Birthday, Christmas, New Year

Busy times, busy times.

My birthday passed, as they do, in a blaze or flaming glory. I realised recently how much I enjoy hearing what people were given, so this post will be a list of a month of indulgence. For my birthday from my parents I got this, which I have to share with Glen, but that is ok since we share everything else anyway. From Glen I received a blinging gold Casio digital watch, which I'm rocking like it is 1987.

Christmas presented much joy, aussi. The kids got a trampoline as well as approximately $10000000 worth of Lego. The tramp is a joy for us all, Santa is one smart dude. The kids seem better able to hang out outside without constantly whining about playing on the computer or Lego Batman, and I occasionally sneak a bounce. It feels like the source of youth.

I got some tickets to the Pompeii exhibition, and a book about Pompeii. We went to see it the other day, however, my tip to you, don't go near Te Papa on a wettish day near a public holiday, because everyone in the world is there, so we'll go back when it is nice and quiet. Town was full of unicyclers. They are not the coolest dudes I've ever seen, but they look jolly happy.

I got other presents too, notably a bottle of Jagermeister (woo!) and the blingingist set of eyelash curlers you have ever seen, as well as some nomilicious chocolate sauce. The kids received some excellent movies, so I've done my bit of catching up on films (I don't think you qualify as having seen anything is about the only film you've watched is New Moon). Coraline is amazing, and most certainly not for children, Up was gorgeous.

Oh dear, I've written loads, and I wanted to not go on too much.

And the new year is almost upon us. I have some simple resolutions:

Write more (blog, memoirs (joking), newsletters, invoices)
Take my family on holiday
Read twitter less
Develop a new product to add to our range. I'm waiting for inspiration.
Focus a bit on making the businesses we already have better, more work on the website, more shop loving and more product procurement.
Possibly get a bigger house. This may mean making the one we have bigger, it may mean moving, but I don't wanna move because frankly we have great neighbours.
Bounce on the trampoline with my children often.
Take more photos.

Your resolutions?

Merry Christmas!

When I grow up I'm going to be Blondie.

Bullets!

Time for some bullet points, I reckon:

• It is my birthday soon, I'm cool with that. I'll be quite old but I have done quite a lot, so I deserve it.
• Lucinda Audrey Mae is almost 1. I KNOW. What happened to this year? She is absolutely adorable. She had an awful gastro thing, and it didn't stop her being adorable at all, which is a true sign of being ultra-adorable. I can't really be arsed with making this bullet point have fewer adorables.
• If you haven't watched it, I urge you to watch The Wire, mos def. We watched 4 seasons in very quick succession, which was a challenge, because strictly speaking we don't actually have any time, it was well worth it.
• The shops are a joy, I just love them. This time of year is what it is all about, lots of lovely customers, lots of extremely gorgeous new goodies and a nice little timeframe which culminates in da da! A holiday!
• We never stop working. The kids go to bed and I'm doing accounts and printing shirts, and Glen is packing up Dishy orders, the lure of a break after Christmas is wicked powerful.
• I am slightly biased (read: very), but I must say, our gallery and our inaugural exhibition is fricking great. Come and see it.

Gallery opening invite!

Gallery opening invite!
Originally uploaded by Wanda Harland

Please come and check out our little, but-perfectly-formed gallery. Our first exhibition includes some very terrific, Wellington artists. Items are perfect for a treat for yourself, or a Christmas gift, and you can take them home with you on the day, if you so desire.

Goodbye darling Jenny

Jenny, aka the Editter, was one of the first bloggers I met. She was a hilarious, wonderful woman. She would leave lovely comments on my blog, and subtly correct my horrendous grammar. Actually, I'm finding it a bit difficult to spell anything with her in my mind! I'd find little links she'd left all over the internet to Babylicious, in many different forums, and I was always grateful for her support.

Jenny died today, after a battle with cancer that stole her away far too quickly. Having followed her pregnancy and before that her efforts to get pregnant, things seemed to be so great. She loved being a mum, and adored her baby and family.

I'm so sad. I know my loss is the teeniest fraction of what her family must be feeling, they must be absolutely wrecked.

Bloody hell. Too sad.

Project Jamie Oliver is go

Jamie Oliver can thank me, I have purchased his app for the iphone. All the recipes look very simple, so it is a long stretch from being the Julie/Julia project. I have in a past incarnation actually been a caterer, not that this means much, but I should be able to come up with some dinner ideas without the aid of a phone app. However, it is very cute and a fun way to not think about what to make for tea. So far I've made the pea soup with ciabatta and feta croutons (delicious), papadelle with bacon and asparagus (also delicious) and last night we had crispy fried chicken (extremely delicious).

I would like to acknowledge that I know I've spelled the above Italian words wrong. I would like to acknowledge that they will remain that way.

Tonight I'm going to make cauliflower cheese risotto, because that sounds like it will be delicious, and I'm a bit over all the bread and pasta stuff.

And for the 3 people who may not have seen this clip, some dining advice from the NZ Police:



In slightly police related news, we've watched the first season of The Wire. It was brilliant, and now we roll with a slight gansta swagger and try and slip a "mos def", "Balmor" and "aiiright" into our conversation. Middle-aged, white people from Petone should probably avoid this sort of behaviour.

Hmm

Guess what, that was a month of silence, which conveniently coincided with new shop, school holidays and so on. YAWN.

Life turned into a complete freaking blur for a while there, but now I'm happily ensconced at home with the lovely Lucinda, and today with the lovely (vomiting) Finn, who remains lovely despite the lurgy.

It turns out it is much, much harder setting up a new business than running it. I have brilliant, capable people working in the shops, and all I need to do is look anxiously at the teetering pile of paperwork at home, do a bit of printing for Babylicious, package up Dishy orders and do the website stuff. Occasionally I get a turn in the Petone shop, which I enjoy a truckload. I've only "manned" the Mt Vic store for a couple of hours, which is a bit surreal. I think over the next months/years I'll get to spend plenty more time, but as long as I'm still feeding the babe, I'll be in and out like, um, something not-rude that goes in and out.

Such is my feeling of liberation, after what was frankly some pretty shit school holidays (weather and healthwise), that yesterday I read Julie and Julia (or whatever it is called, I can't be bothered leaning over to look). I really liked it, and suggested to Glen he could do the Ladies a Plate challenge, and cook something from it every day. Except really what we need is someone to cook dinner, so if you can recommend a decent dinner type cookbook, perhaps he could do that. Maybe Jamie Oliver? Anyway, ramble ramble, I really loved Julie, the author, and now I'm going to be a very good and regular blogger, and think of things to say other than "business is good, baby is cute".

Watch this space.

Update from the land of crazy

We all trotted off to the big gift fair in Auckland at the beginning of September, hauling all 5 of us and about 7 billion pieces of luggage (portacot, carseats, buggy la la la). We had a stand at the gift fair, so we all spent 4 days doing "relay parenting" and "relay selling shizz". It was a fantastic fair, we gained many awesome new stockists for Dishy and Babylicious, and I also ran around buying up large for both shops.

We spent a fairly hectic couple of days after Auckland in Whangarei on family duty. For some reason, after being pretty good in Auckland, the baby decided she couldn't sleep unless I was in permanent physical contact with her. I was veeeeeeeery tired by the end of it. Fortunately (dare I say it?) she has slept through since we got home. Dammit. I shouldn't have said it, it is bound to screw things up, but 8 months without a decent night's sleep, I feel I deserve a break.

When we got back we were delighted to find that my mother has painted the bulk of the new shop, and since then has pretty much finished the job. It looks amazing, and we feel very lucky to have her do it, especially as we hadn't figured on being so busy with the wholesale orders. Each night has seen one of us in the workshop packing orders, and one of us in the house writing up invoices and emailing customers. Our ritzy new offices and storage behind the new shop is going to make the business of being in business so much easier. The working from home thing is somewhat overrated.

And now we're on a crazy countdown to opening on Saturday the 19th. We hope to have a bit of a shindig in there on the 18th, so the deadline is tick tocking ever nearer. I've been spending a lot of time hoofing around feeling frazzled and then repeating my personal mantra for the moment "chill out, we're doing this because it is fun", and lo, it is so.

New shop new shop!

On Friday we signed a lease for a shop in Mt Victoria. It is a very beautiful space, and has loads of storage space and an office out the back. I also have visions of a bit of a gallery, but baby steps Martha, baby steps.

The whole process was as crazy as these things invariably are. Turns out I don't muck around much these days, just cut to the chase. I'm being tactful, because there was some crazy shizz going down with the negotiations, but I'll tell you that in person ;-)

We take over on the 1st of September, which happens to be the week we're at the Trade Fair in Auckland. Hopefully we'll be open by the 18th. I'm in the midst of ordering shelving, trying to suss out a counter, getting a phone, power, eftpos...

I love it!

You see junk, I see an exquisite art gallery (delusion is a necessity)


It has mountains of windows, these present a slight challenge when trying to put up lots of shelving.


It has lots of hand basins, I've toyed with having a brothel component, will maybe opt for coffee instead.

I love blogs and bloggers and real friends and new friends and online friends. I am thrilled to follow so many charming and interesting people. Just like in real life, people online face some serious challenges. Earlier this year I read with great sadness as Gorillabuns lost her beautiful boy, Thalon.

One of my first blog reads and real life encounters with a blogger was the Editter, and now she is facing her own challenge with cancer. She is a brilliant writer and a terrific person, and I want to send her all the love and support I can, via wifi and the voodoo of the internet.

Glen had a car crash last night, from which he walked away unscathed. The car is written off. Of course I got right onto Twitter, and people were so kind. Honestly, I didn't feel in the slightest bit hard done by. Just very lucky that my lovely husband is fine, and nobody was in the car with him. I know I sound a bit moony and trippy, compared to my usual hardarse self, but really, we do need to be grateful for all the good shizz. Especially gin.

Pleasantville

Yesterday morning soccer was cancelled, because it started raining, and then the rain stopped. It was like a gift, a damn fine gift of not having to herd the cats that are my children to a misty field. I enjoy soccer, chatting to other parents, but the particular brand that Finn plays (Little Dribblers) goes ALL YEAR NO HOLIDAYS EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND.

In the afternoon we walked down to the shop to meet Glen, it was a spooky, still, warm day and felt like we were in the tropics. We decided to take the 3 children to the pub and have a Guinness. CLASS ACT. Not only that, I actually fed the baby, in said pub, drinking said beer (very good for our iron levels dontcha know). I'm reminded of that movie, where Reese Witherspoon acts completely unlikeable, and the gorgeous bloke still gets her, and she squawks at Melanie Lynsky "you have a baby, a baby in a bar". I sent out an urgent missive to our pals from Espresso Rescue to join us, and we all had a lovely time plotting world domination.

We mooched home for a dinner of toast and pesto and apple schnapps (not the children, silly). I have this thing, whereby of a Saturday night, at 6pm, I feel the need to watch Ready to Roll, and then at 7pm I feel the need to watch the Muppets. Talk about bloody hardwiring of my brain, how long ago did RTR finish? So I usually hit up YouTube and give the kids a show. Last night I found this piece of brilliance.



Then Top Gun, cups of tea and ginger kisses. All up, a great day, which was followed by today, an even betterer one. I nipped out this morning, sans enfants, and bought a couple of pretty frocks for wearing at Gift Fair in Auckers in a couple of weeks, tidied, and now the baby is asleep without having cried when put down and the boys are out shooting at each other at Laser Strike (giving up good parenting/no guns was remarkably easy).

7 months

The baby is 7 months. Malo was 7 months when I started this blog. This means I fully expect to have a brain freeing experience and begin writing daily this very minute.

Well, later than this very minute, because I have important chandelier cleaning (seriously!) work to do. Then I'm going to paint it. What colour chandelier do we feel like today? I imagine this is how the Queen has to go about her days.

My boys on telly!

Chairs!

Sometime ago I committed, via blog, to doing up a hideous chair I got on Trade Me. As these things go, it hasn't happened, in fact we grew sort of fond of the mint leather and the mahogany wood.

Then we slapped ourselves around our faces and said NO. We are not going to slide into middle age with mint coloured leather and mahogany wood. We are going to try and do something like this:
from the very talented Jimmie Martin. Just need to learn about upholstery, leather painting, gilding... this project may be some time.

Random shit

• Oldest child is 7 now. Middle child is starting school soon. Baby is gorgeous.
• I feel like this is a confessional. I read all the Twilight books. They were shit, but I don't regret reading them, I don't watch rubbish telly, so clearly I read rubbish books to fill that bit of my brain.
• I now suspect quite a few people of being vampires.
• There are fireworks in Petone on Saturday, they're really worth coming to see.
• I finally got an iphone. My descent into rampant consumerism is complete.
• I need to be really productive now, to justify aforementioned phone. I feel a new business brewing, after all, it has been over a year since the last one. Someone stop me now.

Better late than never... presenting da da! The apples and pears

'sup dawgs?

Yeah, so it has been a coupla weeks, and I've gone completely gangsta. It is awesome, now I walk with a swagger and I have lots of hos and dogs and I wear bling. What is that? 1999? Oh.

Well, fact is I haven't actually gone gangsta, I've more gone work/couch/work. And on Saturday mornings the riverside market in Lower Hutt owns me. I hate to be bossy, but y'all must go there. The fruit and veges are good, great really, however, the best thing is the bread. Holy crap. There is a stall that has the most amazing array of delicious bread I have ever had the pleasure to taste. This week we got focaccia, 6 grain loaf, raisin and caraway loaf (my favourite), turkish bread, apple danishes and some gorgeous italian bap things. I will never deign to touch a loaf of bread from the supermarket again (that was an outright lie, I am the market's fair weather friend). Grab a coffee while you're there from Espresso Rescue, it is to die for (I say things like this, since rather than be gangsta perhaps I'll go for being drama queen).


My baby is splendid. She is 6 months soon, and possibly the most delectable little piece of gorgeousness in the world. I'm feeling great, and would like another 10 babies now, but I think I'll have to get one of those Indian surrogates, because I can't really be fagged with all the pregnancy shizz again.


Business is booming. I'm touching wood as I write that though, 'cos I'm sure the recession will make it out to Petone at some stage and I'll be eating my words, or perhaps it won't and Petone will be a lovely little bubble of recession-denial.


Right, I appear to still have the ability to write more than 140 characters together, but I don't seem to have the power to make it cohesive or meaningful. Welcome to my world.

48 Hours

My clever friend Tinks entered the 48 hour film thingymajig, here is his film. I think it is very, very funny. Very dry.

It is 7 minutes long.

Puddle Finishing School, Part IV Church Protocol from Momentum Studios on Vimeo.

Total Eclipse - literally

My project of bringing back "literally" just got some strong support, from Bonnie Tyler.

I know most of the world has seen this, but it still makes me giggle, a lot. A lot. Please leave a note with your favourite line. Mine is near the end.

Time for some random lovin'

• I am an apple and pear printing machine. The shop will shortly be full of items bearing apple and pear images. Sorry owls, I still likes ya, but my heart now belongs with the fruits. I will post photos tomorrow (setting myself a deadline).
• We have rearranged the menu at Babylicious. I still want to move the scroll bar and banner, but sometimes Glen takes 10 years to convince. I think it is much better, and it will make adding extra products much easier (we've decided to add 5 products a day before we can watch and Green Wing).
• The chiddlers and I went to a splendid birthday party in the land that time forgot, today. Well, Whiteman's Valley is the official name. It was all misty and felt about 7000 miles from home. I felt very slightly claustrophobic driving there, because of all the mysticalness. Mind you, I felt quite claustrophobic after we got the underfloor insulation this week, so I'm not to be trusted.
• Thanks to everyone who voted for my frock in the challenge. We won! I'm expecting a knock on the door any minute from Vogue for assistance in their layouts.

Voting time!

The lovely Megan has challenged readers to come up with an outfit:

If a dashing young(ish) man approached you on the street, and wanted to whisk you off for a romantic and unexpected date, featuring dinner and dancing and assorted fun times. What would you wear?

I had some fun in the middle of the night, feeding the mostbeautifulbabyintheworld, playing on Polyvore (first timer), and came up with this:

Yellow by Wandaharland

Go on, vote for me! Or don't if you prefer someone else's choice, but go on! Or if you don't feel inclined to vote, perhaps buy me the outfit?

Also, suggestions for who the young(ish) bloke might be are welcome. There was one in mind who certainly isn't in the twilight of his years. Ohmigod, biggest clue ever.

Mememememe with unfortunate spacing issues...

What is your current obsession?
Red Kenwood hand blender, the latest in a bizarre appliance obsession. The appliances themselves are not bizarre, but suddenly wanting them?

What is your weirdest obsession?
The shop allows many obsessions. Things with swear words on them, things made of teatowels, owls, pigs, horses with hair-dos...

What are you wearing today?
Chalky Digits merino top (love selling clothes!), old shitty black merino under, skirt from um..Gregory? Completely impractical white-ish suede boots, because I like to challenge practicality with things that will become ruined in two wears, and a foxy pendant from Meadowlark. I'm not all about pimping the shop, but you did ask.

What's for dinner?

Quesadillas, salad, Stone's Green Ginger Wine (totally medicinal, to treat alcoholism).

What would you eat for your last meal?
Gusto's premium Angus rib-eye w Manchego butter, hand-cut fries & jus followed by one of their cheese plates.

What's the last thing you bought?
Inside Out magazine and Lego Pirate SomethingorothertotallyabribeforMalo from Moore Wilson's. Or if you really want to know, lots of stuff for the shop (today I ordered Envirosax, Longest Drink cups, Nature Baby, pinboards...).

What are you listening to right now?
Swish of the washing machine, hum of the heater.

What do you think of the person who tagged you?
I only met Sas once, before she buggered off overseas. She is a hilarious writer, and I suspect a completely fabulous person. If she ever returns to our shores I'd definitely like to go out on the razz with her.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
New York, although I've never been there, so I'm completely basing it on tv shows. Probably, if I were sensible and went for somewhere I have been, then Barcelona.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
To Tokyo, to see my lovely sister and her family.

Which language do you want to learn?
LOL speak.

What is your favorite colour?
At the moment yellow, but I'm very faddy and disloyal to colours.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
Pink, 70s, swirly halter dress I wore when I was about 19.

What is your dream job?
Shopkeeper (fortunately).

What's your favourite magazine?
Inside Out, it is the only decor mag that makes me like my house when I read it.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
This, I realise I'd have to supplement it with approximately $20000.

Describe your personal style?
Erm, buy something quite boring and wear it for way too long - WITH A NECKLACE. Edgy.

What are you going to do after this?

Try and stay awake to watch Rove.

What are your favourite films?
God, I dunno. I really want to see the new Transformers movie, but that is because the children have been messing with my brain, clearly.

What's your favourite fruit?
Raspberries.

What inspires you?
People who quit what they're doing and do something they want to do, no matter what it is.

Do you collect anything?
Art, piles of paper, receipts.

Your favourite books?

I am so handsome. This book is fricking brilliant, and makes me laugh every time I read it.

What are you currently reading?
Twitter.

Go to your book shelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line:
"Massage & Bath topless". I really wanted to cheat, since it is a book of photos, fortunately the photo had some dead classy words.

By what criteria do you judge a person?
Whether they shudder at the paraphernalia in the shop with rude words, or the irreverent Jesus stuff.

What skill would you like to acquire immediately?

I'd like to be able to bash out tunes on a guitar or piano for singalongs.

The rules:
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag eight other people. Tagging, with love:Make Tea Not War, Hana, Wendy, Rose, Oy Vey, Lara, Harvest Bird, the Pretties, Emma (even though she has something brewing), Styler

Oops, I just kept on tagging. I wanted to tag more people, but since 10 is excessive enough, please consider yourself tagged if you're at all interested. I may or may not have fulfilled the criteria for finishing this meme.

The Queen of Vague Proclaims and Decrees

Pantyhose companies, please brand your product, so that when a pair of tights is brilliant the owner can replace it with another pair, and not risk the crap-tights-of-doom scenario which so often afflicts one.

You may have this idea for free. Might I suggest somehow embroidering it onto the waist band.

Yours etc.

Queen of Vague Notification

I'm far to lazy and vague to check whether I've recommended Fuck You Penguin here before, so I'll recommend it now.

I recommend Fuck You Penguin. It is hilarious.

Toodles.

It has been 10 days since my last confession

• We bought a very Design*Sponge project chair on Trademe. I'm saying it here to force us to actually tart the thing up, otherwise you could call it a total Nana chair, and in our tiny house exploding with furniture, this is not such a smart move.
• The red-headed child is a terrible, terrible sleeper. I don't feel wretched with it, like my experience with previous babies I have known, but I have had to let go of being brainy at all. I am now the Queen of Vague.
• Today I have committed our Babylicious and Dishy businesses to a selling trip to the big gift fair in Auckland in August/September. I'm doubting my sanity, we did it last year and it was hard work, but you know, snooze you lose.
• I'm going to put a pig themed window display in the shop tomorrow. Snappy ideas for words welcome. Upon thinking about it we realised we have a lot of pig paraphenalia, so Viva la Pork! Free le bacon! Crate Miss Piggy!
• Have an irrational desire to read Twilight books. Send help.
  

Very Serious and Important Reviews of Important Things

Banoffie Pie Toffee Pops:
In a moment of online shopping weakness you may find yourself adding Banoffie Pie flavoured Toffee Pops to your order. Might I suggest you pause, and decide for yourself whether or not you really think banana flavoured bickies are going to be yummy or a bit creepy. I'll leave it there.
Twilight
Worth watching twice, if only to see it knowing why Edward looked so, erm, constipated all the time (the answer is angst). I enjoyed it, I think maybe it is the modern equivalent of Dirty Dancing, without being as totally awesome, and with an appropriately aged teen heart throb, as opposed to Patrick Swayze. Since seeing it I have spent too much time thinking about whether Bella and Edward should hook up, and I totally think that Edward should have gone for someone older, maybe about 36ish, because someone that age is a lot less flighty, and may already have a family and have all that stuff out of her system. Just saying.

If you can't laugh, what can you do?

From the fabulous Mike, my favourite piggie joke, I'll be yelling it when they cart me out of here:

I have Swine Flu, call a hambulance and make sure there's plenty of oinkment.

The world ticks along, since I lost wrote we're in the midst of an almost pandemic, of a flu with an even more amusing name than the bird flu. I've got a cold. I'm trying to be very brave and not put two and two together, but you know I WAS AT AN AIRPORT LAST WEEK.

Okay, I'm not in the slightest bit concerned. I felt a lot worse when I had a hangover a few days ago, after I drank no less than 6 bottles of Fiasco wines with charming and badly-leading-me-astray friends. And I haven't got any fever, but I would be open to lashings of home baking, delivered to our doorstep right this very minute.

I did have some sort of paranoid delusional hallucination type things last night, related to too much watching Dollhouse, and fear of the effect Twitter is having on my own ability to write. I think Twitter is much scarier than Google, and they'll own everything and everyone soon, you heard it here first.

On the general news front, the boys are tall and handsome, the baby is petite and rolling and gurgling and gorgeous, and she is a redhead! We're quite surprised, but go a couple of generations back, and there are a few. I'm jealous, she'll never have to put Effecton Mahogany Copper in her hair.

The shop is bloody fun. We've had some clothes in, and they continue to sell well, so I feel like that particular experiment is a great success, and other good stuff too, like handbags and la la la. Come in and see.

There goes my attention span, fully expired.

Mwah.

No Country for Old Men

Review:

That Spanish bloke was good. Josh Brolin was good. That sheila from Trainspotting was good. Tommy Lee was good, much better than in the movie with Pammy. The Mexicans were good. Then I fell asleep. I hear that it wasn't a fairytale ending.

Ear worm

I tried to sneak this onto Glen's cellphone as the ringtone. I won't go into the numerous reasons I couldn't, but they had nothing to do with my skillz, and everything to do with a website that starts with V and ends with odafone.



I've had this song going through my head for approximately 3 weeks, it cracks me up, and I think I must be about 12 years old. I don't feel too badly though, Harvestbird put me onto it, and she is like, a TOTAL brainiac.

New stock arrived today

I immediately stole "confused" and wore it in the shop. Most of the others were applicable, but "confused" sums me up at the moment best.

I blame tax returns.

I'm prepared to admit this is the cutest girl baby ever

Lucinda
Originally uploaded by Wanda Harland

Nothing much

• Please, how are the people on Grand Designs so damn rich?
• In notes of shallowness, I finally chose a new bag, it is PRETTY.
• And I went to the MAC counter and let them stick stuff on my face, and then went "yes yes yes", and was very relieved that I had vouchers to pay with, 'cos eek. Mind you, I only buy makeup about once a decade, so I'm okay.
• We're heading up to Te Kopuru via Whangarei tomorrow for Glen's grandma's funeral. She lived a long and fruitful life, and I think it will be a good experience. Plus Lucinda will meet her Nana for the first time, which is lovely.
• Our crops are spent (well, our cherry tomatoes, nothing else really took). What shall we plant next?
• I made quilts! It was fun, and would make a quilter keel over dead in horror, such is my technique. I probably won't make more, because I think two were fun and more would be really tedious.
• Did I mention the pox? Oh, I did? Well they're gone, never to return. THANK SWEARWORDIDONTUSENOWBECAUSEIMAPROFESSIONAL (except when talking).
• We watched approx 2 minutes of No Country for Old Men the other night, and it was pretty grim, should we persist? Bearing in mind we're total soft-cocks now.
  

He died. His poor, poor family. Whoorl has written a beautiful piece about him here.

There but for the grace... and all that

I was going to have a whine about the fact the baby has chicken pox, and go on a bit about what a lovely day we had, but it all pales a bit in comparison to this.
I've been reading Gorillabuns for a few months, since we have babies the same age, and she writes so truthfully about it all, and also has a good healthy hankering for some vodka. I can't imagine what she is going through, but I'm sending all the powers of the universe I can conjure up for her little boy.

House and Garden

We've given Finn our old digital camera, and I am loving his pictures. This is my favourite photo ever, helped by Malo in red undies. Every 4 year old should be sporting red undies, they're faster.

Le chien

Unexpected consequences of sending the dog to a better home:

I have to vacuum under the table EVERY DAY, Florence used to hoover up crumbs for us.

Julio, the cat, has moved into the dog's kennel, and he thinks he rules the world.

Le blogging, le sigh

Each day I used to mull over things, and blog posts would form themselves. Now, in the darkest of night when I start mulling over ideas I invariably come up with an apologetic post about why I'm too busy for thinking, and I berate myself because YAWN, nobody cares about that. So I'll say it this once, I am busy busy busy, all the time.

At the moment I should be busily trawling through receipts to do the stocktake, and I have been doing that, but gawd BORING. I did manage to finally go through 2500 shirts, because we had a quality problem, and each one needed checking. I'd say I threw out half of them, which sort of killed me, but was also very pleasingly purging because now I don't have to be disappointed when I reach into a box and haul out a wonky piece of shit.

The shop is going great guns, we've ventured tentatively into adult's clothing. Not much, I have no intention of being a clothing shop, but we were approached by a gorgeous NZ company, and I thought it was worth a punt. They have been so popular! And we have lovely new bags and other stuff that keeps the job interesting.

Poor Malo has chicken pox now, and he is absolutely covered in spots. I have another week inside with him, which is okay, but a bit sucky for him.

And Twitter still owns me. I can reach over when I'm feeding and knock out a few words, it is the perfect place for my sketchy, stretched brain.

Rebel

Breaking my Sunday blogging trend, I'm going to write now, even though I have a vague feeling I should be turning off for earth hour. Does it count that my laptop isn't plugged in? Oh, it doesn't? Oh well, tomorrow I'll plant a tree to make up for it (the modern equivalent of "hail Marys").

Twitter owns me, to be perfectly honest. I think in 140 character mind bites now. I'm not certain if this is a natural progression after a few years of blogging, or if I can attribute it to having a baby/shop/business/children and my spare brain time being devoted to how to manage stocktake and how to configure the new shelving and not to cool trivia shit.

So, to be pretty boring, here is what is on my mind:

• I need to write a shop newsletter, because we have very pretty new Saben bags arriving on Monday or Tuesday, and we have some very foxy clothes from Chalky Digits, and we have some baby gears from Nature Baby arriving next week.
• Tonight, while I do important blogging stuff, Glen is hanging the new shelves at the shop. New shelves make me stupidly happy.
• Young Finn has chicken pox. We had a splendid chicken pox party last night, whereby he was charged with infecting two delightful kiddies, and we were charged with inebriating their parents and introducing them to the joys of Singstar.
• My sister and nephew go back to Japan tomorrow. Boo. I like having them in the 'hood, and now I need to go to Tokyo.
• Everything anecdote I share at the moment relates to Outliers. On Twitter I saw John Mayer and Ashton Kucher mention it, I feel a little bit ick about this.
  

Pow

• Yesterday I dressed up in pretty new clothes and worked in my shop, it was very fun. I worked twice, for an hour each time. Best not to work too hard, ruins my image.
• Yesterday I cooked this for dinner. Felt very bloody hip using a recipe from Design*Sponge. Man, I remember when Design*Sponge was just a wee blog.
• We're still getting lots of cherry tomatoes (hence above recipe), despite this fact I've rather be Margo from the Good Life than the chipmunk lady. Margo had class, and a lot of gin.
• Singstar owns me. I had to get Queen Singstar today. I spent my teens being immensely scathing of Queen. Teenage Martha thinks Today Martha is a dick. Felt very dicky when a friend popped by and Glen and I were warbling along terribly to something (I've blanked out what tune it was, it was too mortifying).
  
• I'm knackered. The baby is lovely, but she has appalling sleeping habits.

Wee hee

Much as I loved maternity leave, it was bloody hard remaining hands off with the business, but I'm pleased to say that everything has gone magnificently, and I'm well chuffed with my new staff and how well everything went in my absence.

We're going to share the parenting of the kiddlies, so I'm not exactly going to be working full time, but I think this is a great opportunity for Glen to have a hands on role with my divine baby, and allow me to continue feeding and all that shizz.

Life with 3 kids is grand. They're all getting along well, and we're all smitten with the baby. She is awesome.

Darn, this post is lacking a certain hard-nosed, cynical edge. Fact is it was a beautiful sunny day, I weeded the lawn, printed some shirts, had some sushi, and feel great.

I taught him everything I know

Letter by Finn (6) (completely unaided) (knows how to use brackets) (unlike many older persons of his acquaintance):

To club penguin.
My name is tommyfinlay(on club penguin).
My real name is finn.
I chose to make art that other penguins just like as much as club penguin and I think I do good art just as you would think of the fun penguins play on your awesome club.
By finn.

Now, where was I?

On holidayyyyyyyyyy in Opunakeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

We stayed at a gorgeous wee bach by the sea, which I heartily recommend, really lovely place and the price is right. The trip up was great, the kids behaved well and the weather was gorgeous.

It was our first holiday for freaking ages, we went to the Fun Ho Toy Museum, we caught up with great friends and the amazing new person they've been growing, we bought a tres foxy painting and did lots of scheming to make our business better and our home less cramped (in short we're going to employ the Tardis designers to alter the time/space continuum, or summat).

My maternity leave finishes in 4 days. I am ready.

25 Random Things (I've lost the will to resist being tagged with this)

1. I clocked Donkey Kong. That was enough to fulfill my gaming needs forever.
2. Our dog has ruined one of my favourite hobbies, which was picking weeds out of the lawn, bloody dog poos. It was more fun than picking split ends, if you can believe that.
3. In 2008 I didn't read any books. In 2009 I've read about 12. Working cramps my leisure style.
4. I don't really know how to do anything properly, but I'm fairly good at bluffing.
5. I like hanging up washing, but hate bringing it in.
6. When I went to university I planned to become a journalist, so I studied art history and politics, but it became apparent I can't write. Ironically I'm writing now.
7. My English teacher at school did a crap job of teaching me when to use "ironically", also grammar and like, writing (see 6).
8. I drink and I don't stop. I was once always the last to leave, now I barely go.
9. I've got one paper to go in a PGDipBusAdmin end. Comm. I chose it because I needed more letters after my name, and it seemed like the quickest route.
10. I hate swimming in the sea, I'm terrified of sea creatures and and human body parts in the water. I'm not going to let the kids know this.
11. I like to have the correct glassware for what we're drinking, and I'm a sucker for crystal.
12. Pukas are my favourite tree, they're so lush and tropical looking.
13. I was in a theatresports team at school. We never did theatresports, just lolled around discussing our team name, which I can't remember.
14. My children, Glen and I all have different blood types. Mine was the rarest until Lucie was born, she stole my thunder and is much rarer than me. I don't mind, she is cute and has a gummy smile.
15. I make really gorgeous children, but I try not to boast.
16. I'd write a novel, but I spend hours trying to come up with the first line, and it sends me into a black hole of despair.
17. Janola is the solution to all household cleaning problems.
18. In the 80s I tried to have flicky, side-sweeps in my hair, but my hair is very gravity led, and no amount of mousse or gel could fix it.
19. I've been waiting a long time to be grown-up enough to wear high heels, but they still hurt my feet, and I guess it just isn't a grown-up issue.
20. My belief in aetheism is strong. I have no doubts.
21. I believe children should grow up in a house with a piano, like I did. We don't have a piano.
22. I've learned piano, violin and clarinet, all for quite a few years. I'm really crap at them.
23. I've learned German and French for quite a few years, I'm really crap at them.
24. I can never remember quotes or lyrics correctly, this ruins my anecdotes all the time, which would otherwise be legendary good.
25. I've just bought a filing cabinet, so I'd better leave this self indulgent codswallop and go and arrange to get it.
    

Fings wot I'm bringing back

• Saying "not" at the end of sarcastic statements. So much simpler than wondering if people get it.
• Saying "literally" at every opportunity. Really awesome and simple way of sounding intelligentlier.
• Air quotes. Chanelling 4th form English teacher, and really bolding your speech. Plus people think you're literally really literate.

Review of shizz

In a single-handed attempt to revitalise the economy, over the summer I've accumulated quite a lot of stuff. I also blame some pregnancy brain hormonal thing, because my consumerist tendencies hit a new peak.

What is better than acquiring new stuff? Why, a series of reviews in bullet point format, of course.

• Cuisinart Soft Serve Icecream Maker. I hinted strongly, and my obliging parents obliged and gave me this for my birthday. I really love it. We've used it heaps, it is very simple, impresses the pants of people (literally! (I'm bringing back the inappropriate use of "literally")), works quickly, can be used for amazing icecream as well as frozen yoghurt and soft serve, has dispenser thingies to appeal to the kiddies. I can't fault it, and give it an A++
• Playstation 2. We needed a new DVD player, and I got an obsession with trying out Singstar, so we treated ourselves to a Playstation 2 (which was fantastically cheap with all the Boxing day sales and so on). I think at this stage I was about 9 days past my due date, and I couldn't sustain a note on Singstar to save myself. We've ended up with quite a few Singstar games, and even after hearing it 786 times, the boys singing Daydream Believer still brings tears to my eyes. A++
• Paella pan. Fabulous friends invited me for a delicious paella lunch, which planted the seed. A voucher from my dear sister provided the means, and we've enjoyed many paellas over the last few weeks. They're so easy and so delicious, I recommend to all. A++
• Sodastream. More voucher fun meant we could get a Sodastream. I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted one (I know, loser), and my friend pointed out how kind it is to the environment, and voila! We have lots of fizzy water. Take that Evian. A++
• Ladies, a Plate. Reading Ms Make Tea Not War's review of aforementioned book made me hanker after it, and I was delighted to use the remainder of the voucher from Ms Hana for the book. I can report that the banana cake is extremely good, we haven't gone past that yet. A++

I might remember some more appliances or something at some stage. I daresay they'll get A++ too, for that is how I roll.

Did you get anything I can obsess over until I convince myself that I need it, and will single handedly save the economy of the country with my rampant spending?

Slightly above average

Turns out the colossal squid is, um, not quite as big as I thought. I think what I need is a gargantuan squid.

Routine

In case you were wondering, the reason I don't write much at the moment isn't because I'm snowed under with three kiddies, but mainly because I'm pretty sure people won't be that interested in the things I'm interested in. I'm perfectly willing to acknowledge that the baby looking at the bookshelf isn't as exciting as, say, um, someone giving the prime minister the biff, but to me the baby looking at the bookshelf is really awesome. And the contents of her nappy are a source of constant amazement. And the boys saying quite earnestly that she is "the most beautiful baby in the world" is quite touching. And her little legs stretching out more often so she is less a foetal little ball and more a human being is quite wonderful. And her little eyelashes extending beyond her formerly puffy eyes is quite lovely. And her sleeping for a good 6 hour stretch is quite a relief.

So until I can write a decent post about important things, like telly and beer, I'll shut my (internetty) gob.

Life in the house of crazy

Occasionally ma bebe looks like this:



but more often she looks like this:



but you know, she is almost 4 weeks old, and I recall that they get over the scratchy thing at some point in the next 3 years, and at some point in the next year I get to have gin, so that is something to look forward to.

And might I say, bloody hell, everyone should have a third baby because a) obviously they're awesome b) if you're going to have your own militia this is probably the most economical way but mainly c) people are insanely generous with their COOKING. We've been surprised with cakes, bickies, meals, the works. People are lovely.

Announcing Lucinda Audrey Mae!

Man, what a mission. My beautiful girl finally has a name, Lucinda (Lucy) Audrey Mae.

We're fab, she is sweet as, doesn't sleep that much but I don't really mind. I don't know if it is the case for everyone, but this third baby thing is pretty cool. I'm not stressed or anxious about her, which is tres bonne.

Now I must go and feed her for seventeen more hours.

Yeah yeah

I know, I know, no name, bad parents yada yada. It isn't as if we haven't been trying, we had a lovely long list and nothing is right. I think maybe tomorrow. I certainly think we should have a name before she hits a week old.

The baby is splendid. She is tanned and lovely, in a jaundiced way, which means the only time in her life that she has olive skin she is 1 week old.

We're really great, actually. With both boys we were trapped in hospital for almost a week, and it really sucked. I think people have this romantic view of lying around in hospital being waited on, but when you're there because your kid is sick, you'd just rather not be. So we have felt very lucky to be home since day 2.

Here is the birth story, won't be too graphic, it actually wasn't too graphic, but don't read on if you a) have a romantic view of childbirth or b) like to think of me as a cool ice queen.

We arrived at hospital nice and early. I'm always ridiculously prompt (apart from with baby due dates), so the specialist's vague 8.30-9 meant we were there at a nice shiny 8.15. He was there at a nice late 10.30, and promptly inserted the prostin gel stuff where the sun don't shine (how many euphemisms will I be able to come up with in an entire birth story?). I was pretty pleased when he said the head was low.

Lots of waiting, went to a cafe, visited my friend down the hallway who'd had her baby a few days earlier, went and checked out the darkest reaches of the hospital (I can offer directions to the Diabetes Unit and don't recommend the "healthy" hot chips at the canteen - no salt! Bleurgh!). I ate truckloads, actually. Previous labours I'd been firmly instructed not to, and had starved. Nobody told me not to, so I ate everything in sight.

1pm, no action. Specialist inserted more prostin.

Getting antsy. While we wait, I'll explain my decision to use a specialist. My previous babies were both induced. I didn't necessarily feel this was necessary the second time, and felt like the decision wasn't really one I could discuss with someone in authority, so this time I thought I'd go straight to the top. Plus, my first son had caught Group B strep in labour and was very sick. This was due to my doctor forgetting to give me antibiotics, my midwife being sick, my stand-in midwife not reading the notes, my midwife not passing on the info. All up we ended up with a very sick child, and lots of people to blame. There is nothing good about that.

With Malo, they didn't get the antibiotics in in time, and he was born with a temperature and possible Group B strep. Talk about crap. So, this time I took the responsibility upon myself and engaged a totally top notch obstetrician. Turns out the dude was ace, and had more booze in his office than we have at home, which is the attitude I respect.

So, contractions start up, and I'm proud of myself for being in control and saying "ride the wave" and thinking positive thoughts about how it was all for the good and working to get everything ready, and we thought we'd better get the specialist to check me out because I'm in pain - ha! I get examined at about 6.50pm, and I haven't got ANYWHERE. 0cm dilated, nothing effaced, waters can't be broken nada.

The specialist offers me some platitudes about how it is likely to be the next day, and he knows it is like period pains, and I should get some sleep. He reassures me I'll get my epidural, it won't be like my last labour, they promise. He leaves, I start crying and misery gutsing to Glen, and if you insert a swear word at every asterisk you'll get the idea:

"**** period pains, I like to * see * him have ** period pains like these ** I don't want to * do it, I can't * do it, I need an epidural ***********" ad nauseum.

And then it really gets very painful. Glen races out to get the midwife and some gas, and she examines me, and in the preceeding 20 minutes I've dilated 3cm and my cervix has moved around (whatever that means) and now I can't talk, because it really really hurts.

The specialist arrives maybe about 7 days later, maybe half an hour? He has some drugs on him, but they don't really touch the sides. Can't even notice them. I'm lying on my side just sucking gas for something to do really. The gas gives me that nice feeling of being a bit spinny when you're about to puke your guts out when you're drunk. Not quite the happy juice I remember from the last time.

And all my proclamations of not being a screamer are out the window. Except I'm not really screaming, more just audibly wishing to die. Please, kill me.

Exactly the same as my last labour the anesthetist is stuck in surgery. No epidural.

And then I feel a brick in my bowel area. Like a big, hard, gritty brick. And I think perhaps I can just keep it quiet, because I have a hideous feeling they're going to make me get this brick out in a most unnatural way. Sure enough, they look and tell me it is a baby, and in two pushes I can have it out. They don't seem to realise that I'm dying and that I couldn't push a little cottonball down a steep incline, but they keep on at me, and I'm compelled to stop yelling when they tell me to, and make a vague sound like I might be co-operating. I don't think I really do much pushing, and in 2 contractions the baby is out.

And I feel ********* amazing. Really, absolutely immediately amazing. My baby is out, I never have to do it again, I can walk, it is 8.45pm.

Part of the amazing feeling could possibly be those narcotics the doctor slipped me, which didn't help ease the pain, but I suspect contributed to my charming exhilarated immediately afterwards.

The midwife said I did an excellent job pushing (they say nice things like that), and told me the baby was lovely (which she is, but I know newborns look funny), they're so kind.

And that is all.

Best thing I've heard all day

Midwife: "For the next six weeks do exactly the opposite of what you'd do on a diet. Lots of toasted sandwiches, bacon and eggs and have fish and chips for lunch".

If you were looking for a reason to have a baby, there you go.

baby

baby
Originally uploaded by Wanda Harland

she is here! Still no name, sorry.

She was 8 lb 3 oz. If anyone wants to know the birth story, I'm happy to share, but I don't want to gross people out needlessly.

B day

I'm off to the horse piddle now.

If you're super keen, I may or may not update Twitter, depending on whether that seems a good idea at the time.

I'm damned excited.