Three for three

Three posts in three days, that would be a record for me. The long weekend has been and just about gone. Next week our new computer program starts at work, so it will be an interesting week for sure. I've been hoping it's akin to Y2K. Remember everyone thought the world was going to stop when the year 2000 rocked around. I'm hoping this is the same. We're thinking the worst, so hopefully it will all go smoothly tomorrow and beyond.

I got a rather nice surprise today when I saw Gallery Standouts and one of my pages was on it. I'm putting together as many pages of my stepson as possible so he'll be getting a book for his 21st birthday next January.

Credits here.

Do you remember your first car? Mine was nothing like this lovely car. Mine was a Datsun 1200, the most horrid shade of green, it was like a tank on wheels. It cost me all of $600 and I bought it from someone who lived up the road. I drove it for three years when it got to the stage it was leaking, brakes weren't working properly, my passenger front seat car broke so to keep it upright I had to stick an esky behind it (so unless someone was really REALLY short, no one could sit in my left back seat).

I limped it into a car yard one day and traded it in on my second car. The card yard man started it up (crossed fingers and it started first go, it hadn't done that in a while!) and he walked around it, kicked the tyres and rubbed his chin ready for the hard sell. He said "I can't give you more than $500 for it". My very quick "I'LL TAKE IT!" had him looking at me in surprise.

Over and out.

Lest we forget

It's no secret I love Anzac Day. I love paying tribute to the brave men and women who fought for what we enjoy today. I love seeing them march so proud with chests holding their shiny medals. I love saying thank you. And I never miss an Anzac Parade.

So a few years ago Mike was asked by a very small town a little bit away from here to play at their Anzac Parade. What a treat. The handful of returned veterans marched so proudly and I swear the whole town turned out to see it. That was about 4 years ago and we've gone to Penshurst every year since.

After the laying of the wreaths in the centre of town, Mike marched everyone back to the hall to the tune of Waltzing Matilda. Yes, played on bagpipes.

How proud I was of him today. Last night when he was having a bit of a practice here at home, I said to him "hey how about Waltzing Matilda on the march" and he said he'd never played it before. Mike can play by ear so he sang it a few times in his head, and it went from his head to his fingers and he played it, note perfect. It went down a treat today.

Now a week ago I mentioned the P word ! PUPPIES! And I did promise some photos. Here's a darling little one with a very proud mother as well. So small they hadn't even opened their eyes yet. Honestly, this would melt even the hardest heart, wouldn't it? A little vision like this would halt you in your tracks, have you making the silliest cooing noises, this little darling surely would have the power to stop wars, make everything all over the world right again. Okay, so that's in my fantasy world, but here for your very clucky viewing.

I dare you to not look at the second photo and not go ... ahhhhhhh!

You did it, didn't you? You went ahhhhh!

Masterchef anyone?

Oh my goodness I'm loving it ... LOV-ING-IT !!!!! It looks like the second series is going to be just as good as the first, if not better. And what is it in Masterchef season? I'm going to call it a season for want of a better term. I go all out and make new recipes. It inspires me. I use ingredients I've not used before. Of late I've been making the same old tired recipes each night, for want of tiredness, for want of no imagination, for want of just get something on the table and eat before I drop. But in Masterchef Season I'm all go.

Mike being the beneficiary of my troubles, means that this is one reality tv show he doesn't mind!

Here's last night's effort. Yes, a work night no less! Oh and Mike says, "quick, grab the camera before we eat!" Ahhh good man, he's learning! This was a Mexian bean chicken thing which as it happens was in the free Masterchef lift out from last weeks Sunday Sun. Delicious! It even looks like the photograph.

Just finished a batch of Anzac cookies tonight too. They taste delicious! The kitchen smells all sweet and delicious like golden syrup.

Well the house is nice and warm, the fire is roaring, Mike is watching some war show on TV, I'm scrapping, the menagerie are all curled up snoozing, and a cup of tea by my side. Can life get any more perfect? It makes me smile.

Another week gone by

I can't believe another week has gone by! We've been super super busy at work, working like crazed women trying to get everything done before our new computer system comes in. Late nights, early starts, absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. Mike has really stepped up for me and cooked dinner each night last week, which I usually do. I tell you, it's most appreciated at the end of a long day, coming home in the dusk and walking in to smell dinner being cooked.

Friends of ours found a "fat" dog recently, a gorgeous little dog, wandering aimlessly in quite a remote country location. They took it to the farms in the vicinity but no one had ever seen it before. It wasn't microchipped, no registration tags, they made enquiries at the RSPCA and the local vet and the council to no avail. Looks like this little dog adopted them.

Until they found out she wasn't just fat, she was pregnant! Result = five gorgeous little puppies last week. I went over on Friday to get all clucky over them. They are adorable, they haven't even opened their eyes yet. Little jack/foxy perhaps mix, it's hard to tell. I got there around 7pm, by 7.01pm I was in puppy heaven. Don't you worry, there'll be a scrap page coming about this! ha.

A special day for us today, our sixth wedding anniversary. Not only that, but 9 years since our first date. Gosh has it been that long? That's just crazy. Sometimes I feel like we've known each other forever, sometimes I feel like we're still learning silly things about each other.

Credits here.

Yet another weekend

Another weekend has rolled around, but I have an excuse for not posting, because I have been away. I had three nights away with work at a training course. Nice to be put up in a motel, all meals paid for, hire car, etc. But I came home brain dead from the training and ready for a home cooked meal. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed too.

Probably the things I miss most when I'm away from home for overnighters, is my pillow and my bathroom. I really detest having to live out of a toiletry bag when I'm away. I like things to be where I have them here at home, shampoo in the shower rack, moisturiser products on the bathroom vanity, toothbrush in its holder. Ahh the comforts of home.

I did giggle when I opened up our local weekly newspaper. After the cajoling getting the kids to come to the dawn service last week for Easter, both Mr. T and myself ended up getting snapped for the paper. Me singing like there was no tomorrow. Mr. T inwardly grimacing and rolling his eyes. ha.

Now before you think we've gone and added to the menagerie, we haven't. We were out to dinner recently at some friends and they have a ragdoll cat. Have you ever held one? I was amazed. As soon as I lifted him up he just collapsed in my arms. It was the funniest thing. Isn't he too darn pretty to be a boy as well? I couldn't resist snapping a few photographs.

I had a lot of fun using creashens' Pitter Patter kit for this, which matched perfectly with our friends kitchen cupboards.

Over and out.

Happy Easter

How has your Easter been? Full of chocolate? Hot cross buns? Family time? Church?

My brother and his wife and children came to visit yesterday to spend the day. It was a wonderful day. I had an easter egg hunt ready in the front yard for when they arrived. We never had easter egg hunts when I was little. We would just wake up and the kitchen table would be set for breakfast and there'd be easter eggs in our place settings. But David and Matthew did enjoy it yesterday. Lunch was a picnic down at the lake, we ate well and the fresh air certainly made us hungry. It was also a great place to get some photographs, so expect to see some scrap pages to come. :-)

Cheryl has a new kit with very bright coloured paper out at twolittlepixels called Bright at the End of the Tunnel. The colours reminded me of days gone by when easter eggs were wrapped in gorgeous coloured and patterned foils. They don't seem to be now do they?

Last night we went to my husband's ex-father-in-law's 70th birthday. Strange I know that we would be invited, but they are nice people and we all do get on. I guess we are an example of when divorce and separation doesn't have to destroy things. Britt and Tristan came home with us for Easter.

Although they weren't overly keen about the getting up for the dawn service this morning. We kind of sprung that on them at the last moment when they knew they couldn't back out in coming home here. So a 6am wake up call for them and we were dressed and out the door for the 6.30 start at the lake. Must admit though it didn't stop Britt from putting on makeup before we went out! Some things are sacred.

So home for hot cross buns and hot drinks and then everyone conked it. I went back to bed for a half hour, Mike fell asleep on the couch, Britt went back to bed and Tristan played X-box. Yep, some things are sacred!

So a bit of painting for me this morning, my back is now aching, I'm looking at the bed longingly but trying to hang off, if I shut my eyes I just might not wake up for a few hours.

Happy Easter to everyone.