Mojo is settling into his kitty life very nicely. I'm a little concerned that he may have a flea or something in his coat but I think I have nothing to worry about so I've focused on him. He's had little black specks in his coat but that may be from playing in the dirt or something and he hasn't been itching constantly. The vet told me that due to the cold temperatures, fleas take a break during the winter but I'll probably have to look into flea control in the summer. We may just get some precautionary flea control though, just in case. Mojo is getting bigger and bigger and can stretch mostly across my belly. We have to get him his own kitty bed soon instead of my blanket that he lays on. Mojo has also decided to bring earthworms in to play with from time to time but he's really starting to settle down in the afternoons and evenings with long naps and rests. It's so funny to see him change and grow. He used to fit in the palms of my hands and now I have to hold him with both hands. Must be all the premium kitty chow and cheap soft food I give him.
The theme of these past two weeks for the church seemed to be marriage. There was a movie called "Fireproof" showing with Kirk Cameron, a couple doing a marriage seminar and this last weeks sermon was on Love and Marriage. Gordon and I decided to go see the movie on Tuesday and we had Doner Kebabs for dinner which was very delicious! The movie focused on a couple that had been married and were drifting apart. It got to the point that they decided they would get a divorce. The son's Dad asked the boy to do him a favor and take "The Love Dare" which is a book that you read each day for 40 days. The dares keep getting harder and harder and the wife thought the husband was trying to butter her up for the divorce. Eventually, the couple came back together and discovered their love again and were able to stay together. There is an actual book called "The Love Dare" and Gordon has talked about trying it out. I guess the point of watching the movie was that all marriages could use a little "Fireproofing" in order to withstand the hard times when the fires do come.
The sermon on Love and Marriage was really great too. I think it hit on a lot of positive points of marriage. Tom said something that seems so true, lots of couples happily live together for years without marriage and sometimes when they do get married they call it quits after so many months. He asked the question that if marriage is just a piece of paper saying your together then why does it have the power to affect us so drastically? I know that I have been affected by marriage in a great way. I have another person to share my life with and not be alone and I believe in the sanctity of marriage so maybe that's the power it has over me. Plus, Gordon helps me believe in my own self-worth, however hard it can be for me, and pushes me to better myself. I hope that I do the same things for him. Marriage has the ability to change us for the better, if we let it!
Gordon and I had a really good talk after the sermon on Sunday about love and marriage. There was a passage that he touched on briefly, in order to avoid people getting too upset, about women obeying their husbands and men honoring their wives. I can see how in today's world that can look like subjugation and it was used that way back in the day. When I look at it thought I see something else. If you look past the words of honor and obey, you can see a underlying theme which is respect. I respect my husbands opinion and I will listen to what he has to say, in turn, he honors me by listening to my viewpoint and treating me as an equal partner in our marriage. It may not sound like that to you but that's what I hear when I listen to that passage, mutual respect will lead to a happy marriage, as well as lots of love. People seem to focus mainly on the wives obeying part but I also look at how the man must honor the women by not cheating on her and treating her with respect. Okay, that's my insight for the day. Anyways, some people in the congregation don't like the passage or the subject matter for last Sunday but Gordon and I enjoyed it and we told Tom that he did a wonderful job with his sermon.
Gordon and I also went to women's lifestyle expo on Saturday. There seemed to be a lot of vitamin companies there as well as exercise places. We got a coupon for $2 off the admission and it looks like we only had to pay for one of us! I was mostly interested in the little craft stalls that they had and they also had a maternity center there too. I found the cutest little customized bags for the girls that I'm going to try and get for them for their birthday. I may have to wait though and try to send them a little something in the mean time. I also signed-up for information on an Environmental volunteer group to be able to do some good things for the Earth. I ran into someone from a career services agency that I talked to about me finding a job. She told me that I would have to get my degree looked at by NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) to be considered for any job in New Zealand. So, looks like we're going to have to save some money for that which is $450! It will be worth it if I want to keep applying for jobs after I get my work permit. I just get so frustrated sometimes with the way NZ can make it so hard for a girl like me to get a job. I think back to all of those jobs that I applied for and that they just passed me by because I didn't have my degree looked at by NZQA before. Oh well, what can you do besides right about it on your blog?
I was able to buckle down and get a group of cards cut and folded. I've also punched out most of the designs that I need for each set. Now I have to find some coordinating colors for each design that I have in mind. I've been really, really lazy but mostly tired because I've been reading a lot due to book club and some books I got from the library. I'm working on making my way through "Eclipse" but it may take me awhile. I've also been working on my knitting and finished my green baby blanket. Now I just have to finish my robin egg blue blanket. My next task is to do some little scarves for Operation Cover-Up. Its a great cause that gives blankets, mitts, hats and scarves to children in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine that live in the orphanages or their families are really poor.
I almost forgot, Gordon and I finally had a date night! We decided to have it on Thursday because Gordon was on duty crew from Friday until the next Friday. It was a great night for pizza and a movie. We tried the Wholly Pizza place which was Wholly Bagels but they do pizza at night. We decided to have the New York size Garlic and Herb pizza with some pepperoni and we got a free soda and beer! Our movie was totally awesome too, "Star Trek"!!! It was so great to see the new Star Trek movie with Gordon and he really enjoyed it as well. It was nice to be on date night as well because it has been such a long time since we've been able to go on a date. Gordon and I are going to try and make it a monthly thing. In June we are looking at Mongolian BBQ or something. It is important to get out of the house once in awhile on a date, for me at least.
Gordon is back on night shift this week so we have a little of time together during the days. Gordon spent this morning watching the Champions League Final. On Wednesday, we went to the church luncheon. The elderly parishioners seemed to enjoy us "young people" being there. They had delicious mini-pancakes, called pikelets, with cream and jam that I enjoyed very much. The scones and pumpkin soup were delicious as well.
cafe. It was so yummy and I had a green apple and mango Book club was very fun as well. We decided to meet at another cafe and tried the new gelatogelato. So yummy in my tummy and I'll be back again! I also got some hot dark chocolate and it had one of those spoons that are straws as well! A great place and I wouldn't mind going there anytime at all. We met our newest member, Emma, who is from the UK and her partner is a Kiwi. She actually is contracted with the department of conservation! She is between contracts right now and she asked me what I do with my time since she recently has become a "lady of leisure" like me. I was thinking about sending an email out to them and seeing if they wanted to catch a movie or something. I found out that Jo is a scrapbooker and I told her about the workshops that I go to and emailed her the website where I sign-up for it. So hopefully, she'll be able to come to the next workshop. It looks like I'm starting to make friends!
I've also been thinking about making a garden area around that barren tree in the backyard. Mojo likes to climb it all the time. I was thinking of three little beds that I could put my flowers into. I have to plant my alstromerias and rose bush somewhere soon. I also have to get my cosmo planted along with the cuttings that Christine gave to me. Gordon will dig the earth up for me.
Looks like its almost dinner time for me. Sorry for the pause in updating but I always try to update at least every two weeks so I'm doing good so far! Enjoy those warm temperatures while Gordon and I have to snuggle to stay warm, hehe.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Eyeglasses=ouchie on the finances
You would think that I would enjoy night shift tremendously due to the fact that I get to spend all day with Gordon. This is not the case because my husband is constantly on the move trying to do something or fix something or playing "Civilization" on the computer. I think that the only reason I like night shift is because I get to watch "Gilmore Girls" instead of the news and I spend less on the grocery bill. Gordon has a hard time balancing Nedra time with house time but he's my Gordon and I wouldn't have him any other way.
I finally took the plunge and got new glasses last week because my tax refund came through. Luckily, the optometrist that I saw last year gave me a prescription that was good for two years. I do have to schedule another appointment though because it turns out that the contacts I wear are no longer available. The optometrist also said its good to get your eyes checked each year. I've started dreading even the eye doctor now because my prescription is so horrible and I think that its just going to get worse. I tell Gordon that I shouldn't have done all that late night reading. The good thing about these frames is that it comes with its own personal clip-on so I don't have to get sunglasses or anything. I still have my old pair of prescription sunglasses anyways. I really did try to look for the cheapest pair that looked good on me but even they were expensive. I had to end up paying about $550 dollars for my glasses. Gordon's lucky and gets his glasses for free while I don't have any coverage for my eyes. We probably should look into that since I'm going to be needing glasses in the future. It was a lot more than I was looking to spend; I was hoping to get away with $400 but no such luck. The glasses do look nice on me though and I think these ones won't be slipping down my nose all the time. Next up, contacts and dental cleanings! I don't want to go to the dentist but I should.
It was another quiet week for the Schofield house. Gordon worked on getting his stuff in the garage sorted out and I worked on punching patterns for some more embroidered cards. They really are coming along nicely. I have to put that aside for a week or so and start back on my cards again. I have some good designs in mind that I'm going to make sets out of.
Since I told my mom, I might as well tell everyone else that Gordon and I have decided to start working on an addition to our family. Its been nine months since we've gotten married and not all of us get pregnant on the first go round. I've read that it can take a couple up to four months to conceive a child naturally. I was a bit nervous about this because, let's face it, I'm a worrier. We're not going to put any pressures on ourselves though because just adding a whole degree of "needing" to have a baby would make me worry that I'm not pregnant with each month that passes by. So, we are going to let nature take its course and hopefully we won't have to wait a year to conceive a little Schofield baby. I know that I've been talking about our lack of finances and how much it stresses me that we aren't out of debt yet but I'll talk about that later in the blog.
Gordon got to try out his roasting skills on Saturday. He invited John and Erana over for roast venison. So Saturday was spent cleaning the place up a bit so it looked presentable and Gordon doing some cooking. The venison really shrank when it was roasted but it was good. We also had roasted potatoes and pumpkin. Gordon and I got into a little argument about eating it all the time. I like to have variety and beef and chicken do that for me and the occasional wild game is nice but not all the time for this girl. Gordon has no preference so he doesn't understand why I have preferences. I'm just a picky girl, my family can vouch for me. I also made a fantastic banana cake, from scratch, and made a simple chocolate, whipped cream icing for it. It really tasted yummy and they joked about getting the info for the bakery I got the cake from. It was really nice to spend some time with Gordon's friends. I'm slowly making acquaintances but it will take a while before I get some good friends. Gordon was extra happy because John brought a 18-pack of beer for them to share.
Gordon was talking to them about his housing seminar he went to and all the info he learned. John told us that he took money out of his superannuation, a RNZAF retirement fund, to pay a deposit on his house. Gordon and I said that it would be awhile until all of our debt was cleared and we could work on a deposit for a house. When we heard about the superannuation withdrawal it really made the wheels in my head start spinning. Gordon and I said that we might do the same thing and withdraw a little to add to our deposit for a house down the road. When we were getting ready for bed it hit me that if we were going to take money out down the road for a house why not do it right now and start saving for a house? Either way we would be withdrawing money from the retirement fund to help pay for something. Why not get the debt out of the way so we can start saving now.
We talked it over and decided that taking money out was going to be a one time thing and we are definitely going to monitor our expenses and not live frivolously. Gordon and I talked it over and agreed an amount that would be fine to take out of the retirement fund so that we could pay off the bills. Don't worry, Gordon and I are only taking out enough to cover the debt and my permits which is not a huge chunk of his retirement at all. So hopefully by next month the only payment we will have to make each month is for Big Save furniture. It really makes me happy to think that GE won't get the chance to charge us 25% interest on Gordon's purchases from Harvey Norman. I'm throwing that card away as soon as I'm able! It just makes me happy period to be able to get this debt out of the way.
Gordon makes me very happy and I love being with him. Our money problems though were a huge setback to me feeling content though. It feels like my prayer over our financial situation has been answered. Gordon says that he's learned his lesson from this and is never going to put us in this situation again. Its not all of his fault though, I should have asked him what our financial status was before I suggested we take a cruise for our honeymoon. We've both learned to be happy with what we have and I will never forget the lesson that I was taught. Be grateful for what you have because it can always get worse.
Hopefully, we can set up a small savings account that we can put money into and build up for the children, emergency expenses, and our future house. It makes me very happy to think that I may actually get to go home in the next two years! The airfares are really cheap due to the economy and I may get to come sometime next year with Gordon or sometime this year without Gordon. We won't buy the ticket unless we have the funds though so don't think I'm repeating history. I get to work on making Scrappy Apple a reality and not worry about where the money for my visas is coming from. I get to do little home projects throughout the year to make my house beautiful. I don't have to feel bad about going to Creative Memories workshops. I may get to bring a baby into this world and not worry if we can afford doctors visits or prenatals. Gordon will eventually be able to install a crowbar on our station wagon so we can take caravan trips. I won't have to worry about my sister visiting us and wondering how we'll be able to get by while they are here. Most of all, that sense of guilt that I can't find a job to help pay off this debt has gone away. That doesn't mean I won't try to find a job when I get my permanent work permit though.
Life truly is great and I hope that you all have time to smell the tulips and daffodils. Oh Grandma, I forgot to tell you. The chrysanthemums are blooming out here! I had passed by them before and I just thought they were really bushy daisies, hehe. The winter is coming on fast in New Zealand but I have Gordon to keep me warm. Along with my arsenal of long sleeve tees!
I finally took the plunge and got new glasses last week because my tax refund came through. Luckily, the optometrist that I saw last year gave me a prescription that was good for two years. I do have to schedule another appointment though because it turns out that the contacts I wear are no longer available. The optometrist also said its good to get your eyes checked each year. I've started dreading even the eye doctor now because my prescription is so horrible and I think that its just going to get worse. I tell Gordon that I shouldn't have done all that late night reading. The good thing about these frames is that it comes with its own personal clip-on so I don't have to get sunglasses or anything. I still have my old pair of prescription sunglasses anyways. I really did try to look for the cheapest pair that looked good on me but even they were expensive. I had to end up paying about $550 dollars for my glasses. Gordon's lucky and gets his glasses for free while I don't have any coverage for my eyes. We probably should look into that since I'm going to be needing glasses in the future. It was a lot more than I was looking to spend; I was hoping to get away with $400 but no such luck. The glasses do look nice on me though and I think these ones won't be slipping down my nose all the time. Next up, contacts and dental cleanings! I don't want to go to the dentist but I should.
It was another quiet week for the Schofield house. Gordon worked on getting his stuff in the garage sorted out and I worked on punching patterns for some more embroidered cards. They really are coming along nicely. I have to put that aside for a week or so and start back on my cards again. I have some good designs in mind that I'm going to make sets out of.
Since I told my mom, I might as well tell everyone else that Gordon and I have decided to start working on an addition to our family. Its been nine months since we've gotten married and not all of us get pregnant on the first go round. I've read that it can take a couple up to four months to conceive a child naturally. I was a bit nervous about this because, let's face it, I'm a worrier. We're not going to put any pressures on ourselves though because just adding a whole degree of "needing" to have a baby would make me worry that I'm not pregnant with each month that passes by. So, we are going to let nature take its course and hopefully we won't have to wait a year to conceive a little Schofield baby. I know that I've been talking about our lack of finances and how much it stresses me that we aren't out of debt yet but I'll talk about that later in the blog.
Gordon got to try out his roasting skills on Saturday. He invited John and Erana over for roast venison. So Saturday was spent cleaning the place up a bit so it looked presentable and Gordon doing some cooking. The venison really shrank when it was roasted but it was good. We also had roasted potatoes and pumpkin. Gordon and I got into a little argument about eating it all the time. I like to have variety and beef and chicken do that for me and the occasional wild game is nice but not all the time for this girl. Gordon has no preference so he doesn't understand why I have preferences. I'm just a picky girl, my family can vouch for me. I also made a fantastic banana cake, from scratch, and made a simple chocolate, whipped cream icing for it. It really tasted yummy and they joked about getting the info for the bakery I got the cake from. It was really nice to spend some time with Gordon's friends. I'm slowly making acquaintances but it will take a while before I get some good friends. Gordon was extra happy because John brought a 18-pack of beer for them to share.
Gordon was talking to them about his housing seminar he went to and all the info he learned. John told us that he took money out of his superannuation, a RNZAF retirement fund, to pay a deposit on his house. Gordon and I said that it would be awhile until all of our debt was cleared and we could work on a deposit for a house. When we heard about the superannuation withdrawal it really made the wheels in my head start spinning. Gordon and I said that we might do the same thing and withdraw a little to add to our deposit for a house down the road. When we were getting ready for bed it hit me that if we were going to take money out down the road for a house why not do it right now and start saving for a house? Either way we would be withdrawing money from the retirement fund to help pay for something. Why not get the debt out of the way so we can start saving now.
We talked it over and decided that taking money out was going to be a one time thing and we are definitely going to monitor our expenses and not live frivolously. Gordon and I talked it over and agreed an amount that would be fine to take out of the retirement fund so that we could pay off the bills. Don't worry, Gordon and I are only taking out enough to cover the debt and my permits which is not a huge chunk of his retirement at all. So hopefully by next month the only payment we will have to make each month is for Big Save furniture. It really makes me happy to think that GE won't get the chance to charge us 25% interest on Gordon's purchases from Harvey Norman. I'm throwing that card away as soon as I'm able! It just makes me happy period to be able to get this debt out of the way.
Gordon makes me very happy and I love being with him. Our money problems though were a huge setback to me feeling content though. It feels like my prayer over our financial situation has been answered. Gordon says that he's learned his lesson from this and is never going to put us in this situation again. Its not all of his fault though, I should have asked him what our financial status was before I suggested we take a cruise for our honeymoon. We've both learned to be happy with what we have and I will never forget the lesson that I was taught. Be grateful for what you have because it can always get worse.
Hopefully, we can set up a small savings account that we can put money into and build up for the children, emergency expenses, and our future house. It makes me very happy to think that I may actually get to go home in the next two years! The airfares are really cheap due to the economy and I may get to come sometime next year with Gordon or sometime this year without Gordon. We won't buy the ticket unless we have the funds though so don't think I'm repeating history. I get to work on making Scrappy Apple a reality and not worry about where the money for my visas is coming from. I get to do little home projects throughout the year to make my house beautiful. I don't have to feel bad about going to Creative Memories workshops. I may get to bring a baby into this world and not worry if we can afford doctors visits or prenatals. Gordon will eventually be able to install a crowbar on our station wagon so we can take caravan trips. I won't have to worry about my sister visiting us and wondering how we'll be able to get by while they are here. Most of all, that sense of guilt that I can't find a job to help pay off this debt has gone away. That doesn't mean I won't try to find a job when I get my permanent work permit though.
Life truly is great and I hope that you all have time to smell the tulips and daffodils. Oh Grandma, I forgot to tell you. The chrysanthemums are blooming out here! I had passed by them before and I just thought they were really bushy daisies, hehe. The winter is coming on fast in New Zealand but I have Gordon to keep me warm. Along with my arsenal of long sleeve tees!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Wellington rain, cold go away!
It took a little longer to update this blog than I thought it would. Gordon got sick and then generously gave his cold to me. I was more interested in sleeping on the couch than updating my blog. No, it wasn't swine flu, it was just a common, garden-variety winter cold. Gordon got it from our trip to Wellington last Monday. Christine and Kylie arrived here on Sunday with pumpkin soup, apples, and more pumpkins. I already have a bag of apples that need to be cut and cooked and frozen and pumpkin too! My freezer is fast running out of space.
They were here to see the Monet exhibit at Te Papa that I had told them about. We took the route that I had previously taken by boarding the station at Paraparam. I also found out that my day rover ticket was good for travel on any train once off-peak hours started. So I could have stayed in Wellington longer than I thought the first time! The weather was drizzly and windy and we had to walk to Te Papa. Gordon had forgotten to pack the umbrella so by the time we got to Te Papa we were all pretty much soaking wet. My butt looked like I had sat in a puddle! I didn't know the bus schedule and Gordon and I didn't have any change to ride it. We thought the rain would let up but it didn't. We were able to drip-dry in Te Papa with some hot chocolate and lunch before we went to Monet.
It was nice to have Gordon with me this time to see what he thought of the paintings. I saw that they now put a line in front the of pictures to stop people from walking right up to the paintings and examining them; I saw that happen the last time. Kylie and Christine were done with the exhibit before Gordon and me. Maybe we took more time to discuss what we thought of the paintings and just admire them. We got lost in the rest of Te Papa for the afternoon and I even made my own squid at the Giant Squid exhibit, which was fun, and I created a category IV earthquake in the Awesome Forces exhibit. I had a good time and I hope that everyone else did. We walked back to the train station via Courtenay Place and eventually found the station without getting drenched because of the store awnings. The train was full of kids getting out of school and onto the bus to go home to the suburbs and outskirts of Wellington. On the way home, we stopped for some dinner in Foxton, Gordon's and my treat, at a cute little diner on the side of the road. I had seen it before previously and thought that would be a good place to eat at one day. It was called 66 on 1 and was supposed to be like those old diners on Route 66, the 1 is the number of the highway that goes through Foxton. The menu was pretty cute to look at and the food was delicious! We even had ice cream sundaes!
The next day wasn't spectacular either and we ended spending a lot of time in Spotlight. I got very lucky and was able to find some fabrics that were 50% off and only had to pay $10 for five meters of fabric. Gordon was off paying some bills so we were left to our own devices and I was able to get us a flannel sheet set that was on sale as well. The house has been absolutely frigid at night so flannel sheets should really help with retaining the heat in bed. We also went to the supermarket to get some lunch and take it to the Esplanade. We sat at a picnic table and were immediately assaulted by sparrows and stray birds. There were a lot of interesting species around the table. There was one that was brightly spotted on its breast and another black, iridescent bird that changed color in the sunlight. Afterwards, we went to the downtown plaza to catch a movie since it was such a miserable day and saw "Slumdog Millionaire". It was a great movie and a poignant piece on the condition of some of the parts of society in India. I think it could also relate to other slums in other countries as well. It made me really sad to know that some people live like that.
I also had book club that night and we had a new member join our group. We are going to try and pick a book that we all can read in about two months, one of our members is a slow reader. We had a discussion on books that are supposed to be non-fiction and the authors that write them. They are supposed to be unbiased representations of events or facts but you usually can't write something without putting your own spin on it. We talked about the sense of trust between an author and reader and if that trust was violated would we read anything else they had written. It all started with talking about the books "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" and Dan Brown's use of "facts" interwoven with fiction. It really is great to get together with these women and talk every month. I have a lot of fun each time that I go.
Kylie and Christine left on Wednesday and Gordon stayed home due to his cold. I hadn't come down with his flu yet so I made scones that I thought had to be brought to the church luncheon. It turns out that what I had signed-up for was a roster for church luncheons to be used throughout the year. I had made cheddar scones by mistake! I stayed for the luncheon and talked to some of the parishioners and took my scones back home. I also had to take care of Gordon who ended up staying home another day due to his cold.
One thing that did happen in the middle of my lapsed blogs was ANZAC day. The day before ANZAC day, everyone goes around wearing poppies, fake ones, on their shirts. Poppies are supposed to represent the fallen comrades because "they were killed in the fields where poppies grow". I got my poppy and Gordon got his at work. He was on duty crew so he wasn't in any of the ANZAC parades that were taking place all across New Zealand. It really is amazing that each town in New Zealand has an ANZAC service and memorial to fallen soldiers. Even a small town like Bulls tries to put something on. It's becoming quiet a big deal out here. I also made some ANZAC biscuits to commemorate my first ANZAC day. They were very yummy and easy for me to make.
Cooking is definitely something that I'm starting to get the hang of. Having my bottomless pit of a husband isn't good for my waistline but I'm working on it and we can't afford weight watchers. I'm taking some of Gordon's and mine favorite recipes of our first year together and making it into a cookbook for my family and friends. I came up with the idea because we are going to have to be really cheap this year with presents. Then I thought that something homemade would do the trick. What better than my foray into New Zealand cooking as well as couples cooking? So I'm including most of the New Zealand recipes I've done as well as my tweaked recipes from Kraft.com and Campbells.com. I'm still trying to work out the higher elevations cooking but I'll get there. I have a Crisco website that tells how you should adjust the recipe but it may be hard to calculate from percentage to cooking measurements. So please forgive me if my stuff is a bit off.
Well I hope you enjoyed my new blog installment. At least I didn't wait three weeks to update! I am getting a little bit busier with the cards and embroidery and the alphabet pillows I'm working on so please be patient. Have a great rest of the week and hopefully I'll have some pictures up next blog!
They were here to see the Monet exhibit at Te Papa that I had told them about. We took the route that I had previously taken by boarding the station at Paraparam. I also found out that my day rover ticket was good for travel on any train once off-peak hours started. So I could have stayed in Wellington longer than I thought the first time! The weather was drizzly and windy and we had to walk to Te Papa. Gordon had forgotten to pack the umbrella so by the time we got to Te Papa we were all pretty much soaking wet. My butt looked like I had sat in a puddle! I didn't know the bus schedule and Gordon and I didn't have any change to ride it. We thought the rain would let up but it didn't. We were able to drip-dry in Te Papa with some hot chocolate and lunch before we went to Monet.
It was nice to have Gordon with me this time to see what he thought of the paintings. I saw that they now put a line in front the of pictures to stop people from walking right up to the paintings and examining them; I saw that happen the last time. Kylie and Christine were done with the exhibit before Gordon and me. Maybe we took more time to discuss what we thought of the paintings and just admire them. We got lost in the rest of Te Papa for the afternoon and I even made my own squid at the Giant Squid exhibit, which was fun, and I created a category IV earthquake in the Awesome Forces exhibit. I had a good time and I hope that everyone else did. We walked back to the train station via Courtenay Place and eventually found the station without getting drenched because of the store awnings. The train was full of kids getting out of school and onto the bus to go home to the suburbs and outskirts of Wellington. On the way home, we stopped for some dinner in Foxton, Gordon's and my treat, at a cute little diner on the side of the road. I had seen it before previously and thought that would be a good place to eat at one day. It was called 66 on 1 and was supposed to be like those old diners on Route 66, the 1 is the number of the highway that goes through Foxton. The menu was pretty cute to look at and the food was delicious! We even had ice cream sundaes!
The next day wasn't spectacular either and we ended spending a lot of time in Spotlight. I got very lucky and was able to find some fabrics that were 50% off and only had to pay $10 for five meters of fabric. Gordon was off paying some bills so we were left to our own devices and I was able to get us a flannel sheet set that was on sale as well. The house has been absolutely frigid at night so flannel sheets should really help with retaining the heat in bed. We also went to the supermarket to get some lunch and take it to the Esplanade. We sat at a picnic table and were immediately assaulted by sparrows and stray birds. There were a lot of interesting species around the table. There was one that was brightly spotted on its breast and another black, iridescent bird that changed color in the sunlight. Afterwards, we went to the downtown plaza to catch a movie since it was such a miserable day and saw "Slumdog Millionaire". It was a great movie and a poignant piece on the condition of some of the parts of society in India. I think it could also relate to other slums in other countries as well. It made me really sad to know that some people live like that.
I also had book club that night and we had a new member join our group. We are going to try and pick a book that we all can read in about two months, one of our members is a slow reader. We had a discussion on books that are supposed to be non-fiction and the authors that write them. They are supposed to be unbiased representations of events or facts but you usually can't write something without putting your own spin on it. We talked about the sense of trust between an author and reader and if that trust was violated would we read anything else they had written. It all started with talking about the books "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" and Dan Brown's use of "facts" interwoven with fiction. It really is great to get together with these women and talk every month. I have a lot of fun each time that I go.
Kylie and Christine left on Wednesday and Gordon stayed home due to his cold. I hadn't come down with his flu yet so I made scones that I thought had to be brought to the church luncheon. It turns out that what I had signed-up for was a roster for church luncheons to be used throughout the year. I had made cheddar scones by mistake! I stayed for the luncheon and talked to some of the parishioners and took my scones back home. I also had to take care of Gordon who ended up staying home another day due to his cold.
One thing that did happen in the middle of my lapsed blogs was ANZAC day. The day before ANZAC day, everyone goes around wearing poppies, fake ones, on their shirts. Poppies are supposed to represent the fallen comrades because "they were killed in the fields where poppies grow". I got my poppy and Gordon got his at work. He was on duty crew so he wasn't in any of the ANZAC parades that were taking place all across New Zealand. It really is amazing that each town in New Zealand has an ANZAC service and memorial to fallen soldiers. Even a small town like Bulls tries to put something on. It's becoming quiet a big deal out here. I also made some ANZAC biscuits to commemorate my first ANZAC day. They were very yummy and easy for me to make.
Cooking is definitely something that I'm starting to get the hang of. Having my bottomless pit of a husband isn't good for my waistline but I'm working on it and we can't afford weight watchers. I'm taking some of Gordon's and mine favorite recipes of our first year together and making it into a cookbook for my family and friends. I came up with the idea because we are going to have to be really cheap this year with presents. Then I thought that something homemade would do the trick. What better than my foray into New Zealand cooking as well as couples cooking? So I'm including most of the New Zealand recipes I've done as well as my tweaked recipes from Kraft.com and Campbells.com. I'm still trying to work out the higher elevations cooking but I'll get there. I have a Crisco website that tells how you should adjust the recipe but it may be hard to calculate from percentage to cooking measurements. So please forgive me if my stuff is a bit off.
Well I hope you enjoyed my new blog installment. At least I didn't wait three weeks to update! I am getting a little bit busier with the cards and embroidery and the alphabet pillows I'm working on so please be patient. Have a great rest of the week and hopefully I'll have some pictures up next blog!
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