I drive him crazy

One of my new favorite bloggers, Laurie inspired me last week.. She wrote a very amusing post on being a good wife, you can check it out here, it cracked me up.

It made me think of my lovely husband. And then it made me think about all the ways I drive him crazy. So then I tried to count the ways, so to speak. After a period of self reflection, I have come up with a list. (Note, this is from my point of view, there is probably way more if you were to ask him).

- Battery - When I am on the laptop and the battery gets to a critical level - like, when the warning dialog box comes up, never fail, I start yelling "battery! battery! battery!" at my top volume until he gets annoyed and gets up and plugs the battery in. Lol it cracks me up to think of it, cos even I can appreciate how annoying it is.

- Fridge - I have no idea why. But, for some reason. I very rarely close the fridge door. Either I push it, it doesn't shut, and I don't stick around to check, or, I get distracted and walk away leaving it wide open. So usually 10 minutes later Rob will call out "Meow, you forgot the door again". I think the bloody thing is preferentially weighted or something.

- Driving ticket - I accidentally got Rob his first driving ticket on Friday. We were driving along a main road, and we went to turn left onto another main road. There was a sign that said "no turns" but it wasn't specific in directions, so when Rob said, "are you sure we can turn" and I said "yes" I felt fairly confident. To me, the sign was ambiguous. I interpreted it to mean "No U turns". However, the police officer waiting around the corner, whose sole responsibility is to ping people turning there, did not agree with my "interpretation". I mean, come on, there are people being shot in the arse daily in Houston, and this is your job? Did you piss someone off like in a movie, and you got stuck with that job, or do you just dig being a D-...... wait, I take full responsibility for this one. Just make clearer signs Houston.

- Dancing - I like to think that this drives him crazy in a "man, she is loveable" kind of way. I like to dance. In the middle of an intense football game, when its bed time, in the supermarket, at Target, at the gym, in libraries. Pretty much anywhere. I especially love standing in front of the TV when he is watching it, and breaking into a Nineties-esque boy band dance, that I am choreographing in my head as I dance it.

- Dress buying - I don't know if this makes him crazy, or if it is a useful tool for subduing me. Like, its a hobby/obsession for me. So, in theory, if he ever wanted to get me to do something or cheer me up, dress buying is a handy tool. However, I am sure the phrase "No actually, I don't have a pink colored polka dot dress..... maybe I have one in maroon, salmon and red, but not pink" must drive him a little crazy.

- Random thoughts - When I am not at work or being serious, I have trouble keeping thoughts straight in my head. I think about a lot of different things. So I am constantly asking random questions. Here is what a drive to the supermarket with me is like...
"If you were a cupcake, what flavour would you be?"
"Hey meow, what year were did the Faulklands war start?"
"Where are the Faulklands?"
"Why are they called the Faulklands? did they create forks there?"
"No, that is not a stupid question.. Manila folders come from Manila....
 ..Don't they?"
"Hey Maui, what is the Maori name for Foot? I can think of ear, and nose and mouth, and tummy.. but not foot.."
"What do you think the Maori word for Eel was before white man came to New Zealand?"
"Have you ever tried Eel?"
"Daddy tried jellied Eel once, but he said it was yuck.. Hey what was that corn stuff you tried once..?"
"Hey Meow, don't look but I think we have a tail... Im serious, I think we are being followed. Just kidding, wanna get burgers?"

- Weird eating habits - So, I am a weird eater. I try to only eat foods that I think are calorically "worth" it and that varies every day. My eating is a post all by itself, but I know it drives Rob nuts. Like, he loves a nice breakfast out, and I am a pain in the arse, because I never like the breakfast I order. And I go through phases when all I want to eat is soup. I also have a phase which comes and goes when I get the need to douse everything with Tobasco. Including his beautiful Lasagne.

- OCD - We are both OCD, but in different ways. This will sound straight out mean, but I know if I want to annoy him I just need to move the coasters into an asymmetrical pattern. I very rarely do it. I promise.

So I was aiming for 10 but I think anyone reading this is probably feeling very sorry for Rob right now, and I am about to lose a bunch of friends lol. But seriously, he really is so patient and loving, depsite my insanity.

Thanks Meow xx

Life Lately - Day 14 of Blogtember

Well, you know what.. Life is good.

Happy Monday everyone!

Wait.... No Fall?

So I learned a sad thing yesterday.. 

As the blogging world goes crazy for Fall, with photos of golden leaves, pumpkins and cardigans, I am sitting here sweating in Houston. A friend told me that there isn't really Fall in Houston, just a kind of humid, cloudy month or two and then one day you notice it's cooler and then it's winter. 

Bugger.

So, I have taken this as a challenge to seek out Fall (or Autumn) as we call it in Kiwi land. I am on the look out for any sign and will be letting y'all know in a series affectionately named, "Fall, where are you?".

If any of you know places in Houston that I might find evidence of Fall, please let me know. It seems that in going to need all the help I can get. 

This is what I am looking for.. We shall see. Source.

 

Self Portrait - Day 9 of Blogtember

Here I am.






















This is my post for Day7 of Blogtember. Today's prompt is to post a self portrait. To read more about Blogtember head over to the "Story of My Life blog" here.

Throwback Thursday - Happy Birthday Child-o!

This week I am thinking about a fellow badger lover, whose birthday is this week...

Renee I wrote you a poem. Cos Im pretty talented. A word smith if you will. If I wrote a book about you it would be with all the words in this poem.

R ad and Riccadona drinker
E ntertaining and good at Soduku
N utty
E ater of cheese. Like really, cheese monger
E asily the best laugh ever

S uper sweet and goofy
C reative and smart
H appiest when with her family and friends
I ntelligent. Like, majorly smart
c ooker of cakes and yum things. Especially cinnamon pinwheel scones
K arate kicking kid
E nthusiastic badger fanatic 
R eader of many books. Mostly ones with words in them



Happy birthday poppet, I love you and miss your face xox 

Turn Around Bright Eyes - Day 6 of Blogtember

Or how I ended up licking rocks, hunting fossils and peeing in a cave.


So, my first word was "water".
My favorite animal as a child was an Orca. And I would inform people quite quickly that "Actually, I think you will find than an Orca is a mammal". Cos I totally rated myself as the ultimate fountain of knowledge on Whales and/or Dolphins.
My birthday and christmas present requests were generally Cetacean related.
I could pronouce "Marine Biologist" before I could count to 50.

I was that kid. Yep. My whole life I wanted to be a Marine Biologist. I mean like, every class in school was based on that and it was just my ultimate dream. So, when the time came, I packed up and moved away to University in order to fulfill this dream.

Nek Minnit (as they say), I took a class on it.

And you know what? I just didn't really like it. Go figure.

At the same time as I was not really loving the class, I turned up to a class that I hadn't really read the description of (yep, nice future planning Sarah).  In the first lecture we were told there would be a week long field trip, mapping the geology in a Valley near Port Waikato. At that point, I nearly left class. Honestly, at that point in my "personality" or life I guess, it just didn't interest me. But I stayed.

And thank goodness for that.

I took the class. Went on the field trip. And absolutely LOVED the geology. It just made sense to me. And, it seemed like a discipline where I could take my passion for all the other sciences, and combine them to enjoy this exciting and interesting field of knowledge. It explained all the processes occurring around me, shaping the earth. I was hooked. On that first mapping trip we found fossils, saw waterfalls, climbed up hills, climbed down hills, rocked around the paddocks, got charged at by bulls, fell in a stream, saw some absolutely stunning parts of New Zealand, laughed our arses off and just really had fun.

That was that. I got my first A+ at University and for the first time, more importantly, I really enjoyed the class and field work. But that field trip was when, in my own mind, I became a geologist - my turning point, well and truly. And, as cheesy as it sounds, I have never looked back. 

Wading through a Lahar on Ruapehu.

Often my role on a field trip was being a lumpy kind of scale.

Fi and I on Ngauruhoe.

At the smallest outcrop in history. I look pretty impressed.

Rob and I taking a break from the mighty climb, Ngauruhoe.

Rob and I at my Masters field site. Safety glasses and beanies. Hot stuff.

This is my post for Day 6 of Blogtember. Today's prompt is to discuss a turning point in your life. To read more about Blogtember you can check out my posts from the first week, or head over to the "Story of My Life blog" here.

Thanks to Fiona for the shot of Rob and I on Ngauruhoe. But other than that....
Please note, since these photos were before the age of the selfie, If I am in the shot, I honestly don't know who took them. They were in my folder of random field photos, so an amazing field buddy must have taken each one. If you see it, and you took it, holla at me. And thanks for the pics! xox

Etsy Love - Vintage Embroidery

Hey my fellow Etsy lovers,
This week I am stalking Etsy looking for beautiful vintage embroidery to add to my new collection!

These are my favorite 10 pieces.. Aren't they so cute! So much work in each one. The store names are under each pic, take a look at all their goodies!

Tessie May

Wichtel Werkstatt

Lightning Bugz

Lindie Kayes

Alderbrook Antiques

Lightning Bugz

Vintage Cornucopia

Queenies Vintage Finds

Austin Metro Retro

Pherds Finds

Vintage Treats

Some of my new treasures I got on Saturday...

Talk about spoiled!

Advice from a 20 something dreamer - Day 3 of Blogtember

Wow. That sounds like a good source of advice, doesn't it.

I'm hardly one to tell others how to live, but this is something I tell myself every day.

Happiness is a choice - make it.

Some days it's really hard. And it is way easier to be sad, or shitty, or sulky or tired of frustrated. But once you know you can change those thoughts, it gets easier. It's just stubbornness holding me back then :P




This is my post for Day 3 of the Blogtember challenge.
"Thursday, September 5: Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered."

Becoming Me - Day 1 of Blogtember

Or as someone put it once "how did you happen?".

Well. It's a long story.

Here are the main points (as I see them):

My Parents - Are hardworking, humble, open, bizarre, sarcastic, loving and hilarious. They taught me that it's the simple things  (and hoarding those simple things) that make life worth living. They taught me that everyone is equal and deserves to have happiness in life. Mum taught me what it is to be a good wife, mother and to sing out loud even if you are tone deaf. Dad taught me that I could be honest and truthful in life, without consequence, and that airplanes can get off the ground because of Bernoulli's Principle. Somehow the combination of their genes on a warm february evening in 1985 created this odd looking, right handed, freckle riddled lady who blogs here today.

My Sister - Is a handful. Of love. And taught me responsibility from the minute she was around. She taught me that I have the ability to love someone without any boundaries, that I could want to move heaven or earth to make them happy, and still want to slap them occasionally.

My husband - Although Rob and I have been married less than a year, we have been together for over seven years. Living together for over six years. And friends for over eight years. I figure that given my age, Rob has been a part of me for over 25% of my time on this green earth. My humor, favorite foods, music tastes, catch phrases, favorite tv shows, top five movies and daily workouts are all parts of him and I combined. He has taught me so much about life, especially life pertaining to the 1990s rap and alternative music scene. I owe him a great deal. He is my Wikipedia. 

My grandparents - I am blessed with such beautiful and loving grandparents. Some of my grandpeople are still knocking about, stubborn and strong and some have passed, but I keep their lessons, cuddles and love in my heart lock box. 

My pals - My friendship circle has many tangents, created from my movement in the last 10 years. I have friends who have kept in touch since we were dancing to the Spice Girls. I have friends from Uni who I only see once a year but message on a monthly basis. And I have some special people who I keep in my heart on a daily. The kind of close friendships where you are so close you can just think of them and they text you. They might be scattered around the globe but they all really rock and have taught me what it means to be alive.

New Zealand - The land of the long white cloud and the toothbrush fence. Growing up collecting shells on beautiful beaches, running through paddocks, making forts across streams and eating fish and chips once a week on Sunday. Yep, being a kiwi has a lot to thank for my love of outdoors and fried food covered in sauce. 

Science - The world around us is my strength. Science has taught me that you cannot straight out destroy negative energy, but you can transfer it into something positive. Science has taught me that everything needs to balance, too much of one thing will ultimately cause a disturbance in the force. Science has taught me that we are around for just a speck in the timescale of forever, but why not make the rest of forever better from our speck in time? Oh, and also, science has taught me not to mess with sharks, snakes or nazis.. (That was either Science or The Discovery channel). 

The Spice Girls - Lets face it. I was a big fan. They taught me to never sing in public if you shouldn't be singing in public. A lesson I forget every time I'm in a supermarket. 

Gravity - Gravity has taught me that it will always win in a battle with me. Be it on flat ground, rolling hills, sober, or tanked. Gravity wins.  

In all seriousness, I think that everyone I have ever chatted with has probably shaped me in some way. I think we can learn from anyone we cross paths with. 

So there you have it. A condensed* version of how and which people, pop culture icons and laws of science that have shaped me into the curvy, fringed poppet that I am today.

*The longer version will be in some form of memoir or made for tv film that goes straight to the 4 am slot.

Thanks for taking a read, let me know what you think! Sarah xo


      This is my first response to the Blogtember challenge, to learn more about the challenge click here.

Blog update and Blogtember

Hey party people,

So, as you know, dear friends of mine, I have been getting into my blogging a lot lately. For me, it has been really good as an outlet from work. I use one side of my brain at work, and I really give it a work out. It has been so good giving it a chance to bounce back while I use my other side.

I would love to thank all my friends for following along, it has been great to get your comments and feedback. I am slowly learning how to write code and create links to my other interests. I am getting there haha it has been a fun learning curve.

This month I am going to join in on a blogging challenge, called "Blogtember", you can read about it here.

I will be making an effort to blog once a day on a list of prescribed topics, and am hoping to get a little more creative with my posts.

Thanks again for following along, if you have any feedback or thoughts, feel free to drop me a line.

Love and ginger kisses,

Sarah xo

Sunday night... sleeepy

We just got back from a "Sunday drive" east of Houston and then south through the eastern border of Louisiana to the Gulf Coast. We saw so many things, I can't wait to put the photos up on the blog!

But for now it is sofa time, with a hot chamomile tea and Breaking Bad.

Night lovelies xo

A Tradition of Collecting

I have been thinking a lot lately about all the collections my family had when I was young.

My Dad had a cabinet full of fire engines. Mum had a cabinet of elephant knick knacks. It was cool, because when we travelled Dad would always visit the local fire station, and we always had something neat we could buy Mum for birthdays. When I was a wee thing, I collected whale and dolphin ornaments. I'm not sure, they may or may not be in a box somewhere in Mum and Dad's attic. My sister collected cat knick knacks. My Nana collected so many things. When she passed she had an amazing vintage salt and pepper shaker collection. Teaspoons too. As children we loved looking through them all.

I wonder if things like that are kind of going out of fashion. It's so popular to have minimalist decorations in houses now. Well, I think I am keen to keep the tradition going. 

I have been considering starting something up for awhile. It can be tricky being an expat, I have a natural tendency to horde (thanks genetics), and it can be difficult to keep things  with the need to move every few years. 

When we were buying "vintagey" things for our wedding, I realized there is something kind of quirky that I really love. 

I love vintage embroidery and needle point. I guess it makes sense, I have been doing cross stitch since I was 8 and have always loved how it looks. I bought so quite a few neat old embroidered pieces to decorate our wedding space, and I think it has stuck. I love how detailed the pieces are. And it makes me sad to think they are sitting on a shelf at a second hand store when so much love went into making them!

So in the last month I have officially started my collection. Here are the first two pieces. I have seen so many I have wanted but am trying to take it slow. At the moment these pieces are decorating my walk in wardrobe. 

I love this owly! I love the stitching that makes up his breast. So detailed!

I saw this battered piece and thought it was so pretty.

Sarah xo

What do you think? Do you have any favorite collections?

I am looking forward to one day being in a big house where I have a big gallery wall for all the pieces! 

Have any of y'all tried Bloglovin?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin


I have just signed up and it is so cool, all my favorite blogs are in one spot. And all I need to do is pop onto the Bloglovin App and it tells me all the new posts that are ready to be read..

So easy and convenient!

Try them out today, and click to follow me!

Sarah xo 

Some aquatic shots from New Braunfels.

Here are a few snaps we got from our water proof camera over the weekend.. They are action shots, so mostly they are at an odd angle haha. But I am glad it is finally getting some use. I have had it since last June and this is the second time I have used it. Oh well. It was good having the flexibility on the lake to take shot shots in the water.

Enjoy x