8 Years old. It's a wonderful age. On the eve of my 9th birthday when I was a child, I cried. I had loved being 8 so much that I didn't want to turn 9. I even wrote a goodbye letter to 8. Strange, I know!
My daughter Meredith turned 8 this week, and she wanted a party. This had to be the party to end all parties in her mind ..... and mine - as I'm kinda getting done with birthday parties.
So we decided to be really lavish and shout her friends to a plane trip to Paris, followed by a French cupcake decorating class with souvenirs to bring back home.
So we mailed out passports and plane tickets for seats booked on Meredith Air. It left at 2pm on Saturday afternoon.
My good and glamorous neighbour acted as the air hostess, and handed out teeny little plane meals of party food to the quiet and docile passengers.
The whole entire week before I had spent every spare minute sewing up aprons and chef hats for 9 children. Crazy I know! But remember this is the party to end all parties (although my friends tell me they used to say that to their kids too).
But everyone was thrilled to get off the 'plane' (aka as chairs lined up in our hallway), and enter Paris (aka our kitchen/dining-room), and be handed their very own apron and personalised chef hat. And very cool they all looked decked out in them, too.
Aunty Jenny from Auckland taught them how to make fondant leaves and roses for the tops of their cupcakes.
I love having willing and able sisters-in-law!
At times, the concentration was intense.
But the results were rewarding.
There was the cake to cut with light refreshments before they headed back home.
Boarding Meredith Airlines for the 'flight' home. . .
. . . where after being loaded up with sugar and food colouring the passengers were not quite so docile and quiet as before! The record-breaking flight home was faster than a concorde!
It was a superbly fun party. Exhausting. But lots of fun!
While picking up my sister-in-law on Saturday, my husband and Teddy passed an inner-city park and noticed that there was quite a lot of activity going on. The park was being set up for the weekend showing of the Chinese Lantern Festival.
We decided to head into the city on Sunday night for some free family entertainment, and something special to do with Aunty Jenny who was here from Auckland.
With only 4 million (approx) people in my country, and me not being a concert goer, or sports fan, it has been a long time since I have been in any significant crowds. An Indonesian market I went to many years ago comes to mind when I think of that overwhelming feeling you get when surrounded by too many people. On Sunday night, it seemed like every person from Christchurch was out at the Chinese Lantern Festival. And you should try making your way through a crowd like that with three children and a baby in a buggy!
I can tell you I was terrified that we were going to lose one of the kids. Even with three adults it was not an easy task.
However, I did enjoy the lights - they were very pretty - but it was mingled with the terror of what we would do if one of the kids got separated from us. Fortunately, we managed to navigate our way through, without any catastrophe. I think I'm a country girl, and not made for crowds.
One of the things I love about Christchurch, is that even when you are in the heart of the city, it doesn't really feel like a city. Not like some of the cities I've been to such as Singapore, Bangkok, Chicago, Dallas, even Sydney. The parks here in Christchurch are large and green and plentiful. This park, Victoria Park, is only a stone's throw from Cathedral Square, which is the very centre of our city. And it's only one park of many.
Here are some pictures from the festival. It was really lovely to wander through the park in the twilight, and then leave for home as night fell, and the rock bands turned up the volume, and the crowds got heavier.
This was the most popular lantern - the dragon in the river. The little bridge was crowded with people taking photos. I didn't even try and squeeze my way through but took my picture from behind.
Choosing a lantern with.... wait for it..... a real candle and a real flame inside. What boy can resist? I'm sure that as a result the fire department would have been kept quite busy this night, because we saw lots of children carrying them around, and ours alone got dropped countless times.
And the last word is from Teddy - a quiet trip home.
A few posts back I mentioned how I had bought the Grandmother's Garden block of the month. Yesterday my day was made when the first kit arrived in the mail. How exciting. The fabric is just beautiful!
Unfortunately I was knee-deep in ironing and babies and schoolwork and sewing aprons for Meredith's birthday party this weekend, so I wasn't able to dip into the bag until after dinner. But I did spend the entire evening reading, measuring, cutting and sorting.
I had a few photos to share today, but mostly they were scenic ones, and I felt like doing something non-scenic. So here is one of my favourites that I took of little Miss Alice this week laughing at her silly big brother.
Look at those cute little teeth. I know how sharp they are too!
I'm not a tech expert, so I hope I have this whole tag and linking thing right - but if you want to join in the fun, here's where to get more information:
I am not one to go down the broad road always. I like individualism. I could not have lived in Soviet Russia very successfully. I did not like our former Socialist government. If everyone sends their kids to school then I will homeschool. If someone tells me I should send my preschoolers to preschool (and someone actually did once), then I will probably never send my children to preschool. Ever. If all the women my age are getting short, trendy haircuts then I will keep my hair long.
I've always been a bit like that - pushing the boundaries I guess. That's not to say I'm a troublemaker, because I'm not. I have a deepset fear of God which has kept me on the straight and narrow all my life. Little examples of unimportant thing, I know, but it's in these little things within my control that I like to keep my individuality.
I happen to live in a neighbourhood where the houses are all new, fancy, expensive and in most cases the occupants have the lifestyle to suit that - both working (or rich, retired farmers), boarding schools, immaculate grounds, fancy cars, prestigious careers, you know... blah blah blah.
I love my neighbours, and I've been into quite a few of their homes, many times; they are generally nice, interesting people, but I always came home feeling a little bit intimidated by the perfect arrangements of expensive and coordinating furniture - the spotless curtains. The shining benches, the cushions from the sofa and chairs actually on the sofa and chairs - and not scattered all over the floor like mine often are because I have four children. The tiled floors with no spill marks, and fridge door handles you can see yourself in.
I see the shiny, clear, clean windows with no fingermarks. The uncluttered sideboards and the show-home-like arrangements on the perfectly polished table or the modern art that graces the entrance, and hits you in the eye with every wall you look at. That's just the inside. I won't even scratch the surface on the landscaping. Our gravel driveway with weeds growing up through the gravel. The vege garden with toys scattered all through it. The trees waiting to be planted. Fences needing to be put in... you get the drift.
So I had a little rebellion this week. I actually put a tablecloth on my table! Can you belive that!
And it's not a trendy tablecloth either. It's PVC. It's easy to wipe down. It's red. It hits you in the eye when you walk in the room, and it doesn't really match the rest of my decor.
But it makes me happy .
Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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What an absolute treasure I have found! While scouring the audio book aisle at the library last week, I found this old, worn, forgotten cassette tape audio book tucked away down on the bottom shelf. It looked appealing.
I put a tape in one morning and I am hooked. I've been in the company of Anne Hughes, a young farmer's wife in 1769 England. She's married to John, who from what I can tell from the diary, is a tennant farmer. She has a maid, Sarah and her closest friend is 'my lady, Susan, from up at the big house.'
I know this book would appeal to so many of my friends. Heather - the food she describes in great detail would bring you joy! It's a fascinating insight into the preparation, baking and cooking of 1769, and she even gives details of how to make it. It will make your mouth water! Honey cakes, violet cakes, and pancakes and her first attempt at making a stew which John's mother show her. Rabbit Pie and other meaty dishes, as well as tonics for the cows. They make all their own vinegar, cider and wine.
Jackie - this is Miss Read in real life! Anne describes village life in a simple, comical way. I don't remember ever laughing so much over a book, as she talks about the new neighbouring farmer's wife who is very 'high and mighty and only wearing scarlet cotton at that', or the time she and Sarah slipped in the mud in the yards and ended up with the milk pail on their heads.
What is really fascinating are the little customs for weddings and funerals and visiting. Wearing their best clothes to a tea party if strangers are going to be there. The preparation and giving of wedding presents - all from their own store of household articles. Silver and plate and good linen-made over.
You will 'laff' as she describes how she soothes her husband John with good food, when he is in a bad mood over losing a cow, or not getting a good price at market. I have come to love these people who have been dead for probably over 200 years. From what I can tell, Anne didn't like her husband to know she kept a diary, intimating that she would write in it when he was not around, or hide it in her mother-in-law's room. I don't know whether it was because she was educated enough in that she could read and write and figure, or whether she thought her husband would have an aversion to her recording their daily life.
This is one book you will not regret buying. I am going to order a copy for myself and as a gift for my mother for her birthday. It is hard to find though. The only place I can find a copy of it is here, in the UK.
As an avid reader, it is nice to come across a book that is wonderful, charming, old-fashioned and real! I absolutely love it!
Because we are breaking in some land here in Canterbury we don't have good shelter belts established; therefore we haven't got a good flower garden because we get strong winds here that kill just about anything in its path - even getting hedges established is perilous.
This will be the third year we've been here and as I was wandering around the house the other evening in the gloaming (I love that word), I suddenly realised that I have survival in the garden, and I even have flowers! Do you know how happy that makes me?!
This rose was given to me by my best friend for my birthday 2 years ago. Look at that lovely little worker bee taking a visit. I love seeing bees in my garden, even though some of my kids have a slight phobia about them at the moment.
Then there's this pretty rose which my husband gave me for another birthday. I'm hopeless at remembering the names of roses, though.
Dear June, the children's art teacher, gave me a whole lot of hollyhock seeds from her garden a couple of years ago. And look what I found! These are some of my favourite flowers, and I envision a whole side of the house with tall hollyhocks growing up past the windows. I wonder how tall it will get this year?
And these were given to me by Deborah, the children's French teacher, who is going to France to live this year, and was cleaning up her garden. I don't know what they are called either, but I love them.
And before I saw all this colour popping up in my garden I bought these Gerbera's on impulse when I was out shopping the other day, and popped them into a planter by the front door. I love the colour! Just satifies something in me.
And here is sweet Miss Alice at the front door with the Gerbera's.
My baby turned 10 on Valentines Day. He wanted a big party! Of Olympic proportions.
So we turned it into an Olympic Games party with chocolate gold medals for prizes. (They were a big hit with the children who came). We had running races, apple bobbing, balloon popping (without using hands), and our collection of tennis rackets were used to see who could hit the tennis ball the furtherest.
The birthday cake was a tennis court. Can you tell my boy loves sports!
I enjoyed making this cake - it was a challenge, but a fun challenge. All the children loved how you could actually play tennis across the ribbon net with the chocolate rackets and the white fondant tennis balls.
Traditionally, children's parties are big on treat food. I spent a good deal of 2 days in the kitchen getting ready for the party, and this year I was trying to go easy on myself! Ha!! This is some of the food.
It's also tradition (between my best friend and me) to have ribbon jelly at our kids' parties. This is a recipe from America, and I don't know of anyone else here in New Zealand that knows how to do this.
Another fun recipe to make are these cone cakes. They actually have cake inside with icing on the top. They look so amazing and the children love them.
Of course, sometimes it's the bought stuff that's popular too.
Hugh had a lovely time and thoroughly enjoyed his birthday weekend, with his party on Saturday with his friends, and then his two older cousins coming over on Sunday for the afternoon.
A blogging friend, Cate is starting a picture of the week on Sundays. You can visit her blog here to read all about it. It's Monday here today, so I'm a day late, but hopefully next week I'll be back on track.
My picture of the week is of some baking I did this week. It's a triumph because the recipe belonged to my great grandmother Eliza Spencer, and I have previously not been able to make these with any success, for one reason or another. So now I feel like a true daughter of Eliza because I can make Ma's Little Cakes.
Teddy, who is 5, has his own explanation of what a volcano is. When we were driving back from Auckland after our holiday, we passed some on the way. Most of them are either dormant or extinct, but two are active. It started a big discussion on what a volcano is, and it has continued since we got home.
Yesterday the children watched some clips on youtube of volcanoes exploding. This morning Teddy gave me his version of how a volcano starts. I know I've written a bit about things Teddy has said or done, but he's so darn cute, I can't help it!
This is Mount Ruapehu (an active volcano and a popular ski mountain, taken from the east side).
"Well, first you pour boiling water into the top of the mountain and put some rocks in. Then you stir it. Then you put special cream in to cover it all up on the top. You wait for it to supplode and watch it. Then you just duck down and run really fast away from the vaacano, and then it goes, boom, smash, whoosh and fire flies out all over the place."
A friend of mine is going through a difficult time at the moment. Her father died suddenly a few weeks ago and she was the one who found him and tried to revive him, in vain. He'd had a massive heart attack and must have died instantly. The nice thing about it (if you can have a nice thing about death), is that he was out walking his land as he did every morning talking to the Lord, when God took him suddenly.
But it is pretty hard for my friend and her mother and brothers and sisters to adjust to this loss. I wanted to do something for her to let her know that she is loved, not just by me, but by our Heavenly Father also, so I made this little bookmark for her. It was really simple to put together, and on the back I embroidered that lovely verse from Jeremiah. The one that Elisabeth Elliot always uses to open her talks with.
"You are loved with an everlasting love... and underneath are the everlasting arms."
We have a saying here in New Zealand when a child is being a little bit precocious, a tad on the naughty side, a teeny bit disrespectful, but in a joking sort of way... we call it 'being cheeky'. Don't ask me where that saying came from, because I don't know.
Yesterday my husband was using the big tractor to mow the paddocks. There was some very long grass out there that had grown into a jungle while we were away on holiday. Plus, we are waiting on a contractor to come and sow some grass for us, and he is just a little bit on the late side.
So, of course the boys wanted to have rides.
Teddy got on there first, and they mowed up a storm.
As they went past the first time, I took this picture of this happy boy.
When they sped past the second time, this cheeky boy, who loves to fool around anytime anyone gets a camera pointed his way, poked his tongue out at me.
And this is what he looked like when I poked my tongue back out at him!
Yes I did! For the first time I've spent a bit of money and joined a Block of the Month quilt.
I found out about it when my favourite quilt shop here in Christchurch emailed out their newsletter and happened to mention the blog of a very creative quilter in Australia, Leanne Beasley of LeannesHouse. I visited her blog and found such a pretty quilt, 'Down in the Garden,' that combines both patchwork and embroidery (my two loves), that I've decided it's going to be my winter project this year, and I can't wait to start. It works out to be about $400 (NZ), which I think is about right for a full sized quilt using quality materials. I hope it will arrive soon. I'm dying to get started!
Here is the link to the quilt, if anyone is interested in seeing it.
It's a cold, rainy, blustery, wintery day today - in the height of summer! How different from this day last year, when we were experiencing the hottest day of the summer. The day Alice was born.
What a beautiful first year we have had with Alice Elizabeth. She is a delight to us - petite, sweet, loves singing, loves laughing, is a messy eater, the longest I've ever breastfed a baby, a Mummy's girl, pretty, beautiful blue eyes, sleeps all night, is not demanding, still only two teeth, still not much hair - but we all love her!
New Zealand has one theme park. And it's in Auckland. And it has been over 20 years since I last went there. We promised the children that we'd take them there as a special holiday treat. Their cousin, Angela, came along with us to help out and make it more fun, and we had a great time! One of the highlight's of our holiday for all of us.
However, 20 years does make a big, and I mean big, difference in the fear factor. 20 years ago saw me riding all the scary rides. This time I didn't. So here is a picture-tour of the rides that I didn't go on at the park, but which my 9 year old, and my 7 year old and my husband and my niece did.
And, I might add, my 9 year old and my 7 year old didn't think they were scary at all! Ahhh, youth! I sigh for my lost fearlessness.
The first ride I didn't go on - the Pirate Ship. It swings too high and makes you feel like you're going to fall out.
I used to sit on this rollercoaster with my friends and ride it over and over without getting off. Big sigh.
Robin, Angela and Hugh loved this ride - and tried to talk me into it, but I couldn't.
And there's no way I was doing this one - the 18 story, 80km fear fall. But my 7 year old daughter loved it!
Angela and Hugh did this one - the Power Surge. Hugh loved it. Angela got off it with nail imprints in her hands. I didn't even think about doing it.
However, I did ride the Dodgem cars, the Bumper Boats, the 180 deg cinema, the Motion Master (3D movie in seats that move), the Gold Rush roller coaster, the little kids' roller coaster, and my absolute favourite ride..... and which I remember 20 years ago was my mother's favourite ride too....
One fine morning, a fine old sea-faring girl, with a fine old engine and bearing the fine name of the Mistral came motoring into the bay, and put down her anchor.
We watched from the deck and listened as my husband and his brother reminisced about childhood summer holidays on the boat around the Hauraki Gulf with their father and mother and brothers and sister.
We watched as our son Hugh, got in the kayak and paddled out to the boat, intending to get a closer look.
Then, to our surprise we suddenly see Hugh, and the kayak being lifted up into the boat. The engine roared, and the boat took off accross the harbour to the island on the other side! With our son on board.
Luckily, we knew the captain was a cousin! They're all cousins around here, and the children are having a wonderful time with their extended family.
Eventually, the Mistral came back, put out her anchor again and rested in the bay. Hugh and Robin went out for a visit. Robin in the captain's boat. Hugh in the kayak.
This beach property that belongs to my husband's family has been in his family for about 80 years. His grandfather built a little tiny cottage high up on the hill where he lived until his latter years. There are about 3 other houses on the property all belonging to family, but the old cottage remains, just inside the gate, overlooking the beach and the Hauraki Gulf - a collection of little islands and inlets and beaches peppered around the vast city of Auckland.
For security and maintenance reasons the family have a caretaker at the beach property for most months of the year, and the caretaker lives in the little old cottage - but when summer comes the caretaker leaves and the little cottage becomes useful for overflow. My husband's father and his brother bought this place in the early 1930's, and both men had 8 and 10 children respectively, so the family has grown and grown and grown!
This year we have a new caretaker and after hearing good things about his garden, I took a walk up to the Caretaker's Garden yesterday in the bright, hot afternoon sunshine of the new day of the new year.
I found a charming, beautifully laid-out, peaceful, lush, shady, olde-worlde place. I would have liked to have lingured there for awhile, but I had a child with me who was eager to get back to the beach, but I thought I would share some of the garden with you. I hope you get a feel for it's loveliness, and the feeling I had of stepping back in time.
This picture is taken from the deck of the cottage. What a view!
The old cottage itselt. The family call it "Narnie's bach" after their grandmother.
The garden has the feeling of being in a shady Greek or Mediterranean garden.
I do believe that this is the old out-house.
Heading back up to the path from the Caretaker's Garden.
Welcome to my blog. I'm glad you dropped in. I'm a wife and mum to 4 children. We are blessed to live in the beautiful South Sea islands of New Zealand, and I love to write about our life and the things we do on our homestead of 10 acres, our adventures with animals and homeschooling, and the little things that touch my life and those around me. I hope you'll enjoy visiting.
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