My 13 year old

Yes I know I said happy birthday over a month ago but here are some pics of my young man on his 13th birthday. This is the birthday boy all ready for school . As Tasha was away Kyle got to choose what he would like to do for his birthday and he asked to go out to "a real restaurant". (ie not the buffet place his dad likes to go to but somewhere where you look at a menu and order!) So after looking around and asking people (hhmmmm note to self - if I went out more I may actually know what the local places were like to eat) we decided on the Bomaderry Bowling Club. After hearing of our decision Nana and Papa John asked if they could join us too which Kyle loved.

And in an even bigger shock Tony joined us - yes people he does venture out at night on the rare occasion. Well he got some sleep that afternoon so he could come. So for Kyle this was a very special dinner.

You know cutting the cake is a very serious business! What a lucky mummy was I. When asked about the cake -and knowing that in the past we have requests for Thomas, Guitars and fairies and other elaborate things (just to clarify Tasha wanted the fairy not Kyle) -although not all of these on the one cake ~L~ all my boy wanted was a mud cake from Woolies with the "white stuff " and choclate on top.

And the final pic from the night - my wonderful 13 year old young man with his very proud mum.

Ggggrrrrrrr

GGGGRRRRRRR

Okay now I am annoyed! After a few subtle (and a couple of not - so - subtle) prompts to update my blog I sat down tonight and edited photos from the past month to update and post about our comings and goings over the last little while.

BUT apparently blogger has decided that me being slack and quiet is normal because it won't let me upload any photos. Stupid blogger!

Will try again tomorrow. But I do warn you that you should be careful what you wish for - I have lots to update!

Yeah I'm slack

I know I promised piccies and I know my posts have been very short and very low on "me" detail lately. Will sort things out and get some more stuff up soon.

Have lots of pics to share - done some scrapping, pics of margie and girls and heaps more.

We had a busy long weekend - ooops more pics to upload. Kyle got to see the Star Wars exhibit at powerhouse, we had fun wandering around chinatown with the kids AND we saw fireworks. What a weekend!

So will pop my head out - stop trying to ignore the world (yeah I wish you were here to do lalalalala's with me too sweetie) and kick myself back into gear.

Proper update soon........honestly!

man Flu

Yep its official I have the "man" flu. You know the flu you have when you just want to spend all day in bed and you feel like you are going to die! 2 weeks now - this is ridiculous.

Have pics to share but quite honestly just can't be bothered right now. Will get to it over the weekend - depending in how I feel.

Got to send a shout out to Matt who is in mourning for his beloved camera. ((((((Hugs)))))) Matt - well maybe not - you might not want to get that close ~L~

Will update properly in a few days

What a day!

HHmmm looks like the next few days are going to be big ones!

I am back at work today - just doing half a day to see if I can cope with that. Don't know how the exhaustion levels will cope but will see how I go. But compared to others I have it fairly easy at the moment.

Today we will be thinking of Margie, Greg and their family as we attend the funeral of Margie's dad Laurie. Margie has been a great friend of Tony's for many years and infact (in one of those twists) when we went around to their place to tell them we were engaged it turned out Greg had also proposed to her the same weekend! AND we had both picked the same weekend for our weddings! No bride wars here though - we moved ours forward a week, they moved there's back a week so we could be back from our honeymoon to attend and everyone was happy! Spare a thought today for Margie, Greg, their girls Lucy, Erica and Phillippa and Margie's mum Edna.

Then the big one - the day is here. This afternoon Mone and Greg take Isabella up to Westmead for her big operation tomorrow morning. Spare a thought and prayer for them and for Isabella whilst she is in surgery tomorrow She will be in hospital for 5 days following the op. Pray for piece of mind for Mone as she waits and also that Jackson will settle well for her so she gets some sleep whilst she is in Sydney. Mone was able to get accommodation at Ronald McDonald House which is one great load off her mind!

Hope wherever you are and whatever you are doing you are well.

Exhausted!

What a weekend! Wow - I mentioned in a previous post how busy my life is during the week - well just try keeping up with my kids social lives on weekends! It is great to see them both making good friends - NICE friends - and being able to spend time with them.

Lets see... starting Thursday I had was has now been referred to as the "Psycho Flu" ...~L~... No seriously I think if I went to doctor they would tell me I was insane. I had all the symptoms of a sore throat - feeling hard to swallow, that yucky feeling etc but NO PAIN IN THE THROAT! I also had goosebumps and sweats but when i took my temperature it WAS FINE. Told you - psycho flu. The only problem was that I felt so run down with it too. Thursday wasn't too bad. I got through the day at work and kind of crashed when I got home. Friday I made it to lunch time and then came home, slept on the lounge and did very little else. So in a way it was good the kids were so busy and occupied this weekend.

Friday night Tasha had a slumber party for Tegan's birthday so I was down to 1 child Friday Night. She came home mid morning Saturday and had a quiet day at home by herself as Kyle had gone to Ulladulla with a friend and his family. Then Tash had ANOTHER slumber party Saturday night (this time for Kyla) and Kyle called in briefly on his way home from ulladulla to say he was staying overnight at his friends. So no kids Saturday night! Then Sunday Tasha has had Kyla here for a while then gone back to Kyla's and Kyle didn't come home until mid afternoon so nice and peaceful and quiet......well not really.

You see as of this week I am working from home and I needed somewhere quiet and away from everyone to work (very hard to listen to the dictaphone with noises around!) so I spent the weekend re-arranging my craft room and adding a new desk so I have "work" space and "play" space. Just for next time - this is not a good idea when you have been feeling as exhausted and washed out as I was! Crawled into bed Saturday night (after having a couple of naps during the day). Very glad that plans for Saturday night did not come to fruition as there is no way I could have lifted my head up. In fact Tony came in at one stage( I think it was about 7pm) to find me lying on the floor asleep! I had sat down after moving the desk - totally exhausted - and must have decided to have a nap. ~L~

So a busy weekend for all. I am feeling slightly more human (only slightly) and hope to be over the psycho-flu soon. Or at least not feeling so totally wrung out and exhausted.

SSSSSHHHHH

I have to say Happy Birthday to an amazing friend but she would never forgive me if I named her!!!

So let me just say to an amazing friend who has been there for me through the ups and the downs, supported me in the lowest times and partied with me in the best of times. My dance buddy, shopping pal, voice of reason. I miss our clubbing sooooo much. We made such great groupies together. She knows ME which is something I only let very few people do. In fact I would go as far to say that there are only 4 people that I am really close to and I count this lady as one of those. She is always there not just for me but for so many people. If you have a problem she will be there in a flash.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a great friend. Hope you have an awesome day and even though you don't feel comfortable with anything big you deserve the best.

Wet but happy!

Well wehave just got in the door from the first soccer game of the season! Now that Kyle has gone up a grade he plays midweek rather than on Saturday which means AAARRRGGGHHHH for me. Tony is disappointed he wont get to see Kyle play any more and it makes my week just that bit more insane.

Lets see - this is a rundown of my week now. Monday - work till 5 then rush home pick Kyle up for soccer training at 5.30. Tuesday - hopefully no work BUT pick Tasha up from school for not 1 but 2 dance lessons before racing home for dinner and then Girls Brigade. Wednesday - work then Kyle's soccer match (sometimes as far as Ulladulla). Thursday - work then at this moment a night at home but that wont last for long! Friday - work - then home for dinner before taking Kyle to youth group. YUCK YUCK YUCK . Is it any wonder I have been feeling so shocking lately?!? I feel like I have hit rock bottom so I guess the only way from here is back up. One step at a time. I will get there eventually - its just hard to see the way out from down here.

Anyway back to the topic.....soccer tonight in the rain FUN. Kyle's team won 4-0 and a very well deserved win they played soooo well. As for Kyle well have you ever seen the movie champions AKA the mighty ducks? Well he reminds me so much of that guy that has so much power but no control or direction of the ball. But he doesnt quite make it to be "bash brother" as he is too polite and doesn't like taking the ball off someone! But he was everywhere on the field running like mad and doing some great clearing kicks. Proud of you mate.

Happy Birthday

Wow how fast have the last 13 years gone! On the 19th of March 1996 Kyle Michael Lucas was born at the ridiculous hour of 1.30am (Sorry Mone - your dinner went very very cold!) so much has happened in the last 13 years but all in all he has grown up into a boy I am very proud of. He is a great support to me and a wonderful big brother.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE

So you made it to 13 - have to admit had my concerns that we wouldn't make it here at times! You are now officially a teenager - that doesnt mean you can act like one!

For your special day I thought I would share 13 things I love about you:

* Your dimples! You are so proud of them and they are adorable

* Those special hugs you give me every morning and the times we sing our special song together

* The love you show for your little sister and how you protect her (on the occasions when you aren't the one picking on her!)

* Those amazing blue eyes

* Your thirst for knowledge and your analytical mind - always enquiring, always striving to learn

* The way you run to the door when I get home from work just to say hi. It really makes coming in that door so special

* Your caring nature and concern for others

* The fact that you are still happy to be silly with your mum and the fun times we have together (watch out for those aliens in the white cars!)

* The way your hand creeps into mine when you are feeling shy or uncomfortable

* Your willingness and happiness to share your things with others

* Your love of books and the special times we can share discussing books we have read

* The fact that you are willing to let others take the glory - you love just being part of a team

* The way you totally immerse yourself in the things you like and how you take notice of the small details.

* Your amazing smile it lights your whole face up and always makes me happy deep inside.

.

ooops I know that is 14 but I just had to add the last one because your smile is amazing!

Hope you have a great birthday my amazing young man. Love you to the moon and back. Love you to infinity.

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always

As long as I'm living, my son you'll be"

She's away!

Tasha is all excited - her bags are packed (and re-packed when I realised what she had and hadn't packed - who needs a towel and a toothbrush?!? especially when you have 5 shirts!!!)

Year 5 is off to Berry Sport and Rec for three days. They go off on the 18th and back on the 20th which she thinks is so cool as her brothers birthday is the 19th! When Kyle enquired about presents ie would he get one before or after she replied that her being away the entire day WAS his present ~L~

So think of her over the next 3 days. They have a talent quest tomorrow night so she has been madly practising for that!

As for her mum - I haven't been stressing much about her going. no seriously. I guess there is so much going on. I am so wishing I could be in Melbourne right now. Sweetie you know I am thinking of you and your family right now and would be down there in a flash if I could. Love you all heaps!

Woo Hoo - exciting times!

Woo Hoo - I had a great offer this week.

Stting quietly at my desk at work when in walks ........(name withheld for now) - a doctor I had never met before and offers me a job, simply on the recommendation of other medical colleagues, that I have been saying for years would be cool but never thought would actually be do-able. Just sorting out the details and then I can provide more details.

WATCH THIS SPACE. How excitement!!!!

Camping, Canberra, Commuting and Catching up!

Wow what a totally insane but well worth it 24 hours.

Kyle has his first ever camp with youth group Pulse. They camped out in an old hall at Upper Kangaroo River just the other side of Kangaroo Valley. So we drove him up there and dropped him off at 7:30pm on Friday night. YAY quiet time at home! NO WAY. We then got back in the car and I drove to Canberra. Shocking trip driving over the mountain and through the highlands on dusk keeping a look out for roos and wombats (and luckily only seeing those that had already been "intimate" with other peoples cars). We arrived in Canberra about 10 o'clock. Oh and did I mention that the cigarette lighter that I needed for my ipod dock that had been FIXED before we went - well he didn't actually check that it worked! GGGRRRR I hate driving with no music.

Then we got up this morning and made our way to Calvary Hospital to see Aunty Joan. On a strict by-the-book basis Joan is Tony's Aunty in law as she married his mum's brother but realistically she is very dear to us. When ever there has been something major on down here she makes the trip from Canberra to be with us and support us. She is always interested in what we are doing and what is going on and cares so much for all of us. So when we heard she was in hospital after an emergency hip replacement we knew we had to go see her. 1) Just to say hi and check up on how she was going and 2) because we knew if the tables were turned she would be here in a flash. Oh and 3) did i mention just how lovely she is!

We had a great chat this morning. It was good to see her up and out of bed and we sat and chatted for about an hour and a half. It was so lovely to see her smiling and chatting and to catch up on everything. We got to see Lorinda too (Joan's daughter) which we were really happy about as we weren't sure if we would be able to catch up with her.

Then to appease the youngest member of the family we made a slight detour via Fyshwick on the way home to hit the DFO (namely Smiggle) and probably spent more in petrol than the cost of the couple of pens she got but hey now we can say we have been to the new DFO Fyshwick and whilst it doesn't quite match up to Essendon (got to come down again for another shopping trip) it was still great. Tasha is soooo happy she can now say she has been to Smiggle rather than looking on line and Tony got new shoes for work which he needed.

Then drove home - Tony did the trip from Canberra to Marulan before I took over - and this is where I think he had some inside knowledge because it rained the whole way down the mountain and infact just as we hit the valley to go and pick Kyle up the wind hit so hard there were branches coming down all around us.

Picked Kyle up in the pouring rain. He had a great time. They went in the river, played all sorts of games and generally just had fun. Then did the second mountain - yes I drove in the rain again.

Hope wherever you are you had a great weekend and that you are not feeling as exhausted as I am right now. Totally worn out but so glad we went.

Dance - a - thon

Tasha is still loving her dancing - even more so this year as she is doing hip hop AND jazz. Last saturday night her dance studio (Le Pointe) had a fund raiser to support the dance studios who were burnt down in the bushfires. They started off with a movie and popcorn session followed by a 2 hour dance-a-thon. Tash had never done an "a-thon" before and wasn't sure what to expect.

She had a great time! She did take Miss Meryl slightly too literally when she said they were not to stop dancing so she kept dancing - even on the toilet she said her feet and hands kept dancing! ~L~

What a small world

I was blown away today. You know how the world seems a small place and you always seem to run into someone you know or someone who grew up where you did etc etc. Well today I had this bought back to me in a massive way.

I had lunch with my mother today....yes I know we lived in the same house - thats not the coincidence I'm talking about here..... Anyway we were discussing my weekend away and I was explaining the property to her and "scary driveway" and where it was and the view etc when she stopped and said to me "Was that place called Melross?" When I confirmed it was she was amazed. It turns out that years ago when they first came out from England and settled on the Highlands her dad was offered a job as farm manager of that property!! They lived there briefly before Nana decided she really wasn't happy with scary bridge and the creek all the way around the property as she was panicking about being trapped there when the causeway went under in the big rains.

How freaky is that. I was explaining this beautiful place to my mother and it turns out it has family history. We have both spent time there!!!! Oh and then to top it off I ran in to someone I haven't seen for about 15 years and we have plans for a cuppa and catch up tomorrow. They have kids in the same year as Tasha at Illaroo

Well I promised pics from the weekend and had so many that I had to cull them right down. This weekend has been great not just for the totally relaxing atmosphere but also the amazing sharing attitude of these girls. I came away with not only new scrapping techniques and a love of glimmer mist (hhmmm Kim don't know if I should thank you for getting me addicted or not ~L~) but also some great tips for photography and for photoshop. Anyway on to the pics

****ggrrrr blogger is so not playing nicely tonight. It wont set things out the way I want it to. Hope you can still figure it out ****


This first group is just some pics from around the house - including "scary driveway" as it became known.
























group 2 and 3 are some pics of the girls - the obligatory photo shoot. Although 2 of the girls had gone home by then.

Some proof that we did get some scrapping done. I acheived 4 1/2 pages and a mini album so I was pretty happy with that. Love my mini album. Got to thank SJ for introducing me to Teresa Collins papers. Love ya sweetie

Some more pics from around the property- the one through the window is........wait for it........a loo with a view! Yes that is the view from the toilet!

And then I got home to this. Isn't it just gorgeous

WOW

Wooooooo Hooooooo.
What a great weekend. I am majorly tired right now and can't wait to have a nice warm bath and an empty night.

Just had to pop on and say - I am home. I will post pics in a day or two once they are downloaded from camera.

I had an absolute ball. It was a great weekend. Beautiful place, gorgeous views (including the view from the toilet across the paddocks etc), pool, 10 lovely scrapbooking ladies, wine, nice food. It was just a nice, pleasant peaceful weekend with no dramas or upheavals just a lot of laughs (did I mention wine) and chatting and scrapping. Lots of sharing of techniques and stashes! Can you guess I had a good time. Can't wait to do it all again. Thanks girls for letting me join you and for being so welcoming and friendly.

YYYAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!

Woo hoo. The countdown is over - it is Girls Weekend time! Can't wait to catch up with these girls and (much as I love them) to have some girl time away from the family.

When I get home it will be March - How did that happen?!? 2 months of this year gone already! Life will continue to be busy in March. Looks like I might have some extra shifts at work which will be soooo good, this current economic period has us stretched so tight. Also this month my boy will be turning into a teenager and my dear friend Jane has a birthday coming up. Hmm lets see - who else - Cass's DH has a b'day early in the month and Greg is in their somewhere too! I would love to get down to Melbourne to see SJ (who is one person who is so glad that February is over - what a shocker!!) but can't see that happening. :(

Hope wherever you are and whatever you are doing you have a great weekend and I will catch up on the other side of it!

One week to go!

Woo hoo the count down is on! Can't wait for next weekend.

A weekend (from fri night to sunday afternoon) just spending time catching up, chatting, and scrapping. What more could a girl ask for?!? I am so excited and thankyou to the wonderful Mel for organising this and inviting me to join them. I was so happy to get an invite. So thank you Mel - organiser extraordinaire (this girl could manage a small country easily!)

Details: a small group (only 10) of girls to sit and chat with and spend the weekend scrapping with. Some of these girls i have met and spent time with before and some I have never met before - which does kind of stress me a little but the girls I have met are so lovely and friendly so i am sure all their friends will be just as nice. Most of these girls meet up regularly to scrap together so I will be the "new girl". It sounds like so much fun and should be a wonderful relaxing and casual time. (All this and we have a pool if it gets too hot!). Oh and I get to share a room with Cass!

Can't wait - 7 days to go!

Congrats SJ and Matt

Just a quick shout out to SJ and Matt -

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

To a wonderful couple I am so priviledged to be able to call my friends. The two of you have a wonderful relationship. I love the support and care you show for each other. You both did real good - never forget how lucky you are to have found your "other half".

Hope you have a great day and congrats!

Tuesday = Madness

Why oh why does everything seem to happen on the same day? Well maybe not everything but it certainly seems like that! Tuesday is now officially Tasha's mad day. It is always our mad day but this week it was even worse.

Started with the normal morning rush - getting kids ready for school, getting me ready for the day so on, so on....... Oh and seeing Tony for a quick maybe 1 minute period. Yes literally..Tues he finishes a full shift of night work, runs through the house (even though the kids get in trouble for running in the house), gets his bike loaded and then heads off for a few hours to deliver mail.
Tuesday is my "day off" which means day to cram everything into ~L~. This week I was looking forward to a catch up lunch with the gorgeous Cass. Of course it was raining........heavy! So after getting kids ready - and driving one to school due to the rain - I headed off to Kiama to meet Cass. It was a shocker of a trip....it poured and I spent nearly half the trip sandwiched between 2 trucks who were sending so much water flying.
Had a wonderful time with Cass, chatting, checking out shops, drinking coffee, got some gorgeous bracelets for $5, oh and I mention chatting ~L~.
Then the fun started. Drove back to Nowra, straight to Tasha's school, picked her up - took her to hip hop class (via Maccas for a drink!) then her Jazz class. Then we raced home and whilst we normally have a workable although small amount of time before Girls Brigade - not this week. They had not only moved GB to Vincentia but moved it forward 1/2 an hour! MADNESS. We raced in the door kids grabbed swimmers and towels and headed off out the door.....oh wait........no maybe Kyle didn't grab a towel!!! GGGGRRRRRRRR. Must admit - yelled a lot at that moment!
Anyway 1 1/2 hours in the pool before heading home through kangaroo territory right in dusk. No didn't hit any but it was a very alert trip home! Then collapsed in a heap on the lounge. Yay day over.

ETA: Oh forgot I did see Tony again in the morning (well didn't actually see him......heard him run through the house and call out) when his postie bike got a flat and he had to race home and grab the spare. (thankyou Michael for coming to his rescue and giving him a lift)

What does your music library say about you?

I'm not sure if this is way fun, or if I really need to get out more. I had a little bit too much fun doing this, I think I shall make ALL big decisions this way from now on. Music is very wise.

What does your music library say about you?
1. Put your music mp3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

What do your friends think of you? I want it all - queen

How would you describe yourself? Man of his word - bob Carlisle

What do you like in a guy/girl? More than words - Extreme

How do you feel today? Its still rock and roll to me - Billly Joel

What is your life’s purpose? Going Home - David Meece

What is your motto? Nothin but a good time - Poison

What do you think about very often? Buses and Trains - Bachelor Girl

What is 2 + 2? High voltage - AC/DC

What do you think of your best friend? How you remind me - Nickelback

What do you think of the person you like? Lessons of the heart - Steve Grace

What will be the title of your autobiography? Video Killed the radio star - The buggles

What do you want to be when you grow up? 18 and life - Skid Row

Where is your favourite place? There is none like you - Michael W. Smith

What do you think of when you see the person you love? bubbly - colbie callait

What will you dance to at your wedding? Perfect - Vanessa Amorosi

What will they play at your funeral? A Thousand words - savage garden

What is your hobby? With one Voice - Steven Curtis Chapman

What is your biggest fear? Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child

What is your biggest secret? Complicated - Avril Lavigne

What do you think of your friends? Beautiful Ugly - Wayne Brady


lol some of these actually turned out very apt and appropriate! Some don't make any sense at all but hey this was really fun - I knew I had an amazingly eclectic mix of music on my ipod but this shuffle seemed to show off so many different genres. Could be scary if I kept going!

If you have any questions for me fire them off and i will see what the ipod says! ~L~

I finally got around to downloading pics from the camera and posting them (oops). Only took me a couple of weeks.
These pics were taken on the morning of the first day of school. I grabbed the camera just as the kids were about to head off out the door.



Grrrrrr blogger doesn't want to set them out how I want them but hey they are all there!

These pics may seem a bit strange but this watch was given to Kyle on his first day of high school by Tony. It is one Tony has had sitting aside for some time. It actually belonged to Tony's grandfather.

Kyle was stoked to have a watch with a family history and now proudly wears it to school each day (and is remembering to wind it up!)

Smiles all round

What an amazing couple of days.

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary and after looking at the bank we decided to squash the idea of going out to dinner and to put off presents for now. After all at least we remembered (and no don't laugh becaue in the past both Tony and I - and my mother - forgot our wedding anniversary until a day or two later). Anyway about midday I am at the front desk at work and in walks my DH with a bunch of red roses and some choccies and strawberries! He has been doing some extra work lately delivering for one of the contractors and used some of this money to spoil me. How sweet is he! I know that money could have gone to pay off a bill but it was lovely . And much sweeter because it was so unexpected.

Tonight Kyle went off to youth group for the first time. I wasn't sure how he would go with yr 7 - 12 there and knowing how he doesn't do well in crowds but he had a great time. He came home very enthusiastic and eager to return.

15 Years

Well it is now 15 years since Tony and I got married. Who would have thought we'd make it this far - Well I certainly didn't! Such a lot has happened in the last 15 years - well 18 years all together. Okay I know I can't claim a constant 18 years we definately have had our ups and downs but we got through it all.


Thinking back on whay we have achieved has been interesting and I had planned on a sort of photo trip down memory lane but the scanner does not want to play so you may have to use your imagination.


(See here is a picture of a young looking me and much much younger looking Tony - a guy who worked out at the gym and played sport every night of the week and had a head full of black hair)



We got married on an overcast day with short periods of rain - perfectly timed. It rained during the morning. Cleared up in time for the wedding. Rained during the service. Stopped afterwards so we could have photos outside the church. Then started to rain again so we went to the photographers studio for photos. Then it cleared up on the way to the reception so we could get some outside pics before waiting till we got inside the reception to start raining again. God was very good to us! We should have known better than to plan something on show weekend! ~L~

(here is a wedding photo!)


We have had two great kids.


(again there should be pics here of two little babies - both with headfulls of hair)


We don't always agree and I don't think either of us is easy to live with but I am so glad that i have this man by my side and on my side when the times get tough. He can be irritatingly stubborn but can also be relyingly stubborn. He can be terribly pig-headed and also fiercely loyal. He is a wonderful father and adored by his kids. He stands by me and by us when I give up and throw my hands up in despair. He refuses to give up on us and gets mad at me when I don't push for the best for me. He stands up for me when I feel I can't stand up for myself. He puts me first without putting me on a pedestal. He believed in us when I had believed we had no future. Most importantly he is there - always.


There is a song that I have in my car that always remonds of Tony. It is a song by Bob Carlisle called "A man of his word" and this one verse always grabs me:

He was a rock

He was the one that she ran to

And when he said the words "Forever"

She knew that it was true

He wasn't a saint

But he was saint enough for her

He was a man,

A man of his word.

Anyway we have managed to raise two kids who (so far) haven't turn out too badly. And we have stuck together - we made it to 15 years against the odds (and against my best efforts to try and make sure we didn't) and even though we don't always get it right and we don't always get it without upset and tears but we do get there together.

So I guess what I am saying is Thank you Tony for sticking by me and for having faith in us and our marriage when I didn't. Thank you for being there for me always and for believing I am worth standing beside and standing up for. MWAH. Thanks for 15 years - may we have heaps more.

Love is in the air!

Poor cupid must be very busy at this time of year!

Lets see - to start things off I have to say Happy Anniversary to Kaycee and Dean for today.

Then tomorrow is the anniversary of my dear friends Cass and Dale and .....hmmm lets see...... oh yeah - Tony and I!













Then we have Simone and Greg's anniversary coming up at the end of the week!

Every one is happy!

Phew, Both kids came home from their first day happy! Tasha has a new teacher (YAY!) and is in a class made up almost entirely of her friends. She has her best friend Kaysha, Courtney, Bethany, Isabella, Cirinna and Emily. Kyle found high school a lot less daunting than he expected - got to love going to a high school with only 15 class rooms to find your way around!

As for me - yes I did learn to let them grow up. Although as you can tell by the new look blog I didn't have much luck distracting myself with scrapbooking. I tried to keep busy but just couldn't focus on anything. I did spend some time with Isabella and Jackson (well they slept but hey it was time together).

For those of you who pray I ask you to keep Isabella, Simone, Greg and the family in your thoughts as they travel to Sydney for the specialist appointment on Friday.

The deed is done!

Yes they are both off to school.
We watched Tasha get on the bus this morning at 8:00. She is loving the fact that she is oldest Lucas at IRPS. Now not only does she not have to put up with her brother on the bus but..........wait for it...........she gets to bring home the bulletin!

I then drove Kyle to school (Yeah I know slack but it is the first day) and he seemed okay. He was very nervous last night and this morning but Tony and I prayed with him and I had a big chat about high school and he said he felt much better. Anway dropped him off, watched him walk the long way round just to avoid a group of boys who were chatting - "I'll go this way so I don't bother them" and headed home. Managed to keep the tears at bay until I was pulling away from the school therefore managing not to embarass him! He did organise a very strict plan for being picked up this afternoon. told me where to meet him, then pointed the spot out, then walked me there to make sure I had it right! ~L~ I know he'll be okay he's just so shy and scared of making new friends. Knowing this is a much smaller school and that he knows some of the kids there I am sure we have done the right thing.

Oh I took pics this morning will post them later - they both suddenly seem so grown up

It's almost over!

Boy these school holidays have flown - but thinking back it seems they started ages ago! Not sure how that works :)
Anyway I was sitting thinking about how I didn't get what I wanted done these holidays with the kids but when I actually thought about it we did:
Catch up with my brother and his family from Dubai
Travel to Goulburn to meet up with family members we have not seen in a long time
Go to the beach
Go to Bay and Basin Leisure Centre
The kids had numerous friends over and went on a number of sleep overs
Kyle went to the carnival and got sick on a ride and vomited (twice)
We had picnics and played in the park
Went to the movies
Kyle and I had a mother/son day
Spent time together as a family unit playing games and mucking around
Went to Mogo Zoo
Did some walks and outdoor things as a family
Swam in the blow up pool in the backyard
Tasha in particular was a little social butterfly
I am sure there is more but I can't think right now!

So thinking back we actually did a fair bit and on a very tight budget. Mogo Zoo was probably our biggest spend - we did a lot of outdoor things that were very cheap or free, spent alot of time in parks etc. There were some things the kids wanted to do - the main ones being Jamberoo, Taronga Zoo and a trip to the Aquarium but the bank didn't allow that. I think we acheived quite a lot anyway. On top of all this we have been preparing for school. Can't believe my little boy is off to high school - I think I am worse about this than I was about him starting school. He was very nervous but is getting much better as it gets closer. We have spent a lot of time talking and praying about it. Tasha is going into year 5 this year and is looking forward to being at school without her big brother ~L~
Hope you are all ready for school to recommence. I have covered books and labelled things till I couldn't face another thing!

Can't be avoided

Sorry Tone, You just can't avoid it as much as you would like to! ~L~ Didn't out as much effort in this year as last though!

So to the wonderful guy I am so priviledged to call my husband (well depends what day you ask me)

Happy Birthday Tony

Hope you had a great day - even if you did spend half of it all alone - although maybe that would make it a good day lol

Scrap time!

Scrap time - what is that?!?

I must say this week is shaping up to be a good one! I actually got to spend time in my craft room over the past week and did a massive WIP (work in progress) completion. Had quite a few pages that just needed titles or journalling or that elusive something and finished off nearly my entire pile - about 8 pages. Woo Hoo.

Hoping to get back in the craft room this week and then I have a scrap night on Friday night. 7pm - 3am! Can't wait. And of course the main drawcard for the night - I get to scrap with Cass! (Okay maybe insert chat more than scrap but you get the picture) All I need now is one sweet gal from Melbourne to scrap with and life would be sweet.

Todays Quote

Found this when I was blog - surfing. Just had to share.


"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain."

What a great quote - just got to work on putting it into place!

Moguls and Madness

Today it was re-inforced just how ruthless my husband can be!
We (Tony, Kyle and I) had a game of Monopoly and after the parents ganging up on Kyle who tends to plot and plan well and win it was MUM VS DAD. I should have realised after playing Game of Life some years ago when Tony threatened to throw his wife and kids from the car just how serious he could be!
But seriously.... we had a good time, lots of laughs and fun.

This morning we went and had a look at a new display village at Worrowing Heights (near vincentia) and was so not inspired by the houses. Apart from the fact they were all small and the average block is only 500m2 the plans were mad! In a couple of them you had to walk through the house including the kitchen to get to the lounge room. Knowing my housekeeping skills - YUCK! Did see one awesome loft though!

Dining Al Fresco - and tackle basketball!

This would have to be our family dining preference lately - Al Fresco!

With all the gorgeous evenings we have taken to eating outside a lot. The kids love it - the fresh air is great and so far we haven't been too bothered by flies (Hmmm should I take that as a complaint about my cooking?!?)

It is a great time to sit and relax and seems to be a much more casual chat time.

And occasionally we even get Tony to join us (on the rare occasion he is able to have dinner with us)

After this particular meal however the kids decided a spot of basketball would be fun. Sounds like a great fun activity doesn't it...... not with this family.

Our gentle game of 2 on 2 basketball (Tony and Tasha vs Kyle and I) soon turned into tackle basketball as the adults used every means available to them to stop the kids getting goals. It involved lots of laughs, a few "not fairs", lots of puffing and ..... okay maybe one little injury (I still think they were crocodile tears!).

Lions and Tigers and Bears (well almost!)

Well we went for one of our "family drives" again and this time we ended up at Mogo Zoo. somewhere I had been planning on taking the kids for a while but it was great to do it with all four of us! As it is one of those not really planned things we didn't get there until about 1pm but we still had a great time. I LOVE big cats and you get to see them so close here. Hhmmm doesn't look too scary here! Wouldn't want to be in there with it though ~L~How gorgeous does this look! They have white lions as well which are amazing but my pics didn't come out too good.So there is the lions and tigers - couldn't get bears! But this Red Panda was just so cute had to include him too!But my all time favourite would be the otters. I love watching them run around and play - they are so cute and I could sit and watch for hours.

My other fav of the day was the Tapir. Not an animal that has interested me a great deal in the past but they were having so much fun, running around the compound and then diving and splashing in the pond, swimming around and showing off. They were amazing.

Oh and I found these two monsters there as well!

It was a great day and if you get a chance go down and see the animals. I have so many pics but only put a few here.

Another mad week

Have had a busy week. I believe my kids are on school holidays but I really am not sure as I haven't seen them between school hours!
Working mon, wed, thurs and fri this week and Tues I met up with the wonderful Cass in Berry for coffee, window shopping, more window shopping, lunch, some more window shopping and more coffee!
Bank is looking very dismal right nonw so window shopping was the extent of it but still had a great time. In the middle of all this was a lot of chatting and talking and just a simply wonderful day.

Sandras parcel finally arrived from America so I was able to send that on - sorry it didn't make it in time for your birthday :(

In the midst of all this have had a sick little girl (thanks so much to those who called or messaged to see how she was going it was lovely). She is doing much better now ~ don't know that we will ever be allowed back in target again *blushes*

Have been checking out a lot of the photo challenges that friends have on their blogs and am getting seriously inspired so you may see a lot more pics her soon (and more regular posts). Hope wherever you are you are well and have a smile on your face. MWAH

Happy Mail

Got some amazing happy mail today. I am doing a little jiggy dance here!
I had a sick little girl when I went off to work today so I rang home at lunch time to see how she was (doing fine - slight temp) to hear I had a parcel sitting at home. I got very excited as I was expecting a special parcel from overseas but this was something unexpected!
My poor old cutter has seen much better days. It doesn't like cutting straight and is kind of dead - well now it can retire!?!
In a parcel today I received the gorgeous Making Memories Precision Paper Trimmer. I have drooled over these for so long and now my gorgeous friend Sandra has made my dream come true!

(pretend pic is here - blogger didn't want me to upload pic)

So I am very , very, very happy jiggy girl this afternoon. Dont ya love happy mail - especially totally unexpected happy mail. (Will return the favour when your parcel arrives!)

I also have to say a massive thank you to Lucy for the other parcel I received. I can't wait to play - off to check out some tutorials now! Watch out photos - prepare to be fiddled with! (I mean that in the nicest way ~L~)

Zoom Zoom Zoom

If you are looking up to the sky today spare a thought for Sandra. I know I will be.

For christmas SJ got a voucher for a tigermoth flight and is off to the skies today. Can't wait to hear how it goes. I have been "zooming" around the house - arms outstretched, doing my turns and spins. Don't think it's quite the same but I can live vicariously through my friend!

Have a great time sweetie.

Happy New Year

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a wonderful 2009.

I have great plans for this year - It is going to be a good one! 2009 will be my year!

Hope that it will be a great year for all of you and that you aren't feeling too bad this morning ~L~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Sending a shout out to a gorgeous girl who I have the greatest priviledge of calling my friend.

Happy birthday sweetie....... i am sure you will be spoilt by your wonderful family. Wish I was there to share it with you but I am thinking of you and am there in spirit. Hopefully next year I can be there for your birthday!

Have a great day and may all your birthday wishes come true!

The answer to the meaning of life is 42

that is according to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy!



If you listen to Monty Python the meaning of life is: "Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations."



As for me... hmm still working on that one! Had one of "those" days today. - JANE if you are at work you may want to stop reading or "that" pesky woman may turn up!



Today I went to the funeral of an amazing lady. I met Rhonda when I started working on Medical Ward. She was a lovely person with a great smile and loved by all (except when she was pulling them into line!) Rhonda had breast cancer about the same time as my mum and we joined Rhonda's team for Relay for Life. Last week - 2 days before Christmas - Rhonda lost her fight with cancer. She has left behind her parents, husband David, teenage son michael (who is in a wheelchair) and a teenage daughter Kate. She also leaves behind a large number of colleagues and friends who adored her.



Rhonda had the strength to organise her own service a few weeks ago so the service today was put together by her with songs of her choice. It really was a lovely service. Reggie got up and spoke so well and when they payed In the Arms of the Angels I don't think there was a dry eye.



Rhonda you will be sorely missed. The ward will not be the same without you and you have left a large gaping hole in many lives.

Monday = Funday

Today was a nice casual relaxed day. Mark and Mel had friends they wanted to catch up with so Declan came here for the day to play with Kyle and Tasha. Kyle and Declan had a ball playing on their DS's and on the Wii.
Tasha filled up the inflatable pool and they all jumped in but it didn't last long. Declan is used to temperatures in the middle east so our 25 degrees here with water out of the hose was waaayy too cold for him.

Then we went back up to Georgia for a baked dinner and a last chance to catch up with Mark, Mel and Declan before they headed back overseas. We wont see them for some time now. they won't be home for christmas next year. They are planning on going to Italy for a white christmas. How cool would that be! Don't I wish I could join them!

It has been great spending time with them and just sitting chatting as we used to.

Day trip to Goulburn

Today we drove to Goulburn and met up with more family members who drove from Cowra. David, Henry, Rowan, amelia and Uncle Les. Unfortunately Amanda and Taylor didn't make it and (as usual) Michael was elsewhere but we still had a great day. Kyle and Declan are like shadows and seem to go EVERYWHERE together and Tasha had fun playing with Rowan and Amelia.
We went across to the Workers Club for lunch which was very yummy and then back to the park to play. All in all another great day with family. Very relaxed and lots of chatting and just a very pleasant day.
This pic was taken in the fountain in the park in the main street of Goulburn. With the drought the fountain has no water so the kids went straight in (somehow don't think the water would have stopped them if it was there!) Kyle, Tasha and Declan playing on the play equipment. it is a great park for families - heaps of things for the kids to play on.

Three generations. My Uncle Les (mum's brother), his son David (my cousin) and David's son Henry. You can tell they are from the same family.

Mark, Mel and Declan

Mum and John

David

a collection of pics showing the kids having a ball playing on the train.

l -r Amelia (Milly), Tasha and Rowan