Merry Christmas, little Jellyfish and all that....

Well another Christmas over and done with for another year. We had a very unusual and quiet Christmas. Still very stressful leading up to it as my 520L 2 year old fridge decided to stop working properly so we had to try and work around that.

Christmas eve Darian , the kids and I went to Tanya and Brads for a visit. Tanya is my oldest friend, we met when we were 8 and she is the kind of friend that it doesn't matter how much time has past we can still sit down and have a chat.

We took the kids to see the Christmas lights, there is a street in Connolly that every single house is done up. We had to park a block away and walk as there were so many people. It was amazing. We got home put the kids to bed and the power went out....and it was hot, so here is us trying to get presents out in the dark and because it was so still and quiet all the musical toys were SO loud...

Christmas morning the kids woke us up at a decent hour...7.30am they were busy showing us what Santa had given them in their stockings and such. The Precious clan and Miss arrived at about 10.30 for brekkie (very basic, croissants, pancakes and fruit kebabs) and then we opened all the presents . this year the adults had a secret Santa and I got a dusk candle and Darian got some Boerewors (South African sausage).

We passed on Christmas lunch and tried to have a nana nap in the arvo...yeah right.

The girls dad came and picked them up at 3.30pm and then Jen, Darian, Matthew and I went to the Precious house for a swim/BBQ...where we ate Boerewors and lots of other yummy stuff.

Well I had a fantastic weekend.
Darian was away at Kalgoorlie for the week for work and I missed him terribly. Friday night we had his work Christmas party so I dropped the girls off at their dads and came home to get ready. Aunty Jenni spent the day at the WACA watching the Ashes and came home early so that she could baby sit Matthew for me.
The Christmas party was at a little restaurant in Fremantle (cant remember the name) so in semi peak hour traffic it took us an hour to get down there. We were on time and had a nice meal and night.

Saturday we had a lazy day at home in the air con (36 outside) watching Australia whip England's butt in the cricket.

Sunday we went and collected Darian's daughter Megan so he could spend some time with her before she heads off to South Africa for Christmas. The girls came home and Darian and I put up the Christmas lights outside.
We all went to Heathridge park for carols by candlelight and fireworks...all the kids were great, Matthew was a little scared of the noise but wanted to watch anyway.. we took Megan home and the kids saw some houses done up with Christmas lights on the way...very happy children.

So today I braved the shops and picked up a few layby's for Christmas, I have never been this disorganized before but you get that and all I need to do is pick up a few more things for the kids and I am done...another year out of the way...

Wednesday.....another day.....

Another day.....We are settling into the ho hum of school holidays nicely. Which means I am counting down the days till school starts again...the girls are driving me crazy!!!! But to be honest I wouldn't have it any other way...they are with me and they are happy and safe...

Apart from listening to the girls bicker I haven't been doing much.

I need a trestle table to set up my scrapping stuff so i can start to scrap...it has been soooooo long and I miss it soooo much. I haven't even been into a scrapping shop since I have been back to Perth!!!!!

But sitting in my rocking chair today reading another Anita Blake novel (vampire executioner) I realised that I am happy and content with my life and that thing that I have been roaming the country for, I have found it. I no longer have itchy feet or feel the need to move again (though I am going to have to as this is a rental)

For the first time that I can remember I have stopped searching....

I just thought I would share as those who really know me would realise that this a big thing....

Back to real life

We have moved into our new house, the furniture arrived safe and I am almost unpacked.
The only major glitch is that I am unable to get broadband. We are in a broadband area but it seems that the phone line is shared or something and that it will cost me to free it to use it for broadband and since this is only a rental...They can forget it...So it is back to dial up. I am borrowing Darian's modem and account for the time being as he is in Kalgoolie for work this week...
The girls have finished school and are happy to be here.
They are settling into the routine of seeing their father every second weekend.
I have been seeing a lot of Darian and things are fantastic.
Life is good, things are great

The Robbie concert

I know I said that I would post the day after Robbie but things got hectic as usual....

All I can say is that Robbie was fan-bloody-tastic....
I got the kids to the respective babysitters and was on the train heading to Robbie at about 6pm, the train was full of Robbie goers and the ride when smooth. I found Jen and Miss very easily. I ate some dinner and we sat waiting. We were so far away....I would have loved to been able to get into the mosh pit but these were the only seats available and hey we were there so there is no way to complain...

The concert was unbelievable...He played all the best songs (apart from better man :(.....And yes he is as hot in real life....

I sang and screamed my self hoarse (we were surrounded by dead people who just sat there) but we danced, screamed and sang and had the best time

We got home at about midnight .......Great night....

Tonight is Robbie

I am sooooo excited, tonight is the night we go see Robbie..... A bit more about that later.

Tuesday night Darian took me for coffee to meet some of his friends (the closest thing to family he has in Australia) they are from South Africa as well. They are really nice people but I had to really try and contain myself and not laugh because most of the time I had no idea what they were saying due to their accents and that once they all started talking together they seemed to get faster and faster....A you had to be there kind of moment. But it was good.

Last night we took the kids to Sizzler for dinner as a combined birthday thing for Jacquie and myself, we all ate our selves silly but the kids had a great time.

Today I am stressed...We have an award ceremony to go to at the school and then Jen and Miss are heading on down to Subi to line up for the concert. I am dropping Matthew off at his grandma's at 4 but cant drop the girls off until 5.30 at their dads. I then have to get the train down to subi and then TRY and get in the gates before Robbie starts...I might not get in (even though we have reserved seats) I don't mind going down alone but I am worried about not meeting up with them....Going home alone bothers me....I am hoping there will be a huge police presence around.
But I am going to think positive and we are going to have a fantastic time......

Will write tomorrow and tell you how bloody fantastic it was

Happy Birthday to me

Yesterday was my birthday and I am happy to say that it was one of the best birthdays I have had in years. I had lunch with my 2 sisters and Darian took me to dinner last night, not before Jenni nearly slicing off her finger while chopping onions for dinner (trip to emergency, glue, steri strips and a tetanus shot)

My lounge suite was delivered this morning, it seems to take up the whole lounge.....LOL...

Tonight Talia is going bowling with the girl guides tonight and then I am off to meet Darians adopted family here is Aus. He has no real family here so they are as good as.

Tomorrow night the family are all going out to dinner to celebrate both mine and Jacquies birthdays as we are going to Robbie on hers....

And then finally the night is here.....Robbie.......

Will catch up when i can...

Life is beautiful

Things have been sooo busy here. The days seem to go too fast. The kids have settled into school beautifully so I have decided not to move them next year. Its not a huge drive and there don't seem to be many good quality schools in the area I will be renting.
The girls spent the past weekend with their dad and they seem to be settling in with the routine.
They are looking forward to moving into our house, I sign for the keys this Friday but the furniture wont be here until the 4th December.

However my new lounge will be delivered next week, a Christmas present from a very special person. Things are going very well on that front. He is such a special person and I feel very lucky to have met him.

Well I better go and clean up a bit, 10 people in a house can make some mess let me tell you

We have a sick house

Well it seems everyone in the house has either had or coming down with gastro. I have 5 kids home today and I myself not feeling the best.
My car arrived yesterday and I received a phone call from the realestate agent saying that I have the rental house I applied for...4 bed 2 bath in Quinns Rocks....

Heaps more has happened but at the moment things are a bit fuzzy

I went and picked up Miss from the airport on Sat and Miss, Darian and I took all 6 kids down to Hillarys for the afternoon to play...I met his daughter, she is sweet and all the kids get on really well

I forgot to mention that we took the kids to the world festival of magic on Friday night...It was a late one but everyone had a good time.

So I am going to go lie down while there is calm in the house

A week past already....

We have been here a week already, the girls are settling into school which is a huge relief. I knew that Talia was very apprehensive about a new school as she has been prone to bullying but she is coming home a happy girl which makes me a happy mummy. Eloise is out of bed and dressed straight into her uniform which speaks for it self...So on the school front all is good. I would love to keep them in this school next year but it all depends on where we manage to get a rental.

I have been looking at a few houses and have applied for one...I will know if I have been successful within 48 hours...I hope so. It s not a big house, 4 x 2 but it has a good feel about it. Rentals are as scarce as hens teeth and its only going to get worse.

VIP car removals rang yesterday to let me know that our cars have arrived in Perth early and will be delivered later this week. I am borrowing a friends car at the moment.

Speaking of that person I know some of you stickybeaks are dying to know about our date Friday night... I am happy to say that it went really well and that we are spending more time together. The girls spent the weekend with their dad so Darian took Matthew and I out for the day on Sat we went and had a look at a few rentals and to see how far north the urban sprawl went and then drove down to Freo. We ended up at Kings park lookout ( wow Perth has changed)
He has a very kind soul and I feel lucky to have met him...Things are only early days but it feels right. He has a 4 year old daughter that he sees every second weekend and I will be meeting her on Friday as we are all going to the magic show in Perth.

So I am happy and my life is good...Hope everyone else is good too

I have been badgered to update

Well where shall I start....hmm I might update over a few days as so much has happened.
Well at the end of the time in Vic came around very quick, the girls had their last day of school on Tuesday and they were a little sad to go. Which is understandable but were very excited about the plane flight and all. I managed to get them all into bed at a reasonable time.
Wed morn was an early start, I got up at 3.45 am so that I could get Molly in the cat carrier before she had the chance to escape outside. Miss found her asleep in Matthews room so she was put in the carrier before she knew what hit her. The rest of the kids awoke and we were packed and ready to go .....The trip down to Melb was interesting. Molly didn't cope to well with the car trip and i had to sedate her a half way.
We got to the airport with time to spare and we got all the bags etc checked in and by the time we walked up to the the departure lounge it was time to go....I had given Matthew some medicine to help with the plane trip as I wasn't sure how he would go with the noise and sitting still for 4 hours...

Well I needn't have worried as per usual he was a little angel, we managed to get onto a 747 and there were lots of seats spare so we could spread out a bit. The girls were happy as they had movies to watch. The trip went quick and easy I even managed to watch most of The lake house.
we landed and we met Avril ( my BIL mother) as she kindly offered to pick us up. We grabbed our bags and collected a very upset but drugged cat and headed off to the vet to drop her off.
It was so good to be back in WA, the air smells better and feels different. Perth has changed soo much since the 6 years that I left.
We dropped Molly off at the vet and drove to Jacquies house, Jac was at work so the kids and I had some quiet time. After lunch jac come home and we walked up to the school so that the kids could finally see each other and My girls could see the school and met the teachers before going the next day.
We have 6 very excited and happy kids in the house...All is well....

Time is flying

I expected the days to drag but they seem to be flying....A lot has been happening. Jen is spending most of her time down in Geelong looking for a house for Dave, Miss is at work and I am just busy tying up loose ends. I have finally finished packing and got a final quote of $3030....
The cars leave this coming Monday or Tuesday and then the kids and I leave Wed morn....

The kids have there last day of School on Tuesday and start at their new school on Thursday...

Sat we are seeing Bec to say goodbye and then some friends on Sunday.

I took Oscar the cat back to the vet yesterday so that his stitches could be removed and I was a little concerned as the stitches were broken again, I was exciting more surgery and if that was the case I was going to have him put to sleep...He doesn't have much more tail to remove. But the vet is optimistic, he said there was no point in doing another surgery but he is confident with time it will heal (it doesn't help that the dogs and himself keep licking it)...So he is on more antibiotics and time....

only have 8 days till we fly.....

A very happy mummy

Today has been a very busy, Talia had her excursion to Bendigo and Jen and I drove to Echuca to buy some packing boxes for Jen to start packing...
we also went to Rochy as a friend was holding a kids clothing party...I bought matthew some bathers and Eloise a dress for Xmas...

I also re booked the girls plane tickets so the kids and I will be flying to perht on the 1st Nov...i am so happy.

So a good end to a very hot and windy day....welcome summer....

The FINAL countdown

Can you believe plans have changed again.....
Well Matthew and I are flying out to Perth on the 1st of Nov...The girls were going to stay however situation has changed and I will be changing their flight details on Friday so we all fly together...
So the new countdown is 21 days...... 3 WEEKS

I feel as though I have a constant stress headache

I also took Talia to the dentist today and she needs to go back next week for some work and an OPG....( full mouth xray).....

Fun and games again

The house is back to a war zone again....Fun...Miss is not talking to Jen and she is storming around the house saying that she wants to leave now....
And I am stuck in the middle again...
But before the house became a war zone I was thinking things through and came up with an idea..
Matthew and I are going to leave 2 weeks early (approx 12 Nov) the girls will stay with Jen and finish school. This would mean that we would not have to get a hire car at both ends of the plane trip and I can find and apply for houses so that when everyone else gets there we wont be too much of a burden for Jac and Steve...5 adults and 6 kids in one house is asking to much of anyone, especially the way this one feels at the moment. If I waited until the 26 I am not sure how long all of us would have to stay....

It also gets me out of here 2 weeks early...

So I just have to check with Jac to make sure that this would be ok and re book the flights...

A good day

Well Oscar is now back home and looking very silly. The vet said that when she shaved around the tail she could see the bruising from the trauma…which should heal over time and I walked away with only having to pay $157…I was pleased about that…

I went home and received the quote for the car transport, I was dreading it as I was sure it was going to go up and we should have taken the quote we got in August. Well the quote came in at $1236.90 per car…I am very happy with that…It’s almost $100 cheaper than the last quote. So I rang them back up and booked the cars in…They will be leaving at the end of Oct as we need the cars for when we get to Perth on the 26th. So that’s only 4 weeks away, and then we are down to one car for 3 weeks…. Talk about tactical nightmare…It will all sort it self out….

So yesterday was good…things are getting there, now I just need the countdown to go quicker….

Update....

Well what a few days it has been,
Kids are back at school and they are mighty happy, so is Mummy.
Got the final quote for the removals and nearly fell over!....My stuff alone is $3000 and all I am taking is My bed, the bunks, Matthews cot, fridge, washing machine, dryer, air conditioner, rocking chair and boxes….They have worked on 22 m3…I am hoping it wont go over that with the last few boxes I have to pack. Thankfully I budgeted on $3000 and not my original quote of $2000. We just happen to moving at the most expensive time of year to the most expensive place…..

So today I need to get a quote for the cars and book that as well…I just hope that quote hasn’t gone up as well!

These are just some small glitches before we go. I am sure that there will be many more before we finally get the plane.
The other thing is that Oscar the cat come in a few days ago looking like he had been in another cat fight, all his face was scratched he was walking very stiffly. I kept an eye on him over the next few days as he is prone to abscesses. He slowly got better but noticed that he would growl if you touched him or if he had to jump up or down…I was a bit worried but thought I would watch him as he was getting better and no sign of any abscesses.
Yesterday I rang the vet as even though he is much better he is still in pain around the hips and he has lost all feeling and function of his tail…it just hangs limp and drags on the ground. I thought that he may have been hit by a car instead and has a spinal injury (not severe as he was still able to walk) so off to the vet and she checked him over.
He has severed his spinal column at the base of his tail and has no feeling what so ever, so the plan is to amputate the tail so that it won’t get caught in the future as he is now unaware that it is there. She also thinks that he has a slight fracture in the pelvis and that time will heal that. So he spent the night at the vet last night and will be coming home today as a bob cat….
The kids are upset but I am sure that once he his home and back to his normal self they will be happy.

Ok now I know some of you are dying to know a bit more about my “friend” , I will call him D on here…Even if nothing happens between us once I get to Perth he has been an amazing pillar of strength. I don’t want to get my hopes up as then I am just settling myself up for disappointment but so far he seems like a very caring, sensible, understanding guy (can you tell he is not Australian born)…
So we are planning to have coffee when I get to Perth and then he is taking me to his work Christmas Party…

So that’s what’s been happening here for the last few days. Jen just told me that she wants to have a garage sale in the first week of Nov….more stress…….

A reason, A season or A lifetime?

Life is an amazing thing.....

I thought I was happy single and that I didnt need anyone is my life to complete me....Well part of me is right, I dont need anyone but it is mighty nice when you do...

I am not making much sense....Ok I will fess up....

A few months ago I joined yahoo singles so that Miss wouldnt mind that I joined her up so that she can meet a few people before she moved to Perth.....I really didnt expect anything of it.

I have met someone nice, well not in person as he lives in Perth, but we have been in phone contact.

And thats all I am going to say.....

School Horrordays are here!!!!

Wow can you believe that 3rd term is over and the holdiays are here....Well we only have 10 more weeks till we fly...This means that the kids only have 8 weeks of school left.
Last school holidays we took the kids to Sovereign Hill and we missed out on the carriage rides, Eloise was devastated and I promised her to return the following holidays and the first thing we would do was a carriage ride...

The girls have been looking forward to these school holidays for this reason. Unfortunately I received a phone call from Talia's teacher last week. She has been telling lies again at school, this time it was about her homework. I told him that I would talk to her again, so I have been thinking of a way to teacher her how serious lying is and that it breaks peoples trust and that is one of the hardest things to get back..
We sat down again and had a big talk and because I wanted her to realize the seriousness of lying I told her that she has to stay home when we go to Sovereign hill.

It was one of the hardest things I have done in a while, driving down the road away from my daughter who is in her room sobbing because we left her behind, but I knew that if I gave in that would be worse...She ended up having a nice day with aunty jenni anyway..

So Melissa, Eloise, Matthew and myself went to sovereign Hill, we all went on the carriage ride and we also went to the underground mine tour that we missed out on last time...

We all had a great time and when we got home Talia came out and gave me a huge huge and said that she missed us and that she was sorry..

A big surprise

Well for the last few weeks I have been hitching up my size 14 stretch jeans and boy has it been annoying, then the final straw came the other day when I went to put them on and one of my buttons had come off.....Off to the shop I go in search of some new button fly jeans....NONE......Well none that are not hipsters....Hello I have hips, I know I have hips so I don't need to show the rest of the world my muffin tops....

So I came home in my old and broken faithfuls.....

Today I had to go back to town to take back a size 14 top that is way to big...I thought what the hell, Matthew and I have all day I might as well try on some jeans...Not buttonfly but for $20 I can complain...

SIZE 12 fit like a glove......I am one happy little camper!!!

The scales show me as a porker...72 kg (bit of a slump at the moment) but my clothes tell me that the weight is coming off. I know who I believe more!...Everyone knows that scales lie....

P.S.....Our Robbbie T-shirts came today...we have tickets and now shirts for the concert......yipee