Fortnightly Countdown - 9th September 2011

Five things I'm looking forward to:
1) Rugby World Cup - we have tickets to all the Wellington Pool Games PLUS the quarter finals! Our first game is this Sunday night which is South Africa vs Wales.
2) My birthday - 18th October people! Don't forget!
3) Christmas - Christmas usually involves a big cooked breakfast with my mum, dad, sister, brother-in-law and niece, and then me and Cody spend the afternoon with his family. But this year we are going up to Galatea to see Cody's sister as her little baby would be just 4 weeks old :)
4) New Years - This year we have booked the batch at Lake Ferry (you may of remembered me talking about the infamous batch here) for 1 week! We have friends coming to stay and will spend a whole week just relaxing on the deck and playing on the beach aaahhh bliss!
5) Roxette - Roxette is playing one live show! Its on February 11th 2012 and its Auckland but I am totally prepared to make the journey! YEAH BOY!

Four things of interest that made the headlines in the last fortnight:
1) An overloaded school bus was rear ended by a logging truck in the Bay of Plenty. 28 children were injured, some critically with one eight year old girl in an induced coma in Auckland's Starship hospital.
2) The worst songs of the 90s - I am a little upset by this list, I would more name these as EPIC songs of the 90s. I remember driving around town in my first car, with a load of mates and blaring 'Who Let the Dogs Out', it was cool.
3) Dangerous Gang Member Caught - Thank Christ for that! this is one scary mo-fo. And after reading what he did I am surprised he was paroled anyway!!!!
4) Pike River Mine Enquiry - On November 19th 2010 29 men lost their lives in the Pike River mine explosion. An enquiry into the ordeal has just started.

Three must read books:
1) Room, By Emma Donoghue - Iinspired by Josef Fritzl's incarceration of his daughter Elisabeth, and the cases of Natascha Kampusch and Sabine Dardenne. The story is told from the perspective of a five-year-boy, Jack, who is being held captive in a small room along with his mother who has been there since the age of 19. The book tells of the life of Jack and Ma and about their escape attempts. Epic read.
2) Madeleine, Kate McCann - Kate and Gerry McCann's personal account of the disappearance and continuing search for their daughter. I was very iffy reading this story, and now that I have I must say that it doesn't portray Madeleines family all that well. Good read non the less.
3) The Bronze Horseman, Paullina Simons - The book begins on the 22 June 1941, the day Russia enters the Second World War after Operation Barbarossa. Tatiana Metanova, young and innocent has no idea that from this day on, her life will never be the same. Not only will the war change her path, but also meeting the handsome and mysterious Red Army officer Alexander Belov. The relationship between Tatiana and Alexander develops against the backdrop of the Siege of Leningrad and in the face of many difficulties. This novel is not only a love story but also an inside look into how the Russians coped in the times of WW2. This novel was an eye opener and I read it 5 times before discovering the rest of the series.

Two new purchases of mine that I love:
1) My pasta machine - it was number 54 on my life list was to learn to make pasta from scratch. To do that I had to have a past machine. I was in Stevens one day buying measuring spoons when they had machines HALF PRICE! So I got me one. I have tried one attempt at pasta...... it was ok.......but now I have the machine I can practise more :)
2) Loreal Matte Morphose - Now I am 99% of the time a Revlon girl, but Revlon no longer make my Matte foundation that I feel in love with - typical. So I had to find a similar product that had the same texture and the same color. This was pretty much bang on, except of course the price!

One Rugby World Cup Prediction:
Opening game - New Zealand vs Tonga.
New Zealand to win by 12 points.

Did you know:
The length of your foot is the same as the distance between the inside of your elbow and wrist....go on try it!

Fortnightly Countdown -

Five things that I never understood:
1) The share market, wall street, the NASDAQ, Dow Jones. News broke this week that the stock exchange sinks. I must admit that shares and the stock market was never something I really understood. As far as I know, my salary comes into my account and I spend it and pay for things at what they cost. My dad used to have shares in the company he worked for but that was as far as my knowledge went.... I just don't get it!
2) How do planes fly? I have done a fair bit of flying in my time and every time I fly it still scares the living jeebies out of me, its the same as boats floating. Planes weigh millions of tonnes and they just seem to glide along effortlessly. You hear the occasional story of planes falling out the sky - so why don't they always?
3) Why do men like blondes? We were in the car the other day and a blonde walked out of the service station, a male friend of ours in the car wolf whistled and said "hello Blondie" - now this girl was not even attractive! So I asked why he did it and this started a conversation about why blondes are more attractive than say a brunette. But why?
4) Why is a pair of undies called a pair? There is only one of them!
5) Why do dogs go crazy over sticking their heads out car windows? Our lab cross goes crazy over the prospect of going for a car ride - like literally! He jumps about, crys, runs around the full works. Then when he is in the car he goes absolutely ape sh*t If it is a cold day and I don't put the window down then he cries and whimpers and whines until I put it down. Even on the freezingist (like the word I just made up :o) ) day he will stick his head out. His ears, lips and general face flap about in the wind but he seems to absolutely love it!

I tried to take a photo but it got a bit dangerous - but this is exactly what he looks like:

Four things that drive me crazy:
1) People who park their shopping trolley in the middle of the aisles while they stare aimlessly at the shelves
2) Little gangs of teenagers that hang out on the street corners listening to music on their phones and yelling at their bros on the other side of the street
3) Groups of people who walk 4 abreast on the footpath and really slowly so you cant walk around them!
4) People who don't rinse their dishes!!! I know this sounds really anal but it makes life SO much easier if you just give them a quick rinse. The 2 boys I live with and my sister are shocking for this! especially when it comes to baking trays that have been used for roasts, sausages etc and anything with cheese!

Three awesome things about being married:
1) Being referred to as Mrs Buchanan
2) Calling Cody my husband - Boyfriend sounded like we were just together and it wasn't serious, partner could be taken as lesbian- not that I have anything against lesbians but I am not one. Fiance is way to fru fru
3) Being able to spend the rest of my life with my best friend

Two songs that totally stop me dead and I MUST sing to no matter where I am:
1) Oasis - Wonderwall
2) Tracy Chapman - Fast Car
Of course there are plenty more but this is a countdown and I can only pick 2 :p

One reason not to buy an All Blacks jersey from Adidas:
Cos they are ripping New Zealanders off by charging more than double for the price of the jerseys than overseas retailers. Rebel Sport have decided to sell their jerseys for a $124.45 loss. But it is still rat sh*t that they are doing this.

Did you know
That if all the people in China stood on a chair and jumped off at exactly the same time, they could knock the earth off its orbit.

Friday Countdown - 22nd July 2011

So it seems that my blog is only about these countdowns! Therefore Friday countdown will become "Fortnightly Countdown"

Five things that I found interesting in the news this week
1) David and Victoria Beckham named their new baby girl Harper Seven. Secretly, I like the name Harper, its unique but not weird. The name was apparently chosen after the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee. Which is apparently Victoria's favourite book. Come on you cant tell me she actually reads? Seven however, now that's just mean!
2) A $2million drug bust went down in the Wairarapa last week. It saw 17 people arrested and cash, cars and drugs seized. Although this is a step in the right direction for the Wairarapa there are probably 10 other druggies for everyone of these that got caught!
3) I don't know if this is considered 'news' but I was reading this blog about the strays in Rarotonga. Me and Cody were in Raro July 2010 and I noticed the amount of strays too, but it wasn't just dogs and cats but also groups of chickens, and goats? it was weird. I can totally relate though, I always feel so awful for the homeless dogs and kitties. I always tell my Levi that he should be grateful that he has a home and he isn't homeless. I cant handle watching those ads on TV for the pedigree adopt a pet drive....
4) So Justin Bieber has taken a month off to 'grow up'. Really? Just a month?
5) The NZ dollar is at an all time high. Usually if someone says that to me I'm like "and what". I never really understood how the markets work, or what a high or low dollar means.... until now :) What a high NZ dollar means is that we can buy stuff online (i.e from America) and it is mega cheap! Not so good for our NZ exports but AWESOME for a shop aholic like me, shame we started our $50 challenge next week....

Four things you don't know about me  1) I like the smell of my own feet
2) I can not stand anyone's feet touching me - this includes my husband!
3) I like popping pimples
4) I have a weird obsession with animals noses. Cat, dog, horse etc I just have to rub their nose ..... yeah I dunno

Three ways to eat an Oreo
1- Oreo Ice cream.
2- Oreo Martinis!
3- Deep Fried. Oh hell yeah! Anything deep friend makes my top 10 list!

Two TV shows I have started watching
1) Hoarders - Follows people who put my hoarding to absolute shame! These people have no idea. They keep EVERYTHING because it has a significant meaning. How much meaning can a empty can really have?

2) Geordie Shore - UKs take on Jersey Shore but way more trashier. They put 4 gals and 4 guys into a five star house together, with shared accommodation, and pretty much follow them around while they 'work' party and argue. Your typical reality TV show really except way more 'out there'. The girls are fake the guys are over muscled - pretty much a good laugh all round!
Screens Tuesday nights at 8.30 on MTV

One quote I found this week that I love

 "To the world you are one person, to one person you are the world"

Found on a tattoo of teen mom Kailyn Lowry.

Did you know?
Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating) can help you lose weight!

Friday (Tuesday) Countdown - 15th July 2011

So I am a little late with my countdown this week, but I spent last weekend up in Taupo with sister-in-law and her family for little Lucy's 2nd birthday. - more on that later...

Five things I am coveting right now:
1) A  Nikon DSLR digital camera. These things take the most amazing photos, even if you have no idea what you are doing! And of course it must have all the attachments and all the mod-cons

2) A sewing machine - Random huh? At college I did a lot of sewing and was actually pretty good at it. When I left school I didn't do any sewing and kind of forgot I could even sew! It wasn't until our wedding when I couldn't find the perfect bridesmaid dresses that I decided to jump back onto a machine. I was quite pleased with the results and would love to pick it up again, even try a few crafts :o)

3) This NancyBird wallet

To go with my NancyBird Handbag

4) A harpers horsecoach. Its the best of both worlds! It means we can go away for weekends AND I can rock up in style to horse shows.

5) A SPA POOL - We spent Saturday evening at De Bretts in Taupo. I could of stayed in that thermal pool until I died. I was a wrinkly thing after not long but it was SO worth it. I am now super determined to get a spa pool!

Four things I DON'T want:

1) To pay for the frickken dog registration! Sonny, our lab cross is $74.00 per year and little Levi is $114.00 - how can he be considered a dog? AND cost more!

2) For this next release to start! I know its my job blah blah but this one is a tricky one and it will involve travelling to Wellington which I fully cant be arsed doing.

3) To hear that our house needs rewiring. We have been having light bulbs blowing left right and centre, and these are not cheap bulbs. The ones in the lounge are $12 ea and the kitchen ones are $16ea. The electrician is coming this week, but I am just waiting for the bad news that he will have to do major wiring work which means.......$$$$$$$

4) To catch the cold my niece had in the weekend. Boogery noses, snuffling, sore throats - YUCK. I have just shaken a bad cold and DO NOT want another one! eeewww even looking at this photo makes me wanna barf....

Three things I am happy about:

1) My little sister got a paying job at the Vet Clinic she has been doing work experience at while she is studying to be a vet nurse. YAY FRANCIE

2) I had my yearly performance review and it came out really good! I have another pay increase coming :o)

3) I get to have a weekend away with me girls! Spending 2 nights up the mountain attempting to ski in Ohakune.

Me ----->

Two things I am sad about:

1) There are changes happening at work. A restructure. Which means some people will be loosing their jobs :( one guy has just relocated his family down to Wellington from the far north. He has 3 kids with one on the way.....looks like his job is gone.

2) I had to withdraw from my paper. I have enrolled in another one, but it means that I wont be finishing my diploma when I expected. I will still be finished by the end of the year but I still feel like I have let myself down :(

On thing I learnt this week:

Do not buy anything for full price. I can pretty much guarantee it will be on sale the next day.

Did you know:

More than 10 people a year are killed by a vending machine! wwwhhhaaattt??

Friday Countdown

So as a regular blog stalker and because I cant think of anything better.....I am going to do a Friday countdown every week. I have even added my own 'Did you know??' part :)
I will attempt to put a photo for each topic

So to kick off....

Five Things I Am Thankful For:
1) My Husband - He keeps me grounded, reminds me to think long term, I am a very here and now person. Once an idea is in my head then I go into attack mode. He keeps me on track
2) My job - I know that sounds weird but I am very thankful for having a secure and well paying job with the way things have been going in the economy lately. Plus living in a small town dosent exaclty have the high class jobs as a city would
3) That I get along well with Codys family. I was just reading a post on my wedding forum about a poor girl who is having the worst time trying to plan her wedding because her and her fiance's mother just cant seem to see eye to eye on ANYTHING. I am thankful for K and W being such awesome inlaws :o)
4) V. I am thankful to the person who created this magical potion. It is my saviour and is the only thing that gets me through the day .... *sigh*
5) The internet, in particular, Google. I honestly dont know how society functioned before this great invention. I use Google more than anyone! For pictures for documents or just random info :)

Four Things That Got Me Thinking This Week:
1) That an 79 year old lady can die in her home and nobody notices she is missing for 8 years!
2) Is the end really near? With all the terrible qukaes in Christchurch and numerous aftershocks there have also been substantial quakes in Auckland, Raoul Island, Porangahua, Seddon, Taupo, Arthurs Pass, and Castlepoint! There have been 30 earthquakes ranging from 2.9 to 7.6 in magnitude and that is just this week!
3) My latest little obsession is DIY. And I mean more of a DIY house project. I have been thinking for ages about getting a little old doer-upper that I can 'play' with and make pretty to off sell. But then I hear what Labour are proposing with capital gains tax. Is it going to be worth it? There was also mention of tax on farms and tax on the sale of shares - I mean really? No wonder people are wary to invest, why would you when everything you earn will be taxed!
4) Why didnt they come up with the idea of the collision biscuits earlier? I mean a toffee pop crossed with a mellow puff? This girls dreams have come true!


Three Things I Want To Accomplish This Week:
1) Finish off fixing up the area where our night stores used to be. We took out 2 night store heaters to have our new carpet put in. They have sat in our 'gaming room' for nearly a year! We finally got the electrain in to put them back but he pretty much told me they are no good :( so out they go! but this means we have gapping holes where they used to be. So this is my task for this week.
2) I wanted to accomplish making my final payment on my student loan - and guess what? I DID IT! It only took 10 years but that dreaded loan is history. This gives us an extra $160 per fortnight.
3) Get my studies sorted. I am one paper away from completing my Diploma of Financial Services. I just need to get this final paper sorted and then I AM DONE

Two Things I Am Sad About:
1) The property market - we had our lovely home appraised this week. We are really wanting to get into a lifestyle property. Our house will sell in the current market for less than we paid for it. And we have done so much to it. It is really disheartening when you put so much love and soul into your home only for someone to tell you it worthless :(
2) A friend of mine recently told me that her and her partner are thinking of moving away. It is the best decision for them and I think I am secretly jealous of them, but I am still sad that she is moving.....

One Random Thing:
I swear to god I just saw Christina from Greys Anatomy on the street, and thats not exactly a face you can mis-take!

Did you know??

That hippo milk is pink!



Awwww how cute is this little guy? - Totally WANT