New years Eve

Was spent very quietly - we didn't do much - and for the most just relaxed and swam.

Green Thumb Sunday

It was a very hot day today. Here is the delicious monster getting a spray of water.

The delicious monster is native to wet forests of southern Mexico, Guatemala and parts of Costa Rica and Panama. It was introduced into cultivation in England in 1752; reached Singapore in 1877 and India in 1878. Specimens of the fruit were exhibited by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1874 and 1881. It has become familiar as an ornamental in most of the warm countries of the world and is widely used in warm and temperate regions as a potted plant indoors,—especially in conservatories and greenhouses—though it does not bloom nor fruit in confinement. In Guatemala, it is raised in pots in patios to prevent too rampant growth, as it is apt to become an aggressive nuisance.

Your Month Meme

Tagged by Jenty

1.Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.

2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).

3. Pick your month of birth (see below).

4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.

5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.

6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

My birthday is 2 October.

Loves to chat. - o yeah!

Loves those who loves them. Jip- but who doesn't :)

Loves to take things at the center. Huh?? Does that mean being at the center of things- jip

Inner and physical beauty. Dont know so much about the physical

Lies but doesn’t pretend. Now how do you do this??

Gets angry often. Nope

Treats friends importantly. I like to think so

Always making friends. I like to meet new people- making friends takes a bit of time

Easily hurt but recovers easily. nope

Daydreamer. O yes

Opinionated. No- cant stand opinionated people

Does not care of what others think. Yes

Emotional. No

Decisive. Yes

Strong clairvoyance. Yes

Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Yes

Touchy and easily jealous. No

Concerned. Yes

Loves outdoors. Yes

Just and fair. I like to think so

Spendthrift. No

Easily influenced.Cant be just and fair and easily influenced

Easily loses confidence. cant make friends easily if you lose confidence easily

Loves children. Yes- although I'm not so sure if the kids think it. lol

All Months:
JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.
FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.
MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.
APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.
MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.
JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.
JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.
AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.
SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.
OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.
NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.
DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Four Foods on Friday

The meme for Friday

Here are this week’s four questions.

#1. Lasagne noodles. Do you find a difference in taste between the regular and the no bake noodles?

This option is not available yet on the South African market.Will let you know as soon as it is here :)

#2. What is your favorite flavor PopTart?

Also not a product that has hit our shores yet.

#3. What’s your favorite type of pasta? Not how served, but the type - elbows, ziti, spaghetti, shells, etc. Why?

Linguine or Angel Hair- It's nice and light

#4. Green beans. What’s your favorite way to make them or dish to use them for?

I just boil them and serve with butter and salt.

Pretoria Zoo

Flamingos

Baby Flamingo

Pretoria Skyline

We took the kids to Pretoria Zoo today. I was a bit dissapointed in the way the Zoo is being kept. A lot of the cages were empty and the enclosures were overgrown making it difficult to see the animals. We took the cablecar to the top and walked down- with the pram, negotiating lots of stairs. lol

A few pics of the day

Boxing Day

Is my Dad's birthday- so of for some more eating and partying. LOL

Pic is of my Dad and Pierre playing Twister

Christmas Day

Was Fab!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

12 Drummers

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

12 Drummers Drumming Eleven Pipers Piping Ten Lords a Leaping Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Christmas Eve 2007- Who could have believed it? Today we have some very last minute shopping to do and then hopefully just relax at home.

Eleven Pipers

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Eleven Pipers Piping Ten Lords a Leaping Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

I've lifted another idea of Jenty's blog and decide to join Green Thumb Sunday. Yes I know- I'm a copycat ;P

The pic is of Grandiflora Diaspora- it is indigineous to South Africa. To be honest the flower reminds me a lot of Blackeyed Susan vine. Although that is of course a creeper.

Ten Lords

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Ten Lords a Leaping Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Pierre and the kids are back and by all accounts seemed to have a nice time in Stilbaai. Weather wasn't too great but they had one or two nice days at the beach. This is a pic of them on the beach.

It's nice to have everyone home again.

Nine ladies dancing

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

I have decided to participate on the four foods on Friday meme. This is a quick and easy meme for people to get to know one another and maybe pick up a recipe or idea or two to try.

I picked it up on The Daily Meme site

The four questions for this Friday

1. Hot chocolate. With marshmallows or without?

WITH

2. What is your favorite ice cream?

Plain vanilla with those chocolate sauces that harden when you put it on the icecream

3. What is your favorite candy bar? A Tempo or a Milky bar

4. Name something you make with creamed corn in it, and how you make it.

This is one of my favourire recipes. Creamed Corn Bake. I serve it whenever we braai- BBQ for the non South Africans, with a nice green salad. Very easy

Two 420g Creamed Corn Tins

120 ml of:

Flour

Sugar

Butter

2 Eggs

Mix all together. Put in the oven at 180 degrees celcuis. Bake for at least 45 minutes- but can leave it in for longer as the middle doesn't always set easily. I leave it in for an hour and then switch the oven off but leave the dish in until we are ready too eat.

Eight maids a milking

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

The pic is of one of my favourite Christmas tree decorations- yes I know- a train- but I like it :)

Favourite Finds for 2007

*****************************

These are a few of my fav finds for 2007

Cinnabons

The Rise and Rock show on Radio 2000 in the mornings

A teflon coated baking sheet that I can put in any dish,bowl etc- and dont have to clean ichy dishes afterwards.

Any of the Aloe Ferox products- brilliant!

A few of the ladies on the parenting forum that I frequent posted the following:

Hazelnut syrup for Coffee

Vanilla Milk

PSP games

Scrapbooking

Banoffee

Ace instant porridge

The Led Zeppelin - Mothership Special edition cd/dvd. Truly amazing.

DVD writer

Joudi Piccoult books

Frisco Caramel Flavoured coffee

Seven Swans

On the seventh day of Christmasmy true love sent to me:

Seven Swans a Swimming

Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

The pic is of a Christmas elf decoration I bought at Woolies. Although my sister says it looks like the grinch.PMSL

It's starting to get time now for my family to get back. I'm really missing them, struggling to sleep as the house is too quiet and just generally missing my babies.

Having said that there is still a few things in the house I want to "fix" (read throw out,clean etc) before they return. Better start cracking. LOL

One of the guys at the office is quite jealous of my "single" status. He's just returned from a caravaning long weekend with his family and needs a holiday from that to recover.(hie hie)

He looked at me with longing eyes when he left yesterday. Shame.

Six Geese

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Pic is of the angel on top of our tree

After reading about this on Jenty's blog I decided to give it a bash. Let's see how it goes

Blog 365

Rules:- Blog everyday for 365 days.- Feb.29th is a Free Day and will be the Blog365 day of rest!(Thanks Leap Year)- You do not HAVE to post to the same blog as long as you post everyday.- No internet? Write your post locally and post it once you are back on the grid.

Computer Broken? Grab some paper and do some old school blogging.- A post is a post, not everything has to be in writing. Photos, YouTube videos, and the like are all considered content.- Have fun, because that's the whole point!

Note:If you post offline work, consider changing the date on the post to reflect the day you actually created the content

Five Golden Rings

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Carmen got tagged to do this meme by Jenty.

I'm not to sure how these things work but lets give it a bash.lol

Each player makes a list of eight random facts/habits about themselves.
At the end of your list, choose eight people to to tag and list their names.
Leave them a comment on each of their websites to let them know that they have been tagged.
The people tagged will write a post on their own website about their eight things, post these rules, and tag eight others.
1. I am 2 years old.
2. I am in full temper tantrum stage and I know how to do it with great gusto.

3.I laugh straight out of my belly if you tickle me, and then ask for more!!
4. When I speak on the phone I wave regally goodbye. It doesn't matter that you cant see me.
5. I love playing with my dolls.
6. When my brother takes my toys I get very cross. But its fine if I take his.

7. I love snuggling up on mommy's lap and giving her big hugs and kisses.

8. I'm a big girl now and am almost potty trained.I still have a few accidents now and then, but I love wearing my panties.

I tag:

Luka

Aaron

Cameron

Carol

T-Pot

Jared

Tanja

Reece

Four Calling Birds

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Pic is a closeup of some of the pockets on the Advent Calendar

We went to Leopard Lodge for lunch-it was devine. Not everyone that can do buffet properly and the venue is spectacular.

Three French Hens

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

The Christmas sock I also made myself. Talented hey lol

The kids and Pierre left this morning for the coast- I am a little sad- but it's nice to be doing my own thing without interruptions.

There will be no dinner posts this week- as I dont have to cook- whohoo!

Two turtle doves

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

The Advent Calendar in the piccie I made myself. Took me three years- but eventually I managed to finish it. lol

Ok figured out why the

12 days of Christmas start today- can you say blond. lol

A piccie of our Christmas tree

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

The kids washed my feet today- I wonder if I can get them to do this everyday?

They were very excited about getting their first Advent Calendar Day surprise- choccies and two small pressies

Dinner was Roast Chicken and Carrot Salad

12 Days of Christmas

I know the 12 days of Christmas is only supposed to start tomorrow- but I count Christmas day as 0. LOL
So things are going to get a bit Christmassy around here.
We are putting up the tree. Woohoo



The Twelve days of Christmas
On the first day of Christmasmy true love sent to me:A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Dinner was beefolives and green beans

Golf

Phew!! What a palawer yesterday!! I signed Andrew in for golf camp this week. First of all the traffic to the venue was terrible as all the traffic lights were out on our way. So a trip that shouldn't have taken me more than 45 minutes, ended up being over 2 hours. So we arrive late. Andrew gets there and flatly refuses to play. We hanged around for a bit and then went back.

So of course the kids start to drive me dilly at home- I climbed in the car with them not knowing what we were going to do. Thank goodness for Spur!!

Dinner was Spatchcock Chicken with asparagus and mielies

Flash Floods

My mom told me yesterday that Alberton had a flash flood on Saturday and both hospitals flooded. They closed both hospitals for a few hours to clean it up and after that it was business as usual. I cant find anythong about it on the news services. I guess it will be in the local news paper this week.

Dinner was Spur

Unruly

The kids are absolutely imposibble lately. They got hold of mozzie mats this morning and played with it. The minute I saw it- I gave them the big lecture about it being poison and not toys etc, etc. The whole debacle woke Pierre up and they got another lecture. Half hour later Andrew was walking around with a mozzie mat- which I dont know where he got it from as I made sure I put it all away where they couldn't get it-Ag ja....

We had lunch at my mom's- braai

Saturday

We had a BN meet in the morning- it was very nice, quite a lot of people pitched and the weather held- Bonus!! It drizzled a bit, but the kids ignored this for the most part.

Went home and a got a bit stircrazy with the kids in the afternonn- by now it was bucketing. Luckily daddie came home and it eased the kids boredom a bit.

We had fillet steak mushrooms and roast potatoes for dinner

2 Steps forward

and 5 steps back. Just as I thought Carmen was doing well with the potty training she makes two huge gwelly poo's on our floors- eewww. After that I put a nappy on- Potty training finished until the next day.

Our geyser also burst on top of all that- so we had great fun cleaning that up. Try and get someone in the evenings to come help you with a burst geyser- fat chance!! Even though we have been given a string of emergency numbers for just such an occurence.

Very frustrating.

I made porktjops,peas and mielies for dinner

I dont actually know where to start

today. Friends of ours got robbed last night at gunpoint. They hurt her and her husband. They wouldn't allow her to go to her kids.

I am sad cross scared-everything all at once.

It's just not right.

Potty training continues

It seems al went well yesterday. She made the trip in the car as well a a quick trip to the shops without incident. At 5 ish she insisted on going to the loo. She seemed a bit miffed when I put her nappy on for the night -lol.
We'll tackle that once she's been down to the coast.

She just didn't make a poo at all yesterday- we'll need to watch that.

Dinner is roast chicken with veg

Sjoee

It's a busy time before I go on leave. Everyone wants everything done before I go.

Carmen's potty traing went well yesterday apparently. Took herself of to the loo whenever anyone else went. I put a nappy on when we went home and she stayed in it since she fell asleep and only woke up to bath.

Today we are going to attempt to drive home without a nappy

Dinner is ravioli with napolitana sauce-compliments of Woolies

Amazing

The kids Daymom is due for her ceaser next Monday. This is her third child. She is still running this week after 15 little ones. Every morning she greets you with a smile and never seems tired or overwhelmed.

WOW.

This is the kids last week of being with her. Next year they start a new nursery school. It's very sad. We've known her now for over 3 and a half years.

Dinner is salad,fresh fruit and cold meats

Potty Training

I've decided to post our progress with regards to Carmen's potty training. Except it doesn't feel like there is much progress. If anything this might just offer a few hints of how not to do it.

The daymom has started her about 2 month ago with just sitting her on the potty at least once a day and getting her to used it. This has by all accounts gone well- most days she does a pee and a poo. She is also training with another 2 year old girl- which helps. The other little girl has since progressed and is almost dry. Her mom made an effort in the afternoons when she got home(mom works half day)

So since last week when I got home I took C's nappy of and just let her run about,. from this I learned that around 5-5:154 she has a pee and sometimes a poo. She made a pee once in the pottie and a poo once in the pottie. Other times she just made a booboo on the floor.

Saturday after her nap I took of her nappy and she stayed dry until I bathed her at 7. I couldn't believe this.
Sunday she insited on taking of her nappy when she woke up- made a big thing about sitting on the pottie- and not doing anything. She did this a few times then made a booboo at 9:30, 9:45 and 10:30- al on our floor. Then we went to the shops- and I put on a nappy. After that we left for my mom and I kept her nappy on for the duration of the visit.

After we got home I let her run nappy free. She made a poo in the garden.
No accidents after that, stayed dry until I bathed her at 7.

I asked the daymom today to let her run nappy free and packed in extra sets of clothes.


Lets see how that goes

Dinner was cheese and wine

Veg

Every now and again on a Saturday- the kids and I just veg- we go to to shops come back, take a nap and just veg- kids play and I try to read and keep the peace- It's going well-kids haven't murdered each other yet. PMSL

Dinner is Taco's

Hospital

Went to go see my mom yesterday. She looks good- looks like everything went well and she will be able to go home on Saturday

I'm very relieved

Dinner was Prawns and chips- an absolute oil feast- I took my antihistamines

Neighbours

We walked across the road to meet the new neighbours, as the very nosy 4-year old kept on asking who they are and what are they doing there and why is their car there and why... you get the picture. His little voice is so shrill I was sure the neighbours must be wondering about this child, so I went to introduce myself. Very nosy 4-year old refused to come along. He sat from the safety of our patio watching everything with hawk eyes. PMSL

Dinner was Roast chicken and veg pie from woolies