A Christmas Gift

It is almost Christmas day. A day that has different meanings for different people. This year, more than any other, the true meaning of Christmas has dawned upon me. More than any other Christmas (that I can remember) I have heard the Nativity story over and over again. The full impact is hitting home. It's not about a man and woman travelling to a city and the woman giving birth in a stable. It's about God, the Creator of everything that ever was and ever will be, coming to Earth in the human form as Jesus. Jesus, the Christ. Jesus, our Saviour. Jesus! God! A Being that no one has ever seen, according to the Book of John. His glory is so great that no mere human could stand it! God reduced His glory to become Jesus the Man that we have heard so many amazing stories about. Jesus, what He gave up so that we could be saved from eternal death. He loves each one of us so dearly that He gave up His omnipresence forever! His OMNIPRESENCE!!! That really blows me away! Being a mere mortal, with a selfish, evil nature, I can't even comprehend that kind of sacrifice. I just know it's bigger than we can fully understand until we meet Him face to face. He sacrificed SO much to become a human. To be born in the most humble of places, a stable. To live a perfect, selfless life of service and love to others and then to be tortured, humiliated and killed by evil men. Men that were so proud and narcissistic that they couldn't see past their own greatness to behold the Glory that was before them. Men that allowed Satan to completely control them. Satan thought he could beat God. How can you beat God? You can't! Jesus did die and then He rose from that death. He beat death! God gave humans the greatest gift ever possible. A beautiful, perfect baby that became a perfect man, the Saviour of humans. He gave us the gift of salvation. That IS the best Christmas gift you or I will ever be given.  All we have to do is accept it...and for most, that is the hardest part.

Stuff

I was talking to a friend of mine after church yesterday and he told me about the epiphany he had had in the past few months about our society's apparent need for stuff. Stuff that we bring home from the shops and don't really use. Stuff that we are given that we don't want or has no real use in our life. Stuff that we don't use anymore, but we keep it "just in case". Stuff that accumulates in our cupboards, under our houses, in our sheds, under our beds...everywhere. He was appalled by it and by the fact that he is one of those people.
I agreed with him. I absolutely HATE stuff!!! I am not a hoarder and get rid of things as soon as I don't use or need them anymore. Even so, there is still stuff in my house. Sitting here, I look around the room and see stuff that I haven't used for ages, and may never use again. It's there "just in case". Well guess what, it's leaving my house in the new year. I know how stuff affects me. It makes me feel claustraphobic, depressed, unmotivated, tied down, irritated, like my house is never tidy... I've realised that the less stuff someone has, the happier they are. If someone is a collector of stuff, their need for it grows and grows and they are never, ever satisfied with what they do have. Who wants to be like that? Not me, that's for sure. Who wants to raise their children to be like that? Definately not me. Unfortunately, they have already started wanting stuff they don't need. It's almost a losing battle. I say 'almost' because there is still time for me to teach them not to want everything and only have what they need.
This Christmas people will be getting more stuff. Stuff they don't really want or need  or they'll use it once or twice and then it will be added to their collection of other stored stuff.
Advertising companies have an awful lot to answer for. They are so clever. They make us think that we need stuff. All kinds of stuff. And then the next big thing comes along and we are made to think that we need that too. And so it goes on and on and...

Ladies Day Out

This week I was fortunate enough to be able to have a day out with a wonderful friend of mine. Without the children, I might add. It was so very therapeutic to be able to hang out together without constantly disciplining, giving commands, refereeing or apologising to strangers.

We met up at Buderim. I love Buderim. Gorgeous boutiques(I bought a new sun hat in one), cafes, book stores and the views are fantastic. It would be so very nice to live up there. We browsed through some op shops and antique stores while up there.

We then decided to go down to Cotton Tree for more browsing and to find somewhere to have lunch. We ended up at a great little cafe called Sister Organic Cafe. The food was just divine! I ate everything on my plate. It thrills me to find a cafe or restaurant that serves really good vegetarian food. There are alot of cafe's out there that have no idea how to make vegetarian food taste great. I am disappointed all too often, but not this time!

I also bought a bottle of water, which is not so unusual. What was unusual was the name of it. I was greatly amused and it is now living in my fridge, refilled.  

After lunch we continued on with our browsing. We visited a few op shops in the area. Op shopping is alot of fun if you like to score a bargain. You never know what treasure you are going to find. I bought quite a few books for the kids and my greatest score of the day were some perfectly good, 100% wool blankets for $4.50 each. I still can't believe I got them so cheap and in such great condition! George thought it was very amusing that I was buying wool blankets on such a very hot day.

It was a truly special ladies day out and I can't wait until we can do it again.

A special thank you to my Mum for looking after Monkey and Angel so that I could have some time out.

Updates

Just a quick update on the book I'm reading at the moment. Well, I actually stopped reading it for a few weeks, but picked it up again last night. Quite frankly, I'm terrified for my Angel and the pressures she is going to be facing as a teenage girl. If you are a parent or a teacher you really need to read this book.
I will talk more about it when I've finished reading it. Hopefully in the next week or so.



Now, an update on the desk project. I've decided to scrap it altogether. The end.

Fractals

How so totally cool are fractals? I love them. I think they are amazing. I enjoy looking at them so much that I have ifractals as the theme on my igoogle home page. It's different every time I log onto Google.


Wikipedia describes fractals this way - A fractal is "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole,"^[1] a property called self-similarity. 


Fractals occur in nature...lots of nature. Leaves, vegetables, snowflakes, biology, all kinds of different things.

Artists use fractals as their muse. If I was an artist I know
I would. The possibilities are endless.

It's even a cool word. Go on, say it out loud. Fractal. Fractal. Fractal.

Monster Trucks

We went and saw the monster trucks on Saturday night at Archerfield speedway. What a huge night it was too! I've been to the speedway a few times over the years and have never seen a crowd like this one. I think almost everyone in Brisbane was there. They were totally sold out, and why not, we've never had the monster trucks here before. Well someone did mention Big Foot, back in the eighties, but that was only one truck. We got to see six!

It was loud! It was really loud! Poor little Monkey didn't know what hit him. He spent the majority of the night hanging on tight to his Dad's neck, and some of it with his beautiful eyes clamped shut, facing away from the track. Baby put earplugs in his ears, but that did little to stifle the sound of those huge V8's. Little people's ears must be so sensitive to sound compared to us older people. Angel had earplugs in too and I helped block her ears with the palms of my hands when they brought out the jet Charade and for the fireworks. Even then she still jumped a few times with the particularly loud ones.

Yes! They had a jet engine hanging out the back of a two door Charade. It was hilarious to see this huge jet engine in this tiny little car. Farout it was loud!!!

I have to say, I was expecting alot of carnage. You know, like you see in the American monster truck shows, but no, this is Australia where the monster truck sport is not huge like in the States. They have all the money to throw around on fixing their trucks, but not here. Sadly, there was NO carnage. We have to be satisfied with watching carnage on Youtube. One of the trucks did happen to roll, but I don't think it even dented it.
So, even though my destructive side wasn't completely satisfied, I had a really good night. At least I can say I've been now.

Camillias

I love camillias! I would LOVE a garden filled with camillia bushes.

These beautiful flowers come is so many different varieties and colours.

Pink, white, red.

They are whimsical, romantic, magical.

I love the way the winter sun reflects off the leaves of this gorgeous bush.

This image happened to be in with all the camillia images I googled, so I thought I'd just throw it in 'cos it's magical too.

From Blocked to Unblocked

I've had writers block for awhile now. I can't think of anything intelligent to write about and when I do, it just doesn't seem to flow as easily as it did before. It's a little bit frustrating because I really enjoy writing down my thoughts about things and sharing experiences. I find it very therapeutic and it gives a voice to my creative side.
I've just been trying to write about my weekend away,  at Tallebudgera, where we had a church camp with a guest speaker from Focus on the Family here in Brisbane. It was all about Relationship Enhancement. A most important issue in this day and age. Almost every marriage has some issue, or issues. Men and women are so very different. We think differently and do things differently and it's great to be made aware of the differences so we can all use this knowledge to understand and communicate with our partner so much better.
It was a great weekend away. We didn't have to cook, or clean up. We got to hang out with some great friends from church and got to know some aquaintances better. The kids had so much fun playing together. The beach was right at our door. The weather even improved for us. I just hope that other couples had as positive an outcome as my husband and I did. We didn't really learn anything we didn't already know, but it was a great bonding time and he and I giggled and joked our way through the sex talk. That's NOT where our marriage issues lie.
We've started this week on a very positive note and I'm sure with God's grace and some effort on my part it will continue.
Love is definately in the air!

Techno World

Technology! I find it all a little baffling. It actually hurts my brain when I have to learn how to use some new thing. I swear, the newer the technology, the thicker the instruction book. Nothing bores me more than having to sit and read instructions on how to use something. Fortunately, I am married to a man who is a techno freak. So I let him work it all out and then teach me.  Like so many men, he loves getting a new techno toy. His latest toy is an iphone. Talk about an unsociable piece of plastic(or whatever it's made from).

We were at a friends house a couple of Saturday's ago and both the guys were sitting out under the pergola doing the iphone thing. They were totally absorbed in it. Showing each other new applications, playing games, pinging friends. It was almost like I wasn't there. The lady of the house had gone out for a couple of hours so I didn't even have her to talk to. I ended up getting Mr J's laptop so I had something to do too. So there we were, the three of us, sitting around a table with our screens in front of us. Oh, and there was coffee! Mr J makes a great cuppa...because he has a great techno coffee machine!

This past weekend we went up to 'our' country house at Pomona. You all know how much I love it up there. It was a great weekend, but again, Baby and Mr N had their iphones out...alot! They actually got into trouble a couple of times from us wives for being so unsociable with us. Totally absorbed in their techno world they were. Seriously, it's boring looking at the back of an iphone.
I actually do love the techno world we live in, the fact that we can keep in contact with people we wouldn't otherwise be able to. I can send out a quick message to someone if I need to.  I can find out almost anything by googling(I love google). I can share my thoughts with the world. I can send a letter to a loved one, instantaneously. It's awesome!
Maybe I will get an iphone too, then I can join the boys in their techno world.

First Fish

My son caught his first fish yesterday! In this household, that is a big deal. My husband is a mad, keen fisherman and he has dreamed of taking his kids fishing with him for a very long time. Well, we went out in the boat today, anchored up and threw in Monkey's line. He had a bite in less than 5 mins. It was all very exciting, especially for his Dad. A very proud Dad! Monkey caught another fish with the next cast. Two fish in 10 mins. Not bad for his first time. Unfortunately for My Baby, the attention span of a 2 1/2 year old isn't very long, so the fishing part didn't last. All too soon we pulled up anchor and rode over to the beach so the kids could play in the sand and Mum could sit in the boat and read the Sunday paper in peace.

So my Baby and the kids went to explore, pump yabbies, throw in a line and play on the dunes. Angel had a turn at fishing with her pink fishing rod and caught a couple of  fish too. Those little fish ended up being a pelicans lunch.

What a fabulous morning for a very proud father. We all had fun.

Our Girls

Over the past couple of years I have often wondered about how I am going to keep my little girl a little girl for as long as possible. Advertising and the media are making our girls want to grow up really fast and it seems almost impossible to stop it. On Saturday I saw my Dad and he handed me this book. He and my sister in law had both heard the author, Maggie Hamilton, being interviewed on the radio. Dad found it and bought us a copy each as we both have girls. Thanks Dad, I really need this kind of help in this day and age.
I read the first few chapters last night and am appalled to find that advertising companies are now aiming ads and logos at babies. I really can't wait to finish this book and be better educated and prepared on how to avoid the traps and pitfalls that would cause my daughter to grow up and think that she has to have this brand and that brand to be someone or be loved.
I will be talking about this book again when I have finished reading it.
Watch this space...

Weekend in Pomona

The kids and I bundled up into the car on Friday afternoon and headed up the coast, after dropping my Baby off at the airport, to the picturesque little town of Pomona. My dear friends husband was also away for the weekend, so it was George, me and 4 kids. We had a lovely relaxing time together. Going to her home is like having a weekender. It's a gorgeous, old Queenslander, surrounded by gardens, with a big back yard and a detached covered deck at the back. You just get to relax, enjoy the country, the view, great company. No traffic, no noisy neighbours, no pressure. Love it, love it, love it!

The Noosa Country Show was on this weekend, so it wasn't as quiet as it normally is. Their house is diagonally opposite from the showground, so you get to hear EVERYTHING that goes on, especially at night. We did get to enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of the front verandah though. They were fantastic! Didn't have to pay to see them either. Bonus!

Saturday was spent at the playground right in town and then relaxing in the backyard all afternoon. The kids play pretty well together. Sunday we took the kids to the Noosa river at Noosaville. They played along the rivers edge and in the playground there as well. George and I enjoyed a great coffee and almond croissants from the little French cafe. Such a treat. We didn't get to read any magazines or the paper while we were there because keeping an eye on 4 kids is hard work. Next time the guys can do that.

I love going to Pomona..

This is the view of the mountain from the back deck.

Perfect Spring Day

Looking out the window this morning I am greeted with what proposes to be a spectacular spring day. I have to say, this weather is my favourite time of year. Well, one of my favourite times of year. I also love May and June. Anyway, today promises to be perfect. Not hot, not cold, perfect. Even though I have lived in Queensland for most of my life, I am NOT a fan of summer. I don't mind the heat too much, it's the humidity that kills me. It's so draining and sticky. Hate feeling sticky. There's not much I can do about changing that. Actually, there's nothing I can do about changing that. I can, however, enjoy that wonderful invention, the air conditioner. I remember that when I was heavily pregnant with my Angel it was the middle of summer and I sat on the couch right in front of the air conditioner, feet up, trying to stay as cool as possible. Being heavily pregnant in summer is not fun.

But I digress, I'm talking about the weather, not being pregnant...hated being pregnant anyway, why would I want to talk about it? I'm going to try and spend a bit of time outside today. The herb garden needs redoing. I'll have to go to Bunnings to buy some herb seedlings so I can fill up the garden so that in a month or two it will look spectacular again. I love herb gardens. Herbs grow so quickly and need very little maintenance. I love being able to go and pick them when I need them for cooking too. Very handy indeed. The rest of the garden is in desperate need of some TLC too. That will have to wait for another day though.

Anyhoo...

Might even take the kids to the park too. Love this weather!

My God is Awesome

Logging onto Facebook this morning I was greeted with a link to YouTube that my brother had put up. It is a 10 minute clip of James May being flown to the edge of space. Being in that cockpit with him gives you a glimpse of the feelings and emotions he was having while the plane climbed higher and higher and the view of earth became more and more spectacular. At 70,000 feet the view is utterly breathtaking. It's simply indescribable. He made some comment about the sky being below them and eternity being above them. I couldn't help but think about our awesome God in heaven, who created the entire universe. The known universe is so unbelievably huge, and we are only a speck within it. Not even a speck. We are a speck on a speck. Then there is the unknown universe. It goes on for eternity, just like our God. My simple human mind can't grasp this concept. The fact that there has always been and always will be. The fact that there is no edge to the universe, it just goes on and on and on...

Today is Saturday, the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week. It's the day God rested from making our world. He blessed it and made it a holy day. A day for us to rest and spend time with Him. He cares so much about us, the specks, on a speck, on a speck... He cares for and loves us so much that He set aside this day every week so we can recharge and focus more on Him. He WANTS to spend time with us. Us mere humans with the evil nature. We are nothing compared to the universe, yet, at this time in eternity, we are the centre of it. We are amazingly loved!

How often do you think about this? How often do I think about this? Looking at that view of our Earth with James really puts our everyday lives in perspective. It's so easy to get caught up in the little things and make them big things in our minds. Looking at Earth from space and not being able to see any living creatures makes me see how small I am and that the things that I think are a big deal really aren't in the scheme of things. The trick is to remind oneself of this daily.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=james+may+from+top+gear+rides+in+a+U-2&search_type=&aq=f

A Modern Day Epidemic

WARNING If you are currently suffering from depression you may not want to continue reading. If you aren't currently suffering from depression then go for your life!

I have an illness called Depression. It's an illness I know a lot about. I have done my fair share of research about it. I have cried my fair share of tears because of it. Sometimes all day long, for no apparent reason. It's insidious, it's debilitating. It's an illness that is easily misdiagnosed and misunderstood. It's an illness that so many people suffer and don't even realise it. It's horrible, it's evil and I hate it!

I was 18 when I think it really reared it's ugly head. All of a sudden, I slept a lot. I cried a lot. I couldn't function normally or keep up with my peers. I was at college doing my first year of primary teaching. I didn't even get to finish the year out because I was so sick that I had to go home. I never went back. A doctor misdiagnosed me with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. That was the "in" illness at the time. If only he had looked further and seen that I was depressed and given me the correct treatment. My life would have turned out so differently. Instead I just plodded along, in a haze, unable to make good life choices or to even really enjoy life.

Fast forward a few years. I found a doctor who was able to help me. He put me straight on meds called Zoloft. What a relief! My moods were smoothed out somewhat. Not as many days feeling such deep, deep despair and when I did, it was nowhere near as bad. I was finally able to have some sort of control over how I felt and functioned. My thought patterns became more positive.

I have been on meds now for 12 years. There have been brief periods where I stopped taking it and went back down into the depths. I then self medicated with drugs and alcohol, which of course only exacerbates the problem. Such darkness...

A few years back I saw a psychiatrist who put me onto a new medication and I had a really bad episode one day. It was too strong and while at home, by myself, one day I was overcome with the most awful feelings and thoughts. I literally wanted to kill myself just to make it stop. I've had death thoughts before, but nothing like this. It was like being on speed, but a REALLY bad hit. I mean REALLY bad. The only thing I could think of to do was lie down and go to sleep. When I woke up a couple of hours later I was back to normal. It scared the absolute life out of me. I changed doctors.

I found a psychiatrist who put me onto Efexor XR, which I am still taking. I have no side effects from it and as long as I take it every single day, it controls my mood swings, anxiety and general depressive feelings. If I miss taking it one morning, by that evening my thought patterns are already changing for the negative and I become a bit irrational. My Baby always knows if I've missed it.

There is a lot of controversy about whether antidepressant medication should be taken or not. I can see why. It can be difficult to find the right drug for someone. Some meds do cause people to have psychotic episodes or commit suicide. I understand that, but I also understand that they may not be taking them correctly or following instructions. With some of the drugs, if you just stop taking them, they will cause a huge negative reaction in the brain. Hello! You are using powerful drugs on your brain! If you are monitored closely by a doctor and follow instructions then there shouldn't be a problem...most of the time.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a little of my journey with depression. I believe I have it for life. And that's ok. I know it can be controlled. I'm not embarrassed or ashamed to talk about it or the fact that I have to take meds every day. I know a few people who are, but I'm not. It's normal for me. I understand how it all works because of my history with it and the massive ups and downs I've had with it. I'm very sad for people who don't have it under control because that never ending pit of despair and darkness is the most horrible place in the world to be. I don't wish it upon anybody.

On that note, have a happy day!

Bad Memory

I was driving home from dropping my Baby off at the airport this evening, thinking about what I could write on my blog tonight. It was a really good blog idea too. I now cannot remember it. I have a most annoying, bad memory. My Baby calls my brain 'swiss cheese' cos of my shocking memory. Sometimes I will walk into a room and forget why I went there, so I turn around and go back to where I was so I can try to remember what I was going to do. Alot of my life is a blur, or I just can't remember it. Friends or family will ask me if I "remember when", and alot of the time I just can't. All of school is a blur. Most of my teens are a blur. Some of my twenties are a blur. It's most frustrating!
Anyway, maybe tomorrow I'll remember what I was thinking to blog about.

My Name is Ky and I am an Introvert.

I am an introvert. I have ALOT of internal dialogue. It goes on ALL day long. Because of this, I do live in my own little world sometimes. (If you could read my brain, you'd find I am interesting and have a huge imagination, although a little warped at times). I do not say everything that comes into my head or share all my feelings like extroverts do. My Baby is an extrovert, so of course finds it difficult to understand why I am the way I am sometimes. On the flip side, I just don't get why he has certain points of view either, or why he sees the need to share so much. I can come across as emotionless . That doesn't mean I don't feel. I do feel, quite deeply. I just don't express it in a big way. I think that's why I like blogging and using Facebook. It's like a voice for introverts...and an extension for extroverts. I get to express myself and write what I am thinking. It's alot easier than having a conversation with someone.
So, I will continue to blog and I will continue to use Facebook as tools to express myself and socialise. By the way, you extroverts talk too much!!!

Dry to Wet

A few days ago, the kids and I met up with some friends at Chermside shopping centre for lunch at Bada Bing. Monkey was non stop moving as usual. Makes for a slightly stressful time when I am trying to catch up with friends I haven't seen for years and he just wants to run off and play. Well, he got to have a lot of fun when I had finished eating. It was a very warm day and he

wanted to cool off.

Monkey got new clothes this day.

Time Flies

I have been going through photos of the kids when they were babies, and a toddler in Angel's case. Every time I look at photos of when they were younger I mourn and ache deep inside for that time of their young lives. Every mother, and father too, will tell you how very precious those first few months or couple of years are. They are all too fleeting! I am not the first to say this, but we spend their first year looking forward to when they will smile, then laugh, then roll, crawl, walk and then we can't wait till they talk. When they reach all these milestones and beyond we then wish we could just have a little snippet of time back with them when they were younger. They were just so cute.
I ache for the time when it was just my Angel and me. We would hang out at home together, go shopping together, do all sorts of things together while Daddy was at work. Just us girls. It was very special times. She was as close to a perfect baby as you could get. It went too fast! It all goes too fast! I try to enjoy ALL of the funny, curious and outright annoying things they do. Before I know it, they won't be doing it anymore.

Friends

I caught up with an old friend yesterday. I haven't seen him for a very long time, yet when I opened the door to greet him it was like I only saw him the day before. I love that about true friends! It doesn't seem to matter how much time has passed between visits or phone calls with a close friend. You just pick right up where you left off.
I have a handful of really close friends, who will always be really close friends. Each one of them is very dear to my heart and each relationship is different. It's such a blessing in this life to have good friends. People who you can love and love you back, just for who you are.
Thank you to each one of my dear friends, who I love deeply, for being my friend!

Another Desk Update

I am sitting at my little desk as I type on my laptop. It's just perfect as a desk for me to sit at. There is no photo to accompany this post as I still haven't sanded and painted it. I know, I know, I'm the worlds greatest procrastinator. I still haven't bought the things I need to do this little project. My darling brother has told me what I need to buy, but I feel a little lost in big, old Bunnings looking for what I need. Maybe I will go today and have a look and I might even ask for some help. Anyway, watch this space because it will happen and you will see a photo of the finished product...one day.

Perfect Riding Weather

Today is perfect riding weather! It's not hot and it's not cold. There is no wind. Perfect! Oh to be racing along the highway on the back of a motorbike. Wind rushing past, sun shining, nowhere in particular to be, equals complete freedom and being totally carefree. I have not experienced a feeling like it. All you can hear is the rush of the wind and sound of the bike. Everydayness melts away and it's just you, the bike and the road. Just follow it and you will end up anywhere. Today is perfect riding weather! If only...

Silence

It's so quiet in the house right now, it's almost roaring. You know that depth of quiet, don't you? The kind of silence that is really loud. I sit here in the dark with only the monitor of my laptop to give me light. It's pure bliss. I don't often get to just sit in silence. It's so calming. I am sleepy and should be in bed, but if I do go to bed I will fall asleep and the next thing I know will be noise. Lot's of noise! Chattering, laughing, whinging, singing, mischief almost none stop, all day long. I love that noise, most of the time, but right now, I love the silence more.

Butterflies of Love

My Mum is a very talented lady when it comes to things of the art and craft nature. She recently finished a unique canvas that now hangs proudly in Angels bedroom. A gift of love from her Nana. It is a most beautiful butterfly that any little girl would love to have decorating her room.

Mum has painted the butterfly on the canvas, and if you look closely, you will notice pieces of dyed eggshell that Mum made and has individually glued to the wings of the butterfly. There are also seed beads scattered throughout the shell pieces. The head and body are made from tissue paper and then lacquered. The body has pink jewels glued on. Then to finish off the overall look of the piece, some cute little butterflies bought from the shops, fluttering around the big butterfly. You are so talented and creative Mum!

My Angel will treasure it for years to come, and maybe one day, when she is older, she will truly appreciate the time and painstaking effort that has gone into this one of a kind piece.

Dummy Spit!

I need to have a dummy spit! Just got the umpteenth phone call on my mobile from some dude asking me if I'm available. NO! I'm not bloody available! I'm a wife and mother who is annoyed by your interrupting phone call! Sometimes some dude calls my phone and asks me how much I am. I should tell them some astronomical dollar amount and see what they say. This has been going on for a couple of years and I am sooo sick of it. Apparently there is a hooker out there who has a phone number almost identical to mine. How can so many different men ring the same wrong number? I bet there's someone else that gets phone calls of this nature too who have an almost identical phone number as the hooker chick.
I feel better now that I have vented.

I Think I Can!

I took this photo the other afternoon at the park at the end of our street. I just love this photo. I love the freedom and carefreeness(is that even a word?) of it. Monkey spotted the ducks and just bolted after them. He tried really hard to catch them, but didn't quite make it. In his young mind, he has no limits and can do anything. How innocent and special is that? I wish I was like him sometimes. He hasn't learnt about "can't" yet. I hope it's a really long time before he learns about that. I hope my Monkey says "can" for a very, very long time. I hope both my children do. I don't want them to be like me, telling myself "I can't" with so many things through my life. If I'd had a "can" attitude, my life would have been so different. "They" say that it's never too late, but it is too late for some things. I'm trying to change my attitude. Maybe my children will teach me how to.

Hugs

Have you ever noticed that when someone hugs you, in that moment, nothing matters? It's only for a moment, and if you aren't in that moment, you will miss it. Everything in the world that is stress, chaos, pain, fatigue, whatever it may be, for only a moment, it doesn't exist. It's almost like time stands still or slows down, like a bullet in the Matrix. That's why I love hugs!
One of my favourite huggers is my son, the Monkey. He's always been very huggy, like most boys. It's my favourite thing when his little arms tighten around my neck. There's no feeling like it. That is one of the moments where time stands still. Nothing matters in that moment. It's only a moment, but a very treasured moment.
Then there's the hugs from my husband, all encompassing, warm, secure. They completely melt all anxiety from me in that moment. I love them! I love the hugs I recieve from my Angel too. They are different hugs than I get from my boys. She's a little bit like me, a little cooler, not as willing to put her arms around me and squeeze. She'd rather you do the squeezing and hugging while she is just there to enjoy it for a split second. Don't get me wrong, she's a very warm person, just not as huggy as the other one.
I really do love hugs.

Sunday morning at Portside Wharf

Yesterday morning we all got ready and jumped in the car and headed on over to Portside Wharf at Hamilton. We were on a mission to check out the Boutique Markets, the Coffee and Chocolate Affair and have breaky with friends. This was a real treat for me because we don't go out often to eat. It's just easier to stay home where Monkey is confined. I have to say, I was in my own little heaven. The Boutique Markets have some gorgeous stalls! There are some very creative people around. I found it very inspiring. A dream I have is to have my own stall with creations of my own that people find irresistible. It's just a dream at the moment. Anyway, I am wandering from the subject.

After we had a look at all the displays we met up with some friends and enjoyed a great breakfast together. For me it's not really about the food, but about being with friends and enjoying ourselves.

The Coffee and Chocolate Affair provided not just lots of different coffee and chocolate stalls, but also some great entertainment. There were masked people on stilts, which the kids found rather intriguing and lots of music. I found my current favourite band yesterday. Pear and the Awkward Orchestra. They are a folk band. I really enjoyed listening to the smooth vocals of the lead singer. She has a beautiful voice. I will be buying their album so I can enjoy their art here at home.

We didn't get to check out the Coffee and Chocolate stalls as there were sooo many people and Monkey was overdue for a snooze. But that's ok, I had a great time!


http://www.pearandtheawkwardorchestra.com.au/ http://www.boutiquemarkets.com.au/

Update

I'm updating the progress of my desk project. There is no progress. I have been suffering from a sinus infection all week and have not been up to doing anything on the desk. Actually, early in the week while I wasn't too bad, I took out all the drawer components, so now it is ready to sand and prepare for painting. Hopefully by next week I will be well enough to get on with it. I can't wait until it is finished.

My Project

I have had this set of drawers since I was about 10 years old. It is made from good old pine and has served me well. Unfortunately, last year a couple of the drawers gave up the ghost and has rendered the dresser as useless. I will, however, save it's life from becoming landfill. My plan is to turn it into a desk.

I will do this by removing all existing bits and pieces that have anything to do with drawers. Sand the whole thing, then paint it some shade of white and presto, a cute little desk that will become most useful I'm sure.

I have been meaning to do this for a very long time, but of course haven't gotten around to it. This week is the week I do it though, so hopefully, this time next week I will be putting up a photo of the finished product. Then I have a couple of other pieces of furniture I want to do too...

Early Mornings

I was lying awake in the middle of the night and thought of some things I could say here on my blog, but do you think I can remember them now? NO! I always think of cool stuff in the middle of the night, but then can't recall it when I need to during the day. Why is that? Maybe my brain is swiss cheese, just like my darling husband says. I think it might have more to do with the fact that I had to wake up earlier than I would have liked to.
That brings me to a whole new topic. Children that wake early. Both of mine have always been early risers and I am still not used to it. It's usually the youngest who wakes first. Today he was standing on his bed looking out the window and shouting for his Dad, who of course had already gone to work. So I get up and go and retrieve him from his room and shuffle to the kitchen where I promptly switch on the kettle, still holding my son on my hip. This is our routine every single morning. I don't even have to think about it anymore, I just do it.

Sock Monkey

This is Randall. I made him. It was the Saturday night project George had for us girls to do when we stayed at their place the other weekend. I didn't quite finish him that night, so I had to finish him here at home. I lost one of his ears for a couple of days, but happily found it and now he is a complete sock monkey. Cute, huh?
Wonder what George will have for us to do next time we stay at their place...

It is cold this morning. I didn't have the fire going because we are trying to save the wood for really cold nights and mornings. The heater had to do.
It doesn't seem to matter how cold it is and my 4 year old daughter wants to wear summer clothes. We go through this every morning. I have to send her back to her bedroom to find something warm to put on. Usually she grabs her pink, fluffy coat, but that doesn't stay on for long. Neither of them seem to keep socks or slippers on for long either. Do children really not feel the cold?

The First

It's Monday morning. We had such a lovely and relaxing weekend spent at our friends home in Pomona. I love that part of the world. Such a wonderful escape from the stress of everyday life. It's almost like having a weekender. A place to go and unwind and relax. We stayed home all day on Saturday, playing out in the sunshine in the backyard. The children had a wonderful time together, although the younger two do not get along at all. Never the less, it was bliss.
Sunday was spent at the park along Noosa River. Boat rides, playing in the sand and water, fishing, browsing the shops and cups of coffee with almond croissants were involved. Everyone had a great day. Being beside the water is so soul soothing. We didn't want to leave, but of course we had to pack the car and make the 2 hour trip home. Surprisingly, the kids didn't sleep on the way home.
Can't wait to do it all again.