A great weekend.

Yes its been a really good one. One that make me super happy to be a part of a great family. We may be small, we may be isolated from our family, but we are a great team. I'm finding my place here in Newcastle, I'm happy here (except for the mugginess). I would return to Melbourne in a flash, but there would be things I'd miss now. Two months ago, I would not have found one. I have friends now, a good bunch of friends. Jamie has heaps of friends. Mark is settled in school.

Anyway our weekend.

• A 10km bike ride with Jamie - found out the teeth on the gears are stuffed, that is why its SO HARD to ride up hills and the fact that the chain CLUNKS all the time is very unnerving. I quite like the feel of riding a bike, I like the sailing down a hill (not too fast), I like the idea of riding a bike as well. I know its so good for me that I will make the effort - once the gears are fixed - to ride regularly
• Had a lovely heatlthy dinner of salad and chook YUM
• Watched Better Homes and Gardens and now want to build a shed made out of doors - it looks so cool, but Jamie says we can take the same principal and make a nice shelter for the puppies.
• Did some gardening. My whole front garden is trimmed and weeded, the soil (or should I say sand) has been turned over. Now I want to plant some bright and happy flowers for near the front door. I felt hot, dirty, wet and satisfied... never thought gardening would do that for me.
• We had another healthy lunch of salad and chook - does that sound like leftovers.
• Went in our 4WD to the Stockton Dunes. It was great fun, put the dogs, boogie board and some towels into the "forby" and off we went. We decided to take the slightly longer, but less steep track - its the one you went along mum - but we rounded a corner and we could see two cars stopped in front of us!! Jamie got out to see if he could help. According to those drivers there was a car completely bogged in the very soft sand and there was 15 cars in a line waiting. We then decided to go the shorter/steeper track again there was a slight holdup. 5 kids (18-24) in a really cool open topped 4WD could not get up the hill. Jamie and another bloke got out to help - Mark and I stayed in the car. The sand was BURNING hot. Marky and I were chatting when out of the corner of my eye I saw about 10 people all dressed in black shorts and tshirts one of then carrying a baseball bat. Oh dear I thought we are in for a rumble. Instead these 10 people helped move the red car and then they decided to go home. So a very sheepish, new, red 4WD drove past us int he opposite direction to the dunes with its tail between its legs. We got up the hill in one go and our huge sand tyres were at 15psi, that is REALLY low, what you would normally call a flat tyre. Then we went swimming.

I'll finish this post tomorrow, I'm just about to fall asleep and I'll make heaps of mistakes.

Thanks for reading.

Some more random photos around the theme - my home.

Valentine's Day

Stupid stupid idea. Forcing love on a particular day. Florists make a killing.

But I got a lovely bottle of wine!

Doing a little happy dance about that.

Thanks.

To my mum!
Where would I be without you? Thank you for listening to me for an hour on the phone this afternoon. Blathering about my boring life.
I know that I'm worth it.
I know that I'm special.
I know that I'm a good mum.
I know that I deserve to have a full nights sleep.
I know that I am good at my job.
I know that I'm as good as a $20 note.

This is the email that mum sent me to cheer me up. Keep going with those inspirationals mum.

A speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"
And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.
The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special - Don't EVER forget it."
Count your blessings, not your problems.
Remember: amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.
If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.

Scrap for a good cause.

To the Victorians out there: There is a blog for it here.

Friends of mine are are having an All Day Crop to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal. We would love for this to be a huge event within the Victorian Scrapbooking community and hope that you can all help us achieve our goal of donating a sizable amount to this very worthwhile cause.

Crop for Kids

The Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal

When: Friday 6th April 2007

Where: Mulgrave Community Centre

355 Wellington Road, Mulgrave

(MelRef 80 D1)

Time: 10am - 5pm

Entry Fee: $25

We hope to reach our goal by holding raffles, auctions and competitions throughout the day. Please check back next week as we start to add some very exciting news about the event. Also if anyone has any ideas or would like to help out please contact us at cropforkids@iprimus.com.au

Some other photos of my life.

Its so muggy here at the moment, that all my photos of Jamie are topless. Should I put them in???

Mental photos.

This is a photo that Mark not only took, but completely set up. He looked like a professional photographer adjusting the distance the camera needed to be and how it all looked in the viewfinder. I think it looks pretty cool as well.
This is an extremely tired me. Yes I have a spout. It was hot, hair was getting in my eyes, so for the photo a day comp I decided to show a "this is really me" photo. Usually its only Jamie and Mark who get to see me like this, but now its out there for the world to see.

General stuff.

Good afternoon,

I'm really just here to put up some photos. I'm doing the Photo A Day Competition being held by Blue Bazaar, not so much a competition, but a challenge. First week is all about me or my style.
So again, wondering what the heck blogger will do with my photos.
I have taken a self portrait, feel a bit strange about it, but its me and that is what I look like.
I have also taken a photo of something the ladies out there might be familiar with, the pregnancy test.... alas still negative. This will be that last photo of something like that, I won't be announcing it to the world the day the stick turns blue.
Then there is my Marky, he crashed his old bike on the weekend, so we got him a new Repco one with gears and what Mark calls hydrolics but really they are shock absorbers. Its gorgeous and he's VERY happy. This is him trying it out at about 8.30pm last night!!!!!!!!!!!

Third Day of School

Forgot about photos on the first day back.
Mark is now is in Year 3. Looks like his teacher might be Mrs Millar, not sure what that means, but Mark likes the idea. Here are some photos of the kid in his uniform and new school bag.

More stuff that makes me happy!

To contrast from my post from a couple of days ago... I shall prove I'm not about to *crack* it.
So, in no particular order here is the stuff.

There is a photo of bread rolls in my freezer (yes that makes me happy) that means I do not have to make lunches for about 2 weeks, and I know that Jamie and Mark are having a good lunch.

MAIL - Elsie Flannagan calls it happy mail. There is a calling card from the post man - most likely from my wonderful company Scrapanalia. And the parcel is for my mum. ITS HER BIRTHDAY TODAY. Sorry didn't post it on time, but its becoming my signature. Must work on changing that. Love you mum and Happy Birthday.
Mark's room all tidy. I signed him up for the House Fairy. I know that he is 8 and shouldn't believe in fairies, but if he keeps his room clean when the House Fairy comes to visit and sprinkles her fairy dust, she either leaves a surprise or doesn't - depending on the state of the room. Any parents out there, start them off at about 4 years old. It'll be worth it.


This is the car carrier that I'm making Mark. I have about 40 pockets sewn on so far, about another 50 to go. The (what should be) first photo is of the entire thing, then a close up of a pocket and then with some of the stars from the movie Cars - you may see Lighting McQueen, Sally, Doc Hudson and I can't remember the other cars name.

HE'S BACK.

Ahhhh isn't that nice. A gorgeous little boy with great big cuddles.

Poor chap had a huge stack on his bike today - about 2.5km away from home and needed to walk it back. I'm sure he'll sleep well tonight. Luckily he only grazed his knee and probably bruised his ego.

Exhaustion and the return of the kid.

*** WARNING *** Super-long post ahead, not for the faint hearted.

I couldn't get the car holder made in time. I'll keep it a secret from him and make it when I have time over the next few weeks.

• The humidity of Newcastle is getting to me.

• The fact that work is still not airconditioned is getting to me.

• Missing the *love of my life* is getting to me.

• Unfittness is getting to me.

• Possibly ovulating is getting to me.

• Wanting to get pregnant is getting to me.

• My drugs are getting to me.

I re-read the top of my banner. The trials of being an RLS sufferer. Restless Leg Syndrome - doesn't that sound inocuous..... if only it was. I'm suffering BAD people. I'm heavily medicated with Gabapentin. So medicated that I only can have 1/2 a glass of wine now and it feels like having 2 or 3 (you were right Jo). I'm meant to take it three times a day - my doctor doesn't want me on a high dose when I'm pregnant (which I'm not yet people) so I've slightly reduced it to 2 in the morning 1 at midday and 2 at night. This program is not working on a variety of fronts.... life is not normal at the moment. The KID is missing, school hasn't started and I still feel like I'm in holiday mode. So I forget to take them, am not taking at regular intervals. Which now means


I'm not sleeping again.


Seem to be surviving (not living) on about 3-4 hours per night. Can't get to sleep until 12.30 or later. Only sleep VERY lightly. Dream constantly. Wake up at 4am when Jamie's alarm goes off for about 1hour cos he keeps putting it onto snooze. Jamie seems to be sleeping on my side of the bed which means I have about 1 1/2 inches for myself. Its too hot to sleep. I don't want to take any more clonazepams (a long acting type of valium) because of wanting to get pregnant, and I seem to have broken that necessary addiction. So that is why i'm sitting at my computer at 4.30am typing my thoughts for the blogging world to see. What do I do? My legs seem to be aching, not so bad for jumpiness, but the not sleeping part is starting to (in Jamie's words) piss me off. That is why they call RLS a sleep disorder, that is why I'm on gabapentin which is a neuropathic pain receptor blocker which works on my brain and not my legs. But what do I do?

1. Start taking my meds at the time I should take them.
2. Do this for one week religiously and see if there is an improvement.
3. Actually TRY to get fit.
   

BUT maybe when the *love of my life* comes home in the morning. That is Mark, my darling little boy who has been visiting his wonderful grandparents for the past 3.5 weeks. Saying it that way doesn't sound that long, but when your kid is only 8 years old, he should be with his mother, the mother needs the kid. Yes its a wonderful thing that Margie & Frank and Rosemary & Brian can have the boy for a period of time on their own. It means that they can form a real relationship with him even though we live in another state. But after this length of time I'm aching for him. The feel of his hands, the feel of his skin, the feel of his little lips giving me a kiss. He's a real mummas-boy and I like it that way. The sound of his voice and the annoying little things that he does... he's meant to do them for me and Jamie. I really love that my and Jamie's parents have him for this time.. that he can experience LIFE. But I just miss him that is all.

Another story.... Jamie went fishing yesterday with his mate Tim and Tim's dad, Joe. Jamie caught a small gummy shark that he released and Joe caught a snapper - about 2kg (I think). Joe didn't want the snapper. Tim didn't want the snapper. WE GOT THE SNAPPER. Jamie gutted and de-scaled the fish, chopped his head off and chopped the tail off, but otherwise left him intact. To cook him I put some olive oil in a big glass baking dish, added some onions and garlic, dried basil and oregano (makes me want to grow that herb garden again) and some salt & pepper. Put some of it inside of him and cooked him up for about 30 minutes in the oven. IT WAS DIVINE. That was our Saturday lunch.

We also went to the Foreshore at Queens Warf - the plan was to go for coffee - too hot for coffee so we sat on the grass and watch people and boats pass while having a Coke! That is our type of going out.

The house is PERFECT. Mark will not know the house he is walking into tomorrow. The lounge room is gleaming, the kitchen is completely FLYLADYed, my sink is gleaming. Marko's room is gleaming.

To my mother and mother-in-law, you will be so proud of me. Saturday I put 5 loads of washing through the machine - have hung out 4 so far - have bought in and FOLDED and PUT AWAY 3. All this as well as the trip to Queens Warf and working a full 8 hour shift at work. I'm shocked - don't quite understand how that happened.

But as I said before - I think I'm ovulating - what does that actually mean. It means I turn into a bit of a b**ch towards Jamie and it seems that I clean a bit and that we need to get to work on getting me pregnant.

I want to talk about getting this baby (not the nitty gritty reader, that would make it porn!), but how do you talk about it without letting people know the second the "stick turns blue". I don't want the world to know the second I'm pregnant, I want people to know at the 12 week mark like you are supposed to. But going from a normal couple, to ones "trying to have a baby" puts lots of unnecessary images into people's minds and I can't help but talk. Then people are asking ALL OF THE TIME. Did you have sex last night? How many times have you had sex? I don't really want to talk about my sex life at work. But I want to talk about the topic that is dearest to my heart at the moment. Gee that is a tough one. I guess I'll just play it by ear, whatever happens will happen.

Anyway I think I will end this long and deep-inside-the-inner-psyche-of-Christy post by telling you who means a lot to me. The people I love are my immediate family - Jamie and Mark. They make my world worth living. Mum, Dad, Jo, Mark and Sheena, I adore you all, you are the people who keep me sane to deal with those who make my world worth living. My in-law family of Marg, Frank, Connie and Paul, they are just marvellous and I love them so much.

Thank you to those who made it to the end of this dramatic post - I'm off to bed - again.

xx Christy xx

Sewing.

Well today will be filled with little pins and thread and annoying little pockets. All for a good cause - Mark's car display hanger. I will take a photo when its done - that will be today. It will.

Fun!

Don't tell Jamie I put this photo on here ok. It'll be out secret. Oh those of you with dirty minds, Jamie just came home from cricket, he was all sweaty so had a shower, he only put on some shorts.
He is trying to get sound to work on a computer he is working on - hence the rediculous headphones. Never the less, a very good photo of us!! I'm loving the look of my lips.

For some very strange reason I'm loving taking self portraits at the moment.. I seem to go to far up and look weird or have a shocking double chin.. but I'm working on my technique.

2007 - Part Two

I forgot to finish this post.. oops.

• We went back up the farm for another week. It was good, went shopping in Shepparton with Margie and Mark. Found the most wonderful scrapbook shop called Circle of Friends. It was beautiful, very well laid out and I loved it.
• Visited one of Jamie's old school friends Danny, his wife Melinda and their 2.5 kids. We saw them last just after they got married. Nice to see Jamie with someone from his childhood, they still got along good and Mel and I did as well. Mark, of couse, had a ball with their kids and their toys.
• Had a BBQ with the extended family.
• Then we left for the drive back to Newcastle. We stopped at friends from Ansett days - Drew and Kelly - for the night to break up the trip. They had a brand new puppy only about 10 weeks old, and it was so cute. Annoyed the heck out of Charlie because of its puppy antics, wanting to play and jump. Our dogs were very well behaved. Had a nice dinner, very hot in Wagga Wagga, so Kelly and I retreated to her bedroom where the airconditioner was on!! The boys played on the computer I think! I went to bed in Kelly's son's bed - he was visiting his dad. Don't know where Jamie slept.
• Left once again the following morning, and we got home about 1pm. Jamie went to play cricket, I did some grocery shopping.

Well blog readers aren't you glad I caught you up on my very exciting life.

Dag Central

Yes that is me. My little sister forced me into changing the name of my blog (more of a comment, but I've taken it as a request) so not its me and the battle against the computer.... I spend too much time on here. I love emails and email chat. That is little conversations that take all day cos you only email one line at a time. My days off are taken up by talking to Connie or another friend by means of "Hi Connie.. how's work?" Ten minutes later "Good Christy... and you?" Well there is a bit more detail but its far too exciting to mention on here. So its a battle against emails, a battle against blog surfing, a battle against stopping myself from going to Blue Bazaar. I really need to get a life, get some work done around the house, get some scrapping done, Jo from work's wedding album is coming along nicely but I'm still trying to complete the Everyday Moments Competition from the For Keeps magazine. I've done one page today and I stuck two photos down, put one embellishment of a circle chipboard thingie and well its kinda finished, I don't know what else to do???? I'm so stuck these days. My LOs are so simple and I don't like them. I need to have more faith in myself. Jamie thinks I'm a great scrapbooker with good ideas (or he may be fobbing me off) and that I need to trust myself more. Maybe what needs to happen is going back to the 12x12 size. I think that suits me better. Well thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Tennis and other things.

Hi,
Its 5.40am and I'm up. I think my medication is causing dreams - at least they have stopped being nightmares.
We stayed up to 11.30pm last night watching the tennis, thought Lleyton had lost (like all the other suckers) but after dropping the first two sets, he won the next 3. All done on a 35 degree night. Those boys were dripping with sweat. Our commentary was funny I thought - we were expecting him to pull out an injury if he got close to losing. Maybe Bec Hewitt had him over a barrell and he had to be home by 10.30 to feed Mia! But she was in the crowd and in the heat - Bec not Mia. Anyway I don't really like tennis but for the past 4 years have gotten really caught up with the Aussie Open.

I watched the Red Carpet Special for the Golden Globes. Who did I like?

• Well... Ellen Pompeii from Grey's didn't look so deer like, liked the dress.
  
• Beyonce looked absolutely amazing - there was a lot a double sided tape happening with that dress and her dark skin is so gorgeous.
  
• Bradegelina was a bit weird to actually see them - Brad spoke she looked like she had a pole stuck up her butt!
  
• Donald Trump had another woman with a pole, supposedly his wife she looked my age but plastic.

Oooh I've got my bitchy typing hands on this morning. Anyway Jamie doesn't like it when I channel surf, so didn't get to watch too much of the GG's, just as well. It is trash.

Had two days back at work, well at the clinic. All has gone really well, I can still put the NGs down (just as well as its the most important part of my job). I'm on morning shift today and tomorrow, which should be good. No idea who I'm working with - it will be apart of my surprise. Its nice to home of an evening.

Something that makes me happier!!!

Jamie is mopping and scrubbing the floor!

Things that make me happy.

I was reading Elsie Flannagan's blog (which I happen to do quite a bit - she's so gorgeous) and she put out the *challenge* to show the world what makes you happy. I didn't think of it as a challenge, and reading it again, she didn't call it a challege, but what the hey. It was great to go around my house and and look for stuff that makes me happy. Looking at the memory card on my camera and I realise that Mark makes me happy. There were 13 photos of him taken in 2 days - I know to some scrapbookers that is chicken feed, but I'm not the photographer I want to be yet.

So lets start

1. Sheena smiling is so amazing and makes everyone very happy.
2. My new pink scrapbooking chair. I love it.
3. My big plasma tv - very happy to have this when watching Grey's Anatomy, Prison Break, CSI
4. The frivoulous - Coke Zero YUMMMM
5. This frangipangi that is in MY front yard!!! I can't believe that I could have something as beautiful as that in my space. There was an even more beautiful pink one yesterday, but there was no batteries in my camera.
6. The blue Commodore - its finally almost finished. Think it will as finished as it will ever be and I'm really happy with the way it looks.
7. Dad in a daggy floppy hat.
8. Jamie driving me across the country. Means holidays and sitting next to the man I love.
9. Mum (what else can I say - sorry about the photo mum!)
10. Mark with one of our dogs. He looks so happy.

Oh and I need to tell you that I hate BLOGGER. I spent ages looking at the preview and placing all of my comments next to the photos, because it showed me in preview that it would place the photos single file one below the next. But noooo they are two to a line. But I forgot this is a happy post. So thank you Blogger that I am able to share some things that make me happy with the people out there in blog land.

Tuesday morning.

Starting out good... made Jamie's lunch for him to take in his new lunchbox - I hope the boys don't tease him.
Weight is stable, not going down like I'd like it to.
Our guest room looks like a guest room (except for the motorbike farings that are resting on the bed) again and I love it - no laundry to set foot in that room ever again!!!
I got myself a new pink chair for my scrap room and some pink plastic buckets for storage, and I actually scrapped last night, did 3 pages of my commissioned work, its REALLY hard to scrap other people's photos much harder than I had imagined. But they look lovely so far *according to me*.
Mine and Jamie's clothes are all sorted, I have a large bag for the Salvos and an even bigger one for the bin, my beloved green towel has finally bitten the dust :(
Today I am working on the kitchen.
Today I should be having lunch with the fabulous Kathryn which I am very excited about.