YES, IT WILL BE A QUIET DAY FOR US

 

Today Stew and I will be having a quiet day.

Stew got almost everything crossed off his list of 'to dos' yesterday.  And I certainly did.

So, no plans for today at all.

We will be looking after Marley today, as the kids are going on a day trip to the Bay of Plenty.

Coco will love having her sister come and stay for the day.

Perhaps we will take them both for a little walk down by the river?  That will depend on how Stew's knee is feeling of course.

ABOVE:  This hydrangea is one that was already here when we moved in.  Isn't it just lovely.  I hope to plant more over the next couple of years, both inside our gardens, and the gardens around our fence line as well.  I have taken a couple of cutting from plants around here, just waiting for them to take root before I put them in a pot of soil, then they will go into the ground after the worst of the summer heat is over.

I'm pretty sure I've taken cuttings, and planted hydrangeas everywhere we have lived. 😊😉

ABOVE: We are starting to eat our cute little lettuces... well they are basically just leaves.  I hope to get more lettuce plants,  ones that are more 'traditional'.  The ones I want next are called Iceberg lettuces. 

Hmmm, maybe we will go out later and get some plants.  

Right, I'm off to make a start on our day.

Catch ya later.

JOBS AROUND THE HOUSE AND YARD TODAY

 

Whelp, Christmas is done and dusted for another year.  Stew is home until he starts work again on the 19th of January.

So, I am going to try and get him to do a few jobs around the place, nothing too hard or taxing on his knee of course.

I am hoping we can do a few more day trips as well.  I suppose I'll have to get me thinking cap on and work that out.

Lined up for today?  Stew is going to finish pruning a camellia tree, I started pruning it on Christmas morning of all times!  He's also going to attach the new foam panels to me sewing room walls.

I've got washing to sort out, fabric in Crabby Quarters to sort out, and a few other odd jobs.

Right, that's all I've got for now... catch ya later.

Perhaps YOU can tell me what you are getting up to over the holidays?  Entertain me.  😂😊😉

ABOVE:  And just like that, our home is back to normal.  It feels bloody good I can tell ya.   I never like leaving Christmas clutter out for long after the day, and I think I beat my record of 4 days later. lol  That was like only one day. Can't get faster than that.

ABOVE: When Steve was over here the other day, he had a snigger while looking at my Britto cabinet.  I thought he'd done something 'shifty', like muddle them up or something.  Nope.

ABOVE: He was wondering where in hell we would fit this gorgeous new piece of Britto that he and Bex gave us for Christmas!   

DON'T WORRY Steve, I found a spot.  And I've got room for more... albeit they would have to be small ones.

ABOVE:  Remember my 'Heart Wall' in our previous home?  And how I put most of my hearts on a piece of wood on the wall here?

Yeah, I hate it.  

We have got Command Hooks now, and I'm going to redo my Heart Wall with them, so no hooks hammered into the wall.

I might do that later on today.

ABOVE:  I'm bored, I think I'll go to the mall, find a great parking spot and sit in my car with the reverse lights on.

Funny as.

ABOVE:  And up went the new foam panels.

And then I could get on with re-pinning my strip fabrics.  

ABOVE:  That got done, then I'm NOT going to tell you how long I tried rearranging the trestle, sewing desk and ironing board so it gave me access to all the strips!

I think I've got it sussed.  But OMG I'm driving myself mental with all the goddam rearranging!

Why can't I just get it 'right' and LEAVE IT ALONE?

I'm so tired now I just want a bloody nap.

Lunch today was Pork Chops, lettuce salad and mashed potato.  Super yum!

Stew has been working like a fiend today!  He had his own list of jobs to get through, and he's just about done it all.

Very impressed, and thankful he's such a handy man.

I do believe he's going to sleep well tonight!  He's more used to 'pushing a pen' all day long, not doing jobs around the house and yard.

9 pm, and that's a wrap on today.  Stew is now watching sport in the front room, and I'm watching Call The Midwives Christmas Special.  Not Stew's cuppa tea.  😂😉

THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME IN PROBABLY 40+ YEARS

 

Stew and I are going up to Auckland today, to meet up with Stew's sister, Khady.

She's been house sitting out on the coast, and so we didn't get to see her in Wanganui when we were down in Palmerston North the other day.

So we are catching up with her today.

She wants to go to IKEA, which opened at Mt Wellington/Sylvia Park recently.

God help us... because it is bound to be EXTREMEMLY BUSY with Boxing Day Sales and all that.

Last time I went shopping/out and about on Boxing Day?  So long ago I can't remember, but it's got to be 40+ years.

While I LOVE shopping, I do not like it when there's thousands of people crammed into malls.

When our kids had Christmas money to spend, Stew was the one who took them out shopping on Boxing Day.  I stayed home every time.

So, today is going to be 'interesting'.  Traffic is bound to be heavy, parking is going to be a nightmare, and then crowds of people?  We might just end up a bit frazzled by the end of the day.

Or not!  It might not be too bad???  Maybe???

Let's wait and see.

ABOVE:  Ha ha ha!  It wasn't Marley in the dolls pram... Lily got in it, and insisted she was pushed around and around.  Too funny.

10.35 am.

We got to IKEA well before Khady, so decided to have a quick wander.

IKEA is a bloody nightmare.  If you want to find something specific, you still have to walk through almost the entire store to find it. You feel trapped in an endless maze. We will not be eating here. There is a 30 - 45 minute wait, in a very long queue, to even enter the food hall. Fuck that.

We decided to leave the store to wait for Khady.

LEAVE THE STORE???!!!!

That was a mission in itself. We ended up having to get an assistant's help to work out how to get OUT of there! 

I don't think we will ever come back here.

It's got some nice stuff, but we are set for the remainder of our lives.

Nice shop if you are still in the 'acquiring' stage of ya life. Prices are fantastic across the board too.

Oh and forget BOXING DAY SALES at IKEA. Not happening by the look of it. ... but I might be wrong. Just didn't see any advertising in the store about it.

Khady arrived bang on 11, and off we went on the merry go round again. This time I saw a few small items worth coming back for, once I have measurements. Just some pantry hanging basket things.  I also have my eye on some stacking boxes for the sewing room.

The food court no longer has a queue at all, so we are in here and about to try the 'World Famous Meatballs'.

Critique in coming soon 😂🤣😅.

ABOVE: The hanging baskets, cup holders etc. Khady has bought one of the white baskets.

ABOVE: IKEA. A funky wallpaper. Stew in the food court. Stew and Khady. And finally, the meatball lunch... which we give 6 outta 10. Certainly not AMAZING. 

Leaving Auckland now and the queue on the motorway to get off at Sylvia Park and IKEA is banked up for miles !  I'm very relieved we came relatively early. 

3.25 pm, and we are now home from our little Auckland jaunt.  It was lovely to catch up with Khady, and do the 'IKEA' thing.  We will possibly go back one day.

I'm now hanging all my dresses on the mobile clothes rack again... I had planned on getting rid of it, but I just don't have enough wardrobe room.  On our way home we stopped in at Made In Italy at Bombay, and I got a couple more linen dresses.  They are just so comfortable to wear over our hot, sticky summers.  

Now I'm going to relax for a while, before heading into Crabby Quarters to organise fabrics some more.

And Stew is watching... cricket.  😖

Well I didn't go into the sewing room, I decided to take down all the Christmas stuff instead!

A bit early, but OMG, it's so good to have the house back to 'normal'.  Not so cluttered.

I just looked around and I can see I've missed the two hanging elves, so they better come down too.

It's only 8 pm, and we are both knackered, so we will be off to bed early.  I am not going to stay up till 9.45 pm to watch Coronation Street.  I'll watch it tomorrow.

And yep, that's me for the day.  We have had a nice day, I hope you have too.

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY.... LET'S ALL HAVE A LOVELY DAY

 

GOOD MORNING, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.

Stew and I hope you have a wonderful, joyful, happy day with friends and family.

We certainly plan on doing just that.

I am putting the turkey in the oven soon, and will be taking it over to Steve 'n' Bex's late morning.

Our Christmas lunch will be with them, and Lacy at some point, and Brylee and Dom at some point as well.

I'm sure we will all end up with over full tummies, and for some, a bit tipsy too.  

Right, I'm off to start the day.  

ABOVE: Our turkey came out so good!  I made stuffing muffins as well.

ABOVE: A new baby doll.

ABOVE: A CUTE COW for our bed.

ABOVE: Lily getting used to her doll pram. 

Bex just said "I wonder how LONG it will be before Marley ends up in there?" 

Nearly lunchtime, I'm hanging out to try the turkey.

ABOVE: All in Christmas shirts.  Spot Dante?  lol

ABOVE: Lacy arrived, but has to eat and run as she's milking cows again this afternoon.  She milked early this morning as well.

ABOVE: I always give Lacy Condensed Milk! 🤣

ABOVE:  funny how I don't mind being in photos anymore. 

ABOVE: Christmas dinner, Ham, Turkey with stuffing, Roast potatoes and a simple salad.  Followed by Ambrosia, Ice Cream, Strawberries and custard.

It was very yum.

ABOVE: Dante is sitting on a little ground seat, and I think we should get a couple for our car.  Very handy to have when travelling, for the beach etc.  They fold flat, easy to store.

ABOVE: Archer and Lily playing on the Splash Pad.  I want one of those TOO!  😂

ABOVE: Liam opening presents...

ABOVE: And of course Miss Emily as well.  It's always so lovely to see them.  Thanks Andrew for bringing them over.

ABOVE: Another view of that ground seat, and Lily being gorgeous.

ABOVE:  Karen, there's Miss Lily in one of the shirts you sent up for her.  Sooooo cute.

It is now 3.20 pm, and we have come home to relax.

And then Brylee and Dom arrived and we had a really lovely visit with them.  We sent them off to visit Steve and Bex next, as we had left their presents over there.  I managed to pass on a couple of Christmas decorations to them too.  Yaa, less to put back up in the attic.

Stew and I just had some left overs for our dinner, and now it's time to chill out and just relax till bedtime.

Catch ya tomorrow.

CHRISTMAS EVE, AND LOTS TO DO.

 

Well, like everyone else, we have quite a few things to get done today.

First up, some grocery shopping for food tomorrow.

Then home to make a dessert (Ambrosia), and stuff the turkey.

I'm pretty sure I have everything else sorted, presents etc. Thank goodness.

Now, here's a few more photos from our day trip to Wellington:

ABOVE:  Wellington harbour.  I like the little rock 'islands'... man made I'm sure,  but still cute.

ABOVE:  Leaving Wellington, driving up Ngauranga gorge, heading to the coast.

ABOVE:  Paremata.

ABOVE:  Still Paremata.  lol

ABOVE: Going down the hill into Pukerua Bay.

ABOVE: Stew taking a photo of a passing passenger train at Paekakariki.

ABOVE: Paekakariki shoreline.

ABOVE: This little building has been here forever!  It's by the railway line at Paekakariki.

It was a really lovely day!

Right, that's me for now... got stuff to be getting on with.

Got on the scales first thing this morning, expecting a gain.  NOPE!!!  Stayed the same.

I'm 'plateauing'  at the moment, which is just fine.  I didn't get to my goal before Christmas, but it will happen.  That goal being lose 15 kilos since August.   But MEH, I'm only human, and I sure in hell ain't perfect.

Moving on.  We thought we'd be clever and go to the supermarket EARLY.  Ha ha ha!

So did every other man and his dog.

It was PACKED.  Luckily the supermarket was well stocked and we got everything we needed.

Got home, unpacked it all then went over to pick up Coco from the kid's house.  She was perfectly happy there, it's such a relief knowing she's in a safe place when we are away.

ABOVE:  We are now home, and I've made the Ambrosia.  Stew is cutting crusts off the bread so I can make the turkey stuffing next.

It's all ticking along nicely.

ABOVE: This fabric shelving unit was pulling apart from the weight of all the fabrics, so Steve said he'd come over and 'fix' it.

ABOVE:  So two hours later I had rearranged things so I could put all the blues and greens on those shelves, taking a huge weight off the other shelves.

Then Steve arrived with some metal strips...

ABOVE: And just like that, crisis averted!  I was worried sick all my fabric would end up on the floor, and the shelving unit would be ruined.  It's just the most perfect size for there!  

Now that's done, and all my recent fabric purchases and gifts (thanks sooooo much Karen) are put away as well, I can relax.

That job wasn't something I thought would be getting done today.

It is now nearly 1 pm, so lunch time.

Well it's now almost 8 pm.  We had lunch out at Fergus, then came home and did a few jobs.  I had a short nana nap, Stew assembled a dolls pram for Lily, then we picked Steve up and went to the pub for 2.5 hours.

ABOVE: Stew and I with our friends Glen and Bronwyn.  They were two of the very first of Stew's friends I met 40 years ago, and they have been steadfast friends ever since.

We love them to bits.

ABOVE: Steve, Stew and Glen in their Waikato Shirts.  Richard was a dirt rotten stop out, and went to some other Christmas Eve function.  Otherwise I'd have had all four of them in their matching shirts.  OH well, another day.

I stuffed the turkey before we went out, so it's ready for the oven in the morning.

Now there is nothing to do.. except relax. And I really need that, I'm absolutely shattered.

Just so, so tired.

And every now and then I feel really ill... I am not too sure why.

If it continues I will see a Dr, cos it's pretty much every day now.  I'm wondering if it's the Trulicity dicking me around?  *sigh*

Just annoying.

And on that less than positive note, I'm outta here.

Catch ya tomorrow.