A typical day........

When I started my blog with my first post I wasn't sure what I wanted to achieve but I took  a stroll through my blog posts the other day and I must admit.....I liked what I read!!! I've done a few exciting things, shared some funny memories and let you into my life a little bit.  I'm pretty sure that I've said it before.....that my life is pretty ordinary, I mean, I'm totally happy with it but it is just a normal life.  Here's how normal it is..........

My day starts off with the kitten {bless his fluffy little heart} deciding that 5.15am is a good time to jump all over our bed, screech up and down the hall and dig for gold in his kitty litter box!  While Demetri is doing all of this, I check my phone for the time....hoping that the minutes will stretch and my alarm won't actually go off at 5.50am but alas!  just as I'm about to doze off again, the dreaded alarm goes off.  I chose a soothing sound to wake me {if there is such a thing} but lately the sound of chirping crickets at dawn {slight exaggeration} just makes me irate...time to change the tune.  So, I roll around a bit, moaning, groaning before kicking off the blankets and forcing myself to get dressed and all the other getting ready bits.  I'm out the door at 6.20am, leaving the rest of my family snoozing warmly in their beds {I'm so jealous} and head off to work.  If I've timed it correctly, I won't have to stop at the railway crossing, if I'm late I will!  See how exciting the start to my day is!  Will I see a train, won't I???  Anyway, time ticks on.....

I arrive at work and work!  Waking girls up, breakfast, getting them off to school and before I know it, work is done for the morning.  Well, paid work anyway because now it's time to go home and do housework for love! {you all know what I mean}  It's now about 9ish and if I'm lucky, Honey has done the dishes {it's a bad day when he doesn't because I hate doing the dishes} but he usually does so it's on with the washing.  I'm a washing nerd....I hate having piles of washing especially during the winter so after much debate {on my side} I finally let Honey put a drying rack up on the wall in our family room!!! Aaaah, the turmoil it caused my brain because while you can hide other clothes racks, this one was going to be in your face all day and night.....and it didn't 'match' my decor {don't laugh} anyway, after two days of using the rack, I had to concede {it almost killed me} that Honey was right.  The rack works brilliantly - no more washing backlog for me this winter - and I don't care what it looks like because - no more washing backlog for me this winter!!!!

There's my washing, drying nicely by the fire.

So by now it's 10am, the dishes and a general tidy are done, the first load is almost washed and I need to fold the stuff on the rack and I do this with the help of Ellen! Oh yeah!! I turn on Ellen and dance with her every morning.  Dancing is good for the soul.  It cheers me up, gives me energy and then I fold the rest while watching Ellen, laughing my head off all the way. 

Hello there Ellen....let's boogie on down :)

The rest of the day is a mixture, depending on the day.  I vacuum {hold your excitement} help Honey with some sign writing, do some canvases for my little business Sugar Prints, do some craft work, maybe lunch with a friend.  Two days a week, I'm back at work at 2.30pm until 10pm and the other days, I collect Macy from school then it's all on!  She talks non stop from the moment she gets in the car {where does she get that from?} and then it's piano practice, netball practice, homework, getting in the firewood, maybe a trip to the supermarket and before I know it...it's time to cook dinner.  I dislike cooking dinner.  Almost as much as I dislike doing the dishes.  But we must eat and Macy is a great help.  Any excuse for her to use her Ninja Master Prep!! {you've probably seen the infomercial}.  Then it's dinner, showers, TV, a bit of this and a bit of that and what do you know it's bed time!!!  Just a typical, suburban, working mother and housewife day.  

See, normal as.  I'm sorry I can't tell you that I go to the gym and run on the treadmill for 2 hours, followed by pilates and yoga {I could but you wouldn't believe me anyway} or that I prepare a beautiful nutritious 3 course meal for my family every day.  I'm also sorry I can't tell you that I spend my days at the beauty spa being tinted, waxed and tanned {I wish} but I can tell you that every day is different, things get done, I have fun and I'm not bored!

I spend quite a bit of time cleaning, tidying and organising my home.  I find it fun {yes, fun} relaxing and fulfilling to do this and have a nice home, well, we think it's nice! It may not be to everyone's taste but it's always interesting to have a nosey around other peoples houses, so, I thought I'd take you on a tour of my home.  Every so often, I'll give you a tour of a different room in my house and explain some of the decor, tell you where I got stuff and show you my favourite bits and pieces.  But be warned, this is not 'Your Home and Garden'!!  This is a regular house, for us regular folk - my home has not been styled for each post, I am not a photographer - there will be no exciting shots, views or making things look better than they do and I pride myself on finding a bargain so I have not spent a lot of money to get my home looking as it does.  In fact, I rarely ever pay full price....I love getting things on special. 

Let the tour begin......

The Lounge Room

My beloved blue bottles take pride of place on the mantel piece, in our lounge.  We use the fireplace mainly on Sundays when we spend time together in this room.  I love my chandelier cushion {got it for half price} and I made the doily cushion.  My blue bird plate and coasters were a bargain at Stevens.

I love wooden floor boards but we added the shaggy rug for a bit of warmth for our feet.  Honey made our low TV cabinet - bargain!

I'm into miss matched cushions at the moment.  I love the one with the vintage keys all over it {half price} I'm forever changing my cushions...I have a pile up in my wardrobe and I swap them around every now and then.  The large square canvas above the fire is printed by me - Sugar Prints.

This is my shelf of revolving white treasures.  I add things, swap things, replace things.  I love my little cake dome with the bird {right side, second shelf down} and my infinity twist {right side, fourth down}  I'm always looking for new things to go on the shelves and I'm currently on the hunt for two new additions {I know what I want but you'll have to wait and see}...at the right price, of course!!!  My white boxes are filled with family photos that we love to sit and look through.

Apart from my blue bottles, this is my favourite piece in our lounge.  We treasure our family and I know that we can be together forever.  We sing a song at church....Families can be together forever, through Heavenly Father's plan, I always want to be with my own family and the Lord has shown me how I can, the Lord has shown me how I can.  Make each moment count with your family :)

Thanks for joining me on a quick trip of a typical day of being me and I hope you enjoyed the first room tour.  Next room will be.....the dining room!!

As Ellen says....

Be kind to one another

trudy_n xoxx

For my mum....

Although Mother's Day was yesterday, I wanted to pay tribute to my darling mum.  My mum was both mum and dad to me and my brother for a good part of our lives.  I know now, that being a single parent is a tough job and I'm pretty sure I gave her a rough trot at times {never!} and Mum always handled everything with love and patience.  I know she had to sacrifice a lot to raise us but she was always cheerful and went without so that we could have.  She was always patient with me when I was little....I think these days I'd be labeled as hyperactive or ADD, lol.  Mum sewed all of our clothes for years, knitted our beanies and hat and crocheted my dolls beautiful outfits.  She can whip up a delicious meal out of next to nothing and tries to keep her whole family healthy {vitamins, water and cider vinegar hahaha}  She grows lots of vegetables, herbs and has planted lots of fruits trees and uses these to make yummy jams, relishes and in her meals. She works tirelessly at her callings at church. She is a brilliant farmer who has saved the life of at least 4 animals in the past year!  It was nothing for her to give mouth to snout to her tiny kune kune piglet{true story} or to carry a near frozen budgie around in her pocket, to warm it up,  while she cleaned the kindy!!!  I could go on and on!!  She fits so much into her days and always has time for others.  Mum, you're a legend!!

I thought I'd share a few memories that taught me some valuable life lessons.....there were lots of memories to choose from but these ones are always at the top of my brain :)

Memory #1

One Christmas {1980} my brother and I got our first bikes!  What excitement!  Todd got a red BMX and I got a red dragster, with a red and green banana seat, big handle bars and a basket on the front.  Those bikes took us everywhere!  We were still in Australia then so we cruised around in the sun and thought we were awesome.  We were the coolest kids in the neighbourhood.  Now I know, that mum had those bikes on lay buy for just about the whole year so that she could pay them off in time for Christmas.  Lesson learned - budgeting skills and sacrifice.

Me and my first bike.

Memory #2

We were all out at my cousin's farm, where we spent a lot of time on the weekends and always had so much fun {that's your farm, Luke} and on this particular day, Mum told me not to go back outside because we were going home shortly.....did I listen?  Ummmm, no way!!!!  My cousin {that's you, Luke} and I took off outside to play on this huge dead, fallen over tree.  We always used to play on it - one day it was a rocket, the next a pirate ship {kids had imaginations back then} so on this day, we decided to see how far we could climb  We climbed pretty high when SNAP.  The branch we were on broke and we fell to the ground.  Now, we were up pretty high and hit the ground with a thud, me on top of my cousin.  He got a couple of scratches and me, well, I ripped off half my face.  Half my face!!!  I went screaming, and I mean screaming into mum who grabbed me, hugged me and started to clean me up.  My face was full of debris and prickles, oh the pain!  So off to the doctors we go, any way to cut a long horror story short.....Lesson learned - listen to your mum and do as you're told, then you won't have to get splinters dug out of your face!

My battle wounds.  Note the sad expression! 1980 {a good and bad year!}

Memory #3

Mum had bought me some beautiful church shoes.  Mum was always careful with money so we had a pair of church shoes, a pair of sneakers, thongs {jandals or flip flops} and a pair of school shoes.  And really, we wore bare feet most of the time so we didn't need a lot of shoes, lol! Anyway, these church shoes were pretty.  Imagine chocolate brown patent leather {stop it, they were gorgeous back then!} with a mary-jane strap, when I walked they clicked on the floor {all girls now how important that sound was as a kid, don't deny it!} so you get it, they were hot! So naturally, me being the strong headed child that I was, I thought they'd look great with my school uniform! {and I was right, they did} After begging, crying, nagging and just generally going on about it, Mum finally gave me the opportunity to choose for myself.  I chose to wear those shoes to school!!  To cut this long horror story short, let's just say, jump rope and double dutch is no place for elegant church shoes.  Lesson learned - mum gave me the chance to use my free agency and taught me that choices always have a consequence. {my consequence was scratched and scuffed church shoes for a couple of months until mum could afford new ones}

The shoes.....before I trashed them.

Memory #4

After we moved to New Zealand, it took us a while to find our feet.  So there was some pretty lean times.  Our second Christmas in NZ always sticks in my mind.  I was given 2 small presents.  Back then, I was devastated. We were poor! But we had a wonderful Christmas day.  Mum and Dad had decided to use what money they had on the whole family rather than on loads of presents and we had a feast!  The food was delicious, we played games and laughed ourselves silly.  Mum also made a special effort each birthday to make us a yummy birthday cake.  We looked forward to the cake more than our presents. Lesson learned - you don't have to spend a lot of money to create lasting memories, and family time is more important than material things.

My 7th birthday.  

My 9th birthday.

10th birthday.  All cakes homemade, dresses homemade!  The good old days.  Mum even used her hot rollers to curl my hair in this photo!

Memory #5

Over the years, Mum has used her time and talents to teach me so many things.  She has taught me to crochet, knit and sew.  Mum taught me to sew on her old treadle machine.  I can remember getting aching legs from pushing the treadle as I made my Cabbage Patch Kids clothes {it's not that funny!} and even though I kept asking to go on her flash electric machine, she would always send me back to the treadle until I had mastered my skills.  Lesson learned - you've got to walk before you can run and I wrecked a lot of stuff as a kid so Mum was just protecting her sewing machine from the wrath of Trudy!!!

My baby alive, Kim Kelly and I.  Mum made untold outfits and blankets for this doll. {I still have the doll!!}

Well, you kind of get the idea....my Mum is amazing!  She has had plenty of trials in her life and endured some pretty tough challenges but she always pulls through with grace and positivity and I'm often amazed at her inner strength and faith.  I have learned so much from my mum and I know I still have plenty more to learn.

I love you Mum.  Thank you for the wonderful job you did in raising me, Todd and Drewe.  Thank you for the sacrifices you made and the choices you made that make us the family that we are today.  Thank you for teaching me to be kind, caring, compassionate, loving and understanding.  Thank you for being a good example to me and for always having time for me.  Thank you for being a beautiful Granma to my children.  They love you so much.  And thank you for showing me that we can overcome trials in our life if we keep going, keep trying and keep being positive.  You are a fantastic mum and granma and I wouldn't change you for the world.  

Macy, Mum and I.

I know many of you don't have your mum's to celebrate with this Mother's Day for a variety of reasons so whether they are with you physically, in your thoughts or in your memories, take some time to be grateful for the lessons they taught you, the good times and the bad and think of them with love because they love you.

Happy Mother's Day

trudy_n xoxx

Welcome home Demetri.....

We brought Demetri home on Monday.....no, I did not have a baby {panic attack} but we did get a new kitten.  Actually, it's Macy's and he's a cutie.

Macy and Demetri.  Don't look at the mess up my hallway, I was having a clean up {you looked didn't you!!!}

We haven't had a kitten for years. Our crazy ball of fur, Nala, was killed last year in a hit and run {I hope they feel guilty} and we've waited until the right time to replace her and happily, the time is now.  Getting the kitten was a bit of a spur of the moment thing.  You know, we did the innocent 'let's go and look at all the cute little animals at the pet shop, we're just looking though' trip one morning during the holidays and well, it happened.  This tiny {and he's really tiny} black kitten was the only one awake in his little pen and he walked over to the glass door and gave Macy 'the stare'.  You know the one!!!  The one that melts your heart and make you go naaawwww.  Honestly, we couldn't resist his teenie tiny little face so, next step....a phone call to daddy!  Honey was totally keen!  This was easier than we thought and we bought him.

He was still a weenie wee fella so he had to stay at the pet shop until he hit one kilo {yes 1kg} then he could have his injections, wait 3 days to make sure he was ok and then he could come home.....waiting, waiting, waiting.  Four days behind schedule, he hit a kilo and went off to get his shots which meant, all going well, we could pick him up on Monday :)  We went into full kitten mode.  We made pom poms for him to play with.  We made a bed.  We bought a litter tray and this fancy new crystal kitty litter stuff.  We bought a food and water bowl.  We were ready!!!!!

And then, the phone rang on Monday.  Demetri had had a little reaction to the injection and wasn't feeling too good.  Macy was devastated.  Honey took her to visit him while I was at work to see how he was looking.  Mace said he started to purr when she gave him a big cuddle so we took that as a good sign.  He spent the night in the cattery - he had the whole place to himself, underfloor heating and some yummy soft food.  The good news.....by the next morning.....he was as right as rain.  Phew.....I bet you all 

thought he was going to die!!!  Have some faith people, lol.

Yay!!!!  It was so exciting to go and collect him with Macy and bring him home.  Let the games begin hahaha.  He trotted around all evening, meowing every now and then when he got lost, climbed up my pants leg, sat on Macy's shoulder, had a sleep on Macy and a bit of a roll around.  Right bed time....no one told me that kittens can cry!!!  Oh my goodness.  He howled when we put him in his 'room' but eventually went to sleep.  He woke Macy with his crying at 11.30and 2.30, then all of us at 4.30 and again at 6am.  Time for me to get up for work so we all just got up!  He was so happy to see us that he almost tripped Macy up by zig zagging in between her feet.  After 15 minutes of chasing him around, having him crawl all over her, having a sleep deprived night and having an early start to her day, Macy said 'so, this is what it's like to be a mum!'  Hahahahahah, I had to laugh!  Yep, pretty much I said, only another 18 years to go!!!

Having a play with his pom pom.

Cuddles with mommy, lol

On my Country Road bag in the sun.

Asleep, on my sweatshirt on my bed.  He's so black that he's hard to see.

So, welcome to the family Demetri Pango. 

 We promise to love you, feed you, play with you, cuddle you, keep you safe from our chihuahuas and let you sleep where ever you like.  Just make sure you use your litter box please!!!!

 

trudy_n xoxx

{also known as Demetri's grammy}

Jumble sale......

This is a bit of a jumble sale post...with nothing actually for sale!!!  But it's a 'this and that' post, a bit of a catch up, mixed bag of lollies, lol.

I've just gone back to work after having the school holidays off.  I'm very fortunate in my job, that I get all school holidays and if we are lucky, the odd teacher only day!  I love the holidays.  I really rest and recuperate during my time off and usually don't too anything strenuous {oh wait, that's all the time} but this holidays, I managed to pack in quite a lot.  So here's my top holiday highlights.........

Ezra turned 20!  It finally arrived...I have a 20 year old son.  We had a yummy dinner with him and his lovely girlfriend at our favourite Indian restaurant.  We were all so full that we decided to have the birthday cake the next night!!

My boy.  Then and now. Love you dude!

Before we knew, Macy's birthday was upon us.  Brooke {Ezra's girlfriend} Macy and I went to the movies to celebrate, lots of popcorn and ice-creams, great birthday treat.  Mace chose to have homemade burritos for tea and had a birthday apple pie {she's a hard case} because she wanted to have her 'real' cake at her slumber party the next week.  No problem. We do themed parties for Macy and this year she went with a moustache theme!!! {told you she was hard case} and it turned out brilliantly. She helped with the decorations and cake, and the girls had a fun time.  Mace wanted kiddy party food so they had cheerios, sausage rolls, nuggets and chips and for dessert they had a delicious chocolate fondue!!!  Yummo.  The party was a huge success and was a great way to end my April birthday season.

My girl.  Growing every day xxx

It's the Ninja Master Prep!!!!!  She's an infomercial junkie :)

Burritos for din dins.

Birthday apple pie, lol

The moustache party table.  Cute, huh?

The chocolate fondue.  Delish, and I got to use my shiny fondue set, bonus!!!

Giant moustache cake.

The girls in disguise ;)

We went to the AFL at the Westpac Stadium {the Caketin} in Wellington!  Awesome!!  Macy and I went with my big bro, Todd and his little dude, Jack.  Talk about fun!  The Sydney Swans {go the Swanies} played St Kilda and it was a great game.  My brother and I first got into AFL or Aussie Rules when we lived in Melbourne.  Neither of the teams playing were our favourites but we loved the atmosphere and getting to watch a game we love, live, in New Zealand.  We also had a reminisce about our time in Melbourne and I'm pleased to say I'm still friends with some of those wonderful girls from my Heathmont days over 20 years ago. {love you long time girls - that's what friends are for xxx} It was Todd and Jack's first time at the stadium which made it even more fun.

Bright lights, big city.

Macy and I in our winter woolies.

Me and my big brother, Todd

Todd and Jack-aroo

Exciting!!!! Got to love the Caketin.

Go the Swanies!!!!

We bought Macy a kitten during the holidays but we haven't been able to pick him up yet.  He's still a bit little and had a sore tummy yesterday but we are very excited about Demetri coming to live with us, hopefully today!

Demetri Pango.  Still at the pet store :(

I was able to catch up with my daddy, on one of his flying visits.  He was up on business but came to stay the night so we had a yum chicken curry for tea, along with Ezra and Brooke {I seem to be feeding those two quite a bit lately!}  Lots of laughs, always a good thing.  I also caught up with my dear friend Kathy, who never fails to come around for a good chin wag {chat for those who don't speak my language} when she is in town.  I really love her visits and value her friendship and always look forward to the next one.

Finally, I was able to talk Macy into seeing oz the great and powerful at the movies.  She was worried it would be freaky but it wasn't and we enjoyed the movie.  We love going to the movies together at any opportunity, so we were happy we got to go twice this holidays!  

Looking back, they were great holidays.  Add in a few sleep ins {ok, more than a few}, some late nights watching TV trash, 2 books read, cooking vegetables for my family {that needs reporting} teaching Macy and friends to make pom poms, some dog walks, a splash of house work, a shopping trip to Palmerston, planting my hydrangea and I'd say, my holidays were very useful!

Now, only 9 weeks and 6 days until the next ones.....if you're counting {like me ;)}

Talk soon,

trudy_n xoxx

Friday Fuzziness

Whoa!  There goes April!!!  It sped by me before I had a chance to catch my breath!!! And as usual, I want to share my photo a day photos with you and share a Friday Fuzzy......

April Photo A Day.

Day 1.  Play.  This game has me addicted.

Day 2.  Blue.  My favourite blue plate.

Day 3.  Something beginning with A....apple

Day 4.  This happened today....I wrote my weekly card to my Grandma

Day 5.  Something good......mmmmmmm

Day 6.  Air.  Winter's in the air.

Day 7.  Dreamy.  Mace having a Sunday afternoon nap.

Day 8.  On my plate.....scalloped potatoes, broccoli and pesto and creamed cheese stuff chicken breasts.  Yum.

Day 9. Tiny.....hundreds and thousands.

Day 10.  A place......where I like to sit. {Happy birthday Drewe}

Day 11.  Detail.  Linen

Day 12.  Middle.  My wedding ring. {Happy birthday Grandma}

Day 13.  View from my bed. {Happy birthday Mum}

Day 14.  Water

Day 15.  Alone

Day 16.  My favourite colour.  Purple

Day 17.  Busy....at work

Day 18.  Hello......Chilli looking at the gate waiting for Macy.

Day 19.  Button.....my electric blanket button

Day 20.  On my mind....burgers for tea

Day 21.  Fire

Day 22. Blurry {Happy birthday Ezra}

Day 23.  Time....for cake

Day 24.  I saw this person.....my girl

Day 25.  Life is...about memories.  Lest we forget.  Anzac AFL game.

Day 26.  Childhood...balloons. {Happy birthday Macy}

Day 27.  Earth

Day 28.  My Sunday....toast for tea

Day 29.  I wore this today

Day 30.  Glasses

I'm quite proud of myself.  I've managed to do 4 months of the year long challenge I set for myself.  My goal this month is to take more of the photos out and about around town rather than at home and work.  I hope you're enjoying the photos as I'm loving taking them.

So, another Friday has rolled around and I'm here to share the Friday Fuzzy with you, too.  {I'm full of sharing tonight, aren't I?}


Friday Fuzzy....
 

Winter is on it's way and all I've heard are people moaning about how cold it is and how cold it's going to be.  Winter has been coming every year now since, well, forever!!  It's time to get over it.  There's no avoiding it {unless you move to the tropics} so.....look on the bright side.  A toasty warm fire, warm soft slippers, hearty crock pot dinners, blankets on the couch, electric blankets, onesies, soup, movies on cold rainy days, gumboots, netball {for us anyway it's a highlight}  rugby on tv and hot baths......all of these things make me pretty excited about winter!!!!

Look on the bright side.....summer is on it's way!

I'll be back in the next couple of days.......

trudy_n xoxx