New Camera

Well I have finaally bitten the bullet and brought myself a new camera. I have been researching and looking into it for ages now, even went as far as checking out the consumer report to see what they recommened. Then came the price, I decided I was going to get the best price ever! So many different websites were looked at, even over on ebay in the states to see if it was worth bringing it in.

So I brought a Panasonic DMC-FZ8, a nice little camera, well not so little, it is not a small compact, but not an SLR, I brought what is called a compact ultra zoom, personally i would not have called it compact at all, but it is what I wanted. Lots of zoom in, all the auto settings, but enough that you can play with some of the manual settings to try and get some better shots, so that will be interesting.

So where is it!!!! My camera has not arrived, I am stalking the letter box each day, waiting not so patiently for it to arrive.

Better arrive on Monday or else I might be crying!

2 Weeks

It has been two weeks since I have blogged - how naughty am I. i was trying to be good and do it at least every week!!

Below is a picture of a white headed heron that was visiting our place about a month ago, he hung around for a couple of weeks, flying in and sitting in the paddocks, or sitting on the fence posts. One of the reasons we love living where we do, wildlife you would not expect visiting.

Ralf brought home a rather large box with some of the new clothes he needed to take with him to Timor, Jade decided she should be in the box, but her head did not fit!!!
Today Jade and I went to town to do some shopping, one of the places we "had" to visit was No 1 Shoe Warehouse, buy two pairs get one pair free. These are the free ones, Jade is very stoked to finally have two dogs to look after. Oscar was not to impressed with them, they gave her a hell of a fright!!

Ralf and I went to Rock2Wellington in the weekend, fantastic! We went to the first night to see Alice Cooper, Lordi and of course KISS. What a great night, finally got to sleep around 2am, thank good Jade did not wake us till 8am. Not that it stopped me having a Nana in the afternoon, I was just to tired to stay awake and watch Shrek 3 with Jade, she did tell me that I did not snore so that was a blessing for her.

Soccer Season is starting again soon, meet and great this weekend, so it will be all on in a couple of weeks.

More from the weekend

Finished up the journalling on the following 2 layouts. The first one is from work. We decided to have dress up day for leap year, don't ask why but it became a uniform day, any uniform, no restrictions at all.
This next one needs no description - yuck.

Coolest Weekend Ever

Wow I have just had the best weekend in the world!!! Martinborough, well amend that Featherston was just fantastic.

Jo and I left Palmerston North 9am straight after dropping the kids at school. We drove down to Greytown where we stopped and shopped and had morning tea at a wonderful little cafe. Fantastic, so many cool little shops, I should change the wording in shopping, it was more window shopping, brought a couple of wee things at this art shop we found, but other than that I must admit we were so restrained! Our husbands would be pleased and relieved and proud all at the same time!!!

Then we drove down to Featherston where we had a rented out this cute little cottage for the weekend. Jo and I were greeted by this french chef who worked there, he gave us a few funny looks, Jo and I decided he must have thought we were away for a dirty weekend - ha ha, that gave us many laughs over the weekend!!

Kris and Lou arrived from Wellington to join us about an hour later. We scrapped, talked and laughed so much! Dinner was back in Greytown at a fantastic cafe where we had the hugest pizza ever!! Of course many more hours of scrapping happened that night.

We were woken the next day at 6.30am by a suicide bird, who had flown down the chimney and was scratching its nails on the inside of the chimney trying to get out!! The lack of sleep did nothing for me!!! We wentt to Martinborough for another shop and of course lunch at another wonderful cafe. For tea Kris had made a fantastic Lasagne, wonderful, went well with my Pina Colda!!

We all drove home on Sunday, very tired, but what a great weekend with such fantastic company, we are definately going to do this one again next year. Our challenge is to have done a layout about our weekend before we meet again at the end of April - This is Kris's layout!!! Yes she did it last night and sent it through, what a guilt trip!!! Very cool layout!

Now onto what we did, I do not want to hear any comments back of "is that all", just remember works of art take time (and talking). This first one, I should have scanned with a black colour behind it!! It is on white cardstock, with scalloped edges.

We had a challenge to do for the weekend, Jo brought a sketch, which we all had to do our version of it, and this is mine. I love it! Water slide fun from this school holidays, at my Mum's house in Dunedin, Jade with her cousins Bob and Quinn.

The next one is the first ever year that Jade has sat on Santa's knee for the photo, not sure why she did, but it happened, man she looks tall in this photo.

I took Jade and Nyah to Splash Planet over in Hastings for a day, I think it might have even been the last weekend of the school holidays. I cannot believe we have not been there before, it is only 2 hours away, so a bit slack on our part, will have to try and do it again next year, fantastic day in the sun.

I had also did another 3 layouts, one is of Ralf, but it is a work related one, which is not allowed to go on the net, so will just have to be in his album, the other 2 I had to finish the journalling which I have done tonight, will scan tomorrow and put up tomorrow.

19 hours to go!!

Wow only 19 hours until I am on the road to Palmerston North to pick up Jo to scrapping in Martinbourgh!!! how cool. I have just finished maaking Mac Cheese for one of our meals, packing clothes tonight, then the truck and i am all ready!!!

Jade had swimming sports today, so Ralf and I went to watch, our girl came first in the freestyle overall for her group, and then first in the breaststroke for the girls in her group, 2nd in the group for the meedly, so she was a very happy girl.

Must go, I am sure there is something to do with tomorrow I need to be thinking about!

Kelly Rotherham

Well once again I am going to mention Kelly's blog. She is starting up Scrap Evenings and combining it with classes. What a fantastic idea. You can go along just to scrap with a great bunch of ladies, or you can go along and do that as well as a class. Now seriously the class she is running is at an absolute bargain!!!! Kelly scraps in a very cool fun style which I love. She also has prizes etc with sponsorship from Scrapbook Essentials which is also very cool, as Meg (owner of Scrapbook Essentials) always has the latest and greatest funky supplies.

Shame I will be away next Friday or else I would have been there with bells on!!

Anyway scrapping people get over to Kelly's blog to find out more details and book yourself in for a fabtastic night of inhaling glue!!!

Check out her blog for more details http://kellyrotherham.typepad.com/

A Whole Week......

A whole week has gone by with no post from me!!! Ralf has been away with work for the week, he had a great time and got home again on Monday night which was a nice suprise as he was not supposed to get home until Tuesday night.

We (Jade and I) went to Tawa on Saturday to visit the Kerr's and also the scrapbook shop in Wellington followed by a stop to see Ralf's parent's in Paraparaumu on the way home. So we both got home very tired.

Sunday was the "Op Shop" concert on in town at the Esplanade, a nice free concert put on by the council. Great night with fantastic music. Met up with Jo, Bruce and Taylor there, and so we all sat under our umbrella's (yes it was raining) listening to the music. Jade and Taylor went off to play on the rides and to get "Tattoo's", funny Jade came back with a puppy on her arm, and Taylor had an "I love Mum and Dad" one, god we laughed.

Anyway, must away to tidy the messy scrap room.

Martinborough

Only two weeks till Martinbourgh!!!

Play Lists

God the internet is just so cool, since I have had broadband I have scanned and looked through so many cool new sites.

My latest find is how to put a playlist on my blog, so all you lucky people can listen to whatever music I decide rocks while your reading it!!! Now for me that is so cool, but for some of you that might night be so cool, but never mind, it is all about me!!!

I love Scrapbooking

God I love scrapbooking!!!! And to proove it I did it all weekend!! Saturday morning Jade had her first swimming lesson in a couple of years. Thought it was time we tried to get her breathing properly, not that she does not know how to breath LOL!!!! Just her breathing when swimming!!

Saturday afternoon and evening I went to Jo's house to play, and we scrapbooked through the night, such a laugh. We always have a great time. Even better next time I go scrapbooking with her I can say I am going scrapbooking with Jo "she's a tart" ha ha, god I am funny tonight. Check out her blog (link on the right hand side) if you want to know why I am calling her a tart!

Right on with the good stuff. Below a great picture my Mum took of Jade when they went camping at Tarras this holidays, the title says it all. She looks the same as I did at that age, always in the river at Tarras, so hot!
The next layout is all Jade again!! She was running around Mel and Jase's house on Xmas day with the camera, madly taking photos. These are just some of them, funny looking at life from an 8 year olds point of view, and what she thinks is worthly of taking pictures off. I some how neglected to put in all the pictures she had taken of Mel and my butts!!! I wonder why!!!

Last layout is our family Xmas photo. God we had fun. Best buy ever was the metre long santa hat I brought for everyone. Jase set up the timer on the camera to take this shot, I was trying to get Jade to lie accross the front of us all, but she decided to be shy about it, hence she is half up and down, as I was trying to push her down! Next time I will just have to be more violent about it!!!

Sunday Nyah and Shea came around to play with Jade, well I am telling her they came around to play with me! We did after all scrap book all day!! Julie and Anton turned up to pick them up, and all the girls were saying Nooooooooooo! I hope they had a good time, I certainly had to laugh, I mean I do have a "small stash" of supplies, so I gave them full access to it all, and off they went, into the stamps, stickers, paper and cardstock!

Ralf is away for work from this Thursday through to some day next week, and I do say some day as he does not know when he is coming back - god how useful is that!!! Jade and I are going to go to a free Op Shop concert on Sunday night, so that will be cool, it is on in Palmerston North.

Scrapping

Miss Jo rung me yesterday, and after talking to her I felt guilty about not doing any scrapping in a while, she had done a layout, so I felt I needed to do some. So I pulled this layout together. It came together very quickly, but I really love it.

Naught Oscar

Oscar decided she wanted to join in our meal this evening! Such a big table we decided she could hang out as long as she stayed down that end.

Herb Garden

The herb garden is complete! We went over to Feilding this morning and visited this fantastic nursery called "The Fragrant Garden", and it was just that, the largest display of herb plants in one place I have every seen. So that was great, we brought the remainder of what we needed and were also able to check out the plants we need for the next strip of garden we are doing. She has them very resonably priced and a good size.

We came home, weed matted the garden and then planted all the plants, and then barked it all. I am short by one bag, so will pick that up on the way home tomorrow night.

Herb Garden

Ralf has just finished building the herb garden. More dirt has to go in tomorrow, then just have to weed mat it all and then plant it out, before barking it all. Looks fantastic, I have the best husband in the world!!!

Naughty Ladies

God we are naughty. The trip to Martinbourgh has now changed, so instead of leaving at lunch time on the Friday to get down there in time for tea, now we are all taking the whole day off work and driving down in time to be there for lunch!

Fantastic to be going with like minded lasses, who love a good weekend away. It is looking to be a good one. Jo has set a challenge for us, told us what photos we have to bring, started telling us what papers etc, but of course there was no need we will all be bringing everything!!

Then we are all doing a surprise parcel, putting together a parcel ful of bits and pieces from our massive stash, which someone else will end up with. Very cool, as we all have cool things which I am sure we all want! So looking forward to seeing what surprise parcel I get to play with.

Jade and I went on a bike ride today, along the Manawatu river, should have taken the camera so someone could take a picture of us. Used our bike rack that one of the wonderful men from work made me for the first time. Worked out well, but had to stop at the bike shop to get a lock for the bikes so we could still go shopping after our ride.

Anyway, must away thinking I might tidy my scrapbook room.

Martinborough

Well Jo, Lou, Kris and I are going to have a girls weekend away scrapping. The first weekend in March we are meeting up in Martinborough to stay for a couple of nights. I can hardly wait, it certainly is going to be a good weekend.

Jo has convinced me that we should leave around lunch time, and drive down slowly, shopping and cafe hopping all the way there. Certainly sounds like a plan. Then Lou and Kris will come up from Wellington, and the wonderful weekend will begin.

I am sure this will be the first weekend of many to come!

Splash Planet

Well yesterday I took Jade and Nyah to splash planet for the day. What a long day, we left home at 7.30am and got home just in time for shortland street. Fantastic weather managed to keep the kids from being burnt all day so that was good, but of course missed a couple of spots on me!

It was funny for me going there, as I have not been since I was about 9 I suppose when we lived in Hastings and it was called Fantasyland. The train, pirate ship were still there, and the mini putt, and the tiny town village was still there, and yes it is still as I remembered it so that was fantastic. Jade and Nyah climbed in the big concrete shoe and pumpkin as I did as a kid too, but I did not have my camera with me then.

Lots of kids and families there, but the park is large enough that there was room for everyone. The kids could not be bothered waiting in line to go on the ride on jeeps etc.

A cool link

Well I have no idea how people leave a nice pretty link without it showing the whole www. bit etc, so bear with me. Scrapbook.com is the website that process all the Heidi Swapp kits, which I have been known to buy a few, anyway they are having a giveaway at the moment which some of you might be interested in, a basic grey rub on tool and a Valentines Day set of rubons all for free when you spend $40. Anyway here is the link http://store.scrapbook.com/bg-lovekit.html

So if anyway can tell me how to do a pretty link that would be fab!!!

Finally some Scrapbooking

Finally I have gotten around to show you some scrapbooking I have been doing, I know your going to say not much, and Jo even said not much considering you had no child there for 3 weeks, but what can I say.

This first one I started doing at Jo's house before she went away on holiday. The photo was done using a new technique that Jo learnt at crafting connections. I was a tad nervous I have to say, you put the photo into a bowl of water, and then take it out and sand the photo around the image you want left. As it is drying you dry brush in what ever colour you want to use on top. Came out quiet well. Jo's picture she did had bigger scratch lines which looked cooler as she used sandpaper and I just used an emery board. Next time I will give it ago with sandpaper.

Anyway this photo was taken on Jade's birthday, I do a layout with the same info on it every year, quiet cool, seeing what things she has changed over the year.
This next one is Jade and Nyah. Julie looked after Jade one afternoon when I could not get home from work, and Ralf I think was still at golf. So Julie took them down to athletics. A nice quick simple layout to do.

Well Jade is back home with us now, which is very cool. Air New Zealand did there standard thing and left Jade's bag in Christchurch, so that was funny, they brought it out home later that afternoon when it finaally arrived on another flight.

Jade is going to a holiday program this week in town. She is enjoying it so far, there was crafts this morning, soccer tournament in the afternoon, and then a swim. Tomorrow is arts and crafts again, off to the movies and another swim. So everything she loves.

Friday Jade and I are taking Nyah with us and going over to Hastings to go to Splash Planet, really looking forward to going to that.

Backwards I know

Now I know I am posting stories and photos backwards but it has just happened that way. So these photos are from earlier today. Mum took them all down to the beach to go cockeling today. The found lots, Mum even took down a cooker so they could cook some up straight away, Linda and Jade ate some but not the others. Jade said they had some sand in them, because there was no fresh water at the beach to rinse them in before cooking them. She really is her Dad's daughter eating that horrible stuff!!!Apparently they found lots of crabs as well.

This next one is of the fantastic slave labour she had working for her putting away the firewood, I am sure they had never had to work so hard before, it would have done them all the world of good. I remember having to do it when we were kids and hating it, but well it never hurt us!

Jade's Last Night in Dunedin

Well tonight is the last night Jade has in Dunedin, our wee girl is flying home tomorrow. We can hardly wait to see her again, 3 weeks has gone fast but it has been a very quiet house without her constant chatter!!

Jade ruling Bob!
Toasting great cousins.

Eating what looks like burnt marshmellows. They had the fire going on a nice hot summer night just so they could toast them.

Air New Zealand

Wow! My Aunty Geg text me tonight to tell me she was watching the news and Air New Zealand have dropped their fares, god knows why they have but how fantastic. I have been watching grab a seat religiously for weeks now, wanting to book a flight for Jade and I to Dunedin to visit Mum for a long weekend while Ralf is away.

Well mission accomplished! I have booked the flights and guess what Wellington to Dunedin return for Jade and I was only $312! I could not believe it!

How exciting having a trip to Dunedin to look foward to, it will certainly break up the 3 months of Ralf being away.

Fiskars

I have just added the Fiskars website blinkie, down there on the right. Click on it to go to a very cool site, tells you all the latest product coming up for release and they put page layout sketches on there as well. So give it a click.

No Camping

Well there was no camping to be had by the Thomas Family - sob sob sob.

Ralf got home and it was blowing 20kmph winds (yes i checked the net) so it was never really going to happen. But Ralf being the good husband he is humoured me and we packed up the truck with everything and went for a drive, over to the beach, I think it took us about 50 minutes to get there.

Very nice camping ground, which was nice an sheltered, but when we got down to the beach it was sand blasting weather. So Ralf would not have been able to fish, which was what he wanted to do. We drove back home again and went to the Rat Hole with Gundi for tea instead.

A nice drive to check it out, and hopefully next weekend when Jade is home we can go camping for the night.

Me

Well I have put in so many posts over the last couple of weeks, but all about Jade - how rude! So I thought time for a me post.

I went scrapbooking last weekend with Jo, I got one complete layout done, which is below. This is Ralf when he came home from working in Blenheim for a month. What a big revolting moustache. You can tell his wife does scrapbooking, there was no complaint when I asked him to pose for me.

I also have started the yearly one of Jade, with her height weight etc, but I have not finished it yet, you will have to wait, hopefully I might finish it this weekend.

Still meant to be going camping this afternoon, just waiting for Ralf to get home from golf, then I am guessing we will have a discussion about the wind. It is quiet windy, so we shall see if we go, I am not sure he is totally keen on camping in hte wind. But it could be worse, it could be rain.

I think we should still go, it is only one night, and he can have the whole day tomorrow fishing in the sea, while I read some scrapbooking magazines, and I might even take a wee Mills and Boons with me. Have not read any of those for a long time!

We are not going far just to Kai Iwi Beach, which is just north of Wanganui. I have the camera ready to take, so there might be some more me time on the blog and some photos of us.

Tunnel Beach

Well yesterday they went down to Tunnel Beach for a play, I think they might have had a picnic down there as well.
Jade halfway down the hill!

The sandcastles, the sea will eventually wash out.

Jade and Quinn on top of the world.

At the top of the track - it is a long way down.

The correction I knew would come

Well i did say I would be told if I had the information incorrect regarding the brick at the Dunedin Railway Station, so my mother e-mailed me with:

"Brick at Railway Stataion was paid for when they re devolped entrance to Railyway Stn certainly not when it was built in 1800's when Mum and Dad weren't even born!!!!!"

How many !!!! did she really need to put!

Dunedin Railway Station

Well another day of excitment in Dunedin was had by Jade, Bob and Quinn.

This first one Mum took of Jade, when asking what she was up too, Jade informed Gran that she was spying, I am not quiet sure how you spy upside down, in full view of whoever or whatever you are supposed to spying on!!
This next photo is of the kids outside the Dunedin Railway Station. They are looking at the brick that Mama and Yaya (Mum's parents) had paid for. I think when the railway station was being built you could "sponser" some money towards the railway station, and they put a brick into the gardens with your name stamped on it. If this is not totally correct I am sure I will get an e-mail of advice.

I am not sure how far they got on this jig. Cheaper for the fuel bill, but would not like to be going up the Dunedin hills!

Imagine falling from this bike.

Well the weather still seems to be holding out, so maybe camping on Saturday will happen. I certainly hope so it will be a nice change.

Waterslide Fun

Gosh I am so lucky that digital cameras were invented! I am getting photos every day which is so cool, so I get updates of what the terrible children are up to every day, and of course getting lots of ideas for more scrapbooking pages!!!

Well they went to the movies today to go to the BEE MOVIE, which they all enjoyed. They went down by bus, but they left their sun hats on the bus!!! So they had to wait and the bus stop for the correct bus to come around again to get their hats off!!
Then good old kiwi fun, Mum made a water slide for them in the back yard with black plastic and a hose.
What a hoot.
Lots of fun had.
They will back again next year Gran!!

Well Ralf has been building the herb garden in the back yard which is going well, they back wall has all been built, now he is back into concreting in some more posts, then I think it is my job to go and organise some more wood to finish the rest. It is going to be quiet big, a built up raised garden. So that will be good to have the fresh herbs outside the window again instead of having to have some on the window in the kitchen.

As I said meant to be camping this weekend - please hold out weather!!

Butterfly House

Jade, Bob and Quinn went to see the Butterfly House in Dunedin. Jade happily told me that they had teranchila (spelt that wrong) spiders there, knowing full well I do not want to know that!! She also told me that Gran only looked at them a little bit! They had alot of fun, and then a picnic afterwards outside, I think they are all having a great time staying with their gran.

I on the other hand made chocolate waffles for dessert last night, god they are so nice, I even have spare ones in the freezer!!