Tomorrow Is Never Promised

Friends

I came across this picture on Facebook and I just had to share it. Friendship is very important. I only have a very small group of friends, hubby♥ included  but they mean the world to me.

♥ My dearest friend, Mish,♥ whom I have known for almost 40 years (before we were born)  has been my bestie since we met in Grade 3. Right through High School and even on to College.

I have quite a few online friends whom I have never met but they have also become very special to me. I love hearing from them on Facebook and reading their posts. I miss them a great deal when they aren't online. ♥ I miss you Traci! ♥

I believe that friendship is a truly special thing. Something to be cherished and nurtured.

Farewell Maitland

11 Mar 1975 - 26 Nov 2012

I wanted to do a fitting tribute to you Maity but I don't know where to start. It's hard to find the right words to express how I feel. 

You were a good friend. Someone who without even thinking about it would lend a hand at a moments notice. You were very good to us over the years helping us out, making us laugh and sharing some interesting tales. Because of your good character and generous spirit you were loved by many. 

We had such fun at Sassy Sigs creating graphics and animations. I will always remember your love of turkeys and how you would create funny animations using pictures of them. Some of them were outrageously funny. The boys and I even tried to find a toy turkey for you but we only managed to find a rubber chicken. You loved it anyway.

I know that over the past few months your quality of life was not the best. Your epilepsy played havoc with your daily activities but that never truly stopped you from having a go at things. We may never truly know what happened the day you ended up in intensive care but I do know you will never be in pain again and you're now in a better place. 

We will miss you Maitland. 

I've Been Busy Today

Don't worry I haven't forgotten to post. It's just been a busy day and I spent most of it away from the computer. It's good to have days like that every now & then.

Angus had a friend sleep over last night & the boys didn't sleep too much. What teenage boys have to talk about all night is beyond me. They did manage to get some sleep though. His bestie had a soccer match today so I dropped them off at the local soccer grounds this morning. Late this afternoon they were heading off to another friends from school & having a sleepover there. Goodness knows how the parents in that house will cope. There's meant to be about 6 or 7 boys there. I bet there wont be much sleeping there tonight. Its a good thing that its the school holidays they will probably need a few days to recover from all this lack of sleep.

Brodie phoned and wanted to be collected from respite a day early. He tried to tell me that 'everyone' was going home today but I know that wasn't the case. They would be going home Monday morning. He just wanted to come home. Either way I would've gone & got him had he told me that he was homesick.

Since I had to go collect Brodie I decided that I would head into the valley try and get a ball of baby wool at Spotlight that I needed to finish a project but I couldn't find it anywhere.
Mark tagged a long for the ride. His phone packed in yesterday. The microphone stopped working. He would be able to receive phone calls and hear everyone talk bvut no one could hear him speak at all. We found a nice cheap android phone for him. Not bad for a guy who said he didn't need a smart phone and gave his first android to Brodie.

I shall be heading off to bed shortly myself to try and catch up on some of the sleep I lost last night because of two very talkative teenagers! After spending several hours together you would think that they would've run out of things to talk about.

April Fool's Day

Have you ever been caught out by an April fools prank? I remember one time my Mum's best friend, Auntie Jeanette, got caught with a ripper of a joke. Auntie Nette (as we often called her) is a one eyes Adelaide Crows football supporter. No one can say a word against her beloved team.

This particular year the local newspaper that one came out once a week just happened to be delivered on April Fool's day. There was a picture of two paint cans on the cover. The tins were open and there were paint brushes dripping paint on a canvas. In the cans were three colours. One was red, blue & yellow (Adelaide Crows colours) The other had black, white & teal (Port Power colours, my team :D & Adelaide's rival - lots of love/hate there)
You might probably see where this is going ... Auntie Nette, came over to visit Mum. She was absolutely rapt about the photo in the paper and was quite adamant about buying some of this paint in her footy teams colours! She couldn't work out why Mum & I were laughing our heads off. After all there is no such thing as striped paint!! She did start laughing too when she worked out the reason we were laughing but secretly I think she was upset that she couldn't buy her Adelaide Crows paint!

Have you ever been caught out by an April Fool's prank? Or have you ever played a prank on someone that was a super good one? I would to hear about it.

• It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt. --Mark Twain
  
  
• Great minds think alike. Fools seldom differ.
  

Busy, Busy, Busy

What a busy couple of days I've had. It seems like I am so far behind with EVERY thing. My Google Reader is overloaded with posts to read. I'm slowly catching up with my housework. I feel like I am playing nothing but catch up at the moment.

On Thursday Mark & I went out to lunch with his Dad, Step-Mum, Mark's twin brother & his girlfriend. We went to one of the local Chinese restaurants, Hong Kong Inn. We normally order a few dishes & just share them. I actually tried duck (the dish was lemon duck) for the first time ever! OMGosh it was delicious! I'm thinking it had an awful lot to do with how it was cooked but I really enjoyed it. I'm going to have to try duck again. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Yum!

It was really great catching up with the in-laws. They've been in Perth for the past 3 years & we don't always get the chance to catch up with them when they fly in for a visit. They were checking out the damage done to their house in Emerald (one of the reasons for their visit this time round). It got damaged during the floods last month.
They will be moving back next year in April. They've missed living in Victoria. It'll be good to be able to see them more often.

Yesterday I was on Facebook checking out some photos I had been tagged in. They were school photos. A couple of people asked me if Julie & Vicki were my sisters. To which I said yes. I sent text messages to my sisters about whom I had spoken with which led to us making phone calls to one another & talking about their school friends.
It was nice catching up with Vicki & Julie. I don't know why we don't phone each other more often. I guess we just get too busy doing our own thing & forget.

Gosh I need to get off this thing. I have more housework to do & the kids aren't here to help me. More about that on another post I suppose.

Pen Pals

I had a couple of pen pals when I was growing up. Sadly I am no longer in contact with them but it really was great getting to know someone who lived on the other side of the planet. It made the world seem like a smaller place.

When I was in primary school my pen pal was from New England and her name was Diane. I don't remember an awful lot about her which is sad but I do remember that I loved writing to her. I'm not totally sure how we became pen friends but I have a feeling it was something to do with Possum Pages, a kids section in the Sunday paper. We lost contact after she moved house. I still think its pretty cool that I remember her considering my memory isn't always at its best.

My other pen pal was a Civil Engineer from Poland. I was in college when I began corresponding with her. For the life of me I cannot recall her name :( Sorry. Just call me an airhead! Although a few months ago while I was tidying up I did find the pretty purple folder where I kept her letters and postcards that she had sent. I put the folder in a safe place. So safe that I can't find it again. Remind me to tell you about my teaching diploma and how safe that is!

Anyway, I remember it became an important thing between us, this postcard swapping. Each new place we went to we would grab a postcard or two to sent to one another. I kept a list of where I went (its in the folder) and I tried to make sure that there were some cute Australian animals on them. I'm not sure why we stopped writing to one another. Perhaps it was because we moved. Who knows.

These days having a pen pal is so much easier, at least it seems that way to me. Especially with computers so readily available & being able to send an email or two is a lot faster and instantly gratifying. But there is nothing like getting a letter or a parcel delivered to your door. I can certainly uplift your whole day!

Did you have a pen pal when you were growing up? Do you have one now? I would love to hear about them.

Day 4 - 30 Day Meme

Day 4 – Your favourite photograph of your best friend.

I don't have a current picture of my best friend. We've been friends since Grade 3. This is the only picture that I had available on the computer that I didn't have to scan. My scanner isn't being detected for some reason :(

My best friend is Michelle but I never call her that. I call her Mish. She thinks she's getting into trouble if I use her name. Mish is in the back row & is the third person on the left. Oh and I am in the picture too - Front row, fourth from the left

Mish & I have been together for what seems like forEVER! She came to my primary school when I was 7 and she was 9. I don't recall what we said when we first met but I know Mish does. She told me once but I have such a horrid memory at times that I have forgotten again.
We went to High School together & eventually Mish ended up at the same College (its called Uni now) as me. She is a super genius! Always studying! She amazes me with her dedication to learning.

I remember when we were still in primary school Mish & I found out that we were cousins. Very, very distant cousins through marriage. My Mum's Mums sisters husbands brother was Keith Seaman the Governor of South Australia (its the way I remember it & how my Mum told me - she could've just said it was her Mums brother in laws brother! yeah I know I was name dropping) Not that it mattered how we were related but I'm sure it made us feel even more special, closer even! I know it did for me.

We don't see each other very often, Mish still lives in South Australia, but we've always kept in contact. Via snail mail to begin with and now via emails & facebook.

Mish truly is my BFF!! Love you heaps!!

Friends

Brodie brought a friend home from school yesterday. He was very unsure as to what they should do once they were both inside. He hasn't really played 'host' that often in fact he stated "I don't know what to do I haven't brought a friend home before."

I didn't know whether to be sad or happy for him. Sad that he hasn't had many friends over at all or happy that one actually made the effort to come and visit.

I can't tell you how much this changed Brodie's outlook for the day. He seemed so much happier than he had been for a very long time. It must have taken a lot out of him though. Having to concentrate for so long on how to be a host, what sort of things to do to entertain themselves & trying to be his rascally self. By the end of the night Brodie had a massive headache & went to bed early. At least he had a good day :)

He Scrubs Up Nicely!

Doesn't Brodie scrub up really nicely? I think he looks fantastic in a suit!

It's a shame that this photo is blurred but I took it with my phone. At least I have proof now that Brodie actually helps out in the kitchen. It wasn't our kitchen though but at least he was helping out in one. We were at his "Ma & Pa's" place (they are his parent's from the Trek he went on a couple of years ago). We went to visit them in their Ward yesterday. Their son has only recently come back from his mission & we were at their place after Church to help celebrate.

Friendship

I was reading a post over at Mummy Mayhem which revolved around friendship & it got me thinking about my friends. Not that I have that many. In fact I don't have any that live close to where I live. I'm not complaining or anything but some times I do wish that I had a female friend that lived nearby that I could visit for the occasional cuppa & a chat but that ain't gonna happen any time soon.

As I said the post got me thinking about friends. I would be lucky to say that I had maybe a half a dozen close friends. Maybe even less really if I think about it. But the two that always pop into my head when I think of friends are Madtrekkie* & Diva* There's hardly a day that goes by that I don't think of them. The Spirit Sisters that I was destined to meet.

Madtrekkie & I have been friends since Primary School. We met when we were in Grade 3 (& we were gleams in our Daddy's eyes - well I'd like to think that). We went to the same High School and eventually to the same College. Once school was over, before the average person got a computer, we used to write to each other all the time. Thank goodness there was the old snail mail to keep us in touch with one another. I used to love receiving a letter in the post from Madtrekkie.
Now we keep in contact via email & facebook. How things have changed since we first met. I ♥ Madtrekkie!!

Now Auntie Diva (as the boys call her) is one special, lovable Spirit Sister. I truly believe we were destined to meet one another. Now we have never met in person (at least not yet but maybe one day) and that's okay. The way we can talk with one another I don't think that it matters that we have never met face to face. I feel just as close to my Diva as if she was one of my 'real' sisters if not closer. We talk more to one another than my actual sisters & I talk. A little sad really but they are busy with their own lives.
I am so grateful that both Diva & I have psoriasis (P). If it wasn't for that fact I don't think we would've ever met one another online in a support group. Having P has been a blessing in so many ways & a curse in others.

Diva & I may not share the same type of history that Madtrekkie & I do but I love ♥ her just as much. They are both there for me when I truly need someone to talk to or to even have a little whinge with.

There truly is nothing like having a couple of really good girlfriends. Even if neither of them live near me they are there no matter what. I ♥ ♥ ♥ my girlfriends

*Not their real names, affectionate nicknames.

Temptations

They kids are back at school today for Term 4. Well not both of my boys but at least Brodie is at school. Poor Angus has a rash that the doctor referred to it as rosalia but explained that it really only applied to young children. Basically it is a rash of unknown origin and he said that Angus should stay home and away from any pregnant women just in case. So the little ray of sunshine gets an extra day off school. I am hoping that it will clear up soon. I don't want him missing too much school work.

At least I managed to survive another round of school holidays. Although at one stage I wasn't so sure. It seems that our Brodie has decided that he doesn't always want to follow our rules & now that he is getting older (and stronger) he is exerting more 'power' I guess you could say. The word compromise is becoming a very familiar term in this place. Not that its a bad thing its just something that we have had to do to keep the peace.

Brodie has made friends with some of our neighbours kids. I don't begrudge him making friends in fact I like how there are new people who seem to tolerate him little quirks and accept him. Its just that these kids don't always exhibit the best characteristics that I want Brodie to see. They have been know to drink alcohol and smoke. Two things that we are dead set against. They go against our beliefs and it seems that temptation will be in Brodie's way.

Brodie will probably flip that I am blogging about this but he drank some alcohol during the holidays while at one of these friends places. He said he only had a sip and I believe him when he said that. I was and am grateful that he told me about it straight away. I told him I was extremely disappointed that he had done this but ever so thankful that he had the courage to tell me about it.

I guess I shocked him because I didn't flip my lid when he told me. I thought what's the point of yelling at him. It was obvious that he felt horrible. He said he didn't even like the taste of it. Thank goodness for that!!!
Mark explained to him, calmly I might add, that drinking alcohol and epilepsy do NOT mix. Neither does it mix with the medications he is taking. I think we managed to get the message across to him. He hasn't had any since and I hope he wont again.

I really could've gone ballistic about all of this especially since Brodie and his friend are under-age but as I said I didn't. Nor do I intend to but if it happens again I may not be next time. If there is a next time that is.

Anywho we survived another lot of holidays. School is back and the last term of the year has begun. Let's hope it doesn't go as fast as the previous one.

I've been Tagged

I wasn't too sure what this tagging thing meant but it looks like fun. Plus it gets me posting again which I must admit I have been a little slack on.

Tagging is a way to get to know your blogger friends better, have some fun & discover new Blogs you might enjoy!

I've been tagged by the lovely Jennifer of Wisdom Path Art http://www.wisdompathart.blogspot.com/ who I met via Twitter. She is such a wonderful person with a beautiful soul!

The 2 rules of tagging are: (this is what you do)
1. respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention,
add one more question of your own (don't feel obliged as it's quite long already!)
2.Tag eight other people (and, let them know, of course!)

Here goes :

What is your current obsession?
I would have to say I have stacks of obsessions. Mostly twitter at the moment but I do go overboard with my knitting & crochet.

What is your greatest achievement?
I don't think that there is only one. My kids would be one of my greatest achievements. Getting my Diploma of teaching would be another. A lot of hard work went into getting that.

Coffee or Tea?
I no longer drink coffee. For some reason I find it tastes weird. I do drink the occasional cup of tea. I prefer Earl Grey :)

What’s for dinner?
I gave the kids chicken nuggets and tinned spaghetti. I wasn't really in the mood for cooking tonight.

What have you just made?
I just finished a very pretty fluffy pink scarf for one of my nieces.

What are you listening to right now?
The TV. Home and Away just started. I know what you're thinking ... she watches that?!? Yep ever since it started in the 80's.

What is your favourite ice cream flavour?
If I had to choose it would probably be caramel or something with passionfruit.

What do you think of the person who tagged you?
I think I said this bit already. Jennifer is an awesomely talented artist. She has a beautiful spirit and is full of encouragement. I love tweeting with her!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Oklahoma! I want to see my Spirit Sister! I love my Diva!

Which language do you want to learn?
I learnt Indonesian as a kid. I wouldn't mind being able to speak it more fluently.

What’s your favorite quote (for now)?
Every little bit helps said the little old lady as she widdled into the ocean.
I have to thank my Mum for that one.

What is your favourite colour?
I don't have just one favourite but I love purples and blues.

What is your dream job?
I had my dream job. I was a teacher. Over the years though it has changed to Librarian. Although I don't think I'll get there at this moment in time but I still dream.

Do you admire any one’s style?
Not really. I don't tend to think that way.

Describe your personal style?
Sloppy. Well maybe not that more like casual & comfy.

What are you going to do after this?
I'll probably tweet for a little bit and then go do some knitting. I found a really nice cable pattern for some fingerless gloves.

What is your favourite fruit?
I don't just have one favourite. I love nectarines, peaches, mandarines and bananas.

What inspires you?
Other peoples creations. There are so many talented people out there!

Your favourite book?
Once again I find it hard to choose just one. I loved the Witches of Eileanan Series by Kate Forsyth & the Harry Potter books. I also love reading The Magic Circle by Katherine Neville.

Your favourite film?
Still having problems choosing just one. I always watch The Sound of Music when its on TV and I love Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (it was Mum's fave)

Do you collect something?
I used to collect cat ornaments. Now all I seem to collect is wool and fabric.

What is your favourite smell?
I love the smell of freshly baked bread & the smell of rain on a hot day.

What are you most proud of?
My boys. They surprise me with how thoughtful & helpful they can be. Although this afternoon I didn't think it .. oh well.

How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up?
I don't normally turn it off because I have it set to radio.

Cats or dogs?
I love cats. Although I do like dogs. We just don't have the space for one where we live.

Complete the following:
Love is: amazing!

What would you like to make next?
The fingerless gloves I mentioned earlier and perhaps I could finish my Noah's Ark quilt.

What the best piece of advice you have been given?
When my boys were younger someone told me that everyone has advice on how to raise your kids. Listen to them all and disregard anything that isn't relevant to you. I don't know if its the best but it certainly hasn't hurt.

How important is networking with & supporting other artists in your own work / How has it helped you? (emotionally, creatively, business wise, etc.)
It's been great being able to connect with people who are in the same boat as me. I have gained some wonderful friendships with some great people all over the world who are so supportive & inspiring too.

My added question .... Where would your ideal vacation/holiday spot be? Why?

Now for the people I shall tag ... although I don't think I know Eight but I'll give it a go!

here they are:
Katie of Good Life Eats
Jenna of Tilted Pirouette
Christie of Pigeon Pair
Garden Gnome of Mom's Cafe Home Cooking

Sorry I can't think of anyone else at the moment but I will add some more as soon as I can.

Coincidence, Fate or What?

The other day when I did my "My Mr Fix It" post I mentioned Mark's former girlfriend, Nazz. Well I would never have guessed this next thing would happen. Not in a million years! Nazz found Mark on facebook.

Anyway to cut a long story short we've been able to catch up bit. It's been really good being able to find out how she is. Is this karma or what that I was thinking about her the other day & today I've been chatting with her. How cool is that?

Do You Twitter?

I've finally joined Twitter. It's kind of neat being able to follow friends & other people and what they are thinking. Mark's joined it now and so has Brodie. All I need to do is tell Angus about it and we'll all be tweeting.

http://twitter.com/Bloss90

Bushfires

Here it is six days after what they are now calling Black Saturday and the fires are still going. They got way too close to home if you ask me but there are still people in town here that have no idea how close it got. I heard a couple of old ladies talking the other day about the fire but they didn't seem to understand how close it was for our town.

The picture above, well part of a pdf file, from the CFA site that shows the areas burnt in out area. We live near the one that shows the Bunyip State Part/Forest.

Brodie's school was closed all week due to the fires. We even got a phone call today so tell us that it will still be closed on Monday. At this stage they have no idea about the rest of next week. There was a mention that they will be teaching the kids in Warragul if the school is still closed on Tuesday. They will let us know if that happens.

There are still some road closures in our area and these roads are only open to local residents. I've been checking the CFA website and there are still lots of fires around here. Poor Angus cringes every time he hears about the fire or when he sees the website. He's relieved though, as the rest of us are, that the death toll hasn't risen (181) for a few days although that is still expected to climb. There are around 2000 homes lost with about 7000 people now made homeless.

I've still not hear from my g/f since last Saturday night. I know that she was okay then but I would love to hear from her. I've tried her mobile a couple of times but its probably flat now as I doubt she would've had her charger with her when she left town. I could try again later I suppose or just wait a bit longer. I just want to know how hey are coping and if I can help with anything.

A Weekend of Bushfires

OMGosh what a weekend it has been. One full of shattered dreams, smoke, tears and fear. Even we were touched by the horrific bushfires on Saturday. A day which is now known as the worst in Victorian history and much, much worse than the Ash Wednesday fires of February 1983. saturday was a day where temperatures reached at least 46C (114.8F) in most areas, including ours.

Our day started pretty much as anyone's did in preparation for another really hot day. I had made salads in the morning so I didn't have to cook that night. We put the air-conditioner on early to keep the house cool, well as cool as we could considering how hot it was going to be. The boys were in their bedroom watching DVD's on their laptops. Mark was resting on the couch and I went back to my computer for a bit of fun on facebook and to check my email.

I got an email aorund 1pm from a dear friend saying how she and hubby had been monitoring things with the CFA (hubby is very involved in the CFA) and that there were fires near us and she wanted to know if we were okay. I didn't notice anything and read the email to Mark. After I had read it aloud I swear I could smell smoke. I thought it was just because I had finished reading what was in my email. I sent an email back to my friend thanking her for letting us know and that we were okay for now. I decided to get up and look out the lounge window. The blinds were down to help keep the heat out so we didn't notice anything before. I was shocked by what I saw. Mark went outside to check and I followed him. The sky was full of smoke and the smell was horrible.

I told Mark that I was going inside to start packing. I wanted to be prepared to leave just in case. I truly didn't think that we would be in danger but I wanted to be ready. I said it was the Girl Guide in me that said be prepared. I checked the CFA website for alerts and updates.
I went back outside to speak with Mark. His brother (who lives next door) and our neighbour came outside too. We were seeing small bits of blackened leaves and ash landing in our front yard. I was glad that the boys were inside and oblivious to all that was happenening outside.

The boys eventually found out about the smoke and the fires. How could they not really. The smell of smoke was so strong. I made some phone calls to friends to check on them as they lived where the fires were. I didn't even think that they may have already evacuated. I worried about them of course and I have still not heard back from all of them. Nothing I have heard on the news indicated that they have been hurt so that's a good thing.

Of course Brodie starts to panic a bit. It must be the Aspergers. Angus was worried too. I tried so hard to keep my cool so that they would see I was not worried and I calmly asked them to get some clothing ready for our suitcase just in case we needed to leave. I explained to the boys not to panic that Mark would let us know when we would need to go and that if things got really bad for our street that the police would tell us to get out.

As the day progressed the smoke got worse, the sky darkened, the air felt thicker, the embers came more frequently. Mark kept checking outside for spot fires from the ember attack. Our neighbour bought a hose to use, cost him a fortune as it was the last one in the hardware store, and he began to water the near dead lawn and dampen the roof.
I continued preparing to get things ready to leave and talked to friends online to let them know what was going on and updating them on what we would do if we had to leave.

I am so glad that I did get things ready. We kept listening to the local radio station to find out what was going on. There were updates every 15 minutes. The roads were being closed all about us. People were on alert in the area where we used to live. The fires were around the Primary School the boys went to. The radio kept saying what we needed to do to 'survive' - to drink lots of water, to have a woollen blanket if we were stuck in the car, to check for spot fires from the embers.

Around 5 pm Mark decided that it was time the boys and I left. He was staying with our neighbour and his brother to defend the homes. That's when it hit me. This is real. Mark isn't coming with me. I hated the idea and it scared me to death. I burst into tears. I held it together but it hit me that this was it. We needed to go. More to keep the boys safe, Brodie wasn't listening to instrucions and kept going outdoors when he was told not to.
We phoned a family from Church, well Mark did I couldn't talk due to my crying. They said that we could stay with them. They were 40 km away in Moe, 25 minutes down the freeway.

I can't even remember when we arrived there. All I remember is driiving carefully and I didn't care that there were some cars flying past us on the freeway. I wanted to get there in one piece. It seemed surreal while we were travelling. The sky looked eerie and dark. The smoke was thick.
We stayed overnight and thanked theem profusely for allowing us to stay. We arrived home around 10:15 this morning. It seemed like it didn't happen. The freeway was closed and we had to travel the back way to get home from Warragul, the same way we travelled to get out of town yesterday.

My girlfriend that I had phoned earlier in the day managed tophone me last night. They had left their farm on Friday night taking their horses with them. They were safe in Cranbourne. Her Step-Dad stayed at the farm but sadly they had lost it. I don't know if her Dad was hurt. I am sure she would have told me if he was. I was so relieved to find out that she was safe and that was all that mattered to me.
Then I got thinking about the friends the boys made from school. How did they fare? Were they okay? Did they lose anything? I have no way of knowing as I don't know if they are home or not. I know one family lost their chicken farm. I can't even go for a drive to check as the roads are still closed. I'll definitely take my camera when I can eventually got for a drive.

66 people have now been confirmed dead. I keep watching the news in shock and then I realise that I have tears streaming down my face. Even now as I type this I get all teary thinking about all the people affeted by this. And I think how can there be people out there that deliberately start this .. why? I hope they catch them and give them life in prison.

What a week (so far)

What an interesting we I have had so far and it's only Wednesday. Well it's not that interesting really but it's been busy.

On Sunday the boys and I went to Church. Mark ended up staying home because his back is sore. Mind you it's no surprise that it is sore. The little dude plonked his butt on Mark's back when they were playing around in the bedroom on Friday night.
We didn't get to stay all day. During Sacrament the little dude complained of feeling hot. He was definitely hot and he was feeling awfully sweaty and clamy to touch. So we left as soon as Sacrament was over. By late afternoon he was feeling a lot better which I was really glad about. After all who wants to be sick during their school holidays??

Let's see on Monday ... the big fella and I went to his GCAMHS appointment. Golly he was such a rude prat! Not sitting still, not giving eye-contact and it certainly seemed like he was NOT listening much at all. I was so disappointed in his behaviour. In the end we (his case-manager & I) managed to get through to him and we made him repeat just about everything that we spoke of. At least that way we could tell if he was listening or not. We now have the big fella writing in a journal, where he can place anything he needs to about what has happened during the day. Whether it be something that someone said to him or something that happened. He then shows me at the end of the day and we talk about it. If I need to do any follow up stuff then I can do that before he goes to bed.
After our session with GCAMHS we went grocery shopping. What fun that was!! Grocery shoppping is such a chore sometimes but it has to be done!!

Yesterday we went shopping just for fun!! We had to go to Fountaingate so that I could put a checque into my bank account. It's the nearest place for us where I can do my banking. Not that it's at all very close to us it's at least a 40 minute drive down the freeway.
We went to Spotlight so that I could get some sewing supplies. I'm going to learn how to sew if it kills me. We got some material so that I can make some table cloths, napkins etc for Christmas. The material was so cheap ($1 a metre) we just had to get it.
We then went over to Fountaingate itself (across the road from Spotlight). We had lunch while there, well the boys and I did. Mark wasn't feeling the best. To be honest I had forgotten how Mark gets anxious when in crowded places. I felt awful. I did some of the stuff I had to do and we left as soon as we possibly could.
I found a springbased tin that I had been hunting for, I had to go to s specialty cooking shop to get it though. BigW didn't have it, which disappointed me because I LOVE shopping in BIGW. I had forgotten to get a few thinns in BIGW for when the boys go back to school. Nevermind we can always go to Mid Valley Shopping Centre instead. At least there wont be as many people there.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

What a busy day I had yesterday!
I woke up nice and early and surprised the boys by being awake before them .. but then again they can be such sleep heads when they want to be.

Angus didn't remember that it was my birthday but Brodie did. However I honestly didn't expect them to. I kept things very low Key. I hate celebrating getting another year older :P To be honest what woman does?! So when they asked how old I was I told them I was 29 (again ~ for the 10th year running rofl) of course they NEVER believe me for some reason.
I also reminded them that I only wanted one present from them and that was for them to get along with one another for the day, NO fighting at ALL!! However that gift was an impossible one for them to achieve. Within minutes of them getting out of bed they were arguing and getting extremely physical. Oh well it was worth a try to get them to behave for the day, even if it wasn't successful!!

Mark took us out to McDonald's for breakfast. Something I had never done before. I make it a rule not to eat Maccas .. I'm a Hungry Jacks & Subway girl. I must admit though it was really nice.

Before we went out though, Maity, a friend who lives in the park with us sent Angus home with a pressie for me. I was really surprised though because he sent me flowers yesterday, some carnations which are my favourites. So when I opened it I found that he had gotten me a DVD burner. It was on my wish list for things to get somewhere way down the road. I love it! Now I can burn some photos and send them to Dad. Maybe even take some video footage with my digital camera and send that to him as well.

Anyway while we were out I got some blank discs so that I can start burning stuff and backing up my programs and things I have stashed all over my hard drive. It'll definitely free up some space!!

I got a few phone calls yesterday as well. Dad rang me in the morning but couldn't talk long because he only uses his mobile now so I phoned him after tea to catch up with him. He'd recently been on a train holiday over to Perth & managed to catch up with one of our old neighbours. It sounded like he had a wonderful trip although he did complain about his sister (Auntie Jean) and my cousin Peter. They had lots of disagreements on their trip. But to be honest they usually do so I kind of expected Dad to tell me that they had.
Mish phoned me also, I felt bad though because we were about to go out and the boys were arguing again at that stage. They really distracted me from my conversation. They usually do when I am on the phone though. The little rascals that they are!!!
My sister Vicki phoned just as I was dishing up tea. Good timing on her part! I got distracted while on the phone to her because I kept dishing up the food and ended up scalding my hand. So you could imagine how I was talking on the cordless phone with my hand stuck under the tap trying to ease the pain. What was even funnier, but not at the time mind you, was sitting at the table later on with a packet of frozen veggies on my hand trying to eat. It was NOT easy trying to cut up your food into bite size chunks with a packet of veggies on your hand. Thank goodness Mark was able to help me out there. Thank you Mark!

After tea we had a lovely chocolate mud cake! You have to spoil yourself sometimes don't you!! I just love my chocolate!!

I must admit for someone who dislikes celebrating her birthday I had a really enjoyable day! And I am so glad I got to share it with Mark & the boys!!