Purchase and Mortgage

House purchase and Mortgage, go together like a horse and carriage...
Yay we are officially home owners!! Celebration and relaxation time! Time to do things around the property time now!
We really want to get the drainage sorted, and get our Organic Garden business up and running.... and add our own personal touch in the landscaping...
I cant wait to get started!

But first, a little break away. I got away to the La Leche League Conference in Cambridge for a few days. It was really great, inspiring and refreshing. Then I met my hubby and the kids in Auckland and we flew to Nelson to catch up with my sister and her family. It was so great to them, kids had grown so much. And they were very happy. It was a nice break for us as a family. The Henwoods let us stay in their backpackers in Motueka - the Laughing Kiwi. Really awesome set up there. Lovely business. We ended up having my nieces 1st birthday party there! This photo is of Dan on the 1st day there when we went to Kaiteriteri Beach, on the flying fox. It was a lovely day...now if I could only find the memory card from my camera that I took out before these pictures as it was full! We really enjoyed our dining experience at Jesters Cafe. Feeding the eels...damn where are those pictures!

A lovely day

The mortgage and subdivision title are yet to be put through, but we have signed sale and purchase papers in hand! We are really excited to be buying a property again...oh it will be a large mortgage, but it's manageable.

We are so grateful to God, through him all things are possible....

5th Birthday Princess Party

Melissa's Princess Party went really well. She loved the way the decorations were done. I must put up a picture of the castle mural we painted... she loved her cake & the way the table was set up...it really was a neat party!
The boys were welcome to dress as prince's or knights and some of them did. With swords in hand the took off outside most of the afternoon. Whilst the girls took in the movie Enchanted... and ate cupcakes & popcorn & flower shaped fruit kebabs....castle cake & flower cookies, us adults had a neat time too consuming the lamb cooked on the spit! I couldnt have pulled this off without my mates...x...so lucky!

The UPside

The upside of all the time indoors - the silver lining to all this weather: :-)
- I finally have got to putting away mountains of washing
- & bagging up clothes too small for my kiddies!
- quality time with kids - with no worldly distractions (TV! or computer!)
- sewing MS birthday party bags
- making MS's party invitations
- during the beginning of the storm I got to clean mould off my bathroom ceiling with my awesome ENJO mop! I really enjoyed cleaning it without getting ponged out and no scrubbing!
- and oh my gosh under torch light I painted a castle mural for my princesses party!

crazy -no, just me!!

Yet another extreme series of weather events

I am among many that are becoming closet weather watchers! In the last week I have learnt so much about air pressure and the school cert geo from 1991 is really paying off!
We didnt flood like last year thank goodness, but the rivers were pretty high.
How did everyone cope?
On Friday amongst our friends I completed getting our essential survival items ready - batteries for the radio, butane gas cannisters, Dan filled up the gallon water container (as we are on electrical pump tank water supply). Listening to the weather and watching the satellite pictures I could see it was going to be VERY windy on Saturday. The winds wipped us majorly. The roof and chimney made so much noise. At the storms peak I stopped playing monopoly with the kids and suggested they play in their bedroom (on a different level). The verandah roof was moving just slightly, like stretching away from the pole it was attached to - I should have got footage, but moments like that you generally dont think to take pics!!
I sat on the staircase watching. Sitting metres from the front door, doubting that I would have to yell for the kids and pick up the heavy box of canned and dry food to take to the basement if the roof did lift off!! And silly me I mentioned this to JS(6yrs) and MS nearly 5yrs and so every five minutes, "can we go now", "oh - when is the roof gonna blow off mummy?"
It didnt.
Tree branches blew off, dog runs moved metres...the winds caused a pine tree to blow over down the road cutting power lines. Which leads me to the "trying" part... 24 hours first, then another 12 hours without power at home. It wasnt difficult, I had my gas cooker, water etc and lanterns... it was trying for the kids! Such a bore for them, only so many times you can play the board games. Or read books... and they kept asking, for things not realising you need power for it. And because the winds were galeforced and we are right on the coast, up high, they couldnt even go outside when the rain stopped! They were really disappointed there was no school pretty much for the whole week apart from today!
I hope this next low isnt as severe here or anywhere and passes quickly. The weather has been pretty frustrating!

a mothers life drama and humour!

I find myself laughing thinking back to last week when I told my sister (in a room full of Dads or non parents), the most eventful thing of my day how dramatic it was for me getting home from Kerikeri before the school bus did! I have great neighbours and friends to grab the kids if I am running late to get home...but it was MS"s first week at school and I knew how much she wanted to go on the bus (it was only her 3rd time in the whole week!)... I rushed, and was held up with so much traffic - and a car going 20kph!! Anyway I made it home in time! My silent audience at the time of retelling the story indicates most didnt "get" my drama... oh well.....

what are we going to do?

PRICE RISES In the year to June
* Petrol 25.9%
* Milk 22%
* Cheddar cheese 61.9%
* Butter 86.6%

there is rationing already in New York on wheat,rice and corn products because of the increase in demand pushed by BIO-FUEL! There isnt rationing YET here, but the price on these products is tipped to go up so people are buying in large quantities!!

What can we do?
- grow our own corn (better get some seeds before they start getting rationed too!)
- definitely bottle that extra fruit, chutney extra veges from the garden
- trade self sufficiently
- celery, leeks, silverbeet in the garden now . . . get seedling trays ready for seeding summer veges
- compost and enrich empty garden beds...
- do home maintenance yourself! Time to learn if you cant! (I have my own tool box, honestly!) And if my body could do the heavy lifting stuff around here I would...
- what else??? any suggestions? Is it just me that's worried?

The playstation

Now I did not ever want a playstation in our house. I have memories of my husband up at 3am in the morning glued to the playstation when he had to go to work a few hours later at 6am!
So I was rather annoyed when he eventually brought one for our 6yr old son at Christmas last year.
Disappointed that I have to say "i told you so". What did I find at midnight last night when I went to check on the noise I heard in my childrens room? My son whipping the playstation portable quickly underneath his pillow and his red swollen eyes to go with it when I turned on the light! I so wanted to break the thing when I discovered it - what stopped me? My frugal ways and environmentally friendly ways.
My dear son got a chatting to this morning, he is sorry and understands why I was disappointed and why he wont be seeing that damn machine for the rest of the school holidays. Dear husband got a chatting to also!
It's not that big a deal - in the grand scheme of things, i know....but..... oh never mind I dont have to say it - you mothers know!

Plans for 5th birthday party Enchanted Princess

Well - the dress is all cut out. A bit of nerves preventing me from getting to the next step. SEWING. My daughter is turning 5 and for her party she wants to be a Princess. Her favourite movie is Enchanted. I quite like it myself! I will get the dress sewn I am sure!

In the meantime we have been making decorations. On my frugal mission still you see... so we have been cutting out petal shapes from old magazines. Nice big A4 sized and colourful. Then we glue them about 4 or 5 onto a circle and ta-da you have a nice big FLOWER! For an enchanted garden.

My princess loves purple, she and her friend helped to paint egg carton baskets which we will use to hang in the trees with little decorated "jewel stones".

We will decorate downstairs in an enchanted garden theme... wish we could get a wooden castle from somewhere - perhaps I will have to get the good old AFFCO cardboard and paint one!

Have you seen the train cookies at the cafe? I will have to make some cookies for her party now she says! Have to go with my butterfly and flower cutters rather than buying another kind.

And the cake... do I tackle a castle? Gosh looked at the kits to make a grand castle $50 or so - whatever! I think I'll just have to get creative! Castle or enchanted garden cake - maybe a garden will be easier!

....have saved petrol - havent left home since Thursday! woohoo!

Frugal rant

Well TV1s business update wasnt good news on Friday. When will the reserve bank pull finger, wake up and reduce company tax rates and personal tax rates?? They go on making this huge profit whilst NZers suffer at the hand of what both the government and the BIG companies are doing - HEY here is a thought - what if NATIONAL are actually behind the slowing economy? BIG BUSINESS could be ya know... its a well known fact nAtional are for BIG business and to increase NZs economy and getting NZ into great debt whilst doing so.... Well maybe I am on to something here.

Labour have quite a fight here - how will they win an election with general NZers really feeling the pinch.

ok...
The Labour government have done on average a good job, remember they had to clean up Nationals mess. They do have a battle ahead, and I hope they can pull an all round financial winner for us all -

MEANWHILE - I have my sewing machine out, and have pillaged the garden for silverbeet, and made bread today - and saved on petrol for the last two weeks by not going anywhere - oh and I am sitting in the dark hows that!

But look - one thing I am doing towards helping the environment and our household spend!

Bay of Islands Cafe Northland Winner Matariki Festival

We have some great news – we were nominated for the Mataariki Industry Awards, Barkers Cafe of the Year...and we WON!

The 2008 Mataariki Industry Awards is an initiative of “Northland Chefs” who largely make up the newest and youngest Branch of the New Zealand Chefs Association. The Mataariki industry Awards are about recognizing the standard and achievements of those in our region who strive to be the best. This is the ultimate awards of Industry Excellence in Hospitality. This year there were 10 award categories that recognised businesses or business persons.

We attended the delightful dinner last night, entertained by Chef Paul Jobin and the team via a “live feed” from the kitchen. Kate Bell Events transformed the Forum North Events room. With the dazzling fairy lights hanging from the ceiling, organza and taffeta bows galore...it was truly an experience. To top it off the 5 course meal prepared by a different Chef per course (from Northland Chefs Association) and matched by Northland Wines... my taste buds were tantalised and I am looking forward to the next dinner!

A big pat on the back to our team at the cafe (for always giving their best), our suppliers, our loyal customers and our business advisors. Also many cheers to Hospitality Standards Institute, Northland Chefs Association and all the sponsors for the evening and the team of organisers!!

And a reminder we are open weekdays, 7.30AM till 5PM and weekends, 9.30AM till 4PM. And available for private functions, MID-WINTER FUNCTIONS..BIRTHDAYS...

Go Karetu

Oh I so wanted to grab hold of that rope and help!!

Hey we almost had the whole school - what a great turn out!

Puff & Pull Event and Gabriel Steam Trains Grand Welcome

Sunday was awesome! Trek the Track - Jordan and Melissa and Daniel did that part at 8 in the morning. Then I just managed to catch Jordan do the Pull of the Diesel engine through Kawakawa's main street with Karetu School. There was a huge crowd.
We managed to sell hundreds of tickets for the Puff and Pull Monster Raffle. Raising funds to get the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway further down the track to Opua!!

Superhero

does this bring a feeling of dread, YES. That IS my son way up high there. When I walked out the front door and saw him up there I did my best to stay calm. I didnt want him to freak out and fall, just because I was freaking out! So I took photos! Actually the photos helped to show him how HIGH it REALLY is. Then we had that all important talk about reality versus pretend. I broke it to my 6 year old son that he is not a superhero. And I explained to him what possible severe injuries could occur if he fell. "But I'm NOT going to fall Mum", he says. That is very positive isn't it! But I don't think he will be climbing way up there again.

oh mud glorious mud

Oh Boy - mud carrying dump trucks, courtesy of my son. He enjoyed driving them through the muddy puddles, and loading them up with big globs of mud balls. What a great imagination - this was during the school holidays...

School Soccer

Our child's team had their first game today. A great start to the season, with a great turn out of keen players! And one of our new players scored his first goal today! It was the teams only goal, but they all played really well. And had loads of fun. And chocolate cake at the end! Score Karetu 1 Kawakawa 11. Congratulations to Bay Cosmos Kawakawa really putting the points on the board!

Puff & Pull Event and Gabriel Steam Trains Grand Welcome

Following on from the successfully fun spirited day in Kawakawa last year - there will be a similar if not more fun packed day held this year, Sunday May 25th 2008.
The day will begin with an active walk (Trek the Track) starting at 8am from Moerewa's Simpson Park. The walk is along the main road initially then onto the old railway line into Kawakawa. Groups will be able to meet up with eachother in the big new engine shed at the railway station. The Rotary Club will selling sausage sizzles and drinks will also be available, whilst teams assemble themselves for the PUFF & PULL. The competitive pulling of the engine will begin at 10am through the main street of Kawakawa. Safety and competition rules are very important to ensure no harm comes to anyone and no cheating occurs!
Just after the winners of the Pull Event are announced the grand lady Gabriel (she's a steam engine by the way!) will be welcomed back, now that Mike Bradshaw and his team have seen to her restoration. I am looking forward to that familiar smell, and the sound of her happy toot.
To add to the Puff & Pull day, weather permitting there will be entertainment at the Band Rotunda in Johnson Park, with stall holders selling food etc. And skip filling to test your strength, speed and agility! For the kids young and old there will be a pavement art competition held also in Johnson Park. As any other information becomes available I will post here, but click on the link to see last years success stories.

Hundertwasser Centre in Kawakawa

refer to Far North District Guide page 94

Bland Bay 2008

These pictures show us successfully keeping our tents from blowing away in easterly galeforced winds one day, then a blissful day on the beach and a tranquil sunset the next! Bland Bay January 2008

Summer Holiday Bland Bay 2008

We're all going on a Summer Holiday! I am sooo addicted to camping. After ONE night on Urupukapuka Island in a tiny 3 man tent with my little children and not being able to fit even an airbed in - off I went once on dry land to Kathmandu and picked up this nifty little/big tent. It's pretty cool! Easy to put up and quick to put down. Oh yes that pretty powerful easterly sure puts it flat too! But what do you expect when you dont peg in all the ropes! This photo was taken at Bland Bay in January 2008.

We brought bunks for the kids and an airbed so hubby can fit too. Separate room from the kids, it's sweet for our first tent :-)