Overhaul

So I have decided to give my family different monikers. Silly, I know. It's just the Him and Jr Her don't quite do it for me anymore. They sound, well, lame.

So, I thought I would, from now on, refer to them by our family nicknames. Therefore, Jr Her is now going to be referred to as Dobby. How did she get that nickname? Well, she would come home from school and complain all the kids called her Big Eyes. Her eyes are her best feature mind you. At that time the second Harry Potter movie had just come out, and who has big eyes, big ears and dirty clothes? Right. Dobby.

So, when her father started referring to her as Dobby, she retaliated by naming him - Fluffy. The big 3-headed dog from Philosopher's Stone. For years it was "Hi Dob." "Hi Fluff". And she still gets called Dobby mostly, although some times she gets called by the name her school friends gave her - Barney.

But, for all future references here they will now be called Dobby and Fluffy.

My nick name? I got stuck with.... Hagrid.

More new stuff

So yesterday was Him's day off. Never, ever, give him a day off! Jr her was sick, but went to school anyway (I got a text from them around two-thirty saying she wasn't there! Turns out it was the kid beneath her on the roll book!). Anyway, before I left work, Him phoned me to say that because Jr Her wasn't well, could we have take away for dinner.

Hey, I am always up for a non-cook night! Jr Her has the flu, by the way, and last night the poor lamb was shivering, temperature, flushed cheeks, sore throat, cough. I even let the netball coach know she wouldn't be playing today! But this morning, apart from a croaky voice, you wouldn't even know she was sick! She played netball too, but because only 4 girls turned up (you should have seen the coach, she was livid!) we had to forfeit, but played a scratch game with no scores using a couple of the other team's spares.

Anyway, when he phoned yesterday he says "I've been busy...." What a surprise I got when I got home! We had recently bought, as you know, the Plasma (not LCD as originally stated, my mistake), along with a freezer. So Him borrowed the other work ute and picked that up yesterday. And, when we were waiting for Jr Her to get her braces fitted on Tuesday we strolled about Bunnings, which is across the road from the dental surgery.

While there we saw a relatively cheap ($299) outdoor setting. Good price, nice setting, so we thought we might have to buy that. The old one had ripped chairs and only two were worth sitting on.

So, he had also gone down and picked that up. While there we noticed a folding banana lounge in the same fabric. We thought the price was $39, but Him asked an attendant anyway. Sure enough, that's the price! But, as they didn't have another out back, he gave us the display stock for $30. Neat! Matches the table and chairs perfectly!

He also spent a further $80 odd on a plastic outdoor pool lounge which is sitting beside the carport, so if I want to sit alone and sun bake I can! We are a bit reluctant to leave the other matching chair in the weather, see.

So, he had completely rearranged the back patio, cleaning up lots of stuff, and vacuuming the piece of carpet at the back door where the dog sits (and consequently coats in black hair). It looks great! What do you think? If you click on the pic and enlarge it, you can even see both the banana lounges (and Jr Her's odd socks!)

As we have had lovely weather, last night after a trip to McDonalds for take away, we all sat outside at the new table for dinner. Great! Then, today we all lounged outside again. My matching banana lounge is great, and I can still sit with the family.

Roger isn't usually allowed out unless we are, so we can watch where he goes. He mostly just sits around in the long grass beside the house, or playing in the niche beneath the gum tree.

Doesn't he look lovely? It's one of the rare times we were able to see his face!

Well, the other two have gone to take the ute back (second time today, last time they got to Glenelg and realised they didn't have the keys to the other ute!) and it's lovely and quiet for a bit. Time to go do some heavy duty reading! Catch ya!

UPDATED 16/08/09

So today, it's blowing a gale! Last night it rained and the new furniture got wet, as did the dog house and the cupboard at the end of the patio, so all 3 of us struggled with some sheets of fencing tin and Him closed in one half of the end of the patio, just enough to keep the rain off the junk cupboard and hopefully protect things that end a bit.

He also bought some sail rail and put the extra awning from the caravan from the roof where the new outdoor setting is, so it keeps the rain and sun off that part of the patio.

And, we juggled the old freezer out, scrubbed the floor (it was thick with grease and old cat hair) and moved the fridge over, putting the new freezer beside the stove. Looks great! Jr Her got the job of filling all the drawers with stuff out of the old freezer.

Dinner tonight is a roast lamb with rosmemary sauce done in the hot pot. Smells good, hope it tastes as good!

The girl with the rainbow smile

Well, that's what it was supposed to be, but the colours aren't quite bright enough to pull it off.

Yesterday was "B" Day. Yep, my kid now has braces. She has known for a long time she was getting them, and now they are here.

She has always been brave, never feeling embarassed or worried about it. In fact, she has been looking forward to them. She also knew they were going to hurt, but figured it didn't matter.

What we didn't count on was that she can't eat. She is not allowed to bite anything with her front teeth, instead putting a small amount into her mouth and chewing with her back teeth. So, the problem? Her back teeth don't touch each other now. Because the braces prevent an overbite, the back teeth don't meet and therefore the food doesn't have the opportunity to find itself between mashing teeth.

And, last night, although I chopped her food into bite sized portions, she found it unbearably painful to bite down on said back teeth. So, she only had some mashed fruit and cheesecake with icecream. Today for lunch she has chopped fruit with a bit of custard, and a sandwich with the crust cut off she can tear up.

One of the coloured pieces came unstuck yesterday too. I phoned the dentist and they said it would be okay until next Friday when she goes back for a check up. She has to be careful of course so it doesn't break the wire, but it shouldn't cause a problem.

Anyway, today she is more positive, and is quite happy with the colours - red, yellow, pastel green and pale blue. Looks good. See below...

Dudley Schafer

Dad, Colin and Dudley

So I just wanted to talk a little about my uncle. Dad's brother. Uncle Dud has been sick for a long time now. I can always remember him having something wrong - gall stones that went wrong, other ailments, but he has been fighting cancer for a few years now.

Despite that, he did manage to come across to Gladstone for Dad's 70th birthday last December. I know it meant a lot to Dad. The family also got together recently with their sister Gloria coming across from New Zealand.

Dud used to be married to Ruby, who died from cancer many years ago. For the last few years he has been friends with Judy.

Uncle Dud finally succumbed this week, dying Tuesday night about midnight. His son Gary phoned Pop and Pop had to phone everyone else. Another brother Colin was not able to be contacted until Wednesday morning.

The funeral is set of Wednesday 12th. Sadly we won't be going. I have been speaking with mum and SOL extensively about their plans, and it sounds like there is going to be a lot of people around.

When Aunty Ruby died the town stopped. Everyone lined the streets of Gayndah as the funeral procession passed. I imagine it will be the same for Dud. SOL said that every hotel she contacted knew all about the funeral (Gayndah is a tiny country town of about 200 on a good day?). MOTH even said one hotel was completely booked out by the family of one of Dud's children (Actually, Ruby's from a prior marriage).

I really wish I were going because we always have a great time at these gatherings. There are always oodles of family to hang with, catch up with, and I would really love to catch up with Dud's daughter Janell. She is my fave cousin.

But, we can only mourn from afar. Let the party roll on without us.

RIP Uncle Dud, I know you are finally at peace.

xxx

new toys

So on the weekend, Him decided to rearrange the lounge for me.

As mentioned a few posts ago, he bought himself a new roll top desk, which was in one corner of the room.

The following weekend he bought me a lovely rocker (which apparently I am off quite frequently). Anyway, he used to sit with his back to the TV, and in my corner, I couldn't see the TV, so he swapped them around. I now have a great view of the TV, and he doesn't watch TV while using his computer anyway.

Oh, and he just phoned me to tell me he found a perfectly working red shaded bankers lamp outside on someone's sidewalk this morning, something he has been searching for since he installed the desk!

Here are a couple of photos of the lounge now...
My little corner of the world...


Him's little corner of the world...

And lastly, our new toy we were supposed to buy for Christmas, but somehow found ourselves with on the weekend.

42" LCD full HD Panasonic, comes with a bonus WII console (via redemption).

We also bought a new upright freezer, as our current one is well over 20 years old. The new freezer, a Westinghouse, has a very good energy rating, and was cheap so we figured now or never!

That's it! Broke now. Have to get a second job I think! lol!

To do or not to do?

So Jr Her is off on camp today. Yay! Two whole days of peace and quiet. Of course, it won't make any difference to me. Him will still go to work on night shift, and I will still cook dinner when I get home... It just means I won't have anyone to fight with for two nights!

Anyway, before Him took Jr Her to school this morning, I had asked her where her phone was. In my room, she answered. Sure! And if I find you are lying, you will lose the phone. I will confiscate it and won't renew the credit. She didn't say anything. When Him got home I repeated the threat in front of her. He asked he where it was. She withdrew it under protest from her pocket... yelled and carried on while I took it off her and put it on the charger for the duration of her absence.

When he got to the school her bestie bailed her up and asked if she had her phone. Jr Her answered in the negative (rather angrily too for some reason! lol!). Bestie bragged that she had snuck hers into her bag, as had several other friends. She boasted that her mother didn't know and that she never tells her mother anything.

This is all in front of Him! Him questioned her, and she still bragged that she wasn't lying, she just wasn't telling her mum anything! Him made the comment Jr Her was honest. Yes, well, only because I know my child and knew she had it with her, or she would be doing exactly the same thing!

Anyway, my dilemma is, do I tell the mother or let it go? I am not sure how I would feel about someone phoning me to tell me what my kid had done wrong. I think what got up Him's and my nose was her rude attitude. She can be quite cutting, even to Jr Her.

Anyway, I haven't said anything yet, and not sure if I will, but it does make me wonder...

Lucky me!

I have decided I am a thoroughly spoiled little bitch! And I love it!

Last weekend Him was playing on his computer and called me. "I've bought you something"... oh, I wonder what that is?

He showed me. It was a wooden glider chair (as opposed to a rocker). It glides back and forth instead of rocking on bars. So after a few hours of peace shopping by myself on Saturday, purchasing new work clothes and stuff, I got two hours of quiet on Sunday as well, cause he and Jr Her jumped into the ute to venture across Adelaide and pick it up for me.

That was a giggle apparently. When they arrived, the place was an absolute pig sty. The woman apologised saying they had just moved in, but Him thought the place looked all too lived in. There were piles and piles of clothes and junk on every surface!

My chair was out on the back patio covered in dog hair, and the woman had to vacumm it off. I wonder why they didn't do that before? They knew he was coming!

Then, before he had even finished loading it (with the help of Jr Her) into the back of the ute, she had shoved the money into her purse, grabbed the trolley and dashed across to the supermarket! We think perhaps she was a little hard for cash.

Anyway, we cleared out a corner of the lounge, and put the chair into there. It is wooden, with a green cushion with tiny white dots. We had a beige cushion with green, blue and pink roses on it, which sits very nicely on the chair.

Yesterday when I got home from work (at least I think it was yesterday...) there was a surprise for me. Him had gone to Ikea to buy a table to put beside my new chair. Sadly, it was too big but does look great in the corner beside the TV cabinet.

He had a wooden "butler" holding a flat part to put a coffee cup, which he put beside my chair, and while at Ikea he bought a lovely metal standing lamp. We also had a wooden candle holder beside the TV, so when I got home, the butler was holding my book the lamp was shining on my chair, and beside the lamp was one of my pillar candles, lit and glowing nicely. Isn't that fab? I am so lucky!

Love ya darl! xxx

On a separate note, Jr Her had a minor opp yesterday on her gum. I was expecting to go in for a quick procedure to expose the two teeth that are causing problems, pay a small gap, then go grocery shopping.

However, when we got there, they told us that they could do one, but the other would take longer than the time they had allowed. The one they did do took an hour and they actually cut a flap of gum and stitched it out of the way. Ew. She is upset cause she can't play netball tomorrow, as she is their star goal shooter, and it's the only team they have a hope of beating!

When it came time to pay, it ended up costing me $350 after health insurance! Eep! There goes my grocery money. I had to shuffle some funds around and do the shopping. Jr Her was very good at helping me put it away, chatting a mile a minute (nothing shuts that kid up, not even gum surgery!) and it was 6.00 before we finished! Still had to cook dinner!

I did get a few minutes to sit in my chair and read while the potatoes were cooking though... excellent!

Oh, and her second op (with a $410 gap) is scheduled for September 24th. My birthday...