Unexpected Finds!

Have you ever seen Praying Mantis's hatch from their egg? We hadn't although we have seen plenty of eggs around the place. Imagine our delight, when recently we overturned outdooor chair, to see an egg absolutely bursting with recently hatched Mantis's.

Here's the pics.

Aren't they cute! We spent a wonderful afternoon watching them hatch and move away from their egg.



Card Making

My cardmaking has taken on a life of its own. I realised that, for me, it is a form of art. I sometimes take up to half an hour deciding on a small embellishment and placement!
As with all art, it may not be appreciated by everyone, but im certainly enjoying the creative process.
Ive decided to try and make a card for each special friend/family birthday this year. And ive kicked off the year by making the first 8, for January birthdays

As you can see, i tend to have a style of card which i prefer making.

I have some more i made earlier in the year, which i'll upload also.







The Shack by Wm.Paul Young

Wow, What an amazing read this book has turned out to be.

I first came across this book a year ago, when a friend was reading it and recommended it to me. I turned it down then, due to the fact the storyline involves a father who is struggling to come to turns with his 6 year old daughters abduction and murder.
Personally, i absorb the feelings and emotions of book characters, and they effect me deeply, and play havoc with my life for weeks after the actual book has ended. This has positive aspects to it, when i seek out happily-ever-after type books. I avoid thrillers, and sad stories where i can unless there is a tale of redemption worth the effort.
However, The Shack kept coming up. A few weeks ago at our church library it sprang off the shelves into my hands, I brought it home, with no willingness to read it, and it sat on my bedside cabinet for a few weeks, gathering dust and supporting coffee cups.
I picked it up last night, after a wrestle with myself. I really did not want to read this book! I told myself, that if it was too sad, i could just take it back.
But as i read the first chapter, i found myself intrigued with the characters. And even as i read about them planning for their ill-fated camping trip, i read on.
To my delight, the book dealt less with the details of death and murder, (although there are some stomach churning moments) and became a story about how God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit can use any circumstance to the betterment of people. God in this book took on the persona of an African American Women, and with the help of Jesus and Suraya (Holy Spirit) took the main character, Mack, on a fantastic journey of healing and forgiveness.
The concepts of God contained in this book have value to the believer and non believer alike. You simply cant argue with God's reasonable, firm and loving answers to Mack's anger and dissapointment.
The hope given to anyone who has lost a loved one in any circumstance, washes over you, as you get a glimpse of heaven, revealed through the Authors revelation.
The Shack isn't a book, it is a journey on a wild rollercoaster with many twists an turns and the occasional heart stopping moment. They'll be tears aplenty, and much spiritual growth as you come to know God just that little bit closer.
Its easy to relate to Mack, as the central character. He expresses himself well, His grief is palatable, and lets face it, Who among us has not shaken our fists at Gods lack of action on some occasion?
There are answers in this book to many of life's questions. But be warned, as you close this book, there will be more questions for yourself! You cant read this book and wonder where you stand with God.
In conclusion, i am so pleased i had the opportunity to read this book. It has been an absolute pleasure and an eye opener. Was everything theologically correct? Possibly not. Despite that, it has the hallmarks of God's truth all over it. Its left me wondering if it is based on fiction or fact. I suspect a bit of both.
Here is the website, for anyone curious enough to find out more. Don't be surprised if you find me in the discussion forum!
http://www.theshackbook.com/index.html

Caitlin's 8th Birthday Party

Not to be big-headed at all - (which means - watch out, i SO am), one thing i do well is the kids parties. Lets face it, thats where all the glory of parenting is. Thats the 'One Good Thing' about having kids, its why you negotiate bedtimes on a nightly basis, put up with the screams in the grocery stores, and endure the bitter fight over weather appropriate clothing. Kids Parties Rock!
I've enjoyed the boy-themed parties over the years for sure. As i previously said, our pirate one was the best we've ever done, But having a daughter is FUN in a different way. Its a re-living your childhood kinda way. You get to do things you would have liked for yourself, but you cant do because you're supoosed to be 'grown up.' (Groan Up more likely)

Heres the invites i had printed. Vistaprint quite often has giveaways, if your smart...this is the way to go. Beautiful quality prints for the price of postage. They come with envelopes too.
I quite often go overboard with food, leaving us to eat party food for the rest if the week! Our kids never complain, but its not the best look. Cold saveloys are gross! This time i made one cupcake per party goer, and had plates of fudge, popcorn, chippies, bikkies and the obligatory savs. Our guests were sated, and had plenty of room for cake!
The cake: Well, lets just say, it wasn't my best effort, im fairly dissapointed in the results. The guests loved it, and made ooohs and aaahhhs in the appropriate places. But for me, if i did it again, i would not use buttercream icing, but stick with royal icing, which gives the most professional looking results.

Here it is. Please don't laugh! Oh, Go on, you can! At the least, i learned some good lessons about cake making. DON'T leave it to the last minute. Buttercream icing is shitty to ice with, and the prep work is important to the finished product. Its meant to be an enchanted castle. If you fancy that, have a look on youtube for ideas. There are some really great ones on there. Inspirational.  Another thing i learned was how to do those fancy flowers with an icing bag. Now thats fun. Planning to do a heap for an upcoming potluck tea.

Heres Catey opening her gifts. I used to think doing a special gift opening segment was silly. But its great for the birthday child to feel a bit special. And the giftgivers seem to get a kick out of the their present being selected, opened and appreciated in front of a crowd. Its really a MUST in a party.

Heres the table, set for a High Tea. As you can see its minimal. (The party food isn't on there yet, but the cupcake centrepiece is)

Heres the girls sat down to eat. From teo angles. This is where the children really came to life. Before they sat down, they were all a little too polite! LOL With a bit of food and fellowship they were joking and competing like normal kids. There was even an 'I'm the hardest pincher' debate, which is totally a girl thing. (I'm the highest pitched screamer is a cousin. Thankfully that did not eventuate)

Heres the birthday gir enjoying her party food. I often look at her and am astounded by how beautiful she is. I'm so grateful to god for giving me a much-longed for daughter. She enhances my life in unanticipated ways. Everyone should have a little girl.

The Happy Birthday song. You have to do it. I've been to parties where the mums been too shy to initiate the song. Don't be shy! I always sing Happy Birthday with gusto. Its good for the kids, and gets everyone in the mood. And i like those candles that re-ignite when you blow them out. Very good for a laugh, and shines the spotlight on the birthday child for a bit longer. Also good for sibings to have a blow. "I'll help you!" they all say!

Loot Bags - Every party has them, Usually filled with a variety of lollies and $2 shop stuff, that the kids have come to expect. I did it this year with a slight twist. On the High Tea theme, i got 10 teacups and saucers, and after their use at the tea party, i filled them with lollies and marshmellows and wrapped them in cellophane. The children took these home in place of lootbags. I had some favourable comments. Especially when the parents knew i hadnt gone to any great expense. The most i paid for any cup was $1. Most were less than that, and 4 were given to me by a friend for the purpose.

A close up of the lootbag/cups. The girls wanted to keep their table decorations too. Girls are like that aren't they? Little magpies!!
The party lasted an hour and a half. Ive done them longer, but end up utterley exhausted as i like to put in a great deal of effort into pass the parcel, musical statues and a two year favourite now, pin the tail on the unicorn. You can keep them going with more games, but i think im onto a winner, letting the majority of kids go home at the alloted time and keeping one or two treasured friends a bit longer.
So. Thats that for another year. We still have our actual birthday on Monday, when she'll be getting her gifts. Gifts is my love language, so i will get a kick out of that. Cobys birthday to come. (October - 3 yr old birthday are F.U.N) And Tristans in December.

Getting ready for Caitlin's Party

As i only have one daughter out of four children, i really like to get into 'girly' mode. Especially on her birthday. Over the years we have done some great parties, the best was probably Kieran's 5th, we did an all out pirate themed party, which was alot of fun. For Caitlin's party this year, we are doing a High Tea. She is allowed to invite 10 friends and we will be having a proper tea party. I'm really looking forward to it. One of the highlights i have planned is that each girl will get her own English Tea Cup and Saucer to take away with her filled with goodies, in place of a lootbag. I am a self proclaimed bargain hunter and have scoured the 2nd hand stores for these cups, i haven't paid more then $1 each cup, so its a really cheap but effective idea. We will be having cupcakes on the day, and i wanted a cupcake display stand for the centre piece of the table. These are quite pricey in the shops also, and i had planned to borrow 2 from friends. My sister however saw a segment on Good Morning on how to make your own. It was so simple, i had to try myself. I think it turned out well. It is intentionally 'gaudy' as it is for an 8 yr old party. I plan to make a new one, in more subtle colours. Next time i would spray paint the colour on rather than brushing. It cost me $2.50. Here are the instructions:

Go to an 'Op Shop' and buy 3 plates in different sizes, Small, medium & large. Also buy 2 glasses, the same width but different lengths.

Stack the plates as the above photo shows, and then glue them into position with superglue.

Paint the whole thing in your desired colour. I did pink, and i brushed it on. i would recommend spraypaint for a glossy finish. I did two coats and gave it two hours to dry.

I stencilled on a design around the edges of each plate in a contrasting colour. Done! I think it looks great.

New Cards

I had a burst of creativity over the weekend, and made quite alot of stuff, i also made some new cards for my card kit:

Term Three - 2011

School is back in full swing, and all the kids were raring to go and get back into it. I am blessed indeed to have children who love school. Even if it just the social part that some of the kids love!
Kieran's up first thing in the morning and its straight on with the uniform and bags packed, everything is ready to go. From about 7:50am, he starts with the 'Can i go now, mum?' I finally let him go at about 8:10am. Any earlier and he gets into mischief. he just can't help it!
Tristans abit trickier, with him, its like the minds willing but the flesh is weak! Mr. Distracted needs continual reminders, 'Have you brushed your teeth, Packed your bag, Done your homework, etc' He can't wait to leave either, leaving about 7:50, and biking off on his own. Him, i can trust not to get into too much mischief. He's allowed abit more space than Kieran.
Caitlin! Oh Caitlin. Thank God for giving me a girl, but Thank Him more for only giving me one! Every morning is a fashion oppurtunity, modelling at least three outfits before deciding on the crucial one. Dressing for the weather is never considered. Its all about the final look. She'd rather freeze than be caught in an unfashionable ensemble. Still trying to work out where her fashion sense comes from. I have NO taste whatsoever and often go to her for a check before leaving the house!! 'Mum, No! That looks Yuk!'

Coby is our chilled out ball of fun, but even he's set in his ways. He likes his early morning cartoons, and gets out of bed to watch Scooby doo with his dad. The school-run is done arond Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Wonderpets. Cartoons are all over by 9.30am, so its a good window to get facebook and emails out of the way, and to top up on coffee before the day officially begins.

Visits from the Cousins

Something we all look forward to are the visits from my sister's family, Here are Molly and baby Maddy. My children get on so well with them, and while it can be chaotic, it is always fun! Molly is 4 yrs old and i've really enjoyed watching her grow and change and develop her own personality. Maddy is new, just 4 months old, but is already showing herself to be an individual. distinct and different from her sister, she's a chilled out smiley wee thing.

Last year, for my birthday, i got the most thoughtful birthday present from my friend, Jean Tidy. It was a card making kit! And since then, ive been creating allsorts of designs for birthdays and babies, and thank yous! The cards personalised with the recipicients names seem to get the most feedback. So i try to do that wherever i can, and work the design around the name. Embellishments and things can be quite pricey, but there are bargains to be had at haberdasherys, online auction sites, garage sales and the like.

The Monarch butterfly season here in New Zealand is traditionally from October to May. The kids and i, planted swan plants, (the monarchs favourite food source) and sat back and watched the action begin. The photos you see are of our very first butterfly hatching out of its coccon. Strangely, we had soooo many caterpillars, but we got less than five actual butterflies, and our cat got two. This year, i plan to put netting around the plants to limit butterflies laying eggs and to stop predators laying in wait for naive butterflies! This is one of my very favourite things to do with the kids. Ive always had at least one swan plant around. Last year i planted seven. And i even planted a 'butterfly garden' around the swannies to attract them.

Welcome to my Blog!

Having always been interested in keeping a diary or journal, combined with my love of status updates on facebook...And throw in my desire to scrapbook...And you pretty much have the premise for a blog.
Introducing myself, My name is Melissa, I am married with four kidlets, ranging in age from 2 - 14. Life can get pretty hectic, but we do seem to get through some pretty cool stuff. The kids always have something on the go, and in this digital age, its great to be able to record all those precious moments.
I hope you find something on these pages that makes you smile. You have to find those smile moments among family life. The wisest piece of parenting advice handed to me, is the title of this blog, with kids, the days are long, but the years are short.