Crazy, busy, crazy, busy.

Just what the title of this post says it is crazy, busy around here and will only get worse for the rest of the year, we have had a few weeks of decisions regarding a Swimming pool and glad to say I can wipe that one off the slate, pool picked, deposit paid, its a goooa, last week the plumbers were here moving pipes which will be in the way of the pool so I now have a sandy backyard which will only get worse, silly me thought the kids wouldn't really go out there with the backyard upside down, where did that thought come from??? Of course they are out there in it, up it and as you guessed it the sand is pretty much in all those places on them. eeekkk.

I kept telling myself as I steam mopped the floor today that this time next year it will all be done. That includes renovations also, we are adding another 4 bedrooms and kids room and laundry, toilet and shower. At this stage we are looking at going UP, for the kids bedrooms then I will take one of the existing bedrooms for a scrap/office, Tim will get my existing office for his long awaited and longed for Theatre room, I will have 1 spare room and Keelan's room now will be part of the kids room to come with a hole in the wall out to the extentions. Now this is at this stage as the builder is yet to come back and drop the bombshell on what she will all cost but one way or another changes are coming.

So in about 4 weeks the spa will be out and a pool will be in it's place. So exciting. It did take weeks however to come to a concrete decision about what we wanted and what colour, changed my mind about 4 times. But glad that is all done and dusted.

I have been scapping since the retreat, I finished my class layouts and on Sunday was invited to visit with Kareena and some of her scrapping Ladies for 5 hours at the Scrappy Cow. Had a blast, such fun ladies, lots of laughs and plenty of creativity, hoping to make it a monthly thing which will be great. Normally my Sunday's are pretty full on with house stuff so it was nice to break out of that rut and go and be me for a while. Will share layouts soon, did 3 and need to finish off a couple of things on one of them.

Keelan has been helping Tim in a major way with all the moving of plants and retic repairs in the back yard so that has been unreal, left me to continue with my stuff. Cleaned up the house today and baked 2 cakes which smell yummo right now, ohh hot cake!!! The house is clean till the kids burst through the door soon and I am guessing the cakes will be missing many pieces, the poor cupboard has been bare lately so the kids will love coming home to fresh cake.

Other than that not a lot else, life is gooood, very exciting finally being able to have the house changed to suit us and the growing kids, we will have a house to suit the coming teenage years right through to our retirement, oh what a feeling, nothing tops the mood around here right now that is for sure.

Take care, Trace.

Busy weekend.

Our weekend was pretty busy as usual, would like to say it was very enjoyable but it was more on the lines of exhausting but so glad we achieved what we did. We went through stuff we have packed in boxes that we have hung onto in case we need it or the garage sale which never happens. When Tim and I packed 2 households into one when we got together we found ourselves overloaded with stuff, but being on the farm the opportunity to cull is hard as you have to drive so far to get rid of it and you can't have garage sales out in the middle of nowhere. As I went through the boxes I had the urge to just give it all to the Bush fire appeal, I had a big box of sheets and pillowcases, baby toys like new from Zay and cot sheets and lots of other goodies and the bonus of having a Lady around the corner collecting for the appeal, so we repacked and labelled the boxes and today Tim dropped them off, we also went without Take away treat on the weekend and donated the money to the fundraiser the school had today for the appeal.

The kids made me so proud giving up things to make a difference to other people who are suffering so much from the Fires in Victoria. They have parted with things they wanted to keep to make others feel better and helped clean and pack things all Sunday, they are troopers. It may be a little bit in the scale of things but it is paying it forward and there is nothing better.

Take care, Trace.

My kiddies are growing up fast.

Last night before we went out to a Friends house for BBQ I got Tim to take some pics of the kids and me, Keelan is missing due to being with his Dad this weekend worst luck so I will have to try for an update soon but it was good to grab a spur of the moment shot like this. Don't get them often as I usually take the pics.

Oh look at my Baby, he is going to kindy for 2 full days this week, he was so annoyed last week was just Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning but he gets to use his lunch box and be a big boy this week. 2 full days and boy do I have major missions set for myself, Girlfriends are trying to tee up lunch dates and coffee and all that is zinging in my head is get this house cleaned out well and truly of clutter, the holidays were very laid back where the house was concerned so now I am afraid I have big jobs on my hands. The scrap room is major, I need to cull heaps as I have far too much stuff I will never get to scrap and as it is at the front of the house it really desperately needs attention, I hate that everyone walks in and looks at mess everywhere as I have run out of room to put things. Then it will be bedroom by bedroom, I am getting rid of toys that have been around a few years before the Birthdays start again.

Last week was a bit of a hard one, Tim got posted for work at a depot 2 hours from here for 3 days so he had 4 hour round trip on top of all the deliveries he had to do once there. He was totally spent when he got home and I was the same with all the run around and after school and evening sports starting again. We are hoping that Tomorrow will be the last stint for Tim at this place and he will return to normal around here. You just don't realise how tiring that return to school and running around routine actually is until you have had a break from it. Hope this week will be a little easier and I will have a bit more time to catch up on the home front.

We have had a great weekend though, Rainee has decided to give Dancing a go this year yahoo, she went for a trial on Saturday and has been put up a class to challenge her, she loved it and was so happy. I knew giving her another year would give her some maturity and confidence and it has worked. She is so ready to be doing a sport, her and Zaylan clash so much lately and I could see she just needed something else to be interested in. Trin is glad to be back dancing and Keelan is glad to be back to Tae kwon do. Tim got home early Saturday from work so he spent some time mowing the lawn and weeding a bit and I went and helped him for a while between doing bits inside. Today has been catching up here, the kids played outside and I got lots caught up inside.

The canvas below is one I did a while back for Trin's room, I hope to get this room sorted out soon and then be able to spend one of my free days creating. Wow what an awesome thought, it has been a day I have been waiting for, I will miss Zay but I am happy for him to start Kindy as he is just so ready and so excited.

Have a great week, Take care, Trace.

The end is nigh!!

We have had very busy summer holidays this year, I have had the best time with the kids and they have nearly turned into dolphins they have been swimming so much. Mum and Dad took Keelan and Trinity home after Christmas for a week with them in Perth, they lived at the beach as it was pretty hot and Mum and Dad live a street back from the beach, they went to movies too. The little ones and I enjoyed the week mostly at home, we did got to the movies and saw Madagascar 2 which I liked better than the first one. We took them out to tea also as a treat with just Tim and I and then on Sunday we met halfway for a picnic lunch with Mum and Dad and My Brother Brad and SIL Kim and their kids, it was hot but we enjoyed the day together and the kids had a great play.

We swapped the kids over and we had the 2 big ones for the next week. We didn't have such a successful week with our plans, we went to go see Australia but it was full house, so we rented DVD's instead then Keelan and I decided we would give Bingo a go so we went and waited but no action, they didn't start till the following week. We still had fun in other ways but they did get bummed out that their plans kept getting mucked around.

I met Mum and Aunty Carol in Bunbury on the next Sunday and we had lunch and I was then glad to have my little family back home together. They started swimming lessons on the 13th Jan for 2 weeks so we have had every day at the beach for the last fortnight and some days we stayed the whole day and had a picnic. It is amazing how much water confidence Zaylan has developed in that time with Trin even jumping off the deep end of the jetty. Keelan passed stage 12, Trin passed stage 2 and Rainee passed stage 1 so they are going really well with their swimming. It was great to do vacswim as it gave us a reason to be at the beach every day.

On the long weekend, Tim finally had 3 days off, Saturday we spent time at home getting cleaned up and organised for our day trip to Perth on Sunday for my Nephews Christening which I was one of the Godmothers for. Even though it was hot we had a great day and enjoyed catching up with everyone again, it's been a year since I've seen my Youngest Brother so it was good to catch up although family events can be busy. We headed home after giving the kids a shower at Mum's and they were ready for bed when we got home. On the way home when Zay got noddy I started playing spotto with them, we had fun and Zay all of four was so specific with his spotto's like "find me a green wheelie bin" and a "red motorbike with a rider on it", great game to get everyone in the car involved and switched on.

Sunday Tim went for his first dive in 5 years, with my Girlfriends Hubby and her and I took the kids to the beach which the guys came back to with the boat then did some crabbing as they got no crays. Rainee and Trin enjoyed their first time in a boat and had so much fun Zay on the other hand anchored himself to me and would not have a bar of it. We then left once we had some crabs and went back to their place for a BBQ and fresh crabs, and some refreshing G & T's for Keen and I, yummo, the kids spent the rest of the arvo and evening in the pool, they just never have enough of water my kids, so once again it was home warm showers and they crashed, Zay was lights out before his head hit the pillow. I have also had a few visits from Friends I have not seen in years and lost contact with through moves etc. I think my year is going to be about RECONNECTING, I think life cycles at times when you get busy as new parents you loose time with friends along the way and now my youngest is 4 it looks like life has gone in a new direction and I am picking up those loose ends and getting back into the social side of life more, what a wonderful reward to have awaiting you for your efforts at putting things on hold while you have busy times with new babies.

I have loved bonding with the kids over the holidays, sadly it is coming to an end very quick, we have stayed very busy and active these holidays which has been great and made the best of the great outdoors we have right in our own backyard. Yesterday I had a great visit from a dear friend I have missed very much in my life so we will make a big effort to stay in touch and catch up from now on, wish she lived closer though I never tire of her company, she was a big part of my life when Keelan and I were on our own and she is the most positive light you could have in your life even though she has many struggles of her own. I need to reconnect with scrapping next week and bring that back into my life also and keep my blog updated. Looking forward to what next week will bring.
Take care, Trace.

Our Christmas 08.

We had a nice quiet Christmas Day this year, Keelan was at his Dad's and Mum and Dad came to celebrate Christmas with us. The kids got very spoilt this year but it is nice to do that some years, especially when it is low key. We had a hot lunch which was delicious and the day just ambled along nicely, no stress or pressure just very cruisey. Boxing Day my Mum's Brother and his Wife came and had lunch with us, once again it was very cruisey. Saturday Tim had to go to work for half the day and I went and picked up Keelan early and then my Brother, Brad and his family came for the day. It was another great day and we had a BBQ for lunch. Keelan had Alter Serving to do at Saturday mass and the other boy didn't turn up so he was on his own, Mum and Dad were very proud watching him as this is the first time they have seen him serve. So that pretty much finished off a great few days. It was really nice having people come on different days and made entertaining so easy, felt like we got to enjoy our visitors more and with Mum helping me with the food it all came together very easy. The kids loved having time to enjoy their pressies without having to be off here there and everywhere and they have had a lot of fun so far with the Wii. Rainee keeps getting sore tummy muscles from the boxing. How much fun is that little unit of fun, even Mum has been playing tennis on it.

Sunday after lunch Mum and Dad had to go home and took Keelan and Trinity home for the week. It has been nice having time with just 2 kids and we are meeting on Sunday to have a picnic and celebrate my Brother's Birthday which was yesterday and swap the 2 little ones for the 2 big ones. I think Keelan will spend most of next week on Guitar hero which he got for Christmas and plays really well on.

Yesterday Rainee, Zay and I went shopping and then came home, unpacked it and had lunch and had some laid back time in the arvo. Rainee got a handful of redskins Zay wanted at the shops and I told her she had too many and to watch her teeth. Within 5 mins she started to complain about a molar and I fobbed her off saying redskins would hurt her teeth. About 10 mins later she came and asked should her tooth look like this, to which I peered in her mouth and OMG the middle part of her molar was ripped out and her tooth broken in half. So I ring dental surgery after dental surgery but they are all closed till the 5th Jan. I finally spoke to a lady at the public dental clinic and although they couldn't help due to me not being on a health care card she did suggest I find an emergency number for a dentist and ring them. I found only one with a mobile number and rang him. He gave me an appointment for her in 45 mins. Well he couldn't repair it, so it was a pull out job. She was so brave as it was not easy to get the broken bits out and she will need to get a spacer fitted now so no other teeth fill that position. She would not have lost that tooth till 10-12 years old. I dare say she will never touch a redskin again. I await the bill which probably will cause me more pain than her but I am grateful that we could get her seen to and not wait 5 more days. Poor chick.

Off to the movies with the little ones tomorrow, they have been so great this week they deserve some time out. We had a very low key New Year due to Tim working a really long day and Rainee with her tooth and today has been very casual with BBQ breakfast and then a drive to get some coffee beans and an ice cream this arvo, lots of people out and about and some with that very glazed hang over look. Glad it was not me. hehehe.
Take care and lets hope 2009 is a very good one for us all. Trace. xxx

Our Christmas lights.

It is hard to take photos of your Christmas lights due to the flash wanting to come on and I am not familiar with the camera enough to shut the flash off, but this gives a little bit of our lights, we got the lights and put them up for the kids as a surprise while they were at school and they came home and got excited about it and then one of them said, "Where is our Santa?" We thought we had done such a good effort, nothing major but enough and then they all got on the bandwagon at how we did have to have Santa near the door so lucky for them I was going shopping the next day with a friend and in target we spotted this grand man who goes up and down the chimney and he was originally $79.95 reduced to $39.95 so who could resist that bargain and the kids just lit up when they saw him, Zay had him out the box and everywhere before Tim could look at what it was all about but once he was up and in position he certainly belongs there. I love the stars above him, they are my fav.

Well it sure is great having the kids home on holidays, we achieved lots of cleaning and sorting on Wednesday but since then it has been messy and appointments so I hope to get cleaned up more tomorrow. Keelan goes to his Dad's tomorrow till next Saturday and Trin has a Birthday party for a few hours so the little ones and I can get busy around here.

Last Saturday night my Girlfriend and I went Perth for our 25 years school reunion, we had an absolute blast, so much fun catching up with everyone again and partied till 2.30am boy my feet were sore for a few days, lots of standing and chatting in heels, makes you realise how little you do go out and get dressed to the nines. One of our ex teachers was there, he has recently retired and he said we were the tightest, closest bunch of students St Norberts have ever had come through, the teachers found it really hard if they told someone off, the rest of us would stick up for that person and get cold towards that teacher, it certainly did reflect that on the night too as the guys made sure we stayed in our group and no one got left anywhere, one guy did 3 car loads from the pub to the casino just to make sure we stayed together. They sure are the greatest of friends even after all these years.

Karina and I had a few days in Perth after that enjoyed a great break, I got all my Christmas shopping finished and lots of other extras I have needed for a long time, things you can't buy here, glad we don't live in Perth or I think Karina and I would do serious damage to our bank accounts on a weekly basis. It was a lovely break away and we thoroughly enjoyed a break from Mum duty.

With Christmas around the corner I have some more house cleaning to catch up on and some cooking to do next week and then we will be ready. It is very low key for us this year, Mum and Dad are coming to celebrate with us and Keelan is away with his Dad, so it will be nice to be home and let the kids enjoy there day here for a change, the last few years we have been away or having to travel Christmas Day so I look forward to just a casual day.
Well take care, I will share some pics Sunday of the kids that I took at the beach yesterday, it has been so long since I have taken pics of them that they have grown so much.
Trace.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Well today this house has taken on the flavour of Christmas, yes the Chrissy tree is out the shed for another year, the wreath is on the front door and after a lengthy trip to Bunnings with Zay and Hubby, the outside of the house is looking like Christmas with lights up and they have been on. The kids are so excited they found it hard to get to sleep, as it is sinking in now that Christmas is just around the corner.

I was so happy that my list was getting smaller but in a matter of days it has grown again, it seems I am not destined to be as organised as I would like to be but hey there is nothing like chasing your tail. Trin has a pirate day planned for school on Friday so I have the costume for her, picked up a bargain on Saturday morning at toyworld as they are clearing out their costumes, beauuutttty, they are off to the park and will play pirate games etc. Her dancing rehearsals are going well but she has nearly sprained her ankles lately, 1 on Friday and the other today, so I am trying with all my might to keep her contained. I now have to glitter one costume and find a hip hop costume on Wednesday when I am going with a girlfriend to our nearest regional centre to shop. Hope to find more variety. Today she was getting worked up about not wearing stockings as she is getting teased by a boy in her class about her hairy legs, plleaaazzzz she is 7, give her a break, she was getting really worked up about it so I had to get the dance tights for her concert out and let her wear them and have replaced them this arvo. All this just adds to the cost but I dont want him to pull her esteem right down, even driving there she was fussing about a hair that had stuck through the tights, far out poor chick, I just told her he is certainly not Mr Perfect so ignore his comments. We got called in to be an audience and watch their hip hop dance for the concert, it will be so awesome on stage, they did a really great job today and I am proud of Trin, she has picked up hip hop really quick.

So life is really flat out here for the next 2 weeks and more things roll home each day tying up some more time, Rainee had back to back birthday parties on Saturday and she has come home today with another, Trin has full dress and dance rehearsal on Saturday, Keelan has his Triathalon on Saturday and then he has to get ready and fly straight off to a birthday sleepover well camp out really on a farm for a survivor birthday party. Trin has photos in costume on Sunday and Keelan has to be picked up later and we have been invited to catch up for Christmas drinks. I am glad Tim has a couple of early days home during the week as this is when we need to get extra things done here. I can see that I will have to get lots of things organised earlier next year as it just gets too hard trying to fit everything in now. 4 Sleeps till Nana arrives, boy we can't wait to see her, it has been 7 weeks since we seen her and Dad arrives next week, thank goodness Mum can step in for me with the dancing or I would not be able to make the reunion. I will really enjoy her company for the next week, seems it gets longer between seeing each other all the time, Zay is just bursting to have Nana and Grandad here. I will need a load of tissues next Thursday when Keelan has his Graduation Mass, I can't believe Primary school is over for my first born. Well best be off to bed, Trin has a little prayer morning for Parents first up in the morning so I have to be organised.
Take care
Trace.

Making family time count.

Hi
I seem to be failing at getting back into blogging regularly and scrapping but I am not going to stress, it will happen again when time permits. I have finished a canvas for Trin's room, only have to take a pic of it now and then Rainee wants one too and I suppose the boys will want one also, will have to try and do some layouts in between as any spare time I grabbed last week was spent on the canvas and that took a lot of time.

So the weekend was busy again although Tim had Saturday off for a change, and that was great as I thought I had the day committed to dancing rehearsals but it was drop them off and pick them up phew gave me time to come home and get things done. Saturday arvo my Girlfriend picked me up and we met 2 old school friends in town, one we had not seen since we left school, it was so much fun to go out with the girls for the arvo and be Tracey and not just Mum, the kids were a bit miffed about me leaving them for a few hours they really dont have me go missing at all these days but they were happy to see me home and were very happy that I enjoyed myself. Rainee spent most of the time relaxing in my bedroom funny chick, I think she felt close to me by being there, listening to my music and reading books.

Sunday was Surf club and we packed a picnic as it was at a different beach, we headed down there and the weather was not the best but it cleared between little light showers and seeing as the kids dont mind a few light showers while swimming we decided to stay, my girlfriend and her kids stayed with us and we had a great day, the kids wore themselves out, Keen and I got to have a walk up the beach it felt like holidays, we are so lucky to have this at our door steps, wonderful beaches that are kid friendly. Keelan had a mate stay with us so they had Zay wondering around with them he totally loved that. He loves the older boys. Trin is getting so game in the water, she got dumped by a few little waves but that didn't scare her, she is such a water baby like me and so game, my heart was in my mouth a few times watching her, I am amazed how much she is learning this year and how great she has got in the water.

Degressing a bit but Friday night they had Trystars and their first little comp of swim and run. Trin did really well, but Keelan struggled, he was really worn out from the swim in choppy weather and the distance was the longest he has swum in the ocean so far but he pulled out after first run lap as he struggled to get his breath. He has just got over this sinus infection and I think it really has knocked him more than he realises. But it is all training for his triathlon coming up and he needs to get as much in as he can. No matter what they just make me so proud for giving it a go.

Today Tim came home early so we shot off to our neighbouring town and did some shopping, I need to find something nice to wear to my upcoming school reunion but was really disappointed that I found nothing I loved, I have to try it on and see what I think as I really didnt have time to try it all in the shop, I really hope something I have will look decent. Then the shoes oh boy thats another story, no definates found there either. Mind you with the extra condition I am carrying around nothing would look decent. Lost my mojo and willpower at the moment, how cruel is that. LOL. Christmas shopping is nearly finished boy it takes it out of you being in busy shops trying to rack the brains on what to buy, thank goodness I have nearly completed it then I want to stay right away from the shops for a good while.
Well better go, take care, Trace.

Warning Shopaholic Bandit.

This little dude is a shopaholic like his Mother, he is the best companion to take shopping, loves checking out things and chooses wisely, takes his time to make sure the purchase is just what he is looking for. The fact that I may be Christmas shopping for other kids means nothing to this little guy, as long as he can walk out with a few little purchases of his choice everything is honky dorey, but he doesn't scream the shop down if I say no, he will take that on the chin and move on no probs at all, the perfect shopping companion. The last 2 days I have been getting some christmas shopping done that requires some thought, I would have to say I am nearly done, especially with the nieces and nephews, but I need to put more thought into my guys, I want to keep it simple but I have been finding so many nice little trinkets around that are hard to resist so I have a fear of overdoing it again. Time to put the thinking cap on and put exactly down on paper what I want to get now or it will get out of hand.

This afternoon Trin and Keelan had their 1st session of Trystars, they did really well lots of running and swimming. I am so proud of these 2, they will give things a go and that's all I ask, we have only 2 days a week now with nothing on after school and the rest is covered but I would rather they be busy and getting fit then sitting around at home being bored. The reason I joined them up for Trystars is because Keelan is competing in a kids Triathlon on the 6th December and this is a way for them to be coached by the right people rather than him trying to train by himself. It was wonderful to be down the beach late this arvo, I think it will do us all good to be by the ocean Friday and Sunday with Surf club. I really admire these fit athletes that give up there time for the kids. If I could only be half as fit as them!!! We purchased a bike rack for the back of the car today so we can put the bikes on and get them to training. Rainee is doing Surf club this year so I am wrapped, she has not wanted to do anything up to now and she watched the first week and then decided that she was going to join, she loves it, she is doing really well and Trin has matured so much, she listens and joins in so well this year. Its all good!!!

These pics are off my iphone, we took them to their favourite ice cream shop a couple of Sunday's ago and they had to show us how much they were enjoying their ice cream. Plus it has been a while since I got a pic of the 4 of them together.

Well that's about it, another weekend of Dancing tomorrow and Surf club Sunday, not much of a sleep in but I guess we are living life to the full. Have a great weekend, Trace.

Surf club begins

Hi, Today we have had lovely weather which is great for a change on a weekend and tomorrow is the start of Surf club and it looks like a warm day. We have been busy planting lots of new plants in the garden front and back, where we have been busy taking out plants we no longer liked and it looks good now, just one more garden I want to add some fresh plants to and then it will be a matter of maintaining them.

Tim starts a new job on Monday so I hope all goes well for him and this may be more what he likes, seems we have had a career change with him this time each year since leaving the farm so I hope he finds this job more what he is looking for and he wont be getting sent away so that is a huge bonus.

Life is busy as usual and I still have not had a chance to scrap anything yet but hoping to soon. Once Tim is working I can get into a routine again and hopefully get time. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Take care, Trace.

Happy 6th Birthday tomorrow Angel.

This little Belle turns 6 tomorrow and she is just an awesome kid, thoughtful, caring, loving and a pleasure to have in your company. I wish her the best for her Birthday tomorrow and know she will be glowing from start to finish, she cherishes her Birthdays like no other.

This afternoon we have iced 30 cupcakes for her class and teachers to take tomorrow as well as plenty for this household and she has planned her Birthday tea and cake with the family.

With the kids back at school today I have been working up a sweat big time, cleaning bathrooms, floors, washing galore which finally could go out on the big line and get dry today, yippee, and then folding and putting it all away as well as making Pumpkin soup, cleaning out the fridge, curry for tea and about 70 cupcakes, not a bad effort if I say so myself. It was lovely to have our routine back after a very enjoyable break with school holidays, I was busy all day so I had time with the kids to hear about their day after school. I must say with sibling rivalry being in full force at times this past week the stillness in the house was very welcomed. I plan to get on top of things around here this week and then spend some time scrapping once everything is caught up in my nice clean office which is staying pretty decent so far. Well must go and get some kids to bed.
Take care, Trace.

Back on air

I have decided to give blogging another go seeing as Tim is back home and I may have some time to get back into scrapping. I think when I stopped blogging I stopped creating so I will see if this gets some creativity going again.

All sport for Keelan except Tae kwon do is over for winter so I hope to start booking in some time to create. I have so many supplies that I really can't give up scrapping.

Had last week in Perth and had a great time, got the kids Summer wardrobe sorted now, Rainee is at a Birthday party now and she wore her new pretty dress, she looked like a little doll, it was lovely to shop in different places and get more variety than what is available here, Trin is hard as she is in the next size range now but she is still only 7, having tall kids has a down side, I dont want her looking too old as she is already mistaken for older. They are such girlie girls though, while I picked the pretty clothes they were getting their necklaces and bracelets picked out, costume jewellery is so pretty these days. Picked up heaps of bargains so wrapped how far the dollar was able to go for each of us and all up had a great time. Went to the show on Wednesday with our cartons of milk and the kids had so much fun, Trin is our daredevil, she loves the rides and Rainee has now joined her as a daredevil, Zay on the other hand just had us in fits of laughter as when the car started he wanted off and sulked the whole ride when he realised he was on till the end, same as the big slide, he had to go on it and once he hit the bottom he was not going again, thankfully the lady gave us back our ticket. Keelan went on 1 and needed a bucket, not Trin and Rainee though. LOL. I guess the girls are like Tim and the boys like Me, I was never good at tummy turning rides.

I am busy washing new stuff and turfing out old, big bag ready for good will from the boys while I have had the house to myself for 2 half hours this morning, Tim took Rainee to party and others to skate park, we have turned into a full on skate and skooter house here, I think I need the crash helmet more than them zooming past me ducking and weaving. Well better go and get some more sorting done. Enjoy your Sunday.
Trace.

Long time no post

Hi,
this has been a long time and so much has been happening around here, now to remember will be the problem, most of us have turned another year older, Trin has been in and out of plaster and Zay has ear problems which is making his speech delayed, he is going to speech as is Trin who has other problems but we are getting there, I have so much running around to do for these appointments so it has meant I am even busier and no time at all for the things I like to do. Being a Mum just has far too much demand sometimes but I guess you just do what you have to do. Tuesday I had been back and forth to the school 4 times and ended up staying for soccer training so I didn't have to go back for the 5th time.

Betwen all that I am trying to spring clean, out with more clothes and lucky for me when Rainee has a growth spurt I can attack Trin's wardrobe and replenish Rainee with her clothes. I have had a change around with the kids TV room and bought some new furniture and got rid of the bits and pieces we had there, so that room looks a lot better now and thankfully the toys are getting less, woo hoo for that, less is best.

Tim is home for good and looks like he has a new job to start on Monday, he has been home for 2 weeks now and getting a few unfinished things done, including new limestone garden beds, just need mulch now and a few more new plants. Zay did not handle his Dad going away for work too much, well none of us did really but the last time he went away, he really broke his heart and we decided it was not worth putting him through it anymore. We are more settled now with having him home and I feel for the first time since we moved here that life is going to be great for us all, a new start and hopefully this new job will work out, more Tim's style of work with him working in the great outdoors, he will get super fit apparently so I better get my act together too and loose all this excess I have gained lately.

I hope with Tim home at nights now to get back into scrapping, I don't know why my mojo left home when he did but I have not had it for 6 months now. I was just too tired to even consider scrapping by the time I dealt with everything here.

Keelan has a huge weekend coming up, well we all have really Mum and Dad are arriving tomorrow to be a part of it, he has soccer grand final on Saturday morning bright and early
they had an absolute heart stopper of a game last week, went into extra time and thankfully they took it out. pheww, don't know what this week will bring as the kids are playing the top team but if they stay on the ball they have a good chance. Lots of prayers will be said. LOL. After the game they have their wind up for lunch and then we have to go for presentations at 3pm back to the soccer field. Sunday morning bright and early is his Confirmation, what a truly wonderful experience this has been so far, the build up and meetings and preparation has been full on but just wonderful to relive how important this time is for a Catholic. It will be a beautiful spiritual experience for us all on Sunday to see them all present to the Bishop with their sponsors, Keelan has chosen my Dad for his sponsor and is taking Saint Laurence for his name. We had the Family reconciliation last night at the church and that was lovely to see all the candidates and their families.

Keelan has grown so much lately in his faith and as a young Man, I am so proud of him and what he is achieving this year, year 7 is definitely a character defining year for children. Well I best leave it at that for now, I will try and keep this updated and will have photos for his confirmation to share next week.
Take care
Trace

Mother's intuition.

Hi, this will be a big post while I update on life around here.

The kids and I went to see Kung Fu Panda on the Friday that school holidays started for our School which meant the cinemas were pretty quiet which was nice, they really enjoyed it and Keelan had a mate join us and then he came home with us for the afternoon.

Saturday was not as hectic as usual due to soccer breaking for the holidays so we enjoyed a less stressful Saturday for a change. Sunday we kicked back at home getting DVD's due to the rainy weather and just enjoyed each others company, my back went out Saturday morning so I was limited to what I could achieve for a few days till that came good so I had an excuse to read books and watch some chick flicks with the company of a heat pack and the kids watched their movie choices, it was so nice to just be home with no timetable.

Monday we cleaned ready for Mum to arrive on the bus Tuesday, and once she was here the kids pestered her for some fun seeing as I had been unable to do anything with them with my back, Keelan had her playing tennis, once she copped the ball in the face and got a blood nose from her glasses but she still played with him. Wednesday we went shopping and on the way back to car Zaylan nearly got hit by a Prado, I could see the whole incident unfolding but could do nothing, my bloody back was driving me insane and I could not have run without collapsing, he was so lucky the Lady saw what he was going to do and stopped, Keelan was part to blame as Zay never runs in the carparks when it is just him and I, they got a scolding from me back at the car. It was too much of a close call for me.

Thursday we spent cooking Chocolate cakes and Tuna Lasagne, I was going on a stamp camp for the weekend and I had to take them with me, Mum was a great help, I think it would have taken me all day by myself, I had 2 big slab chocolate cakes and 3 trays for lasagne. Then I packed my bags and was so pleased I packed light as I knew my back was just coming good and I had to go easy.

Friday I left about 10.30am and Mum was looking after the kids until Dad arrived later that arvo to help her. I had a good weekend but had the strangest feeling all weekend like I just wanted to go home, I just missed the kids so much and pretty much spent the whole time questioning myself on why I was away and came to the conclusion that unless Tim was home I would not go on any more camps, nothing to do with Mum and Dad's care of the kids, just the way life feels with Tim being away from home, Keelan for the first time ever said he didn't want me to go away and would miss me, so I found it hard to really just let home be out of my mind and also had a lurking feeling something was up. Sunday I had lunch and then packed up and felt really eager to come home, on the way home I started asking myself what was making me feel like this and then I just got the strongest feeling I was coming home to bad news.

I got home at 4pm and Keelan and Mum met me at the door and asked how my weekend was to which I told Mum I didn't enjoy it and felt I needed to be home, her and Keelan looked at each other and said "Really"? They then told me Mum took a fall playing Tennis and Dad didn't know but she was bruised and a bit sore in a few places, again I got annoyed at Keelan for being relentless in pursuing Mum to play tennis with him all the time. Then we unpacked the car and so far all the kids had presented except Trinity, I got the last thing in and just got in the door when I spotted Trin standing with her leg bandaged up and on crutches. So after Mum's fall on Friday and before Dad got here the kids were all on the tramp and Trin fell over and as she went to get up Keelan did a big bounce that sent her flying onto the side of her ankle and she has moved the plate that sits between the leg bone and the foot, she apparently screamed the district down and Mum treated her for that night but she took her to the hospital Saturday when it was looking like a break in the bone, the X rays showed the displacement, she is in a backslab plaster and Friday she sees the Dr and has another Xray and then may need plaster for 5 weeks, so now I know why I had that feeling. She is managing pretty well and Rainee is being a great Sister and Nurse for her and helper to me. Mum and Dad left Monday after lunch and Keelan left Monday morning to go to his Mates place for 2 nights which will be great for him as his mates Dad is his soccer coach and a School teacher at the High School so he will spend time occupying the boys. He is due home tomorrow which is Trin's 7th Birthday.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow Trin, you brave little girl, we love you heaps and hope you have the best day, she asked how many Birthday presents she could have and I said 3 so she said she would like a CD player, makeup and go out to tea to her favourite place with her Daddy, how sweet is that to place him as an important present but also how much does that say about how much she misses her Daddy. I bet his strong arms and love would have been on her much wanted list when she got hurt. I have come to realise with Tim gone for work how much the kids and I rely on each other to be a stable in each others life, hard to explain but it just doesn't feel right anymore having a break away from them. Now I have had that big catchup, I need to take some photos for this blog, I have not taken any for so long so that is my next mission. Tim home on Thursday and we can't wait.
Take care
Trace.

Ouch!

Yesterday was a pretty full on day and great in so many ways but it finished off with Zaylan doing this to himself which really was the most scary injury I have been presented with so far. Let me digress:

Started off with us all getting out the door for the day without too much hassle, dropped the kids to school then Zay to daycare which he was not pleased about at all, tears and holding my neck so tight that I was being strangled but Mon came to the rescue and got him to cuddle and dribble on her while I left and waved goodbye heading out the road. I had an early waxing appointment so off to that I went, feeling like a Lady again I left there and had a bit of a shop at Target then flew home, put some washing on did a quick whip around the house of sorts, prettied myself up again and went and met my Bestie for some lunch oh after I stopped by and bought some fav CD's to listen to. Foo Fighters and Gabriella Cilmi now in my collection woo hoo.

After lunch we grabbed some groceries for tea, flew home again and unloaded them and then back to Besties house for a wash, cut and blow dry, too good. Then it was time to pick the kiddos up so off to get them and then I had a parent/teacher interview with Rainee's teacher, seems all is well with her and Pre primary. Off then to Harvey Norman for Keelan to buy a Memory stick for school work and then pick up one happy little boy who ended up having a great day of play.

Home and start tea and get fire going along with lots of other bits on the go although I decided I really needed a chicken and tomato risotto for tea so that is a little on the need attention side which meant I could not be buzzing around getting kiddos in for bath etc as they were all playing out the backyard and it was starting to get cold and dark. Next minute crying and Keelan comes in with Zaylan and I turned around to see an egg on his eyebrow the size of a big marble and bleeding coming from his cut on the eyelid. Off went tea, out with the freezer pack and an assessment of whether the hospital was needed for the cut, the lump just threw me, it was huge and the worst fright any of the kids have every given me. So we did ice and it appeared to go down and Keelan was nurse while I got the girls into a cold shower, grrrr as I didn't put the solar heater booster on and the fire was still struggling to get going, when it gets hectic, it sure lets rip. Anyway it all calmed after a while and I was sure glad to tuck them into bed last night before anything else could happen. Zay is stopping people in their tracks today as his eye is far worse than the photos seem to show and he is bumping into things as the bung one is half shut. I can only imagine in the next few days as the bruising comes out what pretty colours it will turn. OMG he has certainly turned into a boy lately, and how did it happen you ask well you pull apart your plastic play house and try to kill the clothesline with the pole only to have the pole come right back at ya and belt you in the eye. Has he learnt his lesson, no way he is back out there today with the sticks he can find belting whatever gets in his way. Ohhhh no wonder I am going grey. LOL.

This morning we have been to Keelan's class prayer morning which was just wonderful, Father Wally was also there and had some lovely words to say to the children. Then Zay and I shopped and stopped, stopped to explain the eye to everyone who grimaced in pain when they looked at him, never had so many people stopping me to chat before. LOL. Home now and cleaning up the feral urban tip we abode in and tomorrow after Dancing and Soccer I am heading to the big smoke to catch up with Mumma and Pappa for a night with the kiddos, roast lamb with them tomorrow night and breaky by the beach on Sunday, woo hoo can't wait. I am also feeling really liberated ATM with managing the home front by myself, all my doubt has subsided and it is replaced with a high of YES I AM DOING IT, we are going great guns on the home front. Have a great weekend.
Take care, Trace.

It's not hectic, it's insane!!

Life is just too full on for my liking ATM, I don't have time to stop and smell the roses or any such nicety that may take my fancy. Today I needed to be in 3 places at 11am, 1 was doing a favour for a friend and picking up her Daughter from Netball, the other was picking up Trin from Dancing and Rainee had a Birthday party to be delivered to and Keelan who also needed to be 30 mins away in another town at 11am thankfully got a lift with the friends Daughter I picked up, phew if you imagine a ping pong ball going back and forth that was pretty much me with other kids in tow the whole time. First delivery started at 9.40am and the car finally rested for the day at home at 3.30pm. In between going in and out I did 4 loads of washing, fed kids, created cards with kids, played musical chairs, musical bobs and statues while the girls had their friend over.

Last night my girlfriend and 2 of her kids came for drinks, nibblies and tea and lucky I didn't have a big night as I would not have got through today at all.

I am finding that I am in a whirlpool of emotion over Tim working away. Some days I love it, other days I hate it with a passion and I can't help think how much our life has changed since leaving the farm and it is not for the better. Tim has had to increase work hours with every job he has had since moving here, so not what we thought we would be faced with when we made the change and to say our family life has suffered for it is definitely the understatement of the century, Zay is really going through a testing stage and the other kids are over him ATM, they are so short with him and have no patience which is really testing my patience. I really do realise when you are raising children that Family support is just the biggest blessing you could have or in the absence of that most definitely the Parents have to be able to work together as a team to make the family life flow, both of these I lack big time.

Keelan's team won 11-0 today, they played a new team for this year so the coach used it as an opportunity to put them in all different positions to see how they played. Geoff met Keelan at the game and did our turn of line duty so that was great. Well I am going to put this miserable tired old self to bed and hopefully I will be ready for another huge day tomorrow, I have a 2 hour round trip with the kids to pick Keelan up in the arvo and Rome and a mountain of ironing to do before that. Life is never dull but no wonder I never have any creations to display.
Take care, Trace.

Poor neglected blog.

Well it's been a while and I guess that indicates life has been full on in this household. Tim has gone back yesterday for his next 2 weeks stint but after he rang last night it seems this WA gas problem may also impact them as most South West plants are shutting down and they have a lot of staff they are wanting to send up to Tim's workplace as they are at this stage still able to operate however they may all be getting big cut backs in work due to having to give them all something.

I tell you just when you think things are going to be looking good on the budget for a while it turns to mud!!!

The kiddos and I seem to be finding our way with life without Dad in the house, Zay probably is the worst affected as he can't really understand why he had Dad home for 6 days and now he has gone again. We had a big conversation about why he has to go away or even go to work yesterday but he really can't get it, he said he has plenty of money (coins) so Dad doesn't have to work, how precious are they, if only life could be that plain and simple.

I have been super busy having a big throw out and clean up again, I have got the house to a point now where I can keep up with everything without looking like a chook with it's head cut off, the first week Tim was away the impact was quite major as I suddenly became "IT" for the kiddos, I copped a lot of attitude and meltdowns and mess but by the end of the second week I had started to plow through it all and start to see the sunshine, then Tim came home and everything seemed to stop and I found it hard having him around the house all the time as well as having him go through the re adjustment to noise and kids demands, camp life is pretty good for the workers, they get off the bus, have tea, pack their lunch for the next day, catch up with mates, go to the gym and kick back in their room and watch TV or DVD's if they want to be alone, certainly a lot different than the demands of the Family so he took a few days to adjust. I just hope this all gets easier as time goes on and that's if he still has a job when they work out what is happening up there. sigh.

This seems a bit gloomy but it really is where we are at "ADJUSTMENT" really is our word ATM. LOL.

I haven't been creative on the scrapping side however I have been crocheting every night, the kiddos have orders for their own lap rugs so I am still getting Keelan's done and Zay is dragging his wool out asking me to start on his. LOL. The Girls got their hair chopped off yesterday and they are now sporting short bobs, they look so cute and they can now manage their own hair YIPPEE, this morning they brushed it and put their headbands on without my help, no more fighting and crying over knots, just one of the reasons we went for the chop and although I loved their long hair, I am embracing the change. I will get pics of them and post them.

Keelan is still going well with soccer, they won against one of the best teams on Saturday, boy what a nail biting game, I was very vocal but I blended with the other parents, (I hope), such an exciting game and so great to see this team growing stronger every week. Geoff will be at this weeks game for him as it is out of town and then they are having the weekend together. We went out to tea Saturday night with friends and the kiddos had a great time except for Rainee slamming her finger in the door when we got there, she has had such a bruised and black finger and nail, plus she broke the skin and was bleeding, poor little chick was in pain for the first half of our night, then we all came home and gave her panadol and had hot chocolates and marshmallows.

Well that is about it for now, need to blog more often again so I can keep up with everything happening or the post ends up being really random. Take care, Trace.

Well Done Kiddos

It's been another busy week or should I say a much busier week considering I am doing it all on my own these days. We are adjusting to life without Tim which seems some days are better than others.

Friday at assembly Keelan received a Certificate of Achievement which was great as it seems he has started to settle into Year 7 more now and is showing a desire to improve his work in all areas. Well done Keelan, Yippee. Rainee also received one for her care and concern for classmates. Well done Rainee, I am very proud of you both.

Keelan also got his picture taken with the Principal and 3 other students explaining how we are having an important week coming up with church hosting the World Youth Day Cross and Icon of Mary which featured in our Local newspaper this week.

Yesterday at Soccer Keelan played a great game until he was winded in the second half playing Goalie position, poor Keelan it really dampened a great game he was doing really well spurred on by the fact his Dad had come to watch him, I had just gone to drop Trin off at dancing when that incident happened but he went back on field again once he felt better. They won again, Woohoo, they have won 3 out of their 4 games now so they are going really well. Then to top off his week he won best player of the day and got a certificate, so that topped a pretty fab week for him.

Last night we went to my Girlfriends for tea and her Sister who I have not seen in years was staying with her, it was so great to reminisce about our past social life and how much fun we used to have, we had a yummo tea which was Seafood Marinara and then we came home the kids got changed and I made them milos and then into bed. They were asleep before their head hit the pillow.

This morning we went to Church and that was a handful, we managed to get ready and to church in time but after the first 10 mins Zay was very bored and annoying and I pretty much spent most of the time fighting a loosing battle against trying to keep him settled, he annoyed Keelan pretty much the whole time and I felt sorry for the people around us at times he was such a fidget. Trinity flat out told me it was boring and if your kiddos could show you up for a bad parent they pretty much did their optimum. hmm don't know if I can go through that experience again, not enjoyable for anyone concerned. Today has pretty much been a blah day for me since Church, Trin, Rainee and Zaylan have just been plain darn horrid and of course I have had lots to do so that has made it even more unpleasant but I hope when we arise tomorrow morning it will be a better day, I am sure over today. Keelan is playing with a mate so he has thankfully got out for a break from this, he gets just as fed up of it as I do at times. They are off to bed early tonight that is for sure.
Take care
Trace.

More layouts from stamp camp.

Hi
Firstly I will share these layouts before I update on life around here, these are a double layout, tells a story about our Summer Sunday's this year.

This layout below is my favourite ATM, we did got the owl as a class and we made them up with our kit and they were all so different in the end. He just seemed to need to be with these 2 cuties.

You have to wonder about the course of your life sometimes, it seemed like everything was finally starting to get a little easier and I was finally starting to branch out and join some like minded Women in my favourite hobby of all and then the spanner just comes flying out of nowhere and now I have to let the me time go again and become house bound again. Tim came home on Monday night with the news that he is getting posted away to work and will be on 2 week away and 1 week home roster. We both had to do a lot of thinking as to whether it was going to work with the kiddos etc. We have decided we need to suck it and see basically, we can always pull out if it is not going to work out but we won't know unless we try. It will certainly have it's advantages and disadvantages but for now we will just go with it.

Mother's Day was certainly different this year, it started out with the kiddos giving me their handmade creations which were very cute and they were so proud of their creations as I was too, Trin remembered to give me her card yesterday, LOL, so it was all a bit hit and miss, we had breakfast and then got ready for Church, Keelan was doing a reading and it was a wonderful service with many families packing the church for Pentecost Sunday, Father Wally certainly put the Dads and kids on notice as to how to pull their fingers out for Mum, (all of which fell on deaf ears with this clan), we no sooner left Church and the bickering started and I started to think the kiddos were on a mission to destroy Mother's Day, we then had to head to MIL's for Lunch and then my Sermon started after a few kilometres down the road of the still niggling and bickering. I certainly couldn't wait to get to MIL's and have a red wine, I think the first glass didn't touch the sides at this point, anyway we had a nice meal and got to relax and enjoy the afternoon. We had fish and chips for tea and a dessert I had made Saturday and then it was into ironing and folding washing. I really can't escape it for 1 day. LOL.

Keelan is going extremely well with his Soccer, the team has won their last 2 games and he plays really well for his first year in Comp. It was pouring rain, thunder and lightening the whole game but they came through 6-3. In between watching I was running Trin to dancing and buying a couple of umbrellas so we could stand in the pouring rain to watch them. Rainee had a sore throat, sneezes and sniffles this morning so I kept her home, she really probably could have gone to school but at least she has had fun playing with Zay today. That's about it for now. Take care, Trace.

Happy Birthday Mum.

Happy Birthday Mum, hope you have a great Day. Sorry we can't be there to celebrate it with you.

Seeing as it is Mum's Birthday and Mother's Day in a few Days I would just like to have a bit of a heartfelt chat about Mum. This Special Lady has been the backbone of my life, my ALL is owed to her, never a day goes by without her being in my thoughts and heart no matter how far apart we have lived at times, she has always had an ultimate goal in her life since having Children and that was to love them all equally and give them the best life she could possibly provide for us no matter how much that meant she went without, she is the most generous, heartfelt loving person you would ever hope to meet and welcomes anyone who ever comes to her doorstep and they sure leave her presence all the better for it. I think God had a special role for Mum and that was to be a Nurse, which she has excelled at being wherever she has worked, a nurturer and healer by nature she certainly applies that in her daily life.

To me personally she has been the Sister I never had and my best friend forever, we just have such a close bond that has been with us forever and she has always allowed me to make my mistakes and stood by me, she is the best cook, Nana and Mum I could have ever wished for, I am eternally grateful to God for allowing me to be her Daughter. Mum has devoted herself to her Children since they were born, always supporting the schools we attended, jumping on committees when they needed someone, fundraising for schools, covering books, cooking and making crafts for the school fetes, helping her sick Parents, working Part time and yet she seemed to be there whenever we needed her, I don't know how she did it but she did and to me she excelled at being our Mum and being Dad's wife for 42 years. Living so far away really gets to me at times, I would dearly love to see her daily but she is now having time to enjoy her Card making and patchwork and she has well and truly waited a long time for life to be about her and it means we have a great time together when we do get together.

I hope she feels special today as she sure deserves to it. Love you with all my Heart and Soul Mum.
Take care
Trace.