The List

I have just entered a blissful period of time in which I do not have any study. Four weeks of freedom! I have been looking forward to it for ages, it seems, and finally it is here. If you think that means I will be putting my feet up and relaxing though, you are strangely mistaken. I have THE LIST to complete. The List is rather long. It has been added to frequently over the past few months - every time I think of something that needs to be done (or I wishfully want to have done), but do not have time to do while I am studying I add something more. I will not bore you with the two A4 pages full of things I wish to accomplish. Instead, I will condense The List down to the larger priorities.

* Fix 2 broken dining chair seats where the MDF has broken
Progress: got ply, cut with Dad (thanks Dad!), glued foam back on, ready to staple fabric back on - require time when Boyo is home to watch Munchkin as hammering too loud!

* Make chook cage
Progress: Bought materials yesterday with Boyo and Munchkin for technical support! Okay, so Munchkin likes to trolley ride! Cut ply with Dad (big thanks, Dad!). Need to cut framing - which means taking Munchkin up to my parents during the day, and stashing him in the play pen while I measure and cut with the hand saw, then cart all pieces home in the car
Then I need to screw the frame together...the rest I will tell you when I get to it! This is a rather large project!

* Planning and preparation for Munchkin's first birthday in (gulp) two week's time.
Progress: Have sort of done the menu and started buying the decorations. Quite a lot to do in the days leading up to the big event - depending how many people decide to come.
Need to sort out Munchkin's birthday present. Lots and lots of research so far. Not much other progress. Grin.

*Move emergency water bottles into shed from concrete block garage (note: recommendation is to have emergency kits in a garden shed or similar because they are less likely to collapse in an earthquake) and set up a semi decent emergency kit
Progress: Have got the bottles from garage to conservatory. Need to refresh the water (you are meant to do this every 6 months) and was hoping for a dry week so I can water the garden with it instead of just wasting it. Yeah, never mind? Got a new padlock for the shed so we have more than one key, very useful!
Need to find container for emergency kit and put stuff in it, like our little burner, bandages, toilet paper, etc.

*Sell a whole more stuff on Trademe.
Progress: Need to take photos. Then spend time loading things online. I do have a list of things to sell though so that is a start.

*Crochet half a blanket together.
Progress: I have crocheted 4 whole rows together already! On number5...want to crochet them to each other though (the rows, to make half the blanket).

* Sew some zippered bags for our cash monthly money (like groceries, spending money, birthdays, etc). We've been using plastic and they keep breaking. Plus people can see inside. I saw some on a blog once (can't remember where), and thought they looked really cool.
Progress: Bought zips. 12. One of each colour! I came out nearly giddy with delight at the colour choices! Need to do a trial one, then probably find some more fabric.

* Tidy Garden
Progress: I've already moved the compost bin, and the strawberry plants, so excellent progress so far! Need to make a wire cage to grow potatoes in. Need to plant garlic at the Big Garden. Did get the seedlings from the windowsill finally planted today. Only a few weeks late! Want to trim trees up the driveway so they don't scrape our car as we squeeze past the front neighbour's van...the camellias are getting a bit overgrown and I only got partway up last year.

So there you have it. This is, remember, the condensed list for your reading pleasure. I think I will be a little busy! But oh, so satisfied as I cross each thing off The List!


Amy

Drawings

We had letters recently from our sponsored kids. I love reading them! Haji and Mariam are at such a lovely age, and always send us pictures they have drawn. I just had to share some with you.

A car by Haji. Following is a tower and a broom.

Here are some by Mariam. She's drawn us flowers, clothes, a tree, house and many more.

Aren't they just gorgeous!? I am thinking I really need somewhere to display their artwork, as it currently gets looked at then filed away. Perhaps some fridge magnets are in order?! We will have Munchkin's artwork to add in years to come too, so really should find a good space for art displays soon!

Amy

Friday, 6th May, 2011

The Simple Things in Life

Here's a toy I made for Munchkin a while back and have been meaning to share. It's pretty basic really. Fill an empty soft drink bottle with water, a bit of dishwash liquid, a few drops of food colouring, and do up the lid nice and tight (glue it if you're worried it might come off). I added a few little party things - hearts, cakes, etc - just sparkly tiny ornaments, as my mum had some and we don't currently have any glitter. To play? Roll it around the floor. Stand it up and swish it round. See how many bubbles you can get. Or let them all die down so you can gaze at the sparkly bits instead. Nice and simple, and lots of fun!

Amy

Friday, 6th May, 2011

The Weigh In

Today Munchkin had his 1year Plunket check up. He weighs 12.3kg and is 81cm tall. About the size of an 'average' two year old. We are not surprised. He's been tracking along the 97th percentile for both height and weight since about 3 months old. Tall genes. Not mine (although I do like to joke that he takes after his mother when people comment on how 'huge' he is - I am a slender 160cm or 5foot 3inches!). I must say that our Plunket ladies have been brilliant. While nearly everyone else has some comment or other to make about Munchkin's size, the Plunket ladies like to point out that he is very well proportioned, and developing great for his age. They check whether we have any concerns, ask what he has been up to lately, and are courteous and helpful. Thanks Plunket!
I've been saying to Boyo lately that we need fruit trees. Both of us rather like fruit, and have been raised to eat a fair bit of it. Munchkin is looking to follow in our footsteps. He loves his fruit! Most days now he will eat a couple of feijoas, half a mandarin and a banana, and only limited to that because that's all his mother will give him! I'm now wondering if we might need a cow, goat, pig, and chickens as well. Oh, and maybe a Sanitarium factory in the backyard to supply Weetbix should he develop a taste for them as his father has! Grin. It's a good thing I am a creative and frugal cook. Bring it on!


Amy

Friday, 6th May, 2011

For my Niece

Happy Birthday precious girl,

you are a whole year old.

You've learnt how to clap, to sit, to stand.

You know your Daddy, and your Mummy, and your Gran.

Now that all the hype is over, and your parents have had time to recover,

I'd like to take the time to pray

That this year be full of fun and discovery,

of mystery and excitement.

That each day you wake knowing you are loved,

and each night you sleep knowing you are God's.

You are his. His special child. You are so precious, a beautiful delight.

Your smiles, your kisses, your cuddles are like precious jewels, each one warming the heart of your family.

We love watching you read.

Love how you walk around holding onto someone's hands.

Love that you are determined.

That you look a bit like your daddy and a bit like your mummy.

We love that you are part of our family.

Happy birthday, princess!

Amy

Thursday, 5th May, 2011

Free Rice - May

I have decided that I'd like to do a few monthly posts. I thought that this might be more managable than trying to do weekly ones? My thinking at this point is to do a monthly post updating you on my Free Rice totals for the month (to guilt trip me into remembering to answer at least a few words and feed a few people each month!). I might do a Meatless Monday Meal once a month too, a Word for the Month (rather than for the week!), and a Garden Update. How does that sound? Do-able?

I set up an account with Free Rice because it tracks how many vocabulary words I answer correctly, and how many grains of rice are donated from them.

Monthly totals for this year so far are:
January 2,530 grains of rice.
February 1,020
March 1,180
April 1,500
May - no stats available yet

To give you an idea of the time involved in this, I just answered 20 questions in less than 2 minutes (on the easiest level). That's 200 grains of rice donated to the World Food Programme!!!

Have you had a go at the Free Rice game lately?

Amy

Thursday, 5th May, 2011

More Tap Photos?

It is with sincere apologies to the lovely Aynsley that I write this post. I had meant to come on and post some Turn on the Tap photos that she emailed me some months ago. I THOUGHT they were in my inbox 'blog' folder. I have just spent half an hour ploughing through my emails, without avail. I seem to have lost them! I've looked in my inbox, in my blog tab, in friends, in family, in deleted...basically everywhere I can think of. I even checked my writing folder just in case I had saved them there. Nope. Vanished. I feel like a right moron. This is what happens when you don't do something when you should have.

Aynsley, would you mind terribly sending them to me again (if you can find them easily)?

Amy

Thursday, 5th May, 2011