30 Day Throw Down

Sunday 27th

Breakfast: Weetbix, Weatharts, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch: Tomato Sardines on Toast
Afternoon tea: Homemade chocolate cake
Tea: Italian Sausages & Beans

Monday 28th

Breakfast: Weetbix, Weatharts, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch: Cheese on toast, Vegemite on Toast, and left over sausages & beans on toast
Afternoon tea: Left-over cake
Tea: Tuna Pilau

Tuesday 29th

Breakfast: Weetbix, Weatharts, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch: Braised Steak & Onions on toast
Afternoon Tea: bread, margarine & Cream Cheese Spread, tuna
Tea: Rigatoni Bolognaise

Wednesday 30th

Breakfast: Weetbix, Weatharts, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch: Sardines on toast
Afternoon tea: Chocolate Mocha Self-saucing Pudding (homemade)
Tea: Caramelised Onion & Sausage Tarts

We bought some herb & garlic sausages from the butchers and I had forgotten about them and didn't put them on my menu and they were in the fridge not the freezer.

Watery Wednesday

Watery Wednesday home.

That's My World Tuesday

Bethanga/Bellbridge, Victoria, Australia taken by my daughter last Thursday. Our lakes in Australia I think are man made. The Murray River flows into this lake, which is Lake Hume. It must have come up in water level, as I think they are letting the water out after the Lake now.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Showery mild winter conditions, though it is spring

One of my simple pleasures:
Watching movies on Youtube

On my bedside table:
Lynn Austin's A Woman's Place

On my TV:
Australian Idol
Wizards Of Wavely Place (yes, I've watched it again)

On the menu for tonight:
Tuna Pilau

On my To Do list:
finding referees for my son if he wants to start working after exams at High School

New Recipe I tried last week:
Szechuan Lamb Rissoles with Asian Greens it is a great recipe if you have your own lamb. If I lived on a farm I would definitely have that seasoning, that I bought in IGA. For a family meal the spice should be cut down 1/4 unless they like it hot.

In the craft basket:
Nothing really

Looking forward to:
warmer weather, at least I would feel we were getting somewhere I suppose

Homemaking Tip for this week:
Try a stew with fennel in it, something with lamb

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
Three Kids & a Tummy Tuck

Favorite photo from last week: given to me by my son



Lesson learned the past few days:
That I would like to go to Floriade more than I thought.

On my Prayer List:
Probably myself

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

This meme is from Sandra's blog.

Today Flowers

My eldest son and his girlfriend kindly gave me these pictures to show. They are from Floriade in Canberra. They are my favourites because 1. I love English daisies 2. I like the flower combination.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Sunday...

Outside my window... the wind is blowing, it is grey

I am thinking... about mortgages, lifestyles

I am thankful for... my life how it is at the moment

From the kitchen... Fudgy Chocolate Cake

I am wearing... My usual good clothes with a black high neck skivvy

I am creating... just planning things out vaguely

I am going... I think I am going to my other house this week possibly twice, hope it is warmer then

I am reading... Lynn Austin's A Woman's Place

I am hoping... it is not too hard to pack my daughter's case and that basically everything is ready to pack for her overseas trip she got on a scholarship

I am hearing... very faint TV

Around the house... freshly vaccumed floors, drying washing for the trip, wood heater going well

One of my favorite things... freshly vaccumed floors

A few plans for the rest of the week: helping our son get off to his holiday English class, participating in a once a month meme, Just A Minute, on Tuesday

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Railway Station Albury

Join the many people who visit Peggy's blogs.

Scenic Sunday

Newly shorn sheep, taken on Thursday on the way home from the regional centre.

Random Dozen Meme #3

1. Please share one middle school memory. It can be good, bad, ugly, funny. Pictures or words, I don't care, just share.
Ages 11-13? I started High School early, a year younger, so I was in High School in forms 1-3 which is now 7-9. Those were the years I took cooking and needlework classes and rode on the bus.

2. What's your favorite Beatles song?
I thought I didn't like the Beatles. But, I like Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

3. If I asked you to describe your most comfortable outfit, what would it be?
I think they are all the same.

4. Would you rather host a party or be a guest?
Guest.

5. Do you think we will move completely from traditional books to digital ones, and if we do, are you OK with that?
No and no.

6. Do you learn best by reading, listening or experiencing?
I probably at the moment, don't like to do any, and probably do all three a little bit.

7. If you are (or when you were) single, what is the kiss of death for you concerning the opposite sex? (That is, what is one trait or behavior or habit or anything at all that immediately turns you off from considering that person a potential match for you?)
I think the ones I don't like even in everyday life, don't like me either. Though some I thought wouldn't warm to me to talk to seem to be doing that, it is a small town after all. So I'll start again. I think when I was single I tended to turn away strangers, people with unknown backgrounds. I thought I worked out why that was recently, but I have forgotten. It doesn't seem right, and I think I found a logical reason.

8. Snacks. Salty or sweet?
Something that actually makes you feel not hungry anymore, some snack foods don't do much.

9. Look around you in a four foot radius. What object is around you that you didn't realize was there or forgot was there? How long has it been there?
If they have been around a long time you know they are there lol. Nothing is buried lol.

10. What is your favorite Tom Cruise movie?
I think I have just seen Far and Away.

11. You buy a bottle of shampoo and discover that you don't like what it does to your hair at all. What do you do with that full bottle?
Put it in the cupboard.

12. Your favorite Fall comfort food? (Last week it was beverage.)
It is very cold today, maybe it was the party pies I had for lunch, they were nice, in honor of the football Grand Final. My husband's team won.

Vegemite Name Me Has a Name

I was hanging off my seat during the ads of the AFL Grand Final. Click here to see the winner who chose the name.

30 Day Throw Down

Friday 25th

Breakfast: Weetbix, Weatharts, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch: left over filling from dumplings on toast with soy sauce, cheese & mustard sandwich
Afternoon tea: A few nuts I think
Tea: Sausages, beans & potatoes

Saturday 26th

Breakfast: Weetbix, Weatharts, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch: Party Pies & Sauce
Afternoon Tea: Saos with Vegemite
Tea: Szechuan Lamb Rissoles with Asian Greens

I got my menu done for another two weeks. Finished the rest of the shopping this morning, I made up a list last night.

30 Day Throw Down blog.

I Call Your Name

1. If you could have named yourself, which name would you have chosen, and why?
There was a family name Christina, but I don't think I look like a Christine.

2. If you could relive a year in your life, what age would it be, and why?
I enjoyed being 8 very much. I would have a horse.

3. If you could go back and change one friendship in your past, who would it have been, and why?
I think I would change a friend that I didn't chose for myself. Maybe I could just be more assertive, but she was OK really.

4. If you could have dated one person in your past that you did not date, who would it be, and why?
Said person's old boyfriend, but I don't think we were that suited, but how can you tell? Maybe I don't mean it because the thought is scary.

6. If you had the opportunity to live in another country, which one would it be, and why? If you choose NOT to live in another country, why do you want to stay in your current country?
I think English, it would be less of a culture shock. Having said that, it would be nice to go to a Dwight Yoakam concert if it is like this one. I felt that was not a culture shock at all.

7. If you could choose your dream job, what would it be, and why?
I would have no idea. I have gone past daydreaming about jobs. Used to love to read about them in the paper, though I remember lately getting interested in that again, maybe I was helping my son and reading about jobs, since he is going to uni next year.

8. If you could wish a wish and it be guaranteed to come true (other than riches) what would it be, and why?
That someone would choose the best house of my two to live in, knowing everything that would happen in each in the future, and get one ready to sell for me.

9. If you could meet two blogger friends (you may choose more, if you wish) who would they be? I couldn't choose.

OK It's not Wednesday

But I couldn't wait for Saturday 9 to roll around. I remember reading about this meme, I wonder what happened? Be warned I don't consider myself to be sarcastic, but I don't think I am being honest with myself. I think I have been accused of it this week, even then couldn't get it, too dumb perhaps? Mummy brain?

1. Do you talk to yourself and what about? Do you answer back?
No. But have done it maybe three times, and decided not to do it again. I think it was after my youngest went to school lol.

2. Have you ever made up your own language?
No.

3. It's confession time. Dig in to your closet of shame and tell us one totally insane thing you have ever done in your life.
My Mum used to call my ideas hairbrained. They weren't, just the perfect childhood things, but probably not practical. I look back on my teenage years and wish I was more normal. Like not ever drive fast over a railway track, and other dangerous things.

4. So what is that one annoying thing in life that just drives you to that insanity level and why?
I don't admit to those things. How would I know if I was going insane?

5. You see a guy stripping butt naked and starts running around the street…what do you do?
I'm not sure I would be impressed. There was something in last week's local paper about an Israeli 20 minutes down the road along the river (somewhere we drive past often) with a clothed friend, who said he was influenced by mushrooms.

6. Have you every had anyone tell you “you’re crazy?” what made them say that.
Not that I remember.

7. What would your Life Motto be?
Not high on my list of priorities.

8. Finish this sentence ever time a bell rings…
No idea.

9. If you had a phobia what would it be and why?
What do I have to choose from?

10. When you go to starbucks do you swear they put crack in it just to get you to come back and pay 4.50 for it? If you don’t go is it because you might just get addicted?
Are there Starbucks still in Australia? I was so tired after driving to the regional centre on Thursday, the worst so far. We woke up an hour earlier because our water was being turned off. Daughter was taking too many random pictures on a difficult road. Anyway, I got phonecall from husband and said I may go to Gloria Jeans, he said I was going a bit overboard. Anyway, I found hanging around Gloria Jean's in the middle of the mall "crossroad" woke me up. Yes, the longer I stood there, (went past and came back) the better I felt. The coffee smelt really good. I was too tired to think of shopping.

11. Do you believe you have a pet that can tell you what they want? Like open the door, feed them or pet them. Is this crazy?
Yes I do. I think most animals are like that. I blame it on being brought up on a farm, and having conscientious parents who liked to see the animals fed well etc., or whatever

12. What part of cell phones drive you crazy?
Not being able to read the numbers easily.

13. If you could have a psychotic break and at most have to spend 3 months in the mental ward what would you do?
I wouldn't!

WTH Wednesday Meme.

Elvis' Little Sister

Elvis Presley - Little Sister
Uploaded by HansJ. - See the latest featured music videos.

The Elvis clip and the ones from the same user, are fantastic. You can get an idea what Elvis may have been like in his everyday life.

Have you heard the modern version on CMT or CMC?



This one I think reminds me of the country dances when they wanted to get everyone onto the floor.

What is the point?

I am posting this in case someone else has noticed this problem with their blog too.

The search this blog function seems to have changed since the comments upgrade on Blogger awhile ago. I have posts about blue-tongued lizards on my blog, and the search will only bring up the most recent ones.

If you go to searching on google and put in the url of my blog, in a special search my husband uses it brings up all these posts, admittedly some are for the word blue only. That means that the reason I am on blogger, is now not there. I may as well go back to homesteadblogger.

Has anyone else noticed this, and does it bother you?

I will have to pay more attention to my tags.

Skywatch Friday

One of these photos show the bushfires from February 7? this year and the recovery of seven months. They are more of the trip to Melbourne my husband and daughter did on the last day of August. We will be going there two more times to put her on and off a plane overseas. No doubt the season would have moved on a bit. The photos were taken along the Hume Freeway near Kilmore. The photos are less dark when enlarged, and include a koala sign.

30 Day Throw Down

Wednesday 23rd

Breakfast: Weetbix, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch: Ham & Hot Mustard sandwiches with grated cheese
Afternoon tea: the stuffing from a cooked chook
Tea: Paella

Thursday 24th
Breakfast: Weetbix, sultanas, milk, Weatharts, tea
Lunch: Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Wholemeal Bread, cappucino
Afternoon Tea: Sao crackers with margarine & Vegemite, tuna
Tea: Potstickers or Dumplings

Spanish Lemon Paella

Serves 4

100g or 1 stick kabana, sliced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1.2l of liquid (stock or water)
1 1/4 tablespoons McCormick Lemon & Pepper seasoning
2 tsp turmeric
1 cup roast chicken, sliced
1 cup mixed seafood or canned prawns or crab
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
4 spring onions/scallions

Fry the kabana and rice in a large non stick pan for 3 minutes. Add the liquid, one cup at a time, stirring so that the rice absorbs it all. Just prior to adding the last cup of liquid, add the seasonings, roast chicken and seafood. Cook for a further 2 minutes, to absorb all the liquid. Stir through the remaining ingredients, then remove from the heat. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and a handful of fresh parsley if desired.

A favourite here. This time we cut down the spice and added the paella spice from Herbies, also I knew I had forgotten something at the shop, which was the kabana or kabanos? in other countries. It was nice with the change of spice and no kabana. It is originally an Australia McCormick recipe (obviously McCormick is not an Australian company, but I am guessing it is a recipe specifically for Australia). Maybe it is an Australian company. But if you look carefully at the ingredients list for mixed spice, McCormicks is different to the other brands. Also, the minis are the same as the American imported Pumpkin Pie Spice that you get from USAFoods, only a different colour. Anyway, the original recipe is on the site here. The kabana has been changed to chorizo since we found the recipe in a magazine years ago.

I have batteries in both the cameras now, so maybe I'll be able to take a picture or two?

30 Throw Down Blog

Thursday Thunks

1. Does soap or shampoo have to really lather up for you to feel that it cleaned throughly?
Well after using Natural Instinct, I feel I have gone to the other side of people that need their shampoo to lather. I still love the shampoo despite its "faults".

2. Do you have a long standing joke with someone that you still laugh about every time you talk to that person?
No.

3. Share something that happened to you this past week that was unusual.
I asked my husband to be very careful not to run over the blue-tongued lizard that was near the curb at the front of our house. No I wouldn't usually ask him to run over it.

4. If you dropped a purple crayon and a green crayon off a roof, which would melt faster in the sun?
Both.

5. You are standing in line (grocery store, bank, etc.), and someone gets in line behind you that stinks. The stink is so bad that people in line in front of you turn around and look to see if you are the one causing the stink. Do you cover your nose, hold your breath, breathe through your mouth or just get out of line altogether?
Wouldn't have a clue, don't get into queues much. I live in the sticks. Today I found being in the regional centre a bit challenging lol.

6. If you dropped your cell phone in the toilet, would you fish it out? If so, how much soap would you use to wash your hands afterwards?
I'd have to. Maybe twice as much, or twice.

7. Sydney Australia dust storm (link). How long do you think it would take you to clean your house after that sort of dust storm?
I should show you the red dirt on my front steps. It happened here last year as well, and came down in the rain. Can't imagine why they left their window open, but I guess it is Sydney, not the mountains.

8. Do you think you can dance?
I can. But it has been so long, I don't think I can claim it anymore. Would have to dance to find out.

9. You are out to eat and someone across the room is staring at you. Do you get paranoid, try to ignore them, or go find out why they are staring at you?
I had a person starring at me in my hometown. I found it weird. I found out later that they were my cousin's cousin! They must have thought I was her, we are similar and about the same age.

10. Come up with a crazy, wacky Thursday Thunk question.
Hmm. I will copy my friend and ask you to take this poll. That would be Sunday Stealing then perhaps?

Host post here.

Ten On Tuesday

10 Things You Need To Plan For

Ten things I am in the middle of planning right now.

1. Working out how to get my daughter's foot better, planning activities around times medicine needs to be taken, making sure she takes it easy, reviewing things

2. What I want to buy in my groceries and how much money to spend on the kids needs since they are on holiday and can travel with me to get them

3. My son's places to stay next year as we don't know which university place he will get

4. My daughter's trip to Malaysia, today we are washing clothes, have to make sure we get the remaining items done in time, like photocopying her travel documents

5. Our new house, planning out which day to go there and do work, reading letters about some damage that was done to our property

6. The middle kids, three of them, holiday on the weekend, clothes, hopefully we have finished fixing bikes

7. When to put wood on the fire so we don't get too hot.

8. A ticket for our son to visit us at Christmas as he may be living in his brother's household after his exams in November

9. What Year 12 subject our daughter can do in Year 11 so she has six subjects to use as marks for her ENTER score.

10. A motel room for the day we pick our daughter up from the airport.

At The Well ~ Motherhood & Stress

Today we had to take our daughter to the doctors, an on-going problem that I thought may have needed some kind of minor surgery today. We took our seven year daughter along too, as her brother is old enough to care for her as he is an adult, but we thought we would take her along. My husband is on holidays, and I thought I would help with whatever they decided.

Having a younger child along was different to the time before when it was just my twelve year old daughter and I. I asked her to go to the toilet before we left, she asked if the doctors had a toilet, and yes, she ended up using the doctor's toilet, I think just to see what it was like.

The waiting room included two elderly couples, and a daughter of one of them. The older man was making jokes. Then he asked his daughter jokingly if she would hold his hand. She said he could hold my hand, and I got all embarassed, and worried too actually. Then the doctor was a little stern with me. Not something I am used to.

So when we got home it was a nice surprise when my husband pointed out our lizard that we had found in our garden a year or two ago in spring like it is now was on the edge of the road. He went down a drain. It was nice seeing it again. It is a blue-tongued lizard. You don't see them everyday in Australia, unless you live in a place like we do.

Then my husband decided as the kids are going bike riding on the weekend to go to the tip, or dump for a brake cable. We are allowed to do that here. He took our son, and after awhile after they came back, they also went to the library, I realised they had found some treasure there at the tip.

They also came back with a nice cookbook, so I cheered myself up with that.

The treasure I saw first I think was this retro bike, much like the one I had in the 70s before we left the farm. I used to ride it all around the countryside, well within a few miles. This bike is an amazing shade of light blue, my daughter loves it.

But the real finds were:

Nintendo 64
super nintendo controller
nes controller
sega megadrive controller
2 x controllers for game cube
game cube
game mario cart double dash
and wires connecting tvs

We are working our way through them, cleaning and seeing if they will work. Most all things we find at our tip are perfectly fine.

I wrote about this as it is similar to what happened at Hebron's Hills: Of Boys and Horses. I had just read the post before it happened to us.

The kids here are on holidays and don't have their pay TV at the moment. They also did some baking today.

30 Day Throw Down

Tuesday 22nd

Breakfast: Muesli and milk
Lunch: two eggs on toast and Vegemite
Afternoon Tea: two homemade scones with homemade plum jam and cream
Tea: Veal Bolognaise

I had a surprise from the library today, a copy of Symply Too Good To Be True cookbook. I found it interesting. My favourite recipe the curried cabbage, and the benefits of eating cabbage and similar vegetables.

Here is my favourite website's low fat recipe collection.

My pick from the list:

Bean and Pumpkin Stew
Beef Wanton Triangles with Chilli Sauce (we have tried these)
Cauliflower, Bacon & Split Pea Soup

What I learnt this week

Want to join in? Here is the instruction page at Musings Of A Housewife.

1. I learnt what microfibre towels look like. My son bought one and posted it made by Wild Country in a nylon and mesh toiletry sized bag.

2. That you can easily have all or parts of your blog with some comments into a book for about $15.

3. I saw a Malaysian Ringgit, in 50 and 10 denominations. I had ordered some from the bank awhile ago. My daughter needs them for her trip that she won as a Scholarship to Kuala Lumpur.

From Wiki:

The word ringgit means "jagged" in Malay and was originally used to refer to the serrated edges of silver Spanish dollars which circulated widely in the area during the 16th and 17th century Portuguese colonial era. The Singapore dollar and the Brunei dollar are also called ringgit in Malay (although currencies such as the U.S. and Australian dollars are dolar), hence its official abbreviation RM for Ringgit Malaysia.

The Malay names ringgit and sen were officially adopted as the sole official names in August 1975. Previously they had been known officially as dollars and cents in English and ringgit and sen in Malay, and in some parts of the country this usage continues. For example, in Malaysia one ringgit is "one dollar" in English and "tsit⁸-kho·¹" (蜀塊/蜀块) in Hokkien. In the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia, denominations of 10 sen are called kupang in Malay ("poat⁸" in Hokkien), e.g. 50 sen is 5 kupang.

I found this interesting as the Singapore dollar is very similar to the Australia $1 and $2 coins. And since they use cents, it makes sense that it is OK to call a ringgit a dollar, which I tend to do. My daughter knows how to pronounce them, I don't say it right, and she got to sign for her 50 and 10 ringgit notes. AU$50 was 138 RM. I was worried I had bought some other kind of Ringgit apart from the Malaysian one I needed.

Eventually I learnt how to say it. Ring it, so simple.

I worked out what I wanted. I was checking a list of things she could buy and how much they would cost. Water is 1.20 RM. I figured she would need to buy that at least. The holographic strips are very pretty.

4. I learnt about America's Army. A game that is popular with a person we know and apparently can lead to the real army. After seeing it is not my cup of tea I don't think (didn't look very far). But it is interesting that this is what some people do online.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
It has just started raining, and we hear thunder
"I hear thunder I hear thunder, hark don't you..."

One of my simple pleasures:
Reading

On my bedside table:
Still reading If I Gained The World by Linda Nichols. I mentioned it was not my usual kind of book. Scrappy Quilter asked me (sorry I haven't answered sooner the kids are on holiday)

"Are you finding there is a difference in much of inspirational reading? I'm thinking there seems to be less and less scripture verses and some of the books I've read recently are more and more like regular books other than there is no bad language. Just wondering if you are feeling the same way?"

I suppose I avoid comtemporary fiction. This book started off with a family they weren't married and they separated. So it was about a mother in a separated state. The lessons from this book are quite good towards the end. I am a second wife and a child of divorced parents, so maybe I couldn't relate but found it to be a good book anyway.

On my TV:
Australian Idol
(Can you believe it, I actually watched (not listened to secondhand) The Wizards of Waverly Place) yes, I didn't have a choice much

On the menu for tonight:
Sausage Casserole

On my To Do list:
My husband is helping me with the list, I am keeping track of it, and he is mostly doing it, but it is heaps and heaps of work keeping it all straight

New Recipe I tried last week:
Spicy Pork Mince with Asparagus & Noodles

In the craft basket:
My daughter wants to "steal" her sister's school skirt and take up the hem

Looking forward to:
Getting more jobs done

Homemaking Tip for this week:
Make icecream choc tops for the football grandfinal, we have blue icing tube for the stripes!

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I really don't know clouds at all
Lurker vs Peeping Tom
Amish Friendship Bread

Favorite photo from last week:

My town

Lesson learned the past few days:
The town water is still not clean in our area, today the drinking water was yellow

On my Prayer List:
Praying for wisdom

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Nothing this week


This meme is from Sandra's blog.

30 Throw Down & Give Me Five Monday

Monday:

Breakfast: Weetbix, Weatharts, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch: Toast with cheese, red pesto, onions
Afternoon tea: two pattycakes
Tea: Sausage Casserole

30 Day Junk Food Throw Down blog.




Give Me Five of your favorite drinks.

1. Tea
2. Cordial (it is non alcoholic, not many brands around these days and they usually have 211)
3. Ribena, hot or cold (doesn't contain 211)
4. Lift (I don't drink it now as it contains 211)
5. Orange juice, but the kids drink it and I usually don't have any, you have to be quick

One Long Meme (Part 2)

27. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
At the moment it doesn't bother me, but once I get really hungry I like to eat, keeps me from being ratty

28. Do you look like your mom or dad?
I am not sure if I am honest about looking like Mum, I have Dad's colouring and nose

29. How long does it take you in the shower?
I have been asked that in those water surveys which seems very good if you want to win a prize, don't know, but I don't stay in there longer than I have to, maybe slightly longer sometimes


30. Can you do the splits?
I don't know if I have ever done the splits

31. What movie do you want to see right now?
I've seen Australia, so I am happy

32. What did you do for New Year’s?
Nothing I expect

33. Do you think The Grudge was scary?
I don't know

34. Do you own a camera phone?
Yes

35. Was your mom a cheerleader?
No, it was something we only saw on TV, and she wouldn't have had one then anyway

36. What’s the last letter of your middle name?
Y

37. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
I don't count, I don't have a clock that you can see without the light on


38. Do you like Care Bears?
They are OK

39. What do you buy at the movies?
I have been so infrequently, not sure if I have been in charge of that decision at the movies


40. Do you know how to play poker?
I am not sure, I may

41. Do you wear your seat belt?
Yes

42. What do you wear to sleep?
A nightie

43. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?
To me my hometown is where I lived before we moved in 2003.  Here, there is a festival.  Same there actually, one is for Jazz, one for The Man From Snowy River

44. How many meals do you eat a day? 3
Yes, I eat three

45. Is your tongue pierced?
No


46. Do you always read MySpace bulletins?
I wouldn't know one if I fell over one


47. Do you like funny or serious people better?
I can't even imagine a funny person.  OK they are the opposite of serious.  Serious people are OK.

48. Ever been to L.A.?
No, my husband has been there a few times


49. Did you eat a cookie today?
No, and I don't buy packets of Arnotts biscuits, the big packets, only get them in Christmas hampers

50. Do you use cuss words in other languages?
What a great question.  It makes me smile.  I grew up with kids who were Italian and Spanish.  I know a group of words in Italian, and count in Spanish.  I think I know the most common words the families around me used often, they included water, run and yes a cuss word, stupid ...


51. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?
I have asked my family that, and no proper answers are given

52. Do you hate chocolate?
I do get upset about baking made with large amounts of chocolate, but no

53. What do you and your parents fight about the most?
My parents are two separate groups.  I don't fight with them

54. Are you a gullible person?
Some people think that I am.  This relates to the previous question.  It is better then they don't know what I am thinking.  Maybe they let me think they think I am gullible?


55. Do you need a girlfriend to be happy?
Hopefully we can change that to boyfriend/spouse whatever.   I like being with someone, yes

56. If you could have any job (assuming you have the skills) what what would it be?
Something in front of a computer


57. Are you easy to get along with?
Good question.  I put up with a lot, but that sounds worse than it is

58. What is your favorite time of day?
Mornings, but not too early

30 Day Throw Down

Saturday:

Breakfast:  2 pancakes
Lunch:  Cream Cheese tub mixed with tuna, capsicum & chilli by JW.  On toast with paprika
Afternoon tea:  Bickfords Iced Coffee mixed in milk, banana muffin
Tea:  Spicy Pumpkin & Beans

Sunday:

Breakfast:  Weatharts, Weetbix, sultanas, milk, tea
Lunch:  Cream Cheese mixed with JW Capsicum & Chilli tuna, with fresh chives from the garden
Afternoon Tea:  2 banana muffins
Tea:  Spicy Pork Mince with Asparagus & Noodles

30 Day Throw Down blog.

Weekend Memoirs

Last Sunday

We started the week with my daughter and I at the doctor's at lunchtime Monday morning.  She wasn't too keen when they suggested her foot may need cutting, so we decided to try very hard with the antibiotics this week, every 8 hours exactly, I have been driving her home part of the way from school.  She got to do the sports day that was already planned, but missed the next one, and stayed home on Friday, the last day of school.  I know the doctor said it would be OK, but everytime she was very active the infection seemed to grow.  She has been very well behaved in recent months, today the idleness probably started to get to her, and though not too bad, still she wasn't as good as she has been lately. 

We don't eat chicken for the express reason that we want antibiotics to work when we take them. 

We didn't get very far letting the fire go out in the wood heater, tried again on Saturday.  We have been letting the coals go pretty low before adding wood.

It has been exactly a year since we brought home our puppy.  He has finally settled into being a good dog, and still can be seen in the yard with his rope toy.  Haven't tested out if I can leave clothes on the line yet, but after we get a chain for this house, and since the weather is nice for drying he can stay on that for a couple of hours to start with.  I'm sure he would prefer I was outside with him, it is nice to pick in washing and have the company of a dog at the same time.

We saw a dog that looked so much like our puppy doing the same thing on TV, jumping at clothes.  The place where the dog lived was an hour or so from here, we wouldn't be surprised if they were from the same litter. 

Our daughter who the puppy belongs to was away when we got the puppy, she was at music camp.  She is a little sad that she didn't go this year.  Maybe it is still having a sore toe for weeks.  Hopefully she will end up having a nice holiday in the nice spring weather. 

Back to Basics Challenge

Sowing seed or Planting

• my husband and middle daughter wired the hanging baskets so there were lower so they could see if they need water and water them easily, and check on the strawberries progress
  

Planning for The Future

• I actually found an idea that would save us painting the whole dining room in our new house.  Again it is from an old Freedom catalogue.  It is kind of a spicy combination, Asian looking.  The existing wall is yellow, so the painted over wall is going to be red.  I have wanted an excuse to use a red like that.  
• I think I finally have a plan for who is going to take our daughter to the airport (5 1/2 hours) if they stay overnight, and who is going to pick her up etc.  Now I can book a motel/caravan park cabin. 
• my husband was talking to a person who said the water table is high at our new house, and possibly one day we could use it to water our vegetables, it just confirmed our idea that we thought there may have been a windmill there at one time.
  

Working for the Future

• last weekend husband made a board for the fold up bed.  I had put my knee through a part of it, I was trying to look out the window, it was getting slowly bigger.  He made a board to go across the top part.
  
• my husband went through my magazine pile I haven't managed to completely go through, and he threw out one box just paper.
  

Building Community

• We have one t-shirt earmarked for the op-shop.  
• While walking to the shop to get an icecream on Friday night we saw people I wouldn't normally see, because I guess I am not usually walking around at that time, so I got to know them slightly better, put a face to a name and things like that.
  

Learn a new Skill

• Last weekend while travelling on a road that was actually also inside a farm, my husband gave me some more 4x4 tips.  Pictures of track for illustration.
  

This meme comes from Belinda's blog.

Life As I See It

This meme comes from a great blog based in Singapore.  When I visited it today I noticed the word Selamat right at the start.  I am very familiar with that word as my daughter is learning Indonesian.  My daughter will be in an Indonesian school in a few weeks.  I'm sure it will alter her outlook on life.  She has lived in this area since Grade 4.  She does remember where we used to live before, but I still think she will see new things while she is at the school.  She won't mind seeing the Muslin ladies I don't think as there were lots and lots of them as guests at our son's graduation ceremony in August.  She is also familiar with Asian packaged foods. 

 Last Sunday

Two weeks ago on the host blog the question was asked: 

“What do you see in life?”

"Many people say life here in Singapore is very boring…Yes, it is true in certain points, there are not many changes in daily life, there are no four seasons, every day is hot summer day…working, from house to office, form office to house…The only enjoyable thing in Singapore is eating, there are most of the bloggers from Singapore write about food, sitting in front of TV, you turn around the channels, there are all talking about food too…LOL.
Are there something interesting in life? I am searching around… I am lucky enough. I enjoy my life here, in reading many of blogs from al over the world,  and I get to know many interesting stories here…"

That brought me to the picture above.  It is what I saw in life last Sunday.  There are distinct seasons here, this one is mostly a spring view.  In summer some days we have the hottest temperature in the State.  Is it boring?  By the way, my husband has been to Singapore, we appreciate the street plantings, the coins, the English parts.

I suppose no, things like plovers feet sticking up on my bonnet of the car isn't boring, or watching kites, eagles and hawks, who apparently like the particular spot I see them in because of the updrafts.

Each fortnight I know before I go on my food shopping expedition that I will see or experience something different than the time before.  The last time I went was a week and a half ago.  That time I saw the river nearly in flood I think. 

A lot happens at home too, but basically yes, I am not doing much myself a lot of the time.  I think things conspire to make it that way.  But more and more I get to do the odd thing that I haven't done for awhile.

Life here today my husband and I aren't watching TV.  He was listening to the football on the radio.  It is half time at the moment.  Will Collingwood win?   

Life As I See It Instructions.

Six Word Saturday

Hearing Wizards of Waverly Place yuk

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Saturday...

Outside my window... haze and white fake pear blossoms

I am thinking... happy thoughts

I am thankful for... my son coming home at a decent hour last night and a good night's sleep

From the kitchen... something with pumpkin, Spicy Pumpkin & Beans

I am wearing... orange t-shirt, very plain jeans

I am creating... an intinerary

I am going... food shopping, and our new house

I am reading... If I Gained The World by Linda Nichols, not my usual kind of book

I am hoping... my son has a nice time at camp

I am hearing... my son singing, or talking, repeating something

Around the house... cleaning up to start the holidays right

One of my favorite things... a clean kitchen floor

A few plans for the rest of the week:  lots and lots of organising, a trip to the Post Office, a trip to school, mailing, forms to fill out, it will be so good to have these things done, paying bills, sending three kids off to camp.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... this is from last weekend

Please visit The Simple Womans Daybook by Peggy.

Saturday 9 ~ The Last Time

1. When was the last time you bought something for someone else, and what was it?
An out of the ordinary purchase for someone else would be the coin purse I bought my seven year old daughter from the chemist.  She likes having coins to buy things at the cafe.

2. When was the last time you complimented someone, and what was their reaction?
Yesterday, I complimented my husband and he still says "I don't know how you could say that".


3. When was the last time you had to return a purchase to the store? What was it and why?
I had a too small dress that my daughter and I bought in Target along with some other clothes.  She didn't know to bring a trolley rather than carry stuff around the store (we have forgotten that after living in the sticks for too long), her arms were tired and she didn't want to try it on.  I didn't think I would be back there and cut off the tags.  Yes, I had more opportunities and lost them because I cut off the tags.  


4. When was the last time you had an ice cream cone?
Yesterday, a Tim Tam Cornetto?

5. When was the last time you had to go to the doctor's office?
Myself before last Christmas.  


6. When was the last time you were embarrassed by something you did? What was it and what happened?
I didn't follow up (more than I did already) on a bank thingo that I couldn't get an answer to.  Apparently I should have gone over their head.   I got some of the money back, they kept some. 

7. When was the last time a stranger was kind to you?
I looked up yesterday I think to find someone holding the door open, not sure how that happened so I said thank you.  

8. When was the last time you locked yourself out of your home? What did you do?
It was in our hometown 7 or 8 years ago.  I had to go to the factory perhaps to get my husband's keys, I had to walk there.  

9. When was the last time you thought about cheating (on anything, a test or a person)?
I have never cheated on a test.  I don't seriously think about cheating.