Friday, May 30, 2008

Another Week Down

.....and how many till holidays? About 4, I think!

My week this week has been a fighting one.....fighting a virus, that is! You know the kind.....you feel like you're in the morning after being hit by a bus.....sore throat, sinuses blocked, post nasal drip, headache, fever.....general bler!

So after two days of work, I crawled into bed for as much rest as I could get between cooking, washing and running kids around.

Dear Husband, naturally has remained fighting fit, which is probably a good thing. I always remember one of my favourite youtube clips when he's sick. And just watching it again not only makes me laugh but makes me realise how strong we women can be!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Meme Music!

Thanks T for tagging me in her meme about music. I must admit here to driving along with the radio up high, admiring the crisp but sunny Queensland weather and thinking that the music pumping out is kinda like a soundtrack to life! Lol! So this meme reminds me of that. Here goes....it's titled 'Songs For A Movie of Your Life':

Opening credits: Careless Love by Madeline Peyroux

Waking up: We Are Gonna Be Friend by the White Stripes

Average day: Am I not Pretty Enough by Kasey Chambers

First date: Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters & Collectors

Falling in love: On A Night Like This by Dave Barnes

Love Scene: Pachabel's Canon in D

Fight Scene: You can't go past a bit of Queen...We Will Rock You!

Breaking up: Wish You Well by Bernard Fanning or Better Be Home Soon by Crowded House

Getting back together: The Scientist by Coldplay

Secret love: Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner

Life’s ok: Beautiful World by Colin Hay

Mental Breakdown: Clocks by Coldplay

Driving: Pump It by Black Eyed Peas

Learning a lesson: Often by Robbie Williams

Deep thought: Memories and Dust by Josh Pyke or Burn by Brendan Welch

Flashback: These Days by Powderfinger!

Partying: Rock DJ by Robbie Williams

Happy Dance: With My Own Two Hands....Jack Johnson (or if you want to go purely happy la la, then anything from the 80s! Lol!)

Regretting: Sunsets by Powderfinger

Long night alone: Don't You Think It's Time by Bob Evans

Death Scene: I'll love you to the end - The Pogues or Angels By Robbie Williams or To Where You Are or Remember Me by Josh Groban (I just can't decide!)

Closing Credits: You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban

Anyone love music and want to be tagged???

Sunday, May 25, 2008

The 'Stick Your Foot In It' Award This Week Goes To....

.....my Dear Husband, who on meeting up with old friend today that we haven't seen for a while (who not-so-recently got divorced from his wife and who is 'oh-not-still-bitter-about-it' so he says. Yeah, right!) accidentally called him by his ex-wife's new fiance's name! Big whoops there!

Needless to say old friend was soooo not impressed!

Sometimes it's hard to be the 'tweenie' friends - you know, the ones who were friends with the old couple but now who are friends with one new couple whilst trying not to off-side the ex! There is always an element of not wanting to step on toes and sometimes your subconscious mind just rears its head and pops out of your mouth without you even realising it!

I'm sure that divorced and separated people the world over and their friends all have this problem.

Needless to say, Dear Husband went an incredibly bright shade of (Oh, I'd say) magenta, babbled apologies profusely and hot-tailed it out of the sticky situation he'd created!

And naturally, being the supportive wife that I am, I almost peed myself laughing when he told me! Double whoops for me!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

A Quirky Tag!


Thanks Trudi, who has made me spend the last couple of weeks wracking my brains trying to decide what I am quirky with!

The rules are as follows:

Link the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

1. I posted this very early on (when I was virtually a virgin blogger) and got a bit of a response to it. Apparently, I am not the only washing line freak out there who has to match pegs - both to each other and to the clothes that they sit on. I'm sure that when my neighbours look over the fence, they graciously admire my beautiful clothes hanging (yeah, right!) but when I step back after my basket is empty, I know that I do! Sad, but true...this is my biggest quirk!

2. I hate 'the top of the pile'. If something is on the top of a pile, I always pull the second or third. This is especially true with newspapers, magazines etc but can also extend to certain grocery items in the supermarket. And definitely, I never pick the front fruit or veges. Let's face it, you don't know who has touched it....much safer with the others!

3. I have an intense fear of snakes. I know, I know, I live in a country which houses some of the world's deadliest snakes and yes, I've even had them in my own yard. But I cannot touch one or go near one. I've tried but even 'admiring' them from the other side of a glass screen makes my heart rate increase and tears well up in my eyes. The photo above, taken recently at the local zoo, is about as near as I could get....and that was with my camera zoom!

4. I hate public toilets. I am definitely a 'lean over' kinda gal! Someone once told me that Queensland women had the best thigh muscles for that exact reason. Rofl. Don't know if it's true but if I can avoid going in public, I will!

5. I collect old tins. 50s and 60s styles are my favourites. And I love the ones that have photo pics of children or animals or anything else cute and kitsch like that.

6. And surprise, surprise, I am obsessed with vampire romance novels. I personally blame Twilight but now my collection has extended and when I'm not running around after work, husbands or children, I can usually be found with my nose in one of these books. At the moment, the Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire series has taken my fancy and I was delighted to read that it is being made into a tv series by the same guy who created Six Feet Under. The series in called True Blood and I'm hoping that it doesn't go the same way as Moonlight which recently got the axe on CBS in the US. Seriously, not happy with CBS atm!

And I've edited this to add a 7th cause I realised it was a quirk only the other night! I am sheet fussy! If the sheets are not tucked in to the base of the bed and my feet poke out then it drives me insane and I cannot sleep. I have been known to get up in the middle of the night to fix the sheets. No feetie peekie for me! (I am also particularly fussy about sheet quality too but I'm sure that that is a whole other post!)

As for who to tag next, I have no idea. I am no good at this tagging stuff. If you want to be one of my 6 tagged people, let me know and I'll include you!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

My Evening With Jodi Picoult

I love Jodi Picoult stories. She is definitely one of my favourite authors as her stories are so interesting! She manages to tackle such current issues in informative, yet entertaining ways.

So when we heard that Jodi was returning to Brisbane to do a book tour, my sweet friend (yep, you know who you are and I know that you are reading this!) managed to organise tickets.

Now, this is not the first time that we have seen Jodi speak. Last time we went to a little book store over the river and were shuffled out to the back deck - along with about 50 other people - for a wonderful intimate setting to hear her speak. Afterwards, we lined up to have her sign book copies and the atmosphere was wonderful.

This evening - about 2+ years later - the venue was much bigger (City Hall) and so was the crowd of approximately 400!

Jodi, it seems, hasn't changed much. She is still so incredibly interesting to listen to and so well informed on the issues that she writes of. She spent quite a bit of time reading an excerpt from her novel and told of the experience of researching for her latest book, Change of Heart. Afterwards, she answered questions from the audience.

Sadly though, bigger venues and fame mean that Jodi's time is more in demand and the intimacy of the smaller venue was lost. She spoke for only about an hour but to be honest, I could have listened to her speak for the entire night. And I wasn't even going to attempt to line up for book signing when the queue snaked around the entire foyer!

And unfortunately, no photograph because I left my camera at home!

So I've decided that if I ever get asked one of those inane questions about which famous people I would invite to a dinner, Jodie Picoult would be up there in my top 5! And no, I wouldn't invite 400 people to join us! Lol!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A Weekend Of Stress, Work and Love!


I have been a bad blogger this past week because so much is happening atm.

Last Friday, my MIL passed away. Sad yes, but it affects my husband more than me as we didn't see her all that much. There is so much more that I could say about what's gone on since this but quite honestly I couldn't be bothered. All I can do is recognise that we all deal with death in different ways and that funerals and death are always stressful times! Is that cryptic enough for you?! What it has done, however is rekindle many memories of my nanna's passing and realise once again that although time is supposed to heal wounds, the death of a much loved one is painful forever.

Also last week, I was told that I was no longer needed to work on Fridays. Part of me will miss the extra money but to be honest, part of me is celebrating at having my 'grocery Fridays' back! Woo hoo!

On Saturday we did the usual sports run and then spent the day grocery shopping and cleaning.

And Sunday, of course, was Mothers Day.

The 8 year old beat her brother out of bed and made me breakfast - raisin toast (one with butter and one with Vegemite - yes, we did explain later that you don't put Vegemite on fruit toast! Lol!) and her own special chocolate milk drink. It was so cute. Then I was showered with presents that she had bought me at the Mothers Day stall at school. When the 12 year old arose, he also gave me the dvd of PS I Love You - something I really wanted.

Finally, to finish off the day, the 8 year old had her special ceremony for First Communion and Confirmation. It was a beautiful service and she looked gorgeous in her ivory dress and cardigan. Afterwards, family came back to our place for a simple celebration.

So it was a long weekend and I am seriously missing quiet time! And it doesn't look like it's going to get much better with another busy weekend planned! Hopefully, I'll survive with my sanity!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

She Can Find One Anywhere


.....a boyfriend, that is!

I am praying that it isn't a sign of things to come!

This is at our nephew's wedding last weekend. (Yes, she did have long black boots on with that outfit, btw!)

Miss 8 was probably the most social of the lot of us as you can see.

I just couldn't help snapping the two of them lining up to get a drink! So cute!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

'Koala, Koala What Do You See? I See A Strange Person With A Camera Looking At Me!



Over my back fence is a road....a pretty busy road.

My friend, who was driving along that road, rang me today and told me to have a look in a tree on the other side of the road from me!

Sure enough, look who just happened to be sleeping there!

We are only about 25-30 minutes drive from, and are very much a suburb of, Brisbane City. There is a koala corridor that runs about a kilometre or two west of us, where the suburbs start to become acreage blocks - but never in all the time that I've lived here have I seen a koala this close to here.

So what is a sleepy little koala to do when it is all lost and doesn't know where it is? Why climb into a tree (ok, so it just happens to be on a main road and next to the bus stop and houses...meh!) and have a snooze! And this little fella apparently has been there all day!