STREAMING EYES

So I think I know why my eyes were so bad last night... streaming and stinging for hours.

Foundation.

I wore foundation on Friday night, have not worn that shit EVER... and while I did wash it off after the party, obviously some must have still been on me face.  
And OMG did it irritate my eyes!

Next time I use it I must be way, way more careful not to get any near me or in me eyes!

My eyes are still pissed off and sore, but a lot better than last night.

Today I'm making a tentative start on moving a few things around, starting with linen and wardrobe stuff.

This is my plan :

ABOVE:  at the moment I am using the bedroom right at the front of the house as my sewing room.  It's not big enough.  I can hardly swing a cat in there.

So, my plan is to put Griffin in that room, put Brylee in the 'spare' bedroom, and I take over the two bedrooms that Brylee and Griffin are in right now.

My plan is to take most of the wall down between the two rooms and have a much bigger sewing room.
But have the 'gap' in such a way that I can put some bi-folds or a concertina door there in the future if necessary.

When we have visitors, they can use the Lounge as a bedroom, as we already do when Steve and Bex come to visit.

I will just have to get the wooden screen out and use that for privacy when there's visitors in the lounge... cos it doesn't have a door.
(Steve and Bex don't care, but others might).

I will be making an area in the new 'sewing room' for Keera, until she moves on next year.
So, I won't have it quite how I want it for a while, but I will still have more room.

And Griffin will be able to set his new room up in such a way that he doesn't have to keep his blind drawn all friggin day cos his room's too bright!  He lives in a boy cave ... seriously!
The front bedroom does not get much direct sunlight, so it's perfect for him.

Right... off to make a start on stuff...

ONWARD...

Well... after talking to Steve, we probably won't be taking the wall down between the two 'sewing' rooms.  I can just walk between the two, one will be for working in, and one will be for storing everything in.

I've made a good start...

 ABOVE:  Packing up the sewing room... I haven't even OPENED the wardrobe door yet!

 ABOVE:  All the linen in the spare bedroom wardrobe has been re-shuffled and is now in the actual linen cupboard in the hallway!  
Some of the excess has found new places to reside.
It's slowly coming together.

ABOVE :  This is the biggest hold up!  He moves at a snail's pace!  I could throttle him.

Well.... after working solidly for about 5 hours, we got all the sewing stuff into one of the bedrooms I will be using, and Griffin was ensconced in his new room.

He loves it!  I knew he would.  Mother knows best.

Brylee is brassed off that she didn't get into her new room today too.  We did manage to get all her wardrobe stuff moved over to her new room.  So, it's a start.

We have a bit more work to do before she can move across the hallway fully though.

AND we need the spare bedroom for when my Mum and Ron get back from their travels.
They will be staying here for a few days sometime this week.

Keera is happy in her new abode too, once I get the room sorted out, she will have lots more room too.

ABOVE:  For now ... she's sleeping in a bomb site!  I can't even start to sort it out until I have shelving in the wardrobes.  
I am hoping Steve can come down and do them for me next weekend.

ABOVE:  That was my lounge at midday today!  Full of Griffin's stuff.
He did a good job of getting it all in his new bedroom, he even put the bed back together on his own.
I hope he did it right, or we might hear a crash in the middle of the night!  Nah, I'm sure he's done it right.

ABOVE:  While I was busy doing the room changing, Stew was busy outside.  He had to put a running wooden board along a part of the dog fence, low down, as Coco had worked out how to wriggle under it and escape!
Then he finished off this corner of the front garden.  He got the sleepers over half price as they were split in places.  You can't even see the splits!  SCORE.

We had Amanda, Andrew and the kids out for dinner tonight.  It was lovely.  NOISY, but nice.
I made a chicken/onion/mushroom risotto.  It went down well too.
I had chicken soup.  

I took photos... OF COURSE!  But will post them tomorrow... cos there's enough on today's post!

Our visitors have left, Keera is asleep, and the big kids will be off to bed shortly too... then it will be relax and do NOTHING time.
I'm bloody exhausted.  

BRIDES AND LIGHTS

So as I mentioned last night, Stew and I had a really, really lovely evening last night.

The party was for a guy who works with Stew.

Henry was having a pre-wedding party.  It was held in the home of a good friend of theirs.  

One of the fun things we did was dress the couple in wedding dresses made of toilet paper:

 ABOVE:  Henry and Kevin, all dressed up in loo paper!  Meeting them was so neat, I really liked both of them, and I had some awesome conversations with them and lots of laughs.

The house the party was held in was a truly lovely home, the front entrance was amazing!  So big!  I loved how they had put the streamers up through the length of it... so pretty and effective.
And of course Henry looked rather fetching walking from the lounge to the family room like a real bride!  Too cute.

ABOVE:  In the kitchen, there was an amazing light fitting above the island bench.  It kept changing colour!  You could lock it on one cololur if you wanted too as well.  The lady who owns the home doesn't like it that much!

I have all the details of it and will investigate getting one for our kitchen.  

Or something similar.

We don't have a drop down light fitting above our island bench.

So today.  Well... no firm plans as yet.

Griffin has a 'date' and is going to a movie in Hamilton around lunchtime.  Of course, it's not a 'date' date... so he says.  But it's only him and a girl... so yeah.  It's a date, even if he doesn't think so, I bet she does!  lol

Amanda left her glasses here yesterday, so will be popping in to collect them sometime this morning.

Once she has been, I'm going to suggest we go into Hamilton to suss out... KITCHEN LIGHTS!

Cos I can, and it's on my mind, and I want to know just how much they are... to see if they are in the budget!

Adn well.. it's a form of shopping isn't it?  And we all know I love shopping, even if it's just sussing out prices.  *smiles*

ONWARD...

2.43 pm:  Well it's been a fairly quiet morning.  All we did was the washing!
And then after Griffin left for his date/not date, we went into Hamilton and looked at lighting.
Waste of time.  There was nothing in the shops like what I saw last  night.
I might have to look further afield.

We had lunch at the mall, then came home. 
It's a miserable wet, windy day.  And rather cold.

I've had a brilliant idea on how to get a bigger sewing/craft room.  But it involves moving everyone in the house except Stew and I!

Oh and it will need Bob the Builder's help too.
Though I have floated the idea past him before. 
It's going to take a bit of work of course, moving stuff/kids... but I am going to do it.

Soon.

Sooner than I had planned too.  It just means Keera will be 'sharing' a part of the sewing room with me!  

Because she's not going to be a permanent 'fixture' in the house, that will be just fine for now.

I will show you my plans another day.
Right now, I have a mountain of washing to fold up and get away.  Friggin Yaaaa.  NOT.

I didn't do the washing, I went and had a nap!  I'm feeling like utter shit.  Brylee has a full blown cold, and I've got a sore throat and eyes.
Yes, eyes.  My eyes are streaming, literally tears running down my face streaming.  And sore as hell.
So not feeling very flash at all.

The kids are driving me crazy tonight too, I can't even stand their voices.  And Brylee's sniffles and coughs are making me want to smother her!  Clearly I'm miserable.  

Best to just stay away from the kids!

I'm going to sign off for the day.  Nothing is going to be happening around here tonight!  Except Coronation Street.  Stew will of course watch sport in the lounge.  *lol*

OVERTHINKING

I have too much time on my hands ... cos I spend far too much time over thinking things. 

BIG PENNY DROP MOMENT YESTERDAY!
I HAVE BEEN THE ONLY PERSON TRYING
TO MAINTAIN CONTACT!
edit:  TRY DENYING THAT!

I AM, AND I WILL,

AND I WON'T APOLOGISE FOR ANYTHING
EVER AGAIN.

I actually feel like a bloody fool!  I've wasted so much time and emotion on TRYING!  For what?  People who clearly don't care. 

And I will stop thinking and 'blaming' myself for shit that is NOT MY FUCKING FAULT.  Fuck you who have tried to make me feel like it is. 
I'm actually fucking pissed off about the past few years and how 'they' have made me feel.  Over it.  Fucking over it. 

It's Friday, and I have no plans for the day.  It's supposed to be shit weather, so a walk or bike ride isn't on the cards.

So... maybe I will sew!  Yeah, that's not a bad idea.

ONWARD...

And wow, the day is actually lovely!  It still might rain, but while it's so nice I'm going to head out for either a walk or bike ride.

Once I make me bed and get the washing on...



RESULT! ....

ABOVE:  Amanda going through her photos.  I have sorted out photos for each of my kids to have, rather than them waiting till I'm dead!
It sure lightened my load of stored photos.

ABOVE:  Look who invited themselves out for lunch!  AND they bought lunch for me too.

Liam is at morning kindy now, so he got to come out too.  

Now I've gotta fly and pick up the kids from school/kindy.... back later!

I've got a bit of a headache.  Annoying... I better take a pill cos Stew and I are going out this evening to one of his work colleague's engagement party.  Let's call it a DATE shall we?  lol

11.52 pm:  Just back from the engagement party.  I had fully expected to be bored shitless, as I knew no one going to this party.  I almost stayed home in fact.  I'm so glad I didn't!

It was a fairly modest party, just a dozen or so guests, and it was really lovely.  The engaged couple were just the most lovely guys, and we had so many laughs with them all!

Many of the guests were lawyers... but OMG not the stuffy, snotty sort of lawyers!  They were all so down to earth and funny.  And so friendly.  Stew and I got on with everyone like a house on fire.  

So, instead of staying an hour or two then quietly leaving, we stayed much longer than anticipated.

Luckily, Keera was well behaved for Brylee and we didn't have to worry about her at all.

Almost bedtime, catch ya tomorrow.

THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN HERE!

I was reading a girl's blog last night, and saw a photo on it that I just had to steal!

ABOVE:  this was the sign outside a Women's rest room, in Toronto, Canada.
Can you IMAGINE someone using it here?
No, nor can I.
I can hear it now:

Sexist!  Rude!  Offensive!   Insulting! Objectifying women!  And so on.

So, while I think it's rather clever, and funny... I'm no doubt in the minority.  Political correctness is nuts in this country.  You have to watch what you say and do all the time, in case you offend someone.

It is hard I can tell you!  I have to bite my tongue so bloody often.  *sigh*

I'm going into Hamilton this morning.  I need a new strap for my Fitbit.  One half of the strap keeps falling off... so I better get a new one.  I'm hoping I can get a blue one of course, but I don't know if they supply blue ones?

Right... time to get moving.

ONWARD...

Lucky me!  I got the last Large Fitbit strap in the shop... and they only had black.  So black it was.  AND... it was not $49.95 as advertised, I got it for $36.  SCORE!

I went out to The Base and did a couple of little jobs there, then popped into Amanda's for morning tea.  That was nice.

I got home in time to pick Keera up from Kindy. Lunchtime now... then some down time doing whatever takes me fancy.

Nothing took my fancy!  I watched some mindless TV and thought about 'stuff'.

And I kinda got really crabby!  'Stuff' went around and around in my head, and much as I didn't want to over think shit.. it happens.
But I have to learn to move on.

It's getting freakin' cold!  I've got out my electric throw!  It's like an electric blanket, but  you snuggle under it in your lounge chair.  I love it.  It has rained non stop all day... leaves are falling all over the place, it looks messy outside!  WINTER.  Kinda bliss cos I don't overheat as much, kinda shitty cos I don't like being cold either!  

Another quiet evening planned here.

NO PRESSURE OR STRESS

Now that my Mum's party is over, I feel so much less stressed out!
I didn't realise just how stressed out I was over it, all the things that had to fall into place at the last minute, all the guests I had invited, and hoped turned up!

It's all behind me now... and I can finally relax.

Today, I'm going to drop the kids at school/kindy, then come home and do some sewing... some housework... some fluffing around the house and just take my time doing whatever I want.

There is nothing on the horizon now till our 30th Wedding Anniversary in June. 

Since Stew and I overhauled our diet last week, I've already started to feel much better!  I can't believe how quickly it's happened.  I was feeling really ill every day, and now?  Starting to feel like I've got energy again! How cool is that!

Isn't it a wonderful day already!
lol

I'm going to enjoy it.

ONWARD...

1.35 pm:  Nice morning.  Did some housework, then went into Cambridge and walked around the shops for an hour.  Exercise while window shopping... rather enjoyable.

Then I picked up Keera and came home for our lunch.  
I had my 'main' meal at lunchtime today.  Pork spare ribs and a lettuce salad.  Very yum.

The family will have the same tonight, but with some potatoes too.

I'm planning on doing some sewing now... while watching the rain come down.  It is fair persisting down!

I cooked too many wedges for dinner, so rather than allow Stew to help himself to them, thus blowing his diet, I just threw them in the bin!
First time for everything.  lol

Poor Stew.  While I'm already feeling much better for the change in out diet, he's not.  He's tired all the time.  Just as well we are taking a few days off next month, just the two of us.
Can't wait!

SLOWLY GETTING THERE

Ever since I re-joined Weight Watchers here in Cambridge, I've had it in the back of my mind that... no matter how long it takes, I will stick to it.

I didn't want to have rapid weight loss, just slow and steady, and for it to be MAINTAINABLE.

Over the past 12 years or so, since I had my massive weight loss of 61 kilos (over 19 months), at Weight Watchers in Palmerston North, I've slowly gained a large portion of that weight back.  NOT ALL, but a lot.

I wanted to STOP the slow but steady gain, the bloody yo-yo'ing. 

In my head I set myself a loose goal of losing 10 kilos a year, if that's what it took to lose the weight again. That would be better than just continuing the way I was.

I was happy to mentally prepare myself for 4 years of slow and steady loss, rather than continuing to GAIN AND GAIN AND GAIN.

To date, I'm actually on track to do just that!
I will have been at Weight Watchers here in Cambridge for a year around mid June, and by the look of it I should have lost around 12-15 kilos by then!

ON TRACK!  

Weigh in last night, I lost .800 grams.  So over the last two week period, I lost 1.9 kilos.
I reckon I'm going to get the two months free at WW's at the end of the 8 week challenge!

I'm rather happy with that, with myself for still trying, to never giving up.  No matter what is thrown at me, no matter how many times I dive head first into the pantry... I will never give up trying to be the best I can be.

One day I will walk into a 'normal' clothes shop and buy regular sized clothes again, one day I won't feel like people are looking down their noses at me because of my size.  One day I won't feel like I'm just 'fat and ugly'.

ONE DAY, be that in 1, 2 OR 3 years from now!

I'm off to do the grocery shopping this morning, friggin YAAA.

ONWARD...

1.32 pm:   What a busy morning!  I dropped the kids off at school/kindy, then took off into Hamilton to do the grocery shopping.
Just as I was leaving the supermarket, I got a phone call from my nephew Deon.

He was parked outside my house, wanting to visit!  So I rushed all the groceries into my car and took off for home quick smart.

It was really neat to spend some time with Deon, I'd not spent any time with him in over 8 years!

ABOVE:  Me and Deon, he's my eldest nephew, the son of my late eldest brother, Peter.  He looks so much like all the men in my family on my Dad's side!

These past few days have been so wonderful, catching up with so many of my family members.   I know it was all about my Mum and her special birthday... but it's really been lovely for me too!

ABOVE:  Just chopped up pieces of cheese, all weighed so I don't have too much!  All worth 4 points.  
I'm choosing to have mostly nice hot soups for lunches over winter, and I will add the cheese for protein and flavour.

The kitchen scales are going to become my best friend, so I don't eat too much.  It's amazing how quickly you forget just how much each portion is worth, and it's damn easy to slowly give yourself larger and larger portions!

Not any more.  Hauling ourselves in, doing it 'right' and getting the bloody weight off.

Stew lost 2.4 kilos last week, little bugger didn't even TELL ME!  I'm going to be watching him from now on.  Sneaky man.

And that's a wrap.  The day is done.  We just watched the final of 'The Missing'.... is went as we expected, we could see how it was going from fairly early in the series ... having worked out the ins and outs and red herrings etc all the way through.  We actually really enjoyed this series.. and hope there is another one.

DAY OF REST!

Stew has taken today off work... so we can spend the day doing bugger all!
Yesterday was full on ... busy, so it will be nice to just relax.

Here's some more photos from yesterday:

ABOVE:  The hall all ready for the party.  My photo boards fitted across the front of the stage perfectly.  And they were very popular!

We had four big trestles set up at the far end of the hall for all the food.  Everyone brought a 'plate', and we had BBQ'd sausages and bread as well. 

 ABOVE:  I took a photo of my niece Maxine and her husband years ago.. it's pointed out on the photo board behind them.  In it, Maxine was holding her left hand up and intimating a ring on her finger would be nice.
A few years ago they DID get married.  So I had to replicate the photo!

 ABOVE: This bunch of guests came from Whitianga and one lady from Cambridge.  They were all 'boating cronies' of my Mum and Dad.
Such a lovely lot.

ABOVE:  On the left, a very dear friend of our family, Bruce.  I did NOT expect him to make it to Mum's party as he's an extremely busy business man... who's out of the country as much as he's in it.  

He came along with his brother (on the right).  I had a few tears when I hugged him, so did he.  Then tears all over again when Mum saw him... she was SHOCKED!  But just so thrilled to see  him.  They both cried.  It was rather special.

ABOVE:  My nieces, Shelley and Christina (daughters of my brother Peter), looking at photos with my cousin Janice.  There were so many happy catch ups yesterday!

 ABOVE:  My nephew Deon, he's the son of my eldest brother, Peter.  Deon came up from Palmerston North, as did our son, Mike, and his partner Joyce.

 ABOVE:  Mum with 7 of her siblings.  Sadly two of her siblings couldn't make it to the party.  

 ABOVE:  Mum with the grandchildren and great grandchildren who attended the party.  She got to talk over SKYPE with two of Russel's little children, who live in Australia, yesterday too.

Poor wee Archer was not feeling well for most of the day, so he pretty much slept in Bex's arms all day!  He is also VERY SHY, so when he was awake he didn't want to know anyone.

 ABOVE:  The yard behind the hall had an amazing playground, so all the small children spent ALL their time out there very happily.

 ABOVE:  A nice photo of Mum and Ron, just before I chopped up the cake.  

The cake was a rich fruit cake on the bottom and a red velvet cake on the top.  The red velvet cake was demolished and eaten in about 5 minutes flat !!!!  

By the time we left for home, there was half of the fruit cake left, but then Russell and Ange, and Steve and Bex took some home, so we are left with about 1/4 of a cake!  

 ABOVE:  Me with my Aunt Ethel, she lives just around the corner from where we lived in Auckland.
She is my Mum's youngest sister.

 ABOVE:  Mum, her sister Joyce and brother Charles looking at old photos of the hall and local school.

 ABOVE:  One of the photos taken in 1949... My Mum is dressed as a clown (pointed out).  She was rather pleased to find herself in that photo, considering how long ago it was.

ABOVE:  Brylee and that girl got on famously...  she's the daughter of one of my cousins.  No idea what her name is!  There's far too many cousins/2nd cousins! 

 ABOVE:  Stew gave a really lovely speech ... he got a bit emotional at the end.  He's such a softie sometimes.  *smiles*

ABOVE:  Me and my Mum.  I love her to bits.
Sadly, my only living sibling wasn't able to attend the party, so it is just the two of us.

So... that's a wrap!  It was an awesome, wonderful day.


Today...  hopefully our two nieces, over from Australia, will pop in. They will be on their to Auckland, to catch their flight back to Melbourne.

Apart from that... day of rest!

ONWARD...  

It's much colder today, so Stew and I are in the family room with the heater on!  Watching 'Tipping Point' on the telly.  I never watch morning TV usually, so it's quite a novelty.

For those who haven't seen the cake on yesterday's post:

My nieces, visiting from Australia, called in at lunchtime.
We had a lovely time chatting before they had to head off to the airport.

ABOVE:  Of course, I couldn't help but take the opportunity to get a photo!   Stew said I should label it 'The 4 Cows'!   As if!
I love those girls, it was so special to see them after such a long time apart. 

Now...  I'm watching Coronation Street, which I missed on Friday and Saturday night... and Stew is in the lounge watching cricket!  Talk about bliss, peace and quiet!

Well... Stew and I have had the most lazy day ever!  Seriously, we did nothing all day.  
I went to Weight Watchers, and will tell you how I went... tomorrow.
Cos I can.

PARTY TIME

A VERY HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY

TO MY MUM

AND 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TOO!

I hope all Mothers have a wonderful day today.

We are up early today, as we have to pack the cars and get over to Tauranga, and set up the hall for the party.

I am sure everything will come together and we will all have a lovely day, even though I have some qualms about some aspects of the day.

Like having to give a speech.  I'm not shy, but still... it's a bit nerve wracking trying to think of what to say without getting too emotional and bawling!  Maybe I will leave the 'hard' bit to Stew.  (mentioning people who have passed away/couldn't make it to the party and so on).

I was still making changes to the photo boards right up until last night!  I will be so glad once they are displayed, and then PUT AWAY!

So... that's it for now... well till quite late tonight no doubt!  We will be busy all day, enjoying catching up with masses of family and friends.  Quite exciting!  

ONWARD...

6.30 pm:  We have had the MOST EXCELLENT DAY!  The party went off without a hitch.
My Mum had a wonderful time.  It was so neat.
I think everyone invited came, bar just a few.

So, here's just a few photos for now, I will get more on tomorrow.

 THE CAKE, sitting on the tablecloth that was embroidered by my Mum's Mum, so by my maternal Grandmother.

I was thrilled to bits with how the cake looked, so was my Mum.

 ABOVE:  About to cut her cake.  The cow is a nod to what her and her 4 sisters were called when they were little: 'Brown's cows'... their surname was Brown, and they lived on a diary farm.  

ABOVE:  Doesn't she look happy!  
I know she won't forget this birthday in a hurry.

I'm going to bed!  Stew's already out to it.  Freakin' tiring day I can tell you.
But so worth it!