Happy Birthday Kristy

*I thought I would re-post this blog I wrote last year for my new readers and for anyone who missed it last year. All of the below is still true...and then some. A year on PJ still inspires me..and she is still one of my favourite people in the whole world*

If you are a KiwiMummy blogger..there is probably no doubt you have PaisleyJade in your favourites list...and for good reason... I love her blog too. I have the privilege of knowing the famous Kristy of PaisleyJade in real life, and today is her birthday and I wanted to let ya'll in on some inside information on her. We've known each other for about 11 years, our husbands and children are besties and shes one of my besties too.

This is my top 10 list of reasons Paisley Jade is one of my favourite people in the whole wide world.

1. She has the funniest sense of humour, a great laugh and she doesn't take herself too seriously.
2. She IS the Proverbs 31 woman.
3. She is generous.
4. She is amazingly creative. Sewing, card making, jewelery, cakes, toys and of course crocheting...are just a few
5. She is a great wife and puts up with all of Symon's shenanigans and obsessions passions ;)
6. She is an awesome youth pastor.
7. She is a cool mummy to FOUR lovely, bright kids.
8. She is the friendliest person I know.
9. She is an amazing baker.
10. She is the most encouraging person you will meet. If you are ever down or having a bad day she will always let you know she's there thinking and praying for you.

There you have it...if you love PaisleyJade- the Blog...just wait till you meet her in real life.

Happy Birthday PaisleyJade
xxx

♥Things Im lovin♥

 ♥ Things I'm loving ♥

♥ Loving looking out my kitchen to this rose bush. Most of my gardens are either weeds or green shrubs...so when this baby blooms every spring I always think I must get some more rose bushes. Such a pretty colour too.

♥ Loving watching the kids get ready for their gymnastics show. This is the one after school thing we do. Its been great watching the kids develop their motor skills and learn some new things.

♥Loving celebrating 10 years since graduation with a couple of my lovely class mates. Everyone has pretty much scattered the country and globe so it was a bit hard to do a real class reunion.
Thankfully after all these years none of us have changed too much.

Enjoying a champagne breakfast the morning of our graduation 10 years ago!

♥Loving this cute shot. Hubby did a skit as part of a speaking engagement at a conference using these props dressed as a crazy doctor. Apparently he had the delegates in fits of laughter. That's my hubby.A funny guy.

 ♥ Loving new words. Remember how I was telling you about Zak zak and his ear piercing screaming. I thought it was probably due to the fact he can't communicate his desires.Well he's finally learned a word; "Noooo". He says it in such a cute tone, that it makes me laugh all the time. I'm sure I'll get sick of "nooo", but for now its a nice change to the screeching.

♥ Loving the movie "Soul Surfer", out on DVD. When I first judged it by its cover saw it, I thought- here we go another cheesy surf movie. After investigating a bit further I found out it was about the chick Bethany Hamilton who was on the road to becoming a pro surfer when a shark bit off her arm. Even Hubby enjoyed this one. Bethany is a Christian and a bit of this comes through, but I wouldn't class this as your typical cheesy Christian film. It has the likes of Helen Hunt, Denis Quaid and AnnaSophia Robb (from Charlie and chocolate factory and Bridge to Tarabithia), so some great acting. The surf scenes are awesome. Apparently Bethany and her family had a lot to do with making sure the surf shots looked as authentic as possible.  And the digital effects were super great too.
Show this movie to your daughters!! A great message and inspiring story.

And that's My lovin List for the week.

Linking in with the fabulous PJ

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is. 

Operas and Echos

Heff and I

Kate and I

Opera...
So as mentioned in my last post...I was off to the opera that night to support a friend who was in the chorus. Me and a couple of my girlfriends got dolled up in our prettiest dresses. What did I think of the opera? Well it was better than I expected. I was expecting constant soprano singing in a different language. But it was in ENGLISH and it had a few lines! And it was an Opera comedy even! I must admit it was a little hard to contain the giggles when the first verse was belted out by the first character, the maid. It was just such a sudden assault to the ears. It was more a nervous giggle I think. Any hoo. I can pop that on the list of things I've done in my life time. I think the next cultured thing I would like to try is attend a ballet. Have you ever been to one of those before? The NutCraker is playing in December at our local. Hehe "Nutcracker"... I always think of the men dancers in their tights...Somehow I don't think that's why its called that.

image from here

Echo(cardiogram)...
Yesterday I took Zak zak for his follow up ECHO appointment for his heart murmur. I was advised to have him be nil by mouth for 4 hours before hand because he would be sedated. I hate watching the kids be sedated and all dopey. I've only seen one other of my kids have it, but it had to be done. Or did it? I got there and they wanted to just give ago without the sedation. He had already been a monkey, and was petrified of being weighed or having his height done. So by the time we down to the radiology department, he wasn't even having a bar of sitting on the bed. Fortunately Hubby was in the department working and was able to lend his hand. In the end we just had to hold him down for the minute while the heart was quickly checked. Its times like these Im greatful to have trained as a nurse. The nurse*get the job done* in me completely overrides the *oh no! my kid is crying* mummy feeling. Or maybe I'm just heartless. Any ways we got the job done while he screamed the department down. The results show just a teeny little hole that is healing nicely. Thank you Lord!

What are you like with medical procedures when it comes to your kids?

R is for Random.

So today's blog is brought to you by the letter R. R for Random. My thoughts are scattered and random today, but I feel like blogging.

• I am off to the Opera tonight. I am an opera virgin. Hmmm we shall see how we go. A friend is in the chorus, so its probably more about supporting her than anything else. I am looking forward to getting dolled up and looking pretty with my two friends. We are seeing  Die Fledermaus and I have Wikipedia'd it and am at least up to date about what the heck its all about. I have promised my friend that I won't walk out no matter how painful to my ears.

• You see my ears have been getting a real battering lately. Zak-zak is back to his high pitch screaming. Like super high frequency.  We had this faze a while ago, I tried to control it by giving him a little poke in the cheek. It doesn't seem to be working. Between him and child number twos loud crying faze...I am sure I will be deaf before I'm forty.

• This is my first kid to have Tanties. Like actual drop on the floor tanties.  I just cannot believe it. I don't feel like I'm doing anything different as a parent from the first two so I am in need of some strategies for this one. Its really wearing me down.

• I bought Bear Grylls's autobiography "Mud, sweat and tears". I have no idea what compelled me to buy this while I was walking past it at the Warehouse. I have never watched an entire episode of Man vs Wild. I was always skeptical. I kinda figured it was all rigged and there was probably a massive RV with a comfy bed and real food just waiting for him until filming finished. I guess I prejudged. I do that a lot.

• Any hoo the book is amazing. I haven't read such a riveting book. What an inspirational dude. I can recommend this book for husbands who love adventure or are in desperate need of it. It would make a great Christmas present. Its well designed for the man reader and for mums with toddlers. Each chapter is only 2 pages long! I did however feel like I couldn't put it down. Its the fasted book I've read.
• So today Im on a good book come down. Is that even a thing? Where you are so engrossed in a book, that once its over you are slightly sad? Maybe I just need to find another one. I'm all about the biographies at the mo. I like reading about real people doing extraordinary things.

• Christmas is coming and I need some creative inspiration. I have lost my Mojo. I was thinking of doing a Christmas with the Kranks deal. At least I have already sorted the kids pressies. They are the easy ones.

• Did I mention that I'm supposed to be training for another triwoman event. I still haven't even been in the water and practiced a swim. I can barely run 1km. But I'm feeling a bit more confident on my bike. I went for a Bike ride on Sunday. i did 9km in 33 minutes. I have two more months to double that in way less time. I am so scared of falling off my bike that I ride slow.

• I have been thinking about my last post and how morbid I am. I think about death way too much. I guess its what I am faced with as a nurse. At my work place people are constantly dying or are sick and may die imminently at anytime. In my early days as a nurse I was so afraid of death that I would pray..."God don't let any of my patients die today". I went years...literally years without ever having to face it. Now I make sure that patients are given the dignity in death that they deserve. Supporting family is also a big part of it too. 

• Speaking of death, I read Heaven is for real a couple of weeks ago. Meghan had it up for a giveaway a few months ago...I didn't win so I bought it myself. What an amazing book. Now I'm really looking forward to seeing Jesus when I die. But I've got way to much to do before then!

• And finally... we have birds nesting under the roof right behind the TV in the living room. Its is driving me nuts.  They are so loud, I just wanna get a ladder and rip them outta there. Its too cruel though...or is it?

Hope ya'll are having a great week. :)

That's what you get!

One of our family quotes is "that's what you get!!". If the kids are pushing each other around on the trampoline and I tell them to stop and they don't and then one of them falls on to the springs and begins to cry...the first thing that comes out of my mouth before- are you alright? is "That's what you get!!".
It pretty much is the catch phrase for "see if you weren't being such a goof ball you wouldn't have got hurt."

My lovely husband has had a range of hobbies since I we have been married. One of his first hobbies was to go rock fishing with his friends. This would often entail heading to the beach pre-dusk and then making their way home around the rocks in the DARK! I didn't really think so much about it until he showed me one of the rock faces he trekked where he admitted it was a little scary and he may have been a little lost for a while! Often coming home late into the night I let out my frustration. "Midnight! You have until midnight to come home before I  call the search party" Thankfully that phase is long over, however we are now into a new one...road cycling.
It started as a little bit triathlon training, but now its becoming a new thing in itself. He even has the appropriate clothing. Taunting me he says..."guess how fast I got to? 70km/hr down the hill"
WHAT!?!? " Do you know how badly you could get hurt if you fell off?! You could even die!"
I get so angry at the thought of being left to raise three kids on my own. Jokingly I reply..."do you know what Im going to write on your tombstone if you hurt yourself cycling? "That's what you get!". He just laughed.
This morning I wondered if there was some sort of site where you could generate a tombstone...(How morbid am I?!) And I found one here...just incase you wanna give it ago ;)
So today's post is dedicated to my hubby. Take it easy or else this is what is going on your tombstone!