It came ... I saw.....

and we had a grand ol' time.

What a day.... It started with a lovely little text chat with my darlin girl... while I was still i bed and she was preparing for the cyclone that were here children (only minutes later)... and I was waiting for my own storm to build. I actually got to stay in bed until 7.30am. AMAZING!!

The kids enjoyed unwrapping the gifts that I finally finished wrapping only 5 or so hours before hand... totally sober and still in search of that stiff drink. Who would have been so stupid as to forget the second most ingredient!? Coke!?
(I know.. I could have just gone straight.. though I did'nt think that was a wise idea incase I tried to find our chimney!!)
After having my little text convo with my darlin' girl.. we turned it into a real one around 9am when all members of both our families got all our gifts from each other and did a mass ripping and squeeling as we did a long distance gift exchanging extravaganza... There was way too much food... (note to self, when I next say "simple, fuss free dinner" I MEAN IT!)And we broke in every single one of the kids games... I have never before laughed so hard as I did when I decided that I needed to show the children exactly how one plays Highschool Musical 3 DANCE (a dance mat game)... Not one for the 'tarded.

I hope that you all had a wonderful day... laughed as much as we did here... and got a little spoiled along the way!

The eve of the man in red...

I don't think that there has ever been a christmas before this where I was so bloody unorganised. The woman that has all her shopping done and at home by the beginning of november and wrapped a few days later has just now returned home from the store for the 3rd time today. 1st time, to get last minute gifts, the 2nd, to do the grocery shopping for tomorrow... and the last... because I realised that I had run short on wrapping paper... and ofcourse, I need that to wrap all the presents that are strewn through my wardrobe, still waiting to be wrapped!

Arrrgghh... Totally the picture of disorganisation!!! (and no.. i'm NOT going to share a photo of the chaos that is me today! haha. Though I am sure cath would get a laugh... my hair is disheveled, my cheeks flushed and am right about now in desperate need of a good strong drink! Who on earth leaves everything until christmas eve!? There were people everywhere and honestly, I would have gotten a better park if I left my car at home and walked!)


Well... I best go.. I have gingrbread men, cinnamon stars and choc-mint candy cane cookies a calling and I still have to cut veges, prepare the meats, get ready for a christmas eve party at a friends house, have that good stiff drink... and oh... how could I forget... wrap those presents!

I am sure when I get through my list, not a creature will be stirring... hmmm.. maybe... that will have something to do with the... mmmmmm.... stiff drink!

ho ho HO...

Its so Ho Ho Hot here....

The clock says 11pm and the thermometer on the wall reads 31 degrees celcius while I'm sitting here at the moment battling the urge to jump on the first flight to the states and share the holiday season with Lyn... Honey, you got a spare bed.. sofa or piece of floor for a tired, hot and uncomfortable Aussie?

Thankfully tomorrow the weather should only be 27 and 25 for the 25th. Oh how a girl can only hope.

Christmas is hard to get into the swing of when its too hot to move, though we are doing pretty good at keeping festive (now I finally got the bug)... yesterday we baked gingerbread ladies, (who says that they have to be men!? Though i did have a chuckle and wonder if I should be burning my bra at the same time!)spiced christmas cookies, though due to an extremely heavy hand and or the fact that I opened the wrong end of the spice dispenser, these tasted very cinnamon-y... and topped off the cooking with chocolate cookies that had little bits of "candy cans" in them.. (aka candy canes)and extra sprinkled over the top for good measure.

Today... the postman knocked at my door rather early and handed me a package from an angel to open and pop the contents of beneath the tree... now its really looking like christmas... and feeling a lot like it too.

While I am rambling, I have just had a thought.... y'all have read about my advent countdown, right? The gift every day!? Well... since it is 50 minutes until tomorrow, does that mean that I could possibly open my 24th!? Honestly, this little package has boggled me ever since I saw it... even though the first time, it was through tears as I read the beautiful dard that was attached to it.. Seriously... the excitement of opening this last present is almost making me explode... could i possibly ever sleep though til morning!?
~L~

Okay... so.. im sticking to the chair here.. which is a great indication that i have to go have another quick cold shower..

Have a great day/night... Lyn, save some snow for me!
xxx

thought of the day....

You know that things really suck when even your imaginary friend can't stand to be around you...

or:

You know that you truely suck when even your imaginary friend picks on you.

(this thought popped into Kiera's and my head whilst watching re-runs of LOST.)

thought I had to share! ~L~

Happy Birthday Angel.

Just wanted to send out a special birthday wish to a special birthday angel, my bestie... Cath...

Happy birthday gorgeous girl. Hope you have the most fantastic day.... you deserve lots of lovin' pamperin' and spoilin'.
Bring it on!!!

Love you to the stars and back..
xxxxx

the day after the day before...

well.... you will be glad to know that my day of blah is behind us... I was just down right feeling pathetic and sorry for myself. It is not often that I go on a pity party, guest list one.. though sadly, yesterday I just had to vent. I could not even pull on my own undies. Now that... is... just... plain.. right... SAD!
Pathetic even.

Day 4... day three of Chiro-Nazi torture and if i keep progressing, who knows, i could be dancing round the christmas tree in no time.. dependant on the amount of alcohol involved... clothes could possibly be optional. Ewwww... I know.... I just had to put that thought in your head... why!? Just because. That is as good a reason than any i guess! ~L~ Just kidding...There will be clothes... the way the weather has been here in Mexico, aka Melbourne, we could be in Ohio for all that the weather man would know. It is cold... and not at all like the melt your skin off - where you stand weather that Melbourne tends to be known for this time of the year.

I'm dreaming of a white christmas..... just like the one we have never had.....

Okay... im rambling now... though I just have to leave you with probably the most anim-olitically (yep, that is a new, Sandra word right there!)incorrect site ever.. though funny as all hell.
I wish I had seen it yesterday....

Cathy... remember that book that you sent me? "50 days worse than yours!"??? Well.... i think this guy may just be having a constant bad day... what do you think!?

FU Penguin

oke-doke then....
have a great night.. or day..... what ever the case may be!

xxxx

day three of BLAH

I'm am feeling pretty crappy at the moment... and just need to ARRGH for a sec and then I will be okay again... so If you dont want to read... come back later, perhaps there will be something nicer.. but for now...


ARRRRRRGH!

Last sunday, while minding my own business and making a general visit to the store for cold meat, bread and milk i did something to my back. One minute I was walking, next minute i was gritting my teeth, swearing like a trooper and barely able to put one foot in front of the other. OMG, I thought the pain of labour was bad... this, well... this was just like... do anything... just make it go away!!!!!!

I went and saw the doctor on Monday morning, who refered me to a chiropractor immediately. After waiting in the waiting room for about 15 minutes I met only the next worse thing to the pain i was feeling at that moment... the lady that would make me hurt in ways i thought was fictional. My chiropractor!
Well.. its been three days now... almost $150 and two visits... and "only" 1/2 a dozen or so more appointments to fix a pelvis that seems to have decided that it wants to move where it aint meant t' belong... While i can take a step now without swearing... i am still a long way from dancing up a storm... Worse than the pain is the fact that I actually don't have enough sick days banked to cover the week off which I have been told I need off... and that I can't figure out how to actually get to the station and sneak to work since Matt wont drive me to the station. Yes.... I am still contemplating work, even though I can still barely move... Stupid... I know.... though what a totally retarded time for my pelvis to decide that it wants to relocate to somewhere other than where its meant to reside!

okay... thats it from me... my ARRRRGH is over... more the fact that I can't take this sitting down no longer.
guh, totally a ba hum bug mament from me. sorry.

she is not only my best friend....

but a minde reader as well so it would appear!

I have been searching for ages for a stamp. This stamp was first introduced to me on a piece of cardstock that was amongst some gorgeous journal tags that were hade made as part of a swap that I was joined into at Scrapboxx. I have had this particular tag tucked away as reference and each time I go into a scrap shop I look for the stamp, although without knowing which of the companies made it, it was not an easy task.

ANYWAY.... Today is the 6th day into Cathy's and my advent countdown... and you would not guess (well if you have been reading my ramble, you may very well guess. ~L~) what was inside number six's wrapping... Yes... exactly... that stamp!

Now, not only do I have to not hoard this tag away, I cam make lots more, for lots of my pages.

Oh... since I dont have a picture to show you right now, I guess you are wondering what stamp I have added to my growing stamp collection, right?!

Hmmm... let me see if i can find an image to share..... (goes off in search on google and comes back, piccy in mouse)okay... so that was not too safe.. have you seen all those scrummy stamps!? OMG... yum!!!!

Okay, so here it is.....

Thanks Gorgeous Girl!!!!!! ~whispers~ (Dont know if Matt will have the same sentiment when he see's my growing wish list. hahaha.)

its beginning to look a lot like christmas....

If anyone who has followed my blog long enough, they would know that Cathy is my best girlfriend... my angel... my shoulder... my drinking buddy and the one friend that I can just be stupid with and not worry what she thinks of me "afterwards"....
Anyway... every year for a while we have sent each other a box of christmas gifts, one for each day in the lead up to christmas day starting with the first of december. Last night we sent each other a text message and had commented that perhaps our packages would pass each other on the way down and i had said that i hoped that they would stop and give each other a hug as well.... well it seems that they did just that... because they both arrived at their destinations today, states apart!
We know that it is a few days into december, though we just play catch up for the days we have missed... right now, im smiling huge because of the gorgeous book i discovered wrapped in my box, about friends... and am sitting here surrounded by the gorgeous scent from some scented candle melts that were also in the first few gifts....
I hope you have had the same kinda goofy grin on your face as I have honey... love you girl...
and im glad that I have that song in your head... its been in my head since I wrote on all the tags a week ago! ~L~
xxxx

To everyone else.... I hope that you are all having as wonderful a start to the silly season.

love n' hugs to all..
xxx

thank god its Twiday...

Well.... close enough. ~L~...

Matt and I had plans to go see the new Twilight Saga - New Moon Last night, and I have been counting down to "Twiday" aka Friday all week, though yesterday returned home from work with the worst hayfever that I think I have ever had in my life. My nose was litterally dripping.. YUCK...
so Matt loaded me full of drugs and sent me off to bed... Spoilsport.

This morning he had a shoot on in the city so it gave me the opportunity to sleep the morning away and try and feel a little more human and sound a hell of a lot more convincing when he returned and asked how i was feeling. I knew i had to my little white lie reserve for the month and tell him that i was feeling GREAT! ... I may have over done it, but hey... he could not argue... atleast i was upright and no where as stoned as i was when he sent me to bed. ~L~

So... with my little white lie down, i got out to see New Moon.... ~howls~ OMFG... I will understand if a lot of the team Edward gals jump ship and become Team Jacob supporters. Having a body that good should be down right illegal! Me, well I am standing fast as a Team Edward girl... There is something in that crooked little smile that takes my breath away... haha.

It is no where as good as the book but man, I am looking forward to watching it again and again when it is released on DVD....
Now... I guess I best start counting down til Eclipse is released.... i have no clue when that is... best i go google, huh!? ~L~

~looking up at the moon and howling again~ aarrrrrrrooooooooooooohhhhh...

hahahaha.
have a great night guys... my hayfever meds are starting to kick in again and i think its best that i go now before my fingers type something that my stoned little head may not find as amusing when its clear in the morning! ~L~

speechless.... angry.....~shaking head~ what can i say!?

I dont know about you, though I was raised in a house where it was wrong for a boy to hit a girl and have raised my son with exactly the same kind of respect for women as his father was raised and what i had heard all my life.

Sadly, it appears that not all kids are raised in the same way.

On the way home from school today, Miranda was assulted by a boy almost 8 years her senior. Yes, you read right.... my 8 year old was hurt by a 15 year old. Both Jamie and her walk home together and in a moment where Jamie had told her to drop a stone she was carrying, his ball that he was bouncing bounced away from him and he went after it, letting go of her hand for no more than a second, all shit fell loose.

She tossed the stone on the ground and it bounced, hitting this 16 year old boy on the back of the ankle. We are talking about a stone the size of a bit of gravel... something small enough that it is amazing that he even felt it... anyway before jamie could get back onto the footpath to Miranda, this kid had grabbed my little girl by the throat, ripped her up into the air and was projecting her towards the pavement. His hand firmly around her throat still, he was leaning over her with his fist brought back ready to lay into her.

Jamie tossed the ball at the kid, hitting him to distract him and called him something rather "obscene" to be repeated here, and in that second that it took for him to be distracted from Miranda, Jamies friend grabbed miranda and pulled her away.

She has brusing down her neck to her shoulder, skin grazed from areas on her back which is going to scab badly, skinned elbows and bruises all over. Quiet understandably, she is a complete mess, as is poor Jamie who has not stopped crying for more than a few minutes all afternoon.

The police were called and have arrested the boy, taken him to the police station to be finger printed and charged. The police are disgusted that this boy found no remorse in what he had done, and that his actions, if had not been distracted would have been most definately, horendous.

Matt and I, as you can very well imagine want to do very bad things to this boy and make him hurt in a way that he has not ever hurt before in his life. Matt.... my goodness, I have never seen him so wild... his eyes are dark .... and its scary... my gentle giant.... well..... it hurts to see him so lost as to what to do
Work is putting him on stress leave... His friend is going to teach Jamie how to box and Miranda how to defend her self (not that we would expect her to ever be able to fight off someone so much larger than herself)... me, well I am upset.. angry and like matt, lost as to what to do... though I am doing what I do best... distracting myself and planning my day for tomorrow out in my head. He will stay home with them... I will work... simply, so I dont become the mess that I am on the inside, on the outside.

Godess give us strength.

Scraptastic Saturday...

(Please, Cathy, Sit before you fall down with shock at the following announcement!!)

I can't remember the last time that I sat for long enough to finish one layout in a day, though today, I am proud to say that I have created 3 Layouts... One of them is complete with photo, while the others still have photos to take and add. (~whispering so that Matt does not hear... just yet... ~ that is my cunning plan for tomorrow... to get Matt to come out with us all somewhere, set up the tripod and timer and just take some fun family shots.)

You know, he has seen these layouts today though has not asked what photos I am planning on using... clueless man.....~ snickering~

I am hoping that not only will we get these photos taken tomorrow, though I can get Matt to run them through adobe, fix them up, crop them and take them to get printed as well.... IF I get my way, you should see them some time tomorrow afternoon....

If the weather is nice, forget everything, other than the knowledge that we are updating our family photos.... the layouts will be uploaded on the next rainy weekend... because if tomorrow is anything like today has been... tomorrow i will be doing the beach bum thang!

yet another proud mama moment

Earlier today, while still working I happened to miss a call from Kieras school.. When i saw the missed called after work I thought I best call Matt and make sure that everything was okay. I was so relieved when he said that all was fine, that he too had been called by the school.
Apparently, Kiera had won an award for a Media project she had done, though we were asked to keep it hushed and get her up to the school between 7 & 8pm to receive this award at the year 11 art show. (she is only in yr 10 btw but her stuff was being shown anyway).

We got up to the school just before 8 only to be quickly ushered through the doors and told to go and see the principal. (the awards had all been presented about 10 mins earlier)... Kiera was still wondering what was happening at this point... She regardlessly, headed to the principal who eagerly shook her hand and presented her with a PRINCIPAL AWARD and a credit note for $50 to go towards her school books for next year.

Needless to say, this was a wonderful end to a week and yet another proud mama moment!

Happy friday!!

With a pride swelled heart

It was with a pride swelled heart that I sat last night beside an equally proud husband and watched Miranda, (our 8 year old) perform on stage in a interschool spectacular called wakakirri.
A few months ago I went along to watch her first performance, competing against 10(?) other schools in our region of Melbourne/victoria. We (all the parents) left that night, with the belief that our wonderful little people had not taken out any placing in the competition, let alone taken one of the nights awards. A week later we were all pleasantly welcomed to the fact that not only had they done marvelously on the night, they had taken out FIRST PLACE! They were off the the grand finals, in the City, to compete for the place of Victorias winners.

As you can imagine, the children, all ranging between 7-8.5 worked tremendously hard on their performance, which was based around the events of last January and the King Lake, Black Saturday Bush fires. These fires affaected our children in a way that I dont think any of us really realised until we saw their performance. It was from the heart and showed the australian spirit, to help when others were suffering. My heart almost burst with the pride that i felt watching such little people perform something that was such a grown up kind of situation. One that we would love to think our children would never have to be exposed to. (loss & destruction). Athough, through this exposure, it has awoken our children to strength, courage and the australian spirit of just getting on with things, rebuilding and survival. Something very important for our children to know.

Anyway... where was this proud mum!?

Oh yes... last night, Matt and I rushed up to the 2nd floor of the Melbourne Town hall to take out seats with many other parents from our school and many others, to watch our children perform in what would for the most of them, be the biggest moment in their little lives so far. Our school was 2nd to perform and through tears of pride that fell I watched my little girl dancing around on stage, enticing the flames with her gusts (of arms). She was the wind that drove the fires on that fateful day. Such a dark and omnimous part, looked so beautiful... and PROUD.
Those same tear filled eyes then looked to her father, who with no doubt had a heart as large with pride as mine, and surely aching as it stretched to its limit, threatening to burst.
Ofcourse, we are bias... while the other schools all did wonderful jobs, our little people, (who were the youngest of the performers on both the first night, and this, the grand finals) were definately, the best story of the night. And... ofcourse, the best dancers, story writes, full stop!

hours later, our weary little people came and sat in the dress circle with us, and watched the rest of the performance. Many of them, tightly held tiny fingers crossed. They were all anxiously awaiting the last performance to be complete so that judging could be undertaken. WOW... I did not realise that they were going to find out their fate, then and there.
Awards weere given.... we were down to the last award... the most prestigeous award of the night and again, our beautiful babies faces were long, they had seemed to miss out on awards again when all of a sudden the presenter of the night started to talk of "heard ship and the australian way. The strength to pull together when hearts weere so low and hope was bleak"... It was the Beyond Blue award. (beyond blue were the main sponsers).... and what performance do you think they were talking about when they were leading up to the presentation of this award? None other than Jamieson way .... OUR LITTLE GUYS HAD TAKEN OUT THE BEYOND BLUE AWARD!!!!!

Pop.... there went my heart... im sure of it....

or.... was that the veins in my hands from clapping so hard... or my voice box from the screams that came from my toes as i cheered on our three little represeentatives as they headed over to the presenter to accept the award!?

there were 10 groups, 6 of whom were all called out to the front of the stage, again... our kids stood back on the stage. They had not been called. A little sigh rumbled in my chest at the knowledge that if these were the winning kids, then we would have to again have that talk about "its not weather you win or losee"... you know the one, right?
EQUAL THIRD.... that is what i heard announced... what the!? 3rd? All of those 6 groups? That means...... yep.... our kids were still in with a chance... i think it was then that i realised what this meant... my heart swelled a little more... and i found myseelf crossing my fingers tightly. OMG.... 2nd or .... I could barely think it... 1st. Our children were the only division 1 group there, meaning it was their very first time ever performing at wakakirri... did our children really have what the judges were looking for? well... duh, we thought so, but these were professional performers that were in the judging panel..

All the remaining children were asked to move forward on the stage... our three representatives all reached out to hold each others hands... they were thrilled to think that their hard work had paid off and they were going to get 2nd or 1st...

POP.... that was definately my heart as their name was called out as Victorias 2009 Wakakirri 2nd place winners. Honestly, the squeels that came from our group of children and parents I dont think could have been any louder if we had actually taken out 1st place.

I am sitting here, writing this from work while I wait for my dental partner (Dr) to come back from some training... and between my oral hygiene lessons with preps-y2 kids at the school I am working at. My mind has been upon my little girl today and all her little friends as I am sure they got a hero reception this morning at the school assembly.

My heart still aches with pride... & my smile not so wide as it was, though definately still there for my gorgeous little girl.

I wonder what they will start to prepare for next year. I hope the teachers have thought that far ahead... for I am sure, there is no holding them back now! They will want to do this again... and again... and again!

(I will upload a pic of my gust of wind tonight, or over the weekend. She did so well to stay up as long as she did, and get her photo taken. (12 midnight)...

Lots of love and I hope you are all smiling and well.
xxxx

Introducing.....

The other night, after I almost had a kitten at the price that Rigadoon Dolls were fetching, I decided to start googling other alternatives. I stumbled upon a site filled with Muppet style puppets and even a tutorial on how to make my very own... it was then that I decided that I would give making one a go. So the very next morning I went of to spotlight fabric store to gather supplies, came home and started drawing up some patterns... then pulled out the machine to sew... this is the final result.
While he is nameless, not perfect, I think that he will fit in well with the special people that he has been created for. What do you think!?

I would love to hear your thoughts as to a name for this little fellow... I have come up totally blank.
Miranda wants to call him either, Phin, Cody or Zac. Kiera came up with Milo or Miles. Jamie was not a great help at all.. All he had to input into the entire discussion was that he was not a real little boy. He is genderly... well... incorrect! ~L~

In closing, I would like to make known how greatful I am of a wonderful bunch of ladies that I know online at scrapboxx, who have been asking around in hope that they could locate a rigadoon to come and work with me.... and to the wonderful daughter of one of these ladies, who was willing to hand over her very own childhood friend so that she could live her life outside of a box doing good. Such a selfless act... such a beautiful thought.I am convinced though, this little guy will be good enough ... and she will not have to part with her cherished friend.

OMG- Rigadoon update!!

I can't believe it... The doll that i refered to below as a raggadoon was a "my bad - spelling error"... it is called a rigadoon doll and apparently a highly sought after collectors item now!

Oh to have fore thought!

The doll that I paid a measly $10 for on sale 16 years ago is now worth $155 upwards!

I am hoping for a miracle that I will be able to find one that someone would like to part with for a needy cause for a sensible ammount. Maybe there is an angel out there somewhere that will see a hospital special needs/care department as such a cause.
I could never pay that kind of price... who would!?

Happy Fridays to you all

.... week two at the Hospital is now over and while my feet ache, my legs throb, I sit here with a contented smile on my face. I am loving it.. the staff, the patients, the Dentists... It is truely a wonderful environment.

I got offered to take on the other position I applied for as well. I have accepted. I will be working on a Mobile facility that will travel to and stay in different Special Needs Schools around Melbourne for 4 months cycles. I will be able to do what I really have been wanting to do... work with the children that need us most. I hope their smiles will be as bright as those that will be greeting them. I should start that in about 2 weeks or so, if all our plans go smoothly.

I want to enter into this in a special way. Since this is a new program I want the children who visit us to enjoy their visit and not be scared of the visit or the thought of returning. I have been thinking hard about how I could do this and I have thought of making a van mascot.
When I was younger I had a puppet, it was a "raggadoon" doll. They were about the size of a one year old, stuffed and very cute,... she had been handed down to Kiera when she was little, though sadly, she has disappeared after the many years of moving with the defence.

I think I am going to have to do a hunt for one through the op shops etc and perhaps on ebay. Who knows, I could be lucky and find one for little $$. Otherwise, I may just have to draw up a pattern and construct one of my own. If only I was lucky enough to find a puppet like some that Jeff Durham has. ~L~... Speaking of, did you know that he is making his way to Australia!?
If you dont know who he is... all i have to ask you is "what rock have you been living under. Do yourself a favour and look him up on YouTube!"
That content smile that I have had, up until now has faded into a pout... because.... well as wonderful as it is to know that my favourite ventriliquist is coming to Australia, his Melbourne show is BOOKED OUT!!!
boo hoo.

Well... Hopefully they will convince him that he will have to open another show while he is here... here is hoping.

enough rambling from me... Im off to find myself a suitable mascot!

Happy fridays and stacks o' love!

PS: I promise that I am going to do something about my music play list! I am so over it, aren't you!?
xxxx

Afternoon.... Kiera and I have been playing in my scrap room all afternoon, while we have not actually put blade to paper, we have been doing some great shopping! Hey... I didnt say that we were scrapping, did i!? Hahahaha. Anyway... Kiera decided that she wanted to do an album like my "remember when" Teresa Collins Album that I created for Allcraftz last year, although with a love theme. So onto the computer we jumped to try and find somewhere that we could find the entire range at the same time as having reasonable postage.

We discovered a Fairfield, NSW based shop which I have to PLUG! They not only have free postage for orders over $45 (a small amount in the big scheme, i know) but they also have awesome prices on October Afternoon Stamps. Stamps that we have seen online today, for up to $29.95 at some Australian stores, for a tiny $12.95. Obviously, since I LOVE journalling blocks, I will be making the most of the tiny price tags and popping some of this goodness in the mail for me. Happy mail for meeeeeee.... yippppeeeee.

Just thought I would share the site with you all especially since we are pulling in the belts during this "econom. crisis". They have definately earned a place in my "plug" list. Especially when you look at it the way I am... 2 stamp sets for the price of one. Sounds good, doesn't it!? (hahaha)

Love and hugs and happy sundays to you all.

xxxx

The count down is on...

It is sunday night and while I wait for home made sausage rolls to cook in the oven I figured what better way to wait then by dropping a quick note at what has become a dusty sad excuse for a blog. Who would have ever thunk that this used to be the blog of a dedicated scrapper!?

These days, it has become the withered remains of a scrappers hide away... oh my gosh, that sounds so sad...

What else is sad is the fact that I have this uncanny ability to ramble on about crap when I actually came here with the intention of saying hi and sharing my excitement that I have started my count down ... that only two shifts remain at my old workplace and then I am on to better things and the best part... that I will be regaining my life! I can't wait.

Oh yeah... and one other thing... to share a pic or two from Friday night. It was a great night and I got to do the time warp twice. Once was the regular version, and then, in their finale, they did a little bit of an x rated one.... ofcourse, I just joined right in with everyone else, and put my hands on my hips, my tits and my bits, (changed for each verse... I only have two hands so ofcourse I was not doing all that, at once!) bent my knees in time and did the time warp again!!!!

Its great sometimes when you go out somewhere and you don't know a soul! hahaha.

So I will leave you with this photo, which was taken back stage after the show ( i know, pretty damn cool huh!?)

Love and hugsxxxx

_______________________________________________________

Note: I am sure that you have thought I have forgotten about posting a few pics of Alice Cooper... know that I haven't... Matt has not got any screen res ones for me to steal and post here, though I am sure that if you stalk his blog or galleries, you are sure to stumble upon a few.

xxxx

It's just a jump to the left....

And then a step to the right.... You know the words.... Sing it with me!!!

With your hands on your hips
You bring your knees in tight
But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane,
Let's do the Time Warp again!

In just a little over 4 hours time I will be sitting front row of the Rocky Horror Picture Show stage show. Would you believe that I have never seen it live? I have only seen the movie a few times though know all the songs.... I was so green with envy when Cath went to see it last year (or was it this year!?) I wanted to see it so badly... Well.. tonight is my chance!!
I can't wait!

Re: my last post.... Thanks to Cath and Estavalia for their congratulations.... I have given my notice... lets say that I was met with icy stares and the whole news went down like the Titanic!
It has been a chilly few days at work, though nothing I can't handle. I had one of the dentists say that its the best thing for me, that he knows that my mind would turn to mush if i stayed, and that he was infact sure that there were 30000 better places than our work place in which i could work. He says that it will do me the world of good... and.. that he will miss me. Awww.
I have decided to stay until tuesday. (i know, how rude of me not to give them two weeks notice- Tough!)... and the only reason behind that is because by doing so, it is more hours sick + holiday pay that I will be paid out and I get a few extra days work pay as well instead of just finishing today and taking what leave entitlements I was owed.

I can justify it simply by "we are buying a house now you know!" hahahah.

Speaking of, we should be signing the contracts any day... the first home buyers scheme cut off is quickly coming to an end!

Damn it... I forgot what else I was going to say, so I guess I will just shut up now and say...

It's astounding, time is fleeting....
I have a show to go get ready for..,.
Mwah.
xxxx

The Tides are a changin'

Well here I am, a little later than promised, but here none the less. The best bit is, I come bearing news like I had hoped to share!

This morning I got a call from The Royal Melbourne Dental Hospital offering me a position on their dental health team. I am so excited and relieved that I can leave the current working conditions behind me! So excited that, as soon as I got home (i was on my way to another interview at the hospital when i got the news) I promptly crawled into bed and slept! I think the stress of the last few months and the sudden realization that it is all behind me hit me and my body just said "okay.. ENOUGH already!! Sleep now!"

So what could I do? I don't like to argue with myself, so I did... I slept and slept and a few times I woke and wondered if i had been dreaming. Guess what? I wasn't!!

So there you go... the tides are a changing... I am no longer going to have to try and keep my head above water (stress wise) in an place where management would rather see me drown, and finally, I will be able to touch the bottom and go through life, swimmingly.

Because I was having such a good day today and had a full fare, full day train ticket, when I got off the train I wrote a nice little message on the ticket and placed it into the machine ticket slot, so the next person that was needing to buy a ticket, would see it and take it.
"Please take this ticket as a gesture of good will. It is valid until midnight. I hope that you have as wonderful a day as I am having! xx".
I challenge you to do something nice for a stranger tomorrow. It will make you feel so good and be the icing on your cake!
I would love to hear what you do!
Anyway, thats all from me for now... hopefully now that I will be working decent hours, and coming home at a decent hour and be no longer doing weekends, you will hear from me more often.
Love and misses.
xxxxx

Anaphylaxis to Alice Cooper

As the title indicates, my week has been from one extreme to the other.

Monday, severe mondaitis...

Tuesday came an anaphylatic reaction that saw me happy and laughing with the kids one minute to screaming and trying to scratch my own eyes out the next!

I had come home after work with a headache and a sore neck, so i pulled out a wheat heat pack from where it had been tucked away in a drawer. I heated it up, use it on my neck and all was fine. As my neck felt better I rolled onto my side and rested the side of my face on the heat... big mistake... HUGE!! Within seconds my eyes were burning and itching so badly that I would have greatfully scratched them from my head. Within a minute they were so swollen they were closed shut!

Wednesday saw me having to take a day off work because my eyes were still extremely swollen and sore. Lets just say phenergan is heaven... I had thursday off as a rostered day and today, Friday is my usual day off. Tonight, guess where I am going!? (doh, the title gives it away a little, huh!?)... Yep... I am going to see Alice Cooper... Not only am I going to the concert...I have been told that I should be able to meet him and hang out in the green room with him before and after the show!

I am so greatful that I am actually going to be able to see him!!!
My eyes are still sore from being so swollen, though they are not druggie red anymore and i can see.... yippppeee!

I no doubt will be back over the weekend with photos.... Will be thinking of you Cath. If only you didnt live so far away!

out of hidden places.....

~crawling out of the little place that I seem to have been hiding, I pick up a pen and scrawl in my girly hand~

Dear Diary... (aka Lyn)
I know it has been forever and a day since the last time I wrote here, approximately 14 days to be exact... though who is counting? Oh right, you are.. hahaha.
I thought I best stop by and let you know that this girl still has a pulse and breath. Life is slowing down and I am more or less finding that I can keep up now with little more than a canter. I do hope though with the weeks to come, that not only will we have signed and sealed on the deal with our new home but that I will also be keeping in better touch, keeping better hours and doing all this, through a less stressed mind due to a surgery change.
I have been working incredibly rediculous hours, sometimes 12 hour shifts, finding me dragging myself through the door here well after dark and after my babies are in bed..(or meant to be). Its not the life I want, for either the children or Matt and I. What is life worth if we only seem to live to work? Especially when the renumeration that is seen is not worth the sacrifices made?

So... Hopefully next time I put pen to paper (figuratively speaking), I shall have news of a new job, new hours, better wages and the starts of a better life for us all.

I hope that all my friends are well, smiling and travelling each day through laughter and love... I hope they know how much I miss them all.
Well... That is all from me now Diary dearest... I have my shoes on and am ready to go visit my newest neighbour, Miriam. (Finally they are in.)

Much Love
xxx

wrong wrong wrong..SOOOOOO NOT COOL!

I thought saving the planet, taking recyclable bags to the supermarket with you or purchasing environmentally friendly shopping bags at the store were all the go these days.. you know.. the right thing to do...

But thing i did not realise was, that some stores seem to see this as their way of making a quick buck.... thus where this vent begins.

I had a zillion things to do today, on my day off. (like usual) Sully has yet to be equipped with my enviro-bags and being in a hurry to get the kids to school and Kiera & I to the senior campus to organise her classes for next year, i totally forgot to chuck the enviro bags in... While i dont like to leave home without them, i know that coles will supply the yucky bad for the environment plastic bags (which i put in with the enviro-bags and use over and over til they fall appart) so half way up the road i thought that today, i would just go with the plastic option. I knew that i had to go to Aldi first so i thought, yep, i will just buy a plastic bag. Afterall, i have seen them advertised at the check out for 15c each. Not too bad i guess in a pinch.
Armed with all the things i wanted in the supermarket que i reached down and pulled out a plastic bag from the shelf... a fully biodegradable, corn starch made bag that will break down over a week in the compost. Awesome! I am not being so bad to the enviroment after all... right!? Right!
So... why is it that when i check out the receipt, I discover that my "saving the planet, you beaut, break down in a week" bag cost me 79c ...

SO NOT COOL!

It is a bag...big deal!!!! Deal with it hear you say.... normally i would, though today i just decided that i would question the dude who served me. There was an option when i picked up the bag, of either plastic bag for 15c or cooler bag for $1 (something). Do the math... that is 64c difference than what the tag said.

The dude is quick to inform me that i chose an environment safe bag... not a plastic bag.. what the!? The plastic bags were tucked at the back of the enviro bags.. since when did saving the earth become the more expensive option!?
I thought the whole idea of envrio friendly ones was to help people make the right choice! People are not going to help the enviroment if they have to pay so much more for the option!

and then there was.... SULLY

She is big and blue... and a Holden captiva LX to be exact.... and she is mine.... or... i should say ours..... though, ofcourse, that means... mine...mine mine.... all mine.... hahaha (looking to make sure Matt is not around when i call her MINE)...

Matt turned up at work this evening while i was seeing a patient out and thankfully, the patient remained calm and laughed at my excitement when i started to scream excitedly and jump up and down and continue to hug the stuffing out of Matt. I have wanted to get a car for a LONG time now that would suit a family with Teens with boyfriends/girlfriends... and now i have her... she seats 7... has all the add on options, beautiful 20 inch rims and low profile tyres and is so purdy!!

Cath has heard all about her... we even drove by Ballan Holden at Werribee to try and sneak a peek while she was down visiting, though sadly, we could not see her... and since it was 7.40pm by the time i met her away of the dealership, it was too dark to take a photo... though i promise... i will share piccies soon...

Now I've gone and done it!!!

Got QUALIFIED that is!!!!

I have had text messages as well as email messages from lots of people asking how I went in myWPA (and one message here too if i recall)..

Well... This is just a quick note to say, while I love your text messages, sms messages and emails... you can now ask me something else!!! 'Cause, my assessment went really well (after I stopped at all but two rubbish bins in the street that I work in to be sick, made a mad dash to the Loo just after walking in the door of work and my nerves settled down)..... I am now a fully qualified, Senior Dental Nurse.
My gosh, I can tell you, I really had doubts at times weather there really was a light at that bloody long tunnel!

Note: did you know that dental instruments had an acoustic sound when clanged together uncontrollably by nervous hands!? Our first patient laughed and said she felt like she had a private show from some eclectic muse-o! ooops. hahaha. (She said this in good jest)

So.. THAT IS ALL FOLKS... THAT IS MY NEWS!!!!

Done and Dusted

You know what? It is amazing what one can achieve in a few hours if they just put their mind to it, stop procrastinating and just suck it in and get on with it!
I'm done... As long as I get a PX (pass) for this assignment, I am D.O.N.E... NO MORE assignments or case studies for me to do... yippppppeeeee!!

Man... I cant tell you how relieved i feel, how happy and full of renewed energy I am... It is such a good feeling!

My work place assessment is on Friday... I have to say, I am really terrified. I know I know my stuff... though, I am still scared. I so desperately want this all to be done so that I can just get on and nurse, though the thought of an assessor standing in the room while I work, scares the ba-jeebers out of me. Seriously... How do they really think someone is going to cope with nerves, being scrutinized so closely? I know that it is necessary for my safety, that of my co-workers and the patients, but seriously... Hello.... Its nerve wracking having someone watch you work.. dont you think!?

I will just have to remember to breeeeeaaaath.

For now though, im going to give my hot pink betty boop jimjams the flick, have a nice hot bath while the house is so quiet and then, just settle down to watch a movie. I think I have deserved it..

oh yeah... and keep counting.
24 hours to go! ;-)

Counting down and coming to an End

Finally, it is time for me to write my last paper before graduating and qualifying... the long year of study and assessments is quickly drawing to an end... though, here i sit, procrastinating, listening to Kerry Anne on TV in the background (im too lazy to change the channel) and writing here on my poor neglected blog. Why? I'm over the papers... I'm over having other things to do on my day off besides what I want to do... and simply... im stalling... buying time and trying to put off the inevitable. I know ... dumb huh!? It would be better to just get it over and done with.. i know... though that is eaiser said than done when I'm sitting here wishing that it was already Saturday and my bestie was here with me... scrapping the day away and counting down the hours until she arrives!!!!

soooo... in precisely 28 hours (give or take, so its not really precisely, i know).... Cathy will be here.... Im so so so EXCITED!!!!!!

Okay... i have counted and stalled enough... i must get in and tackle this icky paper so that i can scrap guilt free over the weekend.

Hope that this Friday finds you all smiling, healthy and safe!

MWAH!

Breath..... I must remember to BREATH....

Well... after my rant this time last week... it feels like atleast a century has past... the frustration and anger that I was feeling that day drowned out by the intense sickness I am feeling in my stomach from a mixture of nerves, excitement, exhaustion and relief...

As of 9.09am this morning, Saturday 18th of July 2009 Matt and I are the very happy and insanely excited owners of a block of land in stage one of Esperance, Sanctuary Lakes - Point Cook.

After Finding out last week that the vendor of the land we wished to purchase, had been advised by his (little chinese) friend that he could get $40000 more than what he was asking for the block we were wanting to purchase from him, he stalled with the contracts. Sure, that is not that bad... i know... but it was only by chance that we actually found out about it. It had happened a week and a half before hand and the company that we were going through decided that keeping us in the loop with the information was not at the top of their list of important things to do. So, not only were we stranded with out land, we were working with people that we had quickly lost the trust of... so defeatedly, we started home when we saw a sign for Esperance, advertising land, below what we were wanting to pay... so off we went to have a sticky beak at it.
The block we were after had to be at 15 meters wide.. and when we looked at their stage 1 plans, discovered that there was only one of them!
We asked if we could leave a deposit though were quickly told that the land went on sale on the 18th (today) and it was first in best dressed.
So set out with a plan not to be screwed a second time around Matt decided that the best thing to do was take a few days off work and camp out! Yes.... CAMP
Up until this morning, he had been camping in the bitter winter nights to grab hold of the thing that would bring our dreams to reality... that 15 block.
When he drove into the carpark he discovered that the first camper has arrived (even though this guy planned to sleep in his car), though was relieved when he discovered that this camper didnt want our block. So, up went the tent... in went 3 doonas (quilts), 3 pillows, a sleeping bag, a camping swap and some basic supplies and in crawled Matt..... set to stake his mark!
We were campers #2 and the land was ours... the only catch was that one of us had to remain on site the entire time. I was unable to get time off work, though before and after work, worked shifts with Matt... and got to know our new neighbours, who were quickly arriving to stake their own little piece of land... well under the price of other land in the area.


Now... that is all pretty full on, right!? Yes.. i agree... though we have not only become the owners of land, we have put a chunky deposit down on a house to pop on to this patch of dirt!

If you are in Melbourne, check out channel 7 news at 6pm tonight, or 9 news, or the ABC, because we were the first to actually pitch a tent and "camp". Because we saw the temperature drop below zero twice, the news reporters wanted to interview matt... when they discovered that it had been a journey of a whole family, 9the kids would sit at the site at times while we were at bank appointments) they wanted to interview us all and channel 7 have actually done a full spot on us, the first home buying family who camped out to make their dreams come true!!!

Anyway... that is our sweet news.. i'm rambling, sleep deprived, star struck and running on pure adrenaline... so im going to go now, find a pillow, a rug and a soft spot for a lil nap. It feels so much later than 2pm.

xxxx

Sweet!!!

This has to be the sweetest blog candy that i have seen today. Is this gal talented or what!? These are just three of the gorgeous range of scrapping embellishments that she has started to design... If you love them as much as i do, you can have some of your very own.... follow her link to her etsy store and shop your heart out!!!

______________________________________________
PS: Now... onto the sweetest news ever!!!!

The things that suck today:

clause: we must remember that when reading other peoples blogs that their thoughts could be just caused by a bad day, bad news, stress or too much vodka... in my case, it is all the above... and a case of not ENOUGH vodka... so, with that said... do not take anything that is written personally, think the author is racist or anything else... and lets continue.....

1. the fact that my vodka bottle has just run dry (it lasted a long time - however, im sorry that i drank your share too Cath! opps)
2. Little Chinese men that can't speak english when required.
3. That the same Chinese man can speak gooda english when we would rather he doesnt.
4. Little Chinese mens friends
5. vodka bottle being empty
6. being incapable of driving to the liquor store
7. claredon homes
8. people who are meant to be working for you, holding information back
9.real estate agents
10. the fact that the liquor store does not home deliver.
11. people who work on saturdays who actually don't really work as much as work on looking like they are actually working.
12. sales pitches and the inability for me to actually shoot $100 notes out my arse.

and in closing, i hope that the little friend in point 4 gets hit by a big bus!

I hope your day at 6.31pm is shaping up to look a freaking lot better than mine!

To my Favourite Americans...

Happy 4th of July!!

To Rich, Tannie, Lee, Marilyn & Dave... Hope you have a very safe and happy 4th of July. I know that I am early, but... you know... I have already seen tomorrow... ;-)
It is bleak and overcast here in Australia... Hope the sun shines for you and you have a great day...
Love you all lots and lots!!!

When the world gives you lemons.....

MAKE A FACE!!!!!

If you had a day worthy of pulling faces like this.... I hope tomorrow is better!!

xxxx

there is news and then there is NEWS!!!!

Okay... okay, So i have gotten the hint from all the emails that i have been sent, trying to worm my secret out of me... guessing everything from us moving to new south wales through to my being pregnant and almost everything imaginable in between... From all the emails I have received, i think its safe to say that you all wanna know what my secret is right?You do know though, that not one of you guessed even close... right!?

This is what the secret is NOT:
Twins (if i am, its a surprise to me too!)
a baby
a new puppy
a new job
a new pet
a new car (keep your ear to the ground... i believe that this may be news for a few months time! ;-) )
No, Im not on a design team
Um... Im ALREADY Married (hi.. meet MATT... errrrmmm... my husband!!??!)
no, im not getting divorced.. (i cant even imagine how this could be GOOD EXCITING NEWS)
moving to New South Wales
Moving over seas (oh what a wonderful surprise that would be!)
bringing out my own scrap range (noice, but no.. ~L~)


SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO................................
Here it is!!!

The big news...

My secret that I have almost busted to tell you all...


Today officially, we became the proud owners of one very obscene debt, will tomorrow sign on the dotted line to start building our very own home!

Del, darlin, you probably guessed the closest, though, not moving as far as you had hoped. Sorry doll.. we are not moving to NSW... though we are moving!

We have a block of land, which is only 1km from right where I am sitting writing this post...
The kids will not have to move schools and will even still be able to walk to get there..

Now the exciting stuff starts... the contracts... the colour selection... the slab... the framing... the building... the moving in!!!

While we have opted to do some of the things ourselves, like the flooring and landscaping, we have loads of deciding to do.... those of you who have built will know all about those choices... i am sure...
Matt and I visited the tile sales place today and my god... where do we start!? I was so overwhelemed i just wanted to cry! ~L~
Tomorrow we are going to go to Boral and choose our bricks.. then go play with paint samples and then hopefully the tiles and flooring will just fall right into place!

There you have it!!!
To all those that were excited to think they had one last chance at becoming surrogate aunties and uncles or neighbours, we are sorry to dissapoint!

All but done and dusted....

Well... I think it is safe to say that I am now all but done and dusted with Uni... I am at the tail end now... all there is left to do is one little assignment, a quick little paper and a three hour in workplace assessment with an assessor from the University...

It seems like forever since I started on this journey, many times along the way, unsure of the path and where the light at the end was actually situated... though I'm pleased to say that I found the light, and am teetering on the edge of the paths finish line and it could not be better. It is such a great feeling of accomplishment and purpose... and pride.

Accomplishment that I am close to qualified and have finished my first lot of study in 17 years.
Purpose because I can once again help with the bread winning...
and Pride for being as old as I am in a class room with students as young as 17, and for getting marked with what have been some of the highest scores that the School of health Sciences have ever seen in this specific course!!!
An average of 99.8% over the entire course so far!! Pretty damn good I reckon!

Now that I have come to the end of one path, there is another that we are standing at the start of... much excitement and stress is ahead of us... though it is the start of something HUGE!!


Have I got you wondering!?


Soon enough I will spill the beans... but for now, I am keeping it under wraps just a little longer!
Of course, my best friend knows.... how could I not share news like this with her!?

______________________________________________________
PS: Been scrapping. Will post later what I have been up to!

Has it really been that long!?

Man, this year is just flying by and I tend to find myself, clawing at the sides, just trying to hold on.
Is it just that I am getting older, that I am noticing that there really is not enough time in the day, that the year is buzzing by, that thinking how far the year has come so far makes me tired?

We wont go into the aches, the - once I'm on the floor, who is gonna help me up, the not making it much past 8pm before I start to concider bed.. Because, if I was to mention any of that, I'm sure there would be someone out there that would confirm my fears... That I AM getting old.

I really don't believe though that it has been 2 months since I made an entry here.. I just wont believe that I could have been so busy that I could not wish my Mum, Marilyn & Cath, as well as all the other mums out there ... a happy mothers day.

I wont believe that I neglected to share with you my baby girl's 8th birthday at Melbourne Zoo and pictures of the gorgeous cupcakes that I somehow managed to pull together the night before the party - and after an 11 hour shift, no less..

I wont believe that I forgot to send my mum a happy birthday message here, didn't share with you the photos of the many beautiful things that we have discovered with Matts new camera, that I didn't stop by to shout out a hello.. remember me!? message.

Because... if I do believe.. It will be true... and that proves that I am just hanging on & time really will never be available in 28 hour days..

Ho hum.. there is no harm in dreaming.. right!? Imagine what we could all do with an extra 4 hours! Lately though, I think I would have been wasteful with mine, squandering it away on sleeeeeeeeep.
Since 28 hours is really only ever going to be a dream, I should shout from the rooftop that its a good thing that my Last assignment is finished, that I only have one week of Uni and several exams (in that week) left and I AM DONE!

Yippeee.. Am I excited?
Hell YES!

I can't wait. I am hoping that in that all being put behind me, I shall not be on the constant quest to cram so much into the little time that I have found that I have these days.. And that I will finally be able to do more of what I have spent this morning - my day off, doing!!!

Lookie... I have been playing!! ;-)

happy Birthday

To the little BIG girl that has changed my whole existance... my perspective of life and filled the rest of my heart... Happy 8th birthday Angel.

Easter came Early...

For one little lucky duck.

B2 got a call this afternoon asking to speak with Mea. When she asked who it was, she was told that Mea had won first prize in the Local Shopping centre colouring competition. At first B2 thought it was a joke as we had seen some of the entries on the wall only yesterday and were sure that the ones that were obviously adult assisted would win.. that is normally the way, right?

Well this time, it appears that the theory was wrong.. as our little munchkins brightly coloured cadbury bunny and easter chick (in the photo) caught the attention of the judges and a prize of $120 worth of cadbury eggs and a stuffed cadbury easter bunny were all hers!!


She was as proud as punch as this picture easily depicts. She had centre management there when the customer service desk handed over her washing basket full of eggs... taking pictures that would be used in the shopping centre media and would also appear in the local newspaper.

I took George along (my little pocket rocket - camera), I know its not 30D though he does the job as far as I am concerned.. I handed him to Matt so that he could snap a few photos that we could scrap. The manager saw this photo that Matt took and asked weather they could use that instead of the shots they took of Mea, as part of their advertising. How cool was that!!!? Matts pic will also be the one they put in the paper.

It gets better... he has also been told that they will contact him closer to the opening of stage 2 of the shopping centre to be their official photographer!!!
Just think... that was all through a photo taken with George.. I wonder what opportunities could have risen if he had his "baby" back!? ~laughs~

Easter will be rather well sugar-coated here... sickly sweet with gooey caramel creme eggs (insert droolin' here), peppermint creme filled, caramello eggs and all the other wonders from cadbury, not to mention the eggs (very few) that the easter bunny will be delivering tonight. I had told the kids that this year, they would not be having much chocolate and instead, would be given gifts.. So much for that, huh!? ~laughs~ I guess they get the best of both this year!

I hope the easter bunny is good to y'all... Happy easter... Stay safe!

His flag flies half mast...

There is nothing that I can say, that Matt has not said on his blog this morning... so perhaps I will just copy and paste...

It is a sad day for my love... and I have to say, it makes me so sad to see him sooo sad.

“RIP 30D”
© Matt Allan

"I woke up this morning at around 5am and headed out with my trusty kit bag to take some photos of the sunrise. I’ve done this countless times before but this morning… well this morning has left me shattered.

I was in my own world merrily setting up by the waters edge, doing everything the way I had done on so many other occasions… just waiting for the light to give me my first shot of the beautiful morning colours when this punk walked up behind me with his fishing pole and tackle box in hand and scared the absolute shit out of me!

As a result, I turned… tripped on my tripod… fell on my ass and then much to my horror, watched as my tripod and camera tumbled ever so slowly and peacefully into the water lapping up onto the shore.

All the fisherman could do was chuckle as he continued his way along the beach, all I could do was weep with my old friend in my lap as I watched the lights go out forever.

So this is the last image that will ever come from my beloved Canon 30D. She has been a faithful companion over the years and I will miss her.

As a result, I have reducing EVERYTHING in my online store by 10% as I am now trying to bridge the gap between insurance and a replacement companion… a small comfort but I am sure this is what my trusty 30D would want me to do."

So... there you have it... There are some ass-holes out there. I know, perhaps the guy did not mean it to cause damage, though the least that he could have done was stop to see if Matt was okay. This guys does not realize what he has done... honestly.. who does something like that, in the dark when people obviously are not expecting it? He does not realize how lucky he is, for if it was me, I would have hunted the bastard down and given him a piece of my mind.. if not a good smack in the mouth as well.

As Matt has said, there is a gap in what our insurance will cover... a gap that is substantial enough for a family of 5 not to be able to financially cover... I know i am bias, as i should be, though when i say that he is a remarkable photographer, i am being modest. He has an online store, which he has placed many of his works, in different formats, for sale. He has reduced the prices of everything there in a hope that he will be able to bridge some of the gap with the profit made (which really, is not marked up much at all as it was).


We are hoping that a friend of his will assist by loaning out a spare camera so that he can keep his booking schedule. If you are a Melbourne local, looking for an awesome photographer for wedding or family photos, or a portfolio that you will honestly love.. please, drop him an email. He would love to be able to give you a quote.

As they say, the best advertisement is that of word of mouth, pass the word .. hopefully he will not be in mourning long.

xxxxx

sunday surfing + inspiration = something to blog!

For the first time in I would hate to think, I had time, just to me today. I had music playing, cinnamon and apple (smells like warm wintery goodness - yum) candles burning and decided that while the house was relatively quiet and Matt was content to potter in the garden for a while, i would just surf the net, stumble upon some new unfamiliar blogs and just see where the day took me...

For a while I was feeling really disheartened... thinking; "for the love of god, when I don't have time, I tend to find these AMAZING blogs" and while I do bookmark them, never seem to get back to them, though on a day when new blogs were first and formost on my "want to do" list... do you think i could find them!? ~L~

Murphys law i guess, huh? Anyway... when I had all but given up, and decided that finding an inspirational blog was not going to happen and it seemed that I would settle for a date with Edward Cullen (aka Twilight hunk) (i know.. i know... i would have gone, kicking and screaming to watch the movie AGAIN - NOT).. i fell right into Holly Hanks Blog and landed ontop of inspiration!!

Thanks Holly for helping me back on my own bicycle after so long between "scraps" with the layout that you created about Hazels bike ride.

I loved the composition of this layout and simply had to do a little lift... (something i really don't like to do) ... and in doing so, have wet my feet and look forward slipping back into my scraproom and playing again, really soon!!

I am not sure, but I think that there is something missing from mine, though Im going to leave it on my desk so when I come in, I can look at it for a while... that normally works! The colours look way better-er in real life too.. but ya get that I guess... Kiera loves it, so I guess that is a good start. Oh, by the way.. that is who is in the photo.. Kiera and her Beau, Brendan.

Dinner is all but done now.. (and i didn't life a finger (got to love that!)... so I'm gonna go.. Hope you all have a great week!

xxx

Lifes update

Matt is recovering... His surgery went well... he is now tonsiless and has had his palate lifted... the difference that it has made is astounding.. no longer does he snore like a freight-train entering a sleepy town in the midst of night... His recovery is slow and with ample pain, which sadly, he is not coping well with.. which makes me sit by him, worrying and feeling more than useless...
This waiting and watching has allowed me to read the entire twilight series... save for about 20 pages of the last book... - inspiration for the change of music on my blog.. (Lyn, enjoy angel! ;) )
I read one of them at the hospital, waiting for his surgery to be done and him to recover... it was a very long day.

Mum is now continuing her recovery at home.. the one place that she has been wanting to go since she stepped foot in the hospital.. she will have a recovery ahead of her yet.. though atleast she is on her way. Her left hand is having circulatory issues, it is cold - all the time. Her left eye droops and tears run constantly - just a effect of her stroke.. and her left leg takes a little coersion to move when she wants it to... - she is using walking aids.
She has had a second stroke, the first, we are unsure of when it happened... we have been told that this could just be the start of bigger things... i can only pray - not!

School has been postponed... one less thing that i have to worry about right at this moment... i will talk more with them this week... perhaps the 20th of April will now see me sit my exams..

Work.. I return tomorrow... though im sure the whole while, my head will be elsewhere.

My nickname: Rightly so, my manager believes that after all the chinamen that appear to be falling in my path, i shall here on be called by her, her terracotta queen. (something to do with myths and chinamen dying.. and perhaps terracotta!? hahah)

Life- can only begin to return to normal from here on in.

Missing in Action

I know that I'm a very bad blogger though ive been juggling the wife, mum, nurse and student thing and its been rather interesting to say the elast.. and pretty damn impossible to find any time outside of that to blog... im sorry. :(

One thing... I finally finished my assignments... YAY!!! Witnessed my baby (in one of my few moments away from the computer in the last few weekends) have her daddy take the training wheels off her bike, determined to ride like a big girl. (she is 7)... and you know what?? SHE DID!!!!
Yesterday, she won 3rd prize in a colouring competition.. (a perk up since she has been sick for the last three weeks)... and today, both her and B2 came home with assembly awards...
That is my good news.. it ends there... (dramatic sigh)

Now on to the bad... It appears that the little old chinamen will not get the hint and are just content to stay on my path of.. what i can only describe as "destruction".. and i use the word loosely.

I'm just dropping by to say I will be MIA for a little while.

Last night my mother had a stroke that has left her with partial paralysis. (apparently it is her second) We are now waiting for my MIL to arrive as the cavallry so that I can just up and leave for sydney tomorrow night if i can convince my mum to let me come.. she is being rather naughty at the moment and insists that i have other things to worry about. She is not wrong...

My husband is heading into surgery tomorrrow to have his tonsils out, his nasal passage widened and his palate tightened so, not that any time is a good time for anyone to have a stroke, but now is just not a good time for me to be stressing and needing to be in more than one place at once. We do what we have to though, to get through, huh! So.. i am just going to trust someone else to be my "other" half so that these two places can be where im at.

To just top it all off... not like this cake needs any icing, right!?? Tomorrow im meant to be sitting my first big exam... and friday, another... school is the last place i need to be, so thankfully, thanks to a great manager knowing the co-ordinator of my course, i have been given a leave of absence from school this week...

(listening to screaming and yelling in the background as i try and think and write) Why is it, that at a time like this, when there is so much more that someone could be worrying about, a teenager has to be pety about sleeping arrangements!
Honestly, i dont give a crap where anyone sleeps at the moment.. as long as bodies are in beds and people get more sleep than ive had in the last 24 hours.

Ugh, its not like ive asked for all this!!

Grrrr

The said i wouldnt dare!!!

They dont know me too well... Because i did dare (to save the photo) and i have posted it here so that i can show you how goofy two of my three can be... especially when they dont think mum has the guts to do this!!
I hope it gives you the same laugh as it has given me today...

They are definately "special" huh!?

Hopefully it has given that poor chinaman a laugh too and he has forgiven me! *crosses fingers*
This week HAS to be better!

Ever wonder!?!?

Have you ever wondered what 8kg of cherry tomatoes looks like all together?
In the school holidays before christmas when Matts mum come to visit Miranda, Matt, His Mum and myself decided to dig a garden, plant flowers and a tomato vine that would ultimately be known as our "tomato tree". She had wanted to plant two, though we told her that we would start with one and see how we went...
It is no longer Vine material.. and since it is as tall as the guttering on our house, it has rightly earned the title of a tree... I'm telling you, this thing is a monster.

My father loved his tomato plants and my mother told me at christmas, that he would be so proud of our efforts, especially since this plant has only ever tasted fertiliser twice!

Sadly the scorching winds that we experienced due to the fires here in Melbourne last weekend, one side of the tree is completely brittle and dry after being wind burned.. though, is still producing rich red tomatoes every day!

Over the past three days, this is our pickings.. minus the tomatoes i ate while picking.. one has to keep their strength up afterall.. right? (minus about that rectangle container - 1 kilo, that we would have already eaten).. We now have more tomatoes than we know what to do with, our neighbours run and hide when they see us because they can no longer look at a tomato without wanting to puke.. All i can say is thank goodness we only got one!

Considering we would have already picked 30kg off (no shit, honestly) in the last few months, and we have about 7kg still on the tree i think our $2 tomato plant was a good investment, huh!?

Have you seen the price of cherry tomatoes lately!? I could have fixed my washer, just with the takings from these lil suckers if i had the mind to sell them to the local grocers! ~L~

After the Aftermath

You know when you hear of people that no matter where they turn, they hit another wave of bad luck? That this week gone is me my friends..

When i thought things could not get worse, it just got better! (insert 100% sarcasm here)



So.. this weekend i have been laying low in my bunker and hoping that the storm will pass and leave me the hell alone.
It all started friday a week ago.. i had the day off... (i know.. should have been awesome)... but i had to spend the day working on my assignments... to my sheer pleasure, by noon i was looking like i could quite possibly be sharing my sunday with the kids and Matt with the books completely closed... by 2pm I resembled an air-raid siren going off as my computer froze (in the hugest way it could possibly ever freeze) and took my assignment (approx 10000 words with it)... ARRRGH... I think that is where i actually left you all.. right!?

And then comes the week ahead... I was totally over the weekend and praying that the week would be better than the weekend was... perhaps that is where i went wrong... im not really one to pray... i know i wont be doing that again in a hurry.. *insert manic, mindless laughter*

11am Monday... Working away in the surgery, listening to the TV broadcasting re-hash of the weekends Victorian Vire disasters.. i was thinking how very lucky i was to be safe and well while so many grieved the loss of life and loved ones that were missing and presumed dead.. I had a few minutes free while we were taking some moulds of the patiends teeth so i decided that i would start to clean up the used/no longer required instruments (something i dont normally have time to do through a proceedure).. i think this was my first mistake.. i should have just continued to listen (and perhaps watch a little tv)..
Dismantelling a used syringe like i have done hundreds of times before my hand slipped and the cap from the needle slipped off the needle and the needle went straight into my thumb.
OMG.. One of my worset nightmares was becoming a reality.. i had been stuck with a dirty needle.
Aaaaanyway... after back and forth visits to the doctors that day i had the proper tests.. to which i have to wait up to 12 months for the complete clear for.. GReeeeeat!!!!

Tuesday - Because i spent half the night being sick because of the stress of the day Matt decided that he would drive me to work since it was his day off... I had a 7.30am start.
What normally takes 30 mins max in traffic of a morning took me 1 hour 20 just to get 3/4 of the way... two accidents, road closures and 30 mins late, I turn up at work... ofcourse, the nurse i was working with, as well as our AM dentist were waiting out the front for me to arrive, neither of them considerate of my issues.. The day can only get better.. right? WRONG!!! Second nurse does not come in, i run around like a headless hag all day.. *insert dramatic eye roll*

Wednesday: By now i am starting to think that i have run over a chinaman or something equally as karma-bad. Matt meets me at work in the afternoon with the most grim face.. first i think something has happened to ne of my babies... then... MUM!!!!... Quickly a breath of relief falls from my lips as he says that he was talking to my mum this afternoon.. "thank god, she is okay!!".. only to hear him continue..

She had called him to ask him to come and pick me up from work.. and to tell me some bad news. Because of the week that i had been having (from the friay, and the stress she knew i was under), she had decided not to burden me with the news that my aunty Isabelle, one of her younger sisters had been caught up with the fires at Peats Ridge in New South Wales on the weekend (the other serious fires that Aust has been dealing with)... as a result, she had suffered a massive heart attack. They were able to revive her on the way to the hospital, only to have her have another, not long after. Sadly, she was in a critical condition after suffering yet another, her third attack and they had suspected a stroke as well. Matt was to inform me that her family had asked that if she were to have another, that she would not be revived.. it is what my Aunt would have wanted. It takes 20 mins of an afternoon (going against traffic) to get home... By the time i got in the door i had a message from the children to call my mum. On the trip home, my aunty had passed away.

My mum has just had surgery so she is not overly well herself and now she is in another state and mourning the loss of her sister, whom she was unable to see before she died. I cant get to mum because one of the nurses is away and we dont have another to cover my shifts.

Thursday: by now i am cowering and waiting for the schrapnel.. it doesnt come.. phew..

Friday: yesterday it appears that i was just being given a breather... Bills that i have forgotten with all the drama of getting the kids back to school arrive in my mail box, - AS OVERDUE IMMEDIATELY bills. Great if you have not just had to get three kids back to school i guess... better than other things that could have gone wrong i guess.

Saturday: Worked this morning... the day, over all was uneventful... the nurse on duty obviously got my body language and the look in my eye as she walked in late and understood that i was silently saying "keep the $#%@ away from me today !^!&$"... ~LOL~

I get home, have a shower, and just sit down to do a little more of my assignment as i hear this unfamilary beeping tune in the laundry. (dont you love how all the modern appliances all sing tunes to you!? I have a house full of different tunes).. Matt asks what the washing machine is trying to tell me... ofcourse, it appears that it has learned a new tune.. one that i have not heard before... it is stuck on the rince and spin cycles.. the water will NOT go from the machine.. It appears that the pump has gone..

So, that brings us to Sunday.. today... the day that i have not tempted fate and walked out side.. who knows... they sky may just fall on my head!!!

I hope that the chinaman is okay and soon forgives me and allows me to go back to the normal , generally unrattling chaos of my existance.