Happy New Year

Happy New Year!!!

Off to a slow start, blogwise . . . Have spent the past two weeks working full time at the Lab (minus the two days off work sick) and haven’t even managed to keep up with the housework – let alone a blog!

So – looking back:

I didn’t get Christmas cards out . . . the first time ever. Apologies to those who were expecting them but didn’t receive them.

All my boys were home for Christmas :-) That was the only thing I wanted LOL Karl and Ricki caught the bus home Christmas Eve morning, and left again Boxing Day afternoon.
Anne, Nicola, Dylan & Jaykob were also round for lunch. We had a really nice day, although we didn’t get any gifts opened till after five in the evening!! Liam had to work a morning shift at the service station, then the others arrived before he got home. Just before Anne & co left, Kaye and Bruce turned up.

I worked at the Lab between Christmas and New Year. Dallas stopped working for Christmas Day and I made him stay home on Boxing Day, too, although he wasn’t very happy about it.

Our cherries were beautiful! So juicy and sweet. They were given as parts of gifts to some. Having said that - all the ones around the bottom of the trees were eaten by the dogs. They also ate the strawberries. And the Christmas chocolate – including that which was wrapped and underneath the tree. They unwrapped the socks, boxers, books, etc that had chocolate hidden within. They went into my wardrobe and ate the after dinner mints that were hiding in there. Obviously they weren’t hiding well enough. Chocolate is supposed to be toxic to dogs. My dogs are alive and kicking with minimal disruption to their digestive tracts at the time of the offence.

Our lettuces have been growing well, but are quite bitter. Apparently this is because they haven’t been watered enough. I think next time I’ll get a lettuce with a heart instead of frilly ones – it will be easier for me to tell if they are ready to eat.

We lost the cucumber plant – thank you dogs, again – but have one watermelon doing OK. A stray pumpkin has also turned up in the compost.

The tomatoes – grosse lisse – are doing well and are leading the way in the bet of alcoholic beverages that they will be ready before the neighbours. D swears that ours have the beginnings of red tinges, and he has requested ‘good’ beer, not cheap stuff.

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OK, so the above was written last week. Yesterday I carefully picked our first tomatoes and the neighbour mentioned above cooked fresh scallops and offered beer on our winning of the bet LOL. And boy, do those tomatoes taste SO good! So much better than shop bought ones!

Adulthood PLUS two

Ricki Lee is 20 today. I sent him a text at 5.30 this morning - he was starting work at 6am, and Cleo had woken me up, so I thought I'd get the happy birthday wish in ultra early. This is the first birthday he hasn't been home with us . . . that's what 'adulthood plus two' does to some, I guess, but I don't like it!

Ricki was born 3 1/2 weeks early - he was due in January, but as they all have done before and since, couldn't wait till full term. My poor doctor got called away from a Christmas BBQ to come and tend to me. I ended up having a C-Section, went into shock and had to have a blood transfusion. It was all a bit traumatic, but we got there in the end. He was a wee dot, quite different looking from Karl.

He is currently studying Computer Science at Canterbury University, and working a part time job to help pay the bills.

I haven't got a current photo of him - this one is from earlier this year - Ricki on the right, Karl on the left . . .

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RICKI

Adulthood

Third born son is 18 years old today. Where have all those years gone? He finished school a couple of weeks ago and unfortunately has no plans for his future. He knows he must get a full time job because we certainly can't afford to 'keep' him.

We have been so very lucky to have 'good' kids. They honestly don't give us too much grief, although their father does blame them for his grey hair. I just think it's that age thing again LOL.

So eighteen years ago I was spending the day saying "No, this can't be happening, it's too soon (yet again)" And most of all I was thinking that this baby cannot come today because it's his brothers birthday tomorrow!!! Oh my goodness, two birthdays in the week before Christmas.

So this was my second baby to spend his very first Christmas in the hospital, but he was born a healthy 6lb even though he was a few weeks early. He made his way into the world via a C-Section as, like his brothers before him, he was breach and also like his brothers, had been the entire pregnancy!

Liam Samuel - Sam to his father and his Pop - Liam to everyone else . . .

Happy, happy birthday, son!

On being organised

Over on Karens blog Karen's Choice she has a photo of her favourite organising tool:


So nice, neat, tidy and - well - organised!

Mine doesn't quite cut it, does it?







***sigh***

Gardening

I remember when I was little, dad did the veggie garden and mum did the flower garden. My dad had a huge veggie garden. I have no idea if all the vegetables were used, I know that I certainly didn't eat many back then. Our front paddock in suburbia was full of potatoes for the first couple of years, then corn, then became a wonderful field of grass to play on. We also had some fruit trees - pear, plum and two greengage. Mum would get peaches and pears and bottle them. They would last us all year. She also made jam. My favourite was a crab apple jelly that she used to make from my nanas crab apples. I looked at making some once - and once only LOL. Too fiddly for me!! She also bottled beetroot. I've never had any to match hers. It was delicious.


Now my attempt at gardening. We've always grown tomatoes, and usually potatoes. Up until about 6 or so years ago, I guess. We just ran out of time and energy. Still don't have the time or energy, but are keen to try again.

Here are some starting pics::

Tomatos staked along the fence line with some lettuce in between

Two dwarf cherry trees and the area inbetween that needs tidying . . .

Cherries:

Lettuce, cucumber and watermelon - they patiently waited all week before getting put in the ground today

Four lettuce and one cucumber safely planted, and there is room for more

Happy 80th Birthday

MICKEY MOUSE

I know - I suck at blogging.

I've had a few things I've been focusing on lately. The main one being saving money. Cutting costs. Living more cheaply. I have joined a website called Simple Savings. It is an Oz/NZ web site that has a wonderful forum, many, many tips on how to save money, live more frugally, repay debts more quickly. Simple Savings also helps with challenges and motivation.

I have joined a couple of challenges. The babysteps, mortgage, cc savings challenge - my challenge is mainly to save for a holiday next year with all the boys before they don't want to come with us any more. Not very SS, I know, but it's family, ya know?

Have also joined the Weightwatchers and Organised Chaos threads.

Consequently I have a new dream. To become more self sufficient. To buy a little patch of land, either relocate an old house on to it or build a garage and live in that for a while. Get some chickens. And a few grass grazing quadrupeds. Have a veggie garden.

To do this we would need to reduce our mortgage. It's currently fixed, so can't make too many extra payments towards it. But next year when we are due to renew it, that is the first thing I will be looking for - the chance to make more extra payments.

In the meantime - we have tomatoes against the back fence; plenty of cherries on our two trees, strawberries in pots and a few sickly looking lettuces. Over the next winter we will make raised veggie gardens and be all set for NEXT summer.

We will get extra tomatoes when they are cheap and make relish and spaghetti. Cheap stone fruit will be bought to freeze to keep us going through the winter.

On the grocery front I have cut my spending back from around $250 per week to about $220. That is still far too much, but I know that more can be saved. For me it's all about baby steps. I'm back to baking again. Muesli bars, muffins, biscuits. I love the muesli bar recipe I got off SS. It's so, so simple.

Time is usually against me - but it's all about using it wisely. I'm going to attempt to do that. Can't always guarantee that I will keep it up, but I'm going to try.

Recapping the last few weeks . . . Dog two got sore leg, visit to the vet costing $$$; Denise got sore knee and ear infection, visit to the Doctors costing $$$, Josh off school with sore throat, Liam off school bad case of Flu, trip to Doctors costing $$$; Dog one got sore leg, trip to Vet costing $$$$, Dallas pulled rib muscle, no more money so no visits anywhere . . .


Seriously folks, that is really what it’s been like. And you wonder why I’m not on here often . . well, now you know – I do actually have a life, and it includes providing the money for the vets and doctors latest new homes and trips abroad.


We have a couple of movie passes to use very soon. I’d really like to go and see the X Files movie, but after reading that David Duchovny is a sex addict, I just don’t know if I’ll be able to concentrateon the movie. I might just spend the time watching him and thinking about him . . . ewwww . . . although he is not bad looking, I guess! And he was in Californication – I only watched the first episode and I nearly had to poke my eyes out with hot pokers!

Link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4673642a1860.html

10 Quick Tips – To update your space

Spring is not far away – here are some cheap tips to freshen up your living spaces.

1. Paint a wall
2. Get a nice sofa throw, or just wash the old one
3. Buy some new cushions or sew some new covers
4. Swap your pictures and/or photos around, or put up some new ones
5. Move your furniture around
6. Pick some fresh flowers and put them in a spot for all to see
7. Rearrange your book case, donate books you don’t LOVE anymore
8. Check out some creative ways to organise your space
9. Add a mirror to open up a space
10. Give your home a thorough spring clean. A clean home always makes things look better.

PS - Throws, cushions, mirrors and frames are all available, often at bargain prices, at Briscoes :-)