School Holidays

What a terrible title.
It's the school holidays for the next two weeks. Usually that would mean I get to sleep in, and the kids would be nagging me all day.
That was then, this is now.
This time, they are all at the YMCA.
The place that has lost all ability to reassure parents that their kids will be in safe hands.
The place where to be a receptionist, you first have to have your smile removed out your butt hole, and then, be taught to look to someone else for appropriate abdication of all responsibilities.

I'm sure that I am being very judgmental.
I feel that seeing as their father and I (and the government, thanks John) are paying around the $600 mark to have them there, perhaps I have the right to be judgmental.
I will perhaps work up the guts to say some of this to them in person  via email.

I have been, and still am looking for a normal job.
Turns out that earthquakes and my business do not mix.
I am sure that there are other photographers who will both agree, and disagree.
For me though, I do not have enough money coming in to feel that my business is succeeding at this present time.

So, I have been trying to convince prospective emlployers that the skills I have obtained as a mother of three, a business owner, and whatever else I have done since I got married in highschool, is enough reason to hire me.
So far, it is very quiet around here.

Which means that God must have something really really outstanding for me to do, and I just don't realise it yet.
-who's thinking that it could be just like God to give me a job as a receptionist at the YMCA?

Don't even get me started on the fact that they do martial arts and yoga in their holiday programme classes.

So.

I am sitting here, downloading some photographs from my camera, hoping that they will be liked by the person that asked me to take them, and I am writing this.

Wow. YMCA programme justified or what......

Not actually the YMCA. :)

Meh.

Ooh Laa laa

We are super stoked with how Pop's room at James's turned out.
Although she doesn't stay there all that often, we felt it was important for her to have somewhere to run and hide from all the boys that take over the house!
(and secretly we really enjoyed painting and decorating it!)
James's did his thing with fixing a hole in the plaster board, and i did my thing with the drawers I did up.
(oh, and he'll probably want me to mention that the chair was all him...)

So, here it is !

Re hashed

So I was going through pop's stuff, deciding what we could throw out (ahem... recycle to the recycling plant)
And I found these drawers which were not being used, so I decided to try and give Miriam's Furniture decoupaging thing a go...
Mine, isn't nearly as neat or amazing as her's, in fact, mine is more of a 'raggedy paper mache looking version but I think it'll look cool when it's all done. When I sprayed the varnish on though, it has made some of the (very pricey if you buy a meter of it) fabric go see through, so fingers crossed that it will dry better than it has so far...
I had a bit left, so I did this chair too....

It's for Pop's room at James's when we camp there... we just painted it a really nice 'cup cake collection' blue and I am living vicariously through her theming it for her as a bit of a French Chic hideaway.
(3 boys to contest with)
At least when we get hitched she will have a place to call her own.

(now, how to convince him that when I move in I need a chandelier in our room.....)

;)

Wow,
So I just read Widges post, and it turns out that we were both in the same place in the same weekend, but never saw each other!
And, just to kind of give this relevance, Gore Bay, one of my FAVOURITE places in Canterbury (or NZ really) is like, a good drive from Christchurch. (well, ok, it's about an hour and a half away from where James lives.)

As we were driving through a little town (with a FABULOUS cafe) we saw an antique shop called the White Cat Emporium. We screeched to a stop and did a hard reverse.
I know that I am very lucky to have a boyfriend who initiates the exploration of junk shops, antique haunts, and general second hand goodness (as long as it's got a good feel to it.... not so much with the 'charity barns'...)

ANYWAY...
This place had some spectacular stuff, and if I was keen on donating my organs for money, or some such thing, I'm sure I could have bought at least one gorgeous piece.

Not sure how well the guy must do having such a small market for it there...
Tourism I guess.
Anyway... Here's some sneaky pics I took :

The Mini, overlooking Gore Bay beach

Peanuts

I Love him so much. {He loves 'elephant peanuts'}

Shes a mod shes a mod she's a mod yeah yeah yeah

Ok, actually she turned 13....

She wanted a sleepover with friends for her celebratory event, so I said yes.On the condition that we could hold it at James's house as it's 12 times bigger and warmer than the pavlova icebox that I live in.
He said that was fine. (oh, it was him that I had to ask, not Pop, she likes it there!)
So we decided on a loose theme of 'camping' for the party. (don't worry, I'm not really committed enough to fully do a real 'themed' party, no-one came in poly propylene or with gas cookers... )

However we did manage to fit a tent into the formal (or 'retro') lounge. and I hung up paper bunting.
(which by the way was INSANELY hard to photograph properly.

In fact really I was only writing about this SO I could post my bunting photos.
I actually only FOUND OUT it was called bunting when I met Miriam!!! (Make it Give it)

Jake holding up my bunting efforts in the pavlova icebox.

I also said they could toast marshmallows over the fire.

Ok, well James doesn't actually HAVE a fire, and you can hardly get a good toasted mallow by holding it up to the heatpump, so I found a candle and set that up on a fondue stand (as I made the chocolate ganache for their fondue. 

Ahhhhh, it looked so yummy.... 

It's a candle in a coconut shell. and yes 2 of the girls do actually appear to be toasting grapes. Issues much?

The tent thing worked, and they watched DVD's and talked till about 3 in the morning.

I tried to ignore them as much as humanly possible, as there are somethings I think it's best to just NOT hear.

But, I did do the "ok girls, really... some people are trying to sleep, I don't care if you are still awake, but WHISPER for the love of all things!"

I thought I'd have a chance of a bit of a sleep in due to the junk food hangovers they would all be enduring, but alas, they were up at about 8. 

Sigh.... But, thats it. No more parties till, what, 21???? 

My super cool boyfriend slash fiance has a very cool feature wall made by using a roll of vintage Maurice Kain curtain fabric stretched across the wall.  Went well with the bunting! 

Hard to see the bunting flag things coz of the light, but you get the gist...

Tenting fun!!!!!

Two Years today.

How much has happened. And everyday I still miss you.