Angelina Ballerina as promised :-)

So she went to bed ok............but was up before the birds at 5.30am OUCH!!!

Needless to say, I noticed a few yawns as I dropped her into daycare. Maybe an early dinner this evening!

Jaz xx

Thankful Thursday for Dad!!!

Dad had to go away for a few nights. We have keep ourselves busy though. It's been ages since Dad got to venture away for work and Mum has had to rule the roost. Thankfully he'll be back in time for the weekend.

Sorry, that spicy fruit loaf you love is almost gone.

But you know that golden treasure we were gifted from our friends before you left??

Well, the Lemon biscuits tasted really good.

So we made Lemon muffins as well. Mmmmmmm...

We promise we're keeping warm!

Molly noticed some interesting clouds above our house to show you.

And Phoebe loved her first few days back at daycare and wanted you to see her amazing eye mask!!!

Sophie stayed the night and helped us play computer games before dinner.

We made delicious chicken burgers for dinner. Mmmmmm.....

SEE!!!!!!!! (lol)

Phoebe is excited to go back to daycare tomorrow as she has a dress up day and a daytime disco. She is going as Angelina Ballerina!! ( a favourite dancing mouse character from books and television). Mum is sewing some pink and white ears for her. Phoebe gets the giggles when she looks at her tutu!! Mum hope she goes to sleep ok in all the excitement.

We will post some photos up tomorrow morning when she's all dressed up and ready to go!!

We miss you.

Hope you are keeping warm too!

Love from Jaz and the girls.

xx

The Weekend that Was........again........what already??

One big OOOOPS from me.

I have been so engrossed in holiday activities, I even missed Thankful Thursday!! I can't believe another week and weekend has sped by!

This weekend we felt a little housebound, except for a trip to the mall where the movie promotion for "Cars 2" got little Molly pretty excited.

Miss Phoebe just loved the giant inflatable mice..........

Then we snuggled up with some paper and stamps and made greeting cards.

After the glorious weather of the weekend prior, it has crapped out and we have had more rain than I have ever seen.

This morning we watched The lower South Island, including our beloved Christchurch blanketed in snow. Chilly, but I'm a bit envious. I love snow.

We did however have several hailstorms pass over which for this part of the country is pretty cold.

That's as white as it's gonna get around here!!!!

Oh and yesterday I was officially allowed to drive again.

Don't worry...........the nation is safe, up and down the street to begin with. Getting my confidence back as we have changed vehicles since my operation.

But how I love driving..........and how I have missed it.

As Mel Gibson so 'bravely' screamed.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jaz xx

The Weekend that was!

Don't you just love the opportunity to be silly?!?!?!

My Caitlin does. In between the pre teen mood swings and sour looks we get bouts of silliness. I know in the VERY DISTANT future she will have silly fun with her kids.

Oooooooooh guess what night it was in the weekend for us.

DATE NIGHT

Oh yes, it's been well over a month since our last and we have decided, after having three children and hardly EVER taking time for ourselves life is really too important for putting it off any longer.

Two nights out in a few short months, Yippeeeee!

So Saturday night at the Stonegrill Cafe, Whangaparaoa it was.

Mark looked comfy and relaxed :-)

We giggled at how I could be the next host of "Praise Be". Songbook (menu) in hand and roaring fire behind.

That fire I could barely pull myself away from.

And of course, gotta have the 'before the night is over' close up to put on record. Ahhhhhhh I can feel the brows and shoulders relax as I remember those two hours of no interruptions or toileting issues. Bliss with a capital B

Then Sunday arrived at it was GLORIOUS. It could have been spring, if I didn't know better. We are about to enter Auckland's wettest season so we got out and made the most of the sun.

There were even mythical creatures at Arkles Bay that day :-)

And sails on the sea. Everyone was out enjoying the low winter sun.

Just walking. It was enough.

:-)

Jaz xx

Thankful Thursday: What we're up to during winter.

I actually like Thursdays. Thankful Thursdays make me stop and reflect on the past week. I wanted to post during the past few days, and then thought what's the point?!?! It's winter, we're not up to much other than catching bugs. The fluey-snotty-nose type bugs, not the interesting garden variety.

Not much huh? Well, reflection is a valuable thing, cause look what I found.......

One lonely but gorgeous daf popped it's head up out on our deck.

We started a holiday spending fund for later in the year. A weekend away is just what we need!

I hated the eighties, at the time. Now I'm loving the return of some of the fashions. I have always wanted a keyboard belt, instead I found this tie and it makes me smile :-)

We did some inside aerobics....well........some muscle posing anyway hee hee.

Molly had pirate day at school. I can't get over what a glamourous pirate she makes.

Last year we made little pirate ship cup cakes. This year I found some chocolate coins stashed in the back of my wardrobe from Easter (sorry kids).

We went with an ocean/treasure kind of theme.

Oh, and then I remembered some blue edible glitter in the back of the pantry. I'm very good at stashing stuff away it seems.

I wonder if I've stashed some cash anywhere.......mmmmm.........

Then there's this guy, who has been sick this week, just as he returned to work for closer to normal hours. He can be lots of fun and silly. But lately, well most of this year, there hasn't been as much to laugh about. So to see him joking in the kitchen, posing for little Phoebe's photography was awesome. I love you Mark. We all love you and hope you feel chipper really soon!!!

Phoebe likes Dad's sandwiches too. (Thanks for the photos Phoebe, good job.)

New mascara. Honestly, this is a treat. After spending so much of the year in hospital etc my mascara was a dried up mess. I love mascara. When I'm feeling icky, I like to go for the dairy cow look.

Silly hats were the theme for junior assembly this week.

There is something really fetching about a little girl with ribbons in.

Should I be worried that she likes to organise her lollies before devouring them?? Maybe she could alphabetise my pantry..........mmmmm....

Last night we attended a Learner Led interview/conference for Caitlin. She did very well and made us proud. I'm very proud of the goals she has set and the progress she has made this year. This is her first year at College. She started very shortly after my operation. So we are proud of her even more so for coping with so many changes all at once. Keep up the wonderful effort hun, we are very proud of you xx

Ok, so maybe it all ended up being inside shots and activities. The kids have had such nasty coughs etc that we've all wanted to keep warm and dry this week.

But it really is worth keeping the camera on hand at all times.

I thought nothing has happened this week. Just goes to show huh!

Hope your week was fun and your weekend is even better.

Jaz xx

Thankful Thursday

Thank goodness for Thankful Thursdays. Maybe it's the weather and my lagging energy levels but I'm really lacking motivation at the moment.

I'm thankful to other bloggers who post about their comings, goings and doings. They remind me of the stuff I could be finishing etc. I wish I could paint or something like that, I could really do with a good chucking of paint onto a canvas right now. Instead I might have a go at creating gorgeous jewelry or writing stories.

Oh and I've heard...a crossword a day keeps the dementia at bay. Well, I'm getting sick of exercising my brain so often lately. It might actually go purposefully on strike soon. I think by the end of this year, thanks to the numerous crossword books around here, I might have a better vocabulary than ever before. Now there's a positive!

This week New Zealand is celebrating Maori Language Week. Well, I'm pretty sure there are some that haven't given it a second thought. I have Maori ancestry and feel a real affinity with the culture. Most would be surprised that a little white girl born in the most 'Pakeha' of Canterbury rural towns would feel so strongly about this. I have been tempted on several occasions to register as a Maori, simply because of this connection I feel. But I never have, nor will. I guess most people would think I was fraud.

All I know is this. If you love the sound of a language, the music, the art, the customs, the warmth of the people and so much more then I guess you should be allowed to feel a connection if you want. Even if you only have a little slice in yourself, like I do.

It's a bit like the way I still secretly consider my self a musician, despite not playing much music at all over recant years. I also discovered in my reading and searching a number of relatives who were musicians and singers. Once it's in your blood, I guess it's hard to ignore.

But I'm also lucky to know it isn't all about blood. In my case, it is also about the influence of people, other families and love. I was brought up within another family, whom I grew to love and had a huge influence on me. I believe, despite there being absolutely no blood related connection that they will always be a part of my ancestry. They also make me who I am.

I was lucky to have contact with all my blood relatives, but I know this is not always the case. I hope others find comfort in the people who had a real impact on their lives, never mind how they are connected.

When completing some family research about my Paternal Grandma I discovered that my Great Great Grandmother was in fact Maori. That was enough for me to consolidate my feelings and questions about my own ancestry. My Granny also has Scottish in her blood. What an interesting combo that makes!!! Warm musical people with a great sense of humour and a tendency to drink whiskey...............lovely.

After reading about the people who had gone before me I understand why the Maori language comes so easily to me, why I even bother to show an interest, why I'm drawn to the music and love teaching others about our bicultural country.

Bicultural? Not really.....no more. There are so many cultures that now make up a New Zealander. No space anymore for small mindedness I think. Our travels to live in the North Island have exposed our children to a wealth of culture, the good and bad. They are aware that the colour of people does not dictate a good friendship or person. My little pakeha/white children are not always the kind and decent ones either, to my horror. But it's the truth.

I'm very thankful we made the decision though, to expose them to more people and challenges.

So, like many other awareness weeks I embrace Maori language week in my own personal/private way. I love hearing the place names pronounced correctly (or well attempted) on the evening news and enjoy discussing greetings with my daughter during homework time.

It may be tokenism, but I think it helps keep a part of New Zealand alive. A part I would like nurtured, at least through my children.

Happy Maori week to you all

Aroha nui

Jaz xx

Perfect for lunchboxes

I have used this recipe for lunchboxes a few times over the past couple of years. This year, Mark has also used it with success.

You can add almost anything to the basic recipe ingredients and even ice it to make it 'party worthy'.

It actually tastes like a yummy muesli bar and depending on what goodies you add to it - healthy to boot. (Ok, so it's got butter in it and I've seen the price of butter lately. But, if grabbed on special, these are kids that will also use the fat to their advantage during the day, so not much to worry about!!)

Honey Oat Slice

3/4 cup of white or wholemeal flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup of sugar

1 1/2 cups of rolled oats

2/3 cup of coconut

150g butter

1 tablespoon honey

pinch salt

Additional (add some or all)

1 tblspn pumpkin seeds

1 tblspn sunflower seeds

1 tblspn sesame seeds

1tblspn walnuts or almonds

Cranberries, Raisins, dried apricots, choc chips (1/2 cup of each, experiment with these yummy additions)

Oven temp = 180 degrees celcius

Toast seeds for extra flavour if desired.

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add melted butter and honey.

Press into a slice tray.

Bake 15 - 20 mins (until slightly golden and firm)

If icing this one, use lemon..............AMAZING!!!

AND..........very easily and safely adapted for Gluten sensitive people (change flour and baking powder). Although some Celiac suffers can't tolerate the oats, so check first.

Have a yummy week

Jaz xx