Summer Holidays 08 09

Just to prove we do actually get away on holiday, here are our photos from the Matauri Bay Campsite. We were there a week before Christmas and left on Boxing Day. We had an awesome time, might go back there this year but it's likely we'll go after Christmas. Missed the family. It is a good time to go though, before it fulls up with the city folk!

We took the boat and had some kayaks, made for loads of fun. The kids especially loved the boogie boards on the waves. The weather was mainly fine, except for a few days of rain. During that time we spent some nice time with friends and the kids learnt how to play Last Card really well! The stormy weather produced a load of surfers early the next morning to watch, then a load of scallops were washed in with the tide! Love camping, really recommend it to everyone!

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.....