(you have been warned)

For a long time now I have coveted the personal die-cutting machines one can buy - the cricut, craft robo, sizzix, there’s a lot of them on the market. However they’re all extremely expensive (even more expensive than say a wok) so I haven’t attempted to buy or hint for one. That was until Making Memories brought out this little beauty, the slice.

It was launched in February at the CHA show in America - gosh what I wouldn’t give to go to one of those, and only recently became available to the public. I threw caution to the wind and treated myself to an early Xmas present.

The basic kit doesn’t come with the cute storage unit or the 12×12 glass mat.

Here are my first impressions of the slice.

It’s cute… very, very cute. A little noisy at times and if you’re thinking of getting away with not gluing (you get a dinky little tube of quick drying repositionable glue with it) the paper down on the glass mat - don’t. It doesn’t work - I thought it might if I pressed down on the machine but all that happened was a very sad crumpled looking mess. Reason why I tried is I find peeling the paper off the glue difficult at times and there is the potential to mess up small bits you may have cut. I guess with a bit of practise I’ll get better at it.

My first attempt wasn’t terribly successful, then again I did decide to go for one of the more intricate designs on the card. My initial impression is the machine battles to cut through really thick cardstock although it claims to be able to cut through virtually anything.

My second and third attempts however were far more successful and another personal recommendation - if you can afford to buy the 12×12 glass mat do. The mat that comes with the starter kit is really small and whilst it’ll be great if you’re taking it on crops and suchlike - it isn’t that great when working with larger pieces of paper.

Another tip - if it seems to have gone wonky and is cutting some strange hieroglyphics - it could be one of two things, either the battery is running low or you haven’t ‘homed’ the blade. Took me several failed tries to work this one out.

The battery didn’t seem to last all that long, but perhaps it is because it has only been charged once. The manual says that you need only charge for an hour and then it is ready for use again. Of course you can also use it whilst connected to the mains but that kind of defeats the whole ‘cordless’ aspect of it.

It may not be as fancy as the expensive ones on the market and you are limited to the shapes on the card, but I have to say there are a lot of choices on the various cards available and for now the two I have (basic card 1 & 2) should keep me busy for a long time.

On a local note.. the American sites don’t recommend we (South Africa) purchase directly from them, we should rather go through a local agent. Something to do with the voltage - well turns out all you need to do is purchase a universal plug adaptor.

Am I glad I bought it? Hell yes!!

This time of year tends to get really hectic, especially for those of us who have kids in primary school. It’s non stop plays, entrepreneurs days and anything else the teachers can think up to keep the kids amused which inevitably means more work for parents.  I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation why there always seems to be two weeks left of the school year and nothing for the kids to do, damned if I know what it is though. Jessica’s teacher yesterday told her class he had nothing for them so they could go home. Bloody stupid if you ask me, especially if you’re a working parent. *grumble*

Anyway, last night was Tamsyn’s nativity play and entrepreneurs day. She teamed up with her best friend to sell mince pies and xmas cookies. Initially sales were slow but by the end of the evening, she’d managed to sell almost all of it. Well done Tamsyn!  (And no I didn’t make the cookies or the mince pies…. they came from the other side - probably why sales were so good)

The play was extremely cute with most of them either getting a chance to say something or sing. I’ve discovered Tamsyn rather enjoys speaking into a microphone.. she practically took over the show.

Wouter and I took a drive to Hout Bay on Sunday ostensibly to see if we could find a prep bowl at the Hout Bay market, but also to look at the classic cars on display at the local school. We went early in the morning and probably walked around for around an hour, I still managed to burn to a crisp and am now doing a really good impersonation of Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer. Must say the bright red face goes really well with my bright red hair (had it coloured again - I’m easy to spot in a crowd).

We found two potential prep bowls at the market - we have a very small space for it to go so the smallest one we can find will be ideal. We weren’t sure if either of these would fit so took the measurements and measured once we got back home, looks like it might. We were (for once) unanimous about which one we wanted (the one on the left).

General view of the Hout Bay market - quite an extensive market and can I say Jessica was right when she said they make the best falafel’s in town.  Well worth a visit if only to taste the falafel’s.

On the house front, Tamsyn was jubilant to discover Wouter had put the door handle on her toilet door. We’ve been telling everyone who visits - “don’t shut the toilet door, you won’t be able to get out again”. It’s the little things in life that get one excited.

Our bathroom is really coming along nicely - the basin is up complete with the mirror and baskets (forgot to take a picture of it with the basket and mirror up).

I convinced (’k bribed, cost me R30.00) Tamsyn to unpack my cats for me. She did an awesome job.

On the more domestic side we invited my folks over Saturday evening for a roast - pork with all the trimmings, was very nice.

My Grandfather on my Father’s side passed away Tuesday evening after a short fight against liver & lung cancer. My Grandfather on my Mother’s side also passed away from cancer in June of last year. The fact that they were both in their early nineties does take some of the sadness away, but it is a really *really* ugly way to die. Cancer strips you of your dignity, quality of life and strength to live.

The other sad thing is because of distance (they lived in the UK) I never really had a strong bond with my Father’s parents. When I was growing up they would come and visit and a few times we went over there but it was never the same as with my Mom’s folks, who were a bit like yo-yo’s. They kept moving to South Africa, then would move back to the UK, back to South Africa - over and over again. Grandad H was the last of my remaining grandparents.

Here’s to you Grandad H - may you rest in peace.

We had our first house warming today - well a mini house warming - lots of frantic tidying up and putting away of stuff. My folks, Wouter’s folks, Pieter, Muda and Woester came along.

No he isn’t dead.

We braai’d a couple of spatchcock chickens, potatoes in foil and salad - was lekker.

The in-laws also very kindly brought through the remaining bits of furniture we’d been storing in Pieter’s room. Apart from a shelf and a few more pictures on the walls (and of course a major sort out my cupboards) *my* room is almost complete. Lets also not forget the emptying of boxes… so many boxes!

I still need another counter above this but I think the room is really starting to take shape.

Another exciting bit of news is we have bought (at great expense I might add) Jessica’s kitten. A long time ago I promised Jessica a cat when we moved into a ‘real’ house. The park doesn’t allow pets, although you wouldn’t say so by the amount of animals wandering around there. She/He (we don’t know yet) is a half pedigree’d Siamese (it’s up for grabs who the father is) and we should be able to bring him/her home mid-way January.

We’re taking the one on the left, cute huh?

We’re planning on bringing Gymmie through late December and I really hope he doesn’t try and eat the new cat. Looking at this picture of ‘we don’t have a name yet’ cat… that’s about the size Gymmie was when I rescued him - it’s no wonder he’s slightly odd (ok completely insane).

And to end this post.. I had my “this is not my first” bath. As bathing experiences go - it sucked lollipops. First off I’ve discovered the cold tap - isn’t exactly cold - so the bath was HOT, secondly it still feels really gritty, has a lot of blobs of sealent all over the show and well if I want to lie down in it…. I’m going to need one of those mats one puts in the bath - because if I don’t…I’m going to drown (sucks being a kortgat {short ‘arse’} as Wouter likes to call me). And to top it all off…. when I let the water out, bubbles came out the hole in the wall.

The experience is being filed away as a non-experience… I have yet to have my first bath.

Someone typed this into google… and my page was the first one that popped up….

My life is complete……

Which if you consider I have two children is a bit of a problem. Situation went something like this - we’re driving back from the Arts & Culture Evening at Kommetjie Primary School and Jessica asks if her friend, plus two boys and possibly another friend can come over Saturday. My initial thought- *AAAARGH - I don’t want people invading my house*, second thought - *why do they always end up at my place?* followed by *boys????!*.  Throw in the mix a party at another girl’s house on Friday which we’d already decided she wasn’t going to because last time there was trouble with alcohol and goodness knows what else, which she suddenly wants to go to again and you have a powder keg ready to explode.

Lets just say the conversation didn’t go very well and by the time we reached home I had one daughter sulking, storming off to her room and slamming the door and the other one crying in her bedroom.

*sigh*

At one part of the conversation Jessica yells - “we’re not stupid kids, what do you think we’re going to do - go off into the bush and have sex?”

I wasn’t till you mentioned it!!!  Fortunately there are no bushes in our garden, well none that could hide two naked bodies that is.

I have a feeling it’s more the ‘invading my house’ thing that is bothering me, I can now understand my Mom a bit better - we never had friends over, well very seldom anyway. I guess (actually I know) she didn’t like people invading her house either. Which is why I’ve always been amenable to sleep overs and having friends over to play.  That is whilst the friends were girls and before I had a house which we’ve worked so hard on, and before boys!

I guess I should be pleased she feels comfortable enough to bring her friends over but boys!  I am *so* not ready for boys.

We compromised, we agreed she wasn’t going to the party Friday and I agreed to her having her friends over on Saturday for a limited time.  I swear if I find any of them behind a bush I will seriously freak out!

The Arts and Culture evening was sweet - the Grade 7’s put on a play - their version of Rumpelstiltskin. Jessica played the King and she did a really nice job of it.

The whole cast…

Tamsyn played a short piece on the piano which had quite a few mothers coming up to me afterwards going - “I didn’t know your daughter was so good on the piano” to which I naturally replied “Neither did I”. Wasn’t received too well, sometimes a sense of humour can be a curse.

Jessica was also part of a recorder recital and then the evening finished with the choir singing.

Just when you think it is safe to pack away the winter woolies nature turns around and laughs at you. We had howling winds yesterday in Cape Town - the type that knocks a person over if you’re not careful - in fact I witnessed that very thing whilst driving to work.  Poor woman, mind you she had the good grace to laugh about it. Then last night it rained, and rained and rained - it was still raining this morning when the alarm went off.  Which can I just say goes off way too early, then again I’ve been getting up at 5:00 each week morning for over a decade - probably should be used to it by now.

We were meant to have people over for a braai last night but they cancelled at the last minute which was fortunate in the end because Wouter got stuck at work till 20:00. It did however mean I had a whole heap of salad ingredients so I made one of my ‘not yet’ famous salads.

I took out some kassler chops from the freezer and when Wouter got home he googled a recipe and we had chops, salad and baked potato for supper.  Was nice

 

I also used the time I had to myself (kids stay with their father on a Tuesday) to have a glass of wine and a read in bath. Not in my bath sadly that still needs a few finishing touches. The wine we’re raving about at the moment is Altydgedacht Sauvignon their 2008 vintage - very, very lekker.

you end up being invited to a braai every day of the weekend. Friday night - braai, Saturday night - braai, Sunday afternoon - braai… man it was nice. It did however put a bit of a limit on how much we could do around the house.

I managed to pack away the last of the kitchen paraphenalia and have realised we don’t have enough kitchen cupboards. Then again we knew this which is why we have contingency plans ie. another cupboard above the sink, shelves above the bar counter etc etc.  We’re just not there yet.

With a teensy bit of subtle hinting on my part Wouter put my bathroom light up.

It really is a stunning light fitting, cannot wait to have my first bath - we’re almost there - Wouter just has to seal the bath and check for leaks.

Of course our shower has been ready for ages but the shower door had to be ordered and initial estimate on delivery was amended to ‘towards the end of the month’. So much to Jessica’s disgust we’re back to using her shower - that is until Wouter sorts out the leak in Tamsyn’s.

We did manage to get some of the furniture and other bits and bobs I inherited from my Grandparents across from Bellville. We’d had to store it there as the Kommetjie place was far too small and to be frank already too full of crap.

When I was quite little my Grandfather would make me furniture for my dollies.  He made me a beautiful wardrobe which my Gran filled with clothes she’d knitted and it had little glass bottles filled with sweets on top, I adored that wardrobe. He also made me a cat from a fur coat my Gran had after she’d decided she wasn’t going to wear real fur anymore, which I still have I might add. He doesn’t have any whiskers anymore - one of my cats chewed them off many, many years ago - but he still feels wonderful. So it wasn’t really surprising that I managed to persuade him to build me a dolls house. I’m a sucker for anything that one can collect - you know those part works that come out every week - well they brought out one that would eventually become a dolls house and I thought this was the greatest. It took Grandad the better part of a year and a half to build with a lot of finnicky work. I have a feeling he enjoyed doing it because he made extra furniture for it (apart from what they supplied) and we (the kids and I) were never allowed to touch it. It now has pride of place in Tamsyn’s room and I’m planning on putting the furniture in it tonight, with the kids help of course. Well maybe, we’ll have to see - they just might break something :-).

I have also discovered that one should not put masking tape down on a wooden floor, leave it for 6 or 7 months and then expect to be able to pull it off easily. Took me nigh on an hour to get the wretched stuff off our bedroom floor.

 Wouter mentioned the biscuits he baked the other day - figured I ought to post the picture I took of them, they were really yummy.

Jessica asked me to take a few photographs of her (yea I was also stunned) for some school project. At least I think it’s a school project - it could also just be something she and her friends have decided to do because it sounds ‘cool’. Not being one to miss a photo opportunity I gladly assisted and took some really nice ones of her. Sadly even  at the age of 13 we still look at ourselves and say things like ‘my thighs are so fat’. *sigh*

My attempts at an artistic shot.

I decided that I couldn’t wait for my work surfaces in my room so I have temporarily set my pc up and my printer - it’s really  my printer that I’ve missed.

Let me tell you that chair thingy is flippen hard to sit on.