Beauty in winter

library bag - party bag from Nicola's 2nd birthday party :)

don't these branches look menacing?

the power of perspective - this is actually a very ugly lane with litter on the right side but at the right angle, beautiful!

Don't dream it's over

One evening on the beach at Plett, I saw three people jumping and getting their photo taken.

These guys :)



So I told D to try and get some jumping pics of me too.

Not the greatest but I had fun :)

From today probably until the end of the project, we're starting work at 7.45. That's huge for me. I made it today but it was Hard. Remember I'm a night owl so by lunch I was yawning away and then an amazing thing happened.

An email popped into my inbox inviting me to an interview for that position I want.

I accepted the invite and tried not to get too excited.




In other perfect timing, I had a pre-scheduled career coaching appointment this afternoon.

I used the time to fill her in on what's been going on with me, and then we brainstormed ways on how not to make a big mistake again.

So I have lots of preparation to do for my interview on Thursday morning at 9 am (prayers very welcome and needed!). I will need to position this disaster as logically and reasonably as possible, and interview back (hard!) to make sure it suits me perfectly.

I took the job spec with me to my appt as well as all my assessments and such, and she agrees that it sounds perfect for me. The thing is to check if the things that most excite me (the people stuff) are actually the majority of the job.




I didn't tell you but yesterday I had the feedback from when I had major assessments done for the current job. As always it shows I'm super competent (like better than 98% of people assessed) but I see those things as just because I can do something doesn't mean I want to. Like accounting-type things - I am actually really good with numbers but I would rather stab myself in the eye than do that for a living :) (no offence to those who like accounting!).

On the personality side, the psychologist pointed out 2 - 3 things that "may be a source of frustration for me in the current role". All true - relating to the micromanaging, lack of freedom, lack of flexibility, lack of control. Yes!

But enough of this - I'm also bored with this sad state of affairs.

Just pray for me and I'll be prayed up and prepared too, and hopefully this is the one. It would be really nice to get a new job by my birthday (6 Aug :)).



In the pre-global warming days (!), we'd start wearing short sleeves around the time of my birthday. I think those days are gone forever but it's nice to dream :)

How is your week going?

PS I finally finished the Plett photos - keep a look out for those :) I got them down from 904 to 536!
PPS Title song - Crowded House. LOVE THEM :)

Things currently on my wish list

HA! Clearly you guys don't like me being silent :)

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I just read Robyn's post and decided that a nice, fun thing to do tonight would be to share my wish list.



But first, let me tell you about Mrs FF and how we became friends.

She found my blog, stayed (!) and would email me instead of commenting. Eventually we struck up a friendship.

I then arranged to meet her at our group, we did that on 16 Feb last year, and then I left her in the capable hands of our fearless leader, K, and she's been going there ever since.

Meanwhile, we've been meeting and visiting at my house and in Rosebank (a lot!) and I consider her a "proper friend" now.

Isn't that cool - all through the power of the internet.

It's Mrs FF's birthday today - she wisely decided to take off the day.

Hope you've had a wonderful day today :)

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Okay, things on my wish list.

A lovely red kitchen stool.

I've told you how I have amazing internet in just one little corner of my house - in the kitchen - and often when I have to blog a lot of photos, I go stand (stand!) at that one spot, upload all the photos and post from there.

I went to visit a friend the other week and she had chairs exactly like this one, but brown. I took it for a test drive, then took pics and begged her to tell me where she got them (Mr Price Home) because I NEED one for my birthday :)

Isn't it gorgeous?

Pots from Game 

Same friend had some super cool lime-green pots. They go from the stove top to the oven. Apparently they're 3 in a set with a pan and come in 3 colours - I want turquoise :)

I can't find them if I google thought. Have you seen these pots?


A camera bag
 

When I had just two lenses, my little lunch bag suited me just fine and of course, I could use the one Mandy made me when taking out just one lens on the camera. Now that I have three lenses, it's a tight squeeze.

EEk - I just saw that the yellow and green version are on sale for R549. If that's not a sign, I don't know :)

Which one do you think I should get (D and the kids to get me)?

And then, of course, there are books.

I have an Amazon wish list - for D to buy things for me.

I'll share just 4 with you that I intend to buy this year if I don't get them for my birthday.

 

Here's my amazon list.

Do you have an amazon list? What's on your list?

Silent Sunday

 

Today, a year ago... and my mad photo skillz

First things first.

These lovely ladies are FOUR today.

this photo was taken at the Hyatt Hotel reception area in Charlotte last year!

Happy birthday, Emma and Claire!

Mandy has very cleverly spirited off her family to the beach to celebrate. And really, how much better could a celebration be than the beach?!

(I need to try this with my two)

I still smile when I think about how freaked out Mandy was (if anyone is particularly keen, you can go back to July 2009 and read Mandy's comments on my birth story post) that mine came early, and a few weeks later she was in the same position :)

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I've seriously, SERIOUSLY been CRAVING an overseas trip.

I know you're thinking I'm quite mad but being in the airports last weekend makes me think we're just about ready for real adventure... and then I had very squirmy kids asking about 1 million questions and I was ready to tell D he's right, Thailand is indeed too far to travel with 5-year-olds.

In my mind, I just had this notion (don't you love that word?) that 5 was the age for overseas trips. And we're a year away which means we need to start deciding and planning, right?

But once you're there and you have the experiences and take the photos, you forget all the nonsense. I know this.

Anyway, my brain is working and I'm getting primed to click instead of just deleting the Flight Centre emails as I've been doing for the last year.

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Also, last year I flew out to the US on 18 July, flew into Charlotte on 19th and the She Speaks conference started on the 20th (also known as the day I came to utterly rely on God because Too Many Women who I didn't know).

It all feels rather momentous.

I can't believe it's a year ago (it feels both longer and shorter) since I had my Grand Adventure and met all my lovely online friends in person.



And then I got some lovely mail from MandyE and Deanna (okay, Mandy's mail was for Kendra, not for me, but still!) which was just perfect timing for the "year ago" thing. And Deanna, seriously, your handwriting is font-worthy!!! :))




Here are a few more cute twin pics from last year - you've seen them already but I love looking at them so scroll down if you're bored.

MandyE's girls on the left and Mandy's birthday girls on the right :)

  

I really should finish up the Plett pics so I can start blogging those. On the bright side, I already have two (!) printed and ready to put up in the house. That's not due to me being awesome; it's simply because there was access to a printer at the workshop today and I just had to get two of my iphone pics printed.

The Epson photo workshop with Jeanette was lovely - venue was warm and toasty (sadly, things like this are very important to me, especially in winter!), lots of time to practise and I met a few new people. I'll show you some of my favourites sometime.... but unsurprisingly, they're not of my kids! (I take my hat off to children's photographers).

Best thing? One of my 2013 goals is to take better pics inside. I've been working on the whole finding the good light inside the house thing, I'm also embracing light and shadow more (you can see this with my instagrams) but I still struggle a lot with horrible yellow blurry pics when it's dark outside. 

Well! I asked Jeanette how to fix that, she gave me a few pointers and I had to grit my teeth and force myself to be uncomfortable today but I stayed with it 98% of the time and ............ I'm getting there. 

Tonight I waited for dark, hauled out the camera and took some pics of the kids in the bath and they are AMAZING. Well, not by proper standards but compared to photos before, already 10 times better and tonight's only night 1. No horrible yellow tinge!

this is 4 - crazy "smile"

So I'm super chuffed - thanks again, Jeanette. 

How was your Saturday?

Friday wrap-up

1. I went back to work today and had a really nice day actually - I did have 6.5 hours of meetings so it could be that :)



2. Connor's worn out his brown takkies so I went to get him a pair of brown boots on the way home from work. He says, "I love these so much I want to give them a hug" :)


Before you all get excited, I also bought a pair of grey shoes and some slippers - he told me I could take those back. I'll do so happily because I hate wasting money!

telling D to take from the torso up :)

3. I'm feeling kind-of weird about two people in my life at the moment - someone at work and someone personally.

W - this person told me some things about my work situation and while I receive them in the spirit they were given (with a good heart), I don't feel like I can talk to her about anything anymore because I feel like so much has been totally misinterpreted. Isn't that sad?

Anyhow, ran into her today and had to be all breezy. I don't do fake breezy very well though so I feel inauthentic.

P - I don't know if this person is trying to break up with me or what. You all know I have problems knowing if people are blowing me off. Reasons given to get together have been quite flimsy and frankly, hurtful and insulting too. Still not sure if I want to have it out although I do want to save the friendship.


4. Guess what I'm doing tomorrow morning?

Going to a photo workshop with Jeanette! I think I'm a bit mad... because I said I'd take the kids but now I'm panicking a bit - what if they freak out without an adult for 3 hours (guaranteed actually).

Anyone else reading this going to be there?


5. The thank-you cards are all done except two - one for SIL (remember last year when she was so rude about my handwritten thank-you cards - well, I told D he can write one) and one for my sister (we only got those gifts on the weekend). So happy about getting those done. I've already had one acknowledgement.

Now all we have to do is find a place for all these presents currently in my study. Fortunately the bulky things are being played with already.

look how the light changed just in the few minutes between the first pic and this one

6. And last but not least, some GORGEOUS photos you have to look at.

Lynette's beautiful beach photos (which have inspired me to do some more Plett photo editing right now)

and some AMAZING photography (iconic, I believe the word is) and a great post from Justin and Mary - my favourites are the first and last photos

What's on your list for the weekend?

PS if you have a favourite photographer who posts black and white images, let me know - I'm kind of obsessed at the moment.

Kendra and her twin sister, and moments with Connor

I've been off from work for a whole week and I won't lie - it's been FABULOUS!

I had the holiday of course, and then a day's training, and then I've been home sick for two days with a cold.

I dragged myself up to fetch the kids from school both days since the drive there is exactly 1 minute, and that includes waiting at the traffic lights and stop streets. They loved it and so do I. I love Kendra running and jumping into my arms and Connor's shy little smile as he reaches for my hand.

I was semi-productive at home when not drugged by meds - formatted my 2nd Kindle book and that's with the Kindle-iser :), sorted through about 500 pics (still not the holiday ones because I'm going in chronological order, but they're next!) and decluttered in the kids' room a bit.

But all good things come to an end - I go back to work tomorrow and then it's weekend again.

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I bought some special dental floss for the kids from Clicks. Expensive as all gimmicky things are but they were delighted so maybe it was worth it for the little giggles.

Kendra pulled up a stool to the bathroom mirror and got a-flossing. She looked so pleased with herself that I grabbed my camera... and then we started playing... as we do.

 
When I showed Kendra her twin sister, she was tickled!


 








We tried with Connor but I had the 50 mm lens on and my arms are only that long!

 

Connor flossed too hard which is why he's showing us where it's sore.

This morning D brought Connor to our bedroom to get dressed while I supervised. Connor is not a morning person so he just climbed in and we carried on sleeping (!). When he woke again, he looked up and said to me, "ooh, Mummy, the light is beautiful!" That's my boy. Seriously, this is one of our most precious conversations - it brought tears to my eyes.

And then something else that made me laugh. We're working through one of those sticker books so I explained to Connor that some of the stickers have to go in specific places but the others can go just anywhere because they provide extra ones too. He says to D, "Daddy, these ones are random. We can put them anywhere" LOVE it!

They're at such a cute age at the moment. And I'm going to enjoy the equilibrium while it lasts.

How are you doing?

Wordless Wednesday - never wake a sleeping baby :)

I love capturing these precious moments :)

15 minutes in my life, the after work edition

This is how it goes with me...

Leaving gym, I spot the sunset so I stop and take a pic.

 

and then I see a little friend or two and take another

and how can I resist the door!

I feel like I work in a forest sometimes :)

this sunset always deserves a stop. Once or twice I've "come to" and found a car patiently waiting for me, behind me in the grounds of our campus (I love that!)

on my way home - it's rare to not have any cars blocking this mural - isn't it gorgeous? I need to stop properly one day and take decent pics!

  

aaah, Joburg, sunsets, what more could you want?

this tree is amazing. it's the perfect winter tree, not so?

 How was your Tuesday?

PS have just finished June photo organising - loads of photo posts are ready to go on the kids' blog and I've selected the project life photos too. Now off to my warm bed with tea and James Patterson :)