Weekend

Saturday was the last soccer match of the season and then we had a team bbq after that. The weather was good and the kids all had a great time. It finished later than we expected but we fetched Ross and headed for the shops. Ross has saved enough money so he pre-ordered a new PS3 Slim which he will get on Wednesday.

We also looked at a replacement outside light (ours has died) and at home security and a new post box. Yes, we've had a further egging and our post box was stolen - the second in six weeks. There wasn't enough time on Saturday so back they went on Sunday morning and came back with everything they needed. As they were about to start working, the rain started and it rained and rained and rained all day.

I've been looking out for our Postie all morning and she's just arrived so I could explain to her what is happening. She also approves the new site - on the garage wall as she can just ride her bike straight in.

I'm home today because we have a school holiday - Yay! The seniors finished trial exams on Friday and so technically we're all marking today but I worked really hard last week and got all mine done and then some. I brought someone else's marking home and finished that yesterday.

I also finished about 12 UFOs yesterday so a very productive day

I was going to take my parents out to Lyall Bay to find the use-by-date shop but we've decided it's too miserable so we'll just go to Norht City Plaza and look at the shops there and have some coffee as well

Since I made this private, Google reader doesn't update people so I'm going to try something else - I hope that it works! I can add up to ten names to get email notification - I've added some names; I'll add more if possible.

Oh, and today's the 12th anniversary of the boys and I arriving here! (Also 12 years since Dianna dies).

Cards and newspaper article

I made a birthday card for Ross

I made a card each for the two soccer coaches

and one for the dad who was always the referee

And our recently demised magazine has hit the newspapers: http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/2813411/New-magazine-and-publishers-can-t-be-found

Some photos

Colin with his Player of the Day trophy - I think he has really improved this year

After Ross' birthday dinner we decided to go to Strawberry Fare for dessert

Ross' dessert with "Happy Birthday" round the edge

Doj the cat (the one who was injured so badly earlier in the year) in his new sleeping place - yes it is the laundry hamper!

Weekend

Yay! Actually it my 17th wedding anniversary and Adrian has gone to Auckland! No matter, I bought take-aways tonight and 2 litres of ice-cream and will get take-aways again tomorrow night. I have to cook on Sunday because I will be the mother of a 15yo then. Eek - where did all those years go and now he's talking about getting his learner's license!

I am going to set up my new scanner this weekend (I bought it in July when Jenny was here) and start scanning some of those bazzillions of slides that live here.

Our seniors started trial exams today so I have a pile of exams to mark and more coming next week.

On a sour/sad note, it appears as though the owners/publishers of the new NZ scrapbook magazine Innovations have done a runner which means that people who have paid for subscriptions and advertising have lost their money.

And as far as my scrapping is concerned I haven't done anything for ages. I finished my godson's quilt and will now send it to a professional quilter. I'm also over challenges etc - I've decided that my scrapping must be what I want to do, not what others suggest. No more competitions (and I'm sure I'll change that one soon!) either. I am gathering together some photos from our trip to Auckland and getting dood ideas for l/os from Jenny, so keep them coming!

Coming to you from Raetihi

Here we are in the NZ Police Ski Lodge having just finished dinner which was spaghetti and meatballs and sauce and/or fish and chips - lots of it! Except that it was served and cooked with no salt. We came to help our home Lions Club (Ruapehu) with Camp Quality which each year in winter takes either cancer kids or kidney kids for a weekend skiing. This year was kidney kids hence the lack of salt.

It's been hard work but fun; I feel as though I have done nothing but dry dishes! Actually today when all the kids went skiing, three of us stayed behind. After we had cleared up I started sewing -yes, I brought my sewing machine with me and finished the quilt that I'm making for our godson. Now I'll send it to the professional quilter and then I'll just need to edge it.

Ross and Colin were treated as part of the group and got ski gear too and went skiing and were told to go anywhere they wanted to ski. Not only did they have a great day skiing but they were awesome in helping out .... carrying dishes, washing, drying, putting away - I was really proud of them.

We'll go home around midday tomorrow for a good night's sleep!

Private?

I am thinking of making this blog private for a while. I had some place "Feedmil" suggest that I could list my blog there as they already claimed to have it listed. I don't know who they are and my blog cannot be Google-searched. So if you want to be a reader, please email me so that I can add you

Some more from Senz

I thought I'd post some more photos from Senz - mainly of us ... and we have become known as the Pink Ladies

From left to right: Kylie, Ashley, Jenny and I outside our motel room; the same but our backs; next two is in Nic H's class; all of us at the Crop; sitting at the Crop; two Jennys; two nieces

Oh and I made the collage using Photosheet that I spoke about a number of posts down

Help!

So I've "lost" my pretty blog and I don't know where to find it! Actually I was trying to replace it with another template from Allie Brown and have no idea how I did it before. Can someone send me some directions please?

Updated: I appear to have done what I wanted to do but in doing so I've definitely "lost" some of the bits from my sidebar. If "you" were there or you know what I've lost, please let me know

The Week

It feels a lot longer than just two weeks back and ERO arrive tomorrow. Three of us got together bought lovely sparkly blue, green, yellow, black, red and white (actually silver) hats and have them up in our classrooms for De Bono's thinking hats. I will use them with my Yr 13s when I do a flatting exercise. I must take a photo

We went to a concerto yesterday: the Rachmaninov piano concerto was wonderful, but the 52 minute Shostakovich was a bit excruciating! Afterwards we went to dinner at Monsoon Poon .... to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary which is in three weeks time. And then I will have a 15 yo boy who's talking of getting his driver's license! I'm not ready for that yet.

I see that Chch is almost leading in the Senz 2010 voting ..... I'll need to find some cheap airfares then.

Our house was egged last Friday night but Ross saw who did it. We reported it to the police and then went down to the mother of the boy that Ross saw. No, never her boy and he denied it when she phoned him. About an hour later she came to our house to say it was not her boy at all; we stood by our facts. Saturday afternoon both she and her son turned up - no definitely not him .... but he did know who did it but wouldn't say. She left in a foul mood telling us she was going to phone all the relatives she knew in the police to close our complaint. Sunday afternoon she came back! ............... But this time with her son, his two mates and one set of parents all to apologise. How awful for those parents to have to do that but I was really pleased that they did and appreciated it very much.

On the same afternoon we had our godson's birthday party here - what fun and he is turning into a little delight

On Thursday I took my dad to the hospital for a 24 hour heart monitor. Both my mom and I don't understand why they're doing all these tests - he's nearly 86 and his body is just weakening. And it's sad to watch it happening

Well, I suppose that's a catch up from me; I need to do some UFOs (UnFinished Objects) ie l/os that need completing some of them from the beginning of June!

And then Happy Birthday to my lovely SIL, Jenny - have a great day

Have a good week