Another couple of lovely days up at the bach these holidays. We have friends up there at the moment, and I we will be going back up with a few other friends in need of a break soon.

-----------------------------------------------

And look what I found at the second hand shop for $3! My very own cabbage patch kid. I always wanted one of these, and then when I became a parent and saw the price tag I totally understood why I never got one! 80 bucks for a kids toy!? You have to be joking! Well, I have one now anyhow. Yep, mine all mine. Catherine can babysit it, but it's mine.

-------------------------------------------------------

And I decided to splash out and buy myself a smart phone. Who would have thought I would love it so much? I can't afford internet on it, but even texting is fun! And I made this little cover for it last night.

Frugality is fun

Finally replaced the drawer runners in Catherines drawers. I thought it was going to be hard and expensive. Turned out to be easy and cheap!

------------------------------------------------

And I seem to have unintentionally worried a friend with my bragging about my $20 a week budget.

I guess I didnt mention that I had greens from our garden, and we got given fruit too.

So... we are fine.

I think we have a bizare idea of what poverty is in this country. On Cambell Live last night they had a story on child poverty, which was kinda riviting, and because I seem to fall into what they think is poverty, kinda annoying. One of the questions was "Did you ever think youd have to teach children with boils, scabbies and head lice?"

Head lice?? Ever heard of polio? Malaria? Whooping cough?

I think I'm going to write to my sponsored kid right now, and say "Hey, guess what... we are so poor we might catch head lice". 

the little things

This ANZAC day I finally got around to sanding down a chair a found on the side of the road. Just got to mend the leg now... then undercoat and paint it black ... and I'll have another chair for my flat!

---------------

Mothers Day soon... and this is my early presant. Thanks Catherine! :)

-------------------------------------------------------------

I made this cake for my friend Audrey. Sometimes it's the little things that mean alot. I didn't think they'd make a big deal of it but they were rapt. It was something simple for me...but something really special for her.

------------------------------------------

Can she do it? YES SHE CAN. This is the 3rd week I've only  had  $20 to spend on groceries.

(This is really just for me to look back on)

8 pieces of chick thigh

5 apples

2 Litres of milk

One packet of bun

Margarine

Rubbish bags.

GO ME!

...although  I cheat a bit. Catherines dad gave me $5 and my mum usually gets me something on shopping day. But STILL!      :o)

Well, I'm not the most on-to-it Mum in world at the best of times. But this morning I decided to do Catherines hair for school in a style I saw on pinterest. It looks more impressive in real life, honest. It's 3 plaits, all plaited together! Go me!

special events

Catherine's cousin Aziza turns 9 today so I made her a little cake. Catherine also made her some cupcakes. I don't think her family really celebrates birthdays so I hope this will be a nice treat for her.

Also... a wedding on a budget... I am practicing doing my own nails. Usually my nails look like I've spent the day digging ditches... (because I may have been!). I think I may have to splash out and buy the $30 french manicure set though, coz this $2 stuff didnt even last a day.

Who Knew?

Here is something I made a while ago. It is a clutch I made for a friends wedding. A wedding! And it wasn't a cheap affair either, and she used my clutch! Cool, huh?

Well, I've had a few amazing things happen that I haven't been able to blog about. Catherine's dad, well, it turns out that he has been reading my blog this whole time and I never knew!! Turns out he got to know the real me through reading this thing... who knew?? Well, long story short, while I have been stuck in the past for the past 5 years Catherine's Dad has grown wiser, and kinder. He learnt alot over the years, and well, we are planning to get married soon. Well, soonish. But we are broke-ish too, so we are probably having a very small affair at the registry office. Not to mention I hate weddings anyway (which is the kind of thing I can only ever say on this blog). So I am making my own dress, and one for Catherine. Maybe a little bouquet for myself and a hairdo at the hairdressers in the morning. Nothing flash, and nothing exhibitionist.

Spot the difference

Item one: Black shorts from our local uniform shop. $44.00. When I heard the price at the counter I said a very unholy word in my head... but it was too late... they'd already taken off the logo for me so I had to get them.

Item 2: Black shorts made by me. $6.50. 

Catherine turns 7

Catherine is turning 7 on Monday! We are going to the Zoo and this is the cake I will be taking to church. Can you tell it's a 7, or does it look like a 2?

I may have some exciting news to share this Thursday... or I may not. I'm not blogging about it because I decided I should wait and tell my Mum first before I tell blog-land...but get ready for a loooong blog post if it eventuates!

Zoo trip :)

Well, we had our zoo trip, and I went along as a parent-help... so free trip to the zoo, wohoo! This was funny... this gorilla totally has my temperament. He walked all the way to his little nook with a blanket over his head. I can totally relate man! (monkey). I'd do the same damn thing if I had people staring at me all day long!

I really need to change the title of my blog.... Precious, Peculiar, Purposeful?... who am I kidding??? I have no sense of purpose whatsoever. I guess God has one for me. Just don't ask me what it is!
I am also dreading the school holidays. I am looking after Catherine and her cousin for 4 weeks probably. I'm totally freaking out! But I remembered the other day that God only gives us grace for one day at a time... not 4 weeks in advance, so I'll just take it as it comes.

Here's what I got up to today.

This is the table Mum bought when she moved in and got married. She wanted a nice big dressmaking table and this is what she bought.

In the last couple of years the legs have become wobbly. I did a rough job about 3 times, quickly unscrewing the legs and using whatever screws I had to move, and put them back in.

The legs became seriously wobbly again, and everything almost tipped off the table, so I decided it was time to finally do a proper job. A few screws and some scrap wood, and hopefully I've saved a sentimental piece of furniture.

Well, almost saved. The glue takes 3 days to harden. I will be putting the legs back on on Friday.

And here's my Datsun as you know it....

Soon to be wearing these lovely new bumpers I just bought today! I think I'll be waiting a while before I spend any more money on her... my savings are seriously deminished now, what with this car and my teeth!

ouch

Poor little Catherine... I shouldn't be so hard on her. She's had a stiff neck for a week and someone suggested I take her to an Osteopath... and it turns out she'd put her neck out! They had to click it back into place. We don't know how she did it but it might have been something as simple as leaning on her elbows all day at school and while she watches tv.

And this is what I got up to today :)

Cupcakes

There's a cake stall at Catherine's school tomorrow, and I baked 41 cupcakes! Overkill?

What I don't get is that we are fundraising for a trip to the zoo.... First we buy ingredients, then we spend hours baking and then we give our children money so they can buy other people's baking... why don't we just pay for the trip?

I also had a funny thought. I have two talented cake maker friends, Dana and Charmaine, and started wondering what would they do for a school cake stall when they have kids of their own? The mind boggles.

Bigger things

I bought myself an mp3 player yesterday... and now I wonder, "why didnt I do that sooner??". I can walk around in my own bubble and block people out if I want... people meaning certain family members. That sounds pretty stink, I know, but I'm just not a person who enjoys constant chatter and I need some SPACE. Just the other day I was getting all resentful about the fact that I haven't been able to listen to a certain CD I own for over 3 years because I can't enjoy it with Mum in the house. And she never leaves... EVER. Unless I take her somewhere. Every now and then I look on Trade Me for rental property in the nearby streets and every time I come tho the same conclusion. I can't afford $300 a week on rent alone! So I go back to my (currently) 12 year plan. I won't elaborate, but basically I hope to be dependant free by the time I'm 45. That used to depress me. Now it gives me hope. Times flyin' boy. (It used to be my 18 year plan).

In the mean time I'm trying to be happy in my situation. I've come to the conclusion that all my introspection hasn't done me any favours and my prayer lately has been "Lord, show me the BIGNESS of life". Ie. life is full of stories. I want to think about bigger things.

Flags!

These photos don't do the atmosphere of the World Cup justice. In fact, these photos are so poor I've taken the liberty of circling the things I'm trying to show you. "Things" being FLAGS. Flags, flags, everywhere flags. And we are a good 40 minutes from the stadium, but they are on every other car. I wish I could have got some of the funny ones, like massive flags on poles stuck to the back of cars, or flags taped all over the sides of cars, but it's a bit dangerous taking photos while you drive... not that I didn't try though. 

My car also sports a wee flag... All Blacks of course...

And on a completely rugby-free topic... baking! Looky at what Catherine made tonight... no recipe! She's been doing that alot lately and I've decided to let her go for and just clean up the mess afterwards. "NO FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF", yup, that is my new moto... it works pretty well.

 And these are some cupcakes I made on Saturday. I saw the tutorial on You Tube, and I was gunning to give it a go!

and cupcakes too!

Catherine has had here cousin stay the night Friday, which is a big step for us, and it may be a permanent fixture now, an even bigger step! If you know me, I'm a bit people-shy, but the two have been getting on like a house on fire, and cuzzi also participated in Faithbox, as you can see from the photo, Catherine is modelling beautiful exquisite purple fabric, or without the use of your imagination, a newspaper frock. (Cuzzi had a photo shoot too, but for obvious reasons I wont put her on my blog)And it's really to my advantage to look after cuzzy for a day a week... coz looky what I made today! Usually a pipe dream until now that I could ever do something like this without Catherine interfering, or that I'd even have the energy being Catherines primary source of companionship on the weekends.
Just have to try to keep my composure a bit more in front of cuzzy so I don't look like the immature 32 year old I can be sometimes!

school holiday fun

Well, I got the idea from another blogger who is also having school holidays over in Oz. She has 7 kids though, so there's a bit of a difference, but Catherine has the energy of 7, so there we go.
Anyway... Lollie biscuits. YUMMO.
Pretty fun if you ask me... and it was, coz I made some too.

And we put the new mattress to the test. We set them out and slept in the lounge. Well, that was what it was for anyway. Catherine always asks me to sleep with her, and last time I did I slept on squabs, and boy that was uncomfy! Now we can camp out together in relative comfort.

spectacular hair!

Captains Log: school holidays day 4. All going well, Catherine is currently at her God-mothers, staying the night tonight.

She also has spectacular hair at the moment. A friend at church braided it for her. Her name is Losa, and she moved here a year or two ago from the States. Infact, she's the girl I did this and this portrait for, so she did Catherine's hair for me.

And the sign is for the play-group I used to go to. Well, the church the play-group is in. Nice to get it all done. Now that all my jobs are done, I'm off to do some sewing!