A2Z DT

I've been working on my box of goodies from A2Z, and although some of them are a secret, this is one I particularly like. The photo is SO old, Sebi was still at kindy!! But I've always loved it, so I was really pleased with the end result. The papers are BG periphery, mellow and stella ruby....oldies but goodies.

Dear Dad

Once again it's August 28th, and another year has passed. It's now seven years since my dad passed away. I still miss him, but more than that I miss the fact that he didn't really get the opportunity to know the boys. I know he would have been so proud of them, he always spoke about "my grandsons" with such pride in his voice, even when illness prevented him from interacting with them. We think about you often, dad. We remember you, and we love you. xox

Mornings with Gryff

I've been a bit solitary lately...by choice really, with everything that's been going on I'm not good company, so I've been spending my mornings in my domain, getting a little work done and being alone. Almost. Apart from Gryff. Gryffindor is DS#1's cat, and he is also the solitary type....not into affectionate displays or random purring. He was in the pet shop for almost 4 months in a cage by himself before he came to live at Planet Hartwell, and it left a definate kink in his psyche. He does, however, have a "thing" for my scraproom, and tends to push open the connecting window from the granny flat and parade around on my desk, typing strange messages on my laptop and eating my ribbons. In the hopes of curbing his disrespect of my space, I sacrificed valuable real estate and installed a cat bed on my desk, beside the window, expecting it to be sniffed and ignored, in typical Gryffindor fashion. Much to my surprise, he has made it his own, and we spend our mornings together being mutually exclusive, doing our own things. He's great company. He's quiet, inoffensive and doesn't complain about my choice of music. Everyone in life should be so easy to get along with....

Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,
and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul

Introducing....

The latest residents to join the zoo at Planet Hartwell. The blonde is King and the brunette is Striker. And yes, they're rats. The boys finally wore down my resistance to the point where I would happily have purchased a giant squid or a snot flicking lemur in order to keep them quiet. Fortunately, neither was available at Pet City, so $150 later we arrived home with the aforementioned rodents and a penthouse for them to live in. Needless to say, the boys are thrilled, and I am SLOWLY getting used to them, although the whole walking round with them perching on your shoulder thing leaves me a bit cold. Polly wanna cheesestick???

Friday on my mind

I LOVE Fridays...the best part of my week!! Friday afternoon/evening is open house for the kids....we do pizza and ribs and generally have a houseful of the boys and their mates. Nobody mentions homework, everybody kicks back and a good time is had by all. I seriously need a weeks worth of Fridays ATM to make up for the totally crappy rest-of-the-week I just had. I had an interview with the District Office of EDQ and if they do everything they promised I'll be a happy camper (gobsmacked, but happy). I'm putting it in the wait-and-see box for the moment. Sebi's last soccer game is tomorow, and Kit has a Concert Band performance on Sunday, as well as it being Zac's Birthday. Time isn't just flying, it's disappearing while I watch!!
Happy Friday everyone!!

Back into Battle

As I'm writing this, I can hear Sebi upstairs watching Lord of the Rings.....he only does the battles, lol. Anything resembling meaningful dialogue and he hits the skip button. I, on the other hand would rather sit down and talk through issues in a reasonable manner. But as there are no reasonable people to deal with in this particular situation, I am forced into battle mode again. I think this is partly why I am SO tired. And definately why I am not my usual sweet natured self. I am SO OVER having to fight for everything. Anyone would thing I was asking for the moon. (Which I could probably have, providing I filled out the right forms!!) All I want is a level playing field for my son. Every child has the right to education, including those with special needs, and every child has the right to feel safe at school. Now all I have to do is explain that to the education department.
Where's my tank??

Not happy Jan

Today I am down. It's partly the cold that I've had forever and CANNOT shift, and it's partly winter (SO over it) but it's mostly that once again I have reached the bottom of the tank. I'm dry folks...got nothing left to give. I'm trying to keep it all on track, but what I really need is a few days somewhere warm and quiet....either a tropical island or back in the womb, lol. I'm counting the days till we go camping in September, but if I don't post here for a few days, I'm probably out hitchhiking my way to Bali.

Isn't he lovely??

I don't post a lot of pix of fave husband because he doesn't come out much in daylight........now you know why.

Return of the Demon Queen.

Once again I am squaring off with the education department. I must have a trail of monumentally bad Karma following me around....for every great thing that happens, I have to deal with a truckload of crap. I know, it's not really bumper sticker material. Do I care???? Not a whole lot. I have decided to switch my approach from "I can see your point" to "Sort it or I'll sue". Don't ever get on my dark side, peeps....it's not pretty.

Tooting my Horn!!

Yay for me....I got invited to join the A2Z Scraplets design team, which I'm totally stoked about, since they're all about chipboard....only my FAVE thing in the entire scrapbooking universe, lol. You can check out their stuff here. I actually know Julie from way back in time, and they have a great range of alphas, flourishes and other goodies, so I'm looking forward to producing some kick ass chippie layouts in the near future!! Watch this space!!

Happy Birthday Number 1

Yes, it's finally here....DS#1 is officially teenaged !! We started the day with a lesiurely stroll to the top of the STORY BRIDGE, courtesy of Mary, Rachel Stephanie and Jeff (thanks guys)....I was a little nervous about the whole thing (read as "packing death") but Kit loved it...and we picked the perfect day, 'cos the view was INCREDIBLE... we could see as far as Mt Warning in NSW.
The nicest part was that we reached the summit at 9.20 am, which is the time Kit was born, exactly 13 years earlier. It's a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend it, but not for those of you with a fear of heights. Regardless of how much harness they attach, it's mighty high up there!! Then we came home and I had a bit of a "kiss the tarmac" moment in the driveway, and Kit got his other prezzies.
He is now the proud owner of a tv/dvd which had to be mounted on the wall at ceiling height because Kit has one of those high altitude loft beds that give you nosebleeds while you sleep. I hate it, cos it's SO close to the ceiling I feel claustrophobic, but he seems to thrive on it. Go figure. He also got the latest pokemon guide from Sebi and he's going bowling with the rest of the poke-posse tonite. Tomorrow is a bit of a family gathering and then we all get to relax until Sebi's birthday.
He wants a bazooka.

Just call me Princess...

Noice look Kimmoi !!

This is the before shot....there may not be an after shot, depending on how bad I look later. My fave hubby and the peeps I like most are out tonite to celebrate the end of my reign as a supreme thirtysomething.
Kit has made me PROMISE never to wear this T shirt when we're out together....ahh, teenage embarrassment, how soon we forget!! I got it in the kids department of Target and I think it's cute. Kit thinks it's cute too...."if you're Katie".
Why should five year olds have all the fun?? Let the good times roll.....