Isn't She lovely...isn't He wonderful...

Well it's the morning after my beautiful daughter Claire's engagement party...Claire and Rob...certainly a match made in heaven. So this is what it feels like to have a child prepare for marriage...and four more to go!! Such a great night we had...lots of friends and family, tho not quite enough dancing! What is it with us kiwis...too shy to get up and shake our groove thing! (unless the lights are low,low,low...) But we had lots of fun learning new things about Claire and Rob and random people offering 'pearls of wisdom'...(from the "claire - let him stop doing dishes long enough to go hunting!"..to the "learn each other's love language, and what makes them 'tick'") Great advice on all fronts, funny and serious! We shared dessert together - an abundance of berries, pavlovas, brandie snaps and fruit crumbles to be sure - we are DEFINITELY in New Zealand! haha...I even got to take an apple and rhubarb crumble home that was untouched...mmm...i feel a very unhealthy breakfast coming on!! (thanks Damian!)
Anyway...now the countdown to the wedding...three months to go and so much to do! I just know it's going to be a beautiful wedding...so goodbye fellow bloggers - time to have a cup of tea, a dish of crumble and enjoy the memories of last night
ciao for now...blessings to all...jessie

A drive to the coast...

Steve and I..Off we went to the east coast to find smooth white pebbles for a decorating venture I have in mind...the paddocks were like golden waves of the ocean in the incredible wind thru the Awatere..looked just as I imagined the American prairie looked in Laura Ingalls book series, Little House on the Prairie. Beautiful books...they were the most magical thing I'd ever read (and possibly still!) at 11 years old...they let your imagination run away to a world long forgotten, yet a yearning in my young heart to have lived that life grew each time I picked up the books and immersed myself in their pages...ah, the magic of reading! ANYWAY...I digress. The coast was beautiful..as far down as Kekerengu...stopped for tea at The Store - an incredible place built with Huge round posts as support beams and lots of concrete sculpture, rusted wrought iron fittings and tin topped tables...HUGE double sided fireplaces - must be amazing in winter - and RIGHT ON THE BEACH!...down some steps, across the lawn and there you are...magical. Would be a great place for a wedding reception...pity it's in the middle of nowhere!!
Anyway...that was my yesterday...home at 10pm...fell into bed...a day well spent with my darling hubby...
ciao for now. x

and did i forget to mention...

Oh and by the way...if you love scrapping (scrapbooking without the book!) check out the posts below that I follow...apart from the Julie and Julia movie, Tim Holtz site inspired me to blog also...he is an AMAZING scrapper/creator...also Heidi Swapp and Carol Wingert...I think I love scrapping equally as much as I love cooking...is that possible???

We are all just so blessed to be created with such great imaginations and to be able and willing to share that with the world...what a blessing. I am so inspired by those people. Check them out!!

ciao bella!

Welcome to the BIRTHday of my blogging

Hello world...this is my first blog! I recently watched the movie "Julie and Julia" and experienced my first peek into the world of blogging as Julie began putting her thoughts out into the world...amazing! (Great movie if you havent' seen it! Specially if you love cooking!!)
Anyway...I am sitting in beautiful Nelson New Zealand, the sun is shining and summer seems set to stay - at last!! woohoo!! Been a long time coming...tho I look on some of your blogs and see that American winters are 'real' winters, and we dont' really know we're born! So I shouldn't moan! Spent a beautiful day at the beach with my family and soon-to-be son-in-law yesterday...was really lovely. Walking hand in hand with my hubby on the beach, dreaming of what we might do in the next few years...travel, especially to France...but all over Europe I think...an exciting prospect...but what about right now?

What to do today? My hubby will work on the boat, getting it ready for someone else to take it Tuna fishing, Laurah is already off to work at the local supermarket, Claire will check out honeymoon options (yes the first of my children to marry coming up this year!! wow - I'll be a mother-in-law! Now have to put all those "i'll never be THAT kind of mother-in-law" vows into practice!!)...and Bethwill be perhaps just hanging at home with mum. Might be time to start putting the Christmas decorations away...second thoughts, no...too early! All that anticipation and work of getting the house looking lovely and then to whip it all away?? might wait another week!

Anyway...had better get started on my day. Goodbye all bloggers who have dropped in...may God bless you with a wonderful creative day today!!!