And this time - even longer!!!

Just over 13 months to be exact.  So much has happened in that time.  We worked on the house till Christmas, then dad had his accident New Years and worked stopped for a while as we concentrated on him.  A ton of other stuff happened in between then and now too that I wont list on here.  Then work continued and we all but finished the house (a couple things on our to do list didn't get ticked off) and put it on the market.  Sadly, at this stage, looks like we missed the market boom by about 6 months, but that's ok.  We can sit back and enjoy the almost finished house for a while, instead of moving straight away, like we did with the last 2 houses and maybe even get those last few items ticked off and revisit the whole thing next year.

The weather has not been good for business and Mike and I had many enforced days off due to bad weather.  I also got quite sick this year for about 1 week short of 3 months, 5 courses of steroids and antibiotics couldn't shift it, but a good dose of crafting time with some lovely ladies soon sorted that out!

Everything else is going really well.  Taryn is still loving Uni and doing exceptionally well.  Jayden is back in robotics and has built and programmed an actual working robot this year.  His school results have also improved greatly from last year and he is racking up the NCEA credits with nearly 3/4 of what is needed already.

As for how everything will eventually play out, we continue to believe that what is meant to be, will be and so it will all work out in the end.  In previous years when things have not gone to plan and we have wondered what the heck?, things have come to pass that have made us realise that without A happening, B would never have been possible (much as sometimes we would have quite happily done without A!). So, Que Sera Sera

Wow - It's been a while

Can't believe how time has flown by and with so much on the go, blog posts just took a back seat.  There is still lots to do, so I don't anticipate regular posts recommencing any time soon, but thought I'd provide a quick update of the renovations that have been going on at our home.  These had been on hold for years, due to lack of funds, but the events over the past couple of years somehow turned things around and managed to put our finances back into a healthy position and so we decided to crack on and get our house how we wanted it.

There has been a ton of interior fixing, painting and touch ups, upstairs, as well as commencing on painting and touch ups downstairs (and a few things ripped out-lol) but the major feature was the carpet upstairs (and down to the bottom of the stairs).  It has been years since we had any form of carpet in this house, except a large rug in the lounge.  Finally we were in a position to afford new carpet.  Sadly, right after choosing our carpet, an accidental drop of a camera and wrought iron trivet in the kitchen cracked one of the tiles, so the carpet had to wait. The tiles had been discontinued (gutting), so we had to re-tile the entire kitchen.  Yay for the insurance company who covered the whole thing, including replacing the camera - double yay!  So, new tiles down (and we love them more than the original ones) and then the brand new carpet went in.  Absolutely stoked with the end result.

Mike is now currently working on the outdoors, with new hand railing, completion of the deck and then we will finish with painting the outside of the house.  I am working on the downstairs toilet - basically ripping it all out, doing the walls, then installing a brand new vanity and reinstalling the toilet.

Soon the last set of wooden doors downstairs will be replaced with aluminium door to match the others and that will be the last high cost item.

Then it will be the major job of the downstairs floor, which will entail emptying out every room including the rumpus, but the end result will be well worth it.

There will still be a few other items on our list after we complete the above, like the laundry and storage areas, but they are more minor areas, so we can just work away on those slowly after sitting back and enjoying the rest for a while.

Will post more photos as items get finished.

So Truly Grateful

When something comes along and turns your life upside down, something which is stressful, heartbreaking, life changing perhaps, it's easy to be caught up in all the emotions of grief, anger, despair, but if instead you are able to breathe, keep your head high, get support and take help when offered, then chances are, you will get through it and perhaps even come out the other end much stronger.  That's just what has happened to us.

Despite the fact our family went through hell for 18 months (a hell which does not need to be published on line), we have so much to be grateful for.

Firstly, we remained strong as a family unit and have come out the other side even stronger.  Even our extended family bond is stronger.   I'm sure many families who didn't have such a strong bond might nearly have been torn apart going through a similar situation.  We marveled at just how strong and resilient our children were and how they handled the whole situation in a mature manner.

We are super grateful for the support of our massive extended family and so many of our friends, both locally, around the country and even overseas (some of whom knew both parties in our issue) which has been phenomenal and unwavering. It has been amazing the level of support we have had from so many people, even those who heard about it 2^nd and 3^rd hand and still offered support and continue to check in on us. Bless you all!

Grateful for the surprising amount of support from the kids schools. The Intermediate and Colllege were both very supportive in the initial stages of everything, then once both kids were at the college, they certainly went way and beyond anything we could have expected in supporting the kids and us as a family. Funny how things work out, as we had never intended to inform the college of the situation, but our hand was forced by the actions of the other party on day 1 of the school year 2014. The principal, deputy principal, deans and several teachers have been outstanding throughout the entire thing and continue to have an open dialogue with us, as we work through some residual issues, although those are lessening every week and great progress has been made in leaps and bounds.  In fact a total turnaround, almost to the way things were prior to Dec 2008 – according to the counselor, it's because it's all out in the open and is being dealt with – another thing to be grateful for.

The amazing support from Government organisations – these can sometimes be difficult to deal with, but we have had the most amazing experience with 3 government organisations in particular, as well as agencies that work for, or on behalf of them, who have worked with our family. There are some pretty amazing individuals out there.

Whilst the Police didn't get the end result they were aiming for, we were assured that coming forward was the right thing to do, even if only to help prevent someone else going through the same thing. We were told up front that in the justice system, many guilty parties get off, because the defence do not have to prove their innocence, rather the prosecution have to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and without forensic evidence, this can often be very hard to do. It was pointed out to us that a verdict of Not Guilty, does not always mean innocent, it just means there was insufficient evidence to prove it. We totally get this and the fact that a member of the other family had to lie on the witness stand (much to my daughter's disgust, who knew otherwise) and didn't even do a very good job of it (according to my husband's dad - who was watching via CCTV and is an ex detective from Auckland CIB, the policeman in charge and the crown lawyer), showed us that they knew the truth as well, That coupled with the fact that 2 complaints from parents of children who went to my kids camp in 2010 came in a few weeks after the final court session, (advising they had just become aware of some inappropriate behaviour by the male leader at camp), confirmed for us everything we already knew to be true! Thankfully the complaints were nothing serious enough to warrant police involvement (and I am hoping it is only those 2 isolated cases), but I still did make mention of it to the Police. I also apologised from a business point of view to the parents, outlined our experience to them and advised them that if they wished to make it a formal complaint, to pop it in writing, so it could be held on file.

Since then, we have received a lovely letter from the Police advising they are now closing the file and moving it to permanent archives, but outlining that they maintain our side of events to be true and accurate and that we should keep the letter for future use, should it be necessary for reference at any point in time. So thankful we had such an amazing detective to work with.

Thankful for the advocate we were assigned after the court case, who worked with us to ensure ongoing support (which has been approved) would be provided and also advised us we would be eligible for compensation. This was absolutely the last thing on our minds as we have never felt monetary compensation makes up for these sorts of things. Definitely not something we would ever have gone seeking, but were advised to pursue it, as the funds could be used however we deemed most appropriate. Again funny how things turn out, as we had tried to refinance our mortgage completely but were unsuccessful due to our low 'on paper' income from self employment, together with a few too many debts we had. The bank however had said yes to a small loan for a new car - presumably so I could keep working?-lol. Anyway, as it now turns out, (despite our feelings towards compensation), we now have the new car, all other debts are paid off and now our mortgage is $150 less per fortnight than it was. It doesn't change what's happened, or make it better, and we still need to be careful with money, but we are in the best financial position we have been in for many years and this has allowed us to relax just a little, start renovations on the house, and purchase some stuff for the kids. We are tremendously thankful for the way things turned out on this front.

So I guess even the darkest of dark clouds can have a silver lining and this situation (although difficult at the time) certainly provided several of them. So, for all of these and more (not mentioned due to their personal nature) we are So Truly Grateful.

The Old Cabinet

This old cabinet has been sitting in my rumpus for what must be 5+ years!  I bought it off Trademe for $50 from memory, with a view to doing it up.  It's half stripped, but the stripping of the inside was going to be a mission, so think I just kept putting it off and putting it off until it just sort of started getting used as is.  

For the past few months, I have been searching Trademe and other sales for a cabinet for the lounge to house our glassware without success, as I haven't found one I like more than what I believe this would look like finished (well not within a price range I can afford anyway).   So, I've started in on it again.  Most of the paint inside is now stripped away and the wood (Rimu) is just lovely.  Just the cracks and joins to go, then a good sand down and a bit of wood filler in some spots and over nail holes, before the finishing begins.

In the process of removing paint, I found a mark inside at the top back panel, with the makers initials and the date '1928', so wrapped I really do have a lovely old piece of furniture to restore.  It came partially disassembled, so had various bits and pieces in the drawer.  I still have 2 pieces that I can't work out any possible location for, but that may come to light the further I work on it.

I have to go and try and find appropriate hardware for the hinges and latches to the doors and a drawer handle that fit with the age of this piece and then some glass for the front panel and the doors.  Can't wait to see what it looks like finished.

Will post photos as it comes along.

Not Much Blogging

So as you would have seen, not much blogging went on here in 2013.  Despite us thinking it was going to be a great year for our family, for the better part, it was not.  Both financial issues and some pretty serious personal situations arose, none of which needed to be shared publicly, so I didn't really post anything.

Bit sad really seeing as we did have a few amazing things happen at the beginning of the year, when Taryn went to the US for the World Robotics Championships is California.  This was followed very quickly by an all expenses paid trip to China!  She had a blast.

We however, were at home dealing with one of the issues and so blogging was not high priority.  I hope to get around to posting at least some of the photos and info from her trips, but if not, it will at least get into the scrapbooks.

We are still dealing with one or two of the more personal/private issues and we know it will all get a lot worse before it gets better, so not presently expecting to do much blogging in 2014, but in the background we will be working hard to sort our issues and move on.  This brings me to my word for 2014: 'RESTORE'  It covers so many different aspects of what we will need to go through this year - healing, mending, repairing, etc, etc so it was a good fit.

On that note, I am looking forward to a much better 2014 and although we know there is a fair bit of hard work ahead of us for the first half of this year, we know it will all be worth it and hopefully in the second half of this year we will reap the rewards from our efforts.

I wish you all the very best of everything for 2014!

The Office - What a difference a day makes!

Well when I say a day, I mean a few hours a day for just over week, totalling about a full day!

Poor office - it always ends up with the bits and pieces that have no where else to go, is always last on the list for a de-clutter (for that very reason)  and it is always the first place to start getting messy again after a big clean up.

I de-cluttered the office back in March 2011, but it didn't take long for it to start gaining stuff again and by January this year, it was to the point you could hardly get in there without tripping over something.  It was so hard to find anything and certainly not I place I wanted to sit and work in, so monthly financials were left till year end-arghhh.

I knew there was loads of stuff in there that needed to either go to the dump or be re-homed and knew I just had to get it back under control.  This time I was ruthless and by the time I had finished (2 boxes of paper based recycling, 4 large banana boxes of goods to the Op Shop, 3 large bags of rubbish and 1 large basket of stuff waiting to be re-homed later), it was even clearer than when I did it in March 2011.

It feels so good to have such a nice space to work again.  Might even blog a little more frequently now?

Anyway, here are the before and after pics (don't fall off your chair Glenna!!!)

God, what a mess!

Now you can see why it was hard to work at this desk!

Is that the floor I see? (Glenna, don't fall off your chair!)

Way more floor space and the blue stacking baskets on the left of the photo will soon be gone also, once the goods in there are either sold on TradeMe, or re-homed too.

I look forward to working at this clean and organised desk.

Now I guess it's time to move onto the next room.  Perhaps the studio.

Lots of Improvement

Ok, so I haven't posted for quite a while, because there has been so much going on in our household, but during it all, there have been lots of improvements made in many different areas.

Over the next few weeks, I'll try and post some of the stuff that has happened, but I won't get around to it all and it probably wont be all nicely in order either.  One of the things I have improved is family time and so some things have to give a little!

Anyway onto the posting....

My Word for 2013

It took me right till January 1st to finalise my word for this year.  I went through quite a few to find one that encompassed all I wanted to achieve in 2013.

There are things I want to change, fix, make better, develop, cultivate, increase, revamp and so many others that come to mind, that it was hard to cover it with one word.  I had thought of Action at first, but some of the things on my list actually involve a little less action on my part, so wasn't sure that it was such a good fit.

Finally I sat and looked at my list and asked myself what it was all the things I wanted to do really meant and it came down simply to improving my life - in every aspect, hence the word Improve for 2013.

My goal for this year is simple (although my list looks anything but simple):

Do 1 thing every day that improves my life (or that of my family, friends or environment).  It can be as small as making a regular family meal a little healthier, right through to doing a major outstanding renovation project on the house, but as long as it is 1 thing every day, then the only way is up!

Do you have a word or verse for yourself for 2013?

Long time no write!

So, it's been a while!  Shortly after my last post, life got a little crazy for a while there and I am only just catching up.  So here's a snippet of what's been happening around here.

September -Art auction at the school.  An event I started when I first joined the committee and have been part of 3 times now.  It's full on, but well worth it financially for the school.  It all but consumed a heap of  August!

Mid September - right after my last post from memory - I went for a routine breast screening mammogram. I was called back in as they could see a mass in my left breast that could not be explained. (I had previously -1990- had a small lump removed from my right breast, so wasn't too worried).  Went back in for an ultrasound at which point the doctor advised he could see a tumour in my left breast and wanted to do an immediate biopsy.  Seven tissue samples were taken and then it was waiting 1 week for the results.  Benign was the most wonderful word I heard when the nurse rang me with the results!

Beginning of October was Kids Camp, followed directly by Scrapbook Retreat and some manic school holidays, trying to work at the same time as ensuring the kids had a great holiday and didn't kill eachother!  Mid October repainted the bathroom - a week of full on prep work, filling holes, sanding, washing, sanding again.  The first coat of the new colour was so awful I nearly cried.  Was supposed to be warm neutral tan colour, but on the walls it looked PINK!  back to square 1.  I bought new pain and started again.  Here is a photo of the bathroom with 1 coat of the first paint (above shower) and 1 coat of the new pain on the left-hand wall - such a difference.  I will get around to a photo of the entire bathroom once all the new fittings are in place.

Late October, sports prizegiving for Taryn who received Most Valuable Player award for her team and was awarded and Honours certificate for her rep cricket in North Harbour U15 girls Rep team.

November - Swap Frock event at school.  Taryn turned 15 and I made her a cricket ball (well half a ball) cake, which we took to cricket for her team to enjoy.

 Then there was Taryn's U15 tournament, for 3 weekends in a row, plus on the final weekend, she played on the Monday as well.  heaps of baking, with my favourite being the 'Harbour' cricket ball biscuits, which were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

 December saw Jayden go to his graduation dinner/dance, (which he nearly didn't get to go to because of behavioural issues he was having at school through October & November).

 Then there was the Asia pacific robotics competition for Taryn.  It was HUGE.  never seen so many teams in one place, but I guess it is even bigger in the states.  They didn't make it into the finals, but had a great time anyway.  Nationals at the beginning of 2013 is their last chance to gain a place at the Worlds in USA, so here's hoping for them they can achieve what is required.

Camp Maynard Christmas BBQ, where Jayden was awarded a certificate for his ongoing work at Camp Maynard working bees - nominated by Charlie and present by John.  Then Wayne Philip - Mahurangi Zone Leader announced that I would be taking over as chairperson for the committee.

Taryn's academic prize-giving saw her graduate year 10 with merit and gain an honours certificate in Science and  Music.

 Graduation assembly on the 2nd to last day of school.  Can't believe he has grown up so fast and is off to Intermediate!

 His wonderful teacher Sophia Jalil who worked so hard with him and had the patience of a saint in dealing with some of the stuff he presented.

 Another huge impact on his schooling life at Manuka - Chris Barclay.  It's so sad that there are so few male teachers in our education system now.  They desperately need more!

Mid December - straight into Kids Camp, this time a 3 day camp the first day of school holidays.  Was an excellent camp, but being 3 days and 2 overnight stays, was pretty full one, so came home very tired.

In between all of that, Mike fell from a ladder whilst trimming a hedge.  The 'still going' hedge trimmer landed on his face, puncturing through to the muscle and requiring 3 stitches and also leaving a light slice line from the top of his cheek through to his lips.  Luckily he was wearing his safety work glasses and avoided any injury to his eyes. He also broke his right collar bone and took the skin off the elbow, which quickly became infected and required a course of antibiotics and regular dressing changes for the better part of 3 weeks.  Always right before Christmas, but at least it has been 7 years since his last good injury!  I told him he must have gotten the 7 year itch!

So, that along with all the usual stuff and some stuff I haven't mentioned or didn't photograph to help remind me is what the last few months of 2012 were like for us.

We are now looking forward to a much brighter 2013!

Glow Stick Bath

Ok, so I can't remember where I first saw this - I think on my friend Gypsy's blog, as she does the coolest stuff with and for her kids, but I just can't remember, so let's just give her the credit anyway!

Anyway, Jayden was having a bit of a rough day the other day and so asked if he could have a bath (instead of his usual shower).  As he was filling the bath I remembered seeing the photos of a glow stick bath and thought I would treat him to the same.  I grabbed some glow sticks, then knocked on the bathroom door asking him if I could pop my head in for a moment.  I dropped the sticks into the bath and took a photo (with the light on).  It's cool how the light is bouncing around on the water, but not too spectacular right?

So, spread them out throughout the bath and turn the lights off and take a photograph without any flash and the effect is way better.  He thought it was great and ended up staying in the bath for about 1/2 an hour.  Cheap exercise too, as the glow sticks were $2 for a packet of 15 and I only used 5.

So busy!

I say it every year about this time:  I am so busy - next year I am not going to take on as much and yet the next year come right around the corner and before you know it, I have actually added to list instead of making it shorter.  I guess I just love helping others and my volunteering hand is on automatic - ie it jumps up into the air as soon as someone asks for help.  I managed to sit on it one year and not take on anything new, so I guess I might have to try that again next year.

It is however also Jayden's last year at Manuka (sob, sob).  I'm going to miss being a part of such a wonderful place.  I have truly enjoyed my time there, working with the kids on various things and on the Parent Support Group for the past 5 years, 4 of them as Chairperson.  But, with all good things, change is necessary and it's time for me to move on and change course and for someone else to step up and bring fresh ideas to the group.

So, my goal for 2013 is to stick with everything I am currently doing (aside from the PSG) and then not to take on any other roles.  Wish me luck!

Legs 11

How quickly the time flies.  Can't believe Jayden turned 11 in May.  

In the morning before school, we let him open up some of his presents.

 He was really thrilled with the M&M dispenser that Taryn bought him.

 And seemed to like the skull shirt.

 He thought the All Blacks duvet cover was pretty neat too.  He's actually quite an easy kid to please, as he appreciates everything that people give to him.

 He was blow away with the new sports watch that sported both analogue and digital displays.

 But I'm pretty sure his favourite was what he got that night before going to bed.  His first Swiss Army Pocket Knife.

 On the Sunday we had family over for afternoon tea and this is the rainbow cake I made for him.  7 layers - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo & Violet.  Complete with matching pebbles (although the green and violet pebbles were a bit pale in comparison.  Jayden just thought it was awesome, which is all that really matters.

More presents on Sunday - lollies & money

 Star Wars PlayStation game

 Puzzle of the London Underground.

 And as part of the present from Nan & Pop, firstly (as a joke) Special K - mum had seen it on special and knows how much Jayden loves it, so added a box to his present, which also included 2 pairs of shoes that he had pointed out previously, a pair of gloves and another puzzle.

 Jayden wanted to light the candles

 And then blew them out again.

All in all, a great birthday week for Jayden.

Milo the kitten

The kids begged us for ages to get a kitten.  We sat them down and discussed how they would need to be prepared to pay for her, her food, her vet bills etc.  We also said they would need to be the primary caregivers, cleaning up any accidents, cleaning out her litterbox box, feeding her etc.  The two of them discussed it, worked out the cost of everything and a plan of how much pocket money it would take each week and then agreed to go forward and get a kitten.

Due to some soft brown markings, they decided she looked like she had Milo stains down her back and so called her 'Milo'

She was so tiny when we brought her home, but grew super quickly.  Milo is a bit mischievous, so fits into our family well! 

She loves to cuddle up and fall asleep on us, or just sit on us and watch what's going on.

 Sometimes she lies down in some funny positions.

We love her dearly and hope she will be with us for a very long time. 

Bed Hut

Since he was a baby, Jayden has always liked to be wrapped when going to sleep.  Even at 10 he likes the feel of an extra blanket wrapped around him before the rest are pulled up over him.  

Lately he has also started to build low bed huts before going to sleep.  We try to keep it just to the weekends, as it's quite time consuming to get just right, but when he does, his smile says it all and he happily goes off to sleep.  He does a pretty good job too, as the huts last right through the night.  Quite different from me, in that I'm a bit too claustrophobic to be able to sleep in such a small enclosed space.

Oh and if you read the last post about his drawing on walls, you can see the totally stripped walls in these photos.  So far, so good - not one bit of new writing/drawing.  He may just get his room redecorated before his birthday!

Done drawing on walls...

...well, so he says anyway.  One of the ways Jayden would take out his frustraions in life was to write on his walls.  We let it slide for a while and then said he really needed to stop, which he said he had.  We decided that there was just so much on the walls, that it was hard to know if there was anything new there or not, so we have stripped the walls completely (was previously just the backing paper he was writing/drawing on) and have said if there is nothing new on there in a months time, we will redecorate his room.

Some unusual looking creations could be found on his walls.

Plus the notice to "stay out of my room"

And the final bit found behind the bedroom door... anyone know what a PW is?  Mike says he can think of one term, but don't think Jayden knows that term, so pretty sure that's not it.  We did ask him, but he says he wrote it a long time ago and can't remember now.  We had to laugh!

Will keep you posted as to how it goes.