the end of another year

I know it`s been forever since i`ve ventured over ..I have shocked myself also..:)

Can you believe that we are at the end of another year already...I`m sure, no i`m positive the years are flying by faster or is it because i`m getting older???

This year we had a lovely 3 days of celebrating Christmas with family...That`s the trouble with having such a big family, trying to get everyone together at the same time so hence 3 days of cleaning preparation, cleaning and so on and so on....It all started Christmas eve and finished the day after Christmas....

Honestly speaking I was absolutely exhausted...After the final family get together I put myself to bed (early) and slept solidly for 12 hours and I NEVER do that....

Boy oh boy did I get spoilt this year by everyone, secretly it felt good...

Now we`re on the final stretch, one more family get together to see in the New Year...Something else which hubby and I for alot of years have never really worried about...Usually it`s stay at home , have a few drinks and nibblies wait till 12 then put ourselves to bed...Exciting stuff huh??..lol....

But not this year my friends....Pool party coming up at my sisters place and mind you we will be needing the pool...Just a mild 43 degrees here in Adelaide...Hottest New Years Eve in a century...

What a way to see in the New Year...

Well I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy and safe new year...

Wonder what 2011 will bring????

What life can dish us

It`s been a bit of a see saw week for emotions.

I ran into my half sister last week whom I haven`t seen for a couple of months now and she looked rather flustered,,,,

After the usual chit chat she hit me with her news....

She had stated that of late she has become very forgetful, and I said jokingly welcome to my world.....

My excuse is age what`s yours I said with a wry smile, as you see there is 20 years difference in our age....I`ve always seen myself more of a mother figure to her rather than a big sis....

After she had explained her symptons to her doctor she was referred to a specialist at the local hospital which is when I ran into her...

She has been diagnosed with a brain tumor...

Well you could have knocked me over with a feather....

It was like listening to the ailments of what my hubby has all over again as you see she has epilepsy also....Mind you only recently as 8 months ago she had her 3rd child and the delivery had complications where my sis had lost oxygen to the brain so hence the epilepsy....

So now she has had her CT scan and naturally the doctor has given her the worst case scenerio...

The tumor is sitting right on the brain stem which is pretty much in- opperable and with that they told her they give her 12 months.....

They have given her the option of trying radiotherapy to start with .....

Then the optimest steps in, me....

I explained to her that they said exactly the same thing to hubby, they gave him 8 months nearly 10 years ago and praise the lord he is still here with me to this day....

There is always hope and I said to her that you have alot to live for especially because of the fact you have 3 small girls who rely on you.....

She left with a postive outlook after we spoke and I hope that she feels the same way come the future....

What a storm

Wow, what a weekend we had with such extreme weather conditions....

It`s been many years since I have witnessed this...

It brought back childhood memories when walking home from school getting drenched and frozen to the bone....As soon as you walked into the door it was off with the clothes and into a nice hot bath to thaw out....

My youngest has never seen so much rain which we had in the last couple of days and he definitely couldn`t fathom the fact that I had to walk home from school.....My how much has changed...

I wonder is it safe to say we actually might be on the other side of the drought???...:)

Needless to say not much happened this weekend as one wasn`t game to venture too far from home....

But as always as quick as the storm front hit it is now quite a pleasant day so it`s outside to see what damage has taken place....

Lot`s of broken staues much to my dismay...

Oh well looks like an excuse to me to go out and buy myself some new ones....

I`m on a roll

My 18 year old daughter has had her L plates for nearly on a year now so she thought that she should start to get serious about learning to drive.."worst luck for me"

After much deliberation we came to a agreement to save my sanity that she go through a reputable driving school and let their drivers teach her the correct procedures, plus i`ll save money on hair dyes...:)

So far so good...5 lessons down and she is gaining confidence..

Now she wants me to start taking her out again, there goes my confidence.....

I have no doubt that she is a very good driver BUT!!!!!!...

On a different note I have been on a diet for well over 3 months now and surprisingly I am doing well...

Life in general was getting me down before we made the move to the new house and honestly I had let myself go....

I had to do something before all was lost....3 months on , two dress sizes smaller and nearly 20 kilos lighter i`m feeling pretty damn good...

Now I have more energy and a very positive attitude on life, I am starting to see more positives and when i`m happy we have a happy family....

All I need now is for the weather to warm up...

It`s been a bitterly cold and wet winter this year....

Plenty of rain for the little bit of garden I have managed to get going in between rain and hail...

Thankfully the next few days will be pleasant which means one thing for me, outside pulling weeds and visiting my favourite store Bunnings...

I really should have shares with that store...:)

A chance to blog (shock)..:)

I`ve found my way back here again..Time sure does pass you by!!!!

So much has been going on with my life of late there never seems to be enough hours in a day....

Now for a quick update since my last post....

The move went very smoothly....Very little in the breakage department and I had the house how I wanted it within a week...Inside that is, outside well that is still a work in progress....The weather hasn`t been very helpful in that department as it`s been bitterly cold and wet....But overall it is slowly coming together...

And ofcourse a new house meant new furniture..NATURALLY!!!!!

You know me, any excuse to hit the shops and I had a ball....:)

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On to other news now....

I BECAME A GRANDPARENT IN THE MIDDLE OF jULY :)

A beautiful baby girl Isobella Grace....As much as it saddened me that my son had started a family so young he has made me proud as he is such a devoted father to my little grand baby....He is a changed young man and so grown up now in his attitude to family and what it means.....

They are very blessed to have such a beautiful baby who at this stage is so placid....She is a very good baby and yes i`ve put my hand up for baby sitting duties...lol

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And last but by no means least my great grandmother celebrated her 102nd birthday just last week....

Age is finally (and I say this with tongue in cheek) caught up with her....

A few months ago it was best decided that she now live in a nursing home as she was finding things a little difficult to manage on her own.....

She is so amazing though....At 100 years of age she was still getting out and about and loved to work in her garden....

I love her so much and she is an inspiration in my life....

I`m out of here

Over the past 12 months I have watched the area we have been living in slowly disappear...

We live in a Government housing area and here in SA alot has been happening with these old houses...It`s out with the old and replacing them with brand new houses....

What was 2 homes on a block is now four..

Much smaller yards which i`m liking and more living space on the inside which I like more....

Well our turn has come..We received a phone call early last week saying that they have a new home for us...Woo hoo....

Am I happy or what....Hubby and I went and inspected the new property and we liked what we saw....Only disappointing thing is that our swimming pool won`t fit into the new backyard so looks like we`ll be selling that and "maybe" come next summer invest in a smaller one as we do love to swim ...I`m not a huge fan of the sea, too many kreepy things in that water..lol

The kids are so excited about the move whereas a different story with mum and dad... STRESS CITY here we come...:)

Moving date is in 3 weeks time, just waiting for the removalists to drop off the packing cartons and then I can begin with the inside...

That part i`m not at all excited about, so many things to pack, where do I start....

I`ve forgotten what it`s like to move as it`s been so long....Not to mention the amount of stuff one accumulates over the years.

So i`ll probably see you all on the other side of the move everyone....

What a month

Yes it`s me, i`m back....

Sorry for the absence but as you can well imagine my life has been all over the place since my last blog....

Where the heck do I start....

Firstly the most important news is hubby and I have sorted out our differences...We are destined to be in each others lives..For better, for worse so they say.....:)

ummm what else???

Well school holidays are over with and Daniel actually went to school with no hic-cups...He loves his new teacher, even made a new friend and is eager for the weekend to be over so he can go back...

It all looks positive , so far, touch wood....

Krystal did ok in her HSC results but still had to complete one more subject to get into uni so after much deliberation with her we came to the conclusion that she do Year 13 and improve on some of the subjects that she already did last year....

This means she is doing another 4 subjects this year and yes another year of torture for her and me which unfortunately comes with the territory of high school life.....

At least she will be better prepared as she now knows what lies ahead for her....

As for the teenage son Joshua well looks like he won`t be going back to school...

I`m sure you all recall a while back that his g/f was pregnant....Well that was another false alarm but just before Christmas it happened again and this time much to my dismay it`s the real deal...Third time lucky for some....So 16 years of age and he will become a father in mid July....

He has a summer job at the moment but desperately looking for a fulltime one so that they can move out from home..

I don`t see him or hear much from him these days but i`m ok with it...

I`m just letting him go and he can work life journeys out for himself....

I do hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and that the New Year has started out on a positive note like mine has....♥♥♥