LAST DAY BEFORE SCHOOL AGAIN

Oh Yeah!  One more day and one more sleep until we get some peace in the house again... these holidays have been long and wet, I'm so glad I decided not to have any extra kids too.

It would have been just too much.  Brylee and Griffin are good on their own, add more kids and you always get petty squabbles and endless demands. 

In the next holidays I will have our Grandson Joshua no doubt.... but that's 10 - 11 weeks away so ain't gunna think about it for now!

Brylee starts Gymnastic Club this coming week too... I am sure she is going to love that.

Monday will be a new start for me too in a way.  Steve and I are going to get up every morning, go down to the garage and do some exercise.  His idea... get me moving again... and get himself out of bed at a decent time!
We.  will.  see.

Today?  The Warehouse is having a sale on bedding, so we are going down to check it out... we need more duvet inners... I have no idea where all ours have gone?
But I have a sneaking suspicion I used them as quilt batting!  lol

ONWARD...

A comment I received this morning:

Your comments are vile. You are a know it all, bully, motor mouth. Don't be mislead by the ones who jump so quickly to defend you and back you up, they do so because they are frightened of you like all bullies you have your hangers on.

Try and be a little bit nicer regarding other peoples comments it is only an opinion not a slap on the face. Calm..... take a deep breath and move on.
Claire Callon. U.K.

Why thanks for that Claire.

ONWARD...

No idea Amanda.

I have decided to go back to what I usually do with annoying ANON comments... simply hit the delete button and forget about it.  I don't like all the crap that happens when I do publish them.

I remembered where all my duvet inners went!  As the kids left home I gave them all bedding... lots of bedding... and ran down my supply.
So there were sales on bedding at The Warehouse, Bed Bath & Beyond AND Briscoes.
We found the best deals at Briscoes... 60% OFF!!!

ABOVE:  a King and a Queen duvet inner, and three Continental Quilts... what a buy!

ABOVE:  The guys got the job of putting the inners in the covers.   My job now is to tidy up the linen cupboard, which looks like a bomb went off in it.  Yaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

End of Day:  Stew got to mow the lawns this afternoon... which was quite a feat considering how much rain we've had lately!  It looks so nice all freshly mown though.  He's a love for doing it.
It's been a warm winter day here!  I started the day in 3 layers on me top... then I ended up in just one for a while.. no sleeves even!  Now it's cooling down again... but it's not cold enough to put the heater on!  Amazing weather we get here in Auckland.  I love this place.
nite nite

STRANGELY RELIEVED....

Yesterday after much thought I decided to quit my job at the Hospice Shop. 

Three main reasons:

1.  I am no longer enjoying being there.
2.  Coco and her pups need me to be here for them for at least the next three months.
3.  I felt like there was getting less and less 'me' time.

To be honest I felt a huge weight lift off me when I resigned... like I could relax again.  I know I didn't spend a huge deal of time there... but it was just getting too much for right now.

So... I have stayed on the 'roll',  but will be taking an indefinite time off.

It gives me time to consider what I really want to do, Hospice or maybe Volunteer at the Hospital ER Department? 

Today:  Picking up the puppy heat pad from some bloke over in Avondale.
After that?  Not a lot!  Relax.  Chill out.  Put the feet up. Have a spa?

ENJOY THE DAY.

ONWARD...

Bark Collar:  works fine, Teddy does not bark now when he has it on!
Lounge Suite: no news there.
JO: Emily has started having a wee bit of puree'd fruit and baby rice... she's 5 months old and seems to like it. 

THE  BISCUIT:  Emily did not EAT it... just slobbered on it. 

2nd Anon from yesterday:  fair enough, I just got rather cross that someone was being so judgemental and not signing their name.... oh and what was YOUR name?
If someone is prepared to give me their opinion they should not hide behind ANON comments.

I'm sitting here wondering... if Stew knows HE'S 'cooking' dinner tonight?   *snigger*

End of Day:  well Stew did cook dinner... then we had a nice quiet evening with HIM watching rugby and me watching videos of whelping... it isn't long now!
nite nite.

EMILY IN THE HOUSE... AND FAT BELLY JONES

ABOVE: Amanda brought Steve home last night, and of course Emily came too!  Amanda and Em stayed the night.

ABOVE: we have conditioned the dogs for years to accept people pulling their ears.. which is just as well as that's exactly what Emily did!

ABOVE: Emily is such a smiley baby...

ABOVE:  I gave her a Shrewsberry biscuit, which she just LOVED!  Try taking it off her... she screamed holy blue murder!

ABOVE:  slobber... slobber... nom nom nom...

ABOVE:   'Fat Belly Jones'... would ya look at that tummy!  AND.. I felt a puppy move yesterday too!  It was so cool.

Today:  I can relax now that Steve is home to help watch Coco.
I think Anne from Palmerston North is flying in and having a 3 hour lay over here till she catches her shuttle to Whitianga, so hopefully I will be picking her up and bringing her back here for a visit.  Edit:  her flight got cancelled, so she's catching a later plane... so I'll just be going out to the airport for a quick catch up, better than nothing eh?

And after that I am going over to Swanson to pick up the headboard, then swinging by the Dr's to pick up a prescription for pills to halt the hot flushes again.  Can't wait for that!

ONWARD...

BLONDIE:  ahhh... NO, I have no intention of showing 'gory' photos of Coco's delivery.  Ewwwww.

Clearly ... I have not been home much today!
I met up with Anne from Palmy and we had a lovely catch up before she caught the shuttle bus to Whitianga... then I went home, picked up some rope and headed over to Swanson to pick up the headboard. 
The bloke there tied it on the roof rack for me which was so nice of him... then I braved the heavy traffic all the way home hoping like hell it stayed on the roof!
It did.

Then Steve took it off for me and I headed out again to pick up me pills from the Dr... fingers crossed they kick in real fast as I am feeling like a limp dishcloth right now!  SO TIRED.... exhausted in fact.  Lack of any decent sleep for weeks does that I suppose.

NOW... time to cook dinner.. and YES, I am cooking even though it's a Friday night and I don't 'normally' cook on a friday night!  Wonders will never cease...

ANONYMOUS:  come on ya prick, give me your real name so I can tell you what I think of you.  I have raised 8 kids and none of them have suffered by having a friggin biscuit... arsehole.
Get a life ...

End of Day:  I've  had a really long, luxurious spa and feel wonderful.  About to take me hot flush pills... oh how I want them to work fast!
nite nite

ANOTHER SCORE..AND LOTS OF COLLARS!

ABOVE:  my latest aquisition via TradeMe... a gorgeous Double Headboard for the new-to-us double bed.... isn't is gorgeous!
I got it for an awesome price too.. no haggling, just 'Buy Now'.  Very happy.

I also bought a puppy heat pad off TradeMe too... havn't got it yet, but hopefully it will arrive before the pups!  (edit: picking it up on saturday, so Coco has to hold on till then!)

Steve is due home today from Hamilton which I am really looking forward to.  He has been missed.  And I feel I will need his help with looking after Coco and the puppies next week.

ABOVE: I made 7 little collars from stretch lace... each one has a different colour button.   There better be ONE girl at least!  lol  (and yes, we are only expecting 6 pups, but ya never know!)

ABOVE:  Teddy after his grooming.. still refuses to look at the camera...

ABOVE:  Finally... a face shot!   He's not impressed with me.

ONWARD...

Just did the vacuming and floor washing... shitty job.. kills my back.  But, needed doing.  Off to have a break before finding something else to do..

HOT FLUSHES:  I stopped taking the anit depressants that the Dr had prescribed for them... well I've lasted about a month?  I have to concede defeat AGAIN... I am ringing the Dr for some more... I am getting crabbier and crabbier, hotter and hotter (but not in a nice way)... and my nights are spent tossing and turning, throwing the duvet on and off all night long.  I can't win with this thing.... it is the pitts.

ABOVE:  I cooked a nice,  simple dinner of sausages, mashed potatoes with grated cheese added, gravy and veges tonight... Amanda ate her's then helped herself to a bowl of potatoe and gravy... Coco helped her eat it!

ABOVE:  Teddy lapping up a tummy rub from Steve... spoilt dog.

End of Day:  going to have a spa then off to bed early tonight... I hope.  Not that I look forward to going to bed.. I never sleep for longer than about 45 minutes before I get a hot flush and wake up, and it takes a good 30 minutes to get back to sleep. 
nite nite.

WHAT TO DO.. WHAT TO DO....

TEDDY BARKS.... something shocking.  But only when we arrive home after being out, or if someone knocks on the door, or walks past the house, or gets up in the night for a piddle... you get the drift.

He is dreadful!  He barks and yaps so loudly he drives us nuts... and will NOT stop unless we yell at him heaps... yesterday I got so mad with him I literally locked him in the laundry the moment I got home just to shut him up.

I am no 'dog whisperer' so don't know how to stop him.  Steve has made him worse by encouraging him to bark even more!

So... I'm thinking of getting something like this:

ABOVE:  this one works by emitting a high pitched noise only the dog can hear when he barks...

ABOVE:  this one gives an electric shock when the dog barks... but is controlled by the owner who uses a remote control to 'zap' the dog when he barks....

ABOVE:  and this one works automatically when the dog barks and shocks the dog with 5 increasing intensities until the dog stops barking.

so... ALL and ANY advice would be appreciated!
Have you used any of these? Do they work?  Do they hurt the dog? 

Yep, and talking of Teddy... I'm taking him to Pukekohe this morning bright and early to be groomed.  Coco will be coming with us of course... can't leave her home alone right now.

ABOVE:  Kelly bought me these two gorgeous blue boxes in Hamilton the other day, and Stew bought me the wee doll as I loved her and want to try making some similar for Christmas presents.

ABOVE: these are the boxes I got yesterday...  I probably have quite enough boxes now... *sigh*.   lol

Teddy is at the groomers in Pukekohe... and we are home again.  Coco is giving me the shits... she's getting so big in the belly!  And constantly moving around... stretching out.. tossing and turning...  can't be long now!  I'm scared to tell you the truth!  What if I do something wrong???

ABOVE:  I'm slowly comprising the Whelping Kit.... I bought some stretchy lace (in foreground) which I am going to make little puppy collars with... way, way cheaper than buying collars!

ABOVE:  I got a collar for Teddy.  It emits an electric shock when he barks... in 6 increasing intensities.  Hopefully he will learn REALLY FAST not to bark!  
Sorry but I don't have the patience or tolerance right now to go through any sort of long drawn out 'training' programme with him.  We are all OVER his barking and want it to stop RIGHT NOW.

Teddy looks wonderful after his grooming.... maybe I'll post a photo of him tomorrow.  Right now I have to sit down and read up on this collar...

MAGPIE:  clearly you have never heard Teddy go beserk and bark/yap/scream EVERY TIME someone comes to the door, or when we get home, etc, etc.  If you had to you would be looking for something to shut him up too.

TINA:  I got the milk and bottle JUST IN CASE we have a runt who needs a bit of help to keep up.  I have NO INTENTION of doing any interventions unless it is absolutely necessary.

End of Day:  Well... the Stop Barking Collar has been put to the test twice this afternoon.... and twice he's started to bark and stopped almost immediately!  Is it too early to say: SUCCESS?
nite nite.

OUR 5TH 'BEDROOOM'... LOL

After much hard work on my part... I made an area of the garage into a nice 5th 'Bedroom' ...

ABOVE:  Everything in position, and looking snug after adding a bit of stuff like the throw, mirror and pictures.  If Steve ends up down here cos Mike EVENTUALLY comes up to live we will probably get a screen to give him some privacy.

TODAY:  I want to do bugger all to be truthful.  I'm knackered after my efforts yesterday...  and I have two more books waiting for me to read...

Q.  How long till the pups arrive? 
A. A normal dog's pregnancy last 61- 63 days, Coco is now at day 52, so we should have puppies in 9 - 11 days time!

Nervous... but have done masses of reading on Whelping, and spoken to the Vet a couple of times too... so we are almost as prepared as we can be as 'first timers'.

Correct guess's on 6 Puppies:
Cottonreel:  4 Boys, 2 Girls
Tess:  4 Boys, 2 Girls
Steve: 3 Boys, 3 Girls
Sandra C:  4 Girls, 2 Boys

Clearly we will not know who wins outright until after the birth. 

ONWARD...

I just went up into the loft space above the garage (gawd I hate that ladder!) and retrieved the cream wool rug to put by the bed down in the garage.  It should do nicely there.

Got a few odd jobs to do around the house, but basically I'm going to blob out today! 

ABOVE: I'm really chuffed how I could turn a corner of the garage into such a nice area.  This house is too damn small... our garage is now three things:  Sewing room, bedroom and gym.  I miss my big Palmerston North house!  *sniff*

SERIOUSLY... who have time to do nothing?   I went and did the grocery shopping.. have to put it all away now.  Joy.
Also found a shop in Sylvia Park that has an AMAZING selection of boxes... wish I'd seen it before!  Never mind, I've decided you can never have too  many pretty boxes and bought some more!
lol

I'm incorrigible I know.

Today was the last day I am going out and leaving Coco alone... although she is not due for a while yet I just won't feel comfortable or safe leaving her.

Hee hee... I had a Nana Nap!  Felt darn good too.. only now I have to think of dinner... not a problem!  I just did the shopping so there's plenty of food in the house.

LYNDA:  The valance stays, it hides everything I've shoved under the bed!  As for the screen... off ya go... you design one for me!

WOMBAT: my poor car is outside in the rain.

END OF DAY:  a nice day all up... I quite enjoyed my lazy afternoon.  Stew got dinner as I got stuck on the phone with me Mum right on dinner time. 
nite nite

VERY EXCITING DAY TODAY!

 ABOVE:  Coco...   She is having an X-RAY this afternoon at the Vet's to determine how many puppies she has on board!

****This is your last chance to guess how many pups, how many girls and how many boys!****

I will post on here after the x-ray so you all know how many there are... if ANY!

My biggest fear is that there's NO ONE IN THERE!  I would be gutted if that happens.  But, phantom pregnancy's do happen... just my luck it will... ! :(

So, that is all that I am thinking about today.
Oh and maybe some freaking houswork... joy, joy, joy...

ONWARD...

STEVE:  is not only missed by Griffin!

Teddy and Coco still sleeping on his bed.



I have spent the past almost 4 hours re-arranging the garage.  Never want to do it again... I am OVER moving shit around.

Photos later.

Right now... counting down the last hour until Coco's X-Ray.... feeling nervous!

OK... ALL GUESSING IS NOW CLOSED.

And .... after an anxious and long 20 minutes at the Vets we have a number.

  ***6****SEXTUPLETS***6***SEXTUPLETS***6***

Coco is going to have at least 6 puppies! 

The Vet could see 6 FOR SURE... but did say that there could be another one or two 'hiding'...but she's pretty sure it's 'only' six! OMG... I did not expect that many!!!

Only three (Ooops four) people guessed the right number!!

Now we have to wait to find out how many girls and boys...

BLONDIE:  like hell am I going to be naming them!  They will be called "One", "Two", "Three".... get the drift!  The new owners can get the joy of naming them!

AMY WINEHOUSE:  so very sad, so young, so talented... gone too soon.

And the massacre in Norway... dreadful.

End of day: can hardly stay awake!  Going to have a spa soon then go to bed early.  Can't wait.

nite nite.

YAAA... A NEW SPARE BED

After winning the Trademe auction late yesterday afternoon we were lucky enough to be able to pick up the bed straight away, which was handy as it is expected to rain today...

ABOVE:  I love my car!  It is so useful.... 

ABOVE:  meeting the people's dog Rusty... an adorable Goldie boy...

ABOVE: I miss having our Goldies... but shisssh, don't tell Teddy and Coco! 

Today?  Well I think we are going down to Hamilton to see Steve and go to lunch with him... for something to do on a so-so winter's day...

We put the new, smaller double bed in the spare bedroom as it fits in there better... and the bigger queen size bed in the garage:

ABOVE:  and it looks fine in there!  Still plenty of room to swing a cat...

ONWARD...

We went to Hamilton for the day.. had a lovely lunch with Steve, Kelly and Rena then came home.
It is a freezing day, it is snowing in all the places it usually snows in here in New Zealand... luckily it does not snow here in Auckland!
I would never get out of bed!  lol

AND just where is EVERYONE today?  three comments and it's almost 5pm!  Unheard of!  *sniff*... I am sure I'm not THAT boring.
....

LYNDA:  clever tart... I had already thought of that... it involves quite a bit of re-arranging so have to think on it a bit more yet.

End of Day:  spent the evening doing bugger all... thought about moving things around in the garage, but changed my mind for now.  Too tired.
nite nite.

I KNOW HE LOVES ME....

I HAVE TO WONDER HOW MUCH WHEN HE BRINGS THIS HOME:

ABOVE: apparently that is $8 worth of lollies.  And he put them down beside me on the couch last night.
*sigh*
I had some.  But not too many as they made me feel ill.
Oh and he also bought chips and dips.

For the weekend.

Lovely.

I know I don't have to eat them... no one is going to force feed me.  But they are in my face.

I will try to resist. 

TODAY:  we must do the grocery shopping.  Did not do any in the last fortnight at all except for the odd thing here and there. 
So, that's the thrilling 'to do' today.

ONWARD...

Well.. we have not done the grocery shopping.. YET.
We went down to Mission Bay and had a nice lunch, did a bit of cruising around, walked around Ponsonby shops, bought a new compact makeup mirror then came home to watch an auction on Trademe that I have an auto bid on... fingers crossed I get it.

ABOVE: a gorgeous winter day here!

ABOVE:  a bit dark and dingy on Queen Street...

ABOVE: my new makeup mirror, found it in a shop on Ponsonby Road.  Very cute....

YES!  I won the auction on Trademe and we finally  have another double bed for visitors!  Hopefully we can pick it up today as it's supposed to rain tomorrow.  Waiting to hear back from the people with the bed now...

End of Day:  picked up the bed ... watched some mindless TV then did a bit of moving of beds around in the house.  Couldn't wait until tomorrow!
nite nite.

SITTING NAKED ON MY NEW LOUNGE SUITE!

Yeah... NOT really!

But .... according to Morgan Furniture maybe that's what I have to do???

Cos... apparently colour transfer from our clothes onto the new leather lounge suite is NOT COVERED by their warranty!   (not that I can find that gem of information in the small print)

Ummm.... so it would appear we are supposed to sit on it NAKED then?

NOT IMPRESSED.   And I told them so in no uncertain terms.
Now... they are sending out a 'leather specialist' to have a look at it today.  ARIGHTLY THEN.

I can see big problems ahead of us.  WHY ME???

I don't think it's fair that we always seem to have these sort of problems!  WHO can remember all the trouble I had with my brand new sewing machine?  The brand new garage door?  The brand new TV?   The Spa?   *SNIFF*

CROSS.... cross... cross....

ONWARD...

Last weekend we travelled over to Whitianga, crossing over the old Kopu Bridge which is being replaced soon by a new one.  The old Bridge was supposed to be replaced years ago.. hell I remember as a kid being told it was about to be replaced... that was at least 40 years ago!
Well yesterday that old bridge tried to die on it's own!

ABOVE: a section of the old Kopu Bridge has dropped!  All traffic had to be diverted... and we were on that very bridge just 5 days ago and I remember thinking as we drove over that it couldn't last much longer!  Gives me chills.  This bridge is quite long as it spans the Firth of Thames (big river mouth)... and is a one way bridge... I hope it last just a bit longer as the new bridge is not due to open until June next year! 
On the left of the old bridge is the new one that is being constructed... you can see it in that photo above.

ABOVE:  the old bridge spanning the Firth of Thames. 

Right, off now to do stuff...

I have to go out this morning and spend hundreds of dollars.  NOT what I thought I'd be doing... but needs must.
Griffin dropped his PSP and it broke forever... and he hasn't stopped sobbing yet.... he lives for his PSP.  It's his 'thing'... like a child with Aspergers.. he can't live without his PSP.. it's all he talks about, lives for.... bla  bla  bla. 
So if we are to live happily ever after... I must go buy another one.
BUGGER IT.

MIKE: you are too late with that advice.  PSP was bought 90 minutes ago.

Been checking my warranty on the lounge suite... seems 'dye transfer' is NOT covered by the warranty.  F.U.C.K. didn't see that in the small print.  Still don't think it's on... how are you supposed to know what clothes will transfer dye or not???  And after only 9 months with a price tag of over $7,000???

I am so tired of all these annoying problems.. makes me want to curl up in bed and f**ken stay there...

End of Day:  felt quite crabby this afternoon... but have come right now.  I've even been reading a book!  'The Choice' by Susan Lewis... enjoying it... but havn't got to the guts of it yet.
Stew is in his element, watching the All Blacks on TV.. my man loves his rugby!  AND he is watching it on the big screen TV with NO black band down the middle.  Gotta love that.
nite nite.

A DAY TO TOTALLY RELAX... AT LAST.

...and I'm going to !

Brylee and Griffin don't have to be anywhere, I don't have to go out... so we will have a nice quiet day right here at home.

I am really looking forward to finally reading some blogs ... and catching up on who's doing what.

Yesterday in Pukekohe I found a few more boxes too...

ABOVE:  and I'm really liking most of them... particularly the pink one.  It's cute.

ABOVE: talking of pink... I found these three cute Tupperware containers at the Hospice Shop yesterday too... they will come in handy for small quantities of 'stuff' I'm sure.  *smiles*

Right... time to do the bare minimum of housework before I park me bum and read bloggity blogs...

ONWARD...

After staying in bed until 9.30,  I finally made the kids get up and get moving....oh and me!  lol
It's cold and wet here today... perfect for being lazy inside.

Neraly finished the housework and ready to get down to blogging.... yaaa....

*****How many puppies, how many girls and how many boys??? Guess all correctly and I will GIVEAWAY a small bag, 6 cards and some Kiwi stuff inside to the winner. *****

What I am loving right now:

ABOVE:  I don't put the lounge fireplace on very often... but today I have as it's a shitty day out there and it's nice just sitting here looking at the flames... and enjoying the warmth.

I've done reading blogs... think I read about 170 of the 500+ updated.  I'm done.  It was nice to catch up a bit on what's been happening around your blogs. 

Now I need to feed Brylee and Griffin their lunch.... sheesh it's after 1pm!   Whoops!...

I did a bit of sewing this afternoon...making bedding for Coco's whelping box.... got one finished then my neighbour popped in for a visit.. she just left and it's almost 6pm... yikes I've done nothing about dinner yet... story of my day.

End of Day:  and I've decided it is NOT that relaxing sitting on ya bum for most of the day.  Just saying.
nite nite.