Life, Love and everything else

I'm moving

2009-01-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

To here http://lifeloveandeverythingelse.wordpress.com/

See ya there!!

What a week!!

2008-12-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Boy what a week. It's been a humdinger of note!!
I had hoped that I would start to wind down for my hoiday- but no such luck! Before I leave next week, I have to move a mountain and then dig a hole to start growing a new one.Sounds a bit cryptic, I know- but that's what it feels like.PMSL
I started this week with very definite ideas of what I would like to achieve- and got horribly sidetracked by other pressing needs. In fact it almost felt like I had a new baby - you have this list of stuf you would like to do for the day- and it's really not very ambitious- i.e when baby goes down for a nap in the morning I would like to brush teeth,brush hair and have a shower. No such luck as baby does not go down for a nap. LOL.Sigh- That's what my week has been like
And to top it all my wheel got clamped by our security ,my key broke in the frontdoor lock and Pierre's bakkie packed up.
Thank goodness for good friends otherwise we would have been really up a creek whitout a paddle.They kindly offered me and the kids their home to come eat and bath while Pierre was fixing the lock- and then P joined us for dinner and a well deserved drink.
And last night we had an awesome end of they year party- with a Casino theme- we got to dress up nicely and play with plastic money- great fun and just the perfect end to an otherwise shocking week.
And of course the biggest event of the week- it was my sisters birthday.
So happy 43'rd bithday Sis- we'll be there in a week and a half to celebrate with you! Woohoo! (you'll be glad to know that I've told the kids all grownups are 21) *evil grin*

What a lovely day

2008-11-30T21:12:00.000-08:00

We spent the day with my cousin and his wife. We had a huge, big family and friends get together as they had a few things to celebrate- his birthday, moving into a new house and her babyshower -baby is due end Jan. There was a lamb on the spit, wine and lots of fun.From my cousins side I was the only family member, but his wife is one of 7 children-6 daughters and one son. Every second guy we spoke to was a brother in law- lol. And her sister just had a baby 8 weeks ago- too sweet the little thing man!
Here is some pics.

The spit

Kids playing in the water

Babyshower pressies

Checking my list twice

2008-11-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

Found this on Jenty's blog

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper- the gifts have to travel this year

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial.

3. When do you put up the tree? Normally 16 December - dont like to have Christmas forever

4. When do you take the tree down? Before New Years- I hate going into New Years with a tree

5. Do you like eggnog? Blegh-no

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Ballet Barbie- I still have it

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? DH

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Nope

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I dont like Christmas cards- I worry about all those forests

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A Basket with smelly's- it was really cheap stuf-given as a Corporate present

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Dont really have one

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I know what everyone needs

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope

15.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I keep on trying to convince my family that a fancy Fish braai will be nice- it's so hot here on Christmas.

16. Lights on the tree? Yes.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Jingle bells- and all its variations!LOL

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? We alternate between my parents and in laws- so this year we are travelling

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? No

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The prices of food and the toys

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We have a few handmade ones from my MIL- they are very special

Tag yourself if you feel like doing it, and leave me a comment!

Sandpit

2008-11-21T21:03:00.000-08:00

The sandpit is eventually finished- it took us two years of talking about it,planning it and drawing it- finally it's done. Here's some pics

Proud "owners" of the sandpit

Some snippets of the kids

2008-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

I was sitting and "painting" nails with Catmen- more like "schmeering"- lol and I told her I loved her- very clearly she asked me- If you love me mom- why do you leave me with Ouma? Wow!
First she said it so clearly - I was quite amazed at her reasoning - for 3 I think it's very good.Of course she put me on a gulit trip - until I remembered that me and Pierre also have a right to spend some alone time together.
Poor pumkin fell asleep while sitting ast the coffetable on her arms. Shame- I just per straight into bed like that.

Beauty and the beast

2008-11-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

We went to go see beauty and the beast - It was awesome! The costumes were very good!!
My favourite scene was were the beast had to learn to be a gentelmmn and tried to say please to Belle- he had never used the word before and couldn't get past the first P. It reminded me so much of how I batlle daily with the kids to their pleases and thank you's. LOL

Peace in our time

2008-11-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about this for a while. As a mom I have special powers- the most special power I have is my NEGOTIATION SKILLS. Honestly ask any mom of preschoolers and they will tell you that they can negotiate their way out of a paperbag..because we can ....honestly.
What do we mom's use as tactics...easy.
Bribery - if you eat your veggies you can have pudding
Threats- if you dont stop fighting I'll take that toy away
and of course
Corruption - If you rub mom's feet you can have sweets for breakfast.
So I reckon I can negotiate peace between Israel and Palestyn- or whatever warring countries take your fancy.
Bribery- If you stop shooting at each other you can have interest free loans from the IMF
Threats- If you dont stop fighting you cant have any more aid from some aid agency
Corruption- If you are nice to each other you can serve on the UN council.

So I think I'm going to sign up for the next UN Presidency. Maybe we will still see peace in our time- at the very least my name is as unpronouncable as all the previous presidents.

Real moms

2008-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

I saw this meme on Jeanette's blog - cool hey!!

“Proponents of memes suggest that memes evolve via natural selection â€” in a way very similar to Charles Darwin’s ideas concerning biological evolution â€” on the premise that variation, mutation, competition, and “inheritance” influence their replicative success. For example, while one idea may become extinct, other ideas will survive, spread and mutate â€” for better or for worse â€” through modification.”

So we’re all about mutation and propagation here, people. As we’ve all already subdivided and had kids, let’s mutate! Add yours to the list.

1. Real Moms don’t flinch when they talk about boobs. They do make you laugh your brains out.

2. Real moms go on vacation. Real moms go on vacation and learn to play traffic cop.

3. Real moms brag about their kids

3. Real moms do not mince words when they present the truth.

4. Real moms juggle

5. Real moms “resist the guilt and embrace the journey”

6. Real moms don’t give a damn to media generated Mommy Wars

7. Real moms have kids with potty mouths.

8. Real moms sometimes forget about toddler-proofing

and mine...

Real moms kids resist all attempts at finding their own solutions
The rules:

Copy the above text to your blog, leaving all links in tact, and add in who tagged you.
Add your ‘real mom’ contribution to the list.
Tag as many moms as you can.
And meme-ify!

I'm not tagging anyone- just let me know if you have done it!!

More of what I got

2008-11-13T00:12:00.000-08:00

up to last week.

Getting to know you

2008-11-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Love these things!!

* Do you have any pets? No- only a stray cat in the complex that's trying to become our pet* What was the last book you read? Russian Concubine
* Do you like to cook? Not at the moment- I'm all cooked out
* What's your favorite food? Cheese
* Do you have brothers and sisters? jip- One sister
* Which sport do you like? The armchair kind- lol
* Do you live alone? nope
* Do you live in a house or an apartment? House -IMO
* Have you ever lived in another country? nope
* Have you ever met a famous person? Ja- bumped into a few
* How do you spend your free time? Free time- you're joking right?
* Tell me about a favorite event of your adulthood. meeting my babies
* Tell me about a favorite event of your childhood. swimming in summer
* What are your hobbies? This is as funny as the free time one-lol
* What countries have you visited? Germany,Brittain,Namibia,Botswana,Zimbabwe,Bapetikosweti
* Which country are you from? SA
* What do you do on Sundays? Visit with family and friends mostly
* What do you do? What's your job? I do life- lol
* What is your motto in life? Be wise
* What kind of food do you like? lekker food
* What kind of people do you like? good people
* Which languages do you speak? English, Afrikaans- can swear in German,can say "Wena"* What are you best at? Sleeping!!
* Who do you respect the most? My Dad
* Who has had the most influence in your life? My mommie
* Would you like to be famous? Nope
* What do you think you will be doing five years from now? Work eat and sleep
* Are you a 'morning' or 'night' person? Morning
* When do you feel best? In the morning, afternoon, or evening? Morning
* How many times did you move as a child? 2 times
* What kind of woman/man would you like to marry? Am married to my best friend
* What cartoon character best describes you? Garfield
* If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? America
* If you knew could you try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt? Being a full time millionare
* What super-power would you most like to have, and why? Eyes in the back of my head and supersonic hearing- I'm a mom DUH
* Would you live with someone without marrying them? Depends on the circumstances
* Would you rather take pictures or be in pictures? Take
* Are you a beach, country or city person? Combination- all depends on my mood
* Where do you spend most of your money? Sad fact of life- Food and school fees

Off sick

2008-11-10T03:54:00.000-08:00

I was off sick last week- I get sick every November- I should just learn my lesson already- LOL. So this is what I got up to while at home

The kids bedroom

2008-11-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

We moved them in togeteher and it seems to be working fine. Some before and after pics.

Graduation

2008-11-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

Andrew had his graduation ceremony at school today- too sweet man!! The kids were asked what they want to be when they grow up- and all the boys wanted the be rockstars!! LOL. The girls were a bit more ambitious and we had doctors vets and princesses.

It was great

2008-11-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderfull break. Just what the doctor ordered.This was the first time that I have been to the bushveld in early summer and I can really recommend it. The bush is nice and green, most animals have babies (ag ma) and you get to see some spectacular ligthning and thundershowers in the bush. We had our own personal "fireworks" display every night. We were even so lucky as to see a shooting star!!
Here is a few pics and link to the place.

The view from our chalet

We took a drive through Cullinan- the kids in a big mining equipment thingie

I give up

2008-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've had it- I'm finished klaar,gedaan.It's been a though year at home as well as at the office. So we are off for a weekend away. I should have gone away in September like I was thinking of doing,but with everything that was happening I didn't think it was the right time. So we are going away now. Whoohoo.!!

A Dilemma

2008-10-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

Andrew's school notified us very late in the afternoon that they would be closed today. They were going to have a water outage and according to health regulations a school cant be open in such an event. So that left us whith a problem as what to do with Andrew for the day.
Luckily Carmen's school said that he could come there for the day. I though Mister would object hugely- but after me telling him- he cried a few crocodile tears and then seemed to be ok with it.
He stuck to Carmen the whole day- played with her friends and even took a nap in the afternoon!
Needless to say both kids were awake till about 8:30 in the evening but went to sleep together. Usually Andrew goes to sleep about 7-ish and Carmen 8:30.
So TG for Carmen's school coing to the rescue!

I only realised

2008-10-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

yesterday how far Carmen has come this year. We went to the schools oriantation day and I recalled what worried me at the prevous orientation day a year ago.
She wasn't properly potty trained- and I was stressed hugely about it as the school required them to be fully potty trained.
She was very attached and didn't let go of me for one minute.
This year she is toilet independant.
She goes of on her own to play and try out all kinds of dangerous equipment (according to me). She thinks they are just plain fun. lol
She is an independant little girl who doesn't need mom all the time.

Amazing hey!!

A little bit schocked.

2008-10-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

A couple that me Pierre and I know is gettting a divorce. We would have never pegged them to get a divorce. They had their issues as all couples do - but seem to work through it with love and respect for each other.
To say that we are shocked is an understatement. These two have also been married for 20 years. It just shows you- you can never tell. What happens behind closed doors is a mystery to all of us.

I'm steamed, I'm

2008-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

pissed. I'm a large lady ok. Voluptous,full figured,fat. Call it what you want. So of me and my generous curves go to find an outfit for a smart evening do, I have been invited to.
Riiiiighhttt.
Guess how many shops actually stock things for us larger than life girls.4- JIP 4. Out of a possible , oh say, 20 plus clothing stores in a mall, exactly 4 stock plus-size clothes.
And to add insult to injury,rub salt into the wounds, they (those evil Retailers) recon a lady of my size should wear a black plasic bag with holes cut in for my arms and neck. Cause thats what the evening wear for plus-size looks like. A black plastic bag with holes in. Oh some of them has some stuck on bling. Charming.(not!)

I mean, how hard can it be? This summer particularly the styles suit a more curvy figure. Those empire style blouses,maxi dresses,low v-neck blouses- would look stunning on me. You would think it would be easy to rustle a few of those up in my size. But nooo- there is not one of those stylish garments in my size.
They all for those girls that believe a salad leave constitutes a full meal.

I mean it's not rocket science right?
Us larger ladies are more and more becoming a fact of life and we have moola to spend. I'm sure these evil retailers would actually LIKE some of my moola.

So until these evil retailers come to the party I'm taking my moola to go find myself a decent seamstress- who can rustle up a few of these stunning outfits for me.

Retailers :0
Me:still pissed of.

Four Foods on Friday

2008-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are this week’s four questions.

#1. Share a cupcake, muffin or cookie recipe.
#2. Cupcakes, muffins and cookies require something to drink. What do you drink with them?
#3. Which do you prefer, mini muffins and cupcakes or full sized ones?
#4. What type of muffin or cupcake pan do you use? Silicone, disposable, etc.

1.)Ermm muffin recipes- Ja,well no fine
Look at muffin recipe. Climb in car. Go buy Woolworths delicious muffins . LOL

2. Drink a cup of coffee with it for sure!!

3.Mini's for the kids. Full ones for me please!!

4.You have disposable?!! No fair!! I must get myself over to the US of A sometime. I'm just using good old fashioned tin ones. But have been eyeing those silicone ones for a while now

It's murder on the

2008-10-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

dealing floor today. We woke up to see the Rand devalued a whole 100c- 1 Rand overnight! I have never seen a market like this- and our phones have been ringing since 7 this morning with panicked customers.
We do live in interesting times.

It was worth

2008-10-13T21:38:00.001-07:00

a try. We tried to get Carmen of her night time nappies this weekend. It did not work. She usually sleeps very well- but as soon as we took the nappie away she became very restless- as well as wet the bed. So we are back on the nappie. A few more months wont hurt.

Happy Birthday

2008-10-10T01:01:00.000-07:00

It's Andrew's 5th Birthday today. I cant believe he's 5 already. That cute baby boy who laughed so easily (and still does)is 5!!
Happy birtday Big Boy- Hope you have a wonderfull day!! Lot's of love from Mom,Dad and Carmen.
Photo taken by Jeanette. Go visit her awesome site!!

2008-10-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

Booking through Thursday

What was the last book you bought?

The Russion Concubine

Name a book you have read MORE than once

How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

Dale Carnegie's - How to win friends and influence people

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

A combination I think

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Both

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

Plot!!

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

pass

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

Russian Concubine

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

Crucial confrontations- about a week ago

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Jip- hate books that I can predict

Talent, Lifer or Mandarin

2008-10-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a Talent
a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life
Check it out

No more TV in our house

2008-10-07T03:48:00.000-07:00

Yip- you heard right no more tv. Why? Because Andrew has decided that if Ben10 is not on- it's not worth watching. LOL It's great. Who would have thought that a cartoon character would bring about such change in a household? Andrew doesn't even want to watch Boomerang TV or Cbeebies. Pure Bliss I tell ya. Ocasionally he will ask for a Asterix and Obelix DVD or Tintin, which is fine-as both of those have got quite good stories. Carmen is not interested in Tintin- I think the stories are a bit too involved for her- so she and I will end up playing Barbie or doll- with Andrew telling me what is happening in the movie.

It's wonderfull for me and Pierre because now whe get to watch VH1- the music channel- and play our favourite game- guess the tune and artist- before they put it on the screen. To much laughter and "yes I still got it". LOL

If you dont have a little boy between the ages of say 4 and 8- click on the link- to find out about Ben10.

I think if I meet Man of action in person one day- I will give him a great big kiss. LOL

La Rustica

2008-10-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

I've heard such good things about this restaurant - that we decided to try it out for my birthday. Everyone has told me that it is the ideal restaurant on a Sunday to take the kids. And I must say I was impressed. The restaurant has a lovely family atmosphere with a delish buffet and there is a junglegym for the kids. So while we sat and chatted at the table the kids were playing.

Here is a few pics

Waterslide

2008-10-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

A pic of the waterslide the kids had at their party. They thouroughly enjoyed it.

Wel, howzit

2008-10-04T23:35:00.000-07:00

and all and all. I've missed my blogging- so I've decided to take it up again. So whats's been happening on our side? Well Pierre started his business up again just by himself- and so far so good- It's also helped him get out of his depression- so that's great!!
Carmen had a birthday, we had a wedding anniversary, the kids had a combined birthday party and I had a birthday. Very busy and lots of fun.
I've finished with my lifecoaching- and it was the best thing I could have done for myself!! I can seriously recommend it.
Andrew had measles this week. Poor pumkin has now had almost all of the MMR vacinations illnesses- so clearly that one didn't work for him. Sigh
But else life is good and although I'm a year older- I feel young with lots of experience .LOL

Plastic Icing

2008-08-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I decided to attempt this plastic icing lark . Here is my impressions of working with this stuff.
1. It very quickly gets sticky and icky to work with
2. Don’t give it to the kids to play with- see point one
3. Be patient with the stuff- put it to side if it gets too sticky and do something else.
4. Putting it in the fridge does not let it set quicker- just give the stuff some time.
5. Don’t use fresh cake- it crumbles while you are working with it- use a day old cake at least.
5. It’s difficult to mould- see my pics
6. You need to tidy the stuff up afterwards- wipe the icing sugar of- it doesn’t just dust of- unless I’m doing something wrong.

I'm going to retry it this weekend- wish me luck- lol

Here is a pic of my attempts

Four Foods on Friday

2008-08-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

Four Foods On Friday 41

And now for something completely different.
#1. If you could travel anywhere to have a meal, where would you want to go and what would you want to eat.
Ooh Definatley go down to the Cape and eat at Haute Cabriere. It is built into the mountainside with a beautifull view of the valley- also a view of the underground cellar.
#2. When you go away do you make your own meals or eat out?
We make our own mostly-but once or twice like to go out eating- it's easier with the kids
#3. While traveling if you have to stop for a meal do you go in or do you go through the drive thru and eat in the car?
We pack a picnic- don like the takeaway meals when travelling
#4. Share a recipe or food related trip for people making a long trip by car.
It's a whole event when we go for a long trip . We pack
Sandwiches,meatballs,cold chicken,juices,water,fruit and boiled eggs. It looks like the great trek- lol

Booking Through Thursday

2008-08-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

Other Worlds August 7, 2008
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:48 am

Suggested by Miko
Are there any particular worlds in books where you’d like to live?
Or where you certainly would NOT want to live?
What about authors? If you were a character, who would you trust to write your life?
(This came to me when reviewing a Jonathan Carroll book - I’m not sure I’d like to live in the worlds of his books.)

I wouldn't like to live in a world where women is not seen as equal- I would have hated living in the 18th century-al those corsets and not voting -blegh- and scratchy underwear

I dont know what I was thinking

2008-08-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

but I started to Gym again- the first time in years.
Clearly Andrew thinks the same- when I told him I went to gym he wanted to see my muscles- and then packed up laughing at my efforts.
Little upstart-lol

Taking a break

2008-07-28T22:08:00.001-07:00

I've decided I'm going to take a break from blogging for a bit. I'm exceptionally busy at work as well as homelife is getting a bit overwhelming.
So if you will excuse me.... I'll see you on the flipside...ttfn.

Booking Through Thursday

2008-07-24T04:11:00.000-07:00

Beginnings July 24, 2008
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:55 am

Suggested by: Nithin
Here’s another idea about memorable first lines from books.
What are your favourite first sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its first sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the first line?

Oh oh- It MUST be 1984 by George Orwell-
The clock striked 13

I was so struck by this that I put the book down and thought about it for a whole day. lol

I was totally intrigued.

Learn-A-Word Wednesday

2008-07-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

Learn-A-Word Wednesday: mephitic \muh-FIT-ik\

adjective:
1. Offensive to the smell; as, mephitic odors.2. Poisonous; noxious.
Mephitic is the adjective form of mephitis, “a foul-smelling or noxious exhalation from the earth; a stench from any source,” from the Latin.

Ha- I was just thinking this mornibg- that I dont dare make boiled eggs in our house anymore. It turns into a fart competition between dad and son.
First Pierre starts, then Andrew goes. And they both pack up laughhing. I swear....boys.LOL

Copycat

2008-07-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Because I'm a copycat and I love books- I' "lifted" this from Jenty's blog. LOL

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read
2) Italicize those you started but did not finish.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Highlight the ones you still want to read but just have not had a chance yet!
5) Reprint this list in your own blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve read 6 or less and force books upon them.

1. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
2. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
3. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
4. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
5. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
6. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
7. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
8. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
9. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
10. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
11. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
12. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
13. His Dark Materials (trilogy) - Philip Pullman
14. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
15. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
16. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
17. Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
18. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
19. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
20. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
21. Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
22. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
23. Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
24. Animal Farm - George Orwell
25. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
26. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
27. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
28. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
29. Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
30. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
31. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
32. Complete Works of Shakespeare
33. Ulysses - James Joyce
34. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
35. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
36. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
37. The Bible
38. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
39. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
40. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
41. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
42. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
45. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
46. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
47. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
48. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
49. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
50. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
51. Little Women - Louisa M. Alcott
52. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
53. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
54. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
55. Middlemarch - George Eliot
56. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
57. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
58. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
59. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
60. Emma - Jane Austen
61. Persuasion - Jane Austen
62. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
63. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
64. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
65. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
66. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
67. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery
68. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
69. Atonement - Ian McEwan
70. Dune - Frank Herbert
71. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
72. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
73. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
74. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
75. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
76. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
77. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
78. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
79. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
80. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding
81. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
82. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
83. Dracula - Bram Stoker
84. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
85. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
86. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
87. Germinal - Emile Zola
88. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
89. Possession - A.S. Byatt
90. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
91. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
92. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
93. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
94. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
95. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
96. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
97. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
98. Watership Down – Richard Adams
99. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
100. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

Menu Plan Monday

2008-07-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying the house husband, I must admit- he does all the cooking, as long as I think out the meals. Whoohoo With Pleasure!
Monday- Lasagne
Tuesday- Estefado
Wednesday- Soup and bread
Thursday- Roast chcken and veggies

A new era

2008-07-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

has dawned in our house. The BARBIE era.
My mom gave Carmen a barbie doll and she loves it!! In fact she goes nowhere without the doll.
I remember fondly my Sindy Doll- we had Sindy's because Barbies weren't available- and to me that is of course still the prettier doll.lol
But I cant wait to shar the barbie doll craze with Carmen-my sister and I made endless outfits for our Sindy's. I can see a lot of fun coming our way. :)

Fathersday

2008-07-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Carmen's creche had a fathersday this week for the dads. Carmen and dad loved it. Here is a pic of madam very happy with daddie around

Four Foods on Friday

2008-07-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Four Foods On Friday 38
Here are this week’s four questions. If you’ve got a working sniffer you can play.
#1. Fruits and veggies. Do you prefer them peeled or not?
Not peeled- I like the skin
#2. What’s your favorite fresh fruit or vegetable smell? Guavas
#3. What’s the worst food smell you’ve ever smelled?
urgh-something that has gone off- for sure
#4. Share the recipe for the dish that you love to smell cooking in your oven.
Garlic mushrooms- njam!!

Booking Through Thursday

2008-07-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

Vacation Spots July 17, 2008
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 6:38 am

Another question inspired by the Bunch of Grapes on Martha’s Vineyard having burned down on the Fourth of July.
Do you buy books while on vacation/holiday?
Do you have favorite bookstores that you only get to visit while away on a trip?
What/Where are they?

Funny enough I mostly buy magazines on holiday- to try and do that elusive crossword, or read that interesting article-nothing too long- as my attention span is not very long on holiday.lol
Pre-kids Pierre and I liked to scratch around in bookshops whenever we came accross one- but with two kids in tow it is a bit difficult

Crazy

2008-07-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

I have been so crazy busy this week- I wont even try to catch up- suffice to say- I missed my blog. LOL
I kept on thinking about things I should write- but just didn't get a minute.

Four Foods on Friday

2008-07-11T03:57:00.001-07:00

Four Foods On Friday 37 questions
Here are this week’s four questions. We’re having my youngest son’s ninth birthday party today so I’m going with four questions about parties.
#1. Cake. Buttercream, whipped cream or ice cream?
Buttercream -njam
#2. When entertaining do you use real, paper, plastic or styrofoam dishes?
Kids-paper, Grownups- real
#3. When hosting a party do you cook, have it catered or go to a restaurant?
Cook- mostly braai though (bbq)
#4. Share a recipe that you frequently serve when having a party.
Green salad- haha

Booking Through Thursday

2008-07-10T03:26:00.000-07:00

Doomsday July 10, 2008
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:56 am

One of my favorite bookstores burned down last weekend, and while I only got to visit there while I was on vacation, it made me stop and think.
What would you do if, all of a sudden, your favorite source of books was unavailable?
Whether it’s a local book shop, your town library, or an internet shop … what would you do if, suddenly, they were out of business? Devastatingly, and with no warning? Where would you go for books instead? What would you do? If it was a local business you would try to help out the owners? Would you just calmly start buying from some other store? Visit the library in the next town instead? Would it be devastating? Or just a blip in your reading habit?

Since I source my books from various places-bookstores,more than one internet shop and friends it would be just a blip on my reading habit. I would just move on to the next book provider.

Learn-A-Word Wednesday

2008-07-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

Learn-A-Word Wednesday: mazy \MAY-zee\

adjective:
Resembling a maze in form or complexity; winding; intricate; confusing; perplexing.
By now some 20 characters are caught in the turns and baffles of Mr. Dunne’s mazy plot.– George Stade, “A Fisherman of Guilt”, New York Times, March 28, 1982
Mazy is the adjective form of maze, which comes from Middle English mase, from masen, “to confuse, to daze,” from Old English amasian, “to confound.” It is related to amaze, which originally meant “to bewilder.”

Amazing I wonder where this word originally originated from. LOL
Mind you that's how I feel when I wake up in the mornig and there is no electricity.
BEWILDERED - because I cant have any coffee- lol. And the kids are moaning because they want cereal.
Thank goodness for gas camping stoves!! And Pierre always being well prepared for these eventualities.

American Blogs

2008-07-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

I dont follow specific American blogs, but it does seem to me that the blogs I do stumble upon from time to time writes about an American society vastly different from the one presented to us through mass media .ie films,magazines,newspapers etc.
The one thing I have noticed is that Americans seems quite religous. I wonder why this doesn't get reflected in films you see about American life?
I have a friend who lives in the States and she reckons it is as a result of 9/11 that most Americans have returned to some sort of organised religion.
The other thing I have noticed is how hugely family orientated Americans are . Now you do see this coming through from time to time but mostly it doesn't get represented as a core value.
Interesting hey? I wonder what other cultures have noticed about South Africans.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-07-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

I dont know if we will have much of a menu plan this week as we woke up with no electricity, but here goes
Monday: Roast chicken and salads from Woolworths- as we have no electricity
Tuesday: Lasagne
Wednesday: Soup
Thursday: Chicken Stew

Carmen

2008-07-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Carmen had such a ball today with Connor. She kept on calling him "her" baby.
Eventually, as all girls do- she shared her dolls with him. Connor pulled his nose up at this. Carmen looked all perplexed until I said to her- that's boys for you.
She just shook her head and said BOYS. LOL- it was too cute.

Saturday

2008-07-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

Andrew has been complaining on and of from toothpain. Friday night it got very sore and he refuses to take stopain because it stills "burns" him because of his feverblister.
So I had to find a dentist very quickly on Saturday. Which meant we had to miss a Birthday party (sorry Laura!)
It turns out he has a cavity which the doc filled with temporary filling as his fever blister prevented the dentist from fiddling too much around in his mouth. We have to go back in two weeks time once the feverblister has gone, to put in a permanent filling.
Poor pumpkin cried a bit,but afterwards said the doc didn't hurt him. Brave child.

Friday

2008-07-04T04:03:00.000-07:00

Four Foods On Friday 36 questions
Here are this week’s four questions. Once again I’m going with four questions , but this week the questions are all about you.
#1. Name your biggest cooking influence.
Pierre and secondly his brother- whose a chef- and taught me PATIENCE with cooking.lol
#2. What is your ultimate comfort food?
Chocolate
#3. Name one must have tool that you think every kitchen should have.
A GOOD knife
#4. Share a time saving tip.
Dont let the kids help with the cooking- lol

Booking Through Thursday

2008-07-03T01:18:00.000-07:00

Holidays July 3, 2008
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:36 am

It’s a holiday weekend here in the U.S., so let’s keep today’s question simple–What are you reading? Anything special? Any particularly juicy summer reading?

I'm reading a book called "The 7 Powers of Questions" by Dorothy Leeds.

It is a book that shows you how powerfull questions can be and how they can change a bad situation to good.

Sleeping in the same room

2008-07-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've been thining about letting the kids sleep in the same room for quite a while now. Whenever we go on holiday the kids share a room with no problem. When one wakes up the other just sleeps on. So I thought I would try it at home. Ha ha. When the one wakes up so does the other- and both start crying to match each other.
Now I dont know if I should just persist or keep them in their own rooms- it would be real handy to have the other room as study space.
*Sigh* - What to do,what to do
In the meantime I've found this real cool looking bunk bed- it's a bit pricey though.

Religous instructions

2008-07-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

We are not the most religous of people, but Andrew told us this week that if you dont listen to GOD he will send you to the police.
Sounds about right to me.

Blogging

2008-06-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to think that blogging is a bit like photojournalism. ie. take a picture and write a story about it. .
Watch this space :)

Sunday

2008-06-29T04:13:00.000-07:00

Birthday Lunch today with my mom.

Saturday

2008-06-28T04:11:00.000-07:00

My mom's Birthday today- whohoo- Happy Birthday!!

Friday

2008-06-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

We drove back today with me and Pierre both quite sick. Blegh - not a lekker journey

Planes

2008-06-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

One of my dad's traditions when he goes down to the seeside is to build a big sand castle. He always used to build me and my sister at least one big thing on a seaside holiday. We've had planes,boats,trains, big castles and many more. So of course he had to build for something for the kids. He build them a plane. But this is the first time he was aked to add guns to his creation. LOL I think the most my sister and I used to add was shells. We all commented that you could see a boy was involved in the construction. Andrew just kept on asking Oupa to add a gun. LOL

Wednesday

2008-06-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Seecastles. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We had lovely sunny days and the kids thouroughly enjoyed the see and sand.

We went to a coffee estate today on Port Edward. It is very interesting to see how the coffee grows. And I'm sure this coffee farm must have one of the best views- with a view of the see and rolling hilltops. Devine.

Tuesday

2008-06-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

We stayed in Glenmore in a beautifull house which had a lovely view of the see. It was idyllic. Except for the few crime incidents the lady told us they have had at the house- which had me a bit nervous the first night- but gradually I relaxed. We went to go eat at the famous waffle house in Ramsgate today. I think that could be my sole reason for wanting to move down to the south coast. Sand see and...waffles. LOL

Monday

2008-06-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

And we left for holiday. Whohoo!! All the way down to the South Coast which should have been a 7 hour drive- except we took a "shortcut" over Richmond and Ixopo. BIG mistake. It added another hour and a half to our drive. It's lovely countryside with rolling hills,forests and sugar plantations. But the road is narrow and potholed. With lots of trucks on it. And roadworks. Plus we were desperately looking for a bank. We eventually found one in Ixopo- but when I mentioned that I would like to transfer money to another bank the staff was clearly in a flap.And called the manager. Who asked me very kindly if I would mind drawing the cash and then walk across the road to deposit the cash into the other bank. LOL clearly transfers are a challenge in small towns.

Braai

2008-06-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Braai at my parents today. My cousin unexpectedly arrived and the poor guy had an unfortunate incident with a cow. His bakkie collided with one. Bakkie a write of and cousins arm broken. Cow 1 Cousin 0.
He told us that it happened in front of a shebeen late at night. He passed out and his girlfriend that was in the car with him was sleeping. She didnt know where they were. So to get their location out of the shebeen patrons was quite a task. Eventually someone helped her and she could phone the emergency services.
But once they got there they refused to take my cousin to a hospital- as he insisted to be taken to a private hospital- and their mandate state that they have to take you to the closest hospital which in this case was a governement instituition. Eventually his girlfriend convinced then to give him some painkillers and a friend arrived to help him get to a private hospital.
Because of the accident his bosses decided to promote him. LOL I also dont get it.
He has been transferred to Nelspruit. His manager teased him and said that if he was that desperate for biltong he should have just asked. LOL - at least they had a sense of humour about it.

So did you

2008-06-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

mis me hu,hu? LOL Bear with me as I update you on my doings -lol

Four Foods on Friday

2008-06-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Four Foods On Friday #34 questions
You know after a weekend away and not having a FFOF round up to do I completely slipped my mind I hadn’t written any questions for this week. Oops! I’m so sorry about that. A couple of you emailed asking about FFOF today and I thank you for that. I’m putting up a really easy set of questions for this week. If anyone wants to answer them that’s great and if not I totally understand since it’s so last minute. Either way, business as usual will resume next week. So, here’s my questions for this week.
1. What is one food that is grown, produced or made near where you live.
Mielies,Maize, Corn- whatever you want to call it- it is a SA favorite- and increasingly being used for bio-fuel.

2. What is one food from another location that you haven’t had anything like anywhere else
Uhhm- believe it or not- the sushi from Investec(rival bank and building across the road from my possie) - I'm yet to find a sushi chef as good as that!

3. What is your favorite food from somewhere else?
The really good italian icecreams in Germany- sometimes you have them for breakfast- that's how good they are!!

4. Share a family, ethnic or international recipe.
Waterblommetjie bredie
Waterblommetjies is a water flower grown in the Cape region.
You make the most delish stew with it , with mutton.
Basically it's just mutton,onion,waterblommetjies and some pepper and lemon juice. Of course the obligatory stockcube
Brown meat and onion.
Chuck all in pot, let stew for 2-3 hours. Serve with rice. Delish!!

Booking Through Thursday

2008-06-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

Flavor June 19, 2008
Filed under: Drafts — --Deb @ 1:40 am

Think about your favorite authors, your favorite books . . . what is it about them that makes you love them above all the other authors you’ve read? The stories? The characters? The way they appear to relish the taste of words on the tongue? The way they’re unafraid to show the nitty-gritty of life? How they sweep you off to a new, distant place? What is it about those books and authors that makes them resonate with you in ways that other, perfectly good books and authors do not?
Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

Yoh- that's quite a mouthfull- I love Anne Tyler books cause they are so real! And the people face crises in their live like we all do- by ignoring them,hoping they go away,fighting with their loved ones,walking out- and then eventually facing them and coming up with a solution.

As I get more older- and hopefully a bit wiser- I enjoy characters that has a bit of humility about them- because it is sometimes only with other peoples grace that we learn,live and hope as much as we do.

German Needles

2008-06-18T01:38:00.000-07:00

Arrgh. Andrew hasn't been feeling well the past two days and last night we saw the tell-tale rash. German Measles.
Andrew calls it German Needles- they make my bum itch mom!
Thank Goodness Pierre has had GM as a child. He immediatly recognised it and dashed out to go get some calamine lotion. If he hadn't recognised it- I would have fretted al night about the childs "red skin". And sped of to the pead in the morning.
So I'v stopped all other flue meds I was given Andrew and I'm schmeering him with calamine and giving him stopayne for the discomfort.
We just have to ride it out now and hope and pray Carmen doesn't get it- as we are going away next week.
One good thing is now that the rash has appeared al the other niggles have disappeared -so he is feeling much better. Just a bit bored- as we cant go out- and no one can come visit us, much to Andrew's disgust. LOL

Holiday

2008-06-17T00:45:00.000-07:00

It was a holiday today- A nice long weekend. Hope you enjoyed!!

Fathersday

2008-06-15T00:42:00.000-07:00

We had my mom and dad over for Breakfast. It was just a nice lazy day. My mom said they had to go back early- as she had to go have a nap. LOL Aging is not for sissies.

Cardinal Sin

2008-06-14T00:37:00.000-07:00

I committed a cardinal sin this weekend. I forgot my laptop at work- LOL. It felt like I lost a limb. I kept on thinking that I would have a chance to nip out to the office to get it,but we all know how it goes over the weekend with small kids and all the household stuff that need to gets sorted.
So I'm furiously trying to catch up- Bear with me. :)

Four Foods on Friday

2008-06-13T00:28:00.000-07:00

Four Foods On Friday #33 questions
For the 33rd edition of Four Foods On Friday I’m departing from the traditional four questions to answer. I’ll be away next weekend so I will not be doing a post on Friday 06/13/08 containing highlights from the weeks answers.
I’m going to try an idea Kelly had a while back and see how it goes. So here’s what I’m thinking. I’ve written down the first four letters of the alphabet, and two foods that start with that letter. I’d like everyone to post a recipe or menu idea based on at least one item from each letter. I think it might be fun to see the different answers you all come up with when dealing with the same foods.
A - asparagus, applesauce
B - balsamic vinegar, bread
C - chicken, cinnamon
D - dressing, dumpling
I’ll be home until Friday morning, so if you post and comment before then your comment will be taken out of moderation by me. I am going to ask one of you to moderate my comments so that any comments for FFOF made after I leave will appear on the questions. I hope that you will all visit each other, as you usually do. If any of you decide you want to do a post on your own blog highlighting the answers for the week I’ll place your banner on this blog for two weeks as my way of saying thanks. I hope this week’s idea is fun. If it isn’t, or if you have a suggestion that might improve it, please let me know.
Have a great week!
EDIT - IF YOU’RE REALLY HAVING A HARD TIME WITH IT JUST POST A RECIPE FOR ANY ONE THING.

A - asparagus, applesauce
Asparagus with steamed with hot butter and salt- mmmm
B - balsamic vinegar, bread
Balsamic vinegar on salad
C - chicken, cinnamon
Roast Chicken my fav!!
D - dressing, dumpling
Dresiing- balsamic vinegar- hie hie

Booking Through Thursday

2008-06-12T01:20:00.000-07:00

Clubbing June 12, 2008
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:11 am

A combo of two suggestions by: Heidi and by litlove
Have you ever been a member of a book club? How did your group choose (ot, if you haven’t been, what do you think is the best way to choose) the next book and who would lead discussion?
Do you feel more or less likely to appreciate books if you are obliged to read them for book groups rather than choosing them of your own free will? Does knowing they are going to be read as part of a group affect the reading experience?
Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

PMSL- I just have to laugh at this- The bookclub I belong to is more like a ladies night out club. A place to let your hair down,talk a lot of crap and just generally for one night a month forget you are a mom,wife,employee or anything really that requires responsibility.
There is a basket with books. Everyone just take out every month what they want to read and put in some books they have read that they would like to share.
The most discussion we have around these books is whether, what kind of book it was and was it a good read. This never takes longer than 10 minutes.
Oh I forgot- we actually do read at this club- We read the wine labels. LOL

Learn-A-Word Wednesday

2008-06-11T04:34:00.000-07:00

I found this meme- I thought it looked interesting.

Learn-A-Word Wednesday: amanuensis \uh-man-yoo-EN-sis\

noun:
A person employed to take dictation or to copy manuscripts.
Amanuensis comes from Latin, from the phrase (servus) a manu, “slave with handwriting duties,” from a, ab, “by” + manu, from manus, “hand.”

Slave with handwriting duties. LOL - that must have been quite an achievement as most slaves weren't taught to read or write. It must have been quite a jobtitle

HAHA It seems as it is still used as a jobtitle
Some very famous people had amanuensis's
There is even a website

Winter

2008-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to enjoy winter a bit more than I usually do- and I must admit I think I'm winning.
I enjoy cuddling on the couch under blankets with the kids.
I enjoy the kids coming to snuggle with us in bed.
I love soup
I love the new, vibrant coloured blouses I bought myself for winter.
I love seeing the sunrise in the morning- In summer the sun is up too early for me to catch it.
I love that winter will be over eventually.

Pure Bliss

2008-06-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

I must admit- we were thouroughly spoiled this weekend. I could want for nothing and if I needed something it was there in a flash. Thouroughly decadent!! It was so good Pierre and I are considering it seriously to go there for our 40'th Birthday's. That would be divine.
And the kids were fine!! As always mom worries too much- and they end up having a ball!!LOL
Pierre moaned a bit about all the "work" he had to do i.e shopping,washing and cooking. PMSL.

The weather didn't play along though. It poured for most of Saturday and some on Sunday. But that didn't deter us from having an awesome time.

Inventiveness

2008-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Andrew usually falls asleep with us on the couch in the evenings. So when he asked to go to bed to go to sleep - I thought it was a bit odd. Well now I know why! The little bugger took a packet of my gum and was secretly chewing it in his bed. We discoverded the packet and chewed gum in his bed the next morning.
Little minx!! Very inventive- but we dont chew gum in bed. PMSL

I'm away

2008-06-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

to Knysna this weekend so I've got a weekend of. Nice to be able to think and do for myself and no kiddies to demand stuff. Although I am worried about Carmen a bit. She is very attached right now- and does not like it if I'm too far away. Lets hope she and Andrew will be ok

Four Foods on Friday

2008-06-06T00:38:00.000-07:00

Four Foods On Friday #32 questions
Hi there! Here are this week’s four questions. This week I’m again going with four questions that all share a theme. This one’s a little different, the theme is “the movies”.
#1. What snacks do you eat at the movies? Do you buy them there or bring your own?
Funny enough I'm not too much of a popcorn - it gets stuck in my teeth- but I do like a box of smarties and some juice when I go to the movies

#2. What’s your favorite food movie, or movie that shows a lot of food?
Barbette's fest- or something to that effect
#3. What food or meal do you wish was available at the movies and why?
Toffee!!
#4. What’s your most favorite way to make popcorn? Hot, cold, buttered, air, microwave, chocolate, caramel, you get it.
Hot on the stove with butter- although tje microwave one is quick and easy

Booking Through Thursday

2008-06-05T02:58:00.000-07:00

Trends June 5, 2008
Filed under: Drafts — --Deb @ 1:36 am

Have your book-tastes changed over the years? More fiction? Less? Books that are darker and more serious? Lighter and more frivolous? Challenging? Easy? How-to books over novels? Mysteries over Romance?

Mm- I used to read quite a bit of chicklit- now I dont enjoy that as much anymore. I like books with more substance now. For non-fiction I enjoy self help kind of books.
I love a good whodunnit- although I find it quite hard to find a good one lately.

Communication

2008-06-04T00:16:00.000-07:00

I'm currently emerging myself in best ways to communicate with people,asking question and negotiation
I came across this slide about the elements of communication- I thought I would put it down

Elements to all communication
1. Describe the situation
2. Feelings- describe your feelings about the situation or the other parties or both
3. Change- Define the change you would like to see or the other party or both
4. Benefit- make a clear statement of the benefits to you or the other person or both

Questions

2008-06-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

I found this on An Ordinary Life's blog. I am not going to tag anyone, so just do it if you want to. If you do, leave me a comment so I can go to your blog and read your answers.
1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? 2 Car seats , toys , some uneaten sweets- crap I better clean up a bit. LOL
2. When was the last time you threw up? Urghh last week- had a bit of a tummy bug
3. What’s your favorite curse word? FUCK
4. Name three people who made you smile today. Andrew,Carmen, Liesel (colleague)
5. What were you doing at 8am this morning? Standing and talking in our dealing room
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Going down to the canteen
7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Driving to fetch kids
8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes.
9. What’s the last thing you said aloud? Thank you
10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Vanilla, made with real pods and cream.
11. What is the last thing you had to drink? Water
12. What are you wearing right now? Black pants, pink shirt
13. What was the last thing you ate? Pasta salad
14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No- but I did buy make-up.
15. When was the last time you ran? Bwahaahaa
16. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Some golf thing
17. Who’s the last person you e-mailed? A colleague about invoices
18. Ever go camping? Yes
19. Do you have a tan? Nope
20. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Yes
21. Are you someone’s best friend? Yes I hope so.
22. What are you doing tomorrow? Working!
23. Where is your mom right now? At home
24. Look to your left. Colleagues' empty chair
25. What color is your watch? Silver
26. What comes to mind when you think of Australia? Drought
27. Would you consider plastic surgery? Nope
28. What is your birthstone? Opal
29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? Depends on the kids - if they are cranky we drive through- otherwise we go in.
30. How many kids do you want? I have two
31. Do you have a dog? No
32. Last person you talked to on the phone. Hubby
33. Have you met anyone famous? Nope- but Carmen did manage to chat up Barry Ronge -PMSL
34. Any plans today? Work then sucide hour,then making pumkin lasgne for tomorrow night
35. Ever go to college? Does varsity count?
36. Where are you right now? At work
37. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Hubbies whinging and wining
38. Last song listened to? Not sure, what ever was on the radio when I got out my car.
39. Are you allergic to anything? LOL- lately I have phases- last year it was oil, this year so far it's been stress- lol
40. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? My slippers in winter!!
41. Are you jealous of anyone? No
42. Who is your favorite actor/actress? Jody Foster
43. What time is it? 13:22
44. Do any of your friends have children? Jip.
45. Do you eat healthy? I try to- but normally eat too much of the healthy stuff as well- sigh
46. What do you usually do during the day? Work
47. How old will you be on your next birthday? 38
48. Have you ever been to Europe? Yes
49. Name one thing you’d still like to do. Walk the otter trail
50. Favorite colour? yellow

Menu Plan Monday

2008-06-02T01:01:00.000-07:00

For this week:
Monday: Chicken stew
Tuesday: Beef Stew
Wednesday: Pumpkin Lasgane
Thursday: Sausages with Mash

Earland

2008-06-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

We had some friends over for lunch and made a lovely Eland Sirloin. It was delish. Pierre got the recipe out of a book- Karoo Venison. Our friend from Ireland called it earland- as she cant pronounce eland. I couldn't resist to take some pics of how the dish progressed

And then of course the pud. It was pears cooked in a red wine sauce served on an almond basket with icecream and custard

Books,books,books

2008-05-31T01:01:00.000-07:00

It's time to have an update on what I've been reading.
On my List I've read
Life on the refrigerator door- brilliant but too short- which I think was the point of the book- Life is too short....
Sepulchre- blah- dont bother- I think her first book Labyrinth was better and much more of a whodunnit than this one- which tried to be romantic novel as well as detective novel- the two in my mind did not marry well here.
And I've just finished We need to talk about Kevin- not on my list
Wow!! Is all I can say- I thouroughly enjoyed it- Could not put it down. But secretly I think *shh dont tell anyone* Is that it was the mothers fault. I know a lot of people wont agree.

Four Foods on Friday

2008-05-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

Four Foods On Friday #31 questions
This week’s meme is again sponsored by the Four Foods On Friday Players Contest winner for April - Karen.
Here are this week’s four questions. This week I’m again going with four questions that all share a theme. The theme is “barbeque”.
You must understand that bbq- or"braai" as it is affectionately known in SA- is a national pastime and passion- so here we go

#1. What is your favorite food that is cooked on the barbeque?
Lambtjops- although every now and again I also like fish on the bbq

#2. What veggies, if any, do you cook on the barbeque?
Mostly potatoes wrapped in alimunium foil- but we've also done Butternut

#3. Tell us a little about your barbeque habits. Who grills, how often, what months, etc.
Hubbie bbq's - not often enough about once a month - winter and summer time though- as we dont have rain in our winter months and our winter days are normally nice and balmy-anything up from 18 degrees celcius.

#4. Share a barbeque recipe.
This is for to bbq prawns
Wrapped shelled prawns (tiger prawns) in bacon strips
Thread 3 or 4 on a skewer
Baste with mixture of butter and garlic
BBQ until done
Enjoy with a nice fresh salad

Booking Through Thursday

2008-05-29T02:39:00.000-07:00

What is Reading, Fundamentally? May 29, 2008
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:59 am

Suggested by: Thisisnotabookclub
What is reading, anyway? Novels, comics, graphic novels, manga, e-books, audiobooks — which of these is reading these days? Are they all reading? Only some of them? What are your personal qualifications for something to be “reading” — why? If something isn’t reading, why not? Does it matter? Does it impact your desire to sample a source if you find out a premise you liked the sound of is in a format you don’t consider to be reading? Share your personal definition of reading, and how you came to have that stance.
(Two weeks late for Reading is Fundamental week, but, well…)

Reading is using your imagination to make the picture up in your mind- so all of these-books,magazines,e-books,audiobooks is all reading- but of course the best reading is done in bed or siting with a cup of coffee, cocoa or wine and just savouring the book. So yes format does influence the reading- i.e I cant read an e-book in bed- but e-books are fine if I'm working on the computer.

Conversations with the kids

2008-05-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Andrew asked me when his teeth will come out- He's surrounded by 6 and 7 year old kids who's starting to lose their milk teeth. I told him when he is about 6 or 7
"Mom- when my teeth come out then I will sleep in my room with the light of"- Aah man how sweet.
Carmen has a mis day at school yesterday- crying for everything and nothing. She told me in the evening.
"Mommie- I cry by Agnella" (Agnella is the assistant in her class- Carmen adores her)
Why Carmen?
"It rain all day- dont like the rain"- Ag poor pumpkin

Last Night

2008-05-27T01:01:00.000-07:00

When I got home the electricity was out- it had been out since one in the afternoon in our area. And it was freezing cold last night. So we all sat like eskimo bears on the couch with blankets on. That's were the kids fell asleep. Andrew came to sleep in our room as he sleeps with a night light on and Carmen came through about one o'clock. I got to snuggle with all my babes in bed :)

Oh and guess what- this morning we had electricity but no water- I think the water will be out for the day. Fun,fun,fun!!

Missing the kids

2008-05-26T06:22:00.001-07:00

Today I'm really missing the kids- I cant wait to get home!!

Lazy Sunday

2008-05-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

Spending time with some good friends. Hopefullu this week I will find some time to blog proiperly again- but I have been hectic lol

Botanical Gardens

2008-05-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely day takeing the kids for a walk in the gardens. Andrew and his friend ran all the way and was rather tired at the end of the day.LOL

Four Foods on Friday

2008-05-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

It's week 30.

Here are this week’s four questions. This week I’m again going with four questions that all share a theme. The theme this week is not a food, it’s a color. The color is white. For our purposes white doesn’t necessarily have to be white, it can include other shades as well. It doesn’t even be a color, it could represent a food like yogurt, fish and poultry. Know what I mean? I hope so. If you don’t, I probably don’t.
#1. What’s your favorite white beverage? If you don’t have one, what’s your favorite beverage with something white in it? Hot white chocolate
#2. What’s your favorite white gravy, sauce, condiment, dressing or topping?
Holandaise sauce
#3. What’s your favorite white item from the refrigerated section?
Uncoloured cheddar cheese
#4. Share a recipe for something white.
That's easy! White toast whoth whith cheddar-lol

Booking Through Thursday

2008-05-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

Books vs Movies May 22, 2008
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:35 am

Suggested by: Superfastreader:
Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?
Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

I normally want more from a book - and are usually disappointed with a movie based on a book- a movie can never tell the full story!!

Xenophobia

2008-05-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

With all the horrible attacks going on- most people are scared and feel helpless.
This song was sung during the apartheid years and it almost feels that we should head it's words once again

Give me Hope Johanna by Eddy Grant

Well Johanna she runs a country
She runs in Durban and the Transvaal
She makes a few of her people happy, oh
She don't care about the rest at all
She's got a system they call apartheid
It keeps a brother in a subjection
But maybe pressure can make Jo'anna see
How everybody could a live as one

[chorus:]
Gimme hope, Jo'anna Hope, Jo'anna Gimme hope, Jo'anna 'Fore the morning come
Gimme hope, Jo'anna Hope, Jo'anna Hope before the morning come

I hear she make all the golden money
To buy new weapons, any shape of guns
While every mother in black Soweto fears
The killing of another son
Sneakin' across all the neighbours' borders
Now and again having little fun
She doesn't care if the fun and games she play
Is dang'rous to ev'ryone

[chorus]

She's got supporters in high up places
Who turn their heads to the city sun
Jo'anna give them the fancy money
Oh to tempt anyone who'd come
She even knows how to swing opinion
In every magazine and the journals
For every bad move that this Jo'anna makes
They got a good explanation

[chorus]
Even the preacher who works for Jesus
The Archbishop who's a peaceful man
Together say that the freedom fighters
Will overcome the very strong
I wanna know if you're blind Jo'anna
If you wanna hear the sound of drums
Can't you see that the tide is turning
Oh don't make me wait till the morning come
[chorus]

Busy

2008-05-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

I'm so busy today- I cant think of anything to write- so here is a pic of my two. Have a nice day!!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-05-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

So I did a bit of pre-cooking this weekend, plus Pierre made us the most devine Jamie Oliver meatballs on Saturday- they were really njam.So much so that Pierre had them again last night. It is unusual for Pierre to have a dish two nights in a row- so it just shows you-lol

Monday- Chicken Lasagne
Tuesday- Bobotie
Wednesday- Chicken stew
Thursday-Left over JO Meatballs.

Feedback on some reading

2008-05-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

So I've taken up Siblings without rivalry by Adele Fabe and Elaine Maszlisch agian.
They specifically addres siblings fighting .
So this is their suggestion:
Step 1: Acknowledge their anger i.e - I see you are very cross with each other
Step 2: Reflect the prpblem i.e He wants the toy cause he feels it was his first. She wants the toy cause he doesn't play with it anymore.
Step 3: State the problem with respect i.e I see one toy and two children. That's a though one
Step 4. Express your condfidence in them coming up with a solution that is fair to both
Step 5 : Walk away

So this is how it went in our house last night.
This was about a chair the kids were fighting about
Step one: Me: I see you are very angry with each other. Screaming from Andrew- YES!!
Step two: Me- I see one chair and two kids- Screaming- and shoving from both kids
Step 3:-Things are starting to fall apart now.-Sisters are for loving Andrew- as he is now shoving and screaming at Carmen
Step 4- I feel confident you two can come up with a solution- Andrew is now standing next to me crying that it is his chair. I tell him to tell Carmen not me- He gives her another shove ( I'm starting to lose my patience now)
Step 5- Me talking to Carmen- Carmen are you willing to share? She nods yes- I tell Andrew thar Carmen says she will share. He goes reluctantly and with a big sulk to sit next to her.

Sigh- So much for my kids coming up with their own solution- I had to steer the whole conversation. I wonder if they will ever come up with their own solutions. *sighs* *shakes head*

I just have to write this down

2008-05-17T01:01:00.000-07:00

As kids come across my path and I start to know them better, I try to figure out what they will become one day.So I have to write it down before I forget and to check back in 20 years time to see if I was right :))

Jeanette's Bradley- Accountant
Connor is too young still- he's in fact himself still thinking about it.LOL
Marlise's Thomas- Dominee (that's a Pastor)- figured that one out today
Marlise's Sonja- Gynae (she will only do c-sect though and she will be so good all us old ladies will go to her for our hysterectomies.
Laura's Kiara- Physcic
Laura's Cameron- Definately manager of some kind

I cant comment on my two,because I'm too close to be objective.

Four Foods on Friday

2008-05-16T01:01:00.000-07:00

Four Foods On Friday 29 questions
This week’s meme is sponsored by the Four Foods On Friday Players Contest winner for April - Karen.
Any regular participant of FFOF, that has played 6x or more is eligible to receive a link in my sidebar if they want one, all they need do is ask.
Here are this week’s four questions. This week I’m again going with four questions that all share a theme. The theme is “chocolate”.
This is the ideal meme for the colder weather we are having- nice wintery stuff!!
#1. What’s your favorite beverage containing chocolate or chocolate flavoring?
Hot Chocolate!!
#2. What’s your favorite chocolate bar? OR Share a pic of your favorite candy, chocolate or otherwise
Tempo's
.#3. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten that had chocolate in it?
It still surprises me to find chocolate in croisants- mainly because I dont expect my breakfasts to be sweet.
#4. Share a recipe using chocolate.
Hot milk- with a piece of at least 80% Dark Chocolate- think Lindt here- njam!!