Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Eaglehawk Neck



We have just arrived home from a relaxing few days at Eaglehawk Neck. Our old neighbours have a shack there and invited us to stay and play with them for a few days. We had so much fun, I am really sad to be back in town.

We did so much in the short time we were there...

Out on the boat fishing, caught flathead while Dave did some diving for cray and abalone. I had a turn snorkelling with the compressor... a bit freaky.







The kids enjoyed riding the mini bike, flying fox and the new additions a helicopter net strung up between some trees that you swung over to via rope(Really should have taken a pic of this) and a tree bridge that Dave has just made.






The view was a little too much to take, the company and weather were awesome!





Thank you Dave and Lyn for a great time... like Dave said, we need to visit more often and stay longer! I think we certainly will this summer.

Boxing Day Bikes




Bellerive beach is my favourite walk, up the beach and back the track is so relaxing. This visit we took the bikes for the little kids and had some fun in the Clarence High car park and it was not only the little kids that enjoyed the bikes...

Christmas 2009




We spent Christmas Day at home in Hobart. The usual early start, kids jumping in bed with the booty that Santa has left, followed by the opening of family gifts under the tree. Lunch was roast turkey and all the trimmings, a movie in the afternoon and a play with new toys down at Lansdowne Cres oval in the early evening.
We have taken some years to adjust to the feel of a Tassie Christmas, the balmy nights Queenslanders associate with the Christmas spirit, unfortunately, are few and far between down here. It has been out experience previously to even visit the snow on the lovely Mount Wellington Christmas Day. This year however, we have been privy to some amazing warm days and nights it is as if mother nature is rewarding us for staying south for Summer,and I am happy to say that it felt like Christmas this year, even for the warmblooded! I love this place!! Merry Christmas.

Oh... and I am happy to say we did finish that gingerbread house!!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Gingerbread tradition






Every year one of our Christmas traditions is to make a Gingerbread house, to various stages of fruition. Some years we finish our house, some years we do not. The gingerbread walls or roof my prove too much temptation for a hungry family member and the project does not reach completion. This year we have all the necessary components intact and we are all happy to say... It looks like we will have a finished product... stay tuned.

I must add to this post that because I have been making these houses for years, you may be led to believe that I am a good cook, let me assure you that this is by no means the case... the purpose of the house is to overdose on icing and lollies and have fun. The finished product always looks beautiful to us, regardless of the aesthetic appeal it may or may not have for others.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Piano Party 2009




The simply Music piano party 2009.... Well another year of piano to an end. I sometimes feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall with piano, but this years little concert made me feel like it is all worthwhile!! The kids all performed a song and then took turns to play Christmas carols while the audience sang along.
Thank you Helen for another year of Simply Music!!

Last day of Kinder




Wilson had his last day of Kinder today. He looked so sweet dressed up as one of the wise men, gold tinsel around his head. There was Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, Christmas Carols, talk about the favourite things at Christmas and a Jewish song to celebrate Hanukkah.

Wilson is very excited to be moving up to prep with some of his favourite friends. I am happy to have school finished for the year. More time to hang out with the kids... Now the countdown for Santa.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Adam and Fiona 59 Bayside Drive Lauderdale TAS



This is the view from the land Adam and I dream about owning.

This afternoon we went for a drive to our dream block. Spent the afternoon walking on the beach, collecting shells and planning our dream home... It is nice to visit fantasy land every so often.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Neat Miss Nina



Miss Nina does not get her organisational skills from her mother...

Half the woman I used to be....

And so I mourn, the loss of my dear ovary!! LOL, so seriously, I have been out of action for a week after I had an atenoma and ovary removed... ouch! All tests have come back clear and I have received so much loving from all my dear friends, thank you guys for bringing around dinner, muffins and hot chocolate, picking up my kids and hanging out for a chat.

I do not know what I was thinking, I had booked the procedure for last Wednesday afternoon, then the rest of my week, Thursday... dinner with Fiona Harding and the girls... Saturday.... Andreas 40th celebrations.... Sunday... dinner at my house with Dave and Lynn.

Well, I was flat on my back, thought I was going to die. I have a new found respect for all those women who have cesareans, glad I never needed one! The first couple of days I was so sore I could not muster enough strength to call out orders, but as Adam pointed out, after a few days, my mouth received all the more energy while my body rested.

The boys could not wait to get outside and mow the grass and wash the car on Saturday, so they could get away from me!! I admit I am miserable when unable to do anything!!

We had an exciting event take place on Saturday, Adam put the training wheels on Wilsons bike... Wilson rode around the front driveway all day, just loving it, he came inside and said "This is hard core Mum!!" I can not wait to teach him how to ride without the trainers over the summer break.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Happy Birthday Brittany



Ice Cream Cake, Cold Rock style.


Angus, Wilson, Adam, Ethan and Harley try out the compound.

Guess what Brittany got for her birthday...
Piggy in the middle... Harley throwing to Tia.

Britt, Wendy, Rae, Brock and Zac.

Wilson

Last night the Watson family showed us townies how to host a Huon style birthday dinner! We had a night of fun and food. Thank you. Happy Birthday Brittany!!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Making a deal

A few months ago Angus lost a large sum of money, he had been saving up for over a year and had kept the stash in this bedroom. We had no idea where the money had gone, Angus takes after his mother and has a knack of losing things, so we assumed he had misplaced his savings and that the money would soon reappear.

This, however, was not the case. A few days passed and the money was no where to be found... until Angus had an epiphany (Angus favourite word), and asked Wilson if he knew where the money was. This jogged my memory in the right direction and I remembered seeing Wilson with a cardboard treasure chest a few days prior. After much questioning from Angus, Wilson would not confess to taking the money, until I turned the questions into pirate talk... 'Where is the treasure?' This apparently sparked his memory and Wilson walked us straight into his room and pulled out from under his bed the little cardboard treasure chest full of not only the money Angus had lost but a few other family treasures that others had not yet noticed were missing.



Wilson is still a little money collector. If he finds a buck or two, he stashes it in his wallet or under his bed.

This afternoon, I got a pretty good deal.

Nina has been saving money for Schleich farm animals, so she is keen to do jobs to earn some money and cleaned up my office this afternoon for a couple of bucks (well worth it to me). Wilson decided he wanted to earn some money also. He bargained to clean up the toys for some paper money, apparently he is beyond gold coins.

He was unable to comprehend that $5 was too much to pay for toys to be packed up. I am only happy to give a buck or two for jobs that are out of the ordinary, most stuff just has to be done because we are part of a family.

Well, it was the end of the day and I will admit I took the easy way out, I asked Wilson to give me some of his gold coins and I would give him paper money. Done!!

Wilson promptly handed over 2 x $2 coins and a $1 coin. He raced over cleaned up his toys with lighting speed and came back with his hand out for the paper $5 bill. That is the best deal I have done for a while and the beauty of it, was that it was a win win situation!!

Liam


Thanks Liam for inviting us to attend your baptism. Do you have any of that cool birthday cake left?
xx Rea family

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Stitching Cow



I know I posted recently about quilting, but the title of this post does not refer to me, if that is what you were thinking!!

The Stitching Cow is where you can purchase designer e-patterns for your next textile craft project. Lenna has a wonderful giveaway happening at the moment, so click here to check out the fantastic range the Stitching Cow has to offer. I love the new Nursery Rhyme quilt and the cute Felt Christmas Decorations, let me know what you think!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Housework Stuck point


Folding and putting away washing is my housework stuck point, it just seems that nothing else around the house can get done until that monstrous pile of laundry on the lounge disappears.

The problem with my washing is that it grows at an incredibly fast rate and I procrastinate at an even faster rate. This equation equals about three hours of searching for socks, jocks and school shorts every week. Not a morning goes by without someone needing help searching for something.

The other day I called my friend Kirsten and I asked her what she was doing, 'Folding washing', was her reply. Angus was in the car and heard what she had said, 'Why don't you ever do that Mum?' he asked.

That really is the question... Why, why, why can I not stay on top of this task? I do not work outside the home and I only have Wilson at home.

I remember years ago a friend telling me that you have to treat your housework as if it was a place of paid employment, you need to work systematically and efficiently.

Well, I am not shaping up to be the employee that really suits this position, even after 17 years experience, I think I may have to fire me!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Unfinished Projects


My unfinished projects are, two eye spy quilts, a linen cross stitch, journals that I want to type out, a tafe course that is easy to finish off, baby photos that need to go into albums... Every year these things are on my to do list, some for as long as ten years.

The last few months I have felt like I have had a little more time on my hands and have started nutting away at these things on an almost daily basis.

- I have finished the tafe course
- I am writing my journals into private blogs
- I even have my quilt fabrics and sewing machine out again, I am determined to finish those eye spy quilts. They will not longer be suitable for Ethan and Angus, but Nina and Wilson are happy with that.

The cross stitch and baby albums have not taken a look in yet, but I do feel happy to be working towards completion of some of these things. Time to make some room on my 'to do' list.

Two more sleeps....

Till Adam comes home. He has been gone from Tassie for three months and one week. We are ready for Dad to come home!!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Love thy neighbour



Today I received a dozen lemons from my neighbour and a cray from our 'old' next door neighbour, check out what I am having for lunch tomorrow... I love living in West Hobart!! Thanks Dave

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Oodles and Googles


Wilson and his kindy friend Hayden were in the car this afternoon chatting away, they were discussing the caterpillar that Wilson had taken to school, what did it eat, why didn't it climb out of the jar and when would it cocoon and turn into a butterfly?

Graduating from caterpillar talk they discussed other insects, specific insects, ants in fact, ants that crawl in your hair.

Hayden proudly announced that he had these ants, "Nits" I suggested, yes, and he did not only have a few but 'googles' of them running around in his head and that was why he was scratching.

This turned into a competition, Hayden had millions of nits and Wilson had billions. Wilson was not about to be outdone on this front, everyone knows when you have a visitor come to play you can not be outdone, he thought about it for a moment and then declared that he had 'oodles' of eggs.

When we arrived at the play centre, I checked both the boys hair, oodles and googles of nothing, all clear. There have been lice in the school and I had done Wilsons hair a couple of weeks ago.




Later on in the day at the shops, the boys were doing pinky promises, then belly promises and nose promises and head promises. All of these involved trying to wrap the one around the other, wrapping little fingers around each others, rubbing bellies, rubbing noses together and then snuggling each others head against the others.... It became clear in my mind, that if Wilson had nits a few weeks ago, any little friends that he was making such promises with, very likely did also. Sorry to all those Mums...

Monday, November 2, 2009

Reason


The Top End

Ethan has recently had a change in Math teacher, for the better, in his opinion.

Today when I picked him up I asked how Maths went, did he like the new teacher and was she better than the last one. That is a lot to ask all at once, especially to someone who does not see any value in communicating beyond what he deems necessary. Looking straight ahead he said 'Yeah she doesn't smell'.
I was after more information, 'Okay, but what about the way she teaches, do you find her easier to understand, what does she do differently?' He looked over at me 'Really Mum, your talking to a teenage boy, I don't know what you want to hear, she is just different'.

That was that, end of conversation. That is the way it usually goes with Ethan, unless your talking about hunting, fishing and all those important things in life.

The Bottom End

Tonight after dinner, Wilson was asked to jump in the bath before he got dressed. This was not what he had in mind and as he handed me his batman costume to put on him he said, 'Mum, you have been the boss of me for a long time, when is it my turn to be the boss of you?'

I hope I have a few more years of being boss.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Road trip 'Crafty' Style




What a feeling of freedom! Yesterday I headed north with my two trusty companions to the Deloraine Craft Fair, it is an annual event where artists show their talent and products are available to purchase. It was a sunny 26 degrees in Deloraine a perfect temp for a great day out.
I came home with a couple of goodies, a Christmas pudding with Macadamia and a show bag full of Cripps baked goods. There was that woven wool poncho and those hand made sterling silver earings, although, I did not feel like spending the almost $400 they would have cost me, maybe another time. Thank you Mary-anne and Sue for the company,conversation and ride, thanks to Matthew and Blanch for taking care of my little people and thank you to my two big boys who made me feel sooo loved with the 50 or so telephone calls they made to me during the day.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Blissed Out Days



Daylight savings is one of the highlights of Tassie. When the days start to become blissful they also last longer.

I have been so happy to see the kids outside a lot more, in the cooler months (most of the year) they are stuck inside. With the longer days it has been the usual for late bedtimes and trampoline until about 8pm. Angus is amazing to watch, he flips forward and backwards, his record for forward flips without stopping is somewhere around the 50 mark!

Blanche popped over yesterday, Wilson and Charlotte took the opportunity to do what they do best... Check out these pics that she took she is getting pretty clever with her camera. You will have to ask Blanche about the other pictures she left me also:)