Christmas Letter

Well, it's cuppa tea time! Go on, get a nice cuppa and then we'll chat!

Merry Christmas! Typically I write this letter every year, and have done now for many years - only this year will start my new format - my Christmas Letter will no longer be 'formal', it will be my blog. This way, I don't have the additional pressure to write a 'special' Christmas Letter to you all, but rather you can keep with with our families antics and we move along throughout the year! So welcome to my blogsite. You can 'bookmark' it if you like, or you can received my updates 'hot off the press' by requesting it ... just don't ask me how!!!

I'm not the world's most technologically savy person, but I can type! My ideal is to blog with photos, however, I'm still 'challenged' to get the photo from the camera to the blog .... work in progress ...

This year has zipped by. We kicked off the New Year in India with Pierre's family and we'll be ending this year with family and friends at our home for Christmas! Warm memories ...





Cody is now eating us out of house and home - he must have hollow legs ... and growing taller everyday it seems! He has a new passion in life - Karate. And, he's actually picking it up fast and is good at it. I enjoying watching him in class. His Karate School is very, very good. In fact his Karate teacher's husband has just last month returned with a gold medal from the Karate International Championship held in Italy. December 23rd is Cody's first Graduation at the school and he will be receiving his first Ranger Yellow belt. He's just as thrilled that his Amma will be coming especially to watch this 'mile stone' in his life!!!


Cody's year has been filled with school, friends, family, travel and lots of belly laughs! Love the belly laughs! We're still homeschooling and it works great with our family life.

Pierre is also doing well. He's truly been 'Bob the Builder' this year! Seems that most weekends are filled with projects around the home (money pit as he calls it!) We plan on redoing the kitchen early 2010 and maybe an addition out the back as well. That should be fun! As for work, the 'freeze' is slowly coming off for State Street, so we are hoping to see his promotion come this year. He's a saint really as he puts up with me and Cody. I like to say 'at least we keep your life interesting' :)

As for me. I'm also doing well. I feel blessed and stressed at the same time! Life is full. Our friends here are just the best and I am so thankful for each and every one of them. Schooling Cody is a large part of my day, but the school district here is supportive and I know that if I needed any assistance they would be there to help me too. So far that just hasn't been necessary as our homeschooling support system is phenomenal and once again, I feel very thankful and blessed!


Molly is loving being an only cat. She's a strange one and now is the apple of Cody's eye and (as I said before - strange) visa versa!!!! Who knew there was a loving friendly cat in there! Her fear threshold has changed dramatically and she is now the main resident in our home.


As for the rest, let me see. The veggie garden produced well this year. I still suck, but am learning and we are eating alot produce that we produce. This year I need to work more on harvesting and preserving .... we expanded greatly, so we're good to go for next year. The pool has been upgraded, so as our newly found 'fish' has a new swimming confidence and experience, it's going to work great! Look out Uncle Stewart - he's ready for you this time!!!!

Well that's it in a nutshell ... I'm only half way through my cuppa, but like I said, this blog site is mine and this is where you'll be able to keep up with me best. (That and facebook!) So farewell annual 'Christmas Letter' and welcome blog site!

From my family to yours, wishing you all a wonderfully special Christmas and all the best in the coming New Year!!!


Kiwi, Pierre and Cody

It's been a while!

Time is one of those commodities that I don't seem to have enough of - especially at certain times of the year. Evidently, this has been one of those times!!! That should also mean that I've got lots of juicy life's happenings to share with you ... but I seem to be drawing a blank. Brain worm I do believe that is called.

I see that my last post was in June - 2 months ago by my calculations. So what have we been up to?

July was very important to me. My brother whom I hadn't seen in the last 7 years came and stayed with us for 3 weeks.

It really is the first time I haven't tried to be the perfect hostess - I think it has something to do with age, maybe premenopause, or both. Normally I do it all. This time there were choices to be made - either have exotic yummy meals and hang around home while being waited on, or go shop and see the world. My brother Stewart chose the later - yeah! Waiting on folks isn't my thing, and apparently, I can't do what I used to in that area!

It was a whirlwind! We crammed 7 years into 3 weeks ... I think he had to go back to Australia to have a holiday from his holiday :) It's funny as it seemed like forever until he got here and then in the blink of an eye, he was gone again!


The first week-end he was here we went with good friends to Boston's North End - Little Italy, and followed some of the Freedom trail into town. I tried Boston Bibb - inside joke! And Stewart purchased Crocs for his souvenir. Sunday was the first 'shop' day - we kicked it off at the outlets. When Stew arrived he was wearing the same clothes we had shopped for 7 years ago ... only they were the worse for wear. Stew brought them over so I could find recycle them. I assured him that they were way past recycling!!! Monday saw us shopping at Costcos - this time shopping for eye glasses, very much needed eye glasses - 7 years is a long time to be wearing the same glasses ... and oh, it's a good thing they were titanium or they would never have survived!!! They were an interesting shape to say the least!!!

We saw a Book Report movie followed a hot delicious baked potato bar at a good friends for lunch followed by a 'playdate' and berry picking. We picked blueberries at another good friends - and it was the first time Stew ate freshly picked Blueberries! The berries are in my freezer waiting to be 'processed'.

We took Stewart to Nature Club and it was my turn to teach it. We went to Houghton's Pond, made bamboo fishing rods and attempted to fish. It's a good thing none of the kids managed to 'hook' themselves! The next day we enjoyed the day at Demarest Lloyd Beach .... my brother informed me he had already had his 'birth control' for a while. I'm sure it was quite a shock for him to be thrust into the world of 'playdates' and children without volume controls.

The following week we flew to Buffalo, NY to meet up with mum and spend a couple of days together with her. Coming home we went straight into preparing for Cody's, Fun in the Sun - Return of the Waterslide , birthday party. I think we went through close to 4 crates of booze and had lots of fun! We love spending time with our friends.

Then the last week we went to Plymouth to see where the Pilgrims first landed, Six Flaggs, another Book Report Movie followed by a wonderful birthday surprise at my good friends house. Ice cream cake, baked potato bar and lots of fun!!!! You see it was Stewart's birthday that day. And he was absolutely chuffed with his surprise celebration.

With not much time remaining, we still had the Rodger Williams Zoo to fit it! The Zoo is an awesome place to visit, but when you have a new camera, it's just one photo opportunity after another - he had to go back with something in that camera!!!

Friday saw the end of the visit :( So now we have memories and photos to help remember our time together ... now, also from this visit, a fish was born! Oh yes, during Stew's stay, he and Cody swam a lot in our pool ... I don't believe he realizes how profound an impact he had on Cody, but swimming was one area which motivated Cody to improve in. After Stew left Cody has been in the pool preparing for Uncle Stew's next visit (????????) . He's gone from now being able to put his head under water to not getting his head out of the water! He's a fish!!! And actually has taught himself how to swim. He's got areas for improvement, but truly an amazing transformation! I'm very proud of his personal growth.

August saw us commencing Homeschooling. As Cody is now 2nd Grade, the work load has increased considerably and as such takes us a lot more time to fit it all in. I managed to send in my Letter of Intent on time. Funny thing about that. I was on target to sending it in to the Public School Superintendent, until I got a letter stating that the deadline was September 1st. So I took the extra month - and got it in August 31st - one day to spare!

Our second week of Homeshooling turned out to be a treat! We had a weeks field trip to Washington D.C. We met up with Pierre's sister and her family there. Cody was able to spend time with his Cousin and we got to help celebrate Pierre's brother-in-laws birthday. There just wasn't enough time to get around and see all that we wanted to see! What we did see turned out to be rather ambitious!

So this last month - August - we've been getting back into our school grove, enjoying the weather, swimming, fitting in trips to the beach and plenty of ice-cream treats! As for September, we'll be busy again. This time in New Jersey/New York and then off to Canada ...

More adventures on the way!

Kiwi's 'Job Description' - NO VACANCY!

The following is my job description. Please note that the following list is by no means the extent of my 'to dos' and neither do I do them all at once. Please note these functions may be performed in any given 24 hour period 7 days a week. No 'vacation', no 'sick days', no salary. This position is not available.

I would also like to mention that I LOVE my job. It's untold harder than any other position I have held. I wouldn't give it up. I am so privileged to have a husband who supports me in this role and has given me the greatest gift ever - spending time with my son.

Chef
Baker
Grocery shopper/Budget manager
Taxi Driver
Wife
Lover
Friend
Mother
Daughter
Sister
Daughter in Law
Sister in Law
School Teacher
Educational Administrator
Child Physiologist
Project Manager/Labourer
Doctor
Care Giver
House cleaner
Landscaper
Lawnmower
Snow Shoveller
Painter
Decorator Floor Layer
Laundromat
Vet
Nutritionist
Seamstress
Toilet Trainer/Bum wiper
Provider of guidance: incl: manners, spiritual matters, values, disciplining/training (consistency)
Fashion merchandiser
Co-Interior designer
Chiropractor
Hair Dresser
Caterer/Co-coordinator/Host
Therapist
Gardener

I plan on updating this list as more roles come to mind. (If you think of anything I've ommitted, please let me know). And, I'd love to see what your 'Job Descriptions' looks like if you feel like sharing!

I'm definately not on top of things and I do get overwhelmed/stressed. But it is kinda nice to sit back and look at my list and say to myself - 'not too shabby girl!, not too shabby?'

Making Good Choices by Dontay Hall

We all have choices, you and I.
One is to laugh, and one is to cry.
One is to be wrong, one is to be right.
One is to be peaceable, one is to fight.
One is to love, one is to hate.
One is to be early, one is to be late.
One is to be truthful, one is to lie.
One is to fail, one is to try.
One is to quit, or to follow things through.
The final choice is up to you.

I do like projects!!!

Recently while on vacation in Canada, my friend L face booked me a question which made me stop and think. Her question was ... 'are you there as a hired hand? Or do you just love to do projects?' You see I had gone to Canada not only to visit my mum, but to work through her 'to do' list of jobs she physically is unable to do.

When I think back, I've been doing 'projects' ever since I can recall. Everything from wall papering, to building hen houses/calf houses, helping with the gardening, welding alongside my uncle, preserving with my Grandma, raising and looking after calves, cows, sheep, goats, hens, mowing the lawns , etc ... well before 10 years of age. We didn't have much money, so, as necessity is the mother of all inventions as the saying goes, we always, always, did it ourselves - or lived without.

Back then my Uncle Des was one bright cookie - he had even built his own bass guitar, and speed boat in his earlier years - seems he always thought outside the box, and then my mum was always a 'crafty' woman. She was a seamstress among many other things and could (still can and does) make paper 'talk', bake up anything yummy (notice I said bake, not cook .... ) and again, had/has the ability to think outside the box. [My grandma did the cooking and cleaning in our extended family.]

I have to stop here and interject my own blog to say, that never in all those years did I hear them complain or whine about what they didn't have. They either made it happen or were thankful for what they had. And in spite of what we didn't have, they were a wonderful example in giving. They always gave. They gave when they had 'it' and they gave when they didn't ... there was love and love was there.

So, I grew up with great examples of project work and a true work ethic. I learned that working hard was important and I was always left with a great deal of satisfaction from what I had accomplished and invigorated from a hard days work!

That being said, I don't always like what I do, I don't always want to do it, and I don't always like the outcome ... but mostly I am left with satisfaction. I find that when you do it yourself you are able to use up more of what you have lying around, get better attention to detail than if you hired someone, save the high costing of hiring someone else - big time, which means able to get more done.

So, what types of things do we spend our time doing? Everything from installing fans, plumbing, replacing the forced air furnace (my husband was offered a job on the spot for his work there), hardwood flooring, tiling, painting, car maintenance, fence building, gardening, installing roof fans, replacing windows, etc, etc ... and then of course is regular maintenance of our home. Last Christmas my gift was a Ryoby power tool set - sweet!

Upcoming projects include but not limited to - tiling the lower level, taking out a kitchen wall and redoing the cabinets, hard wooding the floor - basically gutting and remodeling the kitchen. Putting hardwood in the master bedroom and 2 other bedrooms, building an outside shed for the lawnmower, remodeling the master bathroom ... just a few things that come to mind. Some of these are pretty pricey, so we'll be slowly working through the list!

So after some serious thought to my friends question, the truth is that I mostly enjoy it - not always, but mostly. I don't enjoy the balancing of other jobs like cleaning and cooking when I'm doing a project as everything else falls apart ... but yes, I do enjoy it ... not so sure about the maintenance though ;P

What day is it anyway????

Each day for breakfast we start with Organic eggs (from my friends Moonsong farm - yum!) and Turkey bacon with a nice homemade cafe late. We drink raw milk and try very hard to eat a nutritious organic diet. My son loves his bacon.

This Tuesday morning was no different until Cody looked at my plate and must have noticed that my plate was short my share of bacon this morning as indeed it was. To my surprise my son reached over to my plate with a share of his portion. I was dumbfounded!!! I asked him 'why?' ... his response was my performance appraisal ... because you are a good mum today and everyday. Priceless! It was refreshing to get a positive appraisal.

I think that ongoing performance appraisals are important as they help us measure what we have done and where we plan on going. This wonderful moment quickly passed as we taxied PJ to the train, did school, ran errands, met friends to go see the 'UP' movie in 3D and before I knew it my mind was living my Wednesday schedule. And I was racing to get home, cook dinner, go to the train to pick up PJ and pick up my milk and eggs from a friend on the way ...

Of course one must make sure that the milk and eggs have been delivered and that my mini co-op buddies are there for either the pick up/drop off - refrigerated goods ... so I phoned my friend L to see if I could stop by on the way and do my pick up. I left a message and then closer to the time, left another ... cell too ... it was getting close and I was going to let it go until Thursday - and then the light bulb came on ... how can tomorrow be Thursday when today is only Tuesday and how on earth did my days blend????

So I emailed my friend L and apologized for my brain fart and that I was a dork and that I was working on tomorrows schedule ... and I got this wonderfully gracious response:

dork = busy, devoted homeschooling Mom
knowing the day of the week is overrated!

Thanks L for your wonderful perspective :) I just love that definition!

Another really great thing today is that my friend H is doing Canning classes which I'm very excited about (Yeah H!!!) Will let you know about that when it happens ...

So that's my 'days' today. Not sure what tomorrow will bring, but glad to say, never a dull day!!!

Expansion of the Vege garden ...

One of my favourite things is to garden. There's no other feeling like it in the world. The toil with the earth, the feel of invigoration of the manual labour and the return of that labour in the form of fruits, veges and flowers. Yet it never seems to end, just cycle.

Then when I have so much to do that it would be full time, I go ahead and EXPAND again ... yes, the rain is a wonderful time to get gardening done!!!

This week-end PJ and myself expanded one of the vege gardens from 4 x 16 to 12 x 16, 98% complete - I just have to find more stones around the property for pathways ... and then plant/transplant. Planted a bunch of perennials (Lowes clearance racks). We built and installed an arbour from which I plan on having honeysuckle and passion fruit vines on either side. And also we added another 3 weedstrips/mulch next to the house - still have a ways to go with that.

It's been much easier with hubby's help! This week's plan includes more of the same as well as putting up the swimming pool on Saturday. We're waiting for the salt water filter to arrive at Wal-Mart. Excited about that!!!

So that's it for now. Back to the weeks routine of school, cooking, playdates, gardening, etc ... and before I go I just want my friend K to know how proud I am of her. She is now officially a Registered Nurse. Congratulations!

Have a wonderful week!