A Shining Star

What a pleasant surprise!! I received my first package since being here and I totally didn’t expect what was inside.

As you can see I was super excited (easy for me these days) when the package arrived. The other photo is what I got...CRAFT STUFF!
Some beautiful acrylic stamps and gorgeous kiwiana inspired die-cuts.

Alice, you must have read my mind! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so thoughtful and cheering me up. 1.--Because I love getting new craft stuff and 2.--Because I feel inspired to use them all and I’m happiest being creative. Love ya and Malo aupito XO

Crafty stuff

Note: This post is for a few of my friends who love crafty stuff just as much as I do...

I’m slowly feeling my crafting MOJO returning...Maybe it was the 2 days with no power that kickstarted it. It’s been so long since I scrapbooked that I actually found an ANT nest in my stampin’ Up! Marker caddy!! Ewe...that just adds to my existing hatred towards the little critters. Anyway, back to crafts...

I have a ‘Bind-it-all’ machine which is a binder so I’ve been having fun making little books and albums for the kids.

Here are a few pictures...hopefully they give you a little inspiration

I made this for our friend TJ who turned 10 years old. It’s a birthday card plus I also made a special book called ‘This is me – right now’. It’s a book full of prompts for TJ to fill in that captures what he is like at the age of 10 e.g. Likes, dislikes, goals, interests & hobbies etc.

I used a Stampin’ Up! paper that isn't for sale anymore. It’s one of my most favourite boy themed papers and I wish I bought more before they discontinued it!! Nevermind, they have some cool new stuff too.

This next one I’m only showing the cover ‘cos I haven’t completed the inside. Every quarter year I do a progress report on the kids: photos, highlights & events that have happened, hand prints, height etc. I used Basic Grey paper called Mellow.

xo

We survived!

Yes, we survived our first cyclone. We came through almost unscathed...we lost power and water for 2 days and internet has finally returned at home. Otherwise our house stood nice and firm.

The actual cyclone started early Monday morning (15th) with really strong gale force wind and rain. By the afternoon the wind and rain picked up to intense force (this is when I thought the BAD bit was)...but by 7pm the intensity tripled! It was the most fierce storm I'd every seen. The eye of the storm passed so everything went calm, then about an hour later the storm started again but the wind was in the other direction.

Everyone here in Tonga (Tongatapu) were very organised and prepared so no lives were lost as a result of the cyclone and there wasn't too much damage on structures (only really old homes and buildings). There was ALOT of debris around the streets most of it trees and branches.

All in all we found it a little exciting but don't want these things coming on a regular basis!

Here's a photo of Charles and the kids buzzing out :-)

Chop Suey & Old Friends

I was on facebook the other day and my friend Natalie mentioned that she loved Tongan chop Suey.

When we first arrived here in Tonga, my friend Lini bought over some dinner...It was Tongan chop suey and we all TOTALLY fell in love with it. It’s a family winner. It’s simple and I’m sure the recipe varies ALOT, but this is my version:
Ingredients:1 Tin of Corned Beef (approx 326g can)
Lots of finely chopped fresh Garlic (5-6 cloves...more the better!)
Lots of finely chopped fresh Ginger (about 3-4 tablespoons)
2 Carrots finely diced
1 Large Capsicum (Bell Pepper) finely diced
1 pkt Vermicelli rice noodles
Boiled water
Approx ½ Cup dark Soy Sauce
1 heaped teaspoon of Brown Sugar (optional but does make a difference)
Streamed Rice to serve

*Note – These are approximate measurements and by taste only. You might want to add more or less. This amount feeds about 4 Adults and a few kids :-)

Heat some oil in a pan

Sort through corned beef and remove any fat etc. Fry for a minute then add garlic and ginger

Once garlic and ginger are cooked add diced carrots


Then add diced capsicum


Mix well and slowly cook while you prepare the noodles


Pour some boiling water into a large bowl

Add vermicelli noodles


Stir, then start cutting the noodles into smaller strips


Drain noodles

Add noodles to corned beef mixture


Mix brown sugar in soy sauce

Add soy sauce mixture to noodles and corned beef


Mix well and cook for 5 mins on low heat
Serve on top of steamed rice.
(sorry I have no finished photo...we were too hungry and ate it straight away)

We were able to share this yummy meal with one of my old friends from school Pania and her brother Ben. They are here in Tonga on holiday... so it was fun to hang out with them and reminisce about old days as well as catch up on the last 10 years.

Gotta love SUMMER!

We were too preoccupied with our summer holidays in NZ to think about blogging!

A lot happened in the short space of time we were there...as they say “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” definitely rung in my head a few times while touring our beautiful country.

Most importantly family was definitely top priority while we’re there. Our family is what made our vacation special. It was great seeing and catching up with everyone (even if some were for a few minutes!!).

First my Nana’s unveiling on Flat Island, Great Barrier Island. The spirit felt and unity among my extended family was very present and strong.

Our Christchurch trip with Dad and Frances was a delight and surprised me with the beautiful scenery there...good food, good company!

Charles’ Tipene family held a Noho gathering at the Cambridge Marae where we felt the same strength of unity and love. It was awesome catching up with everyone, the late night games and marae style sleeping!

We also visited my baby sister Raihi and her husband in Hamilton which was so great because I hadn’t seen her since we moved to Tonga...we had ALOT of catching up to do.

We then returned back to the Barrier after all those trips where we simply relaxed and reflected on the whirlwind of different whanau activities. It made me smile knowing that we have these wonderful people in our lives.

Charles headed back to Tonga for work, so the kids and I stayed at the Barrier where I caught up on a years worth of reading, and the kids embraced their inner ‘bushman’ and ran riot ...fun times.

We all returned to Auckland (Charles as well) where we had Eli’s baptism. It was exactly how we wanted it...small, simple and memorable. Topped off with dinner at Gengy’s (can’t go wrong) the day was a winner.

We couldn’t leave NZ without meeting our newest niece...so we made a quick trip to Hamilton to meet Kalem and Livee’s new baby girl Indiana. She’s gorgeous. Our kids had so much fun playing with their cousins too.

Now that we’re back in Tonga we really do miss everyone and STILL extend a welcome to anyone wanting to come here for a holiday...All I ask is for some NZ chocolate and you’ve got free accommodation and a tour guide.

The weather here is stinkin HOT, but the mangoes are in full abundance, so there’s a positive :-)

Here are some photos...enjoy

Great Barrier Island:

Christchurch:
Tipene Noho:

Baptism:

Seasons Greetings!

For those who's email we do not have....




Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year.

Love from the Nepia Family xo

Birthday Boy

My darling Eli is a BIG BOY now! We celebrated his 8th birthday which is a huge milestone age in our family. We invited his friends over for some cake and fireworks. They had lots of fun and went crazy doing haka challenges with each other (Tongans V NZ'ers) SO FUNNY!


(Digital Scrapbooking courtesy of Summertime Designs website)

Friendship Crafts

I had the pleasure of teaching a group of young women from church some simple friendship crafts.

They were attending a camp for four days where they learnt about so many things like survival, food preparation, teamwork, health, manners and etiquette, sewing, hand crafts, paper craft and so on.

The project we worked on was a bead bracelet and small card with a treat to give to a friend. I made up packs for each girl (there were about 350 girls!) to save on time.

The card had to be very basic (because of numbers)...First they each stamped an image on the white circle, stuck it to the coloured scallop flower and then attached the flower to a mint patty candy. They then attached the whole thing to a square piece of card (where they wrote their little note). Easy!

Most of the girls hadn’t been exposed to this type of craft before, but they all did such a fantastic job and were really excited to try.



This month has really crept up and because I’ve been away AND we're on a quest to simplify Christmas, I haven’t gone near my craft room to make any Christmas cards...I guess we’re going digital this year :D. I did however manage to make some quick and simple Christmas cards for the boys school teachers yesterday.


I hope all your Christmas preparations are going well and remember...
Jesus is the reason for the season. xo

Delayed reminiscing

Very delayed..I know.

Our family is back together again. Nova had a lovely time on Great Barrier Island (NZ) with Nana and Koko...eating as many strawberries, oysters, mussels and crayfish she could.

I returned from my USA trip and have come back to reality...SO here’s a little snippet from our cool little holiday...

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE

First of all, Natalie and I have been best buds since high school. Even back then we always talked about visiting New York City. We are travel buddies now and even though we live in different countries, we always manage to take a trip somewhere together each year to catch up and rejuvenate ourselves. After 11 years we finally made it to NYC!

After about 18 hours flying we saw the bright lights and were so EXCITED. We couldn’t believe that we were actually there!

We did everything a tourist should do and saw everything we needed to. It was cold, but for some reason it added to the excitement. The place definitely surpassed my expectations.

We went to the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade which was incredible! I have never seen such an amazing show and HUGE balloons...(plus we got to see a handful of celebs.) Thanksgiving is such a lovely holiday, it’s all about gratitude and giving thanks ...It’s a shame we don’t celebrate it where we’re from (I might have to start a new tradition!!). Another good thing about thanksgiving are the SALES!

Natalie and I went a little crazy at all the stores. We couldn’t believe the frenzy at the big Macy’s in NYC. It was really fun though and we got some great deals.

Our highlight of the trip was attending Church where the LDS Manhattan Temple is, then spending the rest of Sunday in Central Park. It was beautiful and tranquil in such a bustling city. There were so many different performers and entertainers and we even got to ride on the famous carousel.

Another highlight was catching up with my good friend Alice who was there on holiday with her friend Lois. All four of us had such a great time laughing and talking that we didn’t realise we spent 6 hours in the Times square McDonalds!

We had to say goodbye to NYC and head back to LA. We had a quick look around then picked up our car to start our little road trip!

We drove to Las Vegas (actually just Natalie drove cos I was too scared). The scenery was beautiful and so different to what I’m used to. Natalie had been to Las Vegas many times and wanted us to arrive at night so she could show me the lights...what an awesome view we got! We cruised down the strip, and then made our way to the (very GRAND) Mandalay bay Hotel.

The next day we visited my lovely Aunty and Uncle then headed straight to my old stompin’ ground...Utah.

The mountains were so beautiful and HUGE...it was a very impressive site.

Salt Lake City was pleasant. It was very calming and peaceful. We did all the tours in Temple square then had lunch at the famous Lion house bakery. I couldn’t believe how cold...no, FREEZING it was. I kinda missed the nice hot days in Tonga by then.

Our next stop was Provo where I spent my early life while my Dad attended BYU. It was nice to wander around and take in the atmosphere.

It was farewell to Utah and straight back to Las Vegas for a quick costco shop, then back to LA for our last day. Natalie was such a trooper with all the driving she had to do!

Our last day was just took in all the touristy sites of LA. We were too tired to do any theme parks etc so we took it easy. Our final dinner was at my favourite restaurant The Cheesecake Factory. It was soo yummy, I miss it already.

So that was it. Our whirlwind USA holiday done! We had a blast, laughed ALOT and had heaps of fun together...but we both missed our families and couldn’t wait to get home.

The boys got to spend lots of quality time together and just hung out while the girls were away. Now that we’re back, everyone is adjusting back to our normal routine.

School finishes this week yay! Then we are hosting our ward Christmas party at our house..should be FUN!

Dream come true!

One of my dreams since I was little was to visit New York City...So after years of planning with my friend Natalie, we FINALLY made it!

It surpassed all my expectations. I have never been to a place so amazing.

I am BLOWN AWAY by New York City!

I will post more details about the trip when I return home :-)

Catch Up

It’s been awhile...Life here has evolved into a normal busy routine.

We all have our little activities that keep us busy and happy.

Charles is enjoying the challenges of his job and is making good progress with the work going on here. He plays touch every morning with the locals and basketball a few days a week.

Eli started rugby training on Saturday mornings and played his first game last Saturday against a team of local Tongan kids..wow they’re tough! (he survived the game). His sickness (HSP) is completely gone so we’re glad (especially him) that he’s back to good health.

Jacob just learnt to ride his two wheeler bike so spends every free minute riding it. His other new obsession is his ukulele and carries it around constantly playing different tunes. Other than that, Jacob is growing like a weed and is his usual laid back, happy self.

Nova is a chatterbox and drama queen these days. It’s amazing the automatic change that’s occurred since she turned three! We both go to playgroup and attend hula classes together (good workout and really fun!).

As for me...I’m really enjoying a more relaxed pace of life. Among all the mummy duties I’ve taken up exercising! (It’s been a while;-), hula dancing, and enjoying my calling in the Primary presidency (Church programme for children). The children are so care free and fun. I’m lucky to have some lovely friends that are a support network while I’m away from my family too which makes all the difference in the world.

Most importantly, we are spending so much more time together as a family enjoying each other’s company and just hanging out which we love!

We’ve had a full week recently!! First, President Uchtdorf (a member of the First Presidency for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) came to Tonga as part of his Pacific tour. It was so uplifting and a privilege to hear him speak. We also attended the huge show in his honor that the youth of Tonga put on for him. It was amazing to watch!

Mum, Ken and nephew Ezra arrived from NZ last Saturday...fun times! We’ve done all the touristy things and the weather has been beautiful. I love showing them our life here... and all the differences from home. Since we’ve been here in Tonga we’ve discovered that there are different social norms and pressures compared to New Zealand. Life is based on the main priorities in life rather than the superficial ones. It’s more about having a roof over your head and food to eat rather than having a flash car. There’s a definite ‘villiage’ element here where no matter who a child’s parents are, everyone looks after them. Things that I worried about as a mother in the past, mean nothing here. It’s a more simple life.

Signing off for now :-) *PHOTOS TO COME*


(On another note...One of my all time dreams is very soon about to come true. Stay tuned)

Dora and Rainbow Cake!

Our little girl is now 3 years old, it’s gone too quickly!

I mentioned about a month ago to Nova that it was her birthday soon...It’s been a LONG month for her; she’s been counting down and reminding us almost everyday!

With the day finally arriving, Nova was so excited to find pink and white balloons on her bed with a stack of little presents to open...but her highlight of the day was seeing her new Dora the Explorer table set and Rainbow cake

Halloween

The kids got really into Halloween this year. I'm not much of a halloween person, but our Church threw a big halloween party for the kids...for them halloween equals dress ups and sweets (that's why they love it so much).

They had a really fun time playing all the party games and eating candy. The boys met up with our neighbours for a bit of trick or treating in our little compound. So now we have piles of sweets that I need to hide and teeth to brush!

It's all about family

We’ve had the pleasure of having Moana (sister) and her three boys join us here in Tonga. It was nice showing them around and sample what life is like here. We kinda feel like locals now!

The kids were so excited to see their cousins again and had so much fun together.

Jacob and Pedro-Lucca


We showed them all the sites of Tonga (as many as six kids would let you..) but most days were spent at the beach where the kids were happiest.


My Dad (Granddad) came as a surprise for the grandchildren (boy did they get a surprise!!). They were all so happy to see him. We all headed to an outer island called Pangaimotu for the day.
It’s only a 10 minute boat ride from the mainland, but it felt like a world away.

Jacob with Granddad


Ezra, Keanu and Moana


Eli with Pedro-Lucca





It's a beautiful place and so relaxing!

We also went to the Market to stock up on fruit, veg and souvenirs






Unfortunately the good times had to end...Moana and her boys returned home to Auckland...we miss them so much already!

Dad stayed longer, so we visited all the Tongan sites again.
(Visisting the Trilathon)

(Captain Cook Landing)


The boys were happy that Granddad could make it to their school concert. It’s an annual fundraising event where the students perform dances and the audience go up on the stage and stick money on the performers (fakapale).

(Me getting Jacob ready for his dance)



Eli in his dance costume


Now Dad has returned home and life is back to normal. We loved every minute they were here and now we miss them even more. xo