Life as I know it

Well life never seems to be dull around here and I have been busy.
Lots of fun things have happened over the last few weeks - spent a day scrapping with some great friends and was able to get some scrapping done.
I also got to use one of my Christmas presents which was a photography course in Melbourne's CBD with my bestie Julie - thanks for the present it was a wonderful experience
Cant say the footy has been too enjoyable but you take the good with the bad.
And I have also had the opportunity to book a holiday for Kev and I to head to Phuket for 7 nights and I can't wait.
This is sort of a delayed 25th wedding anniversary present to ourselves after the plans got shelved when Mum had her fall back in March, and although she is on her way to recovery with the shingles added in it has taken much longer than any of us would have liked.
We have had a new addition to the family to with Carlie and Marcus' baby girl Lily being born CONGRATS to you all.
The next few weeks are going to be busy too with a graduation ceremony for a very dear friend , another scrapping day planned and an engagement party for my Godson Bernard and his beautiful girl Jo so lots to look forward to.
We are all working hard and dont get to see a lot of Alyce because of her shift work but we are all well.
So thats about life as I know it at the moment

Just a couple of things

This is a photo of our 2 dogs Terka and Shaba and unfortunately this week we lost Shaba who we think died of old age and natural causes.
Shaba was Terka's mum and came to us when Kev's mate Chris needed to find new hone for her.
We think we have had her for about 5 years and she has been Terkas companion/combatant for this time.
RIP Shaba

On a brighter note my Mum seems to have turned a corner and after having a day out last week at the Epping shops albeit in a wheel chair and her sister Betty visit for the weekend this week has seen her seem much better and more mobile, even enough to venture to KMart with her new toy, her walker and burn up the floor down there. Go MUM

The Kangaroos have also had a couple of wins in the last couple of weeks so that has been pleasing too.

Kev is away for the weekend so I am having a lazy one but I do need to clean the pantry out so that I can fit all the things I bought on my very first Costco trip last week. Alyce, Julie and I ventured there before the footy last Sunday so we had limited time but I really want to go back and check it out fully.
I have also just finished my first book for the year which is really slack, so I am hoping to improve on that over the next little while.
Have done some scrapping and need to do some today as a project for work too, so I hope that I can get the mojo happening

Thats about it from me, just needed to record some stuff that has been happening
Over and out from me

30years is a long time

This is going to be a long and indulgent post so grab a cuppa if you are going to have a read

30 years is a long time……………………..Some pretty significant things happened to me 30 years ago, things that still have an impact on me now

In the space of six months I lost my dad to a stroke at the very young age of 50, I met the man who was to become my husband (and still is) and I lost my beloved Nanna.

Although my dad and I had our moments I still miss him more than anything and this is seconded by missing my Nanna nearly as much.

My dad was a headstrong stubborn bugger and I know in lots of ways I am very much like him, my Mum keeps telling me so but I know in my own heart that I am and these traits have also been handed down to my daughter as well, although I think she got a double dose from both sides.

He could be the most kind hearted person you could meet and would do anything for anyone but he was a not so nice person when he drank.

These days I try to remember more about the good times than the bad and wish that he could still be here to see how his head strong daughter had turned out and how wonderful his son in law is and I know that he would have been very, very excited about his grand- daughter…………..she would have been the apple of his eye as I know I was as a baby.

He loved his footy and I can still seeing him walking into Arden St with his 6 cans of beer for an afternoon of footy and although I don’t drink beer at the footy, my love of going has not waned at all and Alyce has been going since she was 4 months old too. My Mum and I have been going for the last 30 years and have met some great friends along the way and I now love that not only do Mum and I and Alyce go (when she can) but Pauline and Corinne come along now to make it a family affair and we meet other members of our footy family there, Louise and Imogen and Ma Wert who we have sat with now over 20 years. Every now and again depending on work I can also convince my soul sister Julie to come along too. A truly family affair.

How I wish he was here for me to give him an 80^th Birthday party as I did for my Mum but obviously this cant be. I have probably thought about him more in the last few weeks because of this milestone and wish things had been different but I cant change the past and have to move on and just think about all the good times. LOVE YOU DAD.

Losing my beloved Nanna 6 months after my Dad was also a great shock for me, I don’t think she got over losing one of her children and died of a broken heart.

I remember she was a great cook and I can still remember her curried seasoning for the roast chook, her home- made mayonnaise and her apple pies. I remember that when we went to visit she and Dad would go and play Euchre whilst Mum and I stayed at her house and watched TV. We went on family trips with her and her friend Gill and she loved having budgies for pets.

I miss her so very much LOVE YOU NANNA

And now for the Love of My Life Kevin – In October Kev and I will have been together 30 years and what a 30 years it has been. Throughout this time Kev has been my rock seeing me through the good and the bad , the highs and the lows and in our 25^th wedding anniversary card he said Happy Anniversary for the first 25 years looking forward to the next 25 or something to that effect and I couldn’t agree more. There is so much to look forward too, watching our daughter bloom into the young woman we know she is already is and will continue to be and we hope along with that there will be a wedding and children for us to look forward to. We have some plans for travel and have even booked to go on a 45 day cruise to Gallipoli for the 100^th anniversary of the landing in 2015. Heres to those adventures and many many more LOVE YOU KEVIN

Tears and Fears, Love and Happiness

This month has been one of very mixed emotions. time for celebration and time for tears.
Celebrating 25 years of wedded matrimony with Kevin, we spent a couple of days in the town where we spent our honeymoon all those years ago Ocean Grove and it was wonderful.The 25 years has been been great most of the time and I am sure that anyone who has been married that long will tell you there are are times when it has been not so great but luckily I can say for us these times have been few and far between.
We had planned to go overseas to celebrate but with my Mum having a fall and taking some time to recover we put this on the back burner for now.
The tears came when we received a call from Alyce on Good Friday night to say that she had been in an accident. This was a call I am sure all parents fear and I was no different. The tears didnt come on the night because she was very lucky and had been clever enough to turn the steering wheel of her car to avoid a more dangerous collision for her and her friend, the tears didnt even come for me when I saw her car I was just relieved to see that all involved were not injured. They did come for her then but I think it was more shock than anything else. Cars can be fixed or replaced and that was the least of my concerns. The tears came for me the next day when the reality hit me just how lucky we were that it wasnt much more serious. I have had a few close calls in cars in the last month and i cant believe how much they have all been attributed to speed, why is evryone in such a hurry? Please please slow down the consequences can be just so bad.
Enough about that though luckily our baby girl is ok and I hope that I never have to get another one of those calls again.
Ok some other things that have happened, The Kangaroos havent had a very good start to the year although they did have their first win yesterday, which was good.
I am in the final planning stages of my next scrapbooking weekend away with great friends and I havent been lucky enough to win tattslotto as yet so I have to go back work tomorrow. Bugger

OK well I haven’t left it to the end of the month this time woohoo for me.

This month has been a little full on and quite frankly I again want to get off the roundabout and have a breather.

First weekend saw us attend a 50^th Birthday of a good friend and then have lunch at my footy friend Louise and her hubby Darryn’s new house on the Sunday.

The next weekend was great with a night out with besties Julie and Pauline to watch Neil Diamond for the 4^th time, and as usual he was great. Julie and I stayed in a hotel in Richmond for the night. The 3 of us had dinner there and then Julie and I had breakfast and both meals were great, I would recommend this hotel highly

It was the Amora in Bridge Rd Richmond – top notch and the company I shared it with were top notch too!

Weekend 3 saw us at a wedding at the Stone’s Winery in the Yarra Valley which was just magnificent. Bugger I forgot the camera.

We had to get up early on Sunday morning to deliever Kev to Chris and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry as they were off for a week. The rest of Sunday was spent recovering.

And thats where it all went down hill from there, this has been the week from hell and I will be more than happy for it to be over.

Monday saw some stupid truck decide that he needed the lane that I was in for his purposes and tried to drive me off the road and gave me the fright of my life.

Tuesday I woke up to the fact that my credit card had been hacked and it would need to be cancelled and all direct debits re-arranged YUK YUK YUK and then to top off that day I speak to my mum who informs me that she had had a fall on Saturday but hadnt told me because she didnt want to ruin the wedding - what is it with oldies who think they are indestructable? The upshot of all this being that she is now in hospital with a suspected broken hip a week later than she should have been and to top it off missed out on going to see Mary Poopins on her birthday.

One of my cousins who also was booked to come to Mary Poppins ended up being flown to Melbourne in an air ambulance this week too but luckily she was allowed out for the day to attend and hopefully on the mend

All in all a week to forget other than seeing Mary Poppins which was great.

Lets hope this next week brings a more relaxed week but I doubt it!

And now its February's turn to be over

Maybe this blog is going to turn into a monthly sum up of whats happening in my life. Its not what I intended to happen but I started a long post a week or so ago and then lost it so got upset with it all and left it not to be redone.
This month has seen me have another birthday, Alyce start uni, Alyce find out she has stress fractures in her foot and need to have a plaster cast to her knee and a myriad of other things that I am sure no-one else would find exciting.
I did however get to go to a scrapping night at Shelley's on Friday night and got 2 LO's out done so some scrapping has happened
I am however looking forward to March as I will be going to see Neil Diamond with my 2 besties, have a 50th and a wedding to go to, I am also going to see Mary Poppins with Alyce, my Mum and other family on my Mums 84th Birthday and I will be getting to see my footy friend Lou's new house. I might even try to fit in a scrapping day in there busy busy busy.
What I am not looking forward to is Kev going away for a week at the end of the month
I will cope though I am sure.
Anyway thats it from me for the month of February, I should have lots to share in my monthly wrap up next month LOL

January 2011 - Bugger its already over

Well OK it’s been another month since I blogged but it really has been a full on month.

It started with me getting sick and not being able to return to work until 2 days later than I should have, so not a good start to the year and it took me a lot longer to get over than I had hoped. Two lots of antibiotics eventually worked.

To get out of the house after being sick Kev and I went for a drive that was supposed to be to Kinglake but we ended up at Lake Mountain.

The scenery is still really surreal even 2 years after the bushfires and although there are lots of new buildings there are still some blocks not built on along the way. There is some new growth amongst the trees but you can still see where the devastation had been.

I am so glad that I waited to see what the area was like as I think any time sooner than this would have been very upsetting.

I remember going to a Nutri-Metics conference at Marysville (I think more than once) but that place is no longer there. Actually Marysville is nothing like I remember it to be and I had been there as a child as well so I had vivid memories of what it used to look like. Sad just very sad.

The last couple of weekends have been full on with Kev and I having 3 days in Adelaide for the Tour Down Under which was great. It was great to get away, the weather was great, the scenery beautiful and the racing was wonderful as well. Nice to spend some quality time with my husband of nearly 25 years and partner of nearly 30 years.

Alyce being totally independent car wise means we can now do this on a more regular basis

The next weekend saw Julie and I have a whirlwind tour of Sydney for 24 hours to see a show at the Opera House. It was great and there will be lots of journalling to be done as there were lots and lots of "moments" had. There can be a lot to be crammed into 24 hours.

Also tried out the Craigieburn Farmers Market this month and was told it was a little smaller than usual so looking forward to the next one, then had a trip to the new scrapping shop in Glenroy (East Street) very very nice and then home to have hot dogs and some on line scrap shopping - great day Thanks Jules

And in between the weekends there was a bit of scrapping done on Australia Day, a quiet gathering of 5 only as a last minute thing, and it was quiet because there was lots of work done in between lunch and Oprah and afternoon tea and the ladies being home in time for dinner.

All in all a busy month with some more to come next month with a 84th Birthday to have (a little late), a 21st to attend, Valentines day and then my birthday and then my FIL's.

Stop the merry-go-round I need to get off for a rest already.

I cant seriously believe that the first month of the year is over, there is only a few weeks to the footy starts and life just keeps rolling on and on and on

Well Christmas is over for another year

And I wasn't very good at the December Daily things seeing as it is 15 days since the last post.
I have had quite a bit on so the computer has taken a back step.
I had another night out with the guys and girls from work at a nice restaurant in Thornbury
We had our Family (my) Christmas Party down at Carlie and Marcus' which was great
Lunch out with my bestie Julie at Rupertswood (which was nicer than I imagined when walking in) and an exchange of pressies which was very funny as we had bought each other the same thing but from different places
Dinner that same night with the Poreccas and that was all in the weekend before Xmas.
Tuesday a visit from Shirley and a good old chat like the old days and some exchange of presents which was nice
Then roll on Christmas where Xmas eve saw me make the traditional scalloped potatoes for lunch the next day as well as the choc royal plum puddings with Alyce's help whilst watching the carols.
Christmas day saw us share it with Mum and Max , Pauline and Gary, Corinne and Andrew and Jack. We had a relaxing day which was great - no stress just plenty of food
Boxing Day saw me do as little as possible as I had promised myself that.
Monday saw us have a Simmons Family reunion that I had organized to have at a park in Sunbury but the weather wasn't kind and we ended back at Pauline and Gary's but everyone seemed to have a good time and a great catch up was had.
Tuesday was again a day of not much and Wednesday has been the day for having mine and Alyce's car down at Mazda early for our windows to get tinted - Thanks Santa and lunch with another bestie Jackie up at her new house in Hidden Valley.
So thats the wrap up - not sure when I will be back

A Little bit of Catching up to do

Ok I have been a little busy and this December Daily thing has been neglected but I do have things to report.
Days 8 & 9 were just work and come home sort of stuff but day 10 saw me have dinner with a ex-work colleague from Circle Credit Union, Amanda and I had an absolute ball.
I got to meet her spunky little daughter Ava and see her grown up little boy Jacob again as well as saying a quick hello to Shaun before we headed off to dinner at the Club.
Well it was just like we had seen each other yesterday (it had been more than 18 months) we had a wonderful laugh about the old days and had a fabbo meal. We need to do this more often.
Day 11 saw Alyce and I and Nanny up early and over at Epping plaza for a spot of Kris Kringle shopping and we got it all done thankfully. Alyce then coached her netball side to a Grand Final win which meant she went out on top as she is not going to coach next year. She went off to work and Kev and I stayed home and watched some telly and I did some scrapping for some presents.
Day 12 so another reunion of sorts with some workmates from Reed and I had a great time and Clarence's with Clarry and Lee, Sheree and Alex, and Beth and Anthony, many laughs to be had.
Again this needs to be done on a more regular basis.
Yesterday saw me do the days work and then off to to see Kate the Physio which is doing my legs lots and lots of good.
All caught up now

OK so I am a bit behind

I did start a post for Days 5 & 6 but didnt get back to it so now it has another day added to it.
Sunday(day 5) saw us do not much at all except for go looking for a good spot for a family picnic to be held just after Xmas. We looked at Greenvale Reservoir which had been the park first suggested but its not the park of choice. We also had a look at Woodlands Park in Somerton but there wasnt much for the kids to do. There is a great park in Craigieburn but has no toilets close by so we are at a bit of a loss so we may have to check out Sunbury.
Day 6 was just more of the same with work and cooking dinner and thats about it
Day 7 saw another trip to see Kate the therapist and still more revelations about my condition so all is good.

Day 4

Saw Alyce, Pat and myself head off to Highpoint for a spot of Christmas shopping.
We got there at 10.30am and the minute I walked into the shopping centre it was hot.
Anyway Alyce bought some clothes we did some of the Christmas shopping and then ventured home.
Last night saw us head over to Pauline and Gary's for Gary's 50th Birthday. Food to be eaten, drinks had and seemed to be a good night all round

Well Day 3 was interesting

Day 3 saw me start the day trying to find out some medical dates so that I could take them with me to see a new therapist for my lymphedema and see if there was anything that could help.
I thought that I had got this syndrome after a gall bladder operation but as they were 3 years apart this doesn't seem to be the case.
Seems I went to the Mercy lymphedema clinic back in 2004 and then transferred out to Heidelberg. I have been told all this time that as my legs were stable and an odd shape that specialty garments from Germany would be no good for my legs. It wasnt worth the money because if they got here and were the wrong fit there was nothing that could be done and I would not be entitled to a refit or refund.
Well seems this is ALL WRONG and that the garments would help me a great deal and they can be fitted by a rep from the company. It also seems that I can be helped and that my legs can improve if only they had tried to help - how disappointing. For six years I have visited the clinic usually twice a year had my legs measured and been told to go off and get new stockings and thats about it. I was asked if I had had been given any massage? No. Have you had any tests to see if there are any underlying causes? No. Was bandaging offered? Yes but was told because I have both lymphedema and lipodema that it wouldn't help much.
I have never seen someone shake their head as much as my new therapist did.
Yes I was under the care of a public hospital and I know they are time poor (evidenced by missing an appointment in July 2010 and not being able to get back in until March 2011 with 22 people on the waiting list before me) but I have private health insurance and I dont care how much it costs I would like to have some relief from walking around on tree trunks for the rest of my life.
The 10 minutes of massage I had yesterday made a huge difference even if it was just for a short while but I am thinking that 6 years of not being looked after properly is probably going to take more than 1 massage.
Kate wants to do the bandaging but wants to wait for the cooler months just to see what sort of difference it will make, no if buts or maybe. She also wants me to try the other type of garments but wants to work on getting my legs back into a better condition before we do that too.
I have another appointment on Tuesday night thats how serious she is about getting me better and I can only say THANKYOU.
Well that was a bit of a ramble but I wanted to get it all down so I could remeber what I hope will be an important day in my life. I keep telling everyone that lymphedema is something I have to live with just like someone living with diabetes but seems although I may have to live with it it can be more properly managed.
OK the other thing that happened on day 3 was that we had works Xmas Party at a Greek restaurant in Keilor Rd Niddrie and it was a good night out.
Day 4 saw us doing some Xmas shopping and having to go to a 50th Birthday Party so will write about that tomorrow

Day 2

Ok, again nothing too exciting happened yesterday except we got to see Alyce for more than a nano second and I received a box of scrapbooking frames (only exciting for some)
The frames are for me to be able to make more presents and I have a couple made but can't show at the moment in case the recipients see my blog.
I will take photos though and show at a later date.
I watched my favourite TV show Rush and thats about the extent of a very uneventful day.
Maybe tomorrows post will be more exciting as we are having our work Xmas party tonight

December Daily

Ok so there are scrappers out there who are doing a December Daily Album (I have done one in the past and enjoyed doing it) but I am not quite motivated enough this year so I thought I might try a December Daily post just so I keep a record of what I get up to in the month of December.
I am a day late starting so maybe it will be a next day retrospective post.
December One didnt really have anything too exiting about it, the usual routine, get up get ready for work, go to work, work, go grocery shopping, cook dinner, a little TV - I love the new show Raising Hope which is about the only good thing on a Wednesday and then bed.
Didnt get to see Alyce except for her walking in the door at 10.30ish as she had been at work but this is becoming the norm. Kev and I do tend to be going to bed earlier than we used to because there are no picking up duties anymore
And thats about it, I wouldnt have had anything to take a photo of anyway!

What a wonderful day

I just spent a very relaxing Sunday with 5 great friends at Where a Girl Goes High Tea Party.
Everything was just wonderful, the staff were great, the food yummo and the activities such as Tarot Card reading and card making just brilliant and to top it off Natalie Gauci and her band played.
I also won a raffle prize but happened to be sitting on the toilet when my name was called so missed the excitement but the prize was definitely worth winning and then we got a goody bag to go home with.
Overall a wonderful day with wonderful friends and we have vowed to do it on a more regular basis, go out and spoil ourselves every now and then.

Another milestone

Well this time last week we were gearing up for the 18th Birthday party and today Alyce gained her total independence by getting her P's.
At the moment I haven't really processed it all properly because she is at work and her car is here.
She does want her dad and I to take it down to her so she can drive home tonight but that hasn't been decided on as yet.
Am I scared about her driving - you bet I am. Not so much about her because I think she is a pretty good driver although she has had her moments but more about others on the road.
You only have to watch the news each night to know that the young ones these days dont really have an idea about how dangerous our roads are and what power there is when they get behind the wheel.
But this is probably the last of the apron strings that needs to be cut, she no longer needs me to drive her here and there, we dont need to worry about being back in Broadmeadows by a certain time to pick her up from work etc.
I am sure after a couple of drives on her own I will be OK - no I won't who am I kidding but I am sure it was the same for my mum when I got my licence so I will just have to live with it and wait for her to walk in the door and sigh that little sigh of relief that she is home safe and sound.
The other issue now is the juggling of cars in the driveway! Oh well such is life

Well its over and done with

Alyce's 18th Birthday Party that is.
Friday night came and went without too many dramas thank goodness.
We had a few hiccups with rain putting paid to plans to have it in the backyard, thankfully our carport is big enough to hold a party and with a couple of strategic placings of tarps the carport was closed in from the weather and all went ahead.
The birthday girl was 100% well but soldiered on and received some great presents from family and friends.
Just a tip to those having parties for the younger generation, food isnt overly essential as they dont eat - or dont seem to. Lots of food left over but thats ok.
Well our baby girl is now legally an adult and only has a couple more days to wait until she goes for her licence and then a few weeks to get her exam results so heres hoping for good results in both

Inspired by these 2 crusty old blokes who I love and copied from my BFFL

HERE IS MY BUCKET LIST (and I can add to it as I need or think of something else)

1. Foster a child or
2. Participate in Big Brother Big Sister
3. Go to Europe with Kevin and discover where my and Kev’s ancestors came from
4. Spend lots of quality time with my husband and daughter
5. Be a good daughter
   
6. Spend lots of quality time with my friends
7. Be the mother of the Bride (but not for at least 8-10 years are you listening Alyce?)
8. Be a Grandma (but not for at least 8-10 years, and then after the wedding are you listening Alyce?)
9. Sleep at the zoo (either Melbourne or Werribee) with the animals
10. See Neil Diamond
11. See the Nth Melbourne Football Club win at least one but hopefully many more premierships
12. See at least one but I would like several more Kangaroo Brownlow Medallists
13. Gain a Diploma
14. Scrapbook more and more fun events
15. Lose weight
16. Go to Ayers Rock
17. See the Great Barrier Reef
18. Have a very different 50^th Birthday Party
19. Travel, travel and more travel anywhere
20. Go on scrapbook retreats with my friends
21. If Abba tour I would be there with bells on (can’t see this happening though)
22. Go back to Thailand
23. Go back to see parts of the USA I didn’t see the first time and some that I did
24. Be in Gallipoli on Anzac day
25. Watch Alyce grow into a beautiful young independent woman (this has already started)
26. Go on a cruise
27. Maybe meet someone who I have wanted to for a long time
    

Wow, I am having fun here and I am a copy cat

When I first started this blogging caper it was hard to navigate around getting things done on here but I dont know if I have got better at the computer or blogger has made it easier but I now know what to do and how to do it and re-arrange things and add things and I love it. So it might mean that I do this blogging thing on a more regular basis which is good for me cos I am starting to forget things. LOL

Anyway on the copy cat thing, my BFFL started a bucket list on her blog and I think its a super idea so I am going to copy it. Over the years I have seen list of things I would like to do before I am fifty and because thats not all that far away I am not sure thats a great idea, so just a bucket list of the things I would like to do someday/oneday is better and thats what I will do in another post so that I can keep track

I love to Scrapbook

And over the years have met many wonderful new friends because of it.
I just wish there were more hours in the day for me to be able to do it on a regular basis.
These days I now need a day or weekend together with friends to get things done and I love the times we share when doing this, but I wish I was one of those people who just does it because they can when they have a couple of spare hours to themselves.
Maybe with the clean up that happened here on the weekend cos of Miss nearly 18's up coming birthday I will get myself sorted properly and be able to do that.
This year has seen me scrap occasions rather than individual Layouts, having done an 18th album for a BFFL's daughter and a well loved 80th Album for my aunt and having just completed my own daughters Deb Ball album.
On the last weekend away I was able to complete one out of the blue LO with a photo of some of the friends I love to scrapbook with, and they might share there own LO of the same photo.
I LOVE TO SCRAPBOOK and I LOVE THE PEOPLE I DO IT WITH
Here is a few recent ones and a not so recent one that I love
First one is my grandparents at my parents wedding, next is one I did for a project a few years ago of my family, next Alyce at her Deb Ball and last those scrapping Friends who I love with a LO a bit out of my compfort zone cos I used patterned paper, sorry the photo isnt great