Holy smokes, did you see that time go by so fast? Amy was 5 yesterday. Our sweet little surprise is growing up.

She is the sweetest little girl ever. So full of fun and laughter. Quick with a cuddle and an “i love you”.

Just love you to bits Amy.

Been another busy month here. Netball finished up for Meg last week, with her team coming third. We had an end of season party yesterday and they have vowed to play again next year.

Had the girls at the Eye specialist yesterday for check ups. Holly got the all clear to not have to wear her glasses anymore. She was so thrilled about that, but I think she’ll miss them sometimes because they have been part of her for so long. She loved choosing glamorous glasses and the positive attention they gave!
Meg has a stable prescription so she has to continue wearing her specs. The Amy had her turn. She hasn’t been checked before so this was going to be good or bad! She did the first part of the test well but then it was stated she would need drops in her eyes. She didn’t like that one little bit. I had to lay her on the ground and pin her arms down while the orthoptist had her in a head lock, and prized each eye open. It was horrible. She screamed the place down and was so upset. We went out to have a soothing babycino while the drops too effect. The bright sunshine hurt her eyes so she had to wear my sunnies.

She got the all clear though. No glasses for her! Relief.

I’ve been working hard on my laundry over the past few weeks. Justin put in this new flatpak laundry a few months ago and I was wondering what I could do with the wall behind it. Paint, tile, mosaic??? So I put it off for awhile till I was ready to commit, and then a got stuck into mosaic. This is the before shot….

and after painstakingly cutting up the tiles, gluing then on one by one, and then spending a day grouting, it is finished…..

Very happy with the outcome. I’m just going to seal it now and then it will be ready to go.

Kitchen will be done end of October. Still not cleaning the floor till then!!

Finished 4 seasons of Battlestar Gallactica (79 episodes over a few months) and was missing it terribly! Real TV is just not cutting it.

Lisa gave me a book for my birthday called BossyPants by Tina Fey. She is the woman who took off Sarah Palin in the last US Election. She is a comedian on Saturday Night Live which is a show we don’t get here in Australia. Anyhoo, she is so funny. I could really connect with her humour. All through the book she was talking about her new show (well a few years old by now) 30 Rock, a show about the making of a TV show. So in the absence of any more seasons of BG, I suggested to JF that we watch some of 30 Rock and see if it grabs us. Well we are totally addicted. Into Season 2 now, each episode is 20 mins long, and that is perfect for my bedtime routine. Kids to bed, watch 2 eps (sometimes 3) and get to bed myself. Perfect. Not to mention that the show is hilarious and very entertaining. Check it out if you can. Love it.

For a few years now I have been wanting to make baked beans, so this fathers day was a good opportunity. Had to start it yesterday with the soaking of the beans and boiling of the ham hock. Mmmm smells so good. The finished product was sensational, sweet from maple syrup and hammy from the hock. Served with bacon and scrambled eggs, it was a masterpiece!

Amy is on the road to recovery after a bad week. I took her to the doctor on Tuesday. She had such a bad bout of eczema, scratching herself raw and bleeding in all the rashy places. She whimpered in my arms she was that sore and sad. It was depressing. At the doctors I was told she also had ear infections (which I kinda knew!) and tonsillitis. Mother of the Year award here! Anyhoo, she is now on a course of antibiotics, the rash is clearing up with a strong cream and she is not quite as deaf as she was last week!

Since returning from the Gold Coast 5 weeks ago I have been working hard to get back into shape (i use that term loosely!) and am delighted to be feeling heaps better in myself and in my jeans! Lost about 4kgs, with just a few to go to goal. This is the current me, mind the bags under the eyes, it is hard work baking beans and doing a gourmet breakfast on a Sunday!!

Netball is over for Holly this year. Her team didn’t win a game all season but they had a great time and got to know each other a lot better. Holly and Meg both play for another school with kids they initially didn’t know, so it has been a good experience all round. Yesterday Holly’s team had the best game of the round and nearly won. It was down to the wire and they had to go into extra time twice. At the end it was the team who got the next goal who would be declared the winner and unfortunately it wasn’t them! Nevermind, they did really well. Meg’s team won, they are an awesome team, and heading for the finals next week and hopefully the grandfinals.

Off to a picnic now for Fathers Day. Sun is shining. It will be a good one. xx

Had a big weekend here. Weather is getting warmer and the mornings lighter. Have been able to get out and run a few times which has been awesome. On Saturday we upgraded Amy to the tote bike and out of the baby seat on my bike. She freaked out at first but then got the hang of riding with Justin and occasionally peddling. We rode for an hour or more and it was great fun. In the afternoon we went out for a few hours at bunnings gathering supplies for the next installment of home projects.

Sunday we started some of the projects: tiling the laundry and fixing the pool fencing. Holly and I are putting up a mosaic on the laundry wall. We’ve done patterns and swirl all around to later be filled in with white tiles and grout. So far so good, next weekend it should be done, photo to follow.

Justin fixed the pool fencing where the sauna came out. A bit of tiding up and the place is looking sharp. Also got a benchtop and cupboards for the bathroom in the rumpus room. Things are happening. Yay.

Kitchen it coming out late October and new one in within a few days. I am so looking forward to this. I don’t even want to clean this one any more. And as for washing the floor…well that is not going to happen until new floor is in!

Back to work today after the weekend. Went for a little walk at lunch time and it was glorious. Now at home, and kids are squabbling and the clouds have come over. Looks like rain is coming.

Fathers day next weekend and I am making Justin’s favourite meal from scratch…baked beans. No doubt he’ll be wanting bacon and chipolatas with it as well. We can do that.

Till then…. xx

homemade baked beans!

Sunday I fell down the stairs at home. It was so painful that I just had to lay there crying. This Is the immediate bruise, but now, a few days later, it is about twice as big and twice as black. Still sore too!

At the markets with Amy. She took this photo of me on a new plaything….fruit and veg heads!

The best part about taking time off after winter school holidays is that you can leave Canberra when it is -7 degrees and in half a day get to QLD where it is 24 degrees. The other good thing is that when no-one else is on holidays you have free run of the theme parks.

So both the fine weather and the lack of peeps around made it a super holiday. While Holly and I went to the dancing Comp on Saturday, JF took M and J to Movie world. The next day we went to Seaworld. After that was Wet ‘n Wild, and then Movie World. We had a day off in between to rest up and play tennis, swim etc at the resort we were staying in.

MovieWorld and WetnWIld were highlights. They had the best rides and because there were no lines, as soon we finished we raced around to the line and went on it again. I was totally ‘rollercoasted’ and ‘slided’ out. I had nodules on my throat from screaming and laughing so much. Great times.

A few piccys below of the holiday….

Isn’t it looking fine? Justin has put plaster board up on both sides, cornice and kickboards, sealed the whole thing and then painted it all. New light on the ceiling too. We’ve since put back the hooks, but on the other side to before, so now all the bags and coats, hats and scarves get put on that wall above the shoe baskets and on the clear wall I am looking for some wall art. Maybe a mirror with fancy iron work around it, or something nice like that. That is the job for the weekend when I can get myself out to that funky shop in Civic.

Well done Justin.