. So you will understand then that thirteen days in a row shows some serious improvement on my behalf...

We may not always see eye-to-eye (and sometimes we're not even looking at the same page at the same time) but there are few things in this world that are as precious to me as my time with Mr. Mac. We've had to find out how to work together in a much better way this year and I appreciate him so much more now than I ever did before (cue violins and collective, "Awwwwwwwwwwwwww...").

Saturday night was Mr. Mac's first Christmas work 'do' here in Oz and that meant I had to put on my good clothes and trot off to dinner with him (as apparently going out to dinner, as an adult, with a whole group of workmates you see every day is just far to scary to do alone...who knew?). So...there I was, sitting in the corner, behaving myself and being very grown up and at the same time realising how much I was missing my usual KM-Christmas-Do-Buddy (and you know who you are...I forgot how ick these dinners used to be until I met you and we could have a giggle...) when some unspoken cue went around the room and people started pulling their Christmas crackers with gusto. It's hard to be as intimidated by a crowd of strangers when they're all wearing little paper hats. Seriously. It's really difficult.

I really like this collection of fountains (?) in town. There's about a dozen of them altogether and the water just quietly and very gently swells up and then runs down the sides. One of the things I like most about them is that you can, just about always, see a gathering of pigeons there - just hanging out and chatting and taking it easy...

And today's photo is of a tray of gingerbread men made in my teeny tiny Australian kitchen with my teeny tiny Kiwi gingerbread man cutter. Ah, gingerbread - one of the few recipes I hardly ever get (seriously) wrong...and they make the house smell so good while they're baking!

Friday already!

2011-12-09T12:22:00.000+10:30

The week has sped past and now the weekend is very nearly almost here...I start my new job on Monday and I wish I could say the nerves aren't kicking in but that would be a lie, so I won't!

Here are my photos for the past three days:

There is nothing more comfortable than my ancient dressing gown. When that minty green wonder goes on it means all the rushing about and worrying of the day is over and it's time to wind down, put my feet up and enjoy a hot drink (and a Tim Tam or two) while I veg out in front of the goggle box. *bliss*

Sometimes the teen forgets to be all moody and serious and surprises me with some momentary madness. We have open wooden stairs in the place we live now and the computer desk is kind of tucked in underneath them. I was sitting trying to write an email when I heard a noise above me and looked up to find junior peering down at me and pulling some very odd faces.

I really love the art gallery in the city (even if the guards can't seem to come to a consensus on whether people are allowed to take photos inside). I got lost in this painting today. I wish I had included something in the photo that indicates the size of this painting because it's huge and covers a very large section of a wall in the upper gallery. It's one of those paintings that the longer you spend looking at it, the more you see. It's amazing...

Sweet

2011-12-06T21:24:00.000+10:30

This morning I dressed up in genuine grown-up lady clothes (complete with heels and make up) and tripped off to my second interview for a job I applied for at the end of last week. An hour of interview later and I was outside again and heading for home. I really wanted a sweet treat preferably in the form of licorice anything (Hey! I went to a job interview and I was a little traumatised...!) but then I saw these bananas in the local supermarket.

The Macs love bananas but they've been quite expensive here since we arrived. The first ones we saw in August were priced at $15.98/kilo and that was just too rich for our blood so it's been a waiting game to see if the price of bananas comes down (and the NZD to AUD exchange rate improves so we can transfer over our house money but I digress...) and anyway, today was the day! $2.98/kilo! Woohoo! Nom nom nom...burp! Sweet as!

Snap!

2011-12-05T14:10:00.000+10:30

It turns out it is quite difficult to get access to the computer during the weekend once the teen takes up residence in front of it and it was such a lovely weekend (the sun was shining, the birds were singing and the eftpos cards were going zip-zap in the run-up to Christmas) I couldn't be bothered fighting that battle so I decided to wait until today and upload the next three photos from the list...

It turns out that 'soft' was actually a reasonably tricky word to get a photo for. I took quite a few pictures throughout the day on Saturday but this is the one I kept coming back to. I know it's kinda out of focus and muzzy but that's the way most things look to me first thing in the morning when I wake up and think, "Really?! It's morning again already?!"

Urgh...I hate feet (especially mine) but that's a whole other issue...the word for Sunday was 'new' and yesterday afternoon we drove out to Glenelg to enjoy a walk along the beach and a paddle in the warm waters of the Gulf of St. Vincent for the first time (just watch out for the little super-clear jellyfish).

Today's word is 'loud'. I had to walk down to Josh's school to pay an account this morning. The school is next to a large open area/sports fields/park that is circled by lots of tall gum trees. They are always busy with lots of birds - the Rosellas are always the loudest of the lot (and also the most colourful)!

Zen and a Hot Cup of Tea

2011-12-02T11:48:00.000+10:30

It's been a long week so this morning I thought I'd take the opportunity to ease in to the day slowly. The alarm rang at the usual time but, as Mr. Mac isn't here, I snuggled back under the covers with a good book ('Notorious Australian Women' in case you're keeping check) and read for another hour instead of crawling out of bed and going through the usual morning routine. Then it was breakfast in front of the TV with the teen boy while watching cartoons.

My first cup of tea went cold because I was only halfway through it when I received a phone call from an employment agency who want to interview me on Monday morning for a job. I briefly got really stressed and nervous at the prospect but then I remembered the interview weirdness of a few weeks ago and decided I'd try not to wrap myself up in to little knots again this time about something that might not even pan out. Instead I celebrated my interview with a fresh, hot, cup of tea and watched the rest of the cartoons before seeing the teen off to school.

I hope this ultra-calm, zen-like state lasts until after the interview because I'm kinda enjoying it!

All I want for Christmas is...

2011-12-01T13:36:00.000+10:30

Fa la la la la people, it's the first of December! Jingle bells and Batman smells, ho ho ho and all that! I was sitting upstairs this morning absent-mindedly looking out the window trying to work out how many hours it was til Mr. Mac gets home from Sydney (35 hours at that time as I recall) when I saw this cloud stretched out across the morning sky and it kinda reminded me of a bird in flight, so I grabbed my camera and snapped cos 'free as a bird' is how I'd love to be (some days)!

I skipped yoga today and yip, I know what you're thinking...typical, she's only gone twice and now she's slacking off, but wait (in the best traditions of Susan Gregory) there's more! The reason I didn't go is because the person I go with piked out on me this morning and, yes...I know that's not a reason for me to not attend class but when I got her call I had just taken a tray of blueberry muffins out of the oven and they smelled soooooo good and, well... it all just seemed like a sign... cue a cup of tea and a plate for a muffin (or two). Nom, nom, nom...burp! I think I can finally say I have worked out how to use our itty bitty kitchen oven and things are no longer coming out doughy in the middle or carbonised around the edges. Hooray!!! My next baking project will be some mini gingerbread men for Christmas.

The weeks are flying by so quickly and the end of the year is closing in fast. Matt will be here in just over two weeks and then the Mighty Macs will be back at full strength! It's odd to think that this time last year I had no idea that our lives would be so different now and that we'd have been apart from Son #1 for four and a half months because we had a plan and it was all about ticking the boxes and making progress and working to achieve goals (we've always been a little anal like that). Sometimes lately it seems crazy to bother about making plans at all when you question just how much control you actually have over, well, anything really...but...lists are still getting written and plans are still being made at Chez Mac, so obviously living free and easy and unstructured is a hard habit to break!

Getting a job continues to be at the top of my 'To Do' list (right after educating the teen son about not calling certain phone numbers and giving me a coronary by receiving an unexpected bill for unnecessary call charges - 1 900 numbers you are now officially my foe) but for all the applications I've sent out, I've had no luck (so far). So I've been volunteering, working on the theory that it's a big old win-win: I get some structure to my week and the satisfaction of feeling as though I'm helping out and doing something meaningful and the organisations I volunteer for get some free labour. It's all big love/feel good stuff and we can all do with a bit of that now and then, can't we? As you know, I've been working at the local library one morning a week since the end of September and two weeks ago I started helping out at an ESOL class in the city.

The students at the classes are a mixed bunch - they're of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities but they're all there with the goal of learning to speak Australian (which makes me wonder why I volunteered to help because I'm still learning how to speak Australian myself). Each class is lead by a teacher (not me - yay!) and the students are divided up into smaller groups who sit at tables with an English-speaking person (that's me - woot!) who can help them with the language exercises.

Yesterday we were talking about Christmas and a lot of the vocab building centred around words like Santa, carols, sleigh, presents, gift vouchers, angel and so on. At the end of the class we all worked together as one group to write a Christmas Wish List for the class. Everyone got to write up one thing that, if they could have anything at all, they would ask Santa for and then they needed to explain why they wanted their wish. I know it's not easy to be first up (so obviously I wasn't) but I admired the first lot of wishes: Love, Happiness, Peace, Safety...they are all completely admirable and good on the people who wished them for everyone else but...then things started getting interesting as the rest of the students began to realise that the game was that they could wish for anything and they didn't have to be unselfish about it! A gold Rolex was the first real wantsit which was quickly followed by a sports car, a cruise to Europe, the winning numbers for the Lottery and (my personal favourite asked for by the 20-something Russian guy) a 'really nice Asian girlfriend'!!! I love these people :) They're awesome!!!

So, anyway, what did I wish for? Well...I had to think quite quickly because I'm fairly sure asking for Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs and a BIG bag of Licorice Allsorts would have taken far to long to explain (and besides the classes are held in a church), so I asked for a can of ultimate bug spray because if there's one thing that Australia has that I don't like, it's a whole mess of bugs and they do need seeing to!

Tiny Teddy Lasagna

2011-11-29T15:51:00.000+10:30

Tonight we are having lasagna and this is the pasta I bought to make it with. I know that, technically, it's probably no longer lasagna but tiny teddy pasta made me smile so much when I saw it on the supermarket shelf I just had to get it (and I'm sure it'll taste just the same even if it looks a little different).

Challenge Accepted!

2011-11-27T17:43:00.000+10:30

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I haven't been taking many photos for a while now which is kinda crazy because here we are in a new city, in a new country and you'd be thinking there'd be lots of snapping going on...but, alas, no...so...
I've put together a list of words (one for each day in December) and challenged myself to take a photo that represents that word on the appropriate day. Hopefully it'll kick-start my photo-taking habit again! If you want to give it a try, here's my list:

1. Free

2. Calm

3. Soft

4. New

5. Loud

6. Sweet

7. Comfortable

8. Funny

9. Traditional

10. Precious

11. Shiny

12. Modern

13. Delicious

14. Dazzling

15. Earned

16. Dangerous

17. Quiet

18. Scary

19. Changing

20. Appreciated

21. Beautiful

22. Fresh

23. Strong

24. Hand-made

25. Extraordinary

26. Grungy

27. Wheeled

28. Colourful

29. Flat

30. Rough

31. Rosy

Blather, all blather...

2011-11-22T14:15:00.000+10:30

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Well I'm typing another blog post so I obviously survived the yoga class (although my back disagrees with me from time to time and makes me aware then that my spine feels as though it's made from Lego blocks that aren't quite clicked together properly). Surprisingly, it turns out that yoga may, in fact, be my sort of thing exercise-wise. It appears to involve not breaking in to a sweat, avoids making random bits of me jiggle (sometimes in opposite directions - which is always disconcerting) and in which you seem to spend quite a lot of time lying down with your eyes closed listening to your chakras or something (I think I may have drifted off to sleep there for a moment so I might be a bit fuzzy on the whole purpose of the lying down bit). In an attempt to be fair and point out both sides here I must admit that having to wear the world's worst stretchy trousers and listen to continuous whale song, tribal birth chants, sitar pop and tropical waterfalls for 90 minutes can be a trifle trying.

I think the most disconcerting bit about going to yoga last week (apart from the trousers, of course) was the frankness of one of the other class members. She was making nice with the new kid after the class and asking pertinent questions along the 'where are you from/how long have you been here/what do you do' variety. She seemed like a really nice person (the type that, if we hadn't been wearing completely ridiculous trousers I just might find a little intimidating socially because she looked a little high-maintenance/ladies do lunch, if you get my drift) so when she told me that I had the perfect chance to BS my way in to a better sort of job here than 'at home' (and no prizes for guessing she didn't use just the initials) I was mildly astounded. It just didn't sound right coming out of her face (kinda like watching a dubbed foreign language film - you know you're hearing the words but they just don't quite match up to what you're seeing, or, to put it another way, hearing the Queen use the F word). It wasn't just her choice of words that amazed me as the idea because it would never occur to me to lie about what I can do in order to get a job (and you can call me naive if you like). I met someone once who could BS her way in to any job of her choice (I'll give you a gold star, Mrs. Nic, if you can guess who I mean!). She was bright, confident and seemed totally in control, so what was not to believe? However she was constantly job-hopping (leaving just before it became completely obvious to the powers that be that she'd spent a lot of time doing nothing in particular apart from file her nails) because, let's face it, if you don't know your bum from your elbow in a role then it's going to become rapidly apparent, isn't it? So. Will I be BSing my way in to a job here? Absolutely not. I may not have anything incredible on my CV but everything that's there is the real deal and I intend to stick with that.

The blatant frankness of the locals was brought to my attention again this morning at the library. I was working in the self-help section today (ha!) trying to tidy up the shelves and two titles in particular caught my eye. One was I see Stupid People: How to Deal with People who Get Up your Nose and the other was I Feel Crap. I wish I'd checked them out now so I could have scanned them in to show you but I didn't want the librarians to think I had any particular issues today so I left them behind and I'm kicking myself now! The title of the second book was a surprise because I didn't think the word 'crap' was in common usage here (not having heard it but having heard it's synonym more often - and in more situations - than you might expect) but then it occurred to me that it's probably a bit much to expect a public library to buy and shelve a book entitled I Feel Sheet and once I'd worked that out I felt a little more content with the world today...ahhh...small things, people, small things...but it doesn't (necessarily) mean they're not important...

Bend Me, Shape Me, Scare Me

2011-11-14T14:04:00.000+10:30

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Which way do you dunk your gingerbread men (or, for that matter, which end do you bite off your Eskimo Men or Jelly Babies first)? I just ask because I was having a couple of mini gingerbread men with a cup of herbal tea at lunch time (and they are herbal tea bags instead of 'regular' tea bags because someone thinks I'm a stress bunny and bought them for me...sigh...haven't I suffered caffeine-withdrawal enough by not having coffee and cola drinks for nearly two years now?).

The gingerbread men are ones I made myself on the weekend and they're quite tasty, if a little on the crunchy side, hence the need to soak the little devils in scalding liquid for a moment or two before I start to chomp on them. The first gingerbread man went in to the tea feet first and then I felt a little mean (childhood conditioning kicking in right around then e.g.: "You bite their heads off first so they don't scream and let the others know...") so the second one went in head-first so he wouldn't have to suffer as much.

I don't know why I'm blathering on about gingerbread men cos what I really want to go on about is yoga...

Last week I was asked if I would go along to a yoga class with someone I volunteer at the library with. I declined because I can't even clearly remember the last time I voluntarily undertook exercise (and especially exercise in front of other people) but I know it was definitely B.C. ('Before Children' or 'Before Common-Sense' kicked in and told me, "Deb, what are you thinking?!") and I do recall there was an abundance of lycra and possibly even a leg-warmer or two and bits jiggled and sweat dripped. Not to be deterred by my answer I was then asked if I would like to play Squash (no), go to a 'general' exercise class (no) or attend 'resistance training' (um...no...not even sure what that involves but sounds like something you need to wear a beret for). I was very polite the whole time, because this person is really nice and means well, but I'm also sure I was very definite that I would not be attending anything even vaguely sporty.

Just as I was leaving the library she asked (as though this was a brand new idea)if I would go to a yoga class with her (isn't this where this all began?). I just didn't know how to keep saying no and making it sound fresh and new each time so I heard myself agree to go along...and then instantly regretted it. That night Mr. Mac snorted when he heard and had to rush away and lock himself in the loo to have a good giggle at the thought of me twisting myself up in to a pretzel. When he eventually emerged, with a straight face, he said he thought I should definitely give it a go because I might enjoy it and he'd heard that yoga was meant to be very relaxing (no prizes for guessing who paid for the herbal tea bags).

Yoga may prove to be relaxing and even enjoyable but shopping for a pair of yoga pants is not, as it turns out (not being a person who has stretchy longs in her wardrobe it was kind of a necessity to go and hunt some down in order to not freak the locals out at class time). It was a long and arduous afternoon at the mall but eventually I found a pair of yoga pants that fit and look kinda maybe possibly okayish (especially if you squint a little and don't look particularly long) and now I am (outwardly at least) ready for the class. Roll on Thursday morning and if I don't manage to unfurl myself from the Lotus position it may be some time before you hear from me again...

Last Day!

2011-11-07T13:02:00.000+10:30

Today is Matt's last day at High School and so I thought I'd post a photo of the lad himself on his very first day at school way back in 1999 :) Time flies, baby!

And today's title is...

2011-11-01T13:28:00.001+10:30

How often do you see a book with poo in the title? Of course it stopped me in my tracks! Unlike my previous offering (regarding stray shopping trolleys) this book is meant to be funny...and yet it ended up catalogued in the 658 (or General Management) section...go figure!

Roll up, roll up and hear the Fat Lady vent!

2011-10-31T13:03:00.000+10:30

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It was a no-good, very bad, bloody horrible weekend and I'm glad it's over.

Although, to be fair, things did start out quite well - if a little predictably!

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Today is Halloween which means that, when we visited the supermarket on Friday night, Mr. Mac spent a very long while in the junk food aisle choosing sweets for all the potential Trick 'n' Treaters who may come a-calling tonight. Mmmm...as we all know, buying Halloween goodies for visitors is just Mr. Mac's annual excuse for unbridled sugary gluttony. In all the years he's been buying Halloween goodies for Trick and Treaters I doubt he's actually handed any out! I envision that tonight will be the same as all the Halloweens that have passed before: Rob will barricade us in the house, turn off all lighting visible from the street and cling on to his lollies with a fierce determination quite unseemly in a man of his years. Then, once he has deemed it far too late for anyone to come visiting, he will say, "Well...I suppose we'd better not let these go to waste..." and sigh a long and plaintive sigh before proceeding to stuff his face with chocolate. I'm all for traditions - I just wish he'd share!!!

Determination must run in the family. We have been finding ourselves trying (in a seemingly hopeless and futile way) to reason and deal with a teen who is completely and utterly determined to not find a single thing to like about our new home and things came to a bit of a boil-over point on the weekend. If he went out and gave it a go and still loathed it, I could maybe understand but, apart from going to school, he refuses to leave the house. I have been trying for a very long time to find something positive in this (e.g.: at least he goes to school every day, and, if he can channel that level of determination in to other aspects of life there'll be no stopping him, etc, etc...) but, unfortunately, even my famous Pollyanna-find-something-good-in-every-moment skills are letting me down quite seriously lately in regard to the fruit of my loins. He just wants to go home home and have it always be 3 September 2010 for ever and a day (kinda like Christchurch's answer to 'Groundhog Day', I'm thinking) and I get that, I really do, because some days, lots of days actually, that's what I want too. Teens, huh? Sometimes there's no talking to them!

As for the other teen, on Saturday we heard the news that QANTAS has grounded all of it's domestic and international flights indefinitely due to industrial action. Excellent. We have, of course, booked the boy on QANTAS to fly here from Christchurch once school ends...and yes, I know his date to fly is still a few weeks away but...well...this industrial argy-bargy has been going on for months now and I do kind of worry... we may be a messed up lot of dysfunctionals but I would like us to be back together again soon, that's not too much to ask, is it!?

Oh...and then there was the job interview...

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Please tell me what I was thinking!? I am pants-wettingly scared of the dentist. Not just a dentist, any dentist (and watching the dental scene from 'Little Shop of Horrors' certainly didn't help...it's simply not funny, that's my nightmare!). So maybe you can explain to me why I applied for the position of Dental Assistant at the local murder clinic (because I still don't understand it)? I guess I was thinking, "Well...it's local...," and even, "It might be interesting to try something new," but I still don't get why I submitted my application (damn you on-line applications!!!! You make it far too easy to apply for crazy way-not-me jobs!!!). And then I got a phone call asking me to come in for an interview...

I'm not sure if you've ever been on the other side of the recruitment process or not...I have. Your company advertises, you get a million applications and then you have to sift through each and every one of them to make a short list of people who'll be interviewed for the position. That's the way I thought it always went. Silly me. So, when I got the call to come in for an interview, I was just a little yay, go me, whoop, whoop, whoop!!! Because getting an interview is kinda cool and makes you feel like there really is some point and you're not just deluding yourself and wasting valuable Facebook time applying for jobs.

Turns out the dentist in question hadn't heard of making a short list, he just seemed to be interviewing everyone who had applied. My appointment time was 11.45am on Saturday and the poor guy had been saying the same things to interviewee after interviewee after interviewee for nearly three hours by the time it was my turn and, boy, was he over it! He said hello, we sat down, he told me about the job and then he asked me if I had any questions, then he stood up, shook my hand, told me he'd be in touch, and that was it! Shortest, strangest interview I've ever been to. Time from car door to surgery, through interview and back out to car door was 13 minutes and most of that was spent waiting in reception to go in to the interview or walking! And you know what? I'm almost sure I saw a pair of pliers in his back pocket...

So.

That was my cruddy weekend. Roll on the week, I say (and let's hope Mr. Mac learns to share his sweetie-stash tonight)!!!

Here endeth the vent.

Sunday Morning Stroll

2011-10-23T16:55:00.000+10:30

Sometimes unexpected treasures are just around the corner... Mr. Mac and I spent a couple of hours this morning wandering around the gardens and house at Carrick Hill (a short drive from where we live). It's beautiful!

I snapped this picture of a Who-Who Bird at the bottom of Carrick Hill gardens. His proper name is the Crested Pigeon but we call him the Who-Who Bird because that's the noise he begins to make at about 4.30 am every morning... who needs an alarm to wake up?! Who?! Who?!

Tuesday's Title

2011-10-18T12:59:00.001+10:30

The great thing about being a shelver at the library is that as you are sorting and tidying away great wodges of books you occasionally spy a title that makes you stop and think, "Really?! Are you serious?!"

Today I just had to share this book I found with you...initially I thought that it's purpose was to amuse but it was shelved with some very serious environmental titles, so I'm thinking perhaps not...

Try It Twice

2011-10-17T16:17:00.000+10:30

Quite a while back we were (briefly) fascinated by a programme called 'Bizarre Foods'. The host, an adventurous gastronome named Andrew, would travel to a different location in the world each week and eat whatever odd (and often disgusting) local 'specialities' he was offered by his hosts (and he never seemed to notice they were usually always quietly giggling to themselves as they dished him up a large plateful).

One week Andrew was presented with a food that even he just couldn't eat...although, to give him full credit he did try...twice (an experiment that ended badly and...euuu...noisily). Later he faced the cameras and said that he made it his personal policy to try everything at least twice - because often you may think you don't like something the first time and then, on your second try, find out you do.

The only reason I mention this here is because yesterday morning Mr. Mac and I wanted to go for a walk

The first time we visited the Botanic Garden (not long after we arrived) the skies were grey and leaden, it was raining lightly and, being autumn, nothing much was happening in the way of colour and form. Things looked a little unloved and forgotten about and we just weren't that impressed. We wandered about looking for something to love about it, and then, after a long while, we went quietly home again.

Yesterday, wanting to go for a walk, we decided we'd follow Andrew's advice and try the Garden again. What a difference! The rose garden was in full bloom, the skies were bright blue, the temperature was just right and there were dozens of lorikeets and rosellas (and the odd cockatoo) flitting around in the trees. It was lovely!

I still wouldn't eat the muck that the host of 'Bizarre Foods' puts in his mouth but his theory about the benefit of making sure you try things twice certainly seems to hold true.

Monday, Monday...

2011-10-10T15:05:00.001+10:30

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Began watching 'Knowing' on TV last night...before long I realised it was a bit of a mistake...not because it was a bad movie but because I am a bit (or, a lot)of a scaredy-cat about some things and creepy pale-haired men lurking silently in the woods outside Nicolas Cage's house in the middle of the night and the whole end of the world/2012 wooooooooooooooooooo thing are right up there on my list of things that mean I Have To Watch The Movie Right To The Very End Now No Matter How Late It Runs (Or I'll Never Get To Sleep Anyway)... O boy, am I tired today!

Here is my take on #95 over at Little Shop of Sketches this fortnight. Another lot of snow photos from July (think I just may have scrapped them all now) featuring the offspring proving just how crazy they'll be to win a $5 bet (FYI they both shivered for ages afterwards - at least til they defrosted)! Decided to get out the old embroidery floss and needle when I was making this LO and pierced and back-stitched around the outside of the page and then shredded my fingers making all the french knots, but (despite the occasional bloodstain, ouch...) I was happy with the end result :)

Soul Food

2011-10-08T14:35:00.000+10:30

Sometimes having a quiet wander around a good art gallery for an hour or so is almost better than a packet of licorice allsorts. I was introduced to the Art Gallery of South Australia yesterday and was back there this morning for another look. Oh...such beautiful things! Lovely, lovely, lovely!!!

Who knew general drivel would finally let me down?!

2011-09-28T16:31:00.000+09:30

I began my volunteer job at the library yesterday and it's going to be a good way to pass two hours a week... I love books and I'm not particularly fussy over what I read (as long as it's not illegal, is vaguely enthralling and keeps me turning the pages from one cover to the other). Yesterday was a learning experience - mostly what I learned was that I will have to be a bit tougher with myself if I am shelving returned books and not get distracted every few minutes by an interesting looking title! I ended up with a small (as in, not very) stack of books to bring home (forgetting for a little while there that I actually had to carry them up the road because I don't have access to a car during the day...ah well! A good little cardio workout once a week has got to be good for a person, right?!). Here are two of the titles I brought home with me (and they are really entertaining reads!!)...

These books appealed because I enjoy acquiring random bits of information. This is one of the reasons that Mr. Mac and I were looking forward to attending a Quiz Night at Junior Mac's school last Saturday night. Not that I'm (overly) competitive but when it comes to being able to recite useless pieces of drivel at the proverbial drop of a hat, then I'm your (wo)man!

I have all sorts of info crammed in to my head, for example, I know that one of these men had his first 'naughty' experience in the back of a bus on a school field trip and that the other described himself recently as the '...gayest straight man in the world...' and has a penchant for musicals.

Obviously that sort of data isn't exactly going to be useful at a school quiz night and that's where the rest of the drivel in my head usually comes in handy... I'm well aware that most of what's stuffed in there isn't all that useful in daily life, but what can I do? It's in there now and there's no getting rid of it!

So, anyway, we trotted off to the quiz night (one piece of information I would dearly love to know is how the school got the gymnasium to lose it's sweaty armpit/gym sock aroma for the evening...now that would be useful for dealing with teen boy bedroom funk) all set to trot out obscure facts and figures and we were absolutely no use at all to our team...The evening kinda reminded me and Mr. Mac of the time, several years ago, when we bought the Australian version of Trivial Pursuit by mistake...(note to self: swot up on South Australian facts, figures, history and personalities and forget about the rest of the world for next year's quiz!!!).

Oh, and just in case you're wondering, The Godfather really was a girl...Mario Puzo was inspired by his Mother when he wrote the character of Don Corleone...scary, huh?!

Sunshine and Smiles

2011-09-25T19:55:00.000+09:30

I used the 8.5x11 format again for my take on Sketch #94 for Little Shop of Sketches. I'm really enjoying making LOs in this size lately and I love this photo of Matt! By the way, there are two new design team members over at Little Shop, so a big Welcome Aboard!!! to Nic and Tanya! :)

We drove out to Port Adelaide today for a wander around in the sunshine. There are loads of amazing old buildings dotted around the historic precinct and an interesting market to rummage around in on Sundays. Next time we visit maybe we can go out on a dolphin cruise on the Port River...

It's the Little Stuff that gets you...

2011-09-22T16:43:00.000+09:30

How many times have you heard a song or smelled a particular smell or seen something that just takes you straight back to the memory of another time or place?

The other day Mr. Mac came home from work looking not very happy. Turns out he had used his work tool kit from Christchurch for the first time since we moved here and it had made him upset thinking about the last time and place he had used it 'at home'. I know how he felt cos we have a print of 'Mad Dogs' by Jack Vettriano. We bought it from a seller on Trademe a few years ago and hung it on the wall in our lounge. It was just the right picture for that particular place and we loved it. When we moved, the print came with us. Our things arrived in Adelaide and we hung it on the lounge wall here. I still love the print but I can't help feeling it's just not on the right wall anymore. We've been here seven weeks today and despite knowing that what we are missing so much isn't really there anymore, we still do. There's no particular logic to it, it's just the way it is.

This or That?!

2011-09-16T13:20:00.000+09:30

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When it comes to a scrapbooking store, what are your preferences? I'm just wondering because yesterday I was taken to visit two local stores. They both sold a huge range of papery goodness and all the associated paraphernalia (I love that word) but they were very, very different.
The first was exactly what you would expect from a scrapbooking store, lots of orderly racks of papers and shelves and shelves of embellishments, tools and general wonderfulness and there was helpful service available if required. The second was entirely different. It didn't attempt to be pretty. It didn't even attempt to appear organised (that may sound harsh and there may in fact be some rational logic to the store layout, it's just I couldn't detect it...sorry!) but, and, here's the very exciting thing, it just went on and on and on...(bit like me really).
You would look around one jam-packed room of crafting gorgeousness and then realise there was an arch (and sometimes more than one) leading in to another room and that room would be equally bulging and then once you'd looked around that room, you'd find another arch leading somewhere else...I counted ten rooms of stock, people. Ten. However, in the very best traditions of Suzanne Gregory, "...but wait, there's more folks."
We were just about to exit the store when the salesperson asked us if we'd gone 'next door'. He then showed us in to a whole other store (which you wouldn't have realised you could access separately) filled with racks and racks and racks of paper. I was stunned and amazed...and very, very silent as I wandered up and down those lovely rows. And was that it? No, it wasn't!
As well as the two stores it turns out that there is actually a third store (right on the very corner of the block) that is only open two days a week where all their clearance stock is sold from....I think I started drooling right about then...a repeat visit is very certainly on the cards!
So, back to my original question, what do you prefer in a scrapbooking shop? Everything laid out in perfect, helpful order or the challenge of a good rummage for 'buried treasure'? Until yesterday I think I'd have said the former but...now...I think I'm leaning towards the latter...

Way off - it's Wednesday!

2011-09-14T15:08:00.000+09:30

I was just about to call this post "Two for Tuesday" when I realised it is, in fact, Wednesday... that's what old age does to you, it turns (what's left of) your brain to mush! Anyway, here are a couple of 8.5 x 11 LOs I completed today of my two lovely lads looking pretty sharp in some new outfits :)

Sweeties Save The Day!

2011-09-13T13:41:00.000+09:30

The arrival of our things from New Zealand last week meant that I could, at last, try my hand at some scrapping again... To be honest, I'm not stunned and amazed by my take on Little Shop's Sketch #93 but I think it's a fair representation of how we all felt on the day we went to have our passport photos taken... What's the deal with not being able to smile for your photos anyway? I mean...I know that 'they' say that if you look like your passport photo then you definitely need a holiday but having to keep an entirely serious face without even a hint of a smile means you just end up looking plain grim (and incredibly dodgy)! And anyway, it's not like we were having to get passports for a holiday (which might have made us feel a little brighter). I honestly would not have been surprised to switch on a police programme on TV and see these 'portraits' featured during the "Police are looking for these Crims" section ie: the one where they show CCTV footage of bank raids and dairy hold-ups and then say, "Suspect A was last seen waddling towards Riccarton Road with several boxes of Licorice Allsorts under her arm..."

Speaking of Licorice Allsorts...I was feeling a little bit needy and sorry for myself in the weekend as it occurred to me that a scrap camp was going on somewhere a rather long way away and I wasn't there. Mr. Mac (brave little soul he is) suggested a lolly run to the supermarket to help quell the agonising pain of not having lots of lollies to nibble on while sitting up until 1.30am at least two nights in a row and playing with pretty paper (told you I was feeling properly tragic about it all)!

It was a good suggestion and would have worked a treat (well, at least until the sugar rush abated) until we realised that they sell different Licorice Allsorts here than we're used to. O dear. Never being one to be put off by trifling details (Bwahahaha...I had to cross my fingers to type that bit!) we gamely soldiered our way through a packet of the local offerings but...it wasn't the same... Thank goodness for Google, I say! We found a website where we can buy them and have them shipped direct to our greedy little selves with the absolute minimum of effort.

All is not lost on the local sweetie front though...on Sunday we drove up in to the Adelaide Hills and visited Hahndorf to have a wander around and look in all the little shops that line the main street there. Hahndorf is an incredibly pretty little town about 15 minutes away from where we live and it's well worth a visit. It rates even more highly with us since we 'discovered' a sweet shop there that sells imported lollies...Pineapple Lumps have never looked so good (okay, so not Licorice Allsorts but close enough for now)! We also saw a couple of varieties of M&Ms there that we weren't familiar with and so we got them for Matt who's still in Christchurch and definitely deserves a few treats of his own. Hope you like them, hon!

Wonder, Mystery and Danger (but not from Skippy the Stuffed Kangaroo...)

2011-09-09T14:50:00.001+09:30

"There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter.

Which, luckily, I am."

The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland

Our things arrived in Adelaide this week...it's only been six weeks since I last saw them being boxed up and carted out of our house to the mover's truck through the snow but it seems much, much longer... I am now of the opinion that time messes with you sometimes (mostly I think, just because it can and also because a little part off me suspects it enjoys the whole process as well)!

So. Anyway. We have some familiar things around us at last, including a couple of comfy chairs to sit on in the evenings which makes a welcome change from perching on some rather solid and unyielding kitchen chairs a workmate of Mr. Mac's let us borrow and we have our own bed back again...well...half of it at least! We got the mattress up the stairs but the base couldn't be wrangled around the turn in the stairs, so we are still camping out student-style but that's okay cos I kinda like it!

One thing that hasn't surfaced yet though are the cords to my camera and it's really annoying me. When we first got here I was merrily snapping away on my digital camera sure in the knowledge that, as soon as the card was full, I would be able to download them all to the offspring's netbook...and then came the dreadful realisation that I didn't have the cords with me to do this, eeek!!! "No worries, " I told myself (oooo am I learning 'strine already?!) , "When the container gets here I'll be fine," ...except the container has arrived and yet, still, mysteriously, no cords... At least the scanner has turned up and, miracle of miracles, is now working perfectly (it had completely given up the ghost on us in Christchurch which begs the question, "Why did you take it to Australia with you in that case?" and yet we did, and now it's working, so I'm glad we didn't let mere operational status put us off)! So, if all else fails, and I never see those damn cords again, at least I can just get my photos printed out and scan them into the PC myself...or, I can buy a new camera...mmm...now there's a thought...

Okay, let me introduce you to Skippy the Stuffed Kangaroo...stuffed as in way too full rather than in the taxidermy sense... (cos that would be way too icky and possibly a little stinky as well, especially sitting out in the sun as he was). Mr. Mac and I met him in a little farm park next door to The Toy Factory at Gumeracha. The Toy Factory is most famous for being the home of an oversized Rocking Horse.

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I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of the Giant Rocking Horse is...but I strongly suspect it has a lot to do with providing people with a reason to drive a not un-long way out of the city and also to buy ice creams once you get there. The place was swarming with adults and children on the day we visited, happily standing in line for a chance to climb up to the top of the horse and lapping up melting ice cream cones at the very same time. Mr. Mac and I refrained from partaking in a trip to the top of the horse. Not that it wasn't tempting in it's own way but it did cost $2 for the pleasure and I don't need to climb up a bunch of steps just to be able to confirm for myself that this is, indeed, a rather large wooden children's toy.

So we strolled in to the farm park instead with our little baggy of animal nuggets and met Skippy. It was mid-afternoon when we got there and I think that Skippy had been force-fed animal nuggets all day by eager young kiddies visiting the park. By the time we moved in to have a picture taken with him, he had a little pyramid of uneaten nuggets between his front paws and was looking for all the world as though he would rather never see another pellet ever again... being very, very full made him incredibly docile however and therefore easy camera-fodder, so well done, Skippy! That's what I say. Your job on the day was to be cute, adorable and passive and you managed it with ease, old boy, so go you (and maybe lay off a few of those nuggets next time)!

Making Nice

2011-08-31T11:54:00.000+09:30

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Yesterday (in my opening gambit of 'Learning to be just like a Local') I met up with a school mummy at the local shops for morning tea...I was pretty proud of myself for putting myself out there and taking a step forwards and all that sort of thing (please send a big, shiny, gold star to my postal address asap) until, irony of ironies, I found out my tea-swilling cohort was trying to do exactly the same thing because she's only been here 3 weeks longer than we have! It still counts though, right?!

Strangers, Strines and Sunsets

2011-08-30T15:08:00.000+09:30

Well, it seems an awfully long time since I last posted and lots of things have changed since then. We sold our house (including our much loved fur baby, George, as an extra-special chattel...or should that have been cat-tel?!), my car and most of the accumulated debris of 20+ years in one city and two houses and packed the rest in to part of a shared container and three little suitcases and flew to try out life in Adelaide, Australia.

We knew moving would be a challenge, that it would mean leaving behind people and places we love more than anything and that things would seem a little different and strange and scary for a while but I don't think any of us expected to be impacted by shifting quite as much as we have been. Tears are often just a memory, a smell or a sound away and some days it's really hard going emotionally and very, very tiring. I couldn't even watch the last All Blacks versus Wallabies game on the weekend as the haka had me in floods of tears, how silly is that?!

We get to the end of each week and know that we have ticked off at least a few more of the boxes on our never-ending 'to do' list over the previous seven days, so I know we are making progress...it's just that, at the moment, there is always this nagging little feeling somewhere way, way back in the reptilian part of my brain that tells me this isn't home (yet)...

Mr Mac and I both said this would be our adventure but we have yet to decide what kind of adventure it is...hopefully it'll turn out to be the sort that ends up with a beautiful sunset, some swirling, moving, gorgeous music and a very happy ending (preferably with some chocolate thrown in to the mix somewhere along the way)!

We will get there. At least I hope we will,even if it's a different happy ending than the one we imagine now (but, if we don't, it won't be for the lack of trying)!

Snow Day!!!

2011-07-25T11:21:00.000+09:30

Curry and rice is simmering away for tonight's dinner in the slow cooker making the house smell yummy...the kids (including my biggest kid, Mr. Mac) are all inside drying out after a morning making snow hotties (that's the grown up version of a snow person) and running around wearing not particularly much just to win a dare...George (my fur baby) is NOT impressed but has ventured out (once and only very, very briefly) and I'm still in my PJs (just because I can be today) and why not?!

One to Remember...

2011-07-18T11:51:00.000+09:30

I never thanked you earlier for your lovely pressie Ms. Jo, even though I loved it from the moment I saw it, but I found myself looking at it and appreciating it even more today than ever before. Thank you!!!!

Breathe in...breathe out...

2011-07-17T07:26:00.000+09:30

We went and paid for the movers on Friday so now things seem just a little more real because

a) I have a receipt in my hot and sweaty little hand that says all our crud is somehow going to disappear from our house one day really soon and turn up (much, much later) in Australia (hopefully at our new place) and ...

b) our bank balance has dropped significantly.

Moving house is not fun, moving is not easy, moving is not stress-free. I only mention these little factoids because I'm fairly well over the promo material that the moving company hands out. Without exception it shows smiling, happy, totally cool and together couples who are obviously still talking to one another after culling their accumulated possessions to the absolute bare minimum, stripping their bank account to the bone and facing the prospect of sleeping on the floor for 5 nights because, "Hey!!! Can we so do you a fabulous deal on the price of moving (but only if you agree to having all your stuff emptied out of your property nearly a week earlier than we originally stated)!!!".

And the kids in the promo material are equally unfazed. They are, without exception, cute, bright, happy little buttons who want to help Mummy and Daddy sort their (much reduced) crap in to boxes and then are content to play patiently in a couple of empty moving boxes in the garden while the movers (who are also always wearing big, toothy grins - what medication are these people all on and where can I get me some?) trundle loaded boxes out to their truck.

I guess I kinda got a little sucked in by the glossy handouts but then I always like to believe the pretty picture. It is, after all, why I had children. Let me explain...

I grew up watching 'The Cosby Show' and the Huxtables had an entire tribe of children and, yes, they had issues to deal with but you know what? No matter how involved the problem it was always dealt with calmly and efficiently within only 30 minutes and everyone came out the other end with a smile on their face and some serious shoulder pads to help sculpt their double-breasted jackets.

Now I was not a stupid kid (or at least I like to think I wasn't) and, even then, I think I realised there was probably a little more to successful parenting than could be achieved in any given 30 minutes with some goofy one-liners and a slice of chocolate cake and a glass of milk in that fabulously large kitchen but I just didn't really wanna know because Cliff and Claire presented this gorgeous, glossy picture and it's what I really wanted to believe in...so, fast forward a few years and a couple of babies later and imagine my shock and consternation to realise that my sneaking youthful suspicions were spot-on after all and that some things take significantly longer than half an hour to deal with, you're not always going to come out the other end happy, and overly-large shoulder pads and good clothes' ironing don't actually solve any straight-forward day to day problems, how to eradicate the smell of kiddie-chuck from the car, for instance.

You think I would have learned from my 'Huxtables versus real-life parenting' experience that I should not always trust the glossy promo material. You may have thought that but obviously I did not. I knew moving house would be stressful. I knew that moving house and moving countries would probably be even more stressful but the moving consultant gave us this really cool package of pretty pictures and glossy, gorgeous loveliness and...well...I got sucked in. Again. So. This is what I have done...I have created my very own Tui sticker that I intend to get printed in great quantities. After I collect them from the printers I am going to sneak in to the movers' offices and plaster these stickers all over their promo material and then I'm going to track down their photo-perfect family, go and visit them and give them a 'wake up and join the real world' little slap on the face (right after I ask them where I can find their Dr. Feelgood...).

Anyone got this covered?

2011-07-14T06:29:00.000+09:30

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So...here's what I've been thinking lately...if someone could come up with a one-stop, sure-you-got-all-the-bases-covered, completely definitive, absolutely-nothing-missed-off-it checklist for moving countries then I think I would love them possibly more than I love chocolate. I am so tired...

Gotta remember this!

2011-07-08T06:27:00.000+09:30

Once again my legendary (bad) photographic skills are making themselves obvious - maybe it's cos it was still reasonably (unreasonably) early when I took this photo but it's quite fuzzy. My apologies.

With everything that's going on at Chez Mac lately it's easy to get in a little bit of a tizzy without much effort at all and let the craziness in. That's when it's important to remember that together we can do this. Love you, Mr. Mac xxx.

It's the little things...

2011-07-08T06:21:00.000+09:30

Today is Friday and the sun is shining and it's shaping up to be a good-looking day so I am nominating THIS post to be a celebration of the fluffery that makes my life a little bit more enjoyable lately... a list of my guilty little pleasures, if you will....Bwahahahaha.....

Perfume

You gotta love the stuff. It makes me feel like I'm properly dressed (crazy, huh?). From way back when I've had a bit of a thing for big, in-your-face style perfumes and nothing much has changed as the years have rolled by. Give me a bottle of Opium, Obsession, Lou Lou or Red Door and see me smile! I love them all! I love the packaging, I love the extras and I love the gorgeous, lovely smells! Mmmmmmmmm.....bring 'em on!
Shoes with Straps
Not sure what my thing for shoes with straps is all about or even what it implies (possibly something a little dodgy and seedy, if you're of that particular mind set) however I still love them with a passion. I just prefer shoes with little straps on them - they seem more finished to me!
Bad Bad TV Shows
(okay and possibly some of the good ones too) I admit it - we watch trash TV and WE ENJOY IT. There. I've said it. We can often be found watching Channel 71 in the evenings...what would we do without 'Road Wars' and 'Police Interceptors' and how could we have survived the TV wilderness for the last 20 or so years without 'Cops'? But WHY?! I hear you ask. No idea, to be honest - blatant voyeurism possibly, or it could just be that we enjoy the grey, fluffy, emptiness of mind-numbing vegeing in front of the goggle box... hard to say... then there are the 'reality' shows such as 'Survivor' (hey! I like all the challenges they do!) and 'Project Runway' and even (and this is a very guilty confession to have to make...) 'Cupcake Wars'...they're like cerebral crack - you think you can just watch for a little bit, you are only gonna stop by for a few minutes and then BAM! you've watched the entire episode and have set the sky-minder for next week's installment. Resistance is futile, people - retire to the sofa, snuggle up and succumb to the addiction...
Ralph and Jason
We have quite a few DVDs (and I'm sorry, hon, but it's non-negotiable - they're ALL coming to Oz with us) and it appears (as we've been going through our stash over the past week) that somehow, quite a few of them feature Jason and/or Ralph. I have no idea how that happened. Honestly. I'll say no more.
Pineapple Lumps
What sweetie is there that compares to a pineapple lump on a good day (or even a bad day, come to that)? Each one counts as two servings of fruit and veg too - one for the pineapple and one for the coca beans that make up the chocolate on the outside. So they're no only yummy but also good for you too! Best way to serve pineapple lumps? Float them until they're suitably mooshy in a cup of hot chocolate and then fish them out with a teaspoon. Don't judge me 'til you've tried it.

Time to chuck a shrimp on the barbie?!

2011-07-04T16:07:00.000+09:30

At the end of last week we found out that we are going to be moving to South Australia in August. Mr Mac has got a transfer to the Adelaide branch of the company he works for. Big news, huh? A bit scary, sure, but also exciting. So there will be goodbyes and new beginnings. Tears, absolutely, and a whole lot of i's to dot and t's to cross...oh boy...are there ever a lot of those (and I keep finding more every day)! A house to sell...records to transfer...the accumulated detritus of family life to be sorted through (and in many cases, ruthlessly disgarded - beginning with 540kgs of man-cave crud that went to the dump on Saturday) and movers to be organised to get our (much reduced) pile of belongings across the Tasman. Then there's new schools and rentals and ..... argh... whatever!!! It'll all work itself out, that's my constant mantra these days, somehow, it will all work itself out (I'm just not sure exactly how some days)!

In the meanwhile life (and scrapping) goes on...

Here is my take on Little Shop of Sketches #88. Poor old Matt decided he was going to volunteer to donate blood when NZ Blood Services (those darn Twilight kids) came a-calling at school. After two arms and many jabbings he was told that he should probably wait a couple of years before trying to donate again - turns out his veins aren't quite ready to give up their claret just yet! Fair's fair, they gave him a cuddly toy (well...as cuddly a toy as you can make a drop of blood look in cuddly toy form) and a drink bottle for his troubles but I think having to wear a pressure bandage on one arm (to stop the leakage) and multiple plasters on the other, not to mention being used (rather enthusiastically) as a human pin cushion for just a little bit longer than was quite decent, may have put him off the whole idea (at least for the foreseeable future)!

It's all in how you look at things, I guess...

2011-06-27T11:10:00.000+09:30

While I was staying up in Blenheim recently I read a news item on Stuff which reported that the number of marriage ceremonies being preformed in New Zealand had dropped to an all-time low...Ms Jo's husband was quick to point out that, looking on the positive side, this would also mean the number of divorces in New Zealand would be dropping in the future as well...
Boys, huh?! Always looking on the bright side!

LOs and Snail Mail

2011-06-23T13:36:00.000+09:30

The first LOs from this year's DT over at Little Shop of Sketches went 'live' last Sunday. I totally love the LOs the ladies have done for Sketch #87 - they're amazing, what clever chickies! Here is my take on the sketch. For some reason I totally choked on this LO...but I think I've got my head around the whole 'being on a DT' thing now and am quietly confident that my take on Sketch #88 is more me and less forced...

Now the LO above is one I put together of photos taken in the Botanical Gardens when Mr. Mac and I went for our long (and chilly) walk on Queen's Birthday weekend... The card stock was originally a very bright orange so that had to be modified in some way as I have a little allergy to orange (and I believe that anyone who worked in the same print shop I did and had to wear those luverly pumpkin orange shirts every day will know just how I feel...). As the LO was going to use photos of wintery trees and fallen leaves, I collected a selection of leaves in the park and used them as stencils...a liberal spraying with Glittermist toned down the orange to a more acceptable level and then it was just a matter of layering up photos and autumnal toned papers from my stash of itty-bitty leftovers that I can't bring myself to throw away...

On Monday, 13 June, Christchurch received some another couple of big shakes - a 6.3 and a 5.6 - and then followed all the attending aftershocks... all a bit much for this cowardly girl and so I left town for a few days, travelled north on the bus and slept on my Blenheim buddy's sofa again (Thank you, Ms Jo - what would I do without your 'open house' policy?!).

I made a comment on FB about losing my 'Big Girl Pants' because I felt like such a rat running away (again)... and, when I finally came home, I found this piece of snail-mail from the lovely Ms Dee (thank you!). It brought a few tears to my old tired eyeballs I can tell you. I don't deserve it - I am not brave and I know it - but it's something I'm trying to aspire to be.

Gotta sing, gotta dance - the sun is back!

2011-06-08T10:52:00.000+09:30

Sun is shining today and everything is looking particularly lovely after a few dreary and dismal days.

Mr. Mac stopped by to take me to see this crazy creation. He/she 'lives' on the edge of a small green space within a few blocks of the Sydenham shops and is the tall, dark (well...rusty) and silent kind.

Received the new sketch for Little Shop of Sketches on Monday and have been playing with paper putting my version together. The sketch is a goodie so look out for it on 19 June when it goes live on the site!

5.5 at 9.09

2011-06-06T11:49:00.000+09:30

Today is Queen's Birthday - a public holiday in New Zealand. Both the Mac lads are away from home on sleepovers so it was just me and Mr. Mac at home, having a bit of a relaxing morning and enjoying a nice cup of tea and then 9.09am rolled around. Suddenly things weren't that relaxing anymore...

Photos of Inner City Christchurch taken a fortnight ago

by my Blenheim buddy, Ms Jo

Last week one of our City Council members released statistics giving the likelihood of Christchurch having further shakes of 'significant' size...apparently our chance of having an 'event' between a 5 and a 6 was 90% within the next year and the chance of having one between a 6 and a 7 is 25%... It's not cheery reading and there were upset people in our house the day we heard that particular news. Turns out 'they' got the 5-6 one right, because at 9.09 this morning we got a 5.5 shake and it makes you start to think and wonder about the 6-7 'they' have forecast... Just when you tell yourself that you can do this, something happens and you start doubting yourself all over again...

Rather than let me sit and ponder 'til I made my head implode with it all, Mr. Mac suggested a walk through the Botanic Gardens...

Bbbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... it's chilly out there today! I'm not sure how I do it, but I tend to either wear too many layers (and end up rosy-cheeked and over-warm) or I put on no where near enough layers (and end up with goosebumps in places you just shouldn't get 'em and chattering teeth). Today's outing found me (unfortunately) in the latter category.

The good thing about being so incredibly chilly today was that it encouraged us to march briskly and at length (if only to try and keep the blood circulating to our extremities) and by the time we got back to the car to come home most of my earlier head-funk had reduced to a more manageable level and I had a camera filled with photos of the Gardens in Winter.

I know I can do this, this is my town, this is my life - I just have to remind myself of that sometimes and when I think I can't I need to remember a bit of helpful soul food someone reminded me of a while back - Psalm56:3, 'When I am afraid I will trust in You'.

Pretty Freebies!!!

2011-06-05T09:52:00.000+09:30

Challenge Me Happy have an awesome giveaway on their brand new shiny blog.

You can find out all about it by clicking here :)

Woot!

2011-06-02T06:56:00.000+09:30

Okay. So, here's the news... I've got a place on the DT at Little Shop of Sketches for the coming year! I'm a whole lot happy and excited and a whole lot nervous too all at the same time, cos these lovely ladies can really scrap and suddenly I'm not feeling all that worthy or capable...ah well... time to put my big girl undies on and dive in! Nothing ventured, folks, nothing gained...

You can find out all about Little Shop of Sketches by either clicking here (or you can always click on the little button over on the right of the postings) or here. There's going to be a new sketch up every week this year so if you're looking for some scrapping inspiration, I'd suggest a visit :)

These little bookends are currently stacked on the desk in front of me. I made them yesterday from two offcuts of wood, 30 metres (!) of laundry line and a set of instructions that look reasonably simple but which in fact require you to have fingers the length of an alien to achieve successfully. As I don't have ET's digits I'll admit I opted for a strip of masking tape to help me out during Step 1 (although I removed it before beginning Step 2).

The thing I really, really like about this project is that, once finished, the whole thing just holds itself together - there's no glue or stitching or outside assistance of any kind - it's just so neat and tidy! The lads kept picking the blocks up last night and searching for the ends of the laundry line but couldn't find them because the ends get neatly tucked away and held firm by the last layer. They're incredibly tactile objects too and, as Mr. Mac. was keen to point out to me, if we ever need a length of rope in a hurry he now knows where to look :) Cheers, honey!

It's A Mystery...

2011-05-31T11:56:00.003+09:30

If you know me then you'll know that (occasionally) I have a bit of a thing for watching movies with men by the name of Fiennes in them...judge me, if you will, but we all have our little quirks and quite frankly the thought of doing the ironing without something to distract me is not to be contemplated...anyways...I've steadily worked through my back-catalogue of Ralph DVDs over the past few weeks and so today it was Joseph's turn.

So - there I was, standing at the ironing board and lost in Shakespeare in Love (and why not?!) and plodding through getting the creases in the school shirts just right when up popped Geoffrey Rush as Phillip Henslowe responding to a query...

photo

Philip Henslowe :"Strangely enough it all turns out well."

Hugh Fennyman :"How?"

Philip Henslowe:"I don't know. It's a mystery."

and somehow now it's stuck in my head (don't you just hate it when that happens?!).

There have been a lot of times over the last few months when I've been stuck asking myself (and people around me) a lot of pretty well unanswerable questions: When will the aftershocks stop? When will everything go back to 'normal'? What are the chances of us having another big and scary 'event'? When will I be able to go out again and not find myself scanning the place I go to looking for the nearest exit, or the safest place to shelter, or working out the quickest way home again, just...in... case? When will I feel really, really safe again?

I know that all sounds just a little too contemplative (and depressing) for such a beautiful, sunny, autumn/winter day so, in an effort to be fair and honest (even if it reveals just how teeny tiny my brain can actually be at times) I have to let you know I also mull over many other not-quite-so-big-and-desperate questions too, such as: How does Carrie Bradshaw stay so thin when she consumes so many empty calories swilling back all those cosmopolitans with Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte? How come 'big girl' clothes come in such crap fabrics and patterns (does being chubby make you a style-free zone)? How come I always fill up my petrol tank just before the price per litre goes down (or, conversely, why is it I wait to fill up my tank just one day too long and the price rises 4 cents a litre overnight)? Why do teenagers think they have all the answers (and forget you've been where they are and you thought you knew all the answers too and now you're old enough to realise you didn't then and you don't now, so how can they be any wiser)? Why do I insist on buying scrapping papers in lovely, girly colours and patterns which I then have to desperately try to butch up to fit in to LOs for the junior Macs and just how can Mr. Mac continue to put up with his ever-questioning wife?

And yet, he does somehow and I really, really appreciate that more than I can ever fully express. I think that's why those lines from Shakespeare in Love are rattling around and around in my brain because they sound a lot like conversations we have some days:

Mr Mac:"You have to stop worrying so much, everything will turn out okay in the end."

Me:"How?"

Mr Mac:"I don't know. It just will."

Click Clack Flashback

2011-05-20T08:59:00.002+09:30

I had no intention of posting twice in one day but on a visit to my Mum's house this morning I was ratting through her collection of old knitting and crochet patterns and found these little beauties... kinda makes you wonder just what the back story was to some of these photos!

These two sets of models obviously have issues with one another. The girl in green can't even bear to look at the boy in red (and he's obviously very upset - look at his body language and red eyes, poor lad)...they've obviously had words just before this pic was taken, while the couple on the right seem to be eyeballing one another in the attempt to gain an admission of who was the origin of that rather vile odour!

A couple of classic knitting pattern poses here but each with it's own little mystery attached... What are the two chaps on the left talking about that has them so focused on each other (it almost looks as though the man in the cream jumper is about to take a punch at the man in the brown cardigan!) and what has the man behind the lady on the right just smelled (or seen) that has him looking so disturbed?!

I can totally understand why the man on the left has his hand resting on his leg and is having a bit of a breather - he's obviously just climbed up that steep path behind him but why are Mr. and Mrs. Jolly Jumpers taking a break in the same pose? They've only been walking along a flat park path!

And finally some crochet patterns for all you swinging chickies out there who want to glam up for the weekend - loving the white go-go boots, the lurex thread, the big hair and all those false eyelashes!

And it probably is just my imagination but the lady on the left looks disturbingly like a Chardonnay-sipping woman I used to work for - eek!

And One To End The Week With...

2011-05-20T05:57:00.001+09:30

The lads were both busy doing their own things yesterday so I had the whole afternoon to tinker at the kitchen table and came up with this take on Little Shop of Sketches #86.

The goat in these photos (he's the one wearing ginger and cream) was noticeably smaller and thinner the last time we saw him (although I admit this was a few years ago). Since then he's obviously learned a few things:

Tasty pellets come in small white paper bags.
If I act aggressively the other critters will stay out of my way when the visitors (with the small white paper bags) come to call and I will get all the pellets.
If I begin climbing the fence while they feed me then the visitors are bound to empty out their small white paper bags in my direction as quickly as possible just to get out of the way before a stout goat (with horns on the top of his head and a greedy glint in his eyes) ends up on their side of the fence.

I'm sure there's a lesson in there for all of us.

I just don't know what it is.

Anyway...

Go and enjoy your weekend (and look out for visitors bearing edible goodies)!

Bricks, Bugs and Being Brave

2011-05-17T06:03:00.000+09:30

We had bricklayers at our home on Friday fixing up the house and garage after all the shaking we've had in Christchurch caused just enough damage to be a wee bit concerned about. It's odd, but having even that bit of work done has made us all feel just a little teeny bit better. I doubt it made the neighbours feel good though as the bricklayers were here for the entire day and created enough noise (and dust) to wake up (and coat) practically the entire block... actually, I KNOW it didn't make at least one of them very happy.

Mr. Grumpy Old Man (who lives over the back fence) let us all know EXACTLY how he felt about it and that's okay, it's good to express yourself, sir, and I have no problem with that at all, but I fear you may be in for a busy old few weeks (and months) ahead complaining as there are a lot of houses in this neighbourhood that need the exact same work carried out. Perhaps I should leave him some throat lozenges (to soothe his tortured vocal cords) in his letterbox?

Anyway...

Apart from encouraging the GOM to air his views (loudly and continuously over the fence for all the daylight hours of Friday, even well after the workmen had gone) the bricklayers also stirred up some of the local wildlife. I opened the curtains the next morning to find this lovely little critter perched on one of our windows...shudder...well...nothing half a can of Raid and a sound squishing under the heel of Mr. Mac's shoe wouldn't solve I thought, and I was reasonably happy with that solution until I saw his little creepy friend scuttling under the back door sill and realised that, very possibly, spiders run in packs...eekk!!! I am currently working on the theory that ignorance is bliss and am refusing to look about much AT ALL anymore when I go outdoors. I'm sure (well...I hope) the spiders will settle down again sometime soon (or at least that they will respect the fact that inside is my home and outside is their home and we really don't need to share spaces).

I busted out the pretty papers again yesterday and put together this 8.5x11 LO of my great grandparents around the time of their wedding in 1919. They look kinda serious but I'm putting that down to the starched upright collar on Leonard's shirt constricting his smiling muscles and the fact that he's made poor Beatrice stand up for the pic!

Lastly I worked on another version of Little Shop of Sketches #82 and emailed it off to try my chances at getting a spot on their Design Team for this year... Feel the fear and do it anyway, isn't that how the saying goes?! Nothing ventured, nothing gained folks!

Enough said...

2011-05-15T10:31:00.000+09:30

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Slow to Scrap

2011-05-11T13:30:00.000+09:30

I am not a Winter person. The clocks go back an hour, it gets dark and cold and I just wanna hibernate until the sun comes back again! Consequently it's been tough getting motivated to do much of anything lately apart from the things I really, really have to...

I knew it was time to pull my metaphorical finger out and return to the land of the crafty living when Mr. Mac practically insisted I buy some papers at Artfull Crafts when we visited Timaru last weekend. Until he spoke up I had been kind of dawdling around the shop in a weird sort of cold-induced semi-comatose daze but Mr. Mac's insistence on the spending of some money on scrapping goodies was so unexpected and downright odd I snapped wide awake almost instantly! I was almost tempted to ask him if he was feeling alright...however, sensibly, I decided not to look a gift-husband in the mouth and took the cash and spent it,

so...

this morning there were no more excuses to be had: the heat pump was turned on and out came the trusty trimmer, the pretty papers, the card stock and those lovely adhesives and I tried my hand at completing a couple of layouts (including a double page LO - Little Shop of Sketches #85).

Mother's Day Survival Kit

2011-05-05T18:53:00.000+09:30

Yesterday I received this little bag filled with a 'Mother's Day Survival Kit'. I guess some might call it a little cheesy but I thought it was kinda sweet...see what you think, anyway...

The toothpick is to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others.
The rubber band is to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want.
The Band Aid is to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's.
The pencil is to remind you to list your blessings every day.
The eraser (on the end of the pencil) is to remind you that everyone makes mistakes sometimes and it's okay.
The chewing gum is to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.
The Mintie is to remind you that you are worth a mint.
The Hershey's Kiss is to remind you that everyone needs a hug or a kiss every day.
The tea bag is to remind you to relax and take a little time daily and go over your list of blessings.

Now, if you are matching off the items listed with the items in the photos you may have noticed that the Mintie and the Hershey's Kiss are missing and there's a very good reason for that...I ate them before I could take the photo...well I couldn't help it! One was covered in shiny paper and the other smelled so very good... You'll just have to imagine them in to the picture above and meanwhile I'll focus on the eraser that came in the bag and try and remember to take the photo first next time and munch on sweeties second.

Happy Mother's Day, ladies! I hope you have a wonderful day on Sunday!

Long Weekend

2011-04-27T13:20:00.000+09:30

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking.

Earl Wilson

...and on that note we headed out of Christchurch for the long Easter/ANZAC weekend and drove North to Marlborough. A few days away from the city was a real tonic.

The coast just north of Kaikoura

The sun did try to make an appearance but the best it could manage was a brief, full rainbow

over a vineyard in Blenheim

Being frugal little souls we climbed to the top of a hill in Blenheim to watch the Air Show

being held over Easter weekend.

Why is it that we always seem to need an umbrella when we visit the beach?!

The track down in to Monkey Bay on a grey and drizzly day

Monkey Bay is a lovely little spot and the beach is covered with shiny, colourful polished stones

Matt used the opportunity of having two relaxed parents to try and get in some driving practice.

Mr. Mac was soon not quite so relaxed!!!

Plarn in the Pouring Rain

2011-04-19T06:47:00.002+09:30

Went to the library on the weekend and came home with a book ( Eco-Friendly Knits by Emily Blades) about using recycled plastic shopping bags to make 'plarn' (plastic yarn). I'm not even sure why I selected that particular book because I really had no intention of actually making anything from it, it was just a spur of the moment selection....

and then yesterday arrived and it was one continuous deluge of rain from dawn to nearly dusk and I found myself hauling out some of the old plastic shopping bags from the laundry cupboard and giving it a go... the process is pretty straightforward and each bag produces a surprisingly long strand of plarn.

Different stores obviously have different coloured shopping bags. These are ones I had sitting around:

Pak'n' Save = yellow

The Warehouse = red

Dick Smith = black

New World/Whitcoulls/No.1 Shoe Warehouse = white

Shanton = purple

not sure where we got the grey ones from!

Any other suggestions, anyone?

Marshmallow made me do it

2011-04-14T06:53:00.002+09:30

I've never understood the women who request/appreciate/like/tolerate getting household appliances as gifts. I've always known that, sure, certain appliances are needed in a house, but I've never considered them ideal/girlie/romantic/thoughtful pressie material. In fact, very early on in our relationship (when Mr. Mac mooted the idea of presenting me with a fry pan we needed in our flat for my birthday), I was quick to point out the possible negative consequences of such actions (namely a long-lasting ringing in his ears from having the item in question wrapped around his head) and suggested acceptable alternatives eg: perfume, shiny things, yummy things (especially licorice allsorts or chocolate), books, you get the idea...

Knowing this you may be able to understand then why I was just a little perturbed to find myself in Norman Ross yesterday comparing various types of electric beater and thinking to myself, "Well...Mother's Day is just around the corner..." Quite frankly I was just a little stunned and amazed at my inner traitor but I really do kinda want an electric beater now, if only for the marshmallow.

Let me explain...

Yesterday I made marshmallow cones. I remember them from birthday parties when I was a kid (but then I did grow up in the '70s and I think Mums had a more relaxed approach to sugar and artificial colourings in those days) and the mere act of making them brought back a whole load of very happy memories which I quite enjoyed reliving (or it just may have been the sugar rush that followed closely on the heels of me licking the spoon when I was finished dolloping out the marshmallow in to the cones...who knows? It was an enjoyable few moments either way).

I wish I had a photo of my very own marshmallow cones to show you cos they looked all lovely and fluffy and gorgeous (especially after I'd sprinkled a liberal coating of 100s and 1000s on the top) but they barely survived the drive home (who knew they'd fall over quite so spectacularly when I swerved to miss a pot hole of scary depth?) and then the teens arrived home at lunchtime and they vanished in to the black holes that constitute their tummies these days. Sigh.

Anyway, here is the recipe (courtesy of The Destitute Gourmet) if you'd like to make some yourself.

Marshmallow

3 dessertspoons Gelatine

1 Cup Sugar

270ml Water

250g Icing Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla

extra Icing Sugar for dusting

Put gelatine into a saucepan with water and sugar. Boil for 8 minutes and allow to cool.

Pour cooled syrup into a bowl, add icing sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until thick and white (takes about 5 minutes and I challenge you to beat the mixture for that long without electric assistance!!!).

Pour the mixture into a tray that has been dusted with cornflour (to prevent goop sticking) and leave for several hours to firm. Cut into squares and dust with icing sugar or roll in toasted coconut or melted chocolate.

It really is a very easy recipe to make (as long as you can stomach the smell of bubbling gelatine...eeeeuuuuuu gag gag gag....) but you really are going to need an electric beater (unless you've been working out - a lot - and have biceps of steel).

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Sketches, Stripy Socks and General Stropiness

2011-04-08T06:03:00.001+09:30

Was a bit of a nasty afternoon weather-wise yesterday so I got out the scrapping things and put together this take on Little Shop of Sketches #83. I used some old photos that have been sitting around waiting, waiting, waiting (including one of me from 1989 - Ha! My hair used to actually be dark without the benefit of hair colouring back then!) and for which there has never seemed to be quite the right situation to air them in before...can't think why exactly *cough cough*, yeah right...

And on the subject of silliness I bring you the socks du jour, glorious taste-free zone that they are, these purple lovelies are keeping my teens in order today (well, the big one at least. Hopefully.). On Fridays I have to taxi the lad halfway across town to a music lesson at a snooty school where the fees are five-figures a year and yet, mysteriously, the students still manage to speak in a surfeit of four letter words designed to curl (and in some cases, set fire to) the ear drums of captive adults. The lessons are long and my attention span is often not, so sometimes I wander down to the local shops for a look around while the boy is tootling away and it can be really pretty awkward - the locals have obviously forgotten they put their undies on one leg at a time like the rest of us and the shop assistants act as though they have the suspicion I'm likely to do something nasty while I'm in their shop eg: poo in the corner or some such.

Boy tells me I could help myself out here a little by not dressing like I was someone's cleaner (ta very much, hon, appreciate the advice. Not.) which is an example of how he's been a tad fractious this week and, quite frankly, I'm a wee bit over it. So... I was getting dressed this morning when I spied these gorgeous woolly socks in the back of the drawer and thought (because just sometimes I manage a thought or two), "Aha!!!" and I pounced on them and pulled them on. I know you're not allowed to smack your kids these days but I'm fairly sure there are no rules about messing with their heads. Yet. So the challenge was put out there over the wheaties: Smarten up your act or Mummy wears the stripy socks to the snooty school and walks you in to your lesson. I'll let you know if it works!

First Dance

2011-04-05T12:22:00.002+09:30

I haven't had a look at Scrappin' Patch's forum for a while but finally logged in for a look-see yesterday. Robbi's challenge for the first half of April is to create a layout around the word, "Memories". I suddenly got all inspired (after quite a while now of doing nothing in particular) and hunted out this photo of my parents when they first started going out and used some pretty Kaisercraft paper and some bits and bobs out of my (messy, messy, messy) stash to make this 8.5x11 LO.

Mrs. Mac's Mysteries on Friday

2011-03-25T07:13:00.001+10:30

Some things are beyond explanation...for example, we have a bed that is meant to be great for people with back problems, in fact we are pretty sure we paid extra at the time of purchase just in order to get the sort of bed that promises that you will spring to your feet well rested and pain free every single morning because that is what we truly desired. It seems a simple enough equation to me: buy 'proper' bed = yippee yippee yippee bright-eyed and bushy-tailed little joy bunny in the mornings. Instead we have: buy 'proper' bed = slowly haul your carcase to a seated position and wait for the first twinges of sciatica to pass before pulling yourself out of bed.

Well...I could maybe understand this. Advertising is a great and persuasive art form and I have to really question whether I did actually truly believe that I would be that completely joyous at the prospect of rising from my bed any morning, let alone every morning, except, you see, I really wanted to believe it and now I feel a trifle ripped off.

What really has rubbed my nose in it lately is that Mr. Mac and I have taken to camping out in the back yard in recent weeks and when we do we sleep in a little tent on an inflatable mattress. Now, I bought this mattress a few years back from a lovely admin lady who was going to live in Iceland (I kid you not). It cost me $10 (and that included the foot pump attachment to blow the oversized lilo up) and you know what? We sleep great on it and wake up with no aches or pains at all! I'm not saying it allows us to be sparkly little joy bunnies in the mornings (because, after all, Macs are not amoung God's natural morning people) and we definately don't leap to our feet and yell, "Yippee yippee yippee!!!" (it's a little tent, people, and we have it pitched in a suburban back yard - I think there are probably council by-laws with penalties attached that outlaw early morning yippeeing) but it's good to be able to just get up and go, rather than get up and go eventually...

So the moral of this tale is obviously: get sucked in by catchy advertisements with great little jingles+spend extra dollars for supposedly miracle bed=still wake up feeling crappy...buy second-hand blow-up mattress for less than the price of two Happy Meals=wake up ready to get on with the day. Some things are beyond explanation.

Have just realised I have ranted for some paragraphs about something completely unrelated to what I intended to write...

What I intended to write about is my home computer. Usually I attach photos to my posts but I haven't been able to lately because, instead of using our retro home PC, I've been using the son's teeny tiny magic box (aka netbook) and, not wanting to admit I had no clue about where to connect my camera lead I just decided to go photoless for a while. Our trusty old PC mysteriously ceased functioning one day for no apparent reason in late February but is now back at home and it's all the same and yet it's not. I admit I am not the most technologically minded person. Ask me for my explanation of how corded phones work one day and you'll instantly understand that this statement is probably very seriously true ( I mean, I've read Google for a 'proper' explanation but mine makes so much more sense).

Whatever the repair guy did has scrambled my poor electronic baby's brains and yes, it goes faster and yes, it actually works now and it has pretty little lights and makes industrious little noises and everything, and I am grateful...but...where's my dodgy copy of Photoshop? My whole approach to digital photography for the last few years has been point and snap and then Photoshop the results til it looks the way you want it. And...now...Photoshop has vanished from my hard drive! How can I mess with my photos now? *anguished sob*

Anyway... Here are some photos from the past month. Unadulterated. Raw. Exactly as they were first snapped. Oh, it bites but I'm dealing!!! Ha!!!

Mr. Mac working on erecting the canvas palace

Matt does his shaggadelically best Austin Power's impersonation at Artfull Crafts in Timaru (needs work, son, although I do acknowledge it was your 17th birthday and you were pretty amazing to go pretty paper shopping with your Mum...not that you had much choice in the matter...bwah ha ha)

and then he saw the piano and all of Liz's music scores and the difficulty was then in getting him to leave the store - he'd have played all day if I'd let him!

The Mac lads and me in the park at Caroline Bay, Timaru.

Mrs. C's children and the Mac lads (as well as Mr. C and Mr. Mac!) play on the swings at Caroline Bay

Sign seen in Blenheim - a Husband Creche!? Great idea!

My take on Little Shop of Sketches #82.

Today's post brought to you by the letter S for Sharing

2011-03-23T12:40:00.000+10:30

The lads had their first day of school sharing today. This meant that their first lesson begins at 8am and classes are 45 minutes in length (rather than the usual 55 minutes) until they finish up school for the day at 12.35pm (to allow for the high school they are sharing premises with to bus in their students for their classes which begin at 1pm).

There were a few (predictable) moans and groans this morning as everyone adjusted their morning routines to allow for the earlier start times. As I have yet to see a Mac family member who is a bright and shiny button of good humour first thing in the morning then it doesn't take much imagination to work out that things were just occasionally rather less than pretty in our house at the start of today but I think it's all going to work out okay...and now I have all afternoon to nag ... um... encourage them to do their homework and deliver their newspapers...bwah ha ha!!!!!

Eyes Vs. I-Phone

2011-03-14T08:05:00.001+10:30

We had a map. Okay, it was a tourist map, but it was a map. So we're walking along the main drag in Timaru looking for George Street on Saturday morning, when we come to a halt on one particular corner, knowing we must be about as close as close can be but we can't be sure because there are no obvious street signs to let us know which street we've actually reached... there is humming, there is ha-ing, there is the collective gnash of male teeth as they realise that the Mummy-nator ("If we don't find it now, you know I'll make you bring me back!") is quite, quite serious about finding the girly shop she's seeking (aka Artfull Crafts).

Matt decides to save the day by pulling out his amazingly clever phone and starting up his magic finding-any-place-on-the-face-of-the-earth application while I wander two steps further down the street and find '9 George Street' written on a door so I know:

a) this is George Street

b) Artfull Crafts will be on the opposite side of the street and

c) I need to go the other way on George Street to reach my destination...

I head back to the intersection and spy the bright pink loveliness of Artfull Crafts just as Matt's magic application tells us we're 40 metres away from our destination!

Was nice to see the store and Liz was lovely and friendly and welcoming. Turns out the male Macs even found the time we spent there to be not entirely hideous as there is a man-cave just off to one side of the store (think big squishy sofa and a TV) where Mr. Mac and Josh parked their weary booties and there was a piano (and lots of music scores) upstairs in the main entrance way so Matt got to tickle the ivories (and accompany Liz as she sang her little heart out) for quite some while. In the end it was actually me who said we really should be going... so talk about a total 180 re: attitude of male Macs to scrapbook stores! If Liz had laid on food and drinks as well I doubt I would have ever got them out of there!

Remember the Little Engine that Could?

2011-03-10T14:41:00.001+10:30

Just noticed that a friend has listed on her blog, as one of her goals,'Stop letting fear control me'. I really need to take this on board and make it a goal of my own. It's a goal definately worth making the effort to achieve. I'm not fooling myself, I don't doubt it's going to take a lot of commitment on my part and I don't think it's going to be easy but I have to try because I can't continue wrapping myself up in knots every second of every day (and night) about something I have absolutely no control over.
I think I can...I think I can...I think I can...

You gotta stop running away sometime

2011-03-07T07:34:00.000+10:30

Have decided to change the title of my blog...won't go in to it but I live in Christchurch and 22 February changed my perspective on life, the universe and pretty much everything... the monster came back and bit us in the bum and nothing seems quite right since then. So. Not much fun and a change of blog title was definitely in order.

We ran away and hid for a while. It felt like we were rats deserting a sinking ship. Traitors. Gutless. Cowards. Hated doing it but couldn't face any of it. Now we're back but it still feels far from being home. Hopefully time will heal...

A big thank you to everyone who helped us along the way...

Ms. Jo and family who selflessly made room for us in their home and protected us from reality for a while.

Margaret and her bottomless chest freezer (although I still don't understand someone keeping 9 tubs of vanilla ice cream and vintage savouries in cold store).

Dr. Penny who made time in her busy day to see me and who didn't bat an eyelid when I finally got around to telling her, "I think I've gone a bit crazy. Again. Can you help me? Please?"

Mr. Mac's family in Wellington who arranged for us to have a few nights in a beach house at Te Horo (north of Wellington) and who took us for long walks on the beach.

Mary at Picton Police Station who found Matt's I-phone, driver's licence and bank cards and made him smile again and

Angela and her family who looked after our fur baby, George, while we were away and who welcomed us back with a big hug.

Love you all and can't thank you enough.

Gotta sing, gotta dance, gotta laugh!

2011-02-10T06:45:00.001+10:30

Took a little drive out to Rolleston yesterday to go and visit Scrappin' Patch. O the pretty papers! The alphabets! The trims! The pretty, pretty, sparkly bling! The cardstock! And, last but definitely not least, let us not forget the adhesives!
I had a $20 credit burning a figurative hole in my pocket to spend in-store from Adrienne via Little Shop of Sketches and I was determined to get the most papery bang for my buck! Imagine my joy then to discover I also had 13 lovely loyalty dollars available to me as well! Phwoar.......... it was all goodness and wonder!
I came away with a gorgeous little brown bag of crafting goodies, a smile on my face and a quiet determination to enter in to one of Scrappin' Patch's Challenges...so...here is my version of their February Sketch Challenge.
Feel the fear and do it anyway, right?!

Warming Up

2011-02-08T05:32:00.001+10:30

I have done no scrapbooking over the Christmas/New Year season and so I figured that it was time to haul out the pretty paper, trimmer and glue and get back in to it... some of the layouts I like and others I'll keep but never be all that happy with (but that's the usual case anyway, I guess, so what's new?!).

Mrs Nic gave me this pretty paper with vintage labels on at the end of last year and I just knew straight away I'd want to scrap a picture of my Gran (she's the lady holding the baby - and the baby is my Mum!) cos it featured rose water and violet talcum labels and both were favorites of hers.

This is probably the LO of our holiday photos I like most (so far). I just like all the colours and it's nice that we are actually all in the photo together for a change!

And this is one of the 'Well...it's done...but I don't really like it' LOs!

Finally this is my take on Little Shop of Sketches #79 (although done as an 8.5x11 rather than a 12x12). You'll notice that my tradition of taking bad photos of my scrapbooking continues with these last two photos - for some reason they've turned out all kinda bluish!

Two Kinds of Human Beings

2011-01-31T06:33:00.001+10:30

Mrs. Jo sent me this card a while ago but I just found it again this morning when I was cleaning up the tip (aka: the corner of the bedroom). Made me smile just as much as the first time I saw it, fresh from the envelope!
So, people, which kind of human being are you?

Felties

2011-01-30T13:33:00.000+10:30

I've been really slack on the crafting front over the summer holidays but I borrowed a cute little book, Felties by Nelly Pailloux, from the local library recently which prompted me to rat through my little stash of leftovers and produce these teeny critters last week. They were quick and easy to make. The Pensive Rabbit (he's the blue guy with the boogly eyes) is probably my favourite although I think the little Matroushka would make a great cushion, for on the bed or sofa, if the pattern were scaled up.

Sun is Shining - Day 5

2011-01-23T15:00:00.001+10:30

On the last day of our Annual Wander we farewelled the ladies and jumped in the car for the trip north to Christchurch.

Our trip home included a stop in Dunedin to visit the Chinese Gardens. We all really enjoyed this stop and played a game of chess while we supped a pot of Chinese tea and snacked on fortune cookies in the tea house there before continuing on.

With our uncanny ability to be able to pick when exactly not to go on holiday (weather-wise), you won't be surprised to hear that the closer we got to home, the brighter the sun shone...*sigh*
By the time we reached Oamaru it was a lovely, warm and totally summery day. The teens were complaining of starving (again) so we stopped for lunch and a walk around in the park there (and very possibly a swing and a see-saw too but I won't commit myself to acknowledging that as fact).

After feeding the teens the trip north from Oamaru was very definitely quieter and when we were driving past several fields filled with sunflowers and I turned to mention how pretty I thought they were to the lads I discovered why...

they were asleep! Full tummies+road noise+loads of serotonin=sleeping teens +adults who get to listen to what they want to listen to on the car stereo. Win:win, I'd say. Wouldn't you?

The Annual Wander - Days 3 and 4

2011-01-20T14:14:00.000+10:30

If Day 2 of the Annual Wander had dawned dark and stormy then Day 3 was even more so. It may not have been the wrong weather, Mr. Rob, but we definitely did not have the right clothes with us to face a howling wind and rain coming in at us horizontally! Thankfully there was a little room at the farmhouse loaded up with books and board games and jigsaw puzzles, so we all took a little time out and caught up with our inner child (admittedly some of us have less distance to travel than others).

Things seemed to be settling down towards mid-day (the rain was falling vertically by then) so we braved the great outdoors to wander down to the bottom of the driveway and go make nice with The Ladies (aka the farm hens). The Ladies were a great 'hit' of our stay at Owaka. The male Macs all took a great interest in visiting them and feeding them food scraps from the kitchen in exchange for receiving nice (warm!) fresh eggs...don't get me wrong, I thought they were cute too, it's just the smell of chicken poop first thing in the morning has never really appealed to me...

By late afternoon we had had so many games of Cluedo that I was becoming a little concerned that the next murder would have the solution of: Mrs. Mac in the farmhouse kitchen with the cleaver! Yes Virginia, it appears it is possible to get cabin fever in only one morning! Mr. Mac suggested the time may be right for a bit of an outing...

We drove to Jack's Bay where, after only a very short while, the sun came back out and a potentially homicidal evening at the farmhouse was thus avoided.

On Day 4 we visited Cannibal Bay (cool name, huh?). When things weren't going well at the place I used to work I'd take a few moments out to have a little day-dream wander along the sand of Cannibal Bay and it always helped...so obviously I was looking forward to going back there and seeing it for real all over again.

To get to Cannibal Bay involves an 8km drive through farmland along a gravel road. Right at the end of the road there are a couple of very old bachs, a farm building and a place to park your car and that's it (so if you don't have a super-tanker bladder then either go before you get there or otherwise develop Jane-of-the-Jungle outdoor skills...you know what I'm talking about!).

The lads set to making a sand castle almost as soon as we arrived but Mr. Mac and I took ourselves for a stroll along the beach. If you are feeling so inclined you can walk over the headland at the very end of the beach and find yourself in Surat Bay (just look out for sea lions who seem to enjoy having a snooze on the warm and sheltered sand at the end of the track).

Seals seem to enjoy Cannibal Bay too. We saw four on the day we were there. This little lady was using a piece of kelp as a pillow, while another two were snuggled up in the dunes at the back of the beach. The last seal on the beach had made herself quite comfy in the sand just by the car park.

Cannibal Bay is another long, lovely and mostly deserted southern beach. We spent most of Day 4 there and would have happily stayed longer if only the tide hadn't been coming in...it was definitely every bit as good as I remembered it :-)

We love to go a-wandering - Day Two

2011-01-18T17:14:00.002+10:30

Day 2 in The Catlins began like a very bad and cheesy story...you know, the one that starts, "It was a dark and stormy night...", except, of course, it was a dark and stormy morning. Mr. Mac belongs to the school of thought that states: "It's never the wrong weather, you're just wearing the wrong clothes", so a bit of cloud and the odd raindrop (or three or four) were not going to stop him from taking us all out for walkies. Our first stop was the Nugget Point Lighthouse.

The scenery was amazing, although my inner chicken found the cliffs more than a little scary. Please note that in the photo above I'm wearing a big smile and pretending I was never bothered at all about the possibility of becoming a rather large and meaty splat on the rocks way, way, way below the path to the lighthouse (I think the sturdy fences that ran on both sides of the path from this spot on may just have had something to do with me re-discovering my big girl undies).

In the afternoon we drove south from Owaka to go and see the Cathedral Caves. The weather had turned lovely and sunny by this time and we enjoyed the bush walk down to the beach where the caves are located.

The caves can only be reached at low tide and are seriously impressive. I'm guessing the name 'Cathedral Caves' was given due to their size...or maybe it has something to do with the way they inspire people to talk in a bit of an awed whisper when they're visiting... (well, every visitor except one mini-Mac, who used his time in the large and echoing vault to work on his Hannibal Lector impersonation *sigh*).

Our last stop of the day was for another (short) bushwalk to view the Horseshoe Falls and the Matai Falls. Quiet, shady and gorgeous.

Foraging

2011-01-18T14:45:00.000+10:30

Okay. I'll admit it. I've been having a little trouble focusing over the past few days. Son #1 is booked in to take his Learner's License test tomorrow and son #2 has just got his first EFTpos card today and I'm very nearly the shortest person who lives at Chez Mac now, so, even though I realise it's completely pathetic, I'm feeling kinda past my use-by date at the mo' and toying with the idea of applying for a case of early-onset Alzheimer's (in the hope that I can forget about feeling all tragic and ancient...I'll be breaking out in a bad case of stray cats any day soon, at this rate).

So, while I know I should be writing about Day 2 of The Great Wander, instead I feel like I just have to mention the great place we 'found' today...

Mr. Mac and I have been on the prowl for a desk lately...we saw a really nice one in Dunedin the other day (but more of that some other time perhaps) but even I had to agree with He Who Knows: tying it on to the top of the work car and driving it all the way home would have been: a) kinda crazy and b) not terribly good for fuel efficiency...so it stopped where it was. But (and this really has to be said) it was a lovely old desk (oh, and cheap as chips to boot)!

Today is kinda dribbly (and I'm referring to the weather here, people, although I will admit I've had my moments today as well) so I asked Mr. Mac if we could go and check out some second hand shops in Christchurch today - in the hope we'd find another desk that was just crying out for a spot of TLC and a brand new home....and that's how we came to stop in at Foragers at 369 St.Asaph Street. What an awesome shop to have a rumage in! Just make sure you give yourself loads of time if you stop in there because there are literally thousands of items stacked everywhere. We'll definately be going back for a longer look!

Photo

And just in case you're wondering...we did find a great, little (okay...maybe not so little, as it turned out) second hand desk (although not at Foragers) and we were well pleased with ourselves right up until the moment we came home and measured the space we had in mind for it and found it was exactly 30cm too long.

An hour or so later(and after some rather extreme suggestions along the lines of, "Well, let's just knock a huge hole in the wall to make it fit, shall we?!"), we were back at the store and exchanged it for a brand new desk of exactly the right size (and for the exact same price as the older, used desk).

I'm not sure what the moral of that little urban tale is. Probably something incredibly sensible like: take the measurements with you, no, really, take them with you, or, quite possibly, trying to be all earth-friendly and reuse/reduce/recycle doesn't always work out, but, mostly I suspect the moral is: don't take an easily distracted person shopping with you on a rainy day.

The Annual Wander - Day One

2011-01-16T09:56:00.001+10:30

Every year, at about this time, the Family Mac is driven by some deep and primal urge to pack their little suitcase and go and see what's around the very next corner...and so begins The Annual Wander.

This year we headed South very early in the morning (the teens didn't quite know what to make of this... "Are you serious?! There are two 6 o'clocks in one day?!") and grabbed a seat at Macas in Ashvegas for breakfast.

Oamaru was our next stop. We looked around the historic shops at the far end of the town, availed ourselves of the facilities (yes, well...needs must and all that) and then it was back in the car until we reached Moeraki.

The Moeraki Boulders are amazing. When we took the lads there when they were very young they thought they were dragon eggs waiting to hatch - now they just think they're awesome to climb over and leap off!

Is it just me or do other parents find the same thing: your teens will act like goofy little nutters again as soon as they are sure no one they know is within 100kms? Thankfully (for me) this includes posing for The Sort of Photos Mum Likes!

By mid-afternoon we reached the farmhouse we had booked for the week on Trademe. We hadn't been sure exactly what to expect but it was all good!

After settling in Rob and I headed in to Owaka to buy some groceries for the week. We knew we weren't in the city anymore when we were stopped on the way in to town by a flock of sheep crossing the road.

Late that evening we drove down to Surat Bay. We've seen sea lions here before but, unfortunately, not this time! It's a great, empty beach to enjoy a walk along though (even when the wind is blowing and the skies are clouding in to night time!).

And so concluded Day One of the Annual Wander...

Waiting on a Wet Wednesday

2011-01-05T10:25:00.000+10:30

I have a learner's license when it comes to having visitors in my house...and today we are expecting Mr Mac's brother and his family from out of town to come a-calling at some stage. Nervous?! YES!!!

So, what to offer them with their cup of tea when they arrive?! Mrs Nic suggested sausage rolls and choccie biscuits, which I was more than happy to go along with but Mr Mac and I ended up baking as well anyway.

We had some bananas sitting in the fruit bowl, which were rapidly becoming quite unlovely, so banana cake seemed the best option to make use of them. And then we decided to make some gingerbread...but, somehow, I don't think the family-in-law will be seeing these cookies, cos they just might take offense...

Plus

Equals

and lots of laughter in the kitchen!!!

This is the plan...

2010-12-30T14:18:00.001+10:30

Photo

With the house unusually quiet (teen-free courtesy of one lad being away at Jamboree and the other off at his Summer job) and with 2011 just a couple of days away I was given to thinking about New Year's Resolutions today. I've decided that I'm going to keep a diary next year and try and write in it at least three things that have made me happy each day.
Let's give this a test run then...

Three Things That Have Made Me Happy Today

1. The Ginger Ninja is eating again (he's gone from Mr. Fattyfattyfat cat to skeletal puss over the past week or so of being ill, so this is a biggie)

2. Mr. Mac and I had a picnic lunch in the Botanical Gardens today

3. and, after lunch we bought a Paddle Pop ice block each and found out we'd won a free one each for next time (okay, okay...small things, people, small things!!!).

You know what? That wasn't so hard... I might actually be able to keep this resolution!

It pays to specify...

2010-12-18T09:01:00.000+10:30

A wee while back we all sat down and agreed it was time to trim the tree at Chez Mac.

The lads got on with the task at hand and fairly shortly our Christmas tree was up and pretty darn twinkly and lovely (mmmm....shiny, shiny...call me Magpie but I love shiny things)...

...and this was Mr. Mac's take on trimming the tree...not quite what I was expecting! When I expressed surprise he gave a little grin and said, "Well...I've left a few green bits on it, who knows? Maybe it'll have grown back by this time next year!"
PS: That poor wee tree has no chance of regrowth now...since this photo was taken the stump has been cut off at dirt level!

Click, clack, fold, press

2010-12-13T06:53:00.001+10:30

The knitting needles are still clicking at Chez Mac, thanks mainly to Spotlight's sale a week or so back and yarn at $1 a ball! I'm currently working on a scarf for myself for next Winter and the yarn is 70% wool (from small, fuzzy, dim creatures) and 30% alpaca wool (from taller, fuzzy, less dim creatures with more interesting accents).
It's lovely and cuddly at the moment but I'm toying with the idea of felting it once I'm finished (or it could run the risk of being as long as Tom Baker's scarf when he played Dr. Who by the time it's completed)...anyway, we'll see if I'm brave enough to attempt it once it's knitted!

This photo is of an origami rhino that Matt folded last night (clever bunny!) - he obviously inherited the patience gene somewhere along the line...

Counting Down

2010-12-12T16:08:00.001+10:30

The last days of this year just seem to be rolling by so quickly. The lads are both on their summer holidays now and Matt has begun his first 'proper' paying job (just for the summer - he's definitely back at school next year). We are counting down 'til Christmas Eve when Mr Mac stops work for a few weeks and we can all just relax maybe a little more than usual. It just seems there may be more things to get done before then than there are days left!

Red and green may be the traditional colours for Christmas time but today I'm tired and cranky and have very unfunny sinusitis and I'm really, really, really tired (maybe I mentioned that already?!) and so I'm going for less green and red and more blue!

Photos

Harry and the Final Exam

2010-12-03T06:32:00.001+10:30

The Macs finally toddled off to the movies to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 on the weekend. It was a relief to finally be able to talk to the rest of them about it afterwards (as I'd sneaked off to see it, with Mrs Nic, a few days before our family outing and had been bursting to blab about it but couldn't...ohh...the guilty conscience!!!). I think they all enjoyed it and anyway, as far as I'm concerned, anything that encourages the lads to sit down and start reading again (they're working their way through the Harry Potter series from Book 1 to 7) is definately okay by me!

Tuesday marked the end of an era as Matt put on his school uniform for the very last time and went off to sit his final exam for 2010. He's returning to school in 2011 but Year 13 students at his high school wear mufti. I got (unexpectedly) emotional about it (must be tired, end of the year and all that...) and insisted on taking a photo (well, okay, several photos). The lad was very good and tolerated my picture taking moment quite well, mainly I expect, because he knows (knowledge built on the foundation of years of pointless struggle to avoid the camera) that resistance is futile! Secretly though, there's a little part of me that realises he thinks I'm quite pathetic at times like this...
Ah well...
Put up and shut up, sunshine, and say, 'Cheese!'

Saturday Scrapping

2010-11-27T14:06:00.001+10:30

It's been another warm and lovely day. I've just downed a Memphis Meltdown Gooey Raspberry and am, consequently, feeling in need of a quiet little sit-down. I guess I should know by this stage in my life that a Memphis Meltdown is just way too much ice cream all at once for me. The problem is I just plain forget between purchases and they really are sooo yummy to begin with (although by the end I am remembering why I so seldomly buy them)! Anyway, this morning I had the house to myself (Mr. Mac and one boy at cricket and the other boy at a sleep-over) so I decided to pull out my scrapping gear and try my hand at Sketch #75 from Little Shop of Sketches, using photos of Matt while he was on Music Tour in Australia in September...

Sometimes you're up...sometimes you're just not

2010-11-22T07:55:00.001+10:30

The weekend didn't turn out exactly the way I had thought it would... I was a bit gutted, if the truth be told, but then along came Sunday and it was sunny and warm and generally glorious and Mr. Mac took me out for walkies at Mona Vale. Disappointments be damned... Things couldn't seem so tragic in all that lovely sunshine.

How to get your car clean

2010-11-16T11:19:00.000+10:30

Mr. Mac thought the weekend was an ideal time to introduce me to the gentle art of car washing. He seemed to think that my lovely little lilac lady-mover was in need of a clean (which I thought was a bit cheeky, after all, I got the lads to wash 'her' only 4 short years ago)!

I asked Mr. Mac if he would mind showing me the 'right' way to go about things, so that I could do a 'proper' job that would meet with his approval...

Apparently there are five simple steps to getting your car sparkly clean:

Unfortunately it turns out that I was so busy making sure I was paying attention to the correct way to wash my car that I actually ended up not getting very hands on with the whole process. Oh dear. What a shame. Next time, perhaps?! If I keep true to form that will be at the end of 2014 - I might just need a reminder on how to do it by then though...

Sunshine and Sewing

2010-11-13T13:01:00.000+10:30

A couple of the polar fleece cuddly blankets we snuggle up in on the sofa over Winter are starting to look their age but being loath to throw them away (for sentimental reasons and because, well...I'm cheap like that...) I decided to see if I could make 'em pretty and warm and snuggly again.

Out came the box of fabric scraps from the linen cupboard along with the sewing machine. It took a little while to sew enough scraps together to make a blanket-sized piece of fabric but finally it was done...then it was a case of sandwiching the polar fleece and material sections together and then machine-quilting through all the layers before adding a binding around the edge.

Amazingly enough it all came together quite well and we now have a very warm and cosy blankie for keeping warm under while watching TV next Winter.

Winter has seemed a long way away over the past few days as the weather has been bright and warm and sunny... Yesterday was a public holiday in Canterbury, so we all enjoyed blobbing out at home and doing nothing much in particular...the sunshade made it's first appearance of the 2010-11 Summer season - George thought it was all done just for his benefit, I'm sure! It must have been good though, as it even managed to lure the elder teen out of his room and in to the fresh air (even his IPod came along for the outing)! Woohoo!

Summer, I hear you calling...

2010-11-11T10:31:00.001+10:30

Today I actually believe Summer is on 'her' way. It's sunny and warm, birds are calling, the ginger menace has actually moved himself outside to snooze (under the garden bench so he doesn't get too hot) and it just kinda smells like Summer...know what I mean?

Today also marks the first day that Matt is on study leave for his end of year exams... except... he's not studying because he's at the Town Hall practising with the Orchestra for Year 13's Graduation Ceremony which is being held there tonight.

Year 12 had their prizegiving last night in the PAC at school. Matt received an excellence for English to go with the Arts Gold he received at Achievers' Evening last week for his music work, so way to go, Matt! I'd love to have some photos of the events to include here but, unfortunately, we are banned from taking photos of him in public. Too embarrassing, he thinks. Whatever. My next camera is so going to be one James Bond would envy - with amazing zoom and yet still small enough to conceal in the palm of my hand! Let's see him try and stop me taking sneaky photos in public then! Ha!

Photo

Facebook Recipes

2010-11-09T06:35:00.000+10:30

Mrs. Nic has been posting some scrapbooking 'recipes' on her Facebook page recently (with accompanying sketches) so I thought I'd give them a go.

The first recipe called for paint (I used paint to gunge up the edges of the paper instead of using ink), something sparkly (too easy!!! I love sparkles!!! Bring on the Bling!!!), a chipboard shape of some sort (the angel wings under the photo of me - and YES, Mr. Mac did laugh at that addition!!!), something stamped (the feather shapes at the bottom edge of the wings) and at least three different pieces of patterned paper (main background paper covered in keys, square of paper that looks rather like some wallpaper we had in the hallway in the 1970s, a wee strip of blue patterned paper to the other side of the square and the blue paper I've covered the wings with).

The second recipe called for some chipboard (the heart), some bling (restrained use of mini bling here - very odd for me!!! Once again - with feeling - BRING ON THE BLING!!!), a handmade embellishment and at least 6 buttons (forming the centres of the three large flowers and also three buttons acting as flowers all on their lonesome). Now I'm a little scared of handmade embellishments (mostly cos I'm rubbish at making them) but I hope that the layers of circles I put together to make the three large flowers count in this case!

The photo is of Josh when he was just learning to sit up by himself (hence the stack of cushions behind him in case he toppled over).   We were cleaning up Josh's room on Sunday (well...Mr. Mac and I were doing the cleaning, Josh was sitting on his bed going, "Don't throw that out!   Or that! Or that..."   Well...you get the picture...) because he really does have a pretty reasonably sized room and it had got to the stage where the actual floor space was no longer navigable by regular humans (pixies, possibly, or small-footed house elves, but humans - NO).
Anyway.
We shelved books and gadgets, we hung up clothes (and carted others off to the laundry), we put like things together and we finally managed (after 2 1/2 hours) to convince the boy to part with one very small bag of rubbish (seriously, Josh, you really need your homework book from Year 5!?) and suddenly the room was regular-sized again.   And clean (no more hot, dry dusty smell).   With vaccumed floors (because we could actually fit a vaccum in there properly for the first time in ages).
The lad 'found' his drum kit again (it had been acting as a clothes/books/sports gear/random oddments hanger) and began to practise (sorry, neighbours!!!) and I found this photo tucked in the back of a picture frame from my Gran's house that Josh had given a home to on his book shelves.   He really did have the loveliest, biggest, dribbliest grin way back then!

There will be yumminess!

2010-11-06T09:11:00.000+10:30

For some unknown reason I was up very, very early this morning. The rain continues from yesterday but at least the wind has stopped. It's shaping up to be one wet, old weekend!

Cue the cup cake trays and pretty little paper cups and the baking trays and liners...THERE WILL BE YUMMINESS TODAY AT CHEZ MAC!

A few weeks back I received the recipe for lemon and poppyseed muffins (let's face it they're just cake with excellent PR) from a woman I met at the Rolleston crop day, so they were first in to the oven followed not that long after by two trays of teeny tiny gingerbread hearts. The weather may be poopy but the house smells great!

Paints and Pins and Other Things

2010-11-03T10:13:00.000+10:30

On Saturday Mr Mac and I were up at the crack of dawn (well...okay...maybe a little later than the actual break of dawn, but it was the weekend, so let's just say we were up and about earlier than we usually are...). We needed to feed the scout a decent breakfast and get him out to a pre-Jamboree camp at Blue Skies in Kaiapoi by 8:30am. This involved going in to wake him up (3x) and then making sure he didn't snooze off in to his wheaties, and drown in warm milk, before bundling him in to the car and motoring North. The other teen hadn't even surfaced by the time we left (and had told us he was intent on studying for his exams all day long anyway) so we felt quite justified, on the return trip, in driving right past the turn-off for our house and continued on over to Lyttelton (via Sumner).

We had a yummy hot drink each at a cafe there and then went for a wander along London Street, just cos we could... Our feet eventually took us along to Portico. This is an ideal shop to have a wee browse in - filled with loads of lovely (locally or at least Kiwi-crafted) goodies of all kinds and an incredibly lovely and friendly store owner. The last of my Tooth Fairy hoard was spent on buying this cute little pin of a funny, chubby owl. It was a tough decision though as there were equally cute pins (in my price range) of mermaids and matryoshka dolls (and let us not forget the ancient skull on the baby pink background, because that one was a serious contender for a while there...).

Yesterday Mr Mac had volunteered to make dinner after work (Nachos and Chilli Mince) so I was left with nothing much I particularly needed to do after school. A rummage in the junk drawer earlier in the day had turned up a small box canvas that obviously wanted to be reused (why would it have come to my attention otherwise?) so it was out with the old box of acrylic paints and on to sloshing paint about at the kitchen table.

It's not pretty and it's not perfect but it was a lot of fun just messing about with paints again for a while and not caring about all that. If that's all it brings to mind when I look at it then I think I'll probably keep it around (at least until I feel the need to reuse the canvas again)!

Finally, it's Friday

2010-10-29T06:40:00.001+10:30

The Tooth Fairy was exceedingly generous when she called by last week to collect my two manky wisdom teeth and left me $20.00 (and some Nurofen) in their place. It's funny but when I was working spending $20.00 would have been no effort at all but somehow, now, I'm holding on as hard as I can to that bank note and spending it very, very gradually... One thing that I did part with some of it for was this pin from TradeAid which cost the princely sum of $6.95. It's called the Dancing Man and it's little wire arms and legs jiggle about as you walk along. I like!

The knitting needles are still clicking at Chez Mac but the clothing has got smaller in size (smaller even than all those baby beanies)! I've been using up some oddments of wool to make these Barbie Doll clothes for the charity group my Mum does volunteer work for. I finally managed to bag up some sets of itty bitty clothes this morning for them to sell at their next meeting. Then it was back out to the garage to apply the second layer of paint to the tray.

Halloween is just around the (cobwebbed) corner. The street I live on is holding a neighbourhood barbecue that afternoon. So you will find me standing in a front garden just along the street from here on Sunday afternoon, balancing a glass of orange juice in one hand and a sizzled banger on bread in the other, making nice with the locals.
Mr Mac asked me to buy a plastic pumpkin head filled with dismembered body part jelly sweeties at the supermarket a week or so back...apparently this is, '...just in case we get any trick or treaters come calling...' Mr Mac asks me every year to lay in some sweeties for this very reason. We never get trick or treaters at our house. Mr Mac then 'has to' gobble up all the sweeties himself (obviously a huge sacrifice on his part but entirely 'necessary' before the aforementioned lollies 'go bad').

I can't help wondering if the abscence of costumed kids at the door each year just might have something to do with the fact that, on Halloween evening, Mr Mac hustles around and closes all the curtains and switches off any lights at the front of the house and then locks the gate so no one can actually get on to our section?! Mmm...just a thought!

Have fun on the weekend, people! I'm off to put my thinking cap on - I still have $13.05 rattling around in my coin purse!
*Halloween picture

Scrapping Happily - It's Thursday!

2010-10-28T16:15:00.001+10:30

Beautiful day today - warm and sunny. I obviously haven't learned any lessons from Labour Monday and popped on a thermal top this morning thinking it looked slightly dodgy outside (what's that about old dogs and new tricks...?!).

Finished off my attempt at Little Shop of Sketches #73 first thing this morning and then it was out to the garage to give my wooden tray (sanded and nailed together all by myself!!!) it's first coat of paint (Red Jacks - a truly luscious deep red) before toddling over to Mrs Nic's for the day.

I am pleased to advise that both Mrs Nic and I were on excellent scrapbooking form today and we both cranked out a few layouts before heading over to the Mall to have some Subway for lunch ...mmmm...

Josh's form class on Year 9 Activity Day

Goofy photos but was my 'Happy Happy Joy Very First Tattoo Day'

An oldie but a goodie

2010-10-25T17:19:00.001+10:30

Today is Labour Day in New Zealand. Wish I could fill you in on what this day is all about...but I can't (and I took NZ history papers at uni...mmm...maybe I can get a course refund?! ...although I doubt the passing of 20+ years and a big old dose of inattention during lectures will probably help my case...).
Anyway we all headed out to the open day at Ferrymead Historical Park this morning. The sun was shining, there was only a very slight case of road rage in the car park, the steam trains were chugging up and down the tracks, the sausage sizzles were spitting merrily away and the park was busy. We haven't visited the park for a while and it was all looking good.

We rode on all the rides - the steam train, the steam trolley, the tram and the trolley buses (which will always be memorable for us as the driver had to hop out and reattach the pole to the wires five times just to get the bus around one corner - and he never said even one little ity bity rude word, although I suspect he was thinking quite a few). About the only one we didn't try out was the merry-go-round. The lads drew the line on riding little pastel coloured plastic horses.

The school yard was a lovely sunny spot to sit and eat our hot dogs from the Lions' fundraising barbecue. We worked some of it off by zooming around on ancient scooters (even me! I've found my balance mojo at long last!) and then doing a spot of limboing under the long skipping rope before we went traditional and actually used it for skipping. Mr. Mac was most impressed with my disrobing in public without revealing any skin skills...I had (foolishly) begun the day thinking it may be chilly and so had come to the park wearing a thermal top under my clothes. By the time we had eaten lunch, that top just had to go - one arm at a time at first then a bit of a wiggle and a fumble under my top and TA DA!!! The thermal and I parted company right there in the playground. Mr. Mac applauded so I asked him for an ice cream (which seemed only fair and quite a reasonable price for a free show).

Then it was on to look around the rest of the park before heading home in the late afternoon - tired and a little sunburned. It's easy to forget about Ferrymead but it's a fun family day out (especially on an open day)!

Saturday Scrapping

2010-10-23T08:47:00.000+10:30

Was feeling a little sad that this Saturday did not include a 12 hour crop (as per last Saturday) so, once the ginger menace had shifted himself outside and two of the resident males had left for cricket (and before the other resident male had shifted himself out of bed), I took over the kitchen table and tried to do a 8.5x11 version of Dee's latest sketch.

Smile and Be Happy, People!

2010-10-20T13:37:00.000+10:30

Sometimes you can just feel happy for no particular reason. It kinda just sneaks up on you and suddenly you are full of the warm and fuzzies. I mean, these are times when you're not going out of your way to feel good but you just do.

This afternoon, being out in the garden with Georgie (the garden commando), was all I needed to make me smile.