Booking Through Thursday

Quirky

This week’s question is suggested by (blogless) JMutford:
Sometimes I find eccentric characters quirky and fun, other times I find them too unbelievable and annoying. What are some of the more outrageous characters you’ve read, and how do you feel about them?

I had to wrack my brains for this one- but eventually remembered a book by Virginia Andrews about this little girl that was locked up by her parents and how they tricked her to believe more time had passed than what actually happened. She was 10. I mean come on!! Even a 10 year old could figure that one out. In fact my 4 year old would. Cant remember the books name though.

Roundup of the month

I'd thought I do a summary of all this months happenings,realisations,conclusions,beginnings etc. I know tomorrow is the end of the month- but what the hell.

January starts slowly off in SA- since schools only go back in the middle of the month - but nevertheless- once it starts it does so with a bang!!

I came back to work on the 2'nd only to go on leave again the 9'th - as Pierre had to start work and the kids school only started the 16'th.

Andrew did a golf camp in the first week of Jan- which went much better than when I tried to take him in Dec- probably cause Pierre took him. Unfortuanetly the last 2 days they rained out- but it looks like Andrew enjoyed it as he keeps on asking to go to golf with Daddie.

The whole school thing was a bit of a disater- as I explained

Of the two kids I thought Andrew would battle to settle down- but he seems to be having a ball.

I am enjoying the PSE but it also is sometimes very frustrating- aah well Rome wasn't built in a day.

What can I say about the state of the nation? The energy crisis is a huge concern and everyone seems to have hit a low with regards to the prospects for the country. It is very concerning and depressing.

Taking that into account Pierre and I have decide to put all paperwork, applications and other paraphernalia in place for if we should want to emmigrate. This by no means mean we are going- or even that some countries will accept us- this is just opening a door and seeing if we would like to go through it.Although I feel extremely depressed just typing this. I do not want to leave my home :((

The pic is from Maryn Roos

Digiscrap Tuesday

I dont have anything to post as I'm still battling with wordart and fitting pics to irregular frames.

I started with this pirate layout but am battling with matching the colours of thepics and the layout. Grr. Time is also an issue now. So I'll just have to book me some me-time now. LOL

Back to school

Turned out to be somewhat of a disaster. After two days in the new school I decided to take Carmen out. Reason being that they expect the kids to be fully toilet independant. Now while she is fine most of the time, she does get distracted when she is playing or in a new environment.

So while she is in the morning with her own age group - this is quite alright- but in the afternoons in the aftercare- all the age groups are together and that is when things get a bit too much. So instead of forcing her or expecting the teachers to deal with it, I decided to take her out and put her in a new creche to give her time at her own pace to become toilet independant.

This created a bit of stress and heartache as I had to find a new place in one day. And most places are full at the beginning of the year as people place their kids at the end of the previous year. I was lucky to find a place that is on the way to Andrew's school. It was quite an adjustment though and she and us are battling to settle down. Hopefully things will start to settle this week.

Pic was taken by Jeanette

How I wish

I was a kid again. We went to visit my parents today and my kids could do no wrong. They both threw rocks in the pool and my dad just sits there smiling. Then as he starts to take it out, they throw it back in. *Shock Horror* That would have earned me a hiding for sure when I was a child.

But my parents grandchildren- uh hu - they are just "playing"

I wanna be small too. PMSL

What am I reading this week?

Not much- I'm trying to get stuck in a book- Saucerfull of Secrets- it's interesting- I must just get my "groove". LOL
Other that that the Dstv guide and all the newsletters and termplanners the school is sending. Good grief but they can make a lot of bumf - lol

Four Foods on Friday

Here are this week’s four questions.
#1. Bacon. Chewy, crispy or burnt? crispy

#2. Mayonnaise or miracle whip?Mayonnaise

#3. What green vegetable is used in Italian Wedding soup?celery

#4. Share a recipe that you use Italian sausage in. Dont like Italian sausage- eew

Booking Through Thursday

What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”

mmm A bit difficult- The book that comes to mind is Mister God this is Anna by Finn- although it is well known- it doesn't seem to be known by the people I speak to.LOL

Soo

It's just been raining and raining and raining and raining. So much so that none of us can actually remember having summer. Add to that all the power outages we are experiencing every day and the roads are chaos. Last night the power in our house went off so Andrew had to come sleep in our room since he sleeps with a nightlight and is scared of sleeping in the dark by himself.

So I'm off to find a battery powered nightlight. Anyone know of where I could find one?

Digiscrap Tuesday

So of course we had to have a back to school digiscrap after starting school again. LOL

The kit is from Kathryn Mhire's delicious kit

What I learnt

Fitting irregular frames to photos is hard- in fact I'm still battling with this one :/

I got a bit of journalling in :)

Dont be scared of busy paper- it can work well

To let your buttons and other elements not lay over the paper with a grey background- use the darken option on layers.

Dont Complain

I received this e-mail today and thought it was rather apt

I AM THANKFUL:
FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM EMPLOYED .

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME .

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS
WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. .

FOR THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN
CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

Green Thumb Sunday

We think this is a Transvaaal or Highveld Orchid. Anyway it is indigenous and flowers for most of summer

Book Review

So on the list of books I've set myself to read I have just finished The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

When I started reading it I thought the book was a bit pompous. I mean for heavens sake who starts and opening pharagraph with this" Through the glass in the door it cast a foolscap rectangle of paleness onto the wet pavement "

That's just showing off how good your prose is. But by the end of the first chapter I was hooked. Although at the back of my mind the book kept on reminding me of another one I read about a mad aunt that destroyed the family Estate. For the live of me I cant remember this books name. LOL. But it's the same style of writing. Almost

All in all it was a good read, but certainly not a book that stayes with me. Unlike Kite Runner.It is a very personal choice whether you like this book or not.

Four Foods on Fridays

Here is this weeks questions

#1. Cold cuts. Prepackaged or sliced fresh at the deli counter?

Prepackaged. Dont have time to wait at the counter

#2. Which ingredient reduces acidity in red sauce? Corn syrup, molasses or brown sugar.

Brown sugar- I think

#3. Whipped cream. Fresh, canned or frozen?

Fresh

#4. How do you make pea soup? If you don’t, share a recipe that you use peas in.

Blegh- dont like peas

Booking Through Thursday

This weeks question

How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you’re sure you won’t like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?

I think they affect my reading quite a bit. It's why I picked my reading list for the year- and I must admit the book I'm reading now - The Thirteenth tale by Diane Setterfield is not something I would have picked up ordinarily.

Back to school

So it was our turn this morning. I thought me and the kids would ball our eyes out- but it went rather well. Andrew and I had a bit of a heart to heart, when he told me he is scared and I said so am I- we both wiped away a few tears and from there he started to get quite exited about it. Even asked me on the way who all his friends would be. I told him it's his job to find out and tell me in the afternoon.

Carmen was a real trooper and had her hat and backpack on early, ready for action. Poor madam told me on the way she need to wee, but we were stuck at a robot that was out. The minute she got out of the car she made an oops- but luckily I had many changes of clothing in her backpack.

All in all I'm rather proud of my two and cant wait to hear all the news.

Digiscrap Tuesday

I got this kit from Jensscrappingfor you- Ithink it came out quite nice.



What I learnt in this project

*To save the pictures and backrounds straight into PSE makes it much easier to work with than all those layers

*First put all the backrounds,frames and embellishements on before you put the pictures in.

*Rework the pictures before you put them in. Put the pictures in last

I realised again

How much I suck at remembering names. I phoned my gynae today to make an appointment for a checkup and she still has the same receptionist. For the life of me I couldn't remember her name. LOL . Considering that at one stage she and I was swopping holiday pictures, chatting on a daily basis it is shocking. It only came back to me later in the afternoon. I will have to take her some cookies to make up.

Green Thumb Sunday

This is Aquilegia growing in our garden. It originates from Europe.

On leave

This is what I would like to achieve this week I'm on leave

*Find Carpet Cleaner

*Find dry cleaner to clean curtains

*Wash all net curtains in house

*Wash Couch Covers

*Clean up my dressing table

*Clean up my clothes cupboard

*Put Labels on the kids clothes

Four Foods on Friday

This weeks four questions

#1.What’s your favorite kind of crepe?

I make mine with a bit of brandy- in the dough- delish!!

#2. How do you make ziti?

I dont know what ziti is - looks like small macaroni?

#3. What is your favorite thing to put on toast, and which flavor if more than one?

Cheddar Cheese

#4. When wok cooking, which oil burns the slowest? Peanut, vegetable or safflower?

Peanut- I think

Booking Through Thursday

I found this meme. Since I love books it seems like a good idea :)

How did you come across your favorite author(s)? Recommended by a friend? Stumbled across at a bookstore? A book given to you as a gift?

Recommended by a friend- we were just chatting in general and she mentioned Anne Tyler's books- I've never looked back.

Was it love at first sight? Or did the love affair evolve over a long acquaintance? It's an ongoing love affair. As soon as she publishes I'm there!

My munckins

I haven't shared any of the kids sayings lately.

Andrew told me that when he is older he needs a computer on which he will play a Cars computer game. And the Lightning Mcqueen's wheel wil break, mom, and Hudson Hornet win the Piston Cup. LOL

Carmen stands next to me every morning when I put on my make-up and says "Lippies"- and after I've applied lipstick she says "lipsicks"- og cute man

DigiScrap Tuesday

I'm going to try and put up a digiscrap every Tuesday. This is my first attempt- so dont laugh. :)

What I learnt while doing this:

PSE is damn hard

Finally figured out the layer and the text tool and how to change colour on text.

So all of a sudden

the I've hit a bit of a downpoint. I was all motivated and rearing to go- now I just dont want to know nothing. Possibly something to do with the fact that I'm on leave on Wednesday for a week and a half. I feel like I could go on leave today. Blegh

Green Thumb Sunday

This is a waterfeature Pierre built in a clients garden. The stacked slate tiles is very popular right now. Check their website out at The Yardcrew

Books for the year

Alright so I got this list of 51 Best Books from Exclusive Books. I'm going to attempt to read the Fiction books this year. There is only eleven of them so I should be able to do it.

Life on the Refrigerator Door - Alice Kuipers

The Russian Concubine - Kate Furnivall

Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen

The Sleeping Doll - Jeffery Deaver

World Without End - Ken Follett

Seven Steps to Heaven - Fred Khumalo

Sepulchre - Kate Mosse

Divisadero - Michael Ondaatje

The Thirteenth Tale - Dianne Setterfield

The Chameleon's Shadow - Minette Walters

The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold

Four Foods on Friday

Here are this week’s four questions.

#1. Brownies. From a box or from scratch?

Scratch- I haven't tasted one yet from a box that I like. Although I'm much more of a fudge fan myself.

#2. Chicken noodle soup. Does it cure everything? Do you make it from scratch, from a can or from a package?

I have a much better remedy for flu. It involves alcohol so it is bound to work.

I like packet soup

#3. Red skin potato salad. Do you think the red skin provides flavor or color?

Flavor definetly!!

#4. French toast. How do you make yours?

Just the plain way - dip white bread in egg, fry in the pan. Leave for everyone else to decide what they would like to put on.

New years in nature

I've been thinking about this whole new years thing and discussing it with Pierre and have come to the conclusion that in Nature- New year does not make one iota of a difference. The flowers still need to open in the morning, bees still need to collect honey and ants stil scurry around looking for food. No fireworks,champagne or New Years resolutions for them. Just get the job done.

So with that in mind I'm not making any New Years resolutions or expecting this year to be THE year in whatever respect. I will just carry on and hope life remains kind to us and keep me and my family and friends safe,healthy and happy.

And may we all learn and grow in the process.

Loaded Questions

This meme has actually died but I liked the questions- so here goes.
Hypotheticals:
If you could bring someone famous back from the grave, who would you choose?
Albert Einstein.
Anything Goes:
Where do you not mind waiting?
Anywhere where I have time. If I have time I dont mind, but if I dont- I'm very impatient.
No-Brainers:
What do you hate sharing with people?
My magazine- as in dont read it while I'm busy with it.
Personals:
Where is your birthmark?
I don't have one.

New years Day

My mom reminded me this morning that Pierre and I met on new years eve. So today we know each other 15 years long. Holy guacomole that's a whole lifetime.

Happy New Year to everyone. May you have Health, Wealth and Happiness this year