Another Meltdown

We've had yet another explosion tonight. We had one yesterday too at least I think it was yesterday. Sometimes the days blend into one another and I can no longer tell.

It doesn't take much for an explosion to occur. Take tonight's one for example. Mark, Angus & I were at the dinner table. Brodie had decided that he wasn't eating tonight. No surprise there he did eat a big lunch when we were out today. So we left him in his bedroom, which is at the other end of the house, so that he could continue chatting on Facebook. While we were eating we could hear Brodie talking. We thought he was on skype. He kept getting louder & louder. We could even hear him over the television and that was turned up because its on one of the high definition channels and for some reason the sound is softer on those HD channels.

Mark went down to the bedroom to ask Brodie to lower his voice because we could hear him over the television. If we could hear him sure as eggs the neighbours could too. But NO instead of Brodie lowering his voice he starts getting louder and angry. He begins swearing like a trooper. So Mark gets annoyed and raises his voice too. Brodie gets even louder and swears every other word. That "F"-bomb was dropped so much I lost count!

All of this because we wanted Brodie to not be so loud when he was talking. Is that too hard a thing for him to do? He went off saying Mark was picking on him. That Mark started it. How can it go from a simple request of please speak quietly to a full blown swearing tantrum in a matter of seconds? I don't get it. I honestly don't.

My day went from being pretty good, although I was sad that Angus didn't end up coming shopping with me & Brodie came instead, to where I now feel like I want to cry. Poor Angus doesn't know what to do when this type of thing happens. I feel just as bad as he does at times.

Brodie was meant to go on an Interchange ROADIES activity tomorrow but he cancelled it. It was going to be our respite break. I wish he hadn't phoned up and cancelled now. He only gets to go on two more after this one. These activities are only for those under 18. He's 18 in July. Then there are no fun activities for him. I don't know what we will do then.

All I know for now is that I feel bad and I don't want to feel that way. I just want a normal life. Not that there really is anything that is normal. Normal is just a cycle on the washing machine. I think I will just go snuggle on the couch with Angus to watch Doctor Who & finish sewing up the fingerless gloves I made. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

I Went Shopping For Fun Today

I was fortunate enough to go shopping just for fun today. I don't get to do that as often as I would like.

This is what I managed to get from Spotlight (my favourite store) and I got 20% off the yarn too!

I couldn't help myself when I saw this Jean Greenhowe book.
This is the fourth book of hers that I have now added to my collection. Those hedgehogs are super cute!

This town crier looks very important in his red robes.

How about this postie?

How about these cute little babies! Can you imagine giving one of these to someone who has just had a little baby? They would be all soft and squishy and perfect for some cuddle time!

There were other hedgehogs in the book too bug I didn't photograph all of them. You can check out Jean's website if you wish she has lots of photographs there.

Looks like I might just have to make some of these and show them off!

Just Chillin'

I wish I was one of my cats. They get to chill out and relax ALL day long! They live such a hard life!

Relaxing With Crochet

Angus is becoming more & more confident with his crochet skills. I love how he is so into crocheting right now. WTG little dude!

His blanket is coming along nicely too. He is currently working on his 3rd square.

Thankful Thursday

Another week has gone by so quickly. This is what I am thankful for this week:

• that the boys have gone back to school
• that I survived another lot of school holidays (things were getting a bit stressful towards the end of the second week)
• that I was able to finish the Doctor Who Scarf I was making for Brodie
• for the ANZACS who fought (& still fight) for our country
• for the beautiful weather we had on ANZAC Day so that the old Diggers & the young ones (or their relatives) could march without getting rained on
• that the boys went to to the Anzac Day Dawn service. I am so proud of them for going & honouring their Grandpop
  

What are you thankful for this week?

Doctor Who Scarf (part 3)

Ta da!!! It's all finished.
Final measurements are as follows:
Length 276cm (108 inches) without the tassels.
37+ hours of knitting & sewing

Before the ends were sewn in.

Brodie is very pleased with his scarf (and so he should be!!).
I made him model the scarf so I could take photos.
He's even worn it to TAFE today! I think he's a little miffed though. He wont be able to wear his new scarf at school. It isn't in the school colours. He'll just have to wait until its a civvies day.

My Little Crochet Dude

Angus felt like doing some crocheting the other night & I had to take some photos to share.

It all started when he found his crochet bag & was sorting through his hooks. He politely asked if I had any spares I could give him. He wanted to add to his collection.

I had a few duplicates so I gladly handed them over.

He looks so cute when he is busy focussing on what he's doing.

Angus said he's going to make a granny square blanket.
It makes me happy to know that he wants to join in with crocheting. I think its a pretty good skill for a boy to have :)

ANZAC Day

For my overseas friends, if you wish to find out more about ANZAC day please click here to find out why this day is so special to Australians and New Zealanders.

Happy Easter!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Easter for those who are celebrating this weekend.

If you are driving this weekend please take extra care,
there have been far too many fatalities already.
~ Stay safe ~

Guess What?!?

I entered a giveaway at Candy's Family where Candy was giving away a copy of Tron Legacy. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would win. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Candy's blog post about the winner and saw my name :)

For those of you who may not have a clue about what Tron Legacy is here's a trailer you can watch. This sci-fi movie is the sequel to Tron which came out in 1982.

If you get the chance check out Candy's blog HERE. She's a Mum of seven. Three of her cherubs are on the autism spectrum. It certainly makes life interesting :)

Work In Progress - Doctor Who Scarf (part 2)

Just a quick post today :) with an update on the Doctor Who Scarf/ Its that long now that I am unable to lie it flat to take a photo where you can see all of it.

The scarf is now 146cm (57.48 inches) long and has taken around 19 hours of my time so far. Which isn't too bad really. There's still quite a bit to go before it's finished.

Thankful Thursday

Things I am grateful for this week:

• the beautiful Autumn weather we have had the past few days
• being able to go Op Shopping & finding some great bargains
• my boys getting along so well this week & not fighting (I hope I haven't jinxed myself)
• being able to knit as much as I have this week. That Doctor Who scarf has more than doubled its size since the photo I took yesterday!
• being able to celebrate Mark's birthday. Happy Birthday Hon!! (its today btw & his brother's too - Did I tell you he was a twin?)
• even though I got my shocking electricity bill this week (pardon the pun) I am ever so thankful that the bill was not a lot higher than it was
  

What are you thankful for this week?

Work In Progress - Doctor Who Scarf (part 1)

Here's some photos of the Doctor Who scarf I started making for Brodie. I measured the scarf this morning and its 57 cm (22.44 inches) long. I also thought I would time myself to see how many hours I actually put into this thing. So far its about 8 hours.

You can find the pattern I am using HERE along with the list of colours needed.
It said to use bronze but I couldn't find that colour so I'm using that light brown instead. Brodie wasn't too worried that the colours weren't exact.

I'm seriously thinking of making myself the purple, red & orange scarf the Doctor wore in season 18. You can find the pattern for that one HERE if you're interested.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Look at what I was awarded. I'm sending a BIG thank you to Norwegian Phoenix for presenting me with this.


In order to accept this reward. You need to do the following:

1. Thank and link back to the person that has given you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself .
3. Award 15 blogs you feel deserve the award.
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the reward

Gosh sharing 7 things about me. I had to think quite hard about this because I wanted to share something that I hadn't already told you before.

• I started making a Doctor Who scarf for Brodie last night.
  
• I don't like to start new craft projects until the one I am working on is finished. I don't like having any unfinished objects lying around.
  
• I hate to arrive late to anything. I always make sure I leave enough time just in case there are road works or something that might delay us while travelling. I quite like the saying I'd rather be late than dead on time.
  
• I use firefox for my browser but it is driving me absolutely batty at the moment. It keeps freezing on me :/
• I made my own stationary for Incredimail. I've not made any new ones for a while though. I haven't felt creative enough.
• My favourite quote is: Every little bit helps said the little old lady as she piddled into the ocean. It was also one of my Mum's favourites.
• I wish I was able to sew better. I would love to be able to make my own clothes.

Here are some blogs that deserve this award:

Socrates' Book Reviews
WAHM Buddies
A Gracious Home
Tina Gray {dot} me
My Reading Corner
Life, kids & genealogy
picklebums
Sleepless Nights
bouffe e bambini
Do you mind if I knit
Facing 50 with Humour
Seven Cherubs
Nowhere Near Perfect
A pretty cool life
Crystal Jigsaw

Congratulations to the winners :)

Oh Mum .. How Embarrassing!

I was messing about with my camera & I couldn't help but take pics of the boys. They hate me taking their photo (I wonder where they get that from?) Of course I have to share photos of them. Don't they look great? My gorgeous boys!

Meet Me On Monday

Hosted by Java @ Never Growing Old
43rd Edition

Questions:

1. Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
2. Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?
3. Last thing you spent lots of money on?
4. Window seat or aisle seat?
5. Do you know your blood type?

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My Answers!

1. Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
I don't think I have ever had a Caesar salad before so I can't really answer it but I do love salads though.


2. Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?
It's highly likely that I will. I have watched every Royal wedding that has been shown on the TV since Lady Diana married Prince Charles.


3. Last thing you spent lots of money on?
My car. When I had to replace the engine & the gearbox.


4. Window seat or aisle seat?
It depends on how long the flight is. If its a long one I prefer an aisle seat so I don't have to pester anyone when I want to get up and stretch. Although I don't fly anywhere any more so it doesn't really matter.


5. Do you know your blood type?
Red. Seriously I have no idea. When I was in High School we did one of those tests where you place a few drops of you blood on a card & depending on how it reacted it showed what your blood type was. I have no idea how accurate it was but it said O.

More Finished Items

Here's some beanies that I finished making this week. I tried to keep clear of the pink yarn that I had been using a lot recently but I did use one of the pink flowers I had made. I have to use the flowers I made on something sooner or later.

I still need to work out what my next project will be or maybe I might just continue making beanies until I think of something else.

The Local Farmer's Market

Brodie & I went to the local farmers market this morning. The one in town is held on the third Saturday of the month. I love going. Sometimes there are a lot of stalls and other times not so much. It depends on the weather mostly. Today was one of the better ones because there were more stalls this time round.

One stall I always visit is a soap one run by Helen & her husband. They make the soaps themselves. They have vegetable oil in them rather than animal fat. The soaps don't get as soggy and slimy as regular soaps do. They also come in the most amazing fragrances.

I bought passion fruit, olive oil, goats milk, Milk & honey and the pink one but I can't remember what type it is though :(

There's another stall we always go to if they are there. They sell dried fruits, nuts & assorted lollies. We usually by the hot mix (nuts, soy crisps, wasabi peas, dried beans & something that is so hard you could break a tooth on it) which is really spicy but I've gone off that at the moment.

Last month they were there I bought these yummy sesame covered curry peanuts. Talk about delicious! I only bought a small bag to sample them last time this time I bought twice as much! Yum!!

I also got these soy crisps. They're spicy if you eat too many of them but they are super crunchy & tasty.

One other stall I also visit is run by Des. She lives locally, grows her own veggies & sells them at the market. She has a lot of bargains is usually a lot cheaper than the supermarket & I believe the veggies taste better.

Silly me though I should've taken my camera with me and taken some photos of the stalls. It would make my post look a lot better. Maybe next time :)

Doctor Who Inspired Project

I was reading through my Google Reader yesterday checking out some of the blogs that I follow and wondering if I could be inspired by some of the magnificent craft projects that people have made.

While checking out Geek Crafts I saw this magnificent Fibonacci Scarf that was based on one of those super-long Doctor Who scarves that Tom Baker used to wear.

I think I have been inspired. Brodie is a HUGE Doctor Who fan (as am I). I was thinking that a Doctor Who based present would be a great gift for his birthday! I'm not all that sure he would wear it but I know he would LOVE it. Plus it gives me an excuse to go shopping for MORE yarn ;) Not that I really need an excuse :D

Our Dinner - Yum!

Look at what we made for tea tonight. Homemade Pizza!! Yum!
You can find my recipe here!

Thankful Thursday

Its that time of the week to think about what I have been thankful for ..

• Angus being able to go to a friends for a sleepover & that he came back home all bubbly and happy!
• Brodie going on respite this past weekend, even though he came home a day early. He really enjoyed his break & so did we :)
• having a really good heater & being able to stay warm at night now that the weather is getting cooler
• being able to go shopping for fun & not just for groceries!
• my blog & for meeting some wonderful people through it. I really do appreciate that you take the time to visit and read my posts.
  
• school holidays & being able to have a little bit of a sleep in. Not having to get up at 7am every morning is a really good thing :)
  

What are you thankful for this week?

Winter's Coming

You know the weather is getting colder at night when the cat doesn't mind being covered by a blanket when he is lying next to you on the couch!

Shopping For Fun

I finally went shopping for fun over the weekend & finally spent some of the money that my Dad sent me for my birthday (yes I know that was almost two months ago but I hadn't been shopping for fun in ages). I found these nifty little boots. They are super soft and VERY comfortable. So comfy that I don't really want to take them off!


I even found some pretty tops for myself & some things for Mark (his birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks so he wont get them until then, so I wont say what I bought just in case he reads this post). Brodie picked up a few things for himself too, some t-shirts & shorts. He really needs trousers/jeans but he only wanted to get shorts. Crazy kid! Of course he wants shorts we are heading towards winter ... when it comes summer time he will want jeans and long pants! Sorry Angus we didn't get anything for you this time .. we will next time I promise :)

Now that I have gone shopping for fun. I think a little more retail therapy is in order. I'm sure I deserve it :D It feels good to get some bargains and to finally by myself something that isn't for use in the kitchen (or any other room).

Meet Me On Monday

Hosted by Java @ Never Growing Old
42nd Edition

Questions:

1. Who would be your dream celebrity date?
2. Do you have any food restrictions?
3. How much time do you take to get ready in the morning?
4. Sausage or bacon?
5. Do you Google, Bing or Yahoo?

---------------------------------------------------------------

My Answers!

1. Who would be your dream celebrity date?
Gosh I don't think I can choose only one. I would loved to have met Patrick Swayze but since he has passed away I would have to choose Michael Shanks. He played Daniel Jackson in Stargate SG1.

2. Do you have any food restrictions?
Not really. Although I do limit the amount of oils/fats that I use.

3. How much time do you take to get ready in the morning?
It depends on where I am going but I can be ready in 15 minutes & that includes showering & washing my hair :)


4. Sausage or bacon?
Bacon wins every time! Yum!


5. Do you Google, Bing or Yahoo?
Google. I don't like the other search engines. Plus I have an Android phone. We're pretty much a Google home.

Finished Objects

Here's a couple of photos of some finished items I completed this week. The first one is the flower that I made from watching that Cheerful Crochet Flower video I posted on Wednesday.
It was super easy to make but I had to stop & start the video a few times so I could keep up. The instructions were really easy to follow though & I love how it turned out :) I might go make some more of these just because..

My other finished item was the girls leg warmers. They looked awfully plain just being stocking stitch so I jazzed them up a bit by adding some crocheted flowers.
Flowers make everything look better ;)
I just love the cute little flower buttons I used in the centre. They really seemed to match the whole thing but then again I am biased :D

I found a use for the flower I made. I added them to a beanie that I finished yesterday.
Although I think I probably should have used a different colour for the petals so they stand out more. The pictures don't seem to show how nice it looks when you're actually holding the beanie.

click on the photos of you wish to see larger images.