Craaaaazy

It's New Years Eve!!

here in New Zealand - last day of 2011.  I will not be sorry to see the back of this year - there have been highs but the last quarter of it definitely had too many lows for my liking.

It is our second to last day here in Christchurch :-( - we fly up to Auckland tomorrow and then have a couple of days with friends before flying back to the USA.

We have had a wonderful time here - it never seems long enough though!   Lots of fun day trips, meals out, and visits to favourite shops and haunts.  We even caught up for breakfast with an old workmate of Mike's who now lives in Australia and who was home with his parents here in Christchurch for Christmas.

The time always seems to fly past - and here we are at the end of our 10 days.   The weather has been wonderful - I am brown as a berry!  No doubt that will disappear after a few days back in winterland - UGH!

So here is 2012 - hopefully it is a bright and happy year for us all.

Merry Christmas to you all!

hope you all have a wonderful day and Santa brings all that you wanted.

We had a wonderful day - 17 of us here for lunch.   First time we have all been together on Christmas Day in over 15 years - it is hard when we live in different countries.  

Boxing Day here now - and we will be going to some sales so the kids can spend their gift cards and money.

Loving the summer weather - long days and lots of sunshine.   Already getting very brown just by being out and about.

Having lunch at my brothers girlfriends restaurant today and the rest of the week we have picnics planned and a day in Hanmer Springs!

 

off into the wild blue yonder

tonight!

The kids left yesterday and they are now in NZ - no doubt scoffing their little hearts out!

I will be posting here and there - so the next time you hear from me - it will be from downunder!

One more sleep!!

until the kids fly to New Zealand.   They go tomorrow night and then Mike and I are the day after.

 

Are we organised.... ummm that would be a big

N O

 

back to organising!!

**WW** Cosmo Cricket - Matilda - 6 winners!!

Well I am starting off this winners post - by jumping up and down with excitement because the All Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World cup!!   I think quite possibly it was one of the best games I have ever watched.   Adding here - I am now at the store - on just 3 hours sleep!!

Talk about down to the wire - we won 8-7 - the whole game was nailbiting - in fact I could hardly bear to watch when the score was SOOO close - I am sure I needed my heart restarted several times.   

Okay - I could go on and on - but I will put you out of your misery and announce the 6 winners of the 6x6 paper pads!

 

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

11
12
1
16
5
17

Timestamp: 2011-10-23 16:53:55 UTC

 

and the Scrapgrlz World Cup winners are......

 

Satyn

Jingle

Sallie

Ngan

Margie

Nadine

 

Get thee to your computers girls - and send me your snail mail address so I can get these shipped out to you in time for Halloween!

 

And just because I can - another photo of the All Blacks -in full force doing the Haka before the game. 

  The French really stood up to the challenge, formed an arrow shape and then walked right up to them! OOOH

28 years ago today

I married this man.

 

Best

day

of

my

life.

 

My anniversary present to him was tickets to NZ - and tickets to 4 of the Rugby World cup games.   Today he *finally* arrives home from New Zealand after 3 weeks away  and I will see him very soon.   Can't wait!

 

I love you Mike!

RIP - my Aunt Shirley - 12 April 1924 - 28 September 2011

I received some very sad news this morning - that my Aunt and Godmother Shirl had died at 3am NZ time.   Shirl was really more like a grandmother than just an aunt - and like a great grandmother to my kids.   We will miss her so much.

As we say in NZ - she had a good run at 87 years old - but it still feels a little surreal and a little raw.   I have always loved this pic of Shirl and Harry - taken the year we actually left NZ to move to the US.   Harry died in 2005.   They had just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary a few months prior to that.    I am glad they are back together again.

Here is a lovely pic of them on their wedding day.

 

Shirley had a stroke on Friday - and things went downhill quickly from there.   I am just glad she did not suffer too much and that it was not drawn out for her.

Does not make it any easier for us - knowing she is gone, especially for my Mum - as Shirl was her only surviving family member.

I am leaving for New Zealand tomorrow, the funeral is Monday.  

At this stage, I should be back in the US around 7 October.

The store will be closed while I am gone, and I am sure you all understand there will not be a Wednesday Winner this week.

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Hannah May!

wow - where did 23 years go!!??

You have lived a lot in those years

- travelled a lot -

- moved a lot.  

 

From Wellington, NZ

to Auckland, NZ

to San Jose, California.

Don't ever lose your kiwiness or your goofiness - we all love you very much!

 

Off to La La Land!

in a couple of hours, for fun in the sun!    Our great friends from NZ are over with their kids - and we are spending a few days with them down in LA and then coming back here on Friday with them - they are here for another week.

Can't wait to see them and their A DOR ABLE boys Jake and Declan, and we even get to celebrate Jake's birthday cos it is tomorrow!

 

TRYAHWYANHAR - Saturday!

which should also be called Ya Gotta Have Friends part 2!  

We had to head up to Sacramento to look at a car for our friend Simon - who is thinking of buying it and shipping it back.   Can I just remind me you how truly awful the weather was here last weekend?

It was a not a quick drive - every time we thought the weather could not get any worse it did.   And then it got windy(er!).  It was not really a jaunty country drive!

But we got there in the end - and checked out the car for Si (which he has now bought!).   

This car place had some droolworthy cars - I could have easily driven off with this Stingray

 

or the Racing Porche

or one or all of these Ferraris!

Did everything we needed to for Si - including taking the '73 Firebird for a test drive and taking a video of it and more pics for him and then headed back.

Stopped at Applebees (blah) for some lunch and then on the way back pulled into the Nut Tree *LOL*   

We were right by my friend Terri's house so we got to stop in and see her house - and finally meet Super Mario (her hubs) and as a bonus Brittny was there too!   YAYY    Even better - I GOT PRESENTS!!!

HOW freaking ADORABLE IS THIS???

Terri made this Cricut Expression cover for me.

I LOVE IT!!!

She knows me so well - the green is gorgeous, the print is gorgeous, I love the ruffle and the fabric rose.        SHE ROCKS!!  

She is starting a business selling these - so I will let you know when it is up and running.  I saw some of the other ones she has made and they are all adorable.

THEN.... I got another present!    Terri and Brittny had been to a couple of garage/estate sales the day before and Brittny spied this vintage Pyrex casserole and bought for me WOO HOO!

Had a fun hour or so chatting away and then it was back on the road again.   We were home around 7.30 and tired -  so no scrappiness done by me today :-( BUT Miss Terri had done some scrappiness for me - completing a sample album for a class.  LUVVERLY

 

 

SPA TREATMENT umm does sitting in a car seat (which doesn't vibrate or massage) for 7 odd hours count?

LUNCH - Applebees - on the way back - it was so so

DINNER - leftovers - humph!!

DESSERT - a lolly in the car does not count!!

PRIZE WON - nein! nein! nein!