Music

I was playing some old music yesterday for the boys. Just for fun. The kind of music where you can sing & dance around with and just have a good laugh over. 

I'd like to think I have helped the boys appreciate some of the songs that I grew up with. Sometimes I even catch them playing the older music instead of listening to today's more popular music.

The video below is from an Australian band, Pseudo Echo. They were my absolute favourite Aussie band in the early 80's. That is until I decided that Cold Chisel, Dragon & Inxs were pretty amazing too :D

Finished Objects - PlacematsI

I took some photos the other day of the finished place-mats I made for my Dad. The only thing was I took them with the phone in my camera in bad lighting. I finally managed to take new photos with my other camera.

I used the flower pattern I used for the coasters.

At least now you can clearly see what the colours are. Of course Dad's favourite football team is Hawthorn :P They are not my favourite but I must admit I did like them a little back in the 1980's when I was a teen and didn't know any better (that's my story and I am sticking to it)

Dad liked the Hawks (that's the teams nickname/mascot) that he painted the outside of our house mission brown and yellow *rolls eyes* You wont see him painting the house in those colours now though. Someone else paints the house for him. Personally I think if Mum had thought about the colours she may have clicked to what Dad was really up to. She may have made him paint the house in her team colours although I don't think red & black would have looked very good. I may have to dig out some of the old photos & scan them so I can share them.

Did I Ever Tell You That I Love Flowers?

I've been in a bit of a funk as far as blog posts are concerned plus I wasn't at the computer a lot over the weekend. I've been outside enjoying the sunshine. Angus & I even went for a walk yesterday morning before the weather turned cold again. Mother Nature reminded us that it's still winter even though we were teased with some beautiful Spring weather over the past couple of days.

Of course while I was out I had to check out some more pretty flowers in peoples gardens. I wonder what they think of this strange lady who points her mobile phone towards their plants to snap pictures. I guess if they minded they would come out and say something if they saw me :)

I am using this photo as my desktop background. I am really impressed with how good the photos look from my phone.

I have no idea what the flowers are but they sure do look pretty. Did I mention that Spring is my favourite time of the year?

WIP

It's meant to be dark brown & yellow

With Father's Day coming up I thought I would make Dad a few things in his football team colours.

It's a shame the photo doesn't show the colours properly. The yellow is really much nicer. I need to finish this off asap so I can get them in the post so Dad gets them before next weekend.

I Drove For More Than 3 Hours Today

Gosh it's been a very long day today. I drove all the way into Brighton this morning to take Mark to a Cardiologist appointment. A 178km round trip ( just over 110 miles) which meant at least 3 hours travelling time & yes I drove ALL the way. It's no wonder I feel pooped *yawn* I could use a Nanna nap.

the route we travelled

The cardiologist (a Professor) we saw was really, really nice! I am so glad that Mark's doctor referred us to him. I was very impressed with the way he explained things to us.
He looked at all the test results and the scans that we brought with us. The Prof. told Mark that his heart looked beautiful. I guess that's a good thing for a cardiologist to say. There were no blockages or anything which of course is all good. He explained that the pains in Mark's chest is a cardiac spasm. We were also told that Mark has dyslipidemia which basically means that there are abnormal amounts of cholesterol in his blood & not the good cholesterol either. (it's something I need to watch for too being a diabetic - I didn't know that).

With this in mind it may mean that Mark might need medication to help reduce his cholesterol levels at a later date. For now the Professor is very happy to let the GP handle things & that of course if things change for the worse he can go back to see him.

We were also given some reading material to take home. [Which I will get stuck into when I don't feel so sleepy *yawn* or hungry for that matter (it's almost dinner time)] He also explained to us that Mark is at risk of developing problems later in life if things are left to continue as they are. In other words it wont hurt Mark to lose a little bit of weight, become more active (maybe join me for a walk or go swimming), quit smoking and just generally eat more healthily. (Sorry hon you may need to cut back on all of those noodles you love eating!)

At least we have some answers. & that was exactly what we were looking for :) now we just need to put things into action. Well Mark does. I already have my own health plan to work with :D

Thankful Thursday

Here's what I am thankful for this week

• the wonderful weather we have enjoyed for the past week
• being out in the sunshine & fresh air. That natural vitamin D is wonderful :) 
• that Angus and I went on a date after school. We went to a cafe and had some hot chocolate. Yum!
• that Brodie has been doing some of his school work at home like he promised he would

What are you thankful for this week?

Doesn't this hot chocolate look delicious?

Not Happy Jan!

Brodie & I went for another walk today. I had a few bills to pay in town and some prescriptions that needed filling. I also went to the bank. Oh boy let me tell you that I am NOT impressed with them. My bank (BankSA) was bought out years ago by St. George bank. That was fine. It meant that since I no longer live in South Australia I could go to any St. George branch and do my banking there. When Westpac bought out St. George I thought cool I don't have to drive 60km to a St. George branch now to deposit cheques, update details etc.

I had a cheque to deposit that I received as part of a cash-back offer when I bought my glucose meter. There I was thinking I will just take it to the bank in town and deposit it and that would be it. But NO it was not that easy. I spoke to the girl at the counter. Stated that I was with Bank SA and I normally did my stuff at St. George but since Westpac now owned them I wanted to deposit a cheque. They wouldn't do it unless I had a deposit book. I've never had a deposit book for my account. I said I know the account that it needs to go into but the girl said they were unable to deposit it without a deposit book because they cannot guarantee that the money would go into the right account. HELLO it would go to the right account because I KNOW my own bank details. I said that I never needed a book for St. George but that didn't matter to her. So I left. I am not terribly impressed with THAT bank. it's very frustrating. Now I have a $40 cheque and no way of cashing it yet. Not happy Jan!

Enough of me blowing off steam. I took some photos today & some on Monday when I picked Brodie up from his work placement in Neerim South. It's quite pretty up there. I have been meaning to take photos up there for a while now. I must remember to take my camera when I go up there next week. 

Our local CFA Station (Country Fire Authority)

Uniting Church

A Church at Neerim South

View from the car park

My Favourite Song

My favourite song at the moment :)

Adele has such an amazing voice.

R U OK? Day September 15th

R U Okay? Day is coming up on Thursday September 15th. 

I'm all for suicide prevention. Start a conversation with someone you love. It could change their life.


If you do know someone who needs help encourage them to contact their GP or Lifeline. Take them to the doctor if you have to but please don't leave it too late.

Beyond Blue
Lifeline 13 11 14

The Best Surprise Ever

My sister Vicki popped in for a visit. Popped in is a bit of an odd word to describe her visit. Vicki lives in Adelaide which is over 800 km (over 500 miles) from here.
She drove over with a friend, Margaret. Margaret's brother had his 50th birthday this weekend and Vicki decided to join her. They were in Korumburra which is about a 30-40 minute drive from here.

Vicki

It was really nice to catch up with Vicki. It's been a couple of years since we had seen each other, other than the occasional phone call. We talked & talked & talked. Not bad considering I am not one to talk a lot normally.

This afternoon made me realise that I wish Vicki lived closer or that she was at least able to go online. She has trouble using her phone let alone a computer. She does have one at home for playing games and isn't connected to the net. A real shame really. Who knows one day I may convince her that its not a bad thing nor is it that difficult.

Anyway it was a lovely surprise. I got to see my BIG sister :)

Spring Has Sprung

Its such a beautiful day outside & its such a shame to be indoors. Of course the boys don't want to spend time outside all that often it takes away from the computer time! Today would be perfect if it wasn't so windy. That being said I am in the middle of doing a few loads of washing. I know that it will all dry before its dark.

Angus has a friend sleeping over tonight. So I wont get much out of him today other than hearing the boys talk about movies and games on the computer. I may get them outside yet. I'll offer them some money so that they can walk to the shops and buy hot chips for lunch. That usually gets Angus motivated. Yes my boy thinks with his stomach and anything potato related is the key to get him started!

Brodz on the other hand did accompany me to the farmer's market. I saw my favourite veggie grower, Des, and her daughter, Wendy (I think it was her daughter). Of course I bought loads of yummy veggies from there. I even bought some pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie but I forgot to get the evaporated milk. Oh well. There's always next time we go to the supermarket.
We also went to Helen & Albert's soap stall. They have some really fragrant soaps made with vegetable oils. I picked some really nice smelling ones that will hopefully mean the boys will actually use them in the shower. Stinky teens that they are!

Mother nature has shown me that spring is in the air. My most favourite time of year!

Thankful Thursday

It's been a fortnight since I posted a Thankful Thursday post. I guess with all the things happening with Brodie and school I just forgot all about it. So here's what I am thankful for this week:

• that Brodie's school is very supportive and have his best interests at heart. Even if Brodie doesn't think so.
• that Angus' school is showing their support & want to help him succeed too.
• for the beautiful weather we had last week & the lovely sunshine we had. 
• for the rain that is falling over the catchment areas
• that my doctor & dietitian think I am doing a fantastic job monitoring & looking after my diabetes

I am sure that there are many more things I could list but these are the ones that I am focussing on right now.

What are you thankful for?

More Meetings

Last week I received a letter from Angus' school requesting I come in for a meeting in regards to his report for last semester. I thought it was odd that a meeting was required for subjects that he no longer does and probably wont be doing them again. Some subjects were only for the first half of the year. Any way I made a time to see them to find out what they wanted to say.

Yesterday evening Angus & I went back to his school to meet up with one of the Year 9 coordinators. It turned out that it was Angus' English teacher we were seeing. Of course Angus wanted to be anywhere else but at school. He knew exactly what his teacher was going to day.

Angus has a very hard time doing his work. Well not really doing his work its more like completing his work. He just never finishes pieces and then decides that since it isn't finished he isn't able to hand it in. How wrong is he! Angus now knows that regardless of whether it is completed or not he is to hand it in on the due date or beforehand if it is completed. It is better to be marked on what you have done rather than getting a BIG FAT 0 as your grade.

Homework is also something that Angus has problems with. He wont do it. No matter how much I nag he is often caught playing on facebook rather than completing his assignments. If it isn't FB he is watching movies or playing games. Either way he isn't working. Education Department policy recommends that Year 9 students work an hour a night. We have currently compromised. If Angus works a completely 'solid' 30 minute session then its okay to stop but that is minimum he can work longer if he wants to.

We (the teacher and I ) reminded Angus that it is okay to ask for help if he is having a problem. That he can always ask us at home and if we can't help it he can always ask the teachers. He knew this of course but he said he gets embarrassed. He is afraid that some of the questions he wants to ask might be silly. I told him there is no such thing as a silly question. Any question is a good one. He is worried about asking in front of the other kids in his classes then he can ask the teacher privately. In fact I am sure that his teachers wouldn't even mind if he sent them an email and asked that way. He didn't like that idea but I thought it was a good one. What ever he decides it doesn't matter as long as he asks.

I am crossing my fingers that this new strategy helps Angus improve his grades. Otherwise the school may place him in other classes. Ones he may come to realise are for the kids who don't try. It's not like Angus isn't an intelligent kid. He is. He knows the stuff he just doesn't always apply himself.

It must be the month for meetings at his school. Tomorrow night is an information night in regards to subject selection for next year. My baby will be in Year 10 *sob* he's not allowed to grow up. Then there will be another meeting next week or the following week (depending on time) so that we can have a chat and submit the preferences for the subjects Angus would like to do next year. There are some fantastic units on offer that Angus can choose from.

A WIP & Some FO's

Slow & steady wins the race. Isn't that the saying? Well its been slow & steady pace working on the blankie that Angus wanted. He said that he would love it if he could wrap himself up in it. I honestly don't know if I want to make it that big. It's very time consuming as it is. I'll just see how big it is once I have finished the 300g white ball & 300g of black. Hopefully that will make Angus happy. I am sure it will he's a pretty easy going kid.

Angus' blankie

There is one thing about his blanket that I wish I did differently and that is making the squares larger. Oh well it's too late to worry about that now.

coasters

Before I started the blanket I made up some coasters. They're flowers from the Crochet Bouquet book that I have but I believe they look great as coasters. They were really easy to make and took no time at all to finish. I was thinking that some really large circles or ovals using this style would look great as place mats. What do you think? Maybe that's a project for another day.

Just For Fun - Two Brooms

I got this joke in an email from my friend, Julz. I just had to share it with you.

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

Two brooms were hanging in the closet and after a while they got to know each other so well. They decided to get married.

One broom was, of course the bride broom, the other was the groom broom.

The bride broom looked very beautiful in her white dress.

The groom was very handsome and suave in his tuxedo.

The wedding was lovely.

After the wedding, at the wedding dinner, the bride broom leaned over and said to the groom broom, "I think I am going to have a little broom!"

"Impossible!" said the groom broom . "We haven't even swept together."

I Love Flowers

On my walk with the boys yesterday afternoon I noticed a lot of pretty flowers about the place. It's a good thing I took my phone with me so I could take some photos to share.  I have absolutely no idea what some of them are but they pretty and make the gardens look lovely. Although I don't think I would like the idea of having to clean up after all the flowers drop off the plants.

Brodie modelling one of the flowers. Isn't he precious! lol

Oh and some good news that I almost forgot. I saw the dietitian on Friday evening. She was really, really pleased with how I am going. The fact that I am losing weight is a good thing but she said not to focus on that. She said to just focus on getting my BGL's right and if I lose any weight it's a bonus. Drum roll please .... I have now lost 7 kilos (15.4 lb) ** Happy Dance time ***

Another Parcel

I forgot to share some photos the other day when I received another parcel. This one came from Yarn Over (they used to be called American Yarns) & they are based in Queensland. I went shopping on their website the other week after I received an email from Bernat showing some of the new yarns they now have available. I just love looking at their new yarns & their patterns. They have some great freebie patterns that you can download.

This parcel is from Yarn Over

I sent an email to Bernat asking if they did international orders but they didn't. Which was a shame really because the Australian dollar has been really good and above parity for some time now. That means that I would get the yarn/wool cheaper than those in the US would. Sadly though as I mentioned they don't send overseas :( 

I have never seen Bernat yarns in any of the shops here so I knew I had to hunt online. I looked on ebay first. The prices weren't all that different to what I would pay for similar yarn in Spotlight or Busy Bees. That's when I came across Yarn Over.

Don't they look pretty?!

There were so many different yarns that I wanted to buy but I settled for these two. I love the fact that they will knit into a floral pattern. I have no idea what I will make with them yet so for now they will sit in my stash while I continue making that entrelac blanket for Angus. It's slowly growing.

Mexican Stew

I made this for dinner tonight using my slow cooker and the new recipe book that I received the other day. If you would like the recipe it's HERE on my recipe blog.It's definitely something that I will make again. The best thing about this one is it is diabetic friendly because it is low carb.

Brodie's Future.

I had a meeting up at Brodie's high school this morning. There were three teachers (Assistant Principal, Yr 12 coordinator and the special ed teacher) plus Brodie and myself. I was thinking that Brodie probably thought that he was being ganged up on considering how many people were there.

The meeting was to discuss what we are going to do to help Brodie either complete Yr 12 or to see if he was going to quit school. I was hoping that we could convince him to stay and finish. Last year Brodie mentioned how he wanted to be the first grandchild to complete high school on his Dad's side of the family. Now that I think of it none of the other kids (apart from myself) in my family finished high school either. Out of Dad's kids that is not his step-children (the oldest 4 are from Mums first marriage). I don't know if they all finished or not.

I could see that Brodie was very peeved that he was even at the meeting and he was getting louder & louder trying to get HIS point accross. Thankfully by the end of it all he was definitely in a better place and didn't feel so bad about the outcome.

Here's what we discussed. Basically there are three options for Brodie and his schooling.

1. He finishes school as is and attends every day that he is meant to be there. Co-operating with the teachers and students without the antics that have happened recently which ended up with his being suspended twice.
2. Brodie works off campus & completes Yr 12 that way. Which means he will be working from home (just like he did in Yr 7 & 8 when he was suspended a lot). The teachers will provide the work for him and he completes it. He may be required from time to time to go into school for some lessons for 1 - 2 a week. That when he is on campus he can request help from the teachers providing the work or from the aide who will be scheduled to work with him while he is there. He also has the option to phone or email the school and get help from the teachers that way. There will also be times when Brodie needs to go into the school for assessments. This will be where he presents his work in front of a small group of people so that he can be graded that way. He is to also keep going to TAFE to finish his Hospitality course.
   Completing school this way will still enable him to access the help that the school can provide. Linking us up with the Futures Program which helps the school and an agency help Brodie find work once school is over. 
3. Find an alternative pathway. That means he leaves now and finds his own way to deal with being out in the 'real' world.

Once the Assistant Principal left the meeting we were able to have a really good talk with Brodie about option 2.  To pass VCE/VCAL Brodie needs to acquire points. Points in different areas such as literacy, numeracy, personal development, work placement & other subjects. I'm not exactly sure what areas need to be completed but the school will work all of that out.

Right now it looks like Brodie is well on the way to successfully completing Yr 12. All we need to do is get him through the next 9-10 weeks (not including the September holidays).

For now Brodie needs to have a really good think about what we discussed at the meeting. Tomorrow we will phone the school and let them know what Brodie's final decision is. So far option 2 is looking really promising.

Health Update

I had a check up with my GP this morning. He had asked me to come and see him 4 weeks after I started taking Diabex. It has actually been 5 weeks but that's only because he was away last week.

I showed Dr. F the program I have installed, OnTrack, on my phone that I use to record all of my blood glucose levels, weight, blood pressure etc. He loved the program so much that he looked to see if he could get it for his iphone. He couldn't find that one, it is for Android, but he did find another one that he said he may look into.

After checking out my BGL's recorded on my phone and getting me on the scales. Yes the scales, which I no longer hate because the numbers are going down!!! I have lost 6 kilos (about 12 lb) since being diagnosed with diabetes. Dr. F is absolutely rapt with how well I am going.He said that I am doing a fantastic job. I never tire of hearing those words! Although sometimes I feel like I am behaving so much that it is making me sick. Not sick as in ill just sick & tired of being so good.

I also asked Dr. F to fill in a form for VicRoads notifying them that I now have diabetes. Basically its to cover my butt if I have an accident so no one can say I was irresponsible and state that I didn't declare my illness. I need one of these forms filled out once every 3 years. Lucky me.

Since things are going so well he doesn't need to see my until the end of September when my HbA1c test is due to be repeated. Well unless something crops up before then. Although I do have an appointment on Friday with the dietitian. I don't think I have any questions for her at this stage and I don't really know if this appointment is truly necessary but I will go any way.  But for now things are going well and I am being a good girl :P

Stand Up And Be Counted

Lucy over at Keeping Up With Lucy was talking about the Australian census in her blog post yesterday and how it is conducted every 5 years. Lucy then told us a few things that have happened to her over the past 5 years. I thought it was a great idea and wanted to do a similar post.


Here's what has happened to our family in the past 5 years

•  I started blogging in February 2006
• Brodie was officially diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome
• We moved in to our Housing Commission unit about two weeks before the last census
• We survived the "years from hell" where Brodie spent more time at home from school suspensions than he spent at school
• Angus started High School
• My baby became a teenager (someone help me I have two teens in the house)
• Mark & I celebrated 5 years together earlier this year, we have been friends for over 10 years
• I have bought two cars
• I was diagnosed with diabetes
• Brodie officially became an adult (now that's scary!)
• I have become more addicted willing to do lots & lots of knitting and crochet.
• I can read crochet patterns and actually make things other than granny squares
• I went through a phase with appliqué/quilting and have a few UFO's lying about the place (UFO's are Un-Finished Objects) 

Here's some trivia about census night 2011
Did you know that it is compulsory (like our elections are compulsory) to complete the census forms and that you can be fined $110 per day until it is filled out & handed in? Nice to know that the government can recover some of the millions of dollars spent on this years census by absent minded people and those who chose not to fill it in. I heard that it cost approximately $44 million for this years census. That's about $19 per person.
There's also a question that asks if you want your data kept private or not. It's kept private for 99 years and then released. I'm all for that if it helps my future grandchildren who may be researching their family tree.

Knock, Knock. Who's there?

Actually they never even got to knock on the door. Our loungeroom window faces the driveway and we can see all the cars coming and going in our shared driveway. So I actually saw the posties van pull up. I received the first of three parcels I am expecting this week. I'll tell you about the other ones once they have arrived. I can't spoil everything and tell it all at once ;) 

Thank you Mr. Postman, Luke, who brought me a parcel!

This particular parcel I have been expecting for about a week or more but it had to travel all the way from the UK. It arrived a bit earlier than I thought it would. In fact I was thinking it might arrive at the end of this week not the beginning.

Looks like yummy healthy slow cooked meals will be coming our way soon!

Would you believe that buying books from the UK is cheaper than getting them here in Australia? Well at least from this ebay seller. If I make some of the recipes I'll try to remember to photograph the finished product. Although I am not always that good at remembering to take pictures of something I have just made. I really am very forgetful that way.

I received a phone call from Brodie a little while ago. It looks like he is heading for another suspension. I told him to make sure he brings some work home & his TAFE folder just in case. He mentioned something about being kicked out of VCAL Literacy and swearing at the teacher *rolls eyes* That kid drives me to distraction! I pick him up from the bus stop in about half an hour. No doubt he will tell me more about it when I see him. Ratbag!!  

My New Cushion Cover

I meant to share these photos with you last week when I finished making my cushion the other night. I love how it turned out. I wanted it to be like a rainbow with lots of different colours. It looks a lot brighter than the other cushions I have on the couch which are in desperate need of a wash. That's why they aren't in the photos. Who wants to see tatty old cushion covers anyway?

At least I got to use my new Tunisian Crochet hooks. I used the 5.5 mm but I am wondering if I could've used a larger size.

The best thing about this project was the fact that I got to use up a bit of my stash. You know all of those little bits that you have left over from other projects.

If you pardon the pun: I am really HOOKED on this type of crocheting! I love it :)

Angus would love me to make him a black and white blanket using the same pattern I did for the baby blankets. I would love to make it for him. There is only one problem. I don't have enough black wool/yarn to make it. Looks like a shopping trip may be in the cards ;) not that I need an excuse to go to Spotlight or anything :D

Op Shop Bargains

I went Op Shopping with Mark the other day. In fact we've gone a couple of times this week. In our town and the next one over from us.

How cool is this marble lazy susan? It was practically a steal.

I found some lovely plates too but I forgot to take a photo of them :(  They have these pretty flowers around the edge. 

Brodie modelling his safety gear. I don't know if he looks good or scary.

Mark found some safety gear for Brodie to wear while he rides his scooter. This stuff is ridiculously expensive when its brand new. So when Mark found it in one of the op shops he took Brodie there to try it on to see if it would fit. It was an absolute bargain! All Brodie needs to do is get his helmet, sit for his learners and do the riding course & he'll be able to go out on his scooter. It's a bit of a scary thought but I know that it will happen eventually.

It's Like The Tardis

Mark's a bit of a neat freak when it comes to his shed (also known as "The Man Cave"). I suppose that's kind of natural when its where he spends a lot of his time. Well apart from bed where he seems to sleep a lot some days (sorry hon but it is true).

Mark can watch TV on the top monitor.

or he can spend some time just watching his fish

Would you believe that if he moves his chair that there is even a space for him to lie on the floor to sleep or just watch TV. Although Mark never sleeps in there because he is in the dog house but there is always a first time :P

Everything has a place to "live"

You don't think he is a little bit OCD do you? Sometimes I think he might be.

everything is labelled
(if I can't find my labeller inside I know it is in the shed!)

Each tool box is organised carefully to fit EVERYTHING in

I swear that Mark's shed is like the TARDIS (from Doctor Who its that blue police box he travels in). Its much BIGGER on the inside! I honestly don't know how he manages to keep ALL his stuff in there!

Mark says I can borrow his tools but I never do

Look how tidy things are.

There really IS a place for everything!

Now if I could only get Mark to tidy up the backyard or even better inside the house (the kitchen cupboards need organising) on a regular basis this home would be fantastic. I'm not picking on you Mark, honest! xoxo