I am fairy tired

Had an after school party at The Mt today.
My goodness! Next time I do long distance travel to a fairy party in summer, I will be taking a change of clothes for the drive home at least! I was sweltering! Windows down and air condition simultaneously going did nothing at all.

But it was a fab party. The little girl (6) was a spoilt little brat, but had one of those smiles that make you melt anyway, and her best friend kept telling me I was pretty - this job does wonders for my self esteem!
The same little girlie however decided my dress needed stickers, so every so often I'd feel a little hand on my boobs adding some! Hehe!

The one little boy was delighted to be a pirate but every time I got him to give me an "Argh!" he'd add a swiping claw-like action and then hiss like a cat....am not convinced he actually knows what a pirate is!
He then begged me as I was leaving to take him to FairyLand with me, because he'd "really like to see it, please, Fairy." Aww! Melt! Would happilly have taken him with me....but that would be the slightest bit illegal......

The family was lovely, Nana wants me at her next birthday, as she was fascinated by my catchable bubbles! Aww, bless.
And then as I was leaving, Aunty brought me out a box of afternoon tea and a bottle of fruit drink and Mummy gave me a $10 tip! Stoked!

My one gripe of the day however, is how many growed ups have lost their inner child.
Stopped for petrol and a cold drink on the way home, and I got stared at like I had 6 heads or something! One old lady smiled and waved, but that was it; everyone else looked like they were terrified to make eye contact with me. Sad. Very sad. The silly old codger behind the counter however asked if I were going to my school ball???!!!!

But seriously, if I get to the point where I lose the magic and wonderment from my life, someone hand me a bullet!

I hereby crown myself Queen of the Social Network Whores!

Yup, I now have a LiveJournal.
"Hi, my name's Janine and I have too many online pages."
"Hi, Janine."

But in defense, this one actually serves a purpose!
Am planning and putting together ideas for my USA trip in 2009. (Can ya tell I'm excited yet)?

Anywho, here it is:

http://carysgirlfriday.livejournal.com/

A Very Merry Unbirthday

Last Saturday I had my long awaited for 22 and a half birthday party. Having not had a 21st or a 22nd, I decided I needed to do something to commemorate my being and since the weather is in theory nicer in November than it is is May, I decided to have an outdoors fairy party. You see, I also considered myself a little bit hypocritical being a "Birthday Fairy" when I myself had never actually had a fairy party!

So after weeks....or actually months (!) of saving and planning and replanning and designing and more planning, Friday arrived and I set to work on that most important of birthday tasks - the cake. Now, as usual before undertaking a task, I consult Google images for ideas as well as TradeMe - those in attendance on Saturday will be laughing as yet another TradeMe reference slips out! So anyway, I was looking for cake ideas and found this:

If this doesn't scream "Janine!" then I don't know what does! So, I thought (somewhat unconvincingly) I could do that, and save the $95 the lady was charging for it. So I did. Only better. In my opinion anyway. And not too sound too modest, but in a few other peoples' opinions too. Hey! I am very proud of my attempt! It's my party and I'll boast if I want to!

Anyway, judge for yourselves:

Mum, who stayed the night and gave me a hand with everything (Love you Mummy!) was pretty astounded that I succeeded in pulling it off. As was I! Am not thinking of going into cake decorating as a career though. Am still aiming to be a domestic goddess as my life plan. And a Mummy who throws awesome birthay parties! ......Every third or so year that is.......I get stressed out too easilly!

Anyway the cake, which went into the oven at 1pm and was finished somewhere around midnight, done, we toddled off to bed.

I was then rudely awoken at 9:05am by Aleisha from Waikato Garden Bins. I haven't forgotten you Aleisha, you will get yours!!!!!!

2 cups of coffee later I was back in business running around like a chicken wthout a head, decorating, prepping, running to the Warehouse for last minute forgotten and probably unnecessary items and stressing out big time!

12:50pm (10 minutes before my guests are due to arrive) I decided I'd better get dressed!

I decorated my garden to be a real fairy grotto and am rather proud of the effect. However, with all my fluffing about I didn't think to take any photos! So if anyone has some, could they pretty, pretty please send them my way?

To describe it, I turned my washing line into a maypole with coloured crepe streamers, hung gorgeous sparkley butterflies on the trees, and made a fairy ring around the circumference with purple tinsel. And of course, glittered up the driveway leading into the garden.

Turns out I made WAY too much food. Am still living off what I didn't take into work to feed our starving students!

Everyone arrived in fairy wings - gold stars for you all - and some with wands and tiaras - 5 gold stars for you!

We ate, I fussed around. I painted some faces:

10 gold stars for April, Emma, Amber and Shelley for being my lovely volunteers! (Shelley, can I have a photo of your arm please?!)

And we played some fairy games - Musical Flowers, Pass the Parcel and Pin the Horn on the Unicorn. Great fun.

Then, girls being girls, we sat around and chatted in the lovely sun. Thank God for the sun! I was freaking out on Friday with all the bloomin' rain!!!!

All in all a very good day. Lots of fun and very long overdue! Then of course, I went into clean up mode before falling into bed to get some sleep before my next fairy gig the next morning.....at 10am!!!! In Cambridge!!!!!! Ah well, it turned out to be most most fun party yet (for someone else!) as the kids were just so friendly and fun!

So, yeah! That's about it. Will leave you with some more pics of the day. Thank you April for letting me pinch your lovely black and white shots, and Natalie for a couple of yours :)

Fairies in the garden

Back: Neen, Emma, Shelley, April, Erin, Rachael

Front: Mum, Amber, Natalie, Mariam

And their wings

Pretty pink wings

Nat, the punk fairy

Fairies, fairies, everywhere!

Getting cake approval from Shelley, the baker

Shelley playing with bubbles

Amber sitting still. Amazing! Hehe!

Fairy ring within a fairy ring

Technical difficulties with the cardboard blindfold

Great Expectations

So yesterday, I got Pip to come into work an hour early so that I could race up to Auckland and meet one of my favourite authors - Paullina Simons.
Now, you know how sometimes there is someone you greatly admire, and then you meet them in real life or see them on tv and they are not at all what you had imagined and you get really disappointed? (That's how I felt when I saw Sarah Brightman give an interview on Greame Norton). Well, I am pleased to report that Paullina exceeded my expectations. She is absolutely lovely. Stunning, as you expect from a Russian woman and extremely witty. I was disappointed she didn't speak for longer - unlike the librarian who introduced her. Now she should stick to shelving books!
She was at the Takapuna Library as part of her NZ / Aus tour to promote her latest novel Road To Paradise (which I am currently reading). But of course she could not get away from talking about The Bronze Horseman, which is of course mine and most of her readers' personal favourite - And which I will now only lend to extremely careful people, as she signed my copy - yay! Anyway, I was intrigued to learn that the communal apartment on the 5th Soviet where Tatiana and her family live was actually Paullina's family home, where she lived until her family moved to the USA when she was 10!
She had some great stories to tell about how her stories came about, and of her very first novel written when she was 12 about a woman who is pregnant for five years because she can't get over the grief of her lover dying in war! Unfortunately, her mother threw it out. So please, please, parents, do not throw out you children's writing, pictures, sculptures etc!
So, am still very excited that I got the chance to meet her, and now I'm off to get absorbed in Road To Paradise!

Sitting here in tears

I hate sad movies. Unfortunately, Mum loves them. She likes things that make her cry. I, having shed enough tears in the last few years, try to avoid such things.
So, wonderful daughter that I am, I took her to see Away From Her. And now I can't stop crying. Alzheimers has to be the saddest illness there is. Not only that, I don't think I will ever have someone who loves me as much as Grant loved Fiona in the film. And that's what's really gotten to me. Just when I thought I had embraced my singledom and had decided to enjoy life and enjoy having an entire bed to myself to starfish in. Oh well, never will I ever have Julie Christie's beautiful blue eyes either. Well, poetically speaking, my eyes are extremely blue at the moment. Sniff.

Oh yes, I have decided I quite enjoy wearing a tiara. Just randomly. It's just one of those headband ones, so shouldn't embarass people too much to be seen with me. I realised tonight that I had forgotten to take it off after the concert, and then decided it didn't look too bad. And well, why should I have to justify wearing a tiara anyway?!

A few more pics from this arvo's show......

Sitting in the dressing room waiting to go on with not much to do, can only mean one thing - photo time!

Janine & Emma - Emma had just done a 12km "fun" run this morning!

Janine, 22 years old and Rose, 93 years young!

I think this pic finally captures the enormity of my lashes!

And that's it for this year's dancing. I now have just over two months of no dance classes at all, which is pretty sad. Who's up for entertaining me on Wednesday nights?!

Easy like a Sunday morning

There's something very serene about a lazy Sunday morning. It's also the perfect time to blog!

A Friday Five to start:

1).What is something you collect? Why?

Um....shoes, bags and pretty sparkly things, coz I love them! Fairies - reason should be obvious, and dvds - movie buff. Actually I collect lots of things - books, ornaments, teacups, masks, porcelain dolls......

2).If you could make one ice cream flavor, what would the ingredients be and what would be the name?

In 4th form for science or something I created an ice cream called Luscious Layers - had a layer of biscuit crumbs, jelly, ice cream etc. Was delish!

3).What can't you go a day without?

Coffee! And lip gloss.

4).What position do you sleep in? *back, right side, left side, stomach etc*

At the mo, I'm relishing being single and have taken to sleeping diagonally across the bed using 3 out of 4 pillows! Usually on my side.

5).What is your typical morning routine before work/school?

Inwardly moan that I have to get up. Sleep some more. Crap, I'm late. Coffee. Shower. Dress, More coffee. Check email if there's time. Run!

I decided the other day that I would like to be a truck driver. Then Mum informed me that generally they have to load and unload their own trucks, so there goes that idea. I quite liked the image I had of me driving around our beautiful country eating lollies and listening to Dean Martin. Ah well.

This weekend is the Drury Lane dance school's annual production. My 2 minutes on stage. Whoohoo.
We have combined with Level 3 and the Wednesday afternoon class and are doing a number to Liza Minnelli's Steppin' Out.

This year's dance is A LOT better than last years, so Leanne has redeemed herself as a choreographer in my eyes.Although there are still some things in the dance that don't feel right to those of us who have been dancing for a while!

Anyway, we get to wear sparkles which is always good in my book, and leanne told us to "bling it up" as much as we liked.......clearly if she knew me better, she may have set a bling limit!

Here are some pics:

Level 4 Adult Tap - Janine, Tarita, Sarndra, Michaela, Glenda, Arna, ? and ?'s daughter!

Wednesday afternoon Adult tap, Level 3 and Level 4 and Michaela - Steppin' Out

(Find me, look at the girl opposite me, the lady behind her is 93!!!!!!!!)

Well, Leanne did say to "Bling it up!"

Would Ann Miller say it was too much? I don't think so! And yes, I am wearing a tiara!

When I bought these I didn't realise they were drag queen size eye lashes!

First show was last night, and we have a matinee this afternoon. Being act 5 in the second half, mother help escorted our class (lol) up the back of the Founders to watch the first bit which is all the little cuties who usually do their own thing, or just stand there staring at the audience. We all decided we want to take home a teddy bear aka the tiny tots jazz class. They're about 4 years old, and just adorable in their teddy bear costumes.
I was never a cute animal. I started off as a snowdrop and a peasant girl in Thumbelina in my first ballet concert when I was 6. Man, those snowdrop tutus were itchy! Coincidentally, my first ever show at Riverlea!


In other news, I am like a four year old with a birthday approaching! I am SO EXCITED about next Saturday! It's been years since I have had a birthday party. AND it's a fairy party! Am trying to be uber-organised and not leave everything till the last minute, and so far, so good. I have lists coming out the wazoo though, but its all good. I love organising things.......Maybe I should be a party planner.....


Also, next Thursday, I am extremely excited to be having a get together with my 6 best friends from school. We all haven't been in the same room since the end of 7th form, so this is pretty big! People are moving away overseas etc now that degrees are coming to a close, so we figured we need to do something, or who knows when we'll get the chance again!

Friday Five....on Sunday...well...Monday morning

What is...

1. One place you volunteer at (or would like to)? Why?
Riverlea Theatre.
Why? It's like my second home.

2. One book you'd like to see made into a movie? Why?
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown...which actually starts filming in Feb! Yay! Hopefully Rachel Weisz will be signed up to play Vittoria Vetra. Love her.
Why? Have read the book about 4 times as I have done with the Da Vinci Code. They had just better not change as much with this film as they did with TDVC. It really grates my undies when they do that.

3. One creature (living, extinct, or mythical) you'd like for a pet? Why?
A UNICORN!!!
Why? A fairy with a unicorn! Come on! There's a fairy in the USA who has a friend who puts a gold horn headband on her pure white pony and loans him out for parties. How cool is that?!

4. One place on Earth you'd like to visit? Why?
Only one?! Um.....Rome.
Why? For the art, the history, and because of Audrey!
But Rome will have to wait as I am currently saving to go to the next Caryvention which is confirmed for Chicago in March or April 09! Whoop whoop! Since it's only a weekend though, will try and save enough so I can see a bit more of the USA while I'm there - mainly LA and NYC - so I can mark that off on my list of 'Been there, done that, got the tshirt'.

5. One talent or skill you'd like to develop? Why?
At the mo, face painting.
Why? To make more moolah at my parties! Some of my fairy friends overseas have quit their jobs because their fairy work has become full time! How fab is that! Hopefully I'll get to that stage and then I can open a fairy shop...one that will put the one in Ponsonby to shame. Mwahahahaha!

From the "Only in Janine Land Files"

* I spent five hours (!) getting acrylic nails done for free by a masters student, and now I find it takes me at least three goes to enter the code on the doors at work to get them to open! I can't push the buttons properly! My nails look fab though ;)

* After 2 years of working at the movies you would also think I could make microwave popcorn without burning it by now......apparently not!

* Trust me to walk into Bunnings Warehouse with Mum so she could get a new toilet seat and STILL find something pretty and girly to buy! In an hardware shop! If shopping were an Olympic sport, I would get the gold medal.

* I sat through Surf's Up the other day. The entire excruciating 85 minutes. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

* I am extremely addicted to Scrabulous on FB at the moment, so if I haven't already got a game going with you, feel free to start one! Was up until 2:30am this morning playing! Oops!

* I've also decided to abandon the whole "Operation Get Married" plan and focus on a more achievable means of becoming a lady of leisure: winning Lotto. Much, much easier to do than finding a decent man who knows how to treat a lady right!


And in other news, I am heartbroken that I can't audition for the Auckland Theatre Company's open call for young actors to be in their version of Taming of the Shrew - one of my fav Shakespeare plays. If accepted, you need to available for a three week workshop in January. Unfortunately we will be down to only three managers at work, so there's no way I could get the time off :(
I guess I just have to get over it and hope they offer the oppourtunity again next year!
For those of you who think you could be free over the hols to apply, go to:

www.opencall.co.nz

If you get in though, I'll probably hate you forever....well not forever.....maybe a week.

In happier news, face painting is something that I think I have a natural talent for! Yay! We started off with an easy Batman mask and next week we are doing a butterfly and then the next two classes we can have a go at whatever design we want. Will put up a pic of my work once RJ emails it to me.
I also need some volunteers to practise on......hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.....I'll give you a lollipop!
I want to get pretty up to scratch on it since I have 3 parties booked for the next couple of months for which I would like to be able to offer it and make some extra moolah! Whoop whoop! Well, four parties if you count my own, which of course, you know I do! :p