{M}ichelle

Tuesday

Just a quick post cause I said I would do this everyday so I am!!   Work has been pretty rough at the moment but hoping that I can just get in there and support people.

On a day to day basis here are some of the blogs that I visit
Shirls check her out here
Tarisota is going digitial check her here
This is pretty cool and if you love pencils like I do (as in colouring pencils) then this is the bees knees
I hang out here a lot and I mean a lot
and thats about it really!!

But of course photos to share

and my fav using a urban grunge action.............

Busy busy busy

Well its mad out there in that world and sometimes if I'm lucky my head gets to pop up,  take a deep breath and go back down again. 

Because I have nothing to do but raise 4 children, work full time which is about 50hrs per week  plus my photography, scrapbooking and being a trustee on numerous boards as well as the kids sports I thought I'd enrol as a full time student in te reo.... 

I know crazy.. what was I thinking ... well to start with I'm thinking of droping a few of the balls in the air at the moment.  And the place to start doing that is with the meetings... the kids are kinda compulsory since I gave birth to them LOL... not sure which ones  (meaning the meetings)  but I will drop yet but will definantly be doing that...  Witeri is applying for jobs at the moment so hopefully can ease up a bit there too..... and want to pick up photography some more and then see what happens..  but yip te reo...

I'm pretty crappy and I shouldnt be... in fact no excuse for it except that I havent and it begins and ends with me.... sometimes I feel as though I have done myself an injustice.... imagine being able to use the words of the language that express how your heart sees things.... and in english it sounds corny but in maori it sounds bloody awesome :)  I have a good knowledge of te reo and of tikanga/ kawa and of my whakapapa.  Granted I get it wrong... real wrong when I'm thoughtless but man oh man to have the heart speak is treully beautiful.... one day and one day SOON!!  (according to the course objectives in about 36 weeks !!

Flickr have saved this blog!!!

TeAute-(188)
Originally uploaded by miche11etw.

Yah some photos to post... this is what I have been up to with my new baby. Gonna find some more maize feilds to play in now!

Also had a great crop yesterday in Whakatane with Delys, Dianna, Sandra, Raewyn and Jackie. Thanks was exactly what I needed.

New Camera New Home

ok just some quick photos to make me feel better and my fav is with my 2 sons... love it!!

Well finally made the move and am trying hard to figure how to move my word furniture with me...  however if I cant well I shall forever remember my  twmichelle.blogspot.com home....

It was a long drive

but it was worth it and had a great time with my whanau. Am used to working at the marae, done it most of my life but was better at it (aye sister) when I was younger. More of a take the meeting minute, be on the committee kinda whanau memeber now, but being out in the sticks is different. You cater for lord knows how many, we were expecting 100 there was 200. kithcen is no bigger than a kitchen you would find in a three bedroom house and about 20 people in there dishes preparing meals cooking meals carving meat, but all ammenties like a shop for extra kai are miles away.Also the dedicated man hours are insane at the marae. And its all volunteer and the meals look like they are fit for a king and its all done with love, laughter and sweat. Its awesome.

The drive was 5 hours and the coastal roads were stunning, so was stoked to get some photos. what I loved mainly though were the little hick towns with building of character and colour. I'm talking green building with purple trims and orange doors that looks terribly disgusting usually but in places where people are scarce they liven the area and that doesnt even include the beach itself.

Wondering who they stunning women is, well thats my baby sister and happy birthday sis and yip this is you and it looks 20 times better in the frames your getting for your birthday so happy birthday Hiria, you are the best sister and I'm stoked that God gave us each other and our brother (ps that the guy in the photo with my girl on the wharf and outside the hotel at waihau bay)... yip they are both spunkier in real life its disgusting...

Wow where did all that time go?

Can you tell I'm loving black n whites at the moment, love the emotion and detail it evokes and especially with the contrast and dark blacks I'm using am stoked with the way they turn out... this photo is my cousins son....I love this photo!!

Ok so starting a new job has been fantastic but of course as the balance of acts goes, somethings hit the floor while others stayed in the air. Scrapbooking hit the floor as did my blogging.. . Well its my 7th day into the job and its feeling good... but that me, i have learnt to go with my instinct and trust it so again so far so good and I think I'm going to like it, like it a lot actually.

But what have I been up to, well scrapooking wise, because its not an everyday thing like it was have had a bit of a pit stop so this week only managed to do a double layout, plus Yolande online class which was my first class and really enjoyed. Hoping to do her next one as well as Chris Millers class but I'd better get in quick. Also postie fulla ow, where my November SO Kit??

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Whanau wise have been back home to our Marae at Pukehina in the weekend and had a working bee on the wharekai as it needed some zuising. Our whanau was raised at the marae and for me given I was raised by her, my kuia was one of the "old ones" so being at the marae was an everyday thing. However on her passing, as matriachs go, as a wider whanau we dont go there much. its also a small hapu marae so we are fortunate that events like tangi are few and far between, but then so are wedding and birthdays... anyways wasnt looking forward to it cause it sounded like hard work and hardly anyone turns up but when we got there had an awesome time catching up with the cousins, and I know its corny but I could feel her, a warmth, a presence and it was her.... so with the kids playing bullrush at the front, and the nannies singing and the koros drinking I remembered her and took a moment just to see my childhood for a moment through my kids playing with my mum, there grandmother... okay thats enough of that but these are some of the whanau that were there

This weekend though we are off again to Ngati Porou East Coast for my dads brothers unveiling and taking as usual my camera. As we are off to the sticks, whops whatever you want to call it (ie Rangitukia and Tikitiki) and hoping to capture some more intimate whanau photos as well of those of locals being being local!!

PS Congrats to the new DT for Scrapbook Essentials. Tu much!

Sad that is over

The long weekend that is! I love hanging with the whanau, especially now that I'm off to work tomorrow in my new job as a primary healthcare manager. Will get back to you on what that actually means when I find out myself :)

Ok so had an awesome time this Saturday with Yolande and her family. So heres the story and some sneak peaks to go with...........

The weather wasnt being kind but in the end it worked out all good. I was a little nervous because as a friend whom I respect and enjoy being with, I didnt want to sux. She off course never gave off that kind of pressure it was just me and my expectations around what if my style isnt what she was looking for and what if I sux!! In the end it felt good, really good and afterwards when I took some notes and did some reflection about the shoot, came away with some seriously good grounding stuff. Yip I reflect! Everytime I do a shoot I scribble in my notebook (which will turn into a scrapbook once I'm finished with it) around what went well and what could be improved. Anything from what order to take photos in ie. water shoots last cause jeans get wet, to thinking about clothes colours and how I handle myself and the family I'm working with.

So am taking bookings in the BOP area and am avalaible weekend and most afternoons which with the summer months are looking good, especially with those reflections and have just posted out some info for those who have requested it :) Re my prices , a session for up to five people is $100.00 with travel cost if outside the Te Puke area. Sessions are from 1 1/2 to 2 hours, we have heaps of fun, cause thats the kinda atmosphere I love especially for families and you have up to 30 photos to look at :)

As for scrapbooking, as a reminder be gentle on me Yolande, its my first time for the SO online class. So go here where the uber cool people will be this Friday. Order my first kit to from SO so looking forward to that. Also I have a new love. Clear stamps.. OMG why did it take me so long to know... but I soooooooo want these and these and heaps more but I dont think its gonna happen yet... soon but not yet.........

And family wise, wow flippa ball rocks. My family ie my sister, mum, dad and me have always been competitive, not so good with the social thing if it means not winning. And given I like fun, being competitive doesnt translate into me getting a personality transplant and turning into a crazed monster! But mate are some parents clowns. If I was the ref I would have told them to leave or shut the hell up! Man they were terrible if not to other children then to their own. My 8yr loved it and we loved it cause its a sport he choose to do without his so very talented brother being involved. Its something just especially for him. But boy the thrill of it is amazing... bring on summer!!

Im so tired

Nothing like a new job to hurry all the things you meant to do over the past four months and havent!! Mate theres heaps and I'm to bugger to care .

Did my first kohanga shot to day and have got another couple of the next week but man was it amazing and hard work!! Did a bit of a special deal for the kohanga cause wanted to use the opportunity to help me perfect a couple of techniques so just a few photos of the poor children (there was 19 of them) who had to under go the trauma that was me!!

Hopefully the parent will like them as I think its a little different to the standard photos we get from the school photos, but may not be the parents style at all .... ugghhhh now I'm scared... oh well so tired I'm gonna knock myself out with self so it wont keep my up, maybe tomorrow night it will

Damn I'm employed again......

but yeah at least its in time for Christmas. So have decided to bite the bullet and am going back to work, after 4 glorious months of being a SAHM to my 4 awesome kids. Honestly I know it is hard and that being a SAHM is under rated, but hands down it beats the shit out of having to deal with stinky adults, firing and discplining staff, managing egos and political agenda and writing and researching reports :) So start the Monday after Labour weekend and managed to negoiate myself what I think to be a sweet deal where I get to work from Te Puke (not at home but at the offices) and only have to travel 2 days a week to Rotorua. Initially it was full time in Rotorua but loved it when the ball is in my court.

Upside also is that I can again becoming a consumer of products. I do it so well and looking forward to Lisa site going up also. Still struglling with that dame altered project, I think I need a mentor??#&*! Me and altered projects are not the go. So anybody running DT with just layouts... any body???

Lastly, yesterday was a historically moment for many of the whanau of Maketu. Yesterday I had the privilege to travel with Ngati Whakaue as I was asked to document what had in essence been a journey of over 50 years. In Maketu we have the Marae Whakaue and its trusteeship is unusual as the trustee were court appointed and were members of the Te Arawa Maori Trust Board based in Rotorua. Ok so there are issues, heaps and finally yesterday trusteeship was disolved from the trust board and handed to "some" of the whanau who have over the years acually been responsible for the marae and its running. This was the 3rd attempt and twice it was suspended due to individual submissions which lengthened and delayed the process. After all 50 years is a lot of maori mens life time and so was pleased that many of our elders were there. Finished? Kao. Momentous? absolutely and am stoked that I was to be there.

Just some photos to share

Had an awesome time with this whanau and was stoked to be asked to record a generation of 4 women (well 3 and a girl) so to this as part of my "product line I am putting together a 1 pager on each women and then making a stylish book. So should be intersting hopefully successful. Noted of course are the men folk, they saw they women having fun and wanted to join in. To be honest this shoot was scary. Why because of the kuia in the photos. See my nan was grumpy, real grumpy, yelled at the photographer waved her tokotoko (stick) at him and he took it, and just smiled at her.... and as a reult he passed the test and she went from crabby to angelic. I was afraid of the same thing. But no this kuia was lovely from the start. We had orginally intended to go to the beach but it was too cold so we stayed at the house. So improvising is my next skill and Delys yip I will be prepared!

Made some cards for my sons today. They have been away the whole week so was missing them and made them a card, telling them how much I missed them. It was cool and more so when they both took them and said they would look after them for life (that should be at least 2 days)! Was gonna post it but cant be flagged going to get my camera from the lounge! Will do that Wednesday.

Also have been scrapping and am soooo struggling with the altered project! I'm more of a layout girl I think! So have done the layouts for both Scrapbooking by Design and Scrapbook Essential but &$*@# to the projects. I need a design theory in my head so it looks right to me...... oh well ... might put up some sneak previews instead (can I do that)

Finally on beta blogger adn I'm liking it. Took them long enough to ask me:) So am having a tutu but love the label function and the ease of use. Now to get my counter back and my old vid clip... help!