The sunset on super moon day

I didn't even know it was super moon or whatever, til afterwards when I saw some photos on Instagram.

Nevertheless, the SUNSET was SUPERB that evening. I gasped about 10 times!

People, these are unedited! Except for cropping weird bits out as they're taken in my back garden.

I LOVE THESE PHOTOS!

Did you only bother with the moon, or did you take photos of the sunset too?

New washi project - washi tape pencil bags

A few weeks ago I was mindlessly blog surfing when I saw a cute idea.

Basically, the woman took a normal ziploc bag and duct taped the whole thing front and back and made it into a little bag... for whatever. I think she had handbag stuff in hers.

I jumped up from my desk there and then and made a little bag with the narrow ziplocs and that lovely black and white tape you gave me in Charlotte, MandyE.

It was nice, but not ultra cute.

Last night I thought about turning these zip-type bags I found at Westpack ages ago... into pencil bags for my santa shoeboxes.

So I whipped up two quickly...with washi tape.

They look much cuter than the picture below would lead you to believe. In my defence it was night-time and Connor'd been playing with my phone so my photos were all slightly tinted.

However the other photos are good. I want to make some more with some of this tape from Artsyville. (Post not sponsored; I love Aimee's stuff) I'll post another photo when I make some more :)

 

Have you made anything from washi tape recently?

It's Santa Shoebox time!


The website frustrated me for days on end, as did the new registration process but finally, I was on... and I signed up for my 4 kids - 1 for each of us.

I already started assembling and my study is a huge mess... but I now have my updated shopping list and we'll do their clothes shopping this weekend.

By the way, what kind of books do 12-year-old kids read?

First days

I had a good first day, as first days go. I got email, printer and access cards set up and met the whole team.

As I said to my one friend a few minutes ago, everyone seems nice and the environment is really nice BUT my confidence in my people instincts is shot so I'm being cautiously friendly for now.

Which is just sensible, you'll agree!

In other news, I deleted my old company email account from my iphone today forgetting that I had TONS of contacts there and they're all gone. So for a few weeks, if you sms/ whatsupp me, please just put your name at the end so I can add you!! I've picked up some from the content of existing SMS..... but let's face it, after 9 years with one company, most of the people I know I've emailed and contacted from that account. You only need to do it once - I'm quite efficient ;)

The kids were fine when we got home but Connor asked me to phone them tomorrow during the afternoon which I will happily do for the boy who hates the phone!!!

I planned menus for two weeks and most of that food is already cooked, so I'm SUPER prepared in terms of suppers but let's see how long I can keep it all up.

How was your Monday?
Do you menu plan?

So, tomorrow.

Well, here I stand on the cusp of a new adventure.

I'll have to write more about the emotional stuff another day... or not.

Meanwhile, my lunch bag is packed, my work bag is packed with a new notebook and a pencil bag with all my lovely gel pens, and I also have my miscellaneous bag with a favourite mug, photo frame and water bottle. I've purposely left my ipad at home in an effort to fully engage from the get-go.



Tonight I said to Kendra, "I'm going to miss being with you during the afternoon." And she said, "me too, Mummy, but don't worry, we'll meet up in the evenings". Such a sweet girl!

In other news, my contract with Cell C ended today and they cut me off straight away despite me having over 90 minutes and over 1 GB of data.

Since I don't want to give them a cent more than necessary, I've only topped up with R30 in case of the odd emergency phone call (like I'm stuck in traffic - ha ha - on my first day!) and will use my wifi for internet when I get home, so if you don't hear from me, that's why.

It will be a novel experience being offline during the day but I can do it!!!

Vodacom told me I'll be up and running on Wednesday, and I'm sure I can survive til then, right?

How was your Sunday?

Snapshot Saturday - the green version.. and a perfect day

Okay, this weekly thing is not doing it for me!

But since I committed before, let's do this.

I think we might have to do it once a month or so, that's if anyone is interested (Mrs FF? Mandy?)

okay, I love this one - my favourite apples against my favourite blue cupboard :)

Robyn, this was taken at Liam's party

ex-work campus!!!!

Which is your favourite?

Today we went to gym and then I had a last-minute friend date. It was SOOO nice. She does that class with me and asked me for a tea months ago but I was doing Spanish exams and then she was away for a month, and so on.

She whatsapped me to check if I'd be available this morning, and I was, so we had tea and a muffin after class and chatted non-stop for 100 minutes! I even got into trouble with Club V for leaving the kids longer than an hour!

However, FREE babysitting (kind-of... I pay R79 for the first child and R70 for the second every month... we go every week. Practically free!) so we're going to be doing it regularly :)

Then I attacked that cottage because apparently no-one in this house does a thing unless I say so.... grrr.... and I stuck post-its on the wall so things can be packed back in their place. If it was a remotely clean area, I'd take pics and show you ... but it's really not. It is organised though.

And then I napped for about 2 hours after getting stuck into a new book (Sophie Kinsella). Just for kicks when I woke, I organised the kids' clothes to make way for the 27 - 29 degree weather we're having this week. This is the first organising session ... I'll do another one in about 4 weeks when it's properly warm.

This is a perfect day for me - lots of productivity, lots of relaxing and some socialising :)

What did you get up to today?

Surprising things about parenting around the world

I stumbled upon A cup of Jo recently because of one of her parenting around the world posts.

Be prepared to be a bit OCD like me and read ALL the surprising things about being a parent in Turkey and .... many other countries.

And if you're curious (again, like me), you'll even read some of the comments on each.

Enjoy - you are very welcome.

Which was your favourite post?

Best comments - England!
Place I now want to visit - Istanbul

Food cleverness with the pre-K set :)

I may or may not have mentioned it in the groceries series, but my kids eat anything we eat except for stir fry (well, they eat but they're not happy about it) and curries.

So I got clever.

I laid out all the stir fry ingredients - onions, coleslaw, peas, black beans, cut sausage and rice (we were going with a Mexican theme - or at least, it felt that way to me), and made like it's a BIG privilege to CHOOSE your own food.

They took their bowls, walked along the line and put all the fryable things in that they wanted, I started frying, and then they dished their rice. They even got to choose their spices :)

BIG HIT!

They both ate everything without complaint.

 

Later that week we had a chicken curry. To be honest, I'd planned to make something else for them but I thought I'd try the same trick.

I let them dish their own rice and own curry. I had to do the carrots because they would have left D and me nothing.

And again, they ate EVERY SINGLE GRAIN.

Success.

The next thing I want to try is have them make their own wraps because I have to try the Se7en recipe.

Do your kids dish up their own food?

 

This is what the middle of winter looks like!

my walking partner

little boys!

this was such a treat - a door in the middle of nowhere... not behind a big wall!

silver!

pastel sunset

I'm in love with this lavender

We actually met our neighbour of three years on this particular day... and his dog :)

Favourite photo?
Do you know your neighbours?

Our one neighbour sold her house after about 20 years and thankfully, the new neighbours are normal. They have had about 2 parties so far but not noisy/ doof doof music parties, just talking/ laughing parties. Maybe they were housewarming parties?

PS 13 July, right in the middle of winter. Beautiful but ICE-cold. We were going for walks just in our sweatshirts and it was far too cold. We were both much happier with our jackets :)

{Lovely things to do this year} Two things off my list

Well, you know what my favourite time of the month is... but since the last day of August was wifi-less, I did my thorough goals review this afternoon. I did the business version earlier so I could do my post on the organising blog.

Overall, I got 86% which is a bit lower than I normally get, but is understandable considering I was out and about a lot more, plus the holiday away.

My average for the year is still 90% so I'm happy.



The obvious highlight was my birthday lunch and 5 days away! I thoroughly recommend it. Thoroughly.

I counted and we've now been on holidays away from home for 20 days of the year. I love it!

SUCH a difference to last year's birthday when I was hauled over the coals for not doing something I didn't even know I was supposed to be doing. Thankfully, a friend INSISTED that I still come out for a tea and cake. I needed the breath of fresh air and normalcy to save the day!

BTW, my one work colleague who left last year went back to that crazy team. I told her she is MAD! I would NEVER do that to my mental health again. Never.

Moving on.



The fitbit.

Daily steps are supposed to be 10 000. I hit that maybe twice a month.

So I decided to approach this as I do every goal - SMALL steps :) (pun totally intended)

I made a goal in August of 5 500 steps on average in a day. So some days I got to the 7 - 9 000 range, and other days, when I was very productive at my desk, I got 4 000 steps in.

My daily average for August was 5 769. My July average was 5 611. My June average was 4 628. So I'm getting better.

For September my goal is a daily average of 6 500.

Aside from the fitbit goal, I have a few others:

• Arrange this creative meet-up thing...
• Get a new cell phone contract
• Do all my filing
• Finish the root canal (I went for part 2 of 3 today - it is torturous. Next time I'm taking a calmette and some headphones so I don't hear the "sanding" or whatever you call it. I had gooseflesh all over my arms.)
• Sign up with a personal trainer

And last but not least, the two things off my lovely things list (it has 24 in total) that I was able to cross off?

1. Finish August Break 2014
2. Get a wonderful, new job.

Yes, friends, I kind-of fell into a job. I really like the people, the company, the building, not so much the location yet, the money, the leave, the work (!!!). I checked my offer against the list I prayed over. All boxes ticked. I checked against my list of core desired feelings. Again, all boxes ticked. Turns out when you get clear and specific, God can do things really quickly. Who knew?!

This won't surprise some of you but I got REALLY excited at the free money (money the company contributes towards a provident fund / 401K). I love free money!

So I start on Monday.

I'm slightly apprehensive in case things go pear-shaped like before, but this time, I'm not putting up with nonsense.

Even K said to me, "Mummy, when you start your new job, will you please make sure your boss doesn't make you cry?"

!!!!

They remember EVERYTHING.

The new boss phoned me the minute my signed offer landed on his desk - he was so excited, etc.

So back to work it is!

What's news on your side of the world?

Come on, ladies, we can't let the Slaapstad girls beat us!

So... my friend Julia belongs to a monthly craft meet-up in Cape Town. They call it Let's get crafty.

I interrogated her quite a bit about how they do this thing and I really just want to steal the idea completely and run with it exactly as is! 

1. They are about 8 - 10 ladies. 
2. They meet at a central location (one person's house) on a set day every month. I think it's the second Tuesday of every month.
3. Each person gets a chance to provide supper so there is no paying of monies, etc (LOVE THIS IDEA). There is a roster. They keep it fairly straightforward - supper and dessert.
4. Everyone does whatever the heck they want - there is no set craft for the month. I love this idea because I would personally only go to the stuff that interested me.
5. There is knitting, crocheting, vision boarding, photo editing (photo editing!!!), messing around in photoshop, scrapbooking, Project Life could be done, card-making, etc. There was even a lady who used one night to sort out Facebook and Pinterest. LOVE.

So, let's do this. Each of us has a creative side. If not, you've all got photos to sort out.

Seriously, we can't let the Cape Town gang get their As into G and we can't do it!

I asked about something similar a few years ago, there was basically no interest and I got disillusioned.

So I'm asking again.

Please just tell me if you're interested (no commitment for now, just interest), if you are keen on hosting at least one meet-up and where you live. Maybe we need two groups - one in Jhb and one in Pta?

I will organise it all.

This is on my lovely things list so I want to do at least one.

I want you there, even if you say you're not creative...


And now, my Project Life for April, May and June!

Monthly layouts are the best!

Not to rub it in or anything but if you're behind on your Project Life, join for a couple of the group meetings and you'll be up to date in no time :)

Now who's in?

Who's still doing Project Life?