New Year's Resolutions

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? I don't normally, I never seem to be able to keep them. So here is my attempt at some that I will endeavour to keep...

• I will stop calling people names feeling jealous when I see cooking blog posts where they have photos of Kitchen Aid mixers. I will end up with one some day, somewhere down the track, in this millennium ...
  
• I will avoid taking a bath whenever possible so that I can do my bit & conserve more water :P
  
• I will do less laundry and use more roll-on deodorant, just doing my bit for the environment again :D
  
• I will spend MORE time on the internet blogging, chatting, on Twitter or Facebook
• I will try and figure out why I need so many email addresses or maybe not
• I will ALWAYS wear clean underwear, just in case. (That should make my Mum happy)
• I will watch more t.v. it's educational, plus I like watching documentaries (and soaps, sci-fi, comedies..)
• I promise that I will stick to these new resolutions for at least one week (but I get to choose which week)
• I promise to add to my yarn collection whenever I can (Edited 5:52pm Friday) [I almost forgot that one - its such an important one to include]
  

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

My Baby Is Home

Angus has been at his friends place for the past two & a half days. He had a ball while he was there. He usually does.
I must have been missing him. My big clue was when I started calling Brodie by his brother's name. That was my hint to phone Angus and say I'm coming to collect you.

It had been super quiet here, well except for some minor outbursts from Brodie but they weren't too bad. The t.v. had hardly been on during the day while he was away. Let's see how long this lasts not that he's home.

Oh & for the record, the boys are already arguing *sigh*

My New Camera

As I mentioned in yesterday's post my camera died. Well not so much as died but was making 'those' kind of noises that things make as they die. With the lens error that kept popping up on the screen every time I turned it on, combined with the noises and it promptly shutting down meant that I was not going to get any more use of of my old Pentax.

Mark, Brodie & I went out shopping this afternoon in the hopes of finding a new camera. Well it started off as window shopping but I couldn't pass up this deal. I ended up with a Samsung ES30. It's not a bad little camera. You even get to choose the amount of mega pixels you wish to use (up to 12.2) and it also had video option. Not bad for less than $100AU.
I am going to have fun with my new toy. I chose pink as you can see from the pictures. Hopefully that means that the boys wont want to use my camera as often :P

Thankful Thursday

I can't believe its Thursday (for me at least) already! Boy has this week gone fast!

Things I am thankful for

• That Angus has a friend who's family let him have sleepovers. He's getting an extra night at his besties place!
• Being able to find bargains when I go shopping (I hope I can find a great bargain while I am hunting for a new camera)
• Brodie because he is constantly telling me how AWESOME he is. It must be my fantastic influence :P
• Things that are purple because they look so pretty!
• My new graphics tablet because I am having such fun playing with it.
  

What are you thankful for this week?

Flowers

I just managed to take a photo with my digital camera when it decided not to play nice :( The lens started making this clicky, grindy noise when it was retracting and lens error popped up on the screen. Just what I needed :P Mark is currently looking on ebay for a replacement for me.

Thankfully I was able to take a photo of the flowers I crocheted tonight. I've never made flowers before but I think they turned out okay. They're a bit on the small side. I have no idea what I am going to do with them yet but I did have fun making them. That's the main thing, right?

Nagging Teens

Brodie nagged & nagged me to take him into town (well the next town over from us) to do some shopping. I honestly didn't want to go. To be honest I didn't think that there would be all that many stores open due to it still being a public holiday. So to keep the peace I agreed to take him & Angus into town. Boy was I surprised to see more shops open than I thought there would be. I thought that they could go and check where they wanted to and I could go to Sam's Warehouse.

I didn't expect to get anything but it didn't hurt to look around. I was thinking that the boys might be finished doing their thing by the time I finished doing my thing.

They had all these wicker baskets at half price so I bought a small one to fit under the coffee table. I probably should've bought two larger ones as they would fit better. Not to worry I can always go back.

I already have some of my knitting & crochet things in it :D

I also got a bin to put the guinea pig food into. Now I wont have to worry about mice or anything getting in to the food. I bought a new pedestal fan because our old one doesn't oscillate any more & it was 30% off the original price! Finally I bought myself some new sunnies! (Actually I bought two pairs) My old ones were just about dead, the arm had snapped at the joins and they didn't sit on my head properly.

I look cool in these :D

I love getting a bargain or two when I go shopping!

My Calico Kitty!

My latest Digital drawing.
It took me forever to get the cat right & it still doesn't quite look the way I wanted it but considering I am still a newbie at this I am not doing too bad.
The hardest part was trying to decide on a background to go with her.

What do you think of this one? Any good?
You can be honest if you want or just tell me it looks fab.
Feeding my ego with positives is a good thing :P

Meet Me On Monday 28th Edition

Hosted by Java at Never Growing Old

Questions:

1. What are your New Year's Eve plans?
2. How tall are you?
3. What is your favorite pudding flavor?
4. What room of the house do you blog the most in?
5. What is your best physical feature?

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My Answers!

1. What are your New Year's Eve plans?
We don't normally have any plans. We just kind of stay up either playing on the computer/laptops or watching a DVD together and wait until midnight.


2. How tall are you?
Would you like it in inches or centimetres? I'm about 166cm (it might be 164) or around 5 ft 5 3/4 inches. Although I may have shrunk a little by now :P


3. What is your favourite pudding flavour?
I am partial to bread & butter pudding but I haven't had that for years. I do love caramel & chocolate puddings too.


4. What room of the house do you blog the most in?
The lounge/dining/computer area as it is all one big open room. It's where my desktop lives. I no longer have a laptop (not that I ever used it much anyway) as Mark's one broke when he spilt a drink on the keyboard. He took mine & used what parts were working on his to make a new one.


5. What is your best physical feature?
My eyes & my hair. I love the colour! Just like my Mum :)

My Digital Drawings

My first ever go at using my new graphics tablet. I had no idea what I was doing. It was 1am and I getting a little tired but I wanted to play before I went to bed. So please excuse its crudeness.

This is my second attempt at drawing. I thought a cartoon character might look better than trying to draw something that looked more realistic
(not that I will even attempt that any time soon).
It took me several hours to complete this but I was learning as I went a long. Making different layers for the colours before merging them.
I must admit it was loads of fun & I LOVE how my pirate turned out!
Who knew that drawing freehand on the computer could be so much fun!

Christmas Cracker Riddles

Just for fun ... here's some riddles we had a giggle over from the Christmas crackers we had.

How do you make a band stand?
You take away their chairs.
------------------
How long does it take to burn a candle down?
About a wick
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Why did the scientist install a door knocker on his door?
He wanted to win the no-bell prize
------------------
Why did the reporter always carry a ruler?
He wanted to get his story straight.
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What do you call a sleeping bull?
A bulldozer
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Why does an elephant wear sneakers?
So he can sneak up on the mice.
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What do monkeys sing at Christmas?
Jungle Bells, Jungle Bells
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What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite!

Just A Few Christmas Photos

Here's just a few photos I took .. I didn't use my new tripod so a lot of the photos are blurry and unusable. Oh well.

The Star Trek Voyager DVD's are from Brodie. My fave ST series!

Mark & Angus bought me the drawing tablet.
I've had some fun playing with that already. It's not as easy to use as you would think.
I reckon I'm going to have loads of fun practising!

Brodie had been talking about how he would like a watch. One like Mark had. It was a good thing that we had gotten both of the boys a watch. They look exactly like Mark's. They're waterproof to 200m (or something like that) and are self winding (automatic I think its call but I could be wrong). Brodie was so happy to get something he was hoping for :)

The photos is a little blurred but Angus is holding one of the special edition Mario Bros Wii's. Angus had mentioned a few times over the past week that he would love a Wii. He had no idea that there was one sitting in our wardrobe for three weeks.
He was so excited when he and Brodie opened this present. I had to ask him to sit still so I could take a photo that wasn't blurred.

BTW Angus has been using the Wii since around 7am this morning & its now after 1pm. I think he will find muscles in his arm that he hasn't used before :)

I hope you're all having a great day!

Merry Christmas

From me & mine to you & yours.
May you have a beautiful Christmas full of love, laughter and
wonderful new memories to cherish.

It's been a long day. It's almost 1:20am so I think its time for bed!
I'll fill you in on our celebrations later!
Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve!

When Mark & I were out at the shops the other day we came across this itsy bitsy tripod for my camera in one of those discount stores like the Warehouse or Cheap As Chips. You know the ones with the really cheap (ands sometimes nasty) stock usually from some little Asian country. We picked it up for an absolute bargain.

I was getting sick and tired of taking so many blurry photos for my blog. I had taken so many that were absolutely useless. The kind that is so blurry you can't even tell what the subject of the photo was. I would end up taking a dozen photos some times in the hope that at least one turned out okay! I could never seem to stay still when when I pressed the button! Well this tripod certainly stops that from happening!!

What do you think of these photos? I didn't take them too close to the food did I? These pics are of a batch of Christmas cookies that Angus decorated this afternoon. The boys are itching to eat these ones but I told them that they have to wait until after tea tonight.

We're all set for tonight. We have Mark's twin coming over with his girlfriend (she happens to be one of Mark's ex's - let's just say its complicated!) and two of her kids. The kids are little ( ages 3 & 4) and they will probably be over excited.

I have the lamb all seasoned, the chicken is stuffed & seasoned. All I need to do is prepare the veggies and place the meat into the oven.

Let's hope that everything goes off without a hitch! I'll probably post some more pictures later on once the food is cooked. Provided it turns out just the way I want it :)

The boys are excited about being able to open presents tonight. We're saving the ones from 'Santa' until after our visitors have gone. We want to keep the magic alive for the little ones. There's a few surprises under the tree this year. Not that that truly matters but funnily enough all the little hints that Mark & the boys have mentioned over the past few days .. well let's just say they should be happy.

Okay, time to go look for those gozunders. I know you probably think that's weird I've never heard of them. Well that's just the name I use for the little wicker plate things that 'goes under' the paper plates so that they don't go all floppy and you drop all your food. Wish me luck in finding them. We've looked in a few places now with no luck at all.

Animals of YouTube sing "Deck the Halls"

Thankful Thursday

I can't believe that another week has gone by. I guess time flies when you're having fun :P

Things I am grateful for this week

• that the boys have kept their room fairly clean since they got their new pets last week
• that all my Christmas shopping is done & all wrapped up
• for the two lovely cats we have that love giving me snuggles at night time
• for the weather hasn't been too warm lately
• for my postie who brought me a wonderful parcel all the way from the US & our Poetess, one of her Wuglyees originals
• for my wool/yarn stash, crochet hooks & knitting needles that keeps me out of trouble
• for my computer so that I can escape when things get a bit rough at home
• for being able to go shopping by myself
  
• for pain killers that work wonders when your back isn't playing nice
  

What are you thankful for this week?

Mini Meltdowns

I am so tired of the meltdowns that Brodie makes us suffer through. The swearing. The threats of violence. The way he tried to intimidate us. It gets so old FAST!
I know he is my son and I am supposed to be there for him but I am getting so tired of it all. Its getting to the point where I will kick him out of home. I need to protect Angus. He's just as important.

We no longer have any respite offered from the Shire. They wont supply a carer for him unless it is a male and there isn't one available. We haven't had a weekly carer for him since September. Interchange doesn't operate over the school holidays so we have nothing organised with them until February (after school goes back). Lincoln St only offers us time when its a Youth weekend.
I am desperate for break from him. We all are. The only problem is it's NOT going to happen any time soon.

He wont even go to Church. At least at Church we have our own little groups to go to and we get a break that way. I can't go on my own and leave him here with Mark & Angus. I hate to say it but I don't always trust him to behave while I am gone. If I could just get him to go there at least once it would be a welcomed break but he wont leave that blasted Facebook for too long.

I am no longer scared of what Brodie will do to me. I feel awful for Angus because he is often the brunt of Brodies anger. I know Mark can take care of himself but I worry about what Brodie will do if he did get physical with him. Tonight he was threatening to put Mark into a wheelchair, permanently. Those were the words he used. More than once. I would have no other choice but to phone the police if Brodie did anything like that. There is no other choice. Is there?

I mean think about it. This is a form of domestic violence, right? The definition of Domestic Violence (DV), according to the Domestic Violence Crisis Service is as follows:

• Domestic Violence occurs when a family member uses violent and/or abusive behaviour to control another family member or members.

That is certainly what happens here, sometimes on a daily basis, even though I don't always like to admit it. Does it count as DV even though Brodie has Aspergers?

I am just tired of the explosions. Tired of the threats, the swearing & the carry on that goes with it. Let's face it I'm just tired. If I feel this way I am sure that Mark & Angus feel the same way too. But what do we do about it? No one seems to be around to give us a hand any more. There is no one else who can help.

After tonight's meltdown things have calmed down a bit. Now we play the waiting game. We wait for the next explosion .. .. ..

A Busy Morning

I'm pooped! I've been out for most of the morning & part of this afternoon. Loads of running around & not much to show for it other than sore feet & a few prescriptions filled! It was bliss to take my shoes off just now. I am so grateful that my back was okay enough for me to do all of this running around.

I went to my see my dermatologist this morning. I swear I am in the wrong profession. I saw him for less than 5 minutes and I had to pay him $80 for the privilege! AND he give me the discount rate because I am on a Carers Allowance. I would hate to see what the 'regular' rate is! Thank goodness I get a rebate of $35 from Medicare!
At least my skin is looking good. My derm gave me another script for the smelly tar potion that my poor chemist hates having to make up. He doesn't want to see me for another month. I guess that's a good thing.

Mark wanted me to get this PGA male to female lead for the TV & game console(s) so we didnt have to keep unplugging things behind the TV. I checked two stores. The first one was unable to help. They sent me from one department to another. I left because they had NO idea.
The second store knew what I was on about but they were unable to help because they didn't have any in stock. Nor did they have a switch which would've been a good alternative. They did however point me to a store where I could buy a switch and the guy knew that they actually had them in stock! I will definitely be visiting them again! Super helpful & they knew what they were on about!

I think I've had my fill of shopping. I don't want to go out again until after Christmas! Not unless I truly have to and then I would seriously think about sending Mark and/or the boys in my place. I don't want the hassle of parking or waiting in long queues! And some businesses wonder why people turn to internet shopping! If I could order my groceries online & get them delivered I would do that too! They don't do that in our area, not yet.

Technology At Its Best!

I got this in an email from my dear friend April & I just had to share it :)

Ouch! Gosh Darn It!

Far out that hurts! I am almost in tears :( I hurt my back about 20 minutes ago. Fudge! Fudge! Fudge! Gosh now I know how Mark feels when his back plays up! Golly Gosh! I was just reaching over the counter in the kitchen to make myself a late breakfast when I had this searing pain in the middle of my back. My goodness I've not felt anything quite like that in a long time. It even hurts to sit here let alone breathe! I am so proud of myself for not even swearing! Fudge!

Its a good thing I already had a doctors appointment for this afternoon to get some prescriptions that I am running low on. Now I have an even better reason to see him! Far out Brussel Sprout!

I just hope & pray that my back improves before Christmas Eve. I have so much to do that day. I guess if this had to happen I am just glad that it happened early in the week rather than later. I hope the paracetamol I took helps soon. I'm going to go try and get comfy.

Meet Me On Monday 27thEdition

Hosted by Java at Never Growing Old

Questions:

1. What will your Christmas dinner consist of?
2. Do you watch commercials or flip through the channels?
3. How long will you leave your Christmas decorations up?
4. What movie makes you cry every time you watch it?
5. Do you have a Facebook?

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My Answers!

1. What will your Christmas dinner consist of?
Mark & I were talking about that tonight. We've decided to have roast lamb & roast chicken. Veggies so far consist of smashed potatoes, roasted pumpkin & carrots. Perhaps some peas, corn or beans. Dessert is a bit up in the air at the moment because our guests don't eat Christmas pudding. So I have no idea what we will be having yet.


2. Do you watch commercials or flip through the channels?
Sometimes I watch the commercials and other times I flick to see whats on the other channels. I have found that the other TV stations have commercials on at the same time. I think they rig it that way! I have also been known to zone out when the ads come on. I might be looking at the TV but I have no idea what the commercial was.


3. How long will you leave your Christmas decorations up?
We usually take our decorations down on January 6th. 12 days after Christmas. I'm not sure why but that's what we do.


4. What movie makes you cry every time you watch it?
I don't think there is a specific movie. I get so into movies that I cry whenever a main character or a favourite one dies.

5. Do you have a Facebook?
Yes I do. I've been on it for a few years now. In fact I introduced my boys to it. BIG mistake!

Look What The Postman Brought Today!

Look .. ALL the way from Massachussetts .. A Wuglyees Original! From our lovely PoetessWug!

Look at the pretty parcel that is inside the box! All wrapped so carefully.

I almost didn't want to open it because it looked so nice. The parcel would have looked so pretty under the Christmas tree. However I wasn't going to wait to open it for a second longer!

Look at the pretty Peacock scarf!!
And do know what's even better? The weather here in Victoria has taken on a rather wintry feel these past few days and its cool enough for me to wear my NEW scarf!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Poetess for my lovely scarf! It makes my neck feel so warm and toasty! Did you wash it with something? It just smells so nice!

You can find PoetessWug's blog HERE and her etsy shop with all her Wuglyees Originals HERE
You should really go check out what she has available in her store! What a talented person!!

Christmas Cookies

I made some really delicious sugar cookies this afternoon. Brodie & Mark helped decorate them. Angus was busy napping (he still is) so he missed out but he can have the first choice.
Our house still smells like yummy cookies!

You can find the recipe I used HERE.

A Little Crocheted Santa

Look what I made! I didn't even have a pattern to follow. I just copied a Santa brooch that I was given a few months ago. Its a lot bigger than the one I was given but I made it myself! I can't believe that it looks like the original! Not bad considering I can't follow a crochet pattern to save my life! Woohoo!

As you can see the original one on the left is much smaller.

Now do I turn it into a brooch or just add some thread at the top and hang it on the tree? I think I might go make another one :D

My NEW Vacuum Cleaner

A couple of days ago when Angus was vacuuming his bedroom my vacuum cleaner bit the dust! Angus was so apologetic thinking that it was something he did to make it die. Personally I think the vacuum cleaner went into shock just because it was in the boys bedroom and the carpet was finally getting cleaned!

Although Mark did pull it apart to see if he could fix it. I love my super handy man!! I wasn't too upset really that Mark was unable to fix it considering that I bought it when Angus was little. It was at least 10 years old maybe more. For it to have survived this family for so long was a good thing and it had served its time. It could go to vacuum cleaner heaven as far as I was concerned.

Yesterday when I took the boys to the Pet shop I also went hunting for a new vacuum. I was going to go to Hardly Normal Harvey Norman but I couldn't get a car park near it and to be honest I didn't feel like walking all that far. I ended up at Retravision and bought this nifty little Electrolux. It was one of the last things I really needed to purchase right before Christmas but when your vacuum dies you don't really want to not have a working one in the house. There was NO way I was going to sweep the carpets clean over Christmas!

Anyway, I bought this nifty little Super Cyclone! OMGosh what suction this thing has. I thought my other vacuum cleaner was good but it has NOTHING on this new one! It held on to that carpet like there was no tomorrow, even lifting it off the floor. I'm not the best at cleaning. In fact I get down right lazy at times. My home is not filthy or overly dirty its just lived in. However that being said I {heart} my new vacuum. It is so easy to manoeuvre and it has 5 settings from super quiet to turbo (well it just sounds that way) It even has an adjustable hose so that even Mark will be able to use it without it hurting his back.
I'm thinking we are going to have some pretty clean carpets in our future :D

**no this is not a paid post I just love how clean my carpet looks

New Pets

I took the boys to the pet shop this morning. I had promised them a new pet each if they cleaned their bedroom up to MY standard which they did & I am so proud of them for doing it. I just hope that they manage to keep it clean. Well they have no choice now that they have new pets that we are allowing them to keep in their bedroom.

They chose Guinea Pigs. They are so cute but extremely shy. Hopefully the boys will get them used to being picked up and cuddled. If they wont do it Mark & I will. I don't mind picking up a guinea pig or two.

The tri-coloured one is Brodie's. He's named her Popcorn. The brown & white one belongs to Angus. He's named her Jade. Unless of course they change their minds and name them something else.

Thankful Thursday

Things I am thankful for this week

• my mobile phone & being able to use it to keep in contact with my boys.
• the internet because while it is working I get peace & quiet from Brodie (he thinks that its awesome that I included this one).
  
• my VOIP & being able to use it to phone Dad any time I want to.
• being able to have all my gas/phone bill paid for before the bills even arrive (thank goodness we can budget really well for this).
• Brodie and his muscles. He's been a helpful young man this week carrying things for me.
• for being able to collect Angus's end of year report from school instead of waiting for the school to post it.
  

What are you thankful for this week?

A Sensory Victory!

I've noticed over the past few years that Brodie has been losing some of his sensory issues that have been a problem in the past. When he was little he absolutely refused to go outside without socks and shoes on. He hated the feel of the grass, concrete or dirt on his feet. The only time he went barefoot was when he was getting in and out of the bath. Oh the battles we had when we were in a hurry to go somewhere and he wouldn't leave the house without his shoes & socks on. I guess I shouldn't have complained really as most kids have trouble keeping their socks & shoes on.

Imagine my surprise today when he came indoors without ANY shoes or socks on. Brodie had been helping Mark move the barbecue in the backyard. Brodie had walked barefoot on gravel! What a HUGE difference to that kid who not all that long ago refused to even go outside without even his socks on. WTG B!

Pet Peeves

I know I do thankful Thursday posts each week but today I am doing a pet peeves post for all those little annoying things that get under my skin ... ... ...

• people who put music on their blogs and set it to play automatically. Yes I like music but not when I am forced to hear other peoples selections. It also slows down the pages when your internet connection isn't the best to start with.
• kids who never keep their bedroom clean even after you've been in there and helped them clean.
• kids how let their 'stuff' ooze out of their bedroom door so we can trip or slip on it or even break it .. and they wonder why their stuff doesn't last?!?!
• people who give up on things without even trying. Having a defeatist attitude gets you nowhere!
  

Okay I feel a little bit better now..