Craaaaazy

The Travelling Shellbillies Tour hits the road again!!

so watch out world - well SJ anyway! 

  That is me on the left, and her on the right.   The person in the middle would like to remain nameless at this point *LOL*

As I type this - Shell M #2 is on the first leg of her flight here.    She is coming out from TN to come to the retreat this weekend and has added a couple of days to either end.

It is going to be 5 days of lots of laughs and no doubt trouble!   We have not seen each other since I went to her retreat, when she lived in Colorado.  The forecast for while she is here is wonderful - blue skies and hot sunny days.

While she is at my retreat I promise not to do this to her!

It's the first snow of the season she says.  

It won't be much she says.

Lucky if it will even lie on the ground she says!

YEAH RIGHT!

All this came down in the space of about 8 hours!! 

 
We had to end the retreat early, half of the cars had to be towed out and it took me nearly 2 hours to drive back to the freeway - the whole mile or so it was - in near white out conditions!

Which reminds me - what rental car company in a state like Colorado - does not supply any sort of ice remover for the windscreen!!!

I did discover something though - Crocs - make good snowshoes!!

 

 

Only old people craft ....

is what my kids used to always say to me!!   Well I hate to break it to them but I think they have turned into old people.    This Christmas they both made stuff as gifts - and shoot me if I am wrong - but I am pretty sure that is called crafting!

When Hannah had her eyes done - she could not use the computer or txt on the phone etc etc - nearly killed her - so she taught herself to knit - bought a bunch of stuff and then knitted Cait a scarf.   She has also now bought patterns to make herself a jacket and other things.

She then made my Dad for Christmas - a pair of moccasin slippers.   He was thrilled (he loves moccasins for around the house).   He just adores them and the fact Hannah made them. I don't think he will take them off his feet ever!!  However I was in such a rush to get the presents over to NZ - I forgot to take a photo of them!!   I will have to get them to take one and send it back.

Cait made all her pressies this year.   For my parents - she blew out an egg (well she blew out 5 before she managed to keep one intact) and then she drew a small anime caricature and decoupaged it onto the eggshell and signed it.   My Mum has a huge bowl of collected eggs - so this will go in there in pride of place.   Mum said she just about lost it when she opened it and saw it - again I don't have a photo - ACK!

 

For Hannah - Cait made these really cute earrings

- I think I am going to request some!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cait was a little stuck on something to make for Mike - earrings not really being his thing - so I suggested she make firelighters.  We got some of those ghastly cinnamon scented pinecones (on clearance!!) and then we tied paper twistel around them leaving a "wick".    She then melted down some wax (with my help and I managed not to burn down our kitchen this time) and we dipped each pinecone into it.     Piled them all into a cute basket - and hey presto - homemade firelighters.

They are the bomb!!   They work so well - only takes one to get the fire roaring - and the wax helps keep that strong cinnamon scent down in the house - however lets off just enough when it is lit to make it smell great.

 

For me... well...  where Caitlin gets her drawing ability I just don't know - certainly not from me or Mike!    She drew this in photoshop with her tablet, then coloured it (also in photoshop) and printed and framed it.  

I LOVE IT!!   

She wants to work for Blizzard (makers of W.o.W and other games) when she finishes her degree  - I think they will be lucky to have her!

Truth in Advertising

 

my fave pic from Cait's birthday *LOL*

otherwise you could sneeze out a hernia!!

S'truth!

Just ask Mick - cos that is what he did 2 weeks ago :-(

One large sneeze - one extra large hernia

Spare a thought for him this morning - as right now he is having a hernioplasty to have it repaired.    The surgeon seems great, and has done over 6000 of these - and at least being done laparoscopically - healtime is quicker, and downtime is shorter.    Also on the upside - at least it means Mike can stop wearing what I liked to call the Ken Doll Bondage Truss *shudder*

I am guessing it will be a quiet weekend around here - well except for the fact we have people coming over at midnight tonight to watch the next rugby test!!   Hopefully by midnight - most of the gen. anaesthetic  has worn off and he can enjoy the match..... and the company.

okok not whining... getting there... but THIS clip sums it up perfectly

I ran around like a headless chook yesterday getting stuff done - including having to drop my car in to get the brakes done $800 OUCH - but brakes are a handy thing I find!!!   I made good inroads into things I needed to get finished before I leave tomorrow.

2 appointments this morning - which I could do without - but necessary evils - and then back into the *working like a dog* pool for me.

Normal blogging will resume after I get off the quad bike!

Photo taken December 09 at Rakaia River Mouth, Christchurch, NZ

oh to be there right now... FREE as a BIRD!

Happy Easter everyone

I hope this adorable pic - makes you forgive me for the total lack of blogging lately.   I am hopeful that I will catch up on everything this weekend and maybe even get ahead - and be back to normal next week.

Course it would have helped out if we got a 4 day weekend for Easter

like you do in New Zealand!!

Eat LOTS O CHOCCY

and enjoy yourselves in the hopefully spring sunshine!!

MIA I know... posting will resume

Words fail me....

mainly because I am still laughing so hard!!

I must remember to humbly agree in future, and let out small moans *rofl*    I would also be interested to know what *the more unusual practices* are !!!

Happy Valentines!

OK I couldn't resist a little snarky sarcasm there *LOL*.     If I see one more advert on TV saying that all I want is a *..........* diamond/necklace/journey/pendant from Jared, Benbridge, Kayes et al , or .... show her you really care with a *............*  from *insert retailer here* - I will scream!    What a load of codswallop!   Anyway - enough of that.  

Have a wonderful day everyone spending time with those you love!   Mike had planned a dinner out for us - but I asked him to cancel and instead stay in and make me *real* Spaghetti alla Carbonara - so he is - YAYYY.

In update on my brother news.   Well after spending the whole day in hospital on Saturday - he was sent home at about 5pm - as cases kept coming up that were pushed ahead of him, he was right royally piffed off.   Of course he had had nothing to eat since midnight the night before - and because there was always the chance he would go in - he was not allowed anything to eat.

Have I ever mentioned that my brother has a metabolism (he stole mine) like a hummingbird.   You know - if you don't feed him every 2 minutes - he will die.  He said that when he got home - he pretty much ate everything in sight that was not tied down!

So yesterday (Sunday there) he had to go back in at 8am.   I spoke to him in the morning - and he said if it happened again - there would be a murder.   He was 4th on the list - and on Sunday no sports injuries should have been coming in - so here is hoping he actually got the op done.  

I am still waiting to hear something!

Hoping today to *finally* complete one of the CHA projects - and then I will post pics of all the things I did at CHA .. only 3 weeks after I actually got home... where does the time go!