Merry Xmas 2014

Xmas Day is always a great day of the year.  Its a time to reflect on the past year and recognise the good, the bad and even the ugly.  Most of all, it's a time to spend with your whanau and friends, relax and enjoy each other's company.

Each year our whanau has a bit of a tradition.  Every morning we are awoken by my husband, who I must admit is the biggest kid in my home.  (although it's not a bad thing to be young at heart .. regardless of your age).  Anyway ... he generally wakes up about 1 minute past midnight .. and fights the urge all night NOT to wake us up until at least 6 am.  Then with his excitement, we are awoken where we congregate around the xmas tree and and open our presents.

Once the presents are opened, we clear the wrappings and rubbish, and start with the family phone calls to each other ... regardless of where in the world they may be, wishing each other merry xmas!!  

Then it's on to preparing our xmas breakfast . which is always waffles, toffee bacon, maple syrup, fresh strawberries & blueberries and hokey pokey ice cream.  Yes, I know .. not the healthiest of xmas breakfasts, BUT it's one my daughters wanted years ago, and it's become a xmas tradition.  Let's face it, it's only once a year that we do this :-)

After that, it's clean up time and prepare for our overall whanau get together where we open more presents, then relax with great stories, great company and great food (which I might add, is always WAAAAAYYYYYY too much).

Our xmas tree this year

 This year was no different.  The presents were awesome, the waffles were awesome and the whanau lunch was awesome!!!  We spent the whanau lunch at my oldest sister Tanya's home in Ngaruawahia with her whanau and her husband Mike's whanau.  We received a nice surprise with my brother Lee and his wife Paula walking in about 20 minutes after we arrived.  They decided to come home from Perth!!!  My sister Deanne and her whanau were the only ones missing, however they are currently in New York City enjoying a well deserved holiday!!

For me xmas day is also the day that kick starts the holidays.  A day to sort the relaxation plan.  I've always grown up with a boat in the family which I blogged about in CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ONBOARD and I envisage the next couple of weeks to be filled with  lots of boat trips fishing or skiing and I can't wait!!!

Merry xmas from me and my whanau!!!

Happy living people!

Sugar Scrubs - Heaven

For the past few years my girls and I have presented home made xmas gifts to our friends and family.  I first blogged about it in JUST ADD ICE CREAM  then again in HOMEMADE XMAS PRESENTS.

One of my favourite things to include is homemade sugar scrubs.  I use two recipes.  They really are a wonderful gift to give, especially to someone who needs a little self pampering over the summer holidays.  Most importantly, it's VERY simple to make.  Both recipes need only three ingredients and realistically you can add whatever fragrance you like.  The choices are endless.

BUTTERSCOTCH SUGAR SCRUB
1 cup of brown sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup of olive oil
20 drops of vanilla essential oil OR 1 tblspn of vanilla extract.

ORANGE SUGAR SCRUB
1 cup of castor sugar
1/2 cup of coconut oil (in a liquid form)
20 drops of orange essential oil (I replace orange with spearmint too)

The method for both recipes is simple.  Place the sugar into a bowl, add enough oil and mix so that the consistency is soft and sugar is not quite dissolved.  Add the essential oil and mix again.  The mixture should not be too dry.  Place into a jar, or container and apply as little or as much as you want to the body whilst showering.  Your skin will feel soft and wonderful I can assure you.

Orange Sugar Scrub

Butterscotch Sugar Scrub

  
Because I make bulk at xmas time, I find it easier to place them into individual plastic containers to make sure they fit into the gifts boxes I have.

Happy loving people!!

A Korowai Achievement

It has been a little while since I posted my last blog and I must admit, it has been a very busy few weeks for me.  As I sit on my side porch looking out on the Ponderosa on this very humid summers day, I am grateful for this opportunity to reflect and I am reminded of my aunty who asked me recently what my next blog would be about.  My thoughts are instantly drawn to my mum and her passion for korowai.

For the past 16 years, my mum has been helping people overcome their personal adversity through teaching the art of korowai.  Her teaching journey began when she worked for Maori SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and was overcome with great sadness for the many whanau she dealt with who lost their babies so suddenly.  She began simply by providing a korowai for the grief stricken families which unintentionally lead into teaching the art. From there her students have grown.

It's not my place to share all of my mum's own personal journey, but I am proud to say I am one of her students.  I blogged about my initial journey in MY KOROWAI JOURNEY and like all her students, I know that with a new korowai comes a new story.  A new journey.

I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of mum's students over the years and they truly are a wonderful network of people.  They all understand that weaving a korowai is a huge accomplishment which should not be taken lightly.  They  have all experienced that great sense of pride on it's completion, and more importantly have gained the knowledge of our ancestors so that the art will continue to thrive long after we have all left this world.

One thing I can say is that every two years, mum holds a Korowai Ball in recognition of her students who have completed their own korowai during that period.  The evening is a time to celebrate as a consolidated network with friends and whanau and admire the beautiful korowai.

This years event was a huge success!  I was overwhelmed to see mum's weavers come together and make the event so beautiful.  I was particularly happy for the graduates who were buzzing with excitement leading up to the event, and seeing them showcase their korowai with  friends and family with such pride.  Every single korowai had it's own story to tell and it truly was special to be a part of that experience with all the weavers.

2014 Korowai Ball - A snapshot of some of the weavers with their korowai

I can't help but ponder on what the next two years will bring for mum and her weavers, but one thing is clear.  Her passion to pass on her knowledge to her students so that they have a korowai for future generations remains paramount for my mother.

My mum wearing one of her own korowai

Who knows, one day I may choose to weave another korowai or I may not.  All I know is that it's not race and it's not a competition.  When or if I choose to do another korowai will be based on a part of my life, when the time is right.  Until then, I will continue to sit and admire my korowai, which sits front of place in my lounge.

Happy living people!