My bestest present was the rhyme Daniel wrote to accompany one of the presents he gave me. It was clues to finding the present which was hidden in the shed because it ws too big to wrap and put under the tree - I had to go and find it! It was a shopping trolley - you know the kind you fill with your shopping and then wheel it all home. It is going to help me lose weight becasue I will have to walk to the shops! Of course, the other best present was a zoom lens for my Pentax DSLR, so I had a little play with it late in the day while the BBQ was roasting the turkey and Dan and Andrew were having a game of cricket. More learning for me in the next year.


I hope everyone else had as wonderful a day as I did. Today is tidy up a bit, wash some clothes, eat leftovers and then play some more!
Cheers.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Daniel and made these gingerbread trees on Christmas Eve. We were very pleased and proud of how they turned out. We made one for each of us.

The present opening begins. Most of what Gregory received were books. He was wondering how long it would take him to get them all read. I reckon we won't see him for at least a week!

And of course, Daniel received mostly Lego boxes. He builds them and then insists that Andrew play a game or two with them and him.

Andrew's bestest present was a coffee machine - which I am sure I will use more than him! It does make a lovely cappacino - we have had a few already.

Coober Pedy and Lake Hart

Gregory and Andrew took a trip to Coober Pedy to go noodling (this what you call digging in the white dirt looking for opals). It was very hot and they didn't find any opal, but they had lots of fun.



On the way home they stopped to look at one of the huge salt lakes - this one is called Lake Hart. They decided to walk out to the middle of it. They walked for ages and still don't think they got halfway. I wonder how they knew which way was back to the car??? Probably a good thing I wasn't there!!!

Out in the middle somewhere they came across the remains of a tree. That was all they found besides lots of flat white salty ground!!

Beautiful Daylesford

Just a couple of pictures for Daylesford in Victoria, where we went for our last homeschool camp.

The meandering path down to the bridge.

Lake Jubilee

The old wooden bridge across to the other side of the lake, so you can walk around the whole of Lake Jubilee.

Waterlillies on Lake Jubilee.
Daylesford was so beautiful. There was so much to see and do. I am looking forward to going back there again.

Litle Furry Bee

I took this photo last week, when I was taking photos of fruit and vege plants. Tried very hard to get in close - nearly had a bee on my nose!! Hopefully there is a new lense for my camera under the tree that will allow me to take better macro shots of cool things like this.

Yellow Zucchini - very yummy. Will be on the barbeque with roast turkey and other vegetables on Christmas Day.

Spinach - eat this for lunch every day. Too much heat last week and rain has made it run to seed now. Will have to get some more.

Tomatoes - have 3 different lots in but they had a slow start because I forgot I was in SA and tried to plant them out too early - frost chopped the top off most of them - will see how they go?

Potatoes - Imagine growing your own potatoes - I think this is so cool. Have to stop myself from digging them up to check on how they are going!

That is the end of my vegetable and fruit garden piccies for now - there is more but not fruiting at the moment! Bit tricky to get them all to be edible at the same time to save on trips to the shops!

Productive Garden 2

Little tiny mandarins and also some Navel Oranges. They keep falling off with the wind though so will have to put some shadecloth around them soon.

Blueberries - ate the first one the other day - well Andrew did! Said it was yum but hardly worth the effort just for one! Maybe these 8 will all ripen at the same time and we will actually get a mouthful!
Strawberries - have had hundreds of these. They are so sweet compared to the poor sad ones I tried to grow in Western Queensland. Enough for all of us to have straberries and ice cream for dessert!
Onions are growing like crazy and they are huge! Supposed to be odourless ones - still make me cry!

The Productive Garden

Grapevine to provide shade on the outdoor area and grapes for eating.
Peaches that will be ready soon.
Lots of Silverbeet for Spinach and Feta Pie - Yum!
One of the two apple trees with about 20 apples on each. Last year they had 4 each so we are getting better. They are very heavy on the little stick of a limb, so I will have to rpop them up soon.

Woohoo for Daniel!

Just had a phone call from Daniel's piano teacher to say that he recieved a B+ for his Piano Exam. We are all so proud of him. His teacher seems to think that he can do even better now that he knows that the exams are not a big scary deal!

Woohoo for Daniel!!! A B+ for Piano and 98% score for Theory - how good is that!!!

What have we been up to??

Daniel put this elf on the back of the reindeer and placed him on top of the piano - too cute!

This is Daniel after we had sorted the Christmas decorations - he found the Christmas book we bought last year and had to read it straightaway complete with hat - again too cute!

Here are the catch up details..................

22 October

Daniel and I went to Adelaide to meet some new friends. Well they aren't really new friends... they were girls I chat to nearly everyday on the internet and 2 of them where flying home to Qld from WA and decided to have a stopover to meet up with another girl, so I invited myself along too. It is strange feeling to meet someone for the first time in real life but you know quite a bit about them?? Anyway we had a great time at the zoo, the museum and the mall in Adelaide. Hi Julie, Sharon and Leonie (and Kloe and Jack) if you are reading this!!!!

31 October

Daniel went to the high school to sit his Theory exams for music. It was a bit scary but he seemed to cope well with it all. And today we know that he did cope very well indeed - he got 98% for his Theory Exam. Woohoo Dan!!!

3 November

Daniel and I off to Adelaide again for his Piano exam. We had a very yummy dinner out the night before and found the building in the Uni grounds - I had visions of us walking around for ages trying to find it!!! This was more nerve- wracking than the theory exam for me becasue I could hear him playing from the room next door!! We haven't heard about his results yet but he came out of the room with a big smile on his face and said Ok Mum let's go and have McDonalds for lunch now!

Dashed home from Adelaide to get dressed up in some girly clothes for Susy's 40th birthday party. It was a great but very cold night! Just the girls being served food and drinks by the husband's of Susy and Tanya's. The cooking was delicious and the waiter was very well behaved but he kept kissing the birthday girl!!! Most of the girls got into the karaoke - but not me I don't even sing when I am all alone!!! It was a fabulous night and I'm sure Suse enjoyed herself too!

13 November

Gregory and Andrew jumped in the car and drove to Adelaide to see Crowded House in Concert. It was Gregory's first concert - a big event in a young person's life! Whe he got home all he could say was - that was awesome Mum, what's the next one??

25 November

Daniel and the other children who learn piano here put on a recital for all the parents at the town hall. Daniel played a piece called The Old Abbey. I took a few photos but they didn't turn out so good. We found out after the concert that the Piano teacher won't be here next year - he has scored himself a job at the Music Specialist High School in Adelaide. Wonderful news for him but we are hoping to find some way of continuing Daniel's piano lessons?

Rest of November

Committee Meetings, homeschool excursions, friend's birthday parties, party plan parties, music lessons,hair cuts, Eye appointments, Book Club, selling raffle tickets, car service, work on election day, Craft Group

26 November

Andrew had decided he wanted to take some time off work, so he asked the boys what they wanted to do. Daniel said he would go fishing and camping so they headed off to the Glenelg River for a couple of days. They caught 3 little fish, were kept awake by possums and mosquitos but I think they still had a ball!

30 November

Andrew had one day at home and then he and Gregory headed off to Coober Pedy to do some noodling(playing in the dirt looking for opals). They too have had fun and will be back tomorrow late with some very dirty clothes!! Andrew is back to work on Wednesday and as it always does he will take a little while to be happy to be back??

Now we have caught up

On Wednesday, the boys and I are off to the very beautiful Dalyesford in the Macedon Ranges north of Melbourne for 3 days. It is a homeschool camp organised by the lovely Dora. We haven't been to this camp before but it is meant to be a very relaxing one at the Jubilee Lake. We are all looking forward to it.

That brings us to tonight!

8 very lovely ladies have jsut left here! I hosted a Body Shop Party and it was lots of fun, trying new yummy smelly stuff and chatting and eating! I was lucky enough to be rung by the State Manager of Body Shop and I won the random draw of the prize for this week! Woohoo, lucky me! I don't know now whether to smell like Mango, Rose or Vanilla?? I don't know about the others but I don't do the parties for the prizes or goodies but for the social gathering!

Anyway if you are still with me, I will try to upload a couple of photos. Yayyee they worked! Cheers for now!

Still here!

Wow, I can not believe that I haven't blogged for so long!

I got myself a little sidetracked and haven't been doing much of anything!

Anyway, I am back and will try to update often so that friends and family can see what we are up to for the Silly Season.

I have been making lots of Christmas Cards. See photos...... Just have to neaten up the annual newsletter that goes out with them and they will be in people's letterboxes well and truly before the magical day!

Daniel and I got all the Christmas Decorations down out of the hall cupboard yesterday. We had a bit of a sort through them but can't put anything major up as the big boys are away at the moment and they would be a little mad if we did it without them!

Just realised that I need to do a huge update on what we have been doing so I will go and consult diary and be back with the nitty gritty.

See ya later today....................

Mad Monday Morning Cleaning!!

I have just the perfect way to get over Mondayitis........ make it even worse by doing lots of bathroom scrubbing. I spent over an hour scrubbing every nook and cranny - ugh - in both the ensuite and main bathroom. What a disgusting thing to have to do on the first day of the week.

But on the bright side... the rest of the week is looking good now!!

It is so hot and windy here today. Yesterday was cool and had to put a jumper on last night. Today I could imagine myself by a pool!! Perfect weather for washing.... 'cept I had no powder!! So after a coffee with the girls at the local scrapping shop - Hi Suzy and Tan!! I came home with washing powder and I nearly get blown away while trying to hang out sheets and towels.. but hey it will be done and then the week will look even better!!!

Ahh the power of positive thinking!!!

I managed to get about 20 Christmas cards made on the weekend. Woohoo for me!!! They look pretty good too! Even if I do say so myself! I will take some photos and show them on here tomorrow.

Anyway I'd better go do another load of washing and more chores........... fun things await!

Saturday.....

Well I was up and raring to go today!!! Decided to go and do the wander around the shops thing.... I wonder why?? I wanted to see if I could find anything for people for Christmas. Everything I saw was overpriced and just fluff! Do you know what I mean? Lots of bibs and bobs for the house and gadgets that are meant to make life easier but in the end just take up space in the drawer!!

Ended up at the Local Scrapbooking Shop..... here is their blog http://scrapnpatch.blogspot.com/ and have decided to make homemade Christmas cards again this year. I am thinking of making quite a bit of homemade stuff this year.... gotta stay out of the shops and away from all that commercialism!!

Anyway bought some groovy Kaisercraft paper from their Chrissy range and some matching bazzill to make a start on those cards - some of my friends will be laughing their heads off that I am starting now! One year my dear friend Vicki and I didn't get the cards done until Jan so we made lots of Happy New Year cards instead - but I actually posted mine!!!!

Looking through the photos from Geelong I wanted to share this one too. This is my musician man, Daniel checking out the musical score for the band!

He is playing his piano at the moment - it is hard to believe that he only started a litle over a year ago! He is playing full on pieces of music and I am so proud of him for perservering even when it is difficult.

Anyway better get going and start on those cards!

I'm still here....

I am still here but have not been in the mood for blogging. What sort of mood is that I wonder???

Anyway what has been happening??

I managed to survive the first homeschool camp I have organised. I thought it went well with some people asking if it will happen again next year. I held it out at the amazing Naracoorte Caves. Check them out at http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/naracoorte/index.htm The families all got to go on the tours of the different caves. The rest of the time we spent sitting and chatting about our homeschooling journey and many many other things. Having these camps is the best way to get in touch with other homeschoolers, especially when we live in a town with no other homeschoolers.

Last week, I drove to Geelong to take Gregory to his first ever LAN Party. He had the best time and got to meet two more kids that think like him. The gist of the party is that they all take their computers and link them via a netwroking computer and then they can play games against each other. The best part for an onlooker is the talking that you hear from the kids while they play. What fun! They play in teams as well as one player against the rest. They kept a score of their games but it was really no big deal as to who scored what!!

Daniel took me out for dinner and a movie - McDonalds and Rataouille. I can throughly recommend this movie. I really enjoyed it except for the loudmouth sitting behind me!!! You know the sort who tell you their opinion on everything that is happening on the screen but are also constantly telling their children to be quiet and not talk during the movie!!!

The next morning we checked out the walking track along the beach. There are the most amazing bollards painted to look like people from the history of Geelong. Let me see if blogger will let me put up a photo.

Hurrah it worked.. This is Daniel checking out some lifesavers. They were so great - each one had a different face. We found another set of lifesavers that looked like they had been out on the town the night before and gotten in a punch up - they had all sorts of black eyes and bruises! Down at the bottom of every set of bollards ( they are usually the thing that ships tie up to at the wharf) was a rabbit of some size and colour. I asked someone why there were rabbits and was told that it is because one of the orginal founding people of Geelong was the first person to bring rabbits to Australia!!

On Saturday, my friend Suzy and I decided to try our luck at a painting class held here in town. Well...... 2 out of 3 ain't bad as they say..... I am poor, I am struggling, but an artist I am NOT!!! I was a little disappointed, as it was supposed to be a beginners' class! Well I am a complete beginner! We looked at some cool paintings done by other people then basically told to choose a style and try to do it on the bowl, bottle and pear sitting on some boxes!................... well................ it was not a pretty sight I can tell you. Suffice to say that this will be my one and only painting class - but I have done it! No I will not be sharing my attempts!!

On the note of painting I have had fun doing some more Donna Downey type things though. They are way cool!!! Freestyle paint how ever I want to put it on! Now that is my kind of painting! Check her out at http://donnadowney.typepad.com//

What else have I done this week - tidied all my photos and put them in chronologial order and then boxed them, so I can find what I want when I want it!! Then I attacked the 18 inch pile of layouts I had sitting on the shelf. They are now ready to put into albums. But I would kind of like to sort them as I go chronologically too, so if I find a photo and haven't a clue whether I have scrapped it or not then I can look in the album and voila! I seem to spend more time sorting and arranging than actually scrapping!!

This week I received in the mail 2 RAKs ( thanks Colleen and Deb H) and the most amazing layout done for me by a lovely lady called Colleen from Qld! RAKs are Random Acts of Kindness! You choose who and when to send them to someone so it is a lovely surprise. I think maybe I should start doing this for family and friends too not just for my scrapping friends on Country Papercraft. The ladies on CPC are just so friendly and supportive though. Check them out at their shop (actually it is Marg's shop - but we all call it ours!) where you can click on the link to go to the blog and forum too.- http://www.countrypapercraft.com.au/index1.html

Well that's it for now - gotta let the cat out before she types some rude message across the screen!! See ya later alligator!!

This is a photo of my Gran, with my two boys, taken in January this year. It was the last time I saw her and now it will be the last time I ever saw her. I am so glad we took the trouble to go out to Inglewood to see her when we were in Queensland. We have just made a quick trip to Qld to go to her funeral. She was 94 years old and had such a wonderful healthy life. She still had most of her memory. I will always remember sitting at her kitchen table eating her delicious pumpkin scones and sipping a cup of freshly brewed tea. Bye Gran.

Catch Up Time

I have been a bad bad blogger.... I am so sorry for my fans or should that read fan, as I'm sure my dreary life is not read about by others much.

Anyway for those loyal followers here is an update of the last couple of weeks, please take the time to leave a comment even if it just hello, so that I know I should continue???

The weekend of the 11 and 12th saw the boys and I left at home while Andrew went off for a wild weekend of footy in Melbourne. He is not a footy fan so there must have been some other reason he had to go? I wonder what it was??? Male bonding?? nah he can get that here! I am surrounded by testoserone some days!! The sights of Melbourne?? Nah I don't think they saw any!! Oh yes now I know the bus trip??? Yeah right!! I really don't know why he went then??? But he had such a good time that he was very tired and emotional when he got home at 4pm on the Sunday that he fell straight to sleep in his armchair??!!

Sunday Daniel has his Piano lessons and is working extra hard towards his first lot of piano exams on the 6th of September. I think he plays beautifully but then I'm not a muso!! just the mother!

Last Thursday we had our Home Education Review. We passed with flying colours and are free to go about our business for another year. Too easy really! But I am glad that we are legally registered so then we are covered! Sally stayed and chatted for 2 and a half hours - even I felt like I had talked enough by the time she left and that's saying something!!

Monday this week saw me at Book Club again!! Well what can I say?? Not sure if it is the right book club for me??? I am waiting to see what the next book is like and the next meeting, because it may be 3 strikes and your out, or rather I'm outta there!!

Tuesday night was the first meeting of CIPS - craft in pyjamas society - Julie you would have fitted right in!!! The only rules are that you have to come in your pjs and complete the cards that everyone has a turn at doing! Too easy and lots of fun! Lots of laughs and yummy food - not good for the diet but I walked extra long and hard yesterday to make up for it! Will definitely be staying in this club!!!

Yesterday I was back at the dentist for a checkup on my two permanent crowns that I had put in last month. The only bit that hurt was the bill when I tried to leave~~~ eek. I think one of the kids should become a dentist - way more profitable than doctor I'm thinking!! Anyway all is good and I don't have to go back for a checkup for another 6 months!

Tomorrow is Daffodil Day!!!
Don't forget to buy a daffodil or one of the many other things on sale that will go to the Cancer Council. A very worthy cause!!!

On the scrapping front, I have a done a couple of pages for Country Paper Craft, which if I knew how to link it I would!?? Let's see if I can get blogger to put the photos in here near the right words! Nup stoopid blogger hates me!! Will try again later.

Well that's it for the news from me, hope everyone is having a good day? I'm off to make presents for Father's Day with my little Cub Scouts - bless their little cotton socks!!

Will he be 11???

before I get the photos of his 10th birthday on blogger?? Here we go again third time lucky??

Hurrah, only 2 days late!!

Today has been busy after a sleep in I tootled out to the vege patch to put in the seedlings I had bought on Tuesday. Lots of veges - carrots, silverbeet, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, shallots, some herbs - coriander and oregano and more fruit trees - apricot, fig, three way pear, pink lady apple, peach/nectarine, blueberry, cherry!!

Looks like I ain't moving for awhile??? Andrew better not come home next week and say that he has put in for a transfer to a really cool place!!! I suppose they could be lifted again as they haven't settled in to their new homes - what am I saying... no I am not moving anytime soon!!!

This time next week our Home Education Review will be over. Every year some one from the Dept of Education comes to our house and has a chat and a good look around to make sure we are actually teaching the kids! Not a problem here except I don't have a lot of worksheets or other bits of paper to show for it! Never mind it will all be fine. Let you know next week how it went!

Nope still not happy!!

Okay.. you have to imagine that I have uploaded some very good shots of my boy. In the first one he is sitting on the bed opening a present wrapped in blue starry paper, the second photo he is having breakfast with a bionicle, third he is sitting on the floor building Lego, fourth he is blowing out the candles on the the most amazing blue lego brick shaped cake that his adoring mother made for him, fifth one he is chatting on the phone to his Granny in Qld who rang at the same time he was born 10 years ago - how cool was that!!

He was born at 8.28am on the 8th of the 8th and weighed 8 lb................. wait for it.......................... 7oz!! Lotsa 8s though hey??

Anyway seeing that blogger won't play fair that's it for today...nighty night!

My Baby Turns Double Digits!!

Yesterday was a special day in our home! The littlest member of the family turned 10!

I'll be back - stupid blogger won't let me upload photos again!!!

Well I am back... here to try to upload... nope not happening, will try a new entry!!

Monday is for......

Housework!! Lots of washing to be done, vacuuming, mopping, trip to the post office, trip to newsagency to buy wrapping paper for presents, ring and organise homeschool camp for September.

Presents are for my baby, who turns double digits this Wednesday!!! I can't believe he will be 10! He has grown up so fast and yet 10 years ago also feels like a lifetime ago. We've moved house 4 times since he was born while we were in Biloela, Central Queensland.

Speaking of Biloela, I got an email from my bestest friend from there only yesterday. Hi Chris!! Think of you often. I'll try and put a photo of Daniel on his birthday on here just for you! After all you were his favourite cuddly person 10 years ago!! He still loves cuddles and kisses!!

Ok, better get my bum into gear and get all thses jobs done!

Hurrah, sorry blogger for calling you stupid!! These are all photos of Gregory when we lived in Quilpie, Far South Western Queensland. I am slowly working my way through his baby photos.. he is 7 and 8 months old here so I have a few more to do yet!

In the last week or so I have been a very busy little bunny... what have I been up to?? Read On!!!

On Friday 27 July, I helped organise a scrapbooking fundraiser for my friend Maria's nephew. Josh has severe autism and his mother is trying to raise enough money so that she can take him to USA for the Sonrise Programme. It works miracles for some of these kids.

We were so excited to realise that we had raised $1500 towards his trip!!

We played lots of games, had a yummy dinner and did a little bit of scrapping. Susy has posted some photos on the scrap'n'patch blog, if you want to see what we got up to!!http://scrapnpatch.blogspot.com/

On Wednesday 1 August it was the 100th birthday celebrations for World Scouting. So what did I decide to do??....... Organise the scout and Cubs to have a joint evening with all the parents and brothers and sisters invited too!! I'm glad I did it but it was a lot of work and all too often when you are a volunteer you don't get the thanks you deserve. I know I did a b@#$%y good job so that's what matters most!

Today I reclaimed my vege patch from Gregory's digging to China episode!! It is now all neatly set out with garden beds covered in shredded paper and hay mulch. Will take a piccy tomorrow if it isn't raining??

This week I have to get organised and start some serious planning for the homeschool camp that is being held here at the World Heritage Naracoorte Caves! It is on in 7 weeks... eek better get onto that!!

Anyway the bangers need their mash so had better tootle off and see to the feeding of the men!!!