Domestic Goddess - Dream? Or Reality? - UPDATE

Well I think for me this is actually a dream!! My house is not spotless, I have not had amazing dinners set out on the table at meal times and my husband is still not walking through the door .... but in saying this there has been improvement in some areas.
While my Daily schedule hasn't been followed perfectly (I blame being sick and the silly season) I have become more organised in the mornings. This is my Basic Daily Routine ....

7.30am Get Up

Get kids breakfast
empty and load dishwasher
Put washing machine on
Decide on dinner & get meat out
Make School lunch & pack school bag
Make sure everyone is dressed
Make beds & pull curtains
Clean up after Breakfast

8.30 School Drop Off
9ish Home again

Hang out washing
Clean one room in the house - each day is different mine goes
- Monday - Kitchen
- Tuesday - Lounge & Dining
- Wednesday - Bathroom
- Thursday - Bedrooms
- Friday - Craft room

now that means dusting, moping/vacuuming wiping benches etc so a GOOD clean, if I was on top of things and did this every week I estimate no more than 1/2 hour - 1 hour for each room

Abbey time until she goes to bed 11 - 12ish depending on if she goes to Kindy that day

While Abbey is asleep ME time, so it can be whatever, crafting, sleeping, reading, watching TV, Computer anything.

When Abbey wakes up - either Kindy drop-off or School pick-up time is again Abbey time

2.45 school pick up
3.15 - 4ish (depending on Kindy Day) Home

Afternoon tea
Homework
Bring in fold & put away washing
dinner prep & cook

5.30 - 6ish dinner

after dinner clean up from dinner
Homework if it hasn't already been done
watering garden

7pm bath time
7.30ish bedtime

And then again Me time

Now I DO NOT stick to that, obviously or I'd have a spotless house and 100% happy and content children and mouth watering dinners. Anyone who has kids knows nothing can be concrete, and there are often other things that need doing on certain days etc. One thing I have noticed though is I do pretty much get everything on the list done that needs to be done before School, pretty good achievement I think!! So maybe next week I can work on getting the before school stuff and the after school drop off stuff, and eventually by the end of next year I might be sorted???

Like I said I think me becoming a Domestic Goddess is a Dream - and hey Dreams are Free right!!???

The Men Of Pike

They came from near and far away
The men of Pike to work that day
The afternoon shift way down deep
Beneath the mountains oh so steep
A long way in but further out
The afternoon shift sets about
A job not flash but hard and trying
A job that holds the risk of dying

From seventeen to sixty two
They start their shift to see it through
For one his first, for all their last
How could they know there’d be a blast?
For all at once no siren whining
Suddenly the worst in mining
Dust and rubble fill the air
A loader driver thrown clear
Just one other finds the light
The rest are hidden from our sight

And so we learn as news is spread
The news that mining families dread
It’s up at Pike there’s an explosion
Faces drop and hearts are frozen
Who, how many, where and why ----
Will they make it ---- will they die

Fathers, husbands, brothers, sons
Coasters, Kiwis, Aussies, Poms
Mates and friends who we are seeking
Methane gas from coal seams leaking
Vents exploded, phones unheeded
Level heads and strength are needed
The world above unites as one
To bring the missing to the sun

Rescue teams are standing by
As holes are drilled and experts try
To find a way that’s safe and sound
To rescue those beneath the ground
Could robots work where men are mortal
To pierce the dangers of that portal
But alas all effort fails
The darkness of the mine prevails

A second blast of rock and thunder
Hope and prayers are rent asunder
A nation weeps and Coasters mourn
Pike falls silent, dark, forlorn
A hole remains within the ground
Devoid of joy, of life, of sound

Another hole within the heart
Of those forever set apart
From those they loved who went to toil
Digging coal beneath the soil
Those who gave their lives that day
To work a shift for honest pay
They wait at rest within their mine
The men of Pike, the Twenty Nine

Sean Plunket

Domestic Goddess - Dream? Or Reality?

I've always wanted to be one, I always dreamed that I'd have a mouth watering dinner waiting and a spotless house when my husband walked in the door.
It never happened that way, I always wanted it to happen that way but well I'm just lazy! And I also get distracted REAL easy! On occassion it happened, but not ALL the time like I wanted it to.
I still strive to be a Domestic Goddess, even though I no longer have a husband to walk in the door. So I wrote up a daily scedule. I HATE house work, I never have time but my Mum keeps telling me if I do a little every day I'll be right so tomorrow MONDAY! I am going to try and become a Domestic Goddess, if not for Jase, for my kids, I don't want to be the lazy cake Mum, I also don't want to let my grief swallow me up, so writing about it makes me responsible for it ... right!??? I did say I was lazy and distract easy aye!
Another thing I want to do is become that fun Mum my kids had before we lost Jason. I really want to start having fun with my kids again so watch this space for a little idea I'm gonna make to help me with that, and any ideas .. ALWAYS welcome!

What a Week!

I have had a pretty mad crazy week .. ups and downs, ins and outs and at times madness abounding!!

It all started Saturday morning when I dropped my kids off at my Mum & Dads to head off to Auckland for the weekend ... I met up with one of the best people I know Eon who helped me do a bit of Christmas shopping for the kids. I can't remember the last time I visited with him without kids it was a little bit odd!! But also fantastic! Then I headed off to the airport to pick up the most wonderful woman I know Jennie who had flown in from Hastings. We stayed in Auckland that night and drove home after a bit more shopping.

Monday 15th November should have been my 7th Wedding Anniversary instead it was a horrible reminder of all that had happened, it also happened to be the 6mth anniversary of Jason's incident. Jennie was amazing, she bought me orange flowers and a bottle of wine and I didn't feel so sad while she was around, thanks Jen love you LOADS! The following day was the 6mth Anniversary of Jason's death, so a couple of emotional and kinda sad days in my head.



But while Jen was here we did a little bit of crafting, a little bit of sight seeing, a little bit of drinking and a lot of relaxing!



Thursday the kids and I drove back down to Auckland to take Jennie back to the airport and Friday caught up with our good friend Shannon who now lives in the South Island, we hadn't seen her in almost 2 years so it was great to catch up, then we spent a little time at my old work Kindercare and some time with another one of the most amazing people I know Taryn

Over the last few weeks I have being chatting with a lovely lady called Kate who owns a very cool place called CraftyTartand I have the great honor and pleasure of now being able to call myself a Crafty Tart! my first order of business is running out Santa's Workshop over at FaceBook so run over and check it out! Prizes and competitions and challenges galore!
And just today I got an email saying that one of my LOs has been accepted in the new Up2Scrap magazine .. although they are having a revamp and changing their name to NZ Paper Chasers I'm sure it's all good! So keep an eye out for Riley and Jase in the mag coming out in March.

I have found more little orange items to stash around the house, finally found orange bath towels at Spotlight!! Must go back for more! As well as an orange paisley apron, orange tea-towels and a few more containers and caddies (cause you just can't have too many of those!)
So if you are my friend on Facebook look out for an update in the orange album soon!!

Only just over a week before I crack out the Christmas CD's and decorations! Bring it on!!!

Whoop Whoop Winner!

Well you may recall in my previous post that I mentioned that Nic MADE me enter the sketch challenge over at Scrap Box NZ ...
Well I WON!!! Whoop Whoop YAY for me! Check it out HERE

MSN Challenges and Art Nights

Motivation is hard for me .. it's easy to just sit but I really want to craft!! So I have had a few friends kicking my butt and inspiring me to do stuff!
First motivator is my good buddy Nic who I talk to every day on MSN Messenger. First she MADE me enter THIS sketch challenge over at Scrap Box NZ You can see my LO HERE and also here!



Now she has been setting sketch challenges for me and a couple other Scrappers via Facebook. This is what we have done so far .....



The instructions were to use the sketch as well as having to have these things on the LO:
* paint
*something sparkly
*something stamped
*at least 3pcs of patterned paper
*chipboard shape.

This is the 2nd one ...



Instructions:
*Use this sketch
*some chipboard
*some bling
*a handmade embellishment
*at least 6 buttons

Thanks Nic for all the butt kicking and inspiration!!
My other two inspirers are Ruth and Janine who come round to my place every other Wednesday and sometimes every Wednesday! We have been giving our self a few challenges ... well to be honest there is a bit of a BIG list! so here is what I have done so far ....


*Stamped Image - Pumpkins on paper & Pumpkin Face on Button
*Buttons - bat & pumpkin
*Flags
*3 patterned papers
*different sized lettering in the title


Paper Dolls .. yes they are supposed to be on a LO or in one of my Altered Journals but I'm at least half way there!!

Speaking of altered journals .. I must tell you about mine .. but I'll leave that for the next post ;)

Happy Scrapping!!

Orange-fying my world

*~*WARNING SUPER LONG POST*~*
Orange is my favourite colour. It has been for as long as I can remember. I once worked with a lovely lady called Sarah and she also loved orange to the point of obsession! I never once saw her without an orange item of clothing on and her house was decked out in orange. One of the Women's magazines even did a story about her orange obsession back in September 2003 ....


The Amazing Miss Orange

As a child, Sarah Kaye had one or two orange outfits, which she loved, but the real turning point in her life was in London 12 years ago. "I was on my OE and doing some shopping," she explains. "I found this amazing French Connection orange skirt and a little later that same day, a pair of fabulous orange shoes at a little pokey shoe shop. Of course I bought both things and my orange self was born!"
From that day on Sarah was obsessed with orange, a fact that she cheerfully admits.
"Orange is to me what black is to other women. I have nothing black in my house; everything is orange."
Back in New Zealand, Sarah (32) worked as a daycare centre director.
"The children and their parents knew me as Miss Orange. It's a lovely, bright cheerful colour and I always felt the children enjoyed it too."
Along the way, Sarah met husband Jody, a self-confessed conservative dresser.
"I tried to get Jody into orange," says Sarah. "I bought him orange boxers, which he wore once. Then I tried a Hawaiian shirt but he didn't like it. His orange tie made his workmates laugh and finally he said to me, 'Sarah, I will never stop you being orange but I'm just going to be me.'"
Despite finding orange clothes a little loud, Jody has been happy to let his wife's creativity reign fairly free in their Auckland home.
"If I had my way, I'd have orange walls, carpet, furniture and everything else but we've settled on feature walls and orange accessories," says Sarah. "Of course we're still working on the house so there's a long way to go. A lovely man at our local Resene's store made up perfect orange paint for me and I used it in the lounge. I can't find orange carpet anywhere but I do have my eye on orange leather couches."
Two more future challenges include a car - orange was popular in the 1970s but doesn't appear much these days - and an orange fridge. Sarah says her orange obsession has led to some interesting experiences. "Some people are really awful and say outright that they don't like it. Strangers can be the rudest."
On the other hand, Sarah and daughter Molly (one) can't visit the local supermarket without getting into friendly conversation with somebody who comments on Sarah's clothes, shoes (she has them specially dyed but would love to find a good supply of ready-made styles) or bag. As a rule, Molly doesn't wear orange - her father thinks it might be a bit much - but the odd sneaks in all the same.
"As far as I'm concerned, my orange-ness will last forever," says Sarah, "I'll be wearing it and living with it even when I'm an old lady!"
And for the record, yes, Sarah even has orange underwear. She dyes 100 percent-cotton bras and knickers and if the item is synthetic, she decorates it with a little orange flower or ribbon bow.

Now although I'm not quite as extreme as Sarah I am obsessed with the colour orange and have been slowly orange-fying my house with different orange accessories. Over the years I have picked up the occasional orange item but the real renovations started in the craft room ....









I went to every $2 Store and Variety store in Whangarei and found baskets, boxes, containers. I also bought orange spray paint and duracell to 'alter' certain non-orange items I had, to keep costs down.

Orange isn't contained in the craft room though you can find it in the ....
Kitchen







Bathroom





Bedroom







Dining Room




Garden





I have even bought some orange upholstery fabric to recover my couches (keep an eye out for updates on that)


I have even done some orange scrapping!



So if you are ever looking for something to get me for Christmas or Birthdays (hint hint) you know which road to go down!!!
This orange-fying is still a work in progress so *WATCH THIS SPACE* for regular updates!