mix six fix pix

finally The Day has arrived and Mnearly6 is now M6... happy birthday, gorgeous boy!!! we had a wee *blonde moment* six weeks ago: in the rush to gobble the hot chippies and leave the skate park in time for sports, we left your bike and helmet at the park!!! and we didn't realise until three days later, at which point it had already gone home with another little person. yes, we all feel really silly, but as i keep saying, thankfully it was only a bike, and not a child.


anyway, it turns out that S10's six-year-old-bike is still operational, so you and Daddy spent the early evening yesterday inflating new inner tubes,


and attaching new tyres and handle grips, and this morning you woke up to a *bicycle hooter horn* (yep, the neighbours really love us!!) and a new *red bike helmet*... and you took off down the road... you even impressed S10 with your groovy moves, cutting the corner coming up the driveway at a forty five degree angle to the pavement. so it looks like there are now two stunt men in the family...


of course we celebrated your number SIX birthday with lots of our favourite people at the park, and a big huge chocolate cake, and candles, and balloons, and bubbles...


we did miss all of our other favourite peeps tho X

cider inside 'er

We're all avid Roald Dahl fans, from The BFG to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (cos we love chocolate) to Danny, The Champion of the World *grin* to Revolting Rhymes, which I remember reading to classrooms full of children in my previous life, amidst much hilarity and horror. It turns out that Roald shared our adoration for food too - about a year ago we discovered a *recipe book* in our local library, compiled by Roald's granddaughter Felicity, called Even More Revolting Recipes. It's an incredibly creative, appealing read, filled with such things as *plushnuggets* and *glumptious glob gobblers* and *pickled spines of porcupines* and even* luminous lollies for eating in bed at night* (the recipe of which we will keep well hidden from M5, who has finished all his dental nurse treatment thank you very much and is now our resident Teeth Brushing Expert), all illustrated by the inimitable Quentin Blake. Roald Dahl's recipe book keeps reappearing at our place,

and today we tried out Bean's Cider,

cos it looks rather delish in the picture,

and we remember hooting with laughter
on many occasions

while reading about Rat's hilarious
cider escapades in Fantastic Mr. Fox.

There's a funny little rhyme that I
half-remember from my childhood,
something about "the cider inside her inside..."

The verdict is that Bean's Cider does taste rather delish,
but as J11 said, "It's not very fizzy."
So now there are plans afoot to add
some sherbet mix to it, or maybe some lemonade...

though I'm not sure if there's still
any *cider* left to add the fizz to...

a celebration of us

twenty four hours sans kiddos
champagne and strawberries

sunshine and sea breezesi am you and you are mine

love makes nonsense
of space and time

j'aime repertoire

a delish little boutique has appeared in town. it's called Repertoire, oui, très français, and the instant you walk through the door, it feels like heaven. there's a little tinkly water fountain on the front wall, and divine smells in every direction, sparkly clothes, sparkly jewellery, sparkly people (who smile constantly, and even sprinkle *petals* into the bag when you buy something). on one of the tables in there is a little bowl of red glass hearts. they're supposedly Christmas decorations, but i think they're way too beautiful to hang on a tree. they're perfect for a necklace.
which is what i refashioned one into while the sun was coming up this morning. dawning on a beautiful, clear, crisp, cloudless, peaceful day. and that's what i'm wishing for you, jen... X

calico quilt

i love things that have a story. i love things that have history. i love things that are refashioned.

about fifteen years ago, we came across a delightful book called calico bear. it's about a homemade teddy bear that is given to a lovely little lad. as he gets older and outgrows bedtime bears, his mummy refashions it into a quilt. years later a young lady uncovers the quilt in the attic and refashions it into a little bear for a little girl, who is actually the little-boy-grown-up's daughter.

we've read and re-read and sung this beautiful story to all the 5kiwis for years, and it's the story i think of every time i make a quilt. i'm really excited cos i've finished Mnearly6's quilt, *five* days early!!!


it has history, sleeps, and much love woven into it. it's made from something old, and something new: pieces of fabric squares from Big Brother's quilt, fabric from Bigger Brother's quilt and favourite Pooh Bear sheet that he has grown out of but cannot bear to give away, and fabric from Biggest Brother's sheet that had all but worn out too.


of course there's a *secret pocket* on the back, joined to the old sleeping bag that i slept many childhood summers in, and it has *six* buttons, one for each candle on Mnearly6's cake (his name is appliqued onto the central blue tie-dyed piece, but i've camouflaged it in case there are any weird stalkers out there in the Virtual World, so if ya wanna see it IRL, you'll have to travel to our place, k?)...


for the whole of october, Mnearly6 has been counting down the *sleeps* until his Birthday day. we're down to five: five sleeps until the long-awaited quilt will be yours, with all my love, and your brothers' love too X

down the garden path

mummy love,
come with me
to the end of the garden...
walk along the little path
skip around the corner
see the tree house up in the sky
run to the tree trunk
climb up the wooden ladder
swing in the breezey sunshine,
share the sweet kisses of
orange-blossom-scented
sunshine.

rambo and rambo

S10 and his buddy Neethan, posing at the park, beachside, late afternoon after drama. soon we'll be swimming in the fountain again.
(that's it from me today, i'm back sewing The Quilt. yeah, i've morphed from vaKATEd back into domestiKATEd)

fish story

(yo, i'm remote blogging from our l-o-n-g weekend holidaying at whangamata with the swamp foxes)Hubby can now add Hunter And Gatherer to his long list of accomplishments... yep, he just caught *both* these snapper, which we are gonna eat with Roasted Veggies and asparagus... after we sample some fresh-cooked Whitebait Fritters... and then we're gonna Put All The Kids To Bed and play *singstar pop* until two o'clock in the morning... or something...
we can take the night and make it last forever...

woot woot!!!!!

to my fave lurker

shaz you were so funny tonight, buoyed up by A Great Big Hot Chocolate and some *whispers* maccas chippies... when i looked through my petit sac français for a pen to write a note to moi on my hand, and instead pulled out some keys, a hair elastic, a journal-for-writing-sparkly-ideas-in, some eclipse mints, a hairclip, a cheque book, a pencil, some army men (ok, no army men), the iPod in all its pink glory, The Journal for Suzi, some frangipani body butter, some coconut lip butter that i bought in London last july, my Big Brick Nokia Phone that i painted with sparkly pink nail polish that is now all chipping off and that the kids keep telling me to cash in for a newer sexier model (but i won't cos i know how to stretch-a-dollar), a few old receipts that might come in handy, my mini putt scores from last week that i can't bear to throw away cos i got about five birdies (yes i did), the mccafe voucher that we forgot to use, a pack of tissues, my strawberry flavoured chap stick, my pink Roxy Wallet, a little box of pink (there's a bit of a Pink Theme here) *kate couture* cards which i keep in there incase i come across brad or angelina and they ask me to make something for their wedding..... and..... The Camera I Use To Take Self Portraits For My Blog!!!!!!! i think all the people outside could hear your excited *shriek*... "OOO, we HAVE to take a PHOTO for your BLOG!!!"

so sweet girl, here are your fifteen seconds of fame!!!!!
ppppf-f-f-f-f-fffffft. fame. fame. see, now you're famous. well, to the five people who read and comment here, and the three others who lurk and then tell me, when i am busy Divulging My Inner Secrets: oh, i read/saw that on your blog.

now i am thinking i could turn this into one of *those memes* where whoever is reading this gets to up-end *your* handbag and blog about the contents...
*grins, ducks, and runs*

sew crazee

it's started:
Mnearly6's quilt!!!!!
on my 1950's vintage singer. it sews forwards. it sews backwards. it's sew crazee. it needs rethreading every few seams cos the bobbin is a *insert unmentionable expletive here* and the machine probably needs a wee service. but i love it.
thankfully, the dahling kids've been solving all the mysteries.

oh, and the best part of the day is that Hubby brought me home Victoria and Who Loves Who The Most and Why Does Love Do This To Me? for my iCrazy.
so now i'm crooning like a drunken sailor again, and offering a PRIZE for the first NON-GOOGLE GUESS at Which 80's Band Wrote them..... no asking hubby ok, Birthday Girl.
it's all about the *ms* music today lol.

and while you're racking your vintage memories, you can sing along with me....
yeah, yeah, yeah, YEAH!!!!!

magic moments at our place

i'm feeling a wee need to tick a few boxes today, yeah it must be The Beginning Of The School Term... i've actually rediscovered our mojo, and we did some Real School Work. well, of course we *do school* every day, i just took time to mentally tick some boxes today: starting with
writing letters to The Londoners...
written language, TICK.

moments later our friend and pseudo-auntie carol popped in for an anti-jet-lag-cappuccino-with-double-
chocolate-sprinkles and she gave us an impromptu Geography lesson, cos she's just got back from Europe/Russia.
and J11 gave her an impromptu Ancient Egypt lesson,
and then she gave us an impromptu Modern Egypt lesson. well, not really lessons, just a wonderful long meandering chat.
geography/history/oral language: TICK, TICK, TICK.

and after carol and i got a few ideas down for our Christmas Gourmet Foodies Occasion, she went on her merry way and i pegged up the washing and the lads wrote a bit more of their letters and then we all packed up for swimming lessons... M5 got The Swimming Teacher Who Has Eyes In The Back Of Her Head today, so there was much focussing and hard work and Actual Swimming. and while that was happening, S10 swam eleven lengths and J11 swam ten,
physical education: TICK
which meant that they could each qualify for a chupa chup lollipop on the way out. woot woot.

and then we had time to kill before drama lessons so we popped in to take Daddy a Peanut Slab (cos he didn't win one from sarah bean rofl) and he hopped in the car and took us
on a history lesson and we talked all about Boy Stuff like
cannons and musket balls and other War Chat That Daddy Does Better Than Mummy Cos He Knows Gory Details That Mummy Doesn't Like To Know About. after drama,
*socialisation* bwahahahaha: TICK
oral language/huge number of skills: TICK
we found Another Educational Moment on The Strand, in town: a huge display of Aerial Photos of various ecological issues around the world. yeah abby, i'm a day late, but i'm mentioning The Globe.
geography/history: TICK, TICK AGAIN.

oh i forgot to say that we measured the space for a replacement fridge (hubby has found The Best Deal here, tho i'm a bit worried about the Samsung Special... what do you think of that brand Dad??) cos our one we've had for seventeen years has finally given up the ghost.
maths: TICK

and now the lads are off to deliver their pamphlets
physical education/fitness: TICK
and i'm off to create a gourmet masterpiece of roasted yams, kumara, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, ASPARAGUS mmmmm, and couscous... all dressed with a concoction of lemon juice (from our tree) and olive oil and a delish curry flavour....
food technology: TICK
so that we can steal a Family Moment before hubby zips to his indoor soccer game and the lads rush off to the last thing on their agenda for Tuesdays.
more *socialisation*: TICK

at which stage i might just have the last glass of port in the bottle
feeling the good mommy vibe: TICK

mystery monday

a few minutes before we were gonna pull the sunshine paper

outta the *mystery monday* jar, we had a Better Offer...

an impulsive birthday party at Lollipops Playland.

of course we couldn't *possibly* resist...

and ohmygosh deb, your chocolate cake recipe
is even better than mine...

Happy HOT WHEELS Birthday, L5
we're so glad we answered mummy's text this morning,
those other twenty seven people missed
a fabulous party!!! x x x x x x x

the sweetest thing

i love *snail mail*. sure, the instantness of email and blogging and chatting online is a buzz, but nothing beats a *surprise* delivery that i can touch, and sniff, and admire, and perhaps even taste. over the last couple of months Some Very Special Things have arrived for moi. there were some delish handmade soaps from liesl, and a collection of gorgeous photos from emily, both of which i had swapped for butterfly kisses bracelets.

lizard sent me this beautiful print she's made
which sparked the Original Swap back in april!

after a wee chat this week over at sharon's,
rach knitted me this domestiKATEd (love your sense of humour rach) *Not So Nana* dishcloth, to woo me to The Other Side.

and two days after my meltdown on tuesday, there was a knock at the door. S10 (who answers every phone call and every knock at the door because no one else moves that fast) was greeted by a special *surprise* delivery, all wrapped in gold ribbons. i burst into tears when i looked in the card and read this:
and the cake was decadently delish too.
seriously rosie, you've *got* to start blogging and then i can leave you little sparkly *thank you* Virtual Messages forever after.

but wait, there's more...
today another *surprise* arrived from my kitchen muse, leighleigh.
yep, it's the cranberry and chocolate cookies.
mmmmm, my tummy feels *so* loved.

i've got a little sticky note on my fridge which says,
Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.
(George Eliot, who was actually a woman, lol)

it's true. love makes the world go around.
thank you, thank you, thank you, gorgeous girls X

freaky friday

it's *wacky hair day* today. woozie aka R14 has got her hair all twirled and twisted and sprayed blue,


but you'n'Olly have decided to go the Whole Hog (that's an In Joke *waves to suzi and hogman = The Original Frank*) as... Old School Geeks.


well, i'm not sure if that's what your theme is, but that's what you look like.
ewwww those shorts. and that shirt. and that hair all slicked to the side!!!



and now you're freaking us out with your Frank Spenceresque dialogue...
(turn your head to the side before pushing *play* cos kate-the-techno-geek has no idea how to rotate the video)
transcript (cos there's no soundz either sorry)
oooh, hello... my mother said that nothing impresses another man like a firm one... a handshake that is...

i think i prefer this persona, or even this one X

iFull

For the past week iHave been looking and *looking* for a little *pink* iCover for my new iPod nana, I mean *nano*, to keep it in the unscratched silvery condition in which iBought it. On the way home from the fourth unsuccessful attempt iHad a flash of inspiration: iCould make my own!! All sorts of designs of *secret pockets* (one side for the iMusic, the other for the iConnections) swirled through my mind as I negotiated The Garage in search of scraps of *pink* fabric and a zip. All the zips were in hiding (iShould’ve known to stop at this point) but my Hunting And Gathering Instinct was too strong and so I resorted to unpicking the zip off an old cushion cover… and unearthed the sewing machine, rethreaded it without saying any bad words and set to work, measuring and measuring and snipping (measure twice, cut once). Ten minutes later, the machine started whirring, as in true Whiplash Tradition iSet out to sew up my iCandy. Here’s the iPocket, for the inside of the iCover.


So far, so good. iMeasured OH! *so* carefully, fitting the iPod within the layers and linings and pinky pockets, and iWas even careful to leave a wee gap at the top of the zip opening for the iCord. An hour later, after much fiddling and no pinning and no zipper foot and much more measuring, iFinally finished the last delicate seam… and turned it all right side out…. and that’s when iDiscovered…


two *whole* CENTIMETRES of seam width had miraculously disappeared… the inside pocket fits, but THE OUTSIDE IS TOO SMALL!!!
However did that happen? My iLash is masquerading as an iSore!!!!!
So it's back to the drawing board then. Or maybe the iStore...

all he wants for Christmas...

yeah, no jokes, in the middle of my *christmas* ramblings below, M5 came rushing over to me, squealing excitedly, "LOOK!!! Mum!!!! My *TOOTH* has fallen out!!!!!" and he has been busy showing everyone and ringing various friends and rellies to report The Very Exciting News.
that has to be the cutest nearly-six year old on the Whole Planet.
i take back everything i said yesterday...
hangin' wiv my kiddos all day every day is the best blimmin' job on the whole planet.

global friendly

in the spirit of sending our love around the world, and thanks to Operation Christmas Child, there are now some little boxes of Christmas pressies on their merry way to beautiful children somewhere in the world who don't usually get Christmas pressies.
i suggested to M5 that we might be able to do a deal with Santa that the5kiwis get less stuff in their stocking at Christmas time this year so that the other kids (who live too far away for Santa to find) can get some stuff too... same stuff, different part of the globe. makes sense to me.
if you wanna, and you're quick, you can do it too...
X

The Glass Is Half Full, My Friend

to be honest, today i'm rather jaded.

i'm wondering if after thirteen official years and eighteen unofficial ones, i'm over this homeschooling thang? maybe it's just that the term has started and i'm procrastinating getting back into the swing of things? maybe we just need to get to the beach?

i usually keep The Blog lite'n'fluffy, but today i feel a whinge coming on. yeah, even *i* can't be Little Miss Sunshine *all* the time.

today i just wanna sit at the table and light candles and listen to music and make beautiful things, drink coffee and eat cake, do pilates, have an uninterrupted chat with a girlfriend, go for walks... without the kiddos incessantly rabbiting in my ear.

the thing is, i do adore hanging with them, and i'm not ready to whang everyone in school, i'm just feeling restless, uninspired, overwhelmed, vulnerable, and feeling like i *shouldn't* cos we've just had two weeks of school hols... and heck, i'm mid-cycle, the hormones are supposedly in balance.

i don't really need an answer, or even a pat on the back, just sending these thoughts out into the universe. and like the Dread Pirate Roberts, i'll probably feel differently in the morning.

and hey, look what is *so* happy that i moved it to the garden beside the front door...

i'll never be maggie, but there is *some* water in this Half Empty Glass of mine... X

like mother, like daughter

having a daughter so like her momma is a wonderful thing.
you'n'i share that. the joys. the intensity. the girly-ness.
the cups of tea. the love of All Things Pink and Orange. Orange and Pink.
karen, thanks for driving miles and miles today, for bringing your cool kiddos over to play with mine. love that we just get down to business: talking about anything and everything. next time: a chick flick and a Big Chill.

nit picking

i've noticed that in the last day or two i've been scratching my head even more than usual. so after a dash to the shower for a Great Big Hair Wash, i lined up all of The Gang and did a head check. hmmmm, dragging a fine-toothed-comb through all of my and R14's curls is no partay.

clear. clear. clear. clear. clear. clear. infestation.
*freak me out*
i. hate. nits.

so there was a dash for the Olive Oil (cos i am *so* averse to putting agent orange in our hair) and The Nit Comb and we started The Hopper Count.
i lost it at twenty, three times more than the number of teeth that M5 needs filled...
while S10 kept making helpful comments like:
"i've got a whole *nest* in my hair..."
"did you know that dreadlocks is the worst thing for getting nits..."
"they found at least seventy-two species of nits in Bob Marley's hair when he died..."

ewwwwwww.
*scratches head*

you'n'iTunes

i'm not quite sure how it is that people who ordinarily *sing in tune*
croon like a drunken sailor as soon as they get the iMusic
going into their ears through an iPlug, er ear plug...
you'n'iHad a hilarious eleven o'clock iMoment last night
while Dad and R14 were in a slightly more serious bubble doing the cryptic crossword.
iKnow, it was quite a surprising role reversal.