Albany

Over the weekend, I went to Albany. It was  a LONG car ride ! 818kms round trip ! We left 1pm - ish on the Saturday and arrived home just after 6pm Sunday. Thankfully, I was chauffeured driven down there and I had the WHOLE back seat to myself ! Woot !

So WHY? Well, it was the Albany Branch Conference so as a stake leader, I went to support the Relief Society sisters in the far reaches of WA. It was awesome. Lot of happy memories of what fun a branch can be - everyone knows everyone...people serving diligently with three and four callings....hilarious activities and gatherings...half the branch getting up to sing for their visitors... :D Most of all I remembered the strength I got from knowing the unconditional love of being part of something special.



The Holder's place

 Upon arrival, the wonderful Holder family had dinner on the table..."Thermomix" dinner...butter chicken. Was delish and the dinner conversation lively and fun. The views outside spectacular ! Imagine...a two week old foal just outside the front door - literally ! Huge, big, sweeping gumtrees, birds twittering, sheep contentedly munching away....and GREENERY everywhere you look ! Was SO delightful !

The branch activity included "get to know the stake leaders" games...was hilarious. The members of Albany branch had to "guess" which foot was sticking out from under the stage curtains. The it was random questions to get to know us better...then a Scattergories game...fun.

I slept in a double bed all to myself...it was even COLD enough that I had to have covers on ! Imagine that huh? (56 days and counting since Perth got any rain?!) Was delicious having to snuggle under the covers ! I even read in bed ! Breakfast was oats...freshly cooked for us with home grown honey and dried figs....YUM ! SO delicious !

Meetings were so inspiring. Pres Pemberton spoke about his travel down to Albany and how he almost came "a-gusta" by drifting off two - three times because he fell asleep behind the wheel of the car ! He paralleled the story with every day life  - we don't mean to drift to the "other side" and engage in things we know are wrong ....it can happen at any time. We need to be alert and attentive for things that distract us from the path of "truth and righteousness".

The sisters appreciated our efforts to present a lesson for them - based on Doctrine and Covenants 101:16.



Jenny (lf) and Lorraine (rt) "hamming" it up !

 It was a good weekend. The road trip was a great opportunity for the three of us in our presidency to bond and get to know each other better. We are a terrific team and I am blessed to be motivated by these fantastic sisters !

Catching up on blogs...again !

Okies...been a pretty busy full on few weeks...Erm...where to begin?

On Saturday 26th February, Prue had her appendix removed. All went well and she is well and truly on the mend. On the Thursday, she went to bed with a "sore tummy", which she has complained about off and on all year...so Carrie (her mum) soothed her and put her to bed. On the way to school, Carried decided that Prue should see a doctor. The doctor suggested that Prue had appendicitis and sent them up to Princess Margaret Hospital for Children...They got into hospital at around 10am and by 5PM (yes, it took that LONG) they FINALLY got to see a radiologist who did a very through ultra-sound and confirmed an inflamed and larger than normal appendix. So Prue was booked into have the appendix removed the next morning. She was FINALLY able to get into a bed/room at 7pm that night...and scheduled for surgery in the morning. In the mean time, Prue was hooked up to an IV for fluids and antibiotics for a urinary tract infection which she also had at the time.

Saturday morning the doctor told Harv and Carrie that Prue was scheduled to have her appendix removed at 11am. That time came and went due to other emergencies. So the next time given was 1pm. That time came and went too. The next time given was 7:30pm and THAT time came and went too...FINALLY at 10:45pm she went in ! In the mean time, Carrie and Harv were getting MOST anxious because the little gal opposite Prue had also had appendicitis...but unfortunately, they had so many delays that when they got to her, they had burst ! Now the little girl had a longer, lengthier and more complex surgery and healing time. Poor little thing. Thankfully they got to Prue's appendix in time - and with key hole surgery. So with no complications, she was happily home for a weeks rest by Monday.

In the mean while, Michaela, who HATES maths, did an awesome test and got 80% ! Woo hoo ! It has really boosted her confidence in her own abilities and we are SO proud of her. She even got a letter of commendation in the mail !

We have  a "break out" rabbit...Stewit has diligently dug his way out just about every day in the past two weeks. We have moved the cage all around the garden in the hopes of deterring him...but to no avail. On the UP side...Guess had turned out to be an AWESOME "rabbit rounder up- er-er". Every morning, when we let him out to do his "business", he goes to the cage and checks to see if Stewit is in residence. When he is AWOL...Guess goes on the "hunt" and rounds him up ever so gently with low growls, and few yips and excited running around. Its PERFECT ! Whatt watches with amusement and thinks he's "above it all" since he's a cat ! Ha ha ha ! Nine times out of ten, Stewit is in such a hurry to get out of Guess' way that he goes back UP into the hole he just dug out of ! :)

Harv had been practicing his skills in the kitchen. He "invented" a curry the other day. It was yum. Michaela is getting quite savvy in the kitchen too. She is doing a Cert 3 through high school, in the hospitality industry. We had a really fantastic Bacon Cabonarra last Thursday. It was so good she had repeated requests for it this week too.

Everyone else has been busy doing lots of "stuff" too. We manage to keep busy doing lots at break neck speeds ! Life is good.

Valentines Day

Harvey and I had discussed Valentines Day previous to the day...and it was decided that it was for "schmucks" and waaaayyyy too commercialised etc. SO on the day, I gave Harvey a gift of lamb dinner with the trimmings and some chocolate. HIS gift to me was time... he was taking me to IKEA!! Woo hoo !

So on our appointed day, we were up early and out ! Saturday is normally our food shopping day - so we boycotted that for the Ikea car park instead. SO glad we got there early because we got parking, underground shaded area, straight away ! Too awesome. The second "woo hoo" moment of the day was breakfast : bacon, eggs, chipolata sausage, beanies and a hash brown for $1.95 ! BARGAIN ! I was almost tempted to go get seconds ! The third "woo hoo" moment was being able to walk straight up to the first stand we saw and pick up EXACTLY what I wanted straight away ! But what where is  the fun in that I ask? Poor Harv was dutifully dragged up, down and around the Ikea floor plan while I poked, prodded and open/closed cupboards, tables, chairs and anything else that took my fancy. What FUN ! I got a few bits and bots and within an hour and a half we were done.

Best Valentines Day pressie ever. I'm thinking we should do this again ! :)

Epic FAIL at keeping up blog....

Ok....so....Its Chinese New Year...and it coincided with the first day back to school...YAY for me because I didnt have to cook ! :) Dodgy I know...but the first day back to work after six weeks off work is HELL !!

My wonderful, magnificent mother, prepared all day for a magnificent steam boat....ahhhhh....dee-lish ! A meal thoroughly enjoyed by all and sundry. After a super quick visit we were driving back home and into bed for an early night, ready for the next day.

Fast forward another week...and its Friday already and week two of the twelve week term is done and dusted ! Woo hoo ! Everyone is zipping along fine. Madi started at high school this year, Julian in year six, Michaela in year eleven, Prue in year four and Josh doing his diploma in Digital Media at TAFE. Me - I have the "juniors" in the early childhood room at Cloverdale ESC. I am in an new building built with Kevin Rudd (ex-PM) money...the sucky thing is that I have NO air conditioning and its HOT ! Seminary started back this week and its on for young and old already ! Phew ! I'm tired !

Harvey's vines have taken off. His largest haul was a bunch of grapes that was just over a kilo in weight ! Everything else in the veggie patch has "bitten the dust" tho. Quite literally ! Perth is SO hot and dry. Tragic. Nothing will grow no matter how much he waters and tends....sad.

Last Saturday Harv and I attended the Christmas Island Chinese New Year ball at the Burswood. The food was wonderful and there was a fun floor show and of course, the traditional Lion Dancing. Harvey even danced with me ! It was fun to get all "glammed" up in a party dress. My friend Tanya even did my make up. I felt like the princess ! Z:) Photos soon to follow...once I upload them !

The Cost of Living

Harvey, bless him, likes wake me at the crack of dawn, to go food shopping ! The idea is that we "beat the rush". So being the diligent and long suffering wife that I am, we are out and in Woolworth's by 8am most Saturday mornings...

This morning was a Saturday morning like no other (except we were slightly late 8:15am). Harvey pushing the trolley, me with my list and dumping stuff...the difference is that the shops were PACKED ! It was SO weird ! I'm thinking that with a cyclone imminent people were "being prepared" and getting their foods and trying NOT to panic buy?! Was interesting.

What I was thoroughly disgusted with was the cost of fruit and veggies ! Since when was it cheaper to eat junk food than the healthier alternatives?! We bought 8 Fuji apples and it cost over $8 !! That's just over $1 an apple ?! What the?! My quarter piece of watermelon cost nearly $5 !! Isnt that just RUDE?! Before I get comments such as "why dont you buy cheaper places and/or cheaper fruit"? My answer to that is - we buy what our children will eat - so there is no wastage. The other is that we buy "local" to us because by the time you factor in the cost of petrol to go to market places (our closest is almost 12kms down the road) the cost balances out to be nearly the same - and sometimes you are only getting "seconds" and so the fruit/veggies you get dont last as long...sigh. No win situation there.

Adversely,a bag of potato chips only cost $2 and they had specials of $1 for lollies and other junk. Makes you want to cry.

Harvey with our 1st harvest of the year.



Close up



Prue & Madi doing a taste test.

Effects of harsh sun !

Why not garden I hear you ask? Well, since we live in sunny Perth, NOTHING is growing despite our favourite gardener's (Harv) best efforts of manure, fertiliser, soil improver's, composting, watering and shading. Its tragic. Partly because our soil is SO sandy, everything just washes away - either that or our sun is SO harsh that everything is fried crispy !  We have a "bumper crop" of grapes...but nothing else survived the past two weeks of 35c+ heat. Cant win their neither.

I AM thankful though, so that we have so much "abundance" when there are those who are much worse off that all of us. I do feel bad that I gripe about prices when there are so many who through circumstance, are much worse off that any of us could imagine. It is scary that this could all be taken away in just a blink of an eye. We are all happy and healthy despite these economic times and for that I am truly grateful.

Blogging dilemmas

Ok...so...I have decided that I am really, really, not so good at this whole blogging thing...Yeh...that sums it up ! I am currently reading about five blogs on a weekly basis - most people have quite witty things to say and have wonderful photos and stories to tell. Some people even write on a "theme". Me? My blog seems to be a series of random thoughts with bits of "what we have been doing" thrown in ...hmmmm.... Maybe that's because my version of blogging is going to be slightly different cos I'm SO different from anybody else?! Ohhhh....now THERE's a thought ! :D

So this week has been my final week of school holidays...technically. I have next week too but I have two days booked in already for me to DO stuff in my new classroom...so I guess you could say I am breaking myself gently into going back to work. Sigh. I'm going to a new school, into a new classroom. A bit scary ! New staff to get to know, new routines, new boss..etc. I dont even know where to find the loo's from my class ! I guess if I get desperate enough, I'll just use the students itty bitty loos ! Hee hee hee !

I have mountains of stuff to move into my new class. It would be a good time to cull most of it and begin again methinks. Although having said that - I have sourced some pretty awesome stuff. The idea of moving it all does not appeal to me in any shape or form...so I might have to bribe the "minions" to help me...hmmm....

We have mostly hung out this school holidays. It has been great. I love the "no schedules" kinda thing. No important appointments, no rushing to get to things on time, no stress. LOVE IT ! The children have baked, ate, run around, potty trained the puppy, watched DVD's, played board games, shot each other with Nerf guns and water squirters, scrapbooked, read , chatted online and in person, visited with friends, swum, gone to the beach and generally enjoyed each other's company. Its sad that all of that is coming to an end.

Time for new adventures and new beginnings now. :)

Scrapbooking...I love school holidays !

Don't judge me -  I get excited about pretty paper, stickers and ribbon ! For those of you who are "uninitiated", I scrap - cutting photos, picking just the right piece of paper to frame it, adhesives, stickers, journalling....the whole kit and caboodle ! I get a real buzz  when I have and idea in my head on how a page "layout" is supposed to "look" and then it all comes together...I LOVE IT ! Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the pain of setting up and putting away, I dont scrap as much as I would like and thus, my albums are wayyyyy out of date. I LOVE school holidays because I get to scrap! Oh YEH !

My good friend Amanda Goodman has this quote up on her blog (I borrowed it - thanks Amanda!)

"You will have significant experiences. I hope that you will write them down and keep a record of them, that you will read them from time to time and refresh your memory of those meaningful and significant things. Some may be funny. Some may be significant only to you. Some of them may be sacred and quietly beautiful. Some may build one upon another until they represent a lifetime of special experience."

Gordon B. Hinckley, 2006

My good friend Karen and I have "scrap days" down to a fine art. She brings her children, food and her scrapping stuff and between us, we feed the children and then set them free. (I think that maybe having two wives in the same house could work in this particular instance). Then we have a few hours to listen to music, chat and play with pretty paper ! Woo hoo ! This week we fit in two scrap days and plan on having a few more. We get competitive and try to "out scrap" each other just for fun.

As you know, there are HUGE floods in Queensland. While it is on the other side of Australia to us - it has give us opportunities to have some heartfelt conversations with our children and share in some "teaching moments". Our thoughts and prayers go to those who have lost so much. My heart aches for those who have lost loved ones as well as all their material possessions. It is very tragic and sad.

While scrapping my thoughts and our conversation went to those in Queensland. Karen and I decided that besides our families and their safety, one of our few material possessions we would want saved would be our photos in our scrapbooks. Why? Because those tangible  pictures have our happiest memories and they would bring us much comfort - should we ever have to face such a crisis. Now, if we can only figure out HOW we would pull off such a feat ...if the need should ever arise !?