Arty girl

I just joined the Oranga Art Club! I was looking for something creative to do that would be "me time", as I had a craft club in my old town which was bliss as a break from the kids.

We're doing basic still life, and we can choose to use soft pastels, oil pastels, acrylic paint, charcol or pencil and we can do clay work too if we want. I've never done anything like this since school (at about 13 years old), so I didn't expect to be any good, I was just looking forward to the break and the creative process.

Here's a photo of the flower I studied:

Here's what I produced:

Artificial light

Natural light

I also did a water-soluble oil pastel picture from a photograph, and then "painted" the pastel with water to make it look like paint. I outlined it with charcoal:

Project cancelled

You all remember me starting on a secular version of The Marriage Course for a couple I know? I wrote to the original creators of the course to ask permission, so I wouldn't overstep copyright if it got onto the internet, and I was hopeful they would say OK as I wasn't marketing it or publishing it (just an online document I was going to email out to friends).

They said no.

They said
"they have received other requests for a non-religious version and are in the early stages of responding to that need.
they would prefer one ‘civil’ version world-wide and so would discourage other countries from making their own.
they would prefer me to encourage everyone to attend a course as it stands, until the authorised ‘civil’ version is released."

So one less project to worry about I suppose.

Moving on up!

HOUSE STUFF
We are now moved into my wonderful in-law's house. It's a cosy fit, but we all get on very well, and no one is afraid of speaking their mind, so I'm sure we will manage!

We've had our offer of $160,000 on the land accepted, (YAY!) so we now get the LIM report and contact the council about moving the entranceway!

Our first job is to find out if we CAN move the entrance and, if so, how much it will cost. Got to wait til Monday to do that, then we can talk to the builders and get the ball rolling there. We won't own the property until we have satisfied our conditions and the offer becomes unconditional. That will be 12th March, to give us time to do our research.

CHILDREN STUFF
Mapera and Kaitereo now have their own room at Nana and Poppas, so it's nice for them to be back to normal (to an extent). They are a little unsettled by the move, but they are a LOT better than I expected. I am treating this first weekend as if we were on holiday, then we'll be back into a normal routine on Monday.

I dropped into the cousins today, and they are home most afternoons, so I think we'll go and see them once a week or so. Aunty Lou told me all about local playgroups and craft groups round here, so there will be lots to do to keep the children away from the television! I have allowed Mapera free reign on Saturday morning when it comes to TV, as she can sit with Nana and Poppa and watch cartoons for an hour. I originally said before breakfast, but she got up so early this morning, I am revising it to after breakfast, and only 1 hour max.
I'm trying very hard to involve her in other stuff during the day, so the TV is not on, but I can't stop her going to sit with her Aunty or Uncle if they plonk themselves down for hours. Fortunately, Uncle only tends to watch sport, so that's not too bad, but I am firm on the "no news or violence, and no violent cartoons" rule. Apart from the obvious scary and horrible aspect of the news, I find Mapera makes stories and games up from things she watches, so I know if she watches things shooting and fighting, that's exactly what she will go and do!

Also going to drop into Kindy to check Mapera's enrollment has been transferred from Waiuku, and we're already registered with the doctor, as Mapera has an ear infection!

It never seems to slow down!!

Tired

Tiiiiiired.

6.30pm.


Children already asleep as Kaitereo woke up at 1am and had screaming ab-dabs for about 2 hours. Mapera woke up and demanded Daddy, books, YOUR bed, baby, the OTHER baby, I'm COLD, I'm HOT, I don't like you etc etc

House a tip

Dishes in sink

Toys on deck

Sand on rug

washing on line being rained on

kitchen counter covered in papersphoneboxeschargersuncreanfruitbowlchalkbooksrubbish

bed? Please??

On the move

BOXES! LOVELY BOXES EVERYWHERE!

Boxes from crisps, boxes from turpentine, boxes from incontinence pads, boxes from bacon-flavoured breadsticks!

Packing packing packing packing.

Shifting loads over to the in-laws this week, signing off this house on Monday, gotta be out by 13th Feb.

Offer in on the other place, just have to sign it and send it to the vendors.

EEEK!