My printer has died

and a sudden death at that... haven't got any journalling done and now am sad.... how shall I mourn thee printer... scrapping with a printer ends a long relationship of understanding between screen and paper... all these pretty fonts trapped within the glass ...ahh might have to look at 12x12 printer...

Oaf! The sun is shining and I'm inside...

So wrong, so very very wrong... I can hear the children playing in the pool, birds chirping and the start of a great party next door all the while I'm working up a sweat, sitting at my computer working through my all important paper. Had put my hand up do help organise a family reunion and were expecting say 80. Well the numbers are now sitting on 160+ and hence the work load has also doubled. Excitingly enough the hui is next weekend and cant wait to get the family whakapapa (history) out and of course being the delegated whanau IT freak, have lined up all the projectors, the digital cameras, powerpoint presentations, scanners etc... so my list of things to do is huge and this entry really is assiting in the procrasination of the obvious... I want to be outside getting a tan, and in the water....................... okay back to work

Am at home by myself and accepting the ugly!

This is big... with four kids this is sooo big!! Ok so they will be back tomorrow but wow I shall slept with no foot in my head, I shall fit on the bed instead of trying to wake up and shift for big sons to squeeze in and I shall have toast and ice cream for dinner because I can followed by copious amounts of gin and most importantly sleep well. Sadly I would love to be scrapping however am not at my parents where my stuff is and my children are so will have to concentrate on journalling and sketches... sigh........

Just informed (thanks Karen) that theres are new challenge up for Feb!! Accepting yourself and loving the ugly bits..... What ugly bits I ask? All **kgs of me are beautifu!l (she chokes on her toast and reaches for the gin). We shall start with the physical as it is most obvious. Some shall include photos and some aspects shall not... infact some aspects I'm thinking I will keep to myself as I would like people to return to this site:) After physical, I'm thinking the ugly traits that I have purely based on geneaology..one of which is to blame others (hehehe)...

Heres the first with thanks to the inspirational Delys and thats is my feet.... in general I have always thought feet were ugly, except for hubby's he has beautiful sexy feet and no I dont have a fetish! Not sure why but unless I have dolphin in my family tree these flippers have caused me great pain, especially when trying to fit them into a slim pair of shoes. However on that not given the physical me, they serve me well in that they work and still hold me up. (well done feet) So thats mygreat start, other than hubby is reading over my shoulder and stated he could share some of the ugly traits... my advice hubby... get your own blog!

Michelle

SPT Week 2

I can honestly tell you, until this becomes habitual the reminder of having a photo on a Tuesday lingers on my mind on the Saturday before. I think about cheating and just pulling out an old photo and just 'amping' it up a bit, I think about what the photo might look like and how best to avoid it...... until I arrive full circle and physically pass my camera to someone to take the damn thing. Okay so that all sounds a little bit OTT but again until this becomes habitual then this is the emotional equalivancy of a nervous sweat. Engari, once the photos taken I'm stoked as hello I'm in a photo and proceed to wish I had more taken years ago when I was smaller, younger, skinnier oh did I mention skinnier and younger.... My cousin Pare took this photo of me and my own little "cheeky darky" (thanks Paul Holmes), Joseph (13mths) at Aunty Ngaires Birthday in Maketu in the weekend.

Wish I wasn't working

........... so that I could be at home with the kids, or with them at the beach. There is just so much fun to be had that by the time the weekends roll around I'm about ready to quit work altogether. About a year ago I would not have volunteered my self to be a SAHM but now I dream of it!! Its been amazing weather here in Maketu and the kids are having a great time in the surf and getting sun 'black' while I hide beneath the trees (sighs).

My son wiremu has made new friends with a family from Wellington who are having a holiday in the house next door to my parents and hey would you believe it they know of kiwiscraps and the the staff.... what a surprise (no not really:) They have been awesome with my boy and as a result my son whispered in my ear mummy can you take a photo and make a scrap book page of me and my friends !! Am so pleased for my boy as often he struggles to make friends given his older brother is so friendly and out there so sometimes Wiremu just doesnt get the chance to meet a special mate.

So we went swimming at Newdicks beach (please note the spelling:) ) and meet up with Hamish and Angus and they had a great time with the boogie boards and moaned when we had to come home.

But hey did managed to get some time away from me and completed a page at last. Took a while to get into the swing of things... but a little secret I have moved all my gears to my parents place as they have a spare room where I can leave my bits and pieces out and when I get back they are still there. Infact my dad is even going to put some curtains up for me because he doesnt like the sun on my gear. Man my parents rock!!

When I grow up I wanna be......

A scrapbook store owner and a photographer... ok so have been on the look out for a photography course for a while but has been difficult living in rural NZ (actually I'm not that rural it just sounds good..) . Have spent many hours browsing through major city website and community classes and they are so all over the place except for where I live. So it is with great enthusiam that I found the Tauranga Photographic Society and a Studio called Gallery 1.... yeah am going to take classes.......... I've got a pretty wicked camera (* note to self scrap a page on my camera) so need to learn how to use it... am so excited!! So if you living in Tauranga/ Te Puke the course starts in March and theres even an on line option and cost between 80.00 to a 100.00 bucks. This is a favourite photo of my dad and I before I couldnt explain why I loved it. Now I know... its the 'catchlight' technique, with the reflection of the light in his eyes. I feel, even if it is but for a moment, that I can see the world through my fathers eyes.. so am now going to work on catchlights.... I wanna be a photographer and find that place where I might see the world through the eyes of my children....
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PS My dad doesnt like this photos... I think its because of the wrinkles...
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4 Jobs you’ve had in your life: Quality Coordinator Medical & Diagnostic and Surgical Services, Manager at a Health & Social Services Trust, Tutor for Pre Entry Nursing Degree, Project Manager

4 Movies you would watch over and over: The Colour Purple, Ever After, Grease and sadly Dirty Dancing

4 Places you have lived: Hamilton, Palmerston North, Te Puke oh and did I mention Te Puke

4 TV shows you love to watch: Without a Trace, Cold Play, The L Word, The Aristocrats

4 Places you have been on vacation: Ummm nowhere... havent gone past Auckland nor Wellington but always enjoying going back to Ngati Porou and dream about doing the DiVince Tours

4 Websites you visit daily: Tarista, Blogs (they can take up most of the day!), Photoforum, Seek

4 Favorite Foods; Cadbury Chocolate, Hot Crinkle Cut Fries, Garlic Aoili, Minted Peas

4 Places you would rather be right now: Sitting in my dream scrapbook space, lying in my dream house, down the beach with a bottle of gin and a nice fire, with my 2 oldest sons camping as I havent seen them since last Friday... I miss them....

4 Bloggers you are tagging: Ok since everyone seems to have done this tag... tagging these four ladies for the a to z tag! Delys, Mel, Ange & Michelle

Self Potrait Tuesday Challenge!

Ok here it is the committment to having a photo up every Tuesday. May I ask who is responsible for this challenge. One thing to say I'm going to take a photo of me and another to actually do it... arrghhhh oh well here goes. A photo taken of me by my son Wiremu... and just a quick note am trying to hide behind the brushes!

Time for challenges

So have decided against my better judgement because I have nothing to do except raise four children and work full time, to pick up on a challenge so will try a couple of them..... ummm will do a now and then challenge because I would like to scrap a few more pages about me this year... something that I could hand to my daughter, grandaughter so I'll start there and second challenge more phots of me.. my how interesting... evidence of weight gain...:)



Went to my newphew's 2nd birthday today and have included a couple of photos that show the difference when applying the colour pop action. I thought it was awesome. For his birthday I made a little mini album but forgot to take photos so will have to go back and do that otherwise you wont see that I'm actually doing anything :)












I think this maybe cheating but completed this clipboard in our Dec Scrap n Relax class with Yolande but again evidence that I am moving forward even though I had to go backwards to prove it!

Its been a long day.....

Ok so granted there are only a set amount of hours in the day ie 24 however some days this seems to double and by defintion this would be one of those days... not sure what direction this blog is going to head in so shall see as I type....
1 I am glad the blogger records only the date for entries because if it recorded the time then you would be able to see that its 2.00am in the morning. I think the earliest I have been to bed over the last 10 days would be 1.30 (damn those afternoon naps:) )
2 Have spent the last of two hours have a good ol tutu with html codes for the counter, video and flicker codes all of which I ma now highly impressed with my self.... i'll get the banner sorted in the next week I hope....
3 If you are an amazingly wonderful person with no children... have some! Ok so that was rather out of the blue but again the late day started with this on my mind as I am still in disbelief about losing a close cousin, friend and genuinely awesome man who died....fullstop........... So today we buried him, Vinnie that is, and at 30 he had travelled the world over, always came home and always called in and spent time with my whanau and I (albeit drunk and on the couch!).... fullstop. But in my mind I realised that his footsteps will never touch the earth again, and whilst he will remain in the hearts and memories of family and friends, it is limited. So it is to my children that I look and am thankful for in a new light.... for they carry the traits, the features and the memories of our parents, our grandparents, and ourselves... they embodied the love hubby and I have shared, tempered with some of our other not so great traits:) ... and it is this too that I will miss about Vinnie... to see his face, his smile, his love of life......because it ended with a 'fullstop'

Do not stand at my grave and forever weep.I am not there; .I am a thousand winds that blow.I am the diamond glints on snow.I am the sunlight on ripened grain.I am the gentle autumn’s rain.When you awaken in the morning’s hushI am the swift uplifting rushOf quiet birds in circled flight.I am the soft stars that shine at night.Do not stand at my grave and forever cry as I am not there and am with you. Melinda Sue Pacho

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Saw a challenge which was to post a high school photo of yourself... well this one is of me Vinnie and Jolene taken 1993 at the Te Puke High School Ball... Oaf! am so old now....
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Playing in Photoshop

Ok so new addicition number 2 maybe number 5 and that its blogging however it does come after scrapbooking and writing and photography. Tonight though, the late hours are dedicated to photoshop

What has been cool is picking up on the skills I learnt for photoshop and thats only after a little prompting by Yolande.


Found a cool infrared and colour pop action (many thanks to Rachel Richter) and applied it to a photo my son took of a palm tree. Ok so this may sound very basic for some but for me, I'm buzzing and am in a download font, brush, action frenzy... what I cant believe is how simple they are to use, honestly!

Thank goodness I have a 500+ GB hard drive! Here are the samples I have done...

The first photo on the left is the original... the second is the colour pop. The third is black and white while the last one is infrared.

So as you can see have gotten a bit carried away with my self and photoshop. But this is all being done in the name of scrapbooking and think I'll enjoying sharing what I've learnt with the girls..

So much so I have spend a lot of time downloading and printing tutorials but am thinking i should have jsut got photoshop for dummies from the library

Have one more photo to add that was done using brushes and that of course is with my three sons and brushes from http://abiteast.typepad.com/abiteast/

So enjoy and if you have any questions let me know as I have the links somewhere...

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Update: Forgot to mention that these were done with a single click of a button!!!!

Dec Crop in Tauranga

Well its Monday now, but did have a scrap n relax with Yolande and the crew on Saturday. Umm what did I complete??? In all honestly not a lot.. had been missing classes so much that on arrival I just wanted to bask in the reality of actually being there and enjoyed the whole relax bit of the scrap session. However in saying that I did get through three clipboards which shall be distributed to my children teachers and my sister who is a teacher but no inspiration what so ever to do a layout............. absolute nin tuck (my sons word means same as zilch). Found a task I dont like doing, which supports my wish lish, and that is cutting out fancy styled letters. Thats was painful.... so family bring on the alpha bars or whatever you can themBut as usual had a great time at the class and am looking forward to getting to the Heidi Swapp class which I did for get to book into.. so better do that tonight. Looking forward to the classes for 2006.M

Blog Challenge From December 05

Ok. Just copied and pasted this in from other blog

Five qualities I admire in others

• 1. tactfulness
• 2. manners
• 3. a sense of time
• 4. humour
• 5. respect

Five qualities other admire in me (gees........)

• 1. humour
• 2. manners (midwife said i was the most polite birth she'd ever had)
• 3. computer skills
• 4. ability to think on my feet
• 5. communication skills

Dedicated to Journalling

After much encourgement have decided to try and give this a good go! so being brave I decided to post some journalling on my blog.... I think soometimes with the awesome embellishments and papers and photography that the journalling can get lost and yet when people are looking through my album I tell them the details thats isnt in the journalling because I ran out of space... however there long so am trying to figure out how I am going to make it fit on my layout. These are my minds scribbles around the births of my eldest and youngest son...........(apologies in advance for all grammatical and spelling errors, I claim creative licence:) )


June 1997 (okay this is my first child and I'm 22. Yeah made it past my 21st!!)
** Personal note. I really wanted to go over this and change the language but it was written by a 22 girl so thought I'd better leave it...

.....Given that it was winter, the sun was out. I’d been really tired but wanted to clean up. I’d read all the literature given you were our first and accordingly this was referred to as nesting. The midwife Jenny had been in earlier and things were looking great and she had said to me, your baby will be here in three days. So this was the second day and I’m exhausted but healthy.

Headed over to Tauranga. Dad had just arrived home from uni so picked him up from the bus stop. Dads in a good mood and its nice having him home. So back to the orchard where its quiet. Nana and papa are busy… its kiwifruit season so there not a lot of words in the house just the occasional grunt, but the fires blazing so we kick back..

Its been a while since dad home so being a guy he wants to say hello. But I’m uncomfortable and its not happening… not at all… its late and I’m tired. So second best option we kick back in the lounge next to the fire. I’m feeling some twinges…. I’m sitting on the ground with dad on the chair …. We check the clock…. Are these contractions neither of us are sure but we are excited.. this could be it, you who we have waited so long for. So being the first time parents that we are we pull out the note book and start physically recorded the time of the contraction the end of the contraction and the length. First time parents maybe we all do it the same but I’m scared now the reality has kicked in and though I don’t know what perfect looks, it’s what I want.

It’s getting later and the intensity kicking in so we call the midwife with the times. She says wait until there about five six minutes and then call her and come in. Its nerve racking, time and contraction are contradictions. It hurts but don’t come in till it hurts so more. I hear the door open, nans come home, I go to tell her but she’s just done a double shift in the pack house and looks grumpy and tired. But your dad gives me a nudge so I knock on the door… “What” - yip nans tired “Ummm, I think I’m having my contractions’ – I smile and grit my teeth… “ohh… ok…’ – change in tone to a softness that I need “let me finish my bath’ We call the midwife again, no your ok just have a sleep Didn’t happen, could sleep my mind was running a mile a minute, called aunty lah in Waikato. She’s spewing, she stuck with no car and she so want s to be here. She blames nan.

Ready to leave, the pains kicked in and I’m not sure I can do this, but I’ve been praying during my pregnancy for an easy birth and a healthy child so here hoping I can cope. I grab my pack that I packed two months in advance just in case and take a final glance at the room, there the bassinet with the net drape, the port a cot, the nappy holder and the Winnie the pooh pictures and that I've collected over the last six months all in preparation for you. We decide not to ring my nan. It’s late and as a general rule first time births take on average about 16 hours (again I’d read all the literature) so maybe in the morning so she doesn’t fret. Nana and papa come over in the truck and we tell nana Kath and koko on the way over.

The hospital so quiet and I try listen to hear the screams of women giving birth. But I’m not going to be like that, only päkehä scream my nan reckons. But I hear nothing but the footsteps of the nurses and whispers of awaiting dads. We ring nana Margaret and she growls your dad, its too early ring me later when it’s closer to the time.

I’m so nervous, your dads holding one hand, reassuring me were ok, and we get in the ugly hospital jimmies, because I don’t want to get me clothes paru…. I’m allowed into the bath to help soothe the pain (that’s what the literature said) but it doesn’t help but it took so long to fill that my contractions started to advance anyway. So now we're in the dim lit room and I’m pacing and trying to get comfortable but nothing is helping. Dad and papa are trying to help me get the pain of my back so I’m trying to suspend my light self by hanging off them, nana Kath gives me a mirimiri, nan holds my hand, man its intense… cant get comfortable it hurts to much ………

I want to push, you sure… yip I want to push… man I want to push…. So the midwife breaks my water to help me along…. Man I really want to push now……………..the pain is insane and papa is wiping my head with a flannel… and its all a bit much……….the pain………….. 3 minutes later from having my water broken……. The head crowns and the body follows all at once………….. the elation the relief………… the midwife nearly drops you….. you… all I can hear is sobbing……. In a towel your dad bring you to me and whispers ..its a boy……………my son…a beautiful baby boy……….. our son…I cry for that which is and that which wasn’t………. a boy… I always wanted a son first………. It’s a boy nan…………..my son…………. Born 6:07am 6 June 7pd 14oz


Dec 2004 (ok now I'm thirty and I want to cry.......)
The day you arrived… It was a warm morning and we didn’t have a lot of plans other than to await your arrival and we had kinda been waiting since mid November. But still made our midwifes appointment at 11 and on ‘inspection’ not much was happening, so applying a special midwife technique, Juanita hoped for the best. Feeling slightly dishearted and exceedingly ‘heavy’ we picke dup uncle Bernie and went to bayfair. I wasn’t feeling to great so stayed in the car while dad and uncle went and got a feed.

I started experiences twinges but nothing to much more that that and only on an occasional basis, plus I didn’t want to get over excited. So its latter in the day and we are kicking back at home and I realize that the twinges are getting more frequent though not longer and not so sore. Birth hurts so this wasn’t it! I’m laying on Parekotukus bed, reading with her jumping all over me and dad starts massaging my feet, it hurts a little more so we ring the midwife and she says relax we’re ok its not hurting. I explain its more frequent lasting longer but doesn’t feel like a ‘real’ contractions have kicked in! but dad gets the black car ready, opens up the back, puts down the mattress… if nothing else we’re ready to go!

Change in pace, contractions three/four minutes apart lasting two minutes, pain threshold low… umm ring midwife, umm midwife says ok make your way over but its sounds ok. So dad helps me off the bed I get up and whoosshh, my water have broken… that’s never happened before…… go to toilet, ok ‘stuffs’ hanging out….. that’s never happened before….. Change in pace… ring midwife… midwife says oh no… ring ambulance…we ring ambulance.. midwife says assume the position…. I go into the lounge and assume the position… my babies are worried.. Bernie takes kids outsie to play… its 6:30pm.. I’m on the floor.. I’m thinking man not my carpet… ok pain.. I feel pain… lots and lots of pain.. where did that come from… ohhh more pain… ambo arrives… are we going to deliver at home… juct a quick check… umm no.. oh man… ambos a guy, oh man….

Change in pace… lifted into the ambulance…. I’m ok boys (ok that’s a lie) Rangitautini is standing on deck with big tears… look after them Bernie…oh man…outside on stretcher…. Oh man pull my t-shirt down…now in the ambulance.. its cramped… its old, new one getting serviced… oh man…we’re away….

Change in pace.. the pain…why are we driving so slow… safety first… oh man…turn over on the stretcher…the stretchers for small people…oh man…. the pain…I’m looking at dad.. he’s freaked… the pain… we drive past the marae… dads thinking pull over have my baby outside moko… the pain… past uncle rays and the whanau… the pain… in town… parametic says pull over.. what!...

Change in pace… chronic pain… oh man… I wanna push.. keep breathing… its so hot.. its summer… why is he closing the window… starting pushing… oh my god the pain… I’m crying and dads freaked… oh man… its to hot… I’m getting frustrated… whats happening..breath babe breathe… oh man… whats happening… I have to push now… I’m gonna push.. the pain… its hot… oh man…. Pushhhhhhhh….breathe babe breathe……elation and relief… ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….. tihei mauri ora…..its a boy…. Is he ok….. a boy…a beautiful bonny, kinda chingy looking boy………a son …our son …….another beautiful son…………Joseph…7:06pm Dec 7 2005

Intros of this looking glass

At last, I feel as though I have arrived. It has taken a some what large number of attempts to get to 'blog' given i have forgotten my username and password with the same breath so am hoping this one sticks and have allocated it accordingly in a safe place amoungst my outlook program. At the moment its my lunch break so thought given I have been at my desk all morning that I would stay here a little longer. The afternoon however looks decidely better! So now to learn the ins and out of being a blogger.

Between this, adobe, writing, working and scrapbooking I think I'd better put pictures of me around the house so hubby and kids no what I look like. LOL :)

M