post drought

Good evening dear readers,
I've been in a bit of a posting slump of late...... a lot of it has to do with just wanting to enjoy life a bit without having to record it... but I understand there are some of you who are feeling a bit lost without my blogs... go on Lib, you can admit it!! :)

So, a boring post tonight... see these letters?




We bought them for Charlotte to play with on the fridge.... so far I've found them in the tupperware container, in the coke box, under the fridge, in the lounge stuffed under the lounge chair cushions...... at any one time there's usually only 4 letters ON the actual fridge....Dave looked at me while I was pulling some out of the cupboard and said "parenthood isn't anything like I imagined it would be but I love it anyway" - well that's lucky!!! :)

New yard owner rediscovers childhood!!

Evening dear readers - quick post tonight to remind you all just how happy I am with our new backyard (thanks Peter, Peter's sons - Nick and Joel yeah?, and Craig the bobcat man!!). I have rediscovered my child side!! Goodbye anal-retentive, a-type-personality and hello fun-loving mummy!! Every afternoon for the past 3 days has been spent outside, frollicking in the grass with charlotte and our neighbours' little girl (who is one year older than charlotte). Zahri and I have trekked up and down those new stairs a gazillion times (she's in the the 'i love stairs' phase!!). I've tried teaching her to roll down a hill sideways (I had forgotten how much fun that was!!) and last but not least I did a cartwheel, a few handstands and a somersault. Of course, I forgot (having not done one for bloody 20 years!) that you are meant to take the weight of your body on your hands NOT your neck..... result? severe whiplash on my first day of enjoying the backyard followed by 2 days of mersyndol attempting to stop my neck from spasm-ing!!! Dave called me 'old girl'.... my ego was wounded - ha ha ha - I don't feel my age - why should I act it...... anyway just wanted to tell you all how much I love grass... oh and stay tuned... Dave has plans for a treehouse, a suspension bridge, a slide and a sandpit..... backyards rock!!

Take a moment to feel the grass beneath your feet...

Hello dear readers, tonight I write to you with a song in my heart - yes, the landscaping that we've been 'getting around to' for six years now (until we finally came to our senses and paid a wonderful landscaper to do) is nearly completed. Well, okay, the plants are yet to be planted and the sand pit is yet to be filled with sand... but you get my drift. They say a picture speaks 1000 words, so I'm going to leave you with the visual.....


border="0" alt="" />

Day X of landscaping

Okay dear readers - no idea what day we're up to with the landscaping - we lost quite a few days in there when the rains came..... but we're back on track now, the ground had sufficiently hardened (actually baked would be a better word as we have clay soil), and the turf will probably be laid next Monday... but don't hold me to that!!

You'll note the outhouse is still there - well we've changed our minds yet again and we're ditching the outhouse in our kerbside cleanup next week and replacing it with a much more functional (but of much less sentimental value - from an architectural point of view that is) 3x3 colorbond shed - yet to be purchased. We think it's important to have the shed - with so little to argue about in our lives, Dave and I will be able to argue about who hasn't put the screwdrivers back where they belong and why is the tape measure not in the allotted tape measure space. Of course these will all be my issues - anal retentive A-type personality that I am. I even have a peg board in mind - you know, replete with the painted on tool shadows so you know exactly where the tools are meant to be? *sigh*




So here are the updated photos - wall complete, ground ready for new lawn and Carla madly planning which plants are going to go where and how big is my (I mean Charlotte's) sandpit going to be!!

Til next time dear readers....

I always wanted a swimming pool....

the title says it all.....feeling dejected, I'm off to bed.

Day 3 - no photos

Dear readers - I've taken photos I'm just too lazy to post them - its time for my bed!!! But trust me, apart from the dirt and some rocks being in different positions, it really hasn't changed that much since yesterday.... the only hitch? they can't find any fill so it won't be done by the weekend. Apparently, unbeknownst to the average householder, and it really is quite alarming when you think about it, in Brisbane we are labouring under a complete lack of fill at the moment.... eek, I hear you say.... egads. It's a fill famine!!! I questioned the landscaper and the bobcat man as to what creates a fill shortage but alas, they seemed unable to enlighten me.

Ironically, our neighbours (the un-neighbourly ones) who have the pool currently being constructed would have had an entire truckload of fill not 6 weeks ago that they would have had to pay to have taken away......oh the irony.

Day 2..... Progress!!

Good morning dear readers,
It's actually Day 3 of landscaping but I took photos this morning before they started doing any more work - I didn't get a chance to take photos yesterday because apparently my day was meant to be spent cleaning up vomit and poo, the floor, me, charlotte and wherever else said vomit and poo ended up. Yes, we have some sort of gastro bug in this house... well not in the house so much as in Charlotte. Thankfully neither her Dad nor I seem to have got this (touch wood). Anyway, so that is why lack of blog entry yesterday. To keep you up to date - here are some photos from yesterday's landscaping efforts...... progress!!

Day 1... did someone say rain?

Okay dear readers, the big day arrived - Day 1 of landscaping began. We started the day by deciding that we wouldn't stick around to greet the guys - which was lucky because when i called their mobiles from work to check everything was okay they hadn't even arrived at our house yet, so we would have been VERY late for work..... anyway here are the before shots taken this morning (just in case you haven't seen enough shots of our crappy backyard....





And this is what we were confronted with when we arrived home from work this afternoon!! I was stoked - it looked so cool - and reminded me of my childhood when I would have thought all my Christmases had come at once, running around the backyard in the mud, slipping and sliding down this huge hill of dirt...... alas, I am old and sensible now and had a baby in my arms, so I just stood and admired how much work they had done - in a very grown up way!! :)






And here I sit - listening to the rain BUCKET down... a week too early - we need this next week when the turf is laid *sigh*

That's downright un-neighbourly of you.......

Hi all,
Well, I've not blogged for ages dear readers and I know that this has left a hole in your lives.... so rest assured I am back - and with some good news. You may remember from earlier blogs that one of my 'to-do's' on my ever growing list of things to do in my life, was to landscape the backyard. You can refer to an earlier post here explaining the back breaking hours I put into sledge-hammering the concrete in our backyard. You will all be suitably feeling sorry for me when I point out that all of that labour was in vain. Apparently what took me days to achieve, the bobcat will be able to complete in about 2 minutes - if that. Still, all that work was back when we were going to do the landscaping ourselves. We have since come to our senses (and found not one but two credit card companies silly enough to lend us even more credit) and found ourselves a fantastic landscaper......(I would give him a free plug here but he insists he has too much work on as it is!!!) so wait for it ............ drumroll....
............
...........
the landscaping begins TOMORROW!!!! I am so darn excited. Seriously, it's not actually normal that one should be this excited about getting a new backyard, but so few things in my life are actually completed these days that I'm easily pleased. (Can you imagine the party that will be thrown should I ever complete my thesis???).

But the road thus far has not been easy. Those of you following my story will have already heard me complain about lack of finances (stick around, you'll be hearing that woe plenty more times in the coming months as we struggle to pay off credit cards at 18.5%!!!) and the trouble we had finding finance. Well once we had that sorted out, the next set of problems began.... access to our backyard. Down one side of our house, for those of you dear readers who have been here, you will remember is a sharp drop - the likes of which no bobcat is going to be able to navigate. The other side of the house - a carport. Not a great carport granted, but one that does the job in protecting our car from the elements and the hail that tends to hit Brisbane with alarming frequency during the stormy, summer months. And so the negotiations with neighbours begin.

I have wonderful neighbours on both sides of us (Hi Mel, I know you're reading this!!). After scoping out both properties, we decided one of them would have to be too damaged if we took a bobcat down the side of their house (I'd like to point out here that these neighbours were still trying to figure out how to help us out despite the fact that they are due to move to Canberra in about a week and are trying to rent their house - and still they were trying to help us out!! what friends!)... the property on the other side looked hopeful, but then we realised that there was not enough room between the fence and the hot water system.... so alas no luck there. Those neighbours were even willing to let us drive a bobcat over their vegie patch so that we could get a bobcat through.... again, how wonderfully neighbourly is that?
Finally, the bobcat operator suggested the people over the back - their yard feeds straight onto ours, no walls or anything to negotiate - in fact they don't even have a front fence AND their yard is currently pretty torn up because they are having a pool dug in. What infinitesimally small amount of damage that MAY have been done to their existing garden was going to be professionally fixed by my landscaper for free. That's right folks - re-landscaping your garden for free... no cost to you. So what was their response when I practically begged them for access to their yard?

NO.

That's right.

NO.

Well that's downright neighbourly of you folks thanks. Let me just go and rip my carport down so that we don't ruin your grass - oh that's right YOUR GRASS IS ALREADY RUINED BECAUSE YOU ARE GETTING AN INDOOR POOL DUG IN AND JUST HAD A FLIPPIN' BOBCAT RUN OVER YOUR GRASS NOT 4 WEEKS AGO!!!!!.... thanks for your help.

So after lamenting to our landscaper of our neighbourly woes, he gave up his Sunday today at no extra cost in our quote to help my darling husband and his two mates dismantle our carport (no mean feat as you'll note the jungle that had to be removed from the top of the roof!!).



He will also be helping us to put it back up when he's done AND is giving us some new roof sheeting as the stuff we tore down was pretty old and rusty. Now don't get me wrong, I know this guy is making a profit on the quote he gave us - and so he should, he's running a business. But nothing in the quote said that he had to help us out with our structural problems AND help us re-build a carport. No wonder the guy doesn't need any extra business, with customer service like that he must be in hot demand.....



The garage after 'the jungle' was removed.

So here's what it all looks like now - bare huh?



Now we just hope everything from here on goes smoothly.... and that the bobcat can fit through (we have measured it six times but the way our luck has been running who knows!!).

So hopefully by the time I get home tomorrow our backyard will no longer look like this!!!





here are the boys working hard - and after a hard day working, the boys deserved a beer - charlotte girl thought she would get one for them. he he he




Stay Tuned for Daily Updates (hopefully!)

I can fit.....I just have to hold my head right....

not content to just play quietly while I try and get my thesis written, charlotte has now taken to climbing in and around my computer desk to get my attention. I have a laptop so don't require the space where the computer case would normally go. Charlotte has decided it makes a neat cubby.....

MIA

just wanted dear readers, to alleviate any fears that I had come to some terrible end or encountered some unthinkable misfortune. I've just been lazy / tired / bored with blogging / busy.... take your pick. I shall return. Have no fear. And thank you Meegan for your concern :)

Australian's all let us rejoice........... or....... Bernard Fanning you're a legend!!

January 26th. Australia Day and Triple J's hottest 100 countdown (Bernard Fanning came in at #1 with "Wish you well"). No wonder every year we celebrate - two great occasions on one day!! So inevitably every year we have a BBQ. But this is never a planned event. Despite knowing that every year without fail these events WILL occur on the one day, we always leave our invites until about 24 hours before the event. I'm not sure why we do this - it invariably means we forget people (sorry if you didn't get an invite, maybe next year!!) and it always means that I spend the morning before running around like a headless chook (or chooken according to Henry) picking up meat and salads and rolls and green and yellow paper plates and a multitude of other things that we don't have just lying around waiting for 12 people to descend on us!! I am so unorganised. Anyway, so we hung out bbq-ing and drinking.


Here is Charlotte before everyone arrived, just kicking back, not being at all helpful with the preparations!!!


And here is another photo of the legendary Xmas present from Beck.....

Darling Charlotte had been up since 5am so when everyone left not long after 6pm I can't say I was sorry - as delightful a day as it had been..... I was exhausted!!! I believe I was asleep by 8.... how tragic.

My first Toesday

This one's for you Beck - I'm too beat to post anything else, but I came across this photo taken when Charlotte was 6 weeks old - not my feet I'd like to point out - I borrowed all toes from my husband and daughter!!








And here's a print of those luscious little toes on daddy's first father's day card...

A day to remember

Well it's been three years today since my mum passed away. I still miss her every day. This one day of all days though is usually a tough one for me so I took a sickie from work. Well, actually that's not entirely true - I told them exactly why I wasn't coming in today and then took the day off without pay - all above board and everything. I decided I was taking today to celebrate life with my daughter. I know that somehow Mum was watching over us.

as part of my 'celebrate life' day I decided not to get upset or stressed about anything. The day started out nicely with Charlotte taking a good nap from about 8.30 this morning. While she was asleep I packed up our things ready for a trip to the shops when she awoke. At 11am we headed for Brookside Shopping Centre where I purchased some pressies for Dave's upcoming birthday and this swanky little number.





It's only 4kgs.... and folds into a backpack as shown!! How cool is that? I love parenthood - so many more new toys to play with!

While I love our Steelcraft Terrain Deluxe pram, I also needed a light and easy to fold little number for those quick trips to the shop when you just don't want to lift a 12kg pram in and out of the car.

So shopping under control (though as per usual I forgot about 5 items that I will have to go back out for later .... how I would survive on a remote property where you have to travel 2 hours into town for groceries once a month I'll never know!!)

On our return it was lunchtime for charlotte and I decided to let her feed herself spaghetti (remember a day of not being stressed out or cranky). It was hilarious...





Where did that pesky piece of spaghetti go??



Oh there they all are!!


I'm still finding bits of pasta on the floor (though Sophie the Hoover dog has eaten most of it thank goodness...saves me mopping the floors!!!). As you can see, much of it ended up NOT in her mouth. But boy it must have felt good in her hands as I had to pry a piece out 20 minutes later..... she LOVED it.

I then decided that as much fun as we were having, I really needed to get some washing up done, but she just wanted to be entertained. Of course, her idea of entertainment while in the kitchen is to pull each and every can and bottle out of our recycling box. After taking her away from it three times I finally decided that an alternate plaything was called for. Enter the tupperware box.




Of course, we now have to wash all of the tupperware before we use it.... and it didn't take anywhere near long enough to empty out as I would have liked, but she seemed to have fun.

Twenty sleeps and counting

Today has been a little quieter, I've only managed to wash up, sterilise bottles and do a little bit on my Chapter Six, download some photos of Charlotte - and it's already 10am, I really have wasted a morning haven't I? Firstly let me draw your attention to a previous post on financial, swimming, and falling woes where photos are now availabe from the first swimming lesson. They aren't great photos, though Lorraine did try. But between the glass and a less than happy little girl, it wasn't really a great photo op. Please note the new pink swimmers Lib, though there will be better photos taken in the sandpit where you can actually see them!!!

Now for the real news - THERE ARE ONLY 20 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL THE GIRL WEEKEND FROM HEAVEN!! Yes folks, I am taking a break. I am leaving Brisbane sans child and heading for Sydney. Lib and I will then drive up to the Hunter Valley where we will partake of plenty of wine and good food while we enjoy an evening of Missy Higgins at A day on the green. I really can't wait.

A letter from Charlotte

Dear Auntie Libby,
Mummy got me all decked out in my togs today and took me down to the sandpit - with camera in hand she lined me up for a photo so that we could show you how adorable I look in your present ..... alas, despite having charged the batteries last night, she had put them back in the camera and then inadvertently (that's a big word for a little girl isn't it?) turned the camera on so that all the battery power ran out AGAIN!! Mummy is a bit tired lately and doing some silly things. Forgive her. She said we will try again tomorrow.

Love from Charlotte
xoxoxo

A Type-A start to the day

Hi all. It's 9.45am here. So far this morning I've:

1. done three loads of washing
2. mopped the floors in the kitchen and cleaned out the bins
3. given charlotte her breakfast, bottle and changed three nappies
4. folded two baskets of laundry and put them away
(okay, i left Dave's on the bed to put away himself - bad wife that I am)
5. tidied up the loungeroom
6. put Charli's toys away in their box
(she then promptly pulled them all out again - the lounge doesn't actually look any better!!)
7. had a shower
(this in itself is worth a mention because it doesn't always happen before noon!!)

I'm sure there's more but does that give you an idea? I should of course, now that she's sleeping, go and have a lie down, but seriously, once you've done all of that work, who is relaxed enough to sleep?? - in fact I'm hungry now from all the energy I've expended (actually I'm ALWAYS hungry but I'm going to use the working hard excuse anyway).

Anyway, there's more washing to do, a sickly husband to take to the GP, post office errands to run (some crap I bought off the internet for Dave's birthday is defective and must be returned), medicare to brave (oh lordy I hate that place), and I guess I should map out the next week's meals, do up a shopping list and brave the grocery store...... Libby, if you're out there... how many sleeps until the Hunter-Valley-divine relaxation-child free-wine drinking-missy higgins-filled weekend??? I need to know!!!

Still no teeth.....OUCH, oh hang on....

So while at the Child Health Nurse yesterday I was asked for the umpteenth time whether she had any teeth. Loud sigh from me, "no still no teeth", and shove my finger in her mouth as if to prove my point - and THERE IT WAS. Right where a first tooth should be, bottom front left tooth. hardly really a tooth at all though. So here is the photo of her first tooth .........



can you see it? No? Well that's because I haven't bloody seen it either...."Charlotte, just show mummy sweetie, open your mouth" At this point she clamped her little lips together and shook her head. Finally she obligingly opened her mouth and then proceeded to stick her tongue over her bottom lip so I couldn't see squat - thanks honey, that's very helpful. little monkey. she had a cheeky glint in her eye. I did finally manage to spy it - though the chances of me capturing it with the camera are slim to none - and it looks like nothing more than a tiny whitehead on her gum. It has the distinct feel however of a razor sharp puppy tooth so I won't be shoving my finger in there again any time soon.

Okay, I lie, I have since put my finger in her mouth about a trillion times since I discovered it yesterday. I'm hoping I'm not the only insane mother to do this - help me out girls.... girls?

Anyway, at least I can breathe a sigh of relief now, knowing that she won't still be gumming her food to death at the age of five - I was beginning to think she might!!

Financial, swimming and falling woes.

Well, it's been a busy few days here readers. I'd like to say it's because I've been powering along on my thesis but all I've managed to do on that in the last week is find about 5 articles I need to read (I found them, printed them off and there they sit on my computer waiting to be read - I haven't even stapled them, how sad. And I call myself a Type A personality - ha).

Well, the banks gave us a big fat raspberry, and two credit card companies have laughed in our faces - seriously, where are all these dodgy credit companies whose only criteria is that you can stand upright and have an opposable thumb??? (this is not a rhetorical question people - all dodgy credit company referrals greatly accepted!).

Today we went swimming.



It was not a good experience. Gone are the days of my little muffin being social and chatty and smiley. Two days ago, that child left and in her place I seem to have a clingy, scared, shy little person who has learnt to grip onto mummy's waist with her toes at the slightest sign that she's going to be put down.... I'm trying to tell myself to love this stage where she desperately wants to be with me. I know that all too soon she'll barely cast me a backwards glance as she slams the front door behind her on her way to some cool party, the likes of which I as a nerdy mother will no doubt never have experienced. oh Charlotte, if only you could know of the many parties your mummy went to .... met your daddy at one actually ;) but I digress (again).

which brings me to the falling. this i have not managed to capture on camera. I could take a photo of the split second after a fall where she freezes and draws breathe for the scream which will ensue - or I could in fact take a photo of the sad little face as she calms down, complete with bottom lip out and tears down the cheeks. but of course, that doesn't seem an appropriate time to rush for the camera. yes, the falls are coming thick and fast. standing is the favourite pastime at the moment - unfortunately, with standing does not always come a great sense of balance and hence the multitude of bruises..... I won't post those, just my luck I'd have DOCS banging at my door (that's the dept of child services to those of you who don't know).... or is it community services?? either way....

So close!!!

Well I am THIS close (imagine thumb and forefinger a mere centimetre apart as I say that) to getting the backyard done - but alas the bank insists I am over-extended financially. In fact they were a little surprised that I could even support my current liabilities let alone consider borrowing more money - of course they fail to realise that I took out all of those loans while working full-time. Anyway, to take a step back, Dave and I finally admitted to ourselves that the backyard would best be tackled by a professional (i.e. someone who would actually finish it before Charlotte goes to school!!). And all in all his quote has come out only costing us $4000 more than it would have cost us to do ourselves - and it will be finished in less than 2 weeks he insists. I believe the weekends of blood, sweat and yelling at each other that we will avoid are well worth the money!! Now I just have to figure out how to convince the banks I can afford it!! Will keep you all updated!!

Add 1950's housewife to my list of roles...

So in the spirit of blogging gifts (and of course in my competitive nature I wanted to beat everyone else to it).... here is the gift from Beck ..... complete with matching silicone spatula (or meanie as my husband calls them).....Thank you Beck I love it.....and here it is in all it's glory being modelled as I bake a toffee chip cheesecake.... Mmmmmmm.





And Charlotte wanted me to blog her gift from Aunty Libby - but it will have to wait until tomorrow because Mummy hasn't taken a decent photo ..... I'm sure you'll all wait with bated breath.... :)

Christmas to New Years Eve.......The final days of 2005

Well, it's a little tragic that I should be catching you all up on the final week of 2005 when in fact it is now the second day of 2006 - what can I say? I've been busy.... what's new huh?

First let me begin by recounting all of the achievements of Christmas Day. Charli girl's first visit from Santa..... and didn't she just LOVE the wrapping paper!! Not that I'm surprised really - I always knew that Dave and I would have more fun with her gifts than she would - she is only 8 months old after all. But the biggest gift for me was probably the moment that she crawled over to me (proper little girl crawling, none of this Army-style commando crawling she seems hell bent on..) pulled herself up onto her knees holding onto the couch/my legs and then pushed her little feet under her and stood up - ALL ON HER OWN.... Dave and I clapped for joy (scaring the shit out of her I might add) and in that moment I realised that life would never be the same. Okay, I guess I should have realised that the day I gave birth to her but the standing on her own - wow, our house is so not ready for this!!

Then when we went to the in-laws for lunch (with her dressed in the most adorable outfit don't you think!!??)




I was showing them how she could stand on her own and then - as if on cue - and knowing that all eyes were upon her... rather than just standing there with her little knees locked in place, swaying back and forth as if she'd consumed one too many beers - she took four little steps and fell into my arms. The applause that ensued was deafening. She giggled as she realised that she was in fact the centre of attention (again) and hasn't taken a step since!! That's my girl - just waiting for the right audience before she performs again!! :)

Then Beck turned up from Sydney and we had a lovely couple of days doing what we usually do when she's here - sweet nothing!! We cruised the shopping centres, sat in airconditioning, sat in the wading pool and sandpit in the back yard - oh and drank.... let's not forget the drinking!! Presents galore abounded (but more on that in my next post.....

All in all a lovely Christmas, a wonderful visit from friends and then rounded off with a nice relaxing New Year in our backyard with all of our other friends that have no lives.... a last minute BBQ that ended for me at 11pm (I couldn't even be bothered seeing in the new year - hard to feel inspired when you know you're going to be roused out of bed at 4.30am by she who will remain nameless!!)....

Happy 2006 to you all!