Journaling the fun way

I can across these wonderful journal pages when I just began my journey into blogdom. In my usual internet hoarding manner I popped them into a folder in what I like to call the 'Katemuda Triangle' which resides on my computer and forgot about them until I was creating my 101 challenge list around this time last year. And so #79 was born.

There are around 50 of them and I've completed one or two here and there over the last year, just squirreling away at them. Now they're all done I have a colourful pile of memories from the last year which I think I'll bind into a book in the near future - cool!

I hope to read them in a few years, like a do now and again with my journals from when I was a kid and giggle.

Here are some of my favourite ones in terms of decoration. 

Strangely enough...

...I've just crossed this off,

which  makes me a little bit excited! Excited for all the new possibilities.

I'm getting to crunch time with my 101 list now and I vividly recall about a year ago needing to fill in 101 spots of challenges. It would seem that in my need to complete the list I've put some things on there that aren't as exciting as I thought to begin with and I'm now struggling to get through them. But I will do it! 

Anywho, I've learned a lot about making a list having now (nearly) gone through one. The #1 thing I've learned is that the longer the list the more things on it that are just 'fillers', so next year's list is a teeny 52 items. 52 things in 52 weeks (an idea I came across in the blogosphere sometime this year. #2 is to not be afraid to change things in and out - hence why I've started it early, to give myself time to do this editing. And #3, try to make as many of the items as achievable as possible. Yes they're challenges, but lets face it, I'm a wife, mother and full time teacher too!  There's only so much I can do!

I'm so excited about the things that I'm putting on there though. I started the list about a month ago and have been adding things to it here and there. Some are easy(ish) like;
- Get my full license (hilarious at 26 I know!)
- Go to the dermatologist (something I keep putting off)

Others are going to be more difficult I imagine;
- Save up for a Kitchen Aide mixer
- Cull my cookbooks
- Learn how to use photoshop

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."

I have been pinning bits and pieces to a board entitled 'Bucket List' for a few months now. Yet another reason that Pinterest is better than sliced bread.

I've got a tonne of them from the Perfect Bucket List Tumblr because I love the way they're laid out and I've even modelled my other cards (ones I couldn't find on the site) on them as they're so pretty.

Here are what my cards look like.

At the moment they're laminated and sitting in a tidy little pile in my spare room. I plan to do something like this with them...

...but have neither the time or the space to at the mo (new house activity!) I also plan to add to it now and again, I don't want it to become a stagnant list.

Love and excitement!
xox

"Memory is the diary we all carry around with us"

When I was a teenager I was amazing at keeping a diary. I have 4 notebooks that I kept between the ages of 12 and 17 that are chocka block full of my (often ridiculous) thoughts, feelings, happy times and sad times from these years.

I often used it as a way to vent feelings. I never really had a 'best' friend during high school and writing in my journal enabled me to write my feelings down rather than talk to anyone about it. Around the age of 18 I got far too busy with clubbing and wot not to write. Between 18 - 21 I tried to revive the journal writing time but alas it seemed dead. Even when I met Damien I would write sporadically, really good for a couple of weeks and then nothing for months. It was always when I was feeling a bit yuck that I would write, and then when things would resolve themselves and I would be out of my funk that I got busy living life.

Another thing that was really painful (literally) is that I just can write with a pen and paper for long periods of time anymore. 1) it takes too long, 2) it truly is painful and 3) I don't have room to store all of these books of amazing (not) memories. So when I made this challenge...

...I thought it would be a really good idea to do something where I can type. Enter blogging! I made a private blog and began writing there. I think I've done OK. I've come to the conclusion now that I will never be one of these amazing people that journals everything, I wish I could be, but it's just not me.

I love that I can type something out real quick that would take me a good half hour using pen and paper. I love that I can make it pretty with banners, fonts, graphics and links if I need/want to. I love that I have somewhere to write when I need it.

I made it right at the end of December last year and as you can see, used it with a hiss and a roar to begin with. In April/May was when I was writing my life circle stuff and I can tell you now some of those entries are up to 3000 words in total, so biggies. I write more in the holidays (when I have time) and I'm OK with that - can't be superwoman blah blah. I average about 3 entries a month (remembering that some of these are an entry where I will go back and add to or expand on).

I don't feel like I've done an amazing job. I wish I had done better. But I think it's the best I could do, with what I have (mostly in the way of time!).

"Jewellery takes people's minds off your wrinkles"

If  completing the 101 challenge has done nothing else, it definitely made me more self aware and more conscious of the things that I want for myself - how I want to portray myself to others, how I want to be to make myself happy and how I want to live my life.

This challenge was very much in this category. I haven't gone crazy wearing my jewellery. I have a tonne of costume jewellery, probably the fanciest stuff I have are my engagement ring, wedding band and pandora bracelet, which I do wear most of the time, but I do have a lot of other nice rings, necklaces and bits and bobs. I have been far more conscious of whether I've been wearing it and making sure I try to wear different 'favourite' pieces.

A week or so ago I also had a big clean out (with my little helper - see below) and threw or gave away a lot of the pieces I've worn in the past but just didn't really like or weren't really 'me' anymore. My jewellery boxes got a much needed clean out and look a lot more organised now there's less in them.

Accomplished!

Quote Canvas

Malteser Cheesecake anyone?

Well, I do love a good recipe adaption.

I make a lovely cheesecake (which was originally an oreo 'Cookies and Cream' cheesecake) which I've already posted about adapting here. I might go as far as saying it's the best cheesecake recipe in the world. I love it.

This time though - Maltesers were the confectionery of choice to pop in it. Mm, can't wait for dessert time tonight!

Avocado Orchard

Today we went for a little drive to the Avocado Orchard at Otuataua Stonefields. I heard about it from a work colleague and being only a 20 minute drive from somewhere I've lived all my life it was a strange experience to explore somewhere I didn't even know was there!

We only really looked at the Avocado Orchard (as I was on the hunt) but it is a beautiful looking place with walking tracks and even backs onto a beachy back drop.

Now, I was hoping that I would have a more concrete reason for crossing this off my list and be able to bring in some avocados.

I technically did go fruit picking... it's just.....

...it's not quite November and there weren't any Avos yet!

I'm going to take it as a cross off anyhow...I will most likely be returning. And well, I did go fruit picking, right? Hehe

We had fun, the sun was out and we were enjoying some of the beauty NZ has to offer, what more could we ask for?

How are you spending your long Weekend NZers?

Silent Sunday

Day 13: Building

Things I'm Loving

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.

I'm loving Buttoflies. They are a great little NZ company that makes adorable clips for little girls. You will have seen Leah sporting a few in the different pics of her plastered all over this blog. Here is my new installment cute huh? Very reasonably priced too. Check them out on facebook here.

I've been loving the last couple of days of wonderful professional learning at uLearn 2012. It's an ICT teaching conference and it has been amazing this year. Great keynotes, fantastic breakout content, great wifi (we'll get over that last one)..and of course my professional crush Kevin Honeycutt. If you haven't come across him I suggest you check him out - he's inspirational to the nth degree. Share some heartbeats with him, you'll be glad you did.

I love Leah, could you forget? She always makes me smile and laugh. This week she's learned to say her name so everyone is 'yeee ahhhh'. She also helped mummy tidy up her jewellery boxes....

 

Silent Sunday

Day 12: Nose
This was taken of a special little friend of mine when she was still really little. I miss having someone this little around the house...wonder when the next one will come along?...

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever?

I would have to agree - they're pretty good. Found on pinterest! You can find the recipe here. I think it was the addition of vanilla pudding to a basic cookie mix that made them so yum. I've bought a butterscotch pudding mix to try instead next time to see how that goes - yum!

I also made this "Coke and BBQ sauce chicken in a crock pot" today which I also found on pinterest. I wasn't amazed but it was pretty yummy and easy to boot. I probably won't make it again though. Didn't wow me.

Things I'm Loving

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.

I missed last week so this might be a big one...

Loving that I decided to keep going with Leah photos....like I could stop! You can see a weekly collage on the 52 to Two tab on your top right.

I LOVE my courier lady. Not only did she bring me three gorgeous items from Punk Baby but also the long awaited (it only took 20 days... mummy was impatient) shutterfly book of Leah's first year - all the way from America.

I love the book so much. It was one thing to see it on the screen once I'd finished it and flick through the pages digitally, but to have the physical copy is amazing. Mummy had a wee tear in her eye the first time she looked through it, all 111 pages of it!

Also loving that the holidays have meant that I'm able to start my new 'Year Two' book. Here's one of the first pages.

I love my eldest niece that turned 16 (yes, 16!!!) last week. She's become a beautiful and intelligent  young lady who I know is going to make us all proud. <3

I love walks in the gardens with my favourite people, sushi and beautiful cherry blossom trees with a beautiful model.

I'm loving the holidays and getting plenty of blogging and 101 challenging out of the way.

The holidays give me time to spend with one of my best and oldest friends which I love. Not sure she was too happy with a munchkin stealing her purse though... especially since said munchkin was not strong enough to really carry it...

I love Kiwiyo. Granted... my pottle had a small amount of youghurt and a HUGE amount of lollies (which is an expensive was to buy lollies) but I think the idea is very clever. You should check one out. Nom nom!

And last, but certainly not least. I love this photo of the two dearest people to me and the genuine smile on my gorgeous husbands face. <3

Bread...from scratch!

You guessed it - another one crossed off. Woo hoo! Loving all the time I have for blogging too in the holidays - yus!

OK, so this loaf of bread worked out alright. I don't think I would make it again - perhaps I might try some bread rolls next time? It was nice, it was all eaten...but it wasn't really 'bready'. It was quite dense, more like a cake. Maybe it was something that I did wrong? Maybe I need to buy a bread maker :D

I used this recipe; Simple Bread Dough
In conjunction with this method; Crock Pot Bread