Friday, January 23, 2009

It's coming to an end...






The building at Bluewater resort that is. This is what Steve has been working on for the past 18 months. This was his first project as a Construction Manager, and it certainly has been an experience. We shifted our whole life for this project and it was a great experience. We really enjoyed the 18 months we spent in Tekapo.
So here it is - obviously the landscaping is not quite finished so it looks a tad sparse at the moment.

101 in 1001 days

Well with the start of a new year I feel like I have a million things that I want to achieve in the next few years so I found this online and thought this is a good way to order my thoughts and make me accountable to meet those goals that I have. Hopefully by achieving these it will help me to become a better wife and mother.

The Mission:

Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

So this is the start of my list - I still have a few to make up.

Body/ Health and fitness

1. Lose 10 kgs
2. reach Goal weight of 61 kgs
3. Maintain Goal weight for at least 6 months
4. Join a sports team or club
5. get a mole map done
6. get my hair cut/done every 4 months
7. get a smear test done once baby is born



Family
8. have a baby
9. toilet train J
10. teach J to swim'
11. read the bible with J
12. Have one date night with S every month
13. eat at the table 5 nights a week
14. 1 Tv free night a week
15. Do 1 family activity each weekend
16. make sure kids see my family every 2 months
17. Beat S at Settlers of Catan
18. get some family photos on the wall

Domestic/Organisation
19. maintain a successful vege garden
20. Organise photos
21. decorate Baby's room
22. make wills
23. sort out my sewing stuff
24. sort out my teaching stuff
25. keep the dining room table clear for 30 consecutive days
26. plant a blueberry bush
27. Update blog at least once a fortnight
28. sort filing once a month
29. Get rid of 101 items that I never use or don't need (0/101)
30. organise a successful organisation system for paperwork
31. get a shed for outdoor toys.


Travel
32. Visit the north Island
33. Go to Australia
34. Take J to Dreamworld
35. Take J to Seaworld
36. Visit P and A in Wellington

Money
37. Pay off credit cards
38. Pay off all debt apart from Mortgage
39. Save $1000
40. buy nothing unnecessary for 30 consecutive days


For me
41. Buy myself some sexy lingerie
42. Take a patchwork class
43. Take a dressmaking class
44. Make a greedy list
45. Get a manicure
46. No chocolate for 30 consecutive days
47. have a girls weekend once a year
48. Make a new friend
49. get eyebrows done at least 2 times a year

Crafts
50. Make myself 5 items of clothing (0/5)
51. learn to knit properly
52. knit at least 5 items (0/5)
53. make a quilt for J
54. make a quilt for baby
55. Make Steve 3 things (0/3)
56. give handmade gifts for 1 year
57. Update J's Scrapbook
58. Start scrapbook for baby
59. Start a memory box for baby
60. make 10 Christmas decorations (0/10)
61. Have a go at felting
62. make kids some dress ups
63. make an outfit to bring baby home in

Food
64. bake at least once a fortnight
65. host a dinner party
66. try a new recipe once a month
67. plan a shopping list/ meal plan for a month and don't buy extras
68. buy a slow cooker
69. get mum to teach me how to make plum duff


General Good
70. give blood
71. Give a RAOK every 6 months
72. Have 1 car free day a week
73. Make a gift for the wishing tree each year (0/3)
74. keep cloth bags in car and use at supermarket at least half the time

Professional
75. Write a teaching resource
76. Get my teaching resources published

So I have 25 more to write

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Sneak Preview



We have been redecorating Jack's bedroom. He has a construction theme. We got new lamps for our bedroom so I used our old one and recovered the shade for Jack's room. I also have made him a pinboard for his photos. I will post pics of his room in a couple of weeks when it is completely finished - just a couple more things to go - cushions to cover and a piece of artwork to do. Oh and I plan to make him a quilt but that will be a long term project so we may buy him a cool duvet cover in the meantime.

TNN pincushion swap


I am taking part in the TNN pincushion swap - so I looked through what i had in my fabric stuff and found this wee Quilting panel which i thought would be perfect. So I sewed it up then had to go shopping to find a funky button for the middle. Hopefully the person receiving it likes it.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Harvest Time


We dug up our first row of potatoes just before christmas so that we could have some for christmas day. They were really yummy. Then we dug up another row which filled our kitchen sink - we are still eating these ones but have another row to dig up soon. Our strawberries have been going nuts lately (which Jack has been loving), and we are looking forward to harvesting our Broccoli, Cauliflower, corn and tomatoes soon. Our Capsicums seem to be a bit slow this year and our carrots were a complete failure (not sure what happened there). We transferred a raspberry cane this year so hope to see fruit from that next year and we also bought a Feijoa tree, Tamarillo tree and Thornless Blackberry plant so will be looking forward to fruit from them too. Need to plant some more lettuces this week as the others are finished. We are really loving eating our own produce.

Summer Holidays






We spent 5 nights in Hanmer Springs with our friends Jason, Tracey and their kids Cass and Thomas. We had a great time. We went to Waiariki nature park, went for walks, spent heaps of time at the Hanmer river swimming and keeping cool in the 38 degree temperatures, we drove up the Molesworth Road to Acheron house ( had to take a pic at the Jacks pass sign too) and just generally lazed around and enjoyed being on holiday with friends. Cass, Jack and Thomas lived outside in the paddling pool most of the time. We had a great time and can't wait to do it all again. Maybe we will attempt camping next year.

Christmas Day





Well we had a great Christmas day. Jack woke up at 7:15 and jumped into bed with us to open his stocking. I am extremely grateful for a 7:15 wakeup call, when Trudy and Billy and the kids were opening presents at 5:30am. We went and opened presents under the tree. He got a running bike which he loves riding around on, some bob the builder tools, a paddling pool, a camp chair etc. He chose to take his Bob the builder angle grinder to church ( as each kid takes a new toy to show off). He was very cute as he stood at the front of church and showed everyone his angle grinder with his safety glasses on. This is the first year he has been old enough to really take any interest in christmas, and he has certainly got the hang of opening presents. We had lunch with Steve's family and opened more presents. Jack had a great time hanging out with his cousins.