The past few days...and some scrapping...

Late Sunday afternoon Bryce...my husband left for Auckland at the top end of the north island for work.  (Dunedin is toward the bottom end of the south island.)  So I've been doing the single mum stuff for the past few days.  Boy, am I ever glad I don't have to do that all the time.  And for those that do, I applaud you.  Its a tough job.  Not only have I done the normal duties of being a mum....laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning, running boys to and from school, mowing the yard, but I've had to take our van in for some maintenance.  Nothing major but a few stops that Bryce would normally take care of.  Yesterday was a beautiful day so it made my running around a little easier.  

Love it when I can hang washing out on a winter's day!  The sun felt so good and the clothes got dry the same day!!  :)

And a winter's garden.....so pretty and nice to have colour in the yard.  Nothing like our midwest winters that are brown and barren.  I mean, I mowed the yard yesterday!  I didn't ever do that in Indiana during  winter.  :)  

Today it has felt much more like winter.  Rainy and chilly.  So this is a picture from my kitchen window.  My Dad made me these salt and pepper grinders and brought them when they visited last month.  I love them so.  (You may notice, no screens.  NZ doesn't really have bugs so when we open the house, we really open the house.  So nice!)

Oddly enough, there was a faint rainbow in the sunrise this morning.  Before it started raining.  Beautiful but strange.  This is from the back of the house....

And here is the sunrise from the front...

Now onto something scrappy....Since all my work was done (for now as a mum's work is never really done) I played in my scrap room today. Sketchy Thursdays had a great 3 photo sketch this week.  I pulled out these photos of Aden licking the beaters after we mixed up some chocolate pudding.  Mmmm.....I did have to laugh remembering that he also asked if he could lick them the next time I made mashed potatoes.  :D  That boy loves his mashed potatoes!

A few close ups...

I love that photo with his eyes closed.  And it wasn't a snap while he was blinking.  He really had his eyes closed enjoying that pudding so much.  :)

I also worked on the sketch over at Pencil Lines.  They too had a 3 photo sketch.  I chose photos of Ian this time.  I took these a few months before he turned 10.  He looks so much younger to me but look at those blue eyes.  They really are that blue.  I just love them.  Well, I love the whole boy but those eyes...

I don't typically do hidden journaling but for this page I have a note in the brown envelope just for Ian.  My boys are growing up too quick.  :(  I do love the young men they are becoming though.  

Tonight Bryce will be home.  And we are all happy about that.  But for now, I have tea (dinner) to fix and Aron (11)  has a school disco tonight.  He is so excited.  I asked if I could come along with my camera.  I about fell off my chair laughing at the look he gave me.  And a strong "NO" came with that look!  lol....I'll settle for a pre-disco picture at home.  :)

Sketchy Thursdays...

I really thought this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch was an interesting one.  I had a thought immediately upon seeing it.  It was getting that thought down on paper that became the tricky thing.  :)  But I am fairly happy with the end result.

I love this picture of this sunflower.  There was a field of them about 45 minutes outside of Dunedin.  We were traveling back from Christchurch when we first saw them.  I am so thankful to have a husband that will pull over so I can get out and take some photos.  I could have spend so much time in this field.  They were just beautiful.  I also love this photo because it reminds me of my best friend Kim.  She loves sunflowers.  I love and miss her very much.  This one is for you Kim!

Sketchy Thursdays...

This morning my mom and I have spent time in my scrapbook room.  Its been nice to have her here with me.  I've been able to finish up a couple layouts including this one for Sketchy Thursdays.  Just getting it submitted in time!  :)

I love these pictures of Aron at the skate park.  It occured to me when it was all done that he was on his scooter and not skatboard!  Well, I like skater boy better than scooter boy anyway.  :)

Sketchy Thursdays...

I can't believe its been almost a week since my parents arrived.  We've kept busy with some sight seeing around town and a some of our normal daily/weekly routines like grocery shopping and school for the boys.  We are leaving tomorrow for a 2 day trip on the Southern Scenic Route.  It should be a great trip.  We are just hoping it doesn't rain too much since it seems to have settled back in.

I had a chance to finish up this layout the other day while my mom was scrapbooking with me.  Its nice to have her sitting across from me.  Sketchy Thursdays had a great sketch this week and I was excited to get this layout together.  I took these photos a few months ago on our picnic tea at Tunnel Beach.  As I was watching the sun set and my boys enjoying it and it struck me I live here.  New Zealand is so beautiful and we are so blessed to be able to live here and enjoy it as we work.  I hope I never get used to living here.  

I'll be back soon with more pages and of some of our trip.  Happy Today!  :)