The Budding Artist

This one is for grandma, since I sent her a photo of it to her mobile phone but it's a bit tricky to retrieve apparently! Charlotte did this for her school Art Show, I absolutely love it. She gets NO creative talent from me because I don't have any.....but I am totally appreciative of the beautiful pink and green colours which I love and just a little bit of tasteful purple, good girl Cha xxx

Because Soozadoo said......

Soozadoo, the soon to be world renowned romance novelist (I'm never wrong, just ask me :P ), has dared those in blogland to post a photo of themselves. Gosh I have heaps of photos of myself on here, honestly as long as I am looking half okay I really don't care who sees me. I've even been known to....shock horror...drop the kids off at school without makeup!
She had a great point though, it's important to be comfortable in one's own skin. I really think I am, I model myself on my best friend Sal who couldn't give a crap what anyone else thinks of her, which I think is one of her truly redeeming features.
Now I don't actually know Soozadoo from a bar of soap, she lives on the other side of the country, but she makes me laugh and tells us all how it is, warts and all. What more do you want from a person. Respect, Soozadoo. And good luck with the award. I think I'll award myself the "up herself blogger of the day award" for today.
Actually I like the arty effects on that photo, I think it's fingermarks on the lens....

Happy 9th Wedding Anniversary to Me!!!

...oh yeah and Nicko :P
9 years of wedded (oh come on anyone who says bliss is a pants on fire) times! Some great, some good, some really crappy to be honest, but here we are 9 years later with 2 beautiful kids, and exciting times ahead with the business/employment/new house to look forward to!
To love and to be loved is pretty special. Happy Anniversary Nicko, here's to many more great years ahead xxx

Easter at the Grape Escape!

We had a brilliant day yesterday at MotherJules and Ken's place, my brother and his family came too, the kids had a ball, the big kids gorged on delicious seafood and roast pork and duck washed down with some lovely champers and wine.
It was also a belated celebration for my gorgeous nephew Max who was one last week. He's walking now and just too too cute!
Here's a few thousand pictures from the day.
The setting, yep it's nice isn't it! At McLaren Vale

Mum's pride and joy (second only to myself and my brother of course :P) all of her grandchildren in the one spot!

Cake time with birthday boy Max!

Me, Ken and Dave

Isabelle and Charlotte - family resemblance anyone???

The spunky birthday boy

And Farmer Angus


Thanks Mum and Ken, we had a ball, and it was so nice to catch up with Dave and Kel and have the cousins all together as well xxxx

Deed Poll Name Changes Required - Suggestions?

Happy Easter!

Last night we went to my school buddy Mary's new beach house which is about 1 km from here (yeppers it's going to be dangerous!). We had a great time, the kids went upstairs and played and we hardly saw them all night so the big kids could drink their juice in peace and have a merry old time.

That was until the tattoo kit came out and it was lucky this little preppy conservative wood duck had had a few drinks................so the kids are now fully fledged tattoo wearing bogans, I may as well get their ears pierced while I'm at it - EVEN! - and from now on you may refer to my daughter as Charlene


Angus (not sure what to change his name to but am leaning towards Ky) LOVED it and requested a dragon. I think he's struggling to look tough but he gave it his best shot.


This night before Easter frivolity was all well and good until this morning, the kids came bolting into our room at 7:30am with the baskets we had left by their beds from the Easter Bunny, all ready to go on the egg hunt. Nick and I woke up in a screaming hurry, looked at each other and both said "have you done it?" then cracked up laughing, so I kept the kids in our room while Nick snuck out the back and chucked a few Easter Eggs around (literally, Charlotte commented that the Easter Bunny wasn't a very good hider!).

We had a fab day today at the Grape Escape with my family, will save that for the next post as I have a few thousand pictures to get through first.

Hope you all had a great Easter too, next year we really will get up before the kids, just remind me not to go to Mary's the night before :)
xxx

Charlotte's First Sleepover at a friend's house AKA do you think she's excited?

Ah lovely, just one kid at Goolwa tonight and he's asleep already. Charlotte has gone to her friend Bella's house for her first sleepover at a friend's house.
This photo goes back to Wednesday night when she decided to pack for Bella's - pink boots, a Barbie, socks, her toothbrush, Dora nightie and a My Little Pony phone.
So we packed all that Wednesday night while I made lots of mental notes to fill in the pieces of the missing overnight requisites (knickers perhaps Cha???), read her a story, left her backpack on the other bed and tucked her in.
I came back to check she was asleep a little later as she has this great habit of turning on her light again and looking at books, and this is what I found...actually this is an edited version of what I found once I pulled her nightie over her butt.
She will have an absolute ball, Bella has a pony and Soph has organised a pony ride for tomorrow morning, hope she takes some piccies!
Happy Good Friday everyone! I've had a rather lazy day relaxing and reflecting and remembering little princesses whom I wish were still with us - Ava, Grace, Belle and Hannah. Their mummies have had to farewell them in a physical sense and I truly wish they didn't have to.
Although I did do 2 loads of washing which in my book makes me rather godesslike domestically :P

Easter Craft for the Not So Crafty

Its a Porters Life is reporting in, reluctantly I might add as "Underbelly" should be on so I can learn some new sayings from Roberta Williams, but those pack of poofters (see, she has great sayings) at Channel 9 have put the lame Footy Show on instead so I'm here. And what a devastating blow as I was just feeling 'uman again too, I have had a nasty nasty bout of tonsillitis this week and am just perking up a bit today. On the bright side I think I've lost probably at least 10 kgs (give or take 9 kgs) because swallowing is just too bloody excruciatingly painful.

I'm about as creative as a dead fish but nonetheless offered to help out at Charlotte's easter craft session at school yesterday. And it was so much fun! Thankfully I didn't staple any little fingers, glue any children to a chair, and the headbands were a reasonable fit on most kid's heads with my not so precise measuring. The class went off to PE and we filled their little baskets with choccy bunnies while they were out, gullible little things truly believed the Easter Bunny had been while they were at PE :)







FINALLY this ridiculous heatwave has broken, 15 days in a row over 35 degrees. Madness. Porters are off to Goolwa tomorrow for the Easter break, can't wait!
Here's some piccies of Charlotte, who thankfully can be quite creative, must have got that from her dad.

Angus didn't miss out either, some super organised lovely mum had a face painter come in for a little boy's 4th birthday at childcare, Angus was a rainbow parrot! He looked great and refused to let me wash it off, so today he just looked green, like the Incredible Hulk. Interesting look. He got a few interesting looks at the shop today too.