Thursday 1 May 2014

Forgot to mention yesterday that Moneypenny text to say the light is up in the hallway. The electrician found the fittings needed for it. Also that the chimney has been checked and is fine, no cracks and has been swept ready to use.

Hmmm, several days later and I really have not too much idea what happened this day! I know that Isaak and Nicholas came, not as early as usual.

I decided on Butter Chicken for dinner as there was some chicken in the freezer, which I got out pretty early in the day.

I checked the TNT site in the morning and the package was “In transit” still. Then I checked again in the afternoon and it was “Out for delivery”. So paying did speed things up :)

Brains, Locket, Isaak & Nicholas went on a walk. Pa went down to see Ma so peace for a while.

I have a meeting to go to tonight. Didn't want to be away from the house too long as the courier might arrive, so I didn't get the coconut milk I needed when I picked Pa up.

The package arrived after 5pm. I put it in my room to open later

Pete was planning on being here soon after 4pm. In the end it was nearly 6pm as what he was doing had taken longer than he'd thought. Which wasn't a problem.

I shot down and got coconut milk. Brains started the Butter Chicken.

I went to the meeting and ate when I got home. Locket had tidied up. She commented that she felt she'd needed a break, to blob out for a while after a busy term and Easter Camp :)

Locket helped me check off the contents of the parcel. It was all there. She started Math PACE 1036NZ. 12 pages straight! Pretty easy though, NZ money, which she handles all the time.

BED as I need to be up reasonably early tomorrow.

Wednesday 30 April

Didn't get up quite so early today. I woke around 5.30am then dozed off again. Vaguely recall Boar leaving for work, then I must have dozed off again.

Woke up and got up about 8.30am. Locket had asked to be woken at 9am as she wanted to get ready to meet Nikki at the mall at 12noon. I had Gwen arriving with some books around 10am.

Coffee & toast helped me wake properly :) Got dressed, put away the fold-out bed, and applied the lotion to Pa's back.

Woke Locket & Brains, as T was coming to see Brains.

Frosty text to ask me to check her bank balance. Fi text to ask if she could come for a coffee. When it turned out she had to go by 11.30am I said come over now anyway. I didn't think Gwen would mind. Moneypenny text to say she'd rung Chris, the property manager. I briefly replied as by then Fi and T had arrived.

Brains and T went down to the shops. Not long after Gwen arrived.

Coffee time, so I made plunger coffee! And then an instant one for Pa. Fi and Gwen chatted happily about Auckland while I was getting coffee.

There were three Abbey books, and various other ones, some of Shakespeare's plays, The Illiad and a few Charlotte Bronte books. I gave Gwen $20 for the lot.

Gwen went about 10.30am. Fi stayed a bit longer and left soon after 11am as she was meeting someone for lunch. T went with her. Their days are packed so they can see as many people as possible before they head off on Saturday.

Locket headed off to the mall to spend time with Nikki. I got her to drop off a library book that was overdue.

I checked bank balances etc. Be watching the pennies this week! Well, any week, but more so this week.

Checked emails too. And the tracking of the SCEE materials. Which were in Auckland, waiting for me to pay the tax. So I made a call to TNT on the 0800 number. Got put through to the right department. Got sent an email with the amount. Called back, gave my credit card details, sorted! Checked a bit later and it's been released from customs and is “In transit”. Quicker than waiting for an invoice to arrive by snail mail! Hopefully the PACEs will arrive in the next few days.

There was a listing on Harvest for four ACE books. I looked and two were the ones I need for Locket. A Dog of Flanders and Miracle At Camp Friendship. I requested them and pretty quickly got an email back saying they were mine.

Brains has started reading The Illiad. Will be interesting to see how he goes with it.

I popped into the bank to make a deposit. Pa had some things he needed to be taken to Levi so I dropped them off on my way to Tawa, where I returned another overdue book to the library there.

While I was out C replied to a text saying she had some of the Score Keys I needed. I said I could go and look, but funds were low so I couldn't pay today. Also that if she needed to pack etc. no worries. She's going to Auckland tomorrow. I found my list when I got home but didn't hear from her.

I came home and had a bite to eat and a cuppa while I did some online banking. I also updated my notebook records of what I'm paying off on the Visa.

Picked up Pa around 4.30pm. Was prepared to go and get Locket at 5pm but she decided to walk home. She also got some bread, butter and a dozen eggs.

I updated the last couple of days on my blog. I'd figured out what to have for tea. When Boar got home I got it started. Sliced the leftover potatoes and cooked them in the oven with some eggs and a sliced tomato. Also cooked cauliflower and made a cheese sauce. Plus some carrots and a parsnip. There was enough and everyone liked it :)

Boar arrived home with two windows he's made. One for the lounge and one for the dining room. Both the windows in situ already have cracked panes of glass and the frames are rotting. It will be nice to have new ones.

Locket and Brains have both been doing some of the Italic Handwriting book. Locket decided to finish Book C before she continues with Book D. Brains started in with Book D.

I'm going to chase them to bed soon. They're taking photos on their phones. . .at almost 11pm!

Brains has to be up reasonably early as Isaak and Nicholas are coming over tomorrow. We've run out of internet time so they won't be able to do that tomorrow!

Anyway time I settled down and turned off the computer.

Tuesday 29 April

Got up around 7.30am. Lots to do. I had some breakfast and then headed upstairs. Basically I was sewing all day. Thought I was doing well till I discovered I'd made a mistake! Unpick and fix up the mistake. Chiffon and lining are not easy to work with!

Pa was picked up for his prayer group meeting.

I took a break around 2.30pm to eat and have a coffee. Here is a picture of Locket's completed jewellery stand.

Checked emails and discovered that the order from SCEE had been picked up. . .today! It was at Brisbane.

I carried on working. I was aiming for 5pm, but that wasn't going to happen. Picked up Pa and then attached the skirt to the bodice.

Had text Moneypenny as Amira's phone had no credit. No rush Moneypenny said. I finally got away soon after 6pm. The dress was done, I just needed to sew on the plastic press studs and buttons.

There was a lot of activity at Dimock St as Amira was finishing packing. The dress fitted well. . . Amira pronounced it perfect. Got the buttons atttached. Then Amira was turning it right side out and part of the lining had split!! Ooops! In future I will use four threads to stitch linings together. Gives that extra line of stitching.

Got home around 9pm. Boar, Brains and Locket were watching Britain's Got Talent so got my dinner and watched it too. A 79yr old lady Ballroom dancer. . .incredible! Her partner was throwing her round like anything. The audience and judges thought it was going to be boring and it started off that way. Simon Cowell even buzzed her! But then. . .the music picked up and Wow! I won't be doing that but would like to still be pretty active at 80!

Finished off the day by reading for a while.. I'm reading North To Amaroqvik, that way I'll know if Locket needs a hand with it.

Still feeling pretty tired so settled down around midnight.

Monday 28 April

Got up round 8.30. Not such a rush today. Had some toast – Roggenbrot Dark Rye with peanut butter. Yum.

Turned on my laptop to do the usual baking checks etc. It's been a long weekend though so no transactions will show. I'm waiting to see the one from SCEE.

Pages weren't loading properly! Not sure if it's my computer, heaps of activity after the long weekend or Pa on his computer too, though that doesn't usually affect it. I logged off as not much point in trying to get sites loaded.

I got Locket up so she could get organised to meet her new friend. Who I'm going to eyeball as a matter of course. Much to Locket's horror. “It'll be awkward, Mum!” Such are the jobs of a mother!

I applied the Betnovate lotion to Pa's back. Hard to tell if the antibiotics and lotion have worked. It's been a month and the spots/pustules keep coming up, not as many though, at least I think not.

Time was moving on. I needed to get on with the dress for Amira but decided to start after I got back from the mall.

Once Locket was ready we went down. I saw her young friend, who is only the same age as Estelle after all! Her birthday is in the same month so she is turning 15 soon. Looks like your average young girl. Has a job somewhere so reasonably responsible I guess.

Went to Marieka's to see if she had covered buttons. Yes, and zips. Also woven invisible zips. Saved me another trip down to Spotlight!

I then went on to Life Pharmacy to pick up the rest of Pa's prescription that we forgot to get last week! That done I decided to pop in and see Frosty at Shampoo Plus. It's her last day there. From tomorrow she'll be full-time at Burger King. Stayed chatting longer than I should. Frosty was funny when I said Locket was meeting a new friend. “Who is she?” She'd seen them walk past the shop, so was thinking, "Oh, ok." Sometimes my older children make me want to crack up laughing. . .they can be almost tougher on the two younger ones than I would be. Or than they think I was on them at the same ages!

After I left Shampoo Plus I went to Countdown to get some meat for a casserole. Seriously watching the pennies at the mo. Boar didn't get paid his full pay so things are very tight. Also I'm trying to pay off the Visa. Our part of it anyway. Frosty & Jester owe money for the TV still. Also they are borrowing $1000 to fix the ute. I'd let them have more if there was more. But there isn't. The materials from SCEE have been paid for. I'll get hit with tax so need to keep some in reserve for that.

Home again and I made a cuppa and headed upstairs. Had a call from Chuckles asking me to change an appointment for Lil Battler's newborn hearing test. Rang and left a message with Chuckles' number.

Then on with the dress. I needed to re-draught parts of the bodice. It still takes me a while and I'd rather take care. Each time I do some draughting I understand a bit more. Locket got home not much after me and continued with the jewellry stand she's making.

I carried on with the draughting process. Stopped for some lunch, and a short break. Brain's emerged. He'd decided to stay in bed and read.

Around 4.30pm I dedcided there was no way I'd have the dress at a stage to take it out to Amira for a fitting. Also the design is different and looser. Text her to let her know. The other reason was that I was feeling rather tired, the weather was packing in and I really didn't feel up to driving at night.

Picked up Pa from the home, then brought the mail in. The Italic handwriting books from Christian Books have arrived. And also Locket's Project Bloom package. The pictures are lovely. The magazine is ok. However I am going to contact them as for the amount I paid I don't think there should be a major grammar glitch and what I think is another girl's name for the profile!!

I got dinner underway, and carried on with the dress. I'm finally cutting it out. Almost made a mistake when I went to cut out the skirts and remembered I was making a slimmer fit lining.

Finished organising dinner. Yummy casserole and mashed spuds for us. Veges, omelette and mashed spuds for Boar.

Dinner done, later than I'd hoped, I headed back upstairs with the last reserves of energy I had. . it was around 8.45pm already. The mealtime seems to take so long these days. I used to be able to eat and 10-15mins later I'd be back upstairs. Especially when I had lots to do.

Got the skirt lining pattern draughted off the block. Forgot to add seam allowances and started cutting it out, arrrrgh! Taped the paper together and added all seam allowances. That's when I knew I was tired and had made a good decision not to go to Titahi Bay tonight. Got the skirt cut out and headed for my bed.

It was after 10pm, my legs were tired and achey, and I needed to stop. Turned my light off round 11.30pm as I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Locket & Brains were still up but I was just too tired to stay awake!