The Purple Journal

1 Pair of indian sandals i had in Varsity 2. Pajamas 3. My night gown 4. any sandals / flip flops 5. strappy tank tops 6. my 2 gypsy skirts (an orange and a brown) 7. Long orange linen dress-top 8. my levis from varisty 9. t-shirts 10. 3/4 khaki pants that makes my hips look smaller!

for 4 years tomorrow... (we have been together for 9 years) He sent me this quote this morning......

The weekend was eventful and busy... we visited a few kitchen showroomsto get an idea of pricing and looks we like on Saturday. But before we go to that my wonderful husband agreed to stop at a scrapbook shop sale they had 50% off all their books! Was I happy=0))))) I got three books, some letter stickers, 2 sheets of rubons and lovely purple flowered paper - oh happy, happy, HAPPY! Got this book by Donna Downey This one by Cathy Zielske And THIS ONE by Ali Edwards!!!

Pedicures Clinique soap Glycerine soap A smile from my daughter My son sitting on my lap My husbands smile Long bubble baths NEW BOOKS!!!!! Reading away a Sunday afternoon Spicy koeksisters ( like a doughnut with cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and ground ginger in the dough but twisted into a plait shape with syrup and coconut over it) Mince curry and roti (indian flatbread) Writing in my journal An afternoon spent scrapbooking Waking up LATE! Pajamas Sandals Gypsy skirts Sand in my toes at the beach Sea spray on my face New swimming costumes Braai’s in the backyard A 5 hour drive ending in the views of the sea from the car window Fresh strawberries and pineapple at the fleamarket Journalling and Morning Pages Letters and cards in the post A full body massage A tall frosted glass of water Finding a cute notebook to journal in The promise of the weekend on a Friday afternoon Long Summer days An unexpected visit from a friend Christmas holidays (the beach, sand and surf) Watching a game of cricket the whole day on TV Finding a book I have been wanting cheap at the fleamarket Family lunches Planning ANYTHING! Making Lists Buying (and getting) presents!

....to the weekend has started! it is 1.50pm here and I am SO ready to go home! Weekend plans:

1. grocery shopping
2. "window" shopping for a vendor to do our kitchen cupboards
3. Hopefully some scrapping
4. Miniature golf with the children on Sunday afternoon

A very happy pic of me and my husband just before christmas. We are totally amused because we were trying to figure out the timer on our camera and where it should go to get us noth into the picture ...I suppose you had to be there...=0)

Quote for the weekend

Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life. -Pablo Picasso

I leave you with a picture of these two cuties...my daughter in the back(she goes to school next week Wednesday for the first time - suspect Dad will cry - I will let you know =0))) and my niece at the front

I have just finished reading chapter 7 or the "Superb Seventh Month" of Sark's Make your Creative Dreams Real - I am enjoying it so much. Very inspiring stuff.

The Ecstatic Eighth Month which I am reading now is all about allowing yourself to do things even if they are not perfect.

SARK says "one of the most inhibiting factors for creative-dream living is how oftent we think we need to do something perfectly or well to begin it". Just do it and give yourself permission to do it badly. Take the pressure to do well or "perform" off and just make a start.

Today is payday! Yay=0)

I have had an interestingMonday...we have just decided to take out a 2nd bond on our house to do some fixing and renovating. This has been a HUGE step for me because I hate to take in more debt. Later this morning I called the place I have be paying for my unversity loan. Not only have they been paid off completely, THEY owe ME MONEY!!! Yay! So they are going to refund me the money (who knows when that will be) they are going to confirm with me exactly how much! Also my bank loan is almost paid off (2 months to go!!) Yay! Happy Monday! This is a picture from the Durban Bay standing on the bay looking towards the city. View from the bay looking out to the sea.

Me and my girls had a slumber party about 10 years ago. Lots of fun, laughter, dancing and FOOD!! I was a young, fresh 21 years old! We really could party hard. I was still a university student and all my friends were working. Our frined Tanya (not in the pictures) had a green Opel and that was our transport. We used to go clubbing Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday (who parties on a Tuesday??). It used to be just us girls having fun, fun, fun... Oh to be young again=0)

By Nicole (my first blog tag!!!=0)) 3 Jobs You Have Had 1. Sunday school teacher at church (unpaid job=0) 2. Sales assistant at Woolworths in the children’s department 3. Trainer at TBWA Hunt Lascaris advertising agency 3 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over 1. The Sound of Music 2. Shrek 3. um…. 3 Places I have lived 1. Durban 2. Johannesburg 3 TV Shows I love to watch Survivor / The Amazing Race CSI The Home network channel 3 Places I have been on vacation Cape Town White River, Nelspruit Umtata 3 Websites I Visit Every Day Twopeas Wish Jar Journal Ali Edwards 3 of my favorite foods Mince curry and roti Calamari rings Beef lasange 3 Places I'd rather be right now 1. Durban on the beach 2. shopping 3. at home with my children 3 Bloggers I am tagging: Jazz ? ??

Just a quote I want to share. Today has been event-full. I went and saw a school for my daughter to start attending in February. I liked it, and the lady seemed really nice and caring. Very sensitive and responsive to the childrens needs.They get individual attantion because it is such a small school (+/- 10 children) I then went to my interview for the training manager position - it is with my companies competitor and I am ot sure about the position...They also interviewed me for another position they have at Nedbank - So I will wait and see what happens. This is one of me and my son in the corner on the beach over december. The journalling came out a bit small it says: "There is nothing better than being in Durban over December. The heat, humidity, sand and sea. It all means home. I love every part of this beautiful city. the place that grounds me, keeps me connected to who I am and where I come from. I love taking my children to the beach – a treat they cant enjoy as much as I did- but enjoy they DO!"

1. Survivor
2. The Amazing Race
3. CSI
4. Desperate Housewives
5. The Days
6. The Cooking channel
7. The Home channel
8. Lost
9. ER
10. The OC

This is what glee looks like! I opened my present from Jerome on Christmas day and what do I get? Not 1 not 2, but THREE of SARK's books !! Oh joy! Also a Richard North Patterson book and 3 soaps in beutiful boxes...Merry Christmas ME!!!!

Back at work and strangely content to be back – note not happy, just content. Manily due to getting back into a familiar routine and have INTERNET ACCESS! I have missed it although one of my work resolutions is to spend less time on the internet and more time actually doing some work! Lets see how long that one lasts! I fell much better –mainly because EXAMS are OVER!!! Don’t even ask how they went – the last one was AWFUL! I only studied for that on ehte DAY BEFORE the exam and that is just not good enough! Anyway I gave all three my best shot – now I just have to wait for the results! EEEK! My holiday Seems like a distant memory now although it was fun and I got to spend some time with my mother which I haven’t done for a while. We had such fun just her, me and the children (my two and one of my sisters’). W e took the bus to Durban – we left at about 8.00 in the evening and got there at about 2.00 in the morning with slleping children and piles of bags and baggage (someone took my nieces bag by mistake -luckily they realized it before leaving and ran back to do the swop with us!). Friday 16 dec Was a public holiday so we were desperate for the beach. Cleverly, I had left my costume at home so I had to try to get another (except that at the till to pay I realized I had left my wallet at my grans house so we had to drive back there to get it! I felt like a fool! We went to the workshop after the slight detour and the fleamarket was open – we shopped a bit and I found a costume and some jewelry. I bought spices and the Indian spice shop there and we had lunch at Orientals where I have my BEANS BUNNY!! Yummy – I was one happy girl. On our way home we went to Wilsons wharf and watched the boats (in the rain) ate lychees and did some shopping. NO SWIMMING – too much rain! Saturday 17 Raining! Did some grocery shopping for the house Sunday 18 Went to Scottsburgh beach - lovely the children swam and played in the sand - great time. Also went to the fleamarket and bought some 2nd hand books and a lovely top. Monday 19 a bit of shopping at the pavilion in the morning and lunch on the beach, with a bit of swimming and playing in the sand until it started RAINING! Tuesday 20 Rained - stayed hom with the children and some movies Wednesday 21 Same as above! Thursday 22 Drove to one of the beaches. We swam for about and hour until it started RAINING!!!! We then went and bought rotis which we went and ate at the beach (yes, in the rain!) Friday 23 My sister arrived (1 day early) - we did last minute shopping (with ALL our children in a packed mall!) and Saturday 24 Surprise arrival of my BROTHER! 25 Lovely family lunch, visit to Jeromes mother in the afternoon for a teleconference call to his sister who is in Arizona 26 drove back home I got to do some, but not ALL the things on my list because of the rain - but it was nice - nice to be with my Mum, nice to spend time with the chldren and nice to be around family Plans for the new year: • My biggest goal this year is to get my drivers license. At 31 years old I think it is way overdue! • I also want to GET A NEW JOB! This one was kick started for me by getting a call from an agency (I saw this as a “sign”) looking for a training manager offering A LOT more money than I am getting now and it will be out of MIDRAND ( a 2-3 hour drive every morning!!) • Do something creative everyday! • Write more • Date night with Jerome 1X a week • Spend more time doing things with my children There are many others but these are the main ones. That’s quite a lot…I am just glad to be feeling better and have the dread of the exam over. I now feel like it’s a New Year with new challenges and PLANS to make! Happy Monday to you all!

I wish you blessings from God. Time and fun ith family. Laughter with friends. Find fulfillment in all you do and realise your destiny in 2006. May happiness be the norm and all your hopes and dreams come true in a New year filled with promise.

...AGAIN today! Its not cold at least - there is a slight nip in the air...but the grey / black sky gives a really gloomy feeling to the day. I feel slightly better today because I got some studying done yesterday and am about to start again in a few minutes ( I have made some progress: the pens are out, the textbook is open in front of me:0). It took us 1hr 15 minutes to get to work this morning because of a terrible accident on the freeway we stood in that for over half an hour. it was a white van and looked like it rolled into the island on the freeway - terrible way to start the day....

I have entered the New Year with mixed feelings. On the one hand the year stretches in front of me with so much promise and potential. On the other:

• It has been bucketing with rain since about 4.00 this morning - not the best start to my new year at wotk!
• I write an exam in 6 days for which I am not close to being prepared (a total of 3 exams in 5 days!) This is my main source of anxiety - just a general feeling of failure and that I have wasted this year and the money I will have to pay work back if I dont pass because thats the policy here

I really wanted to start the new year off wit an ispiring post about my holiday and goals and dreams for the year, but this is how I feel now. Hopefully things will get better as the day goes on 0 its only 7.55 am after all!