If I ruled the world....

This is the man I would put in charge of the armoury.

Geof from Charm City Cakes. He's the most laid back person I've ever seen who still retains a pulse. Love him!!

KjirstenDS/ Goodies

Yes indeed, microchip peeps....I'm officially crashing and burning what's left of my hard drive on two screens simultaneously!!! FF finally made good on his promise two install my long awaited second monitor, and this is the result....

Impressive, no?? Shades of NASA live from downtown southside Briz. It's actually brilliant for editing, 'cos I edit like I cook....windows open from one end of the screen to the other, fifty different layers going at any given time, and I can never find what the damn picture originally looked like at the crucial moment. Now I can lock the original on the second screen and attack any subsequent copies with a virtual chainsaw....love it!! I'm a lot into virtual ATM....my latest stocking filler is slightly less than really here, but I love him all the same...

Henry Mallett is definately someone who would have graced my teenage walls, along with Adam Ant and U2. MMMMmmm, feel that bad-boy eighties vibe. He's so fine!!
Love me a dead rock idol.

Canvas Art

One of the shots from our fishing expedition to Redcliffe....

Return to H.B.C.

Yes, I will admit to being just a little gobsmacked myself!! After little or no time or enthusiasm for scrapping or even photography (!!) I have forced my way back into H.B.C. (Heaving Brothel Central) and scrapped. Two layouts in two days, can you believe it?? So, here we are....this is the shot of the kids at Fingal Head last week during one of the rare fine spells in the evenings. Not the best shot of the layout as it's already in a frame, and I don't do well with glass reflection...but you get the idea.

And one of firstborn and FF....the first shot that officially shows Kit is taller than his dad. You can't actually see it but FF is every so slightly on his toes in this shot, lol. Fifteen and one month, sigh. Mind you, he's been taller than me since he was 12, so I don't know what FF is moaning about, heehee.

We took the boys fishing at Redcliffe this morning with Melissa and Glen and their boys, which ended in some impromtu swimming (sans togs) for the boys, and more photo opportunities for me. Hoping to get some more scrapping done while FF is on holidays this week, as he has PROMISED to install my dual screens so that I can edit without going blind, but I'm not holding my breath. FF's track record in this particular instance is not good, so it's in the "wait and see" pile ATM.
Off to watch "Spirited" before the Tribe come in and kamikazi the remote. Later xo

Back from Beyond.

and yes it was wet, thanks for asking. Although it cleared up occasionally so I got some nice sunrise shots....

plus some of the kids, this one being my favourite....


It got a little crowded with nine of us in the camper trailer, but the kids had a ball and there was plenty of vodka to numb the pain for the adults. Ahh, good times!!

Over the Border

to Fingal. We're hoping for good weather, but are prepared for bad. Apparantly the surf is excellent this weekend 'cos they've put out warnings as the beach patrols don't start in NSW for another week. We've just got to load the last few things in the trailer and then hit the road. See you in a week!!

Rain on my roof.

and I like it very much. I would like it even better if I didn't have to go out and play 'Dodge the Prado' at 2 o clock, but I guess everything has a downside, no?? Feeling a little better after my second doctors appointment yesterday....she managed to get the rest of the concrete out of my ears, and man does it make a difference!!
I can actually hear said rain on the roof, instead of having to walk outside into a damp surprise 'cos my lobes were down to 20% and fading fast. I had no idea how bad my hearing actually was till I got it back, lol. Heard (with both ears!!) from Luisa this morning, my Pazzles is winging its way North even as I type. Seriously looking forward to playing with my new toy over the holidays!! Those of you who drive down Colwyn Street on a weekday afternoon will no doubt have seen me sporting the latest in Magpie Repellant Clothing, as the little psychos are in full nesting mode and cranky with it. Does a bucket on the head work?? No, it just makes them more determined to give me a DIY lobotomy. Does a bucket on the head entertain the preps and stop them worrying about impending doom swooping from the power lines?? Absolutely. I'm not the most dignified person even on a good day, so the whole bucket on the head deal doesn't really bother me....plus I have closet bushranger tendancies, so it's kind of a win-win deal. Just ask the preps.

Counting down

till we leave for Fingal. FF in particular is living minute by minute, 'cos the two weeks in September are his "big" holiday for the year. We took him to BCF on Fathers Day and bought him much expensive foldy-type camping stuff, so he was very happy. I have my doubts that he was thinking about himself when he chose the washing up stand, but at least it goes with the camping clothline I got for the last trip. The boys, of course can't wait, especially since Melissa and Glen and the kids are coming with us, which makes for twice as many adults to cajole into pre 5am surfing and post 7pm fishing. Yeah. Good luck with that. On a completely different note, I am pleased (and slightly stunned) to report that Firstborn came home with a B on his maths exam. Which means that he gets to stay in his chosen strand for Senior and I don't have to try and pretend that I understand what it's all about. I'm currently on reasonable terms with the Husqvarna, which is just as well as Kit's quilt needs some major surgery before camping. I don't know what he does with it, (nor do I want to) but every third seam is in need of repair. Destined for a good life, not a long one, lol. FF managed to find a totally brilliant copy of a very recent movie online, so I'm off to make the most of my alone time before the boys come back from kicking and screaming @ Tae Kwon Do.

Fathers Day

Today is the day to look at the men in your life and appreciate them. Fathers, brothers, sons and mates. They drive you mad, they have strange obsessions with engines and dead fish, they don't listen, they won't ask for directions and they can't admit they're wrong. But they love and nurture us, they catch cockroaches and spiders, unclog drains and fix the mixer. Even if they were the ones to break it in the first place. And they raise their sons to do the same. With one teenage boy in the house and another getting there fast, FF is now the go-to guy, rather than yours truly, who is fast becoming a member of the opposing tribe. It was bound to happen at some stage, and all I can do is be thankful that my boys have a strong role model to guide them through the start of their manhood. While I sit and watch. With pride and joy. Happy Fathers Day everyone.

Random

Spent the morning communing with the Gods of TAFE and have managed to get firstborn on the list for the Companion Animal Certificate starting next year. Now I just have to rob a bank to pay for it.
Managed to get the red marks out of Firstborn's fave tshirt, although it's now cream instead of grey. If I was trying to turn it cream on purpose it wouldn't have worked half as well. I'm awarding myself bonus points for simultaneously bleaching the inside of the washing machine to a shade of white guarantted to detach your retinas at fifty paces.
Entered a photo competition with this shot of Second Son.



They're looking for heartwarming shots that make you smile. Hmmmm. Although second son can be moderately heartwarming when he puts his mind to it, this is pretty much the standard look for himself at the moment. The prize is an education fund which I'm sure will come in handy when he takes Advanced Lock Picking at whichever government secured institution he ends up doing 1-5 years at. I jest, people. Seriously. He hasn't got nearly enough hand eye co-ordination to pick locks. Wholescale demolition is much more in his line of expertise. So, we wait and see. Unfortunately it's not a "vote for me" situation, or I would be shamelessly grovelling even as I type.
Soccer season has finished, which means I get my sidekick back on Thursday nights. Parenting is all very well but it can seriously cramp your social life at times. Between band practice, tae kwon do, soccer, drum lessons, two husbands and 5 kids, Melissa and I haven't had a night out in about three months. So tonight we start making up for lost time.
I have now been befriended by more highschoolers on Facebook than any other parent in the universe. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.
The mother of all mothers has a fortnight to go before she is officially deplastered and allowed to walk. She's cooking up a wicked case of cabin fever, and it's getting very hard to stop her from trying to vaccuum/cook/wash/herd cats from her wheelchair. I have warned her that if she breaks a hip falling out of the damn thing while trying to paint the ceiling, I'm driving her to the nearest nursing home and leaving her there. One broken bone per year is my limit.
Anyone who knows how to get red hair dye out of a light brown towel can leave me a message here. That is all.

Danger Woman.

So far today I've managed to turn a load of white laundry pink courtesy of one of Kit's red t shirts, which was hiding in the ottom of the basket. After which I attempted to soak the red out, forgot to turn the taps off in the laundry and returned from drum lessons with Seb to find my studio two inches deep in water. And yes, I know it can always get worse. I just really really don't want it to. I'm a total menace to society when I'm tired. God only knows what's gonna happen next. I'm gonna keep well away from sharp objects, fire and heavy machinery until I get some zz's. I want to rest in peace, not in pieces.

Tanked

This morning I hit the wall. After two trips away in a month, home nursing mum, dealing with all the associated crap that comes with two kids at school, I have run dry. I'm mentally drained and physically knackered. I'm doing the treadmill of housework/schoolwork/after school activities/ and I feel like I'm slowly being screwed into the ground. I really need to pick up the slack and get myself in gear, but the motovation is long gone. Hopefully if I can carry everyone through the next two weeks I'll get time to recharge while we go camping. It just seems a long, long, long way away.