Another Day

Today is yet another day. For the past few weeks the water board has been digging up Albany Hwy to put new water pipes in. Well over the last few days they have gotten to the front of our house. Well it is every little boys dream to have big diggers right outside the front door. Thomas loves it. David is up there looking in the big hole with him now.

Lately I have not had a car so the boys have learned to take the bus. They love it. I don't mind much either because then I don't have to fight the traffic back and forth to the school. With Thomas at preschool 2 days I have been walking down to the preschool and then catching the bus with the boys home. They think it is brilliant. Thomas loves no car days but only if he gets to take the bus too. Next week is school holidays so the boys will get to relax. I am happy about school holidays but ask me at the end of next week.

Today I decided to bake some cookies for the boys when they got home from school. Jonny was so excited and Thomas just wanted them to be cold so he could eat them. I thought I would share this recipe with everyone because it is dead easy and tastes YUMMY! I used to make these cookies with a friend of mine when we were in grade school and now I get to make them for the boys. Hope you get the time to try them. Enjoy.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (less for fan forced). In a mixing bowl, beat the

butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in Egg and Vanilla until well blended. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, and stir in the remaining flour. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Combine the 4 T sugar and 1 1/2 t of cinnamon. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in cinn/ sugar mixture to coat. Place balls of dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are beautifully golden.

MOTAT

Yesterday the weather was beautiful and so David and I took the boys to the MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology). We had one of the best days out that I can remember in a really long time. The boys got to ride on a tram, go in an old sea plane, play with toy tanks, go to the centre of the Earth, see model trains, have an egg and spoon race, fly an air plane, and ride in an Army truck. Well the list goes on but it was just great. The best part of the day was that it was an under 50$ day. With life so expensive we are really trying to make our outings interesting and as cheap as possible.

It was nice to be out and about doing things that not only interest the children but is interesting to us also. Well I can honestly say that it was a great day out.

I hope everyone had an interesting Sunday with their families.

Helene

Friends Long Ago

Over the years the Internet has changed the way we see the world. It can be an on-line dating service, an encyclopedia, a weather channel and a place to find friends from long ago. Not to long ago I joined Facebook with the prompting of a few friends this opened a whole new world.

In June 2009 I will have been out of high school for 20 years. I got an e-mail from a girl that I went to school with a few weeks back telling me that they are organizing our reunion. I can't believe it has been so long. I look back at my yearbook and what people wrote to me and I can't imagine that I have not seen more 5 people out of all those people that wrote we would be friends forever. I laugh now but if you asked me 20 years ago what I would be doing now I don't think this would have occurred to me.

Well with Facebook I am now in contact with a dozen people that I went to school with in either high school or college. It made the world so much smaller. I started to look up other of the people that I went to school with. I got an e-mail from a friend that works as an editor for a big book company.

It is just amazing that with Google you can find people that you haven't spoken to. I do realise that not everyone is out to look for friends from the past and that the Internet is also a bad place for people to be but today mine is a happy story.

Wishing everyone a happy day.

Helene

A memory for me

Narelle was kind enough to give us homework this week. Now to all who read my blog if you could write down a memory that we share. If you want to play then leave a comment and then I will comment on your blog or like Narelle says I can leave you a comment on my blog. Well start typing or if you have only bad memories don't read my blog anymore.

Today was a big day for the boys. They had to take the bus home from school. We are down to one car and this means a lot of public transportation. It isn't to bad. The stops right near our house so it will work out fine. David and I were more panicked than the kids. We got Jonny an old mobile phone so if something happens he can call home. I called him 3 times just to check if they were OK. I'm pathetic. I worried more about Harrison having a fit and not getting on the bus or something like that. It is a bit sad that Jonathan is in charge of them. I did give Harrison his own money so he got to pay for his own ticket. Well it worked out just fine. They jumped off the bus and said "can we do it tomorrow?" I am happy it is so easy. Right now they are ripping up the street out of the front of our house so it is harder to cross the road but we will survive.

The good news is that David is once again looking for a job in Australia so maybe we will be back sooner than later. Yeah!!! Well we can only hope. He hates the job he is doing right now. I don't think he will ever be happy. Well that's all for now.

Helene

Our Trip to Rotorua

Well since my mother has been here we have tried to show her a bit of the land. On the weekend we went down to Rotorua. It didn't smell as bad as the last time. We have had so much rain that it has covered a bit of the bubbling mud. Don't get me wrong it was still horrible but I guess i was not surprised. Well the weather held out but it was cold.

We did some fun things. We went to an authentic Maori Village and saw them doing there songs and we were able to walk around their village. Then we ate a traditional Hungi. That is when the food is cooked under the ground. The boys liked walking around the village. It was dark and cold but they seemed to enjoy it. Then we went into the hall to see the songs and dance and the night went pear shaped. Well I enjoyed it and Thomas was just amazed by the whole thing. He loved it. The food was very good. I was almost a great night. Someday I will learn that my children can never behave through an entire outing.

We also got to see some amazing other things. We went back to the place we went last time where they have all the mud and cool formations in the rock. It is an incredible place to see.
We also went to a place called rainbow springs. There the boys fed trout and we saw a Kiwi bird in a special en closer. The boys really enjoyed this. Mom liked it too.

On our way home we made a couple of stops. I wanted to stop a a blueberry farm. That was nice. I do love blueberries. The other stop was a place called Candyland. That was fun. We all got make our own lollypops. They were those big ones that we never buy for the children. The woman who was the tour guide made it look so easy. It was so not easy.

Well if I could have it over I would have left the children home but there were points where they seemed happy. I wish I could have those kind of children that even when they are bored they could fake being interested. Oh well live and learn. I enjoyed myself. My mother on the other hand is very much looking forward to going back to her peaceful life.

Well that is all here. Hope everyone else is well and happy.

Love,
Helene
xoxox

You would think I had the best child that you had ever seen. He is so naughty most of the time and then he looks at me like this and he just makes me smile.

5 September 2008

Well here we are in September. Spring has sprung in New Zealand. The daffodiles have been beautiful this year. These are some pictures of the neighbors daffodiles. It has been nice to see them blossom. The boys loved to pick them and bring them in to me. I love flowers and since my husband never sends them my boys do. Speaking of which Thomas has just come in with a handful now. How lovely.

Well my mother has come to New Zealand for the first time. She was kind enough to bring the nice weather with her. It hasn't been raining as much as before. We have been told it is the wettest winter in 30 years. My luck.
It has been wonderful to have her here. David started with Panasonic and we don't see him very much. He is working 12-14 hour days and at least one day of each weekend. Not loving it. He is away for the next couple of days. I like having my mother here. It is nice to have someone to talk to.

The boys don't get away with as much as when my in-laws are here and they find it difficult. At least they get to go out on the weekends. If it is nice tomorrow then we will get to go to the top of the Sky Tower. It is Thomas's favorite building. They are very excited. Last weekend we went to the aquarium. It is nothing compared to the one in Sydney. It is good because of the Penguins. They are arctic king penguins and they are beautiful. They are great to watch. That is the best part of the whole place.

Well only about 15 or so weeks until Christmas. Hope you are all starting your shopping.

Love,
Helene
xoxox