There is one more softie I'm working on at the moment, and then one of these delightful critters is going to be given away here on the blog.

Keen?

For more crafty makings, go here.

We needed to pick up something early this morning, so turned our pick-up trip into a beach trip with the family.

The girls had a swim and played in the sand while the guys went for a snorkel...

Then there was a bit of wrestling in the water.  A certain teenager is getting rather strong now, and the fact he was wearing a snorkel and mask probably wasn't to Symon's advantage.

And of course, what would a beach trip be without someone trying to run on water...

Funny guys!

The kids are back to school tomorrow, so to top off an awesome morning and a not so fab afternoon (I painted the house all afternoon) we had a bit of a fun family dinner... nachos, corn on a stick smothered with sour cream and watched Nacho Libre!  Fun times all round - "Get that corn outta my face!".

Love Northland, love my family, and love that school is back tomorrow.  Woohoo!!

To see more of our fun family meals, go here. 

Yesterday, a bunch of our Whangarei bloggy crew headed out to The Pizza Barn in Waipu, to catch up with the lovely Meghan from MNMs while they were up in Northland on holiday.

We had the most awesome time.  There was loads of laughs, a heap of delicious food and more laughs.  I gave the girls strict instructions to be on their best behaviour so that we wouldn't scare Meghan off, and I think they did so well!!

Here is Meghan's fabulous photo of us (hope you don't mind me borrowing your photo Meghan)...



The bloggy fun didn't stop there.  Today a few of us had the amazing chance to have a quick catch up with Gail from Delightfully Diva-ish while her and her family were up our way.  We loved catching up with her and hearing all about her trip to China, visiting Cat etc (hi Cat!!). 
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Our kids all got on great, while us girls laughed, shed a few tears and laughed some more.



The relationships that I've formed through blogging has been amazing - there are some genuinely lovely people out there.

If you haven't heard already, there is something exciting happening soon!  The first ever New Zealand Bloggers get together has been organised in Christchurch from 12th - 14th April this year!!

Guess what?  I'm going!!  I'm embarrassed to say that even though I've flown over the other side of the world to Israel, I've never even been in my own back yard (South Island of New Zealand).  I am so looking forward to it, and have my amazing travel buddy Jackie to keep me company and help me not get lost (you rock Jackie!!).

If you are a blogger in New Zealand, come along!!  All the info is here, and spaces are filling up fast so get cracking and book your spot now before they run out.





Love my blogger friends! To check out some of our previous bloggy meet ups, go here.
To check out the blogs of our Whangarei bloggers, go here.

This guy is mega amazing, a great dad to 4 kids, fabulous husband to me, an amazing Pastor (who has been through a pretty rough year), who has also been busy renovating his old bungalow and sleeping off a midnight screening of The Hobbit.  Yes, I love seeing him have naps cause he totally deserves them.

p.s. full permission from hubby to post his naps on Instagram and here (check him and other hubbys napping on #husbandnaps)

Meanwhile she runs - she doesn't really like to run but the #mileaday conquest is going well.

Today marks 30 days in a row of running an average of 2 miles a day (3.2km).  I've definately felt the difference (shed over 5kg!) and having my daily goal set at 1 mile means it's an achievable one.  I figure there will be days when I can't do it - and that's okay!

Changing my eating habits has been the most important part as well.  Here's to a healthier 2013!

He naps & she runs - and together they are feeling way better for it!

I can't remember the last time I made a softie (just did a quick search on my blog and found out it was this one in April last year!), so it's been fun getting back into softie-making land.

When I'm busy, crafting seems to go out the window - so it's been lovely to get a bit of crafting done these holidays (along with painting the house and weeding the gardens!).

I'm loving this little guy, made totally from recycled vintage fabric (Pop Bill, can you spot some of your old slacks here?).

There are couple more in the pipeline, and I'm hoping to give one away here on the blog soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

For more crafty makings, go here.

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We love a good road trip - apart from going somewhere different as a family, it's a chance for Symon and I to usually hold a good conversation in the front of the car while we drive, without too many inturruptions.  There was the occasional, "stop him from singing to the music" or "I'm feeling like I'm going to be sick" shrilled at us from the back of the car, but for the most of it we were in the blissful land of uninterrupted grown up talk.

This road trip took us to the cute and slightly retro town of Dargaville (Northland, New Zealand). Dargaville is a small town with amazing second hand (thrift) stores.  We had heard about a few boxes of comics hidden away in one of them, and let's just say that the boys hit a gold mine!

I also was so thankful that Symon thought of me when he discovered this amazing cake plate (Old Foley, Staffordshire, England).  Beautiful and just begging to be laden with cupcakes and biscuits.

We had a tonne of fun and will definitely be making a trip there again sometime, not only to scout out the thrift stores, but also enjoy some of the other sights and places.

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We ♥ Dargaville (especially the old tram house and boat house)

Looking forward to more holiday road trips with the family sometime soon.

We've loved roasting marshmallows by the fire in the evenings.

Helping Poppa get the sand out of the cockles before we devour them!

Beautiful Russian doll via my brother & sister (in-law) in Australia

My monthly instalment of coffee beans via Coffee General

This cute Dala print purse made by the fabulous Becky - I love Dala horses!!

My fabulous little helpers painting one of the sheds (I promise this isn't slave labour...)