Meet Me On Monday 33rd Edition

Hosted by Java @ Never Growing Old
Questions:

1. What do you put on your hot dog?
2. Do you play Sudoku?
3. What is your favorite vegetable?
4. Do you color your hair?
5. What is your favorite brand of clothing?

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My Answers!

1. What do you put on your hot dog?
I love chilli sauce and sauerkraut on my hotdogs. Sometimes I will even put coleslaw on it too.



2. Do you play Sudoku?
I played it a lot on my old mobile phone but now that I have my new phone I can honestly say that I don't play it any more.



3. What is your favorite vegetable?
I have more than one favourite but it depends on how you cook them. I love corn in all its forms, straight off the cob, creamed, raw, cooked its all yummy to me! I also love cauliflower but I prefer it served with white sauce and melted cheese.



4. Do you color your hair?
I haven't coloured my hair in years although I have seriously thought about starting it up again. I have some grey hairs that I don't wish to look at any more. I've done the red hair before but I would love to try purple :)



5. What is your favorite brand of clothing?
I don't have a favourite brand. Just as long as my clothes are comfortable I don't really care what label is on them.

Playing With Photos

I have been playing with one of the photo editors Mark installed on my phone. While I was at it I thought I would test how easy (or hard) it would be to email a blog post from my phone. Apart from the typos it seems okay :)

*edited* Well at least the post worked. I just need to work out how to add labels via email, although I'm not sure that's an option.

Summer Heat & My Dad

I spoke to my Dad on the phone yesterday. I was talking with him about the weather in Adelaide and how hot it has been and that I hope he was staying cool during the 42C (that's 104F in the old scale) heat.

Here is how our conversation began...

me: Hi Dad. How are you?
Dad: Hi, Jo-anne. I'm good.
me: How are you coping with the heat?
Dad: I have the ceiling fan on.
me: What about the air-conditioner?
Dad: I had it on earlier but I turned it off because I went outside for a while.
me: Umm Dad you don't need to turn it off when you go outside. You should leave it on so that when you come indoors it will be lovely and cool.
Dad: Oh no I can't do that. I'm not inside.
me: *Shakes head in disbelief*

We continued talking about other things after that.

Oh man do I worry about him. I don't know whether he is being Uncle Scrooge and doesn't want a big electricity bill or not. He is 83 years old and living on his own. He should be enjoying the luxuries of air-conditioning during the heat of Summer and not turning it off. Sometimes I swear the older generation have some pretty strange ideas. I wonder if it has anything to do with Dad growing up during the Depression, having his teen years during WWII and experiencing rationing for decades. Who knows.

It Smells A Bit Fishy Around Here

Mark his a fish tank in his shed. He is really proud of it. I have to admit it looks great with its live plants and the lighting that he has set up for it.
I asked Mark to take some photos so I could share them.

If you look carefully in the top photo, about halfway down on the left-hand side, you can see a couple of light blurry bits. They are his Neon tetras (they are very pretty but REALLY tiny). He only has two left because one of the other fish has decided that they taste absolutely delicious!!
Mark also has a couple of other fish in there but I can't remember what they are called. Something about a Pakistani Loach (I probably spelt that wrong. He's the one who likes to eat Neons for supper) and a fighting fish (I think). I can't see them in the photos though.

You might have noticed that the tank water has a slight brownish tinge. Mark had added some tea to the water. Yes, tea, the kind that you drink. He did it because he liked the look of it. I am sure there may have been another reason but I can't remember it (I didn't sleep too well last night so that's my excuse).

Anyway, Mark has his pet fish in the shed. He can watch them while he tinkers around or when he's using his laptop. It really does look good :)

Emi Is Home

Late yesterday afternoon Mark and his brother left to go and collect my car. Yay she is home and all fixed. The transplant went kind of went well. The first motor the mechanics put in her had problems so they had to put a second one in. I was worried that it might have been third time lucky but the second one was okay, apart from a ticking sound that disappeared by the time Mark got the car home. The ticking sound had me worried but things seem okay today.

Emi sounds like a new car. The engine sounds great, nice & quiet like it should be. Mark said the gears change really well (I honestly can't tell the difference but that's just me).

There's only one small problem now that the engine is so quiet I can hear all sorts of other noises that I couldn't before. Mark checked Emi & said that the noises are okay for the moment and are not from anything critical. However, even though I know that, it doesn't mean that I wont worry about it. That Spandau Ballet song 'Highly Strung' [I tried to embed the song but it didn't want to work, oh well] seems to fit me really well at least where my car is concerned. After all I take my family out in it and I want it to be safe.

At least my car is home. I can drive her again without the worry of hiccups & fluffing. Now I'm all set for when the kids go back to school at the end of next week! Woohoo. Only 6 days to go not that I am counting or anything.

Pretty In Pink

I got spoilt today. Mark & the boys gave me a new phone for my birthday. It's a VERY early present. I could've waited for another 2 weeks. It's nice & pink although it's not as dark a pink as my camera. I am now officially able to receive MMS's which my old phone wasn't able to do which was one of my pre-requisites for a new phone regardless of its other functions. It's an LG Optimus GT450 Android phone.

I got totally side-tracked from writing this post and I have lost my train of thought. Don't you just hate that? I know I do. Okay I have totally forgotten what I wanted to say about the phone other than I am having lots of fun playing on it. I have tweeted, updated my status on Facebook & I have even played that game Angry Bird that everyone seemed to know about before I did. Almost forgot I can Buzz too :)
Mark set up the wi-fi on the phone so I don't have to worry about using up the remaining credit I have on it either. So at least when I am home I wont have a problem.

I am sure that there is more that I was going to write, oh well. Just call me an airhead :P
Now its a toss up .. do I go prepare tea or do I play with the phone some more? Hmm ... what a choice.

Thankful Thursday

Things I am thankful for this week

• even though my car, Emi, is sick I am very grateful that I can afford the cost of the repairs (engine and gear box replacement)
  
• that I have such wonderful kids [even though they do drive me crazy sometimes]
  
• that Mark's brother was able to help with transport when the car had to be taken to the wreckers
• that Angus felt confident enough to travel to & from the next town on the bus by himself (well he had someone go with him on the way there but he came home on his own!)
• that Angus has the baking bug & is baking some really yummy food!
  

What are you thankful for this week?

Australia Day

It's Australia's Birthday!

It's a day celebrated by many and ignored by some. I wont go into the politics of why its ignored or even protested about. I will however provide you with a link if you wish to find out some of Australia's History.
You can go HERE or HERE to find out more about this wonderful country I live in :)
I really do feel blessed to live in this place and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Here's a great poem that I copied from Poetry.com.

My Country
by Dorothy MacKeller.

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance
Brown streams and soft, dim skies -
I know but I cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of rugged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding plains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold rush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes,
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree tops
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart, around us,
We see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back three-fold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze ...

A opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand -
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Just about every Aussie knows the second verse. I'm thinking that it has something to do with a commercial we used to have on TV that recited it.
I do love the poem though & how it describes Australia. It makes me feel all patriotic & sentimental.
I hope you liked the poem.

What A Day!

Have you ever had one of those days where you wished you had stayed in bed? My day didn't start off that way but it certainly headed that way this afternoon and its not even 5pm yet!

First of all I had a busy morning. Angus and I went to Landmark [thank goodness they have an office/warehouse here in town] to collect Brodie's Physics Text Book & homework books or whatever they are called that he will need for this year. I am so glad that Brodie has money from Centrelink that helps him pay for all of this sort of stuff.

Then we headed off to the egg farm on the other side of town to get some eggs. I mean what else would you get from an egg far? Sill me. We buy 20 over-weight eggs for $5.50 which is a lot cheaper than the shops could ever offer them. Plus the eggs are usually double yolkers, although we have had a couple of eggs with three yolks in them once.

Then it was back into town to the Chemist. To collect my lotions and potions that my dermatologist prescribes for my psoriasis plus some other scripts that needed filling. Since the beginning of the year I have bought 15 prescriptions. That makes us a quarter of the way towards getting the PBS freebies. If we keep this up we should be on free medication by May (just like we did last year) or maybe even earlier. It's not a good thing really *sigh*

Afterwards we went grocery shopping. Just to grab a few things for tonight. The Missionaries are meant to be coming over for dinner. I just hope that they rock up. The last few times we invited them over for dinner they were no shows :( I know that there are more important things that they may be unable to change. I understand that but it is still disappointing when they can't come over. I need that lifeline sometimes. We don't see our Home Teachers and I rarely see my Visiting Teachers. Yes I know that people have lives but there are times when I crave the company of others. There are only so many conversations you can have with the kids. Gosh I am going off track here.

Anyway Angus & I went shopping. Came home unpacked. I started preparing stuff for dinner & Angus started baking (he truly has the baking bug!! I love it!!) He was very upset about the cornbread muffins he made. He burnt them. Hey its a learning experience. Accidents happen. Angus also baked a cake. That I can promise you did not get burnt. He watched it like a hawk!!

Then to top things off. I feel awful for Angus he was already feeling bad for burning the cornbread. His pet guinea pig, Jade, passed away. I just feel so bad for him. He said that it wasn't fair. That he will have to rethink getting another pet. He still talks about his budgie that he lost 4 years ago. And he is right it isn't fair :'(

I just hope that the rest of the day turns out better. Both Angus & I feel a bit blue about losing Jade. Even though she was only with us for a short time she was a bit of a character.

My Car Is Sick

We took the car to the mechanics today. Well Mark took it. The mechanic phoned us an hour or so ago telling us what was wrong with the car.

It seems our Emi is a really sick girl [Yes I named my car]. In fact to the point where we aren't even going to bother to get her fixed, well not today. The mechanic said the head gasket was gone and considering how much it would cost to get it repaired he agreed with Mark that the better (& cheaper) option is to just replace the engine.

So that is exactly what we will be doing. We've booked it in at the wreckers (yeah I know it sounds odd to have you car worked on at the wreckers but that's what they do here not sure about anywhere else) for later this week. Hopefully everything will be sorted out and I will have a car that will not longer burp & fluff like she has bad indigestion.

I want it all sorted before school goes back. Thankfully that isn't until the end of NEXT week!

Meet Me On Monday 32nd Edition

Hosted by Java at Never Growing Old

Questions:

1. What is your favorite kind of fudge?
2. Is there snow outside your window?
3. What is your favorite meal of the day?
4. Do you text on your cell phone?
5. Waffles or pancakes?
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My Answers!

1. What is your favorite kind of fudge?
It really doesn't matter what kind. I just love fudge! The fresher the better! Nom nom.


2. Is there snow outside your window?
No, we don't get snow where I live but it is raining.


3. What is your favorite meal of the day?
Tea time (that's dinner for the non-Aussie folk). It's the one meal of the day where we all sit down together as a family.


4. Do you text on your cell phone?
I would rather send text messages than phone people. Although I tend to use SMSPup because its free. And free is good!


5. Waffles or pancakes?
To be honest I don't think I have ever tried waffles so I can't say whether I would like them or not. So I guess its pancakes.

A Budding Young Artist

Look at what my clever young man drew using Windows Paint.

I wanted Angus to have a go at using the Graphics Tablet but he said it was too hard to use. Soooo... he used paint instead.

The smaller insets are the pictures he copied.
Angus truly amazes me with the way he uses paint! He ROCKS!

My Little Baker

Angus wanted something 'nice' to eat. After searching through the pantry he didn't find anything that interested him. So I told him he had to bake something.
He searched the pantry again and found a cake mix. ..

After mixing the batter and 30 minutes of baking he took the cake out of the oven.
It's a butter cake by the way.

Here's the final product with some cinnamon flavoured icing.
Angus did a really good job considering that it was only a couple of weeks ago that he was too scared to put anything into the oven let alone take it out!

It's amazing how being 'hungry' for something nice will change a teenager and get them to do something they wouldn't normally do.

Victorian Floods Appeal

Thanks Kerri at Willow Grove Quilting for posting this info. I thought I would share it too.

How do I donate to the Victorian Floods Appeal 2011?
You can make a secure online donation, make a donation via credit card by phoning 1800 811 700, or send a cheque or money order with a note that it is for the Victorian Floods Appeal 2011 to:

Australian Red Cross Supporter Service Centre
PO Box 2957
Melbourne VIC 8060

Donations can also be made over the counter at any ANZ or Commonwealth Bank branch.

Funds raised will be used to support individuals, families and communities in areas affected by the 2011 Victorian floods.

I Got An Award

Rumtruffle (Helen) has awarded me with this.

What a lovely surprise. Thank you.

Rules for accepting this award:

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post

Tell us seven things about yourself

Award 15 recently discovered new bloggers

Contact these bloggers and let them know they've received the award

I would like to pass this award onto:

The Wug's Backyard Blogspot
Seven Cherubs
Facing 50 with Humour
Truly Simply Pink
All In The Life Of Family
Annies Home
Picklebums
TinaGray{dot}me
Willow Grove Quilts
CinLynn Boutique
Teens & a Toddler
Finding Blessings In Everyday Life
Destination Unknown
Diamond Potential
The Becker's

1. Every year on my birthday I turn 29 years old ;) well at least until I am 50 (maybe)
   
2. My oldest starts Year 12 this year. Way to go Brodie!
3. I have an addiction to yarn & wool. I can't seem to stop collecting it.
4. I have carpal tunnel in both of my wrists :(
5. I named one of my sons after MacGyver. Well that's what I tell everyone :D but some people think I named him after a member of ACDC.
   
6. I can't wait until I become a Nanna. I just want to spoil any grandchildren to bits. (Well I can wait I told the boys they had to wait until I was 50 first).
7. I hate hot, humid weather.
   

Thankful Thursday

Things I am thankful for this week

• For being able to go out on a date with Mark. We celebrated 5 years together :) and he still makes my heart flutter.
• For the beautiful sunshine we have had this week. Its been great to see such a pretty blue sky after all the clouds that have been around recently.
• For Mark being able to fix the car whenever she burps, fluffs and backfires (we're taking it in for a service next week).
• For being able to help someone out this past week when they hurt their ankle & needed a ride to the hospital for x-rays.
• For all the volunteers and services that have been able to help the flood victims. Sadly the floods are still going on here in Victoria with some rivers not reaching their peak yet.

What are you thankful for this week?

You Sew & Sew

I'm not that crash hot at using the over-locker that I was talked into buying a few years back. In fact I think I have only ever used it twice. So when Angus wanted to make a new pencil case Mark wanted to show him how to use the over-locker because he knows how to use it and I don't.


Angus had some fun playing with the over-locker but no one was sure how to use it to sew on a zipper.


In the end Angus cut the sides of the material that he had already sewn and got my sewing machine out instead. At least we knew how to use that. Angus couldn't remember how to sew on the zipper (he had learnt to do that a couple of years ago in textiles). So I looked up good old youtube for a video on how to do it. Thank goodness for videos and using them as a learning tool as I had never sewn a zip onto anything before.


Poor Angus wanted to make his new pencil case but I ended up taking over. I don't think he minded too much. He wanted to go for a walk to the shops with Brodie. Angus's pencil case isn't much of a pencil case at all, it's more of a pouch for his memory sticks and a couple of other knick-knacks.


It had been a while since I have done any sewing. I had forgotten how satisfying it is to make something and have it finished so quickly. Now that I know how to sew a zip into place I might just have to make a few more of these small pouches.

Just For Laughs

This picture arrived in my inbox via one of the ladies from the Knit4Charities group. I just had to share it.

I'm not sure I would be as brave as this lady in this comic standing there while there was a burglar in her home but I would try and save my stash :) I've invested a lot of time in collecting that yarn!

Meet Me On Monday 31st Edition

Hosted by Java at Never Growing Old

Questions:

1. Do you like your ice cream in a dish, waffle cone, pretzel cone, sugar cone or cake cone?
2. Do you read the newspaper daily?
3. Marinara or meat sauce?
4. Last time you cried?
5. What word/phrase do you find really annoying?

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My Answers!

1. Do you like your ice cream in a dish, waffle cone, pretzel cone, sugar cone or cake cone?
It depends on my mood but its usually on a stick.


2. Do you read the newspaper daily?
I read the news online usually through Google Reader. I do buy the Sunday paper but I only ever read the TV guide.

3. Marinara or meat sauce?
Definitely meat sauce.


4. Last time you cried?
Yesterday when I was reading through some blog posts and news articles about the floods here in Australia.



5. What word/phrase do you find really annoying?
It would have to be when someone automatically says "I don't know" The boys say it way too often and without even thinking. To me its just laziness. I swear its their automatic answer in the hopes of getting out of trouble. Choose some other words to say please.

Qld Flood Appeal Auctions Update

Toni has now put together a list of all the arty/crafty people participating in the Flood Appeal Auctions. Go check it out HERE and see what is available. There are some fantastic items on offer. Go make a bid!

More Floods

Carisbrook Victoria
Photo from news.com.au

While things have settled down some for Queensland and the residents there are able to begin cleaning up in some places here in Victoria things are just heating up. Western Victoria had rain falls of up to 280mm (over 11 inches) in some places. That's equivalent to 6 months worth of rain in a day or two. Some rivers have hit their peak flood levels while others are still rising and will hit their peak early next week. Around one third of Victoria is affected by floods.

Five states have now been affected by floods (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia) and Western Australia has had bushfires. My heart goes out to all those who have been affected by these tragic events.

While I have already mentioned the Qld Flood Appeal Auctions there are some other amazing people out there organising things for other people in the crafting community.

• Gun Tree Designers are organising "New Beginnings" sewing kits for Quilters who have lost everything. Click HERE to find out more.
• There's a group on Ravelry called Restash Queensland/NNSW aimed at helping RAVers who have lost their stash.

I am sure that there are more people in the bloggosphere or the knitting/crochet world that are quietly helping out. I just love the Aussie spirit that rises up every time there is a crisis. The way Aussies, and our overseas friends, just pitch in and help. It shows just how amazing people can be towards one another in times of need. I think it brings us another step closer to that utopian Star Trek world I wish existed.

If you wish to check out some photos of the floods in Victoria click HERE. The photos are from Halls Gap & the Grampians.

Twitter tags are #vicrains, #vicfloods, #qldfloods, #nswfloods, #tasfloods, #wabushfires

More Knitting

I've just finished another knitted item. Bed socks this time. The pattern is in the Knit4Charities book called The Gift Of Giving and it comes in a hard copy or as an e-book. You can find out more about it HERE.

I used two strands of yarn. One 8ply and one 5 ply.

They are easy to make and didn't take all that long to make. Something else for my K4C box :) They look much better than the photos show. I made a pair for Angus when he was smaller he loved them.

I'm off to start knitting this cute little Daisy Dragon. I bought the pattern yesterday from Debi Birkin Designs. It's soooo cute!

Thankful Thursday

I just realised that I hadn't done a Thankful Thursday post today and I was just about ready to head to bed too.
Let's see what am I thankful for this week

• That the rain has eased in Queensland. I hope that the flood waters start to recede soon and that those who are lost may be found.
  
• That the people in Northern New South Wales, Western Victoria & in parts of Melbourne are able to sleep sound tonight without the flood waters entering their homes.
• That I am safe in my home and that we have hardly any rain. I know that may sound bad considering what has happened around Australia this past week but I feel blessed that my family is safe.
• That I am able to play a small part in helping the victims of the floods by knitting items for those who need them. Every little bit helps as my Mum would've said.
• That I have seen so many people, in the blog world & on TV, with wonderful hearts who are so willing to help others. It truly is a wonderful thing to see.

I am sure I could list more but I can't think of them right now *yawn* G'night.

What are you thankful for this week?

Hugo the Hippo

Meet Hugo the Hippo.
He's the latest toy I have made. Hugo is also going into the box for K4C.
That's if I can convince Angus to leave him in the box.

Getting Organised For School

Over the last couple of days I have been slowly getting things ready for when the boys go back to school. Today I went to get some plastic folders so that I could colour code the boys subjects and place some notebooks in them.

Colour coding the subjects has been one of the best things I ever did for Brodie since he is so disorganised. I've been using this system for a couple of years now and it makes life so much easier. All he needed to do was grab the colour folder he needed and away he went. One of the Mums who worked at Brodie's school suggested it. Her son has Aspergers as well. She said it made his life so much easier.
Seeing how disorganised Angus is I thought it was time I did exactly the same thing for him.

I wasn't able to get a huge variety of folder colours but I did manage to get books with different coloured covers. Maybe that will help them out too. Anything to make life easier and less stressful is a good thing in my books!

All that I need to do now is pick a few display folders, decent coloured pencils for Angus, some HB & 2H lead pencils and the text books that I had to order through the boys schools. Then I am done!

Only 22 more days and school is back! woohoo I'm not counting or anything :D

Flood Appeal Auctions

I love the blogging community. I love how there are so many people in the blogging world with such generous hearts. It makes me feel really good.



Toni from Make It Perfect has organised an Auction to help raise money for the Queensland Flood Appeal. Basically its a whole lot of extremely talented & generous people donating something wonderful to be auctioned off. You can find out more about it HERE and HERE. Toni explains it much better than I can.

You rock Toni! And so do all the other wonderful people who are joining in either with items or who are bidding on them.

The Lucky Country?

Toowoomba, Qld. This video was taken yesterday.

What a mixed bag of weather Australia has had these past few weeks. With flooding rains in Queensland, northern New South Wales and pasts of Victoria to heatwaves in Western Australia and parts of South Australia.

They say we are the lucky country but I am thinking that there are many today that are thinking that they aren't so luck after all.

Most of Queensland is under water, even Brisbane is under flood watch. I've been on twitter getting lots of updates and I have seen lots of photos (and videos). Its rather scary to see. Heartbreaking in fact. With many places already under water and lots of people being asked to evacuate immediately.

If you wish to check out what is happening you can go to any of the following sites
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/11/3110450.htm
http://www.facebook.com/QueenslandPolice
Current Qld weather warnings:
Suburbs at risk:

LIVE news broadcasts

They have also stated that if you were in an area affected by the 1974 floods to get out NOW because it is expected to be worse this time around.

I hope & pray that there are no more lives lost.

Meet Me On Monday 30th Edition

Hosted by Java @ Never Growing Old

Questions:

1. Have you (only you..not a group) ever won first place in anything?
2. Are your toes always painted (sorry guys...this question for girls only)?
3. What color eyes do you have?
4. Look to your left....what do you see?
5. Soft cookies or crunchy cookies?

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My Answers!

1. Have you (only you..not a group) ever won first place in anything?
When I was 8 I won a prize for making an Easter Bonnet. I don't remember if it was first prize or not. I don't even remember the bonnet but I remember receiving some chocolate. Who would forget receiving chocolate as a prize?

2. Are your toes always painted (sorry guys...this question for girls only)?
No I never paint my toes and I rarely paint my finger nails either.

3. What color eyes do you have?
I have brown eyes. I was told once that I have a flower pattern in them too. Which I think is great because I LOVE flowers!

4. Look to your left....what do you see?
A mess on my desk, my computer tower, phones, my yarn stash, a fan, a sliding glass door, the back gate and a some other stuff outside.

5. Soft cookies or crunchy cookies?
It depends on my mood but I like both kinds. If I was dunking them in a cuppa they would have to be crunchy. They don't go all soggy and fall in your drink.