Busy, busy, busy

Annie and I have had the luxury of the car for the past two days so we took advantage of it and achieved the following:
- Picked up the free 120L compost bin that I got for attending an Earth Sustainability course last week.
- Went to Bunnings and bought a Bokashi bucket. (Dale thinks I've gone nuts, but I wanted to give it a try.)
- Took a box of still useful items to Vinnies. Bought Annabelle a long sleeve top and some jeans while we were there.
- Returned books to the library and picked up the ones I had on reserve.
- Went to playgroup in Figtree with Alyson and Nate.
- Picked up the Clip It Up system that bought from Janine. I couldn't justify the crazy price of a new one, and buying a preloved one from a friend is much more my style.

I'm feeling good as I have managed to cross a few jobs off my to do list that have been there for months. I have a freezer stocked full of precooked meals that I have made in bulk recently (great for those days where I am busy, don't feel like cooking, or simply want to spend more time outside playing with the kids inside of making dinner). Most of the meals are meat-based which means they will last us a while (we don't eat meat every day around here). There's beef and lentil lasagne, pumpkin soup, pea and ham soup, minestrone soup, chicken pie filling, mince/beans for nachos/burritos, tomato based pasta sauce and hamburger patties.

Well I'm off to write out some cards. Goodnight! :)

10 year wedding anniversary

Today is our 10 year wedding anniversary. Our relationship is stronger now than it has ever been. I think that as we continue to learn more about each other we both realise how blessed we are to be together and how well we are suited.

Ten years of love, of challenges, of ups and downs. Four houses (two rented, two owned). Two children. One overseas holiday. Five cars (four gone, one left). One university degree completed with honours. One job resigned from. Two small businesses started, run successfully and sold/closed. Many new friendships. Lots of laughter and even more happiness.

Happy anniversary Dale. Thank you for loving me for who I am whilst helping me to become the person I can be. I love you with all my heart.

Some crafty goodness

I keep forgetting to update this blog because I have been updating the photo one every night and think I have blogged. Oops. Here are some of my latest creations:

2010 goals update - January

Layouts done (target 100): 4
Cards made (target 200): 69
Weight lost (target 11kg): No change.

- Harvest at least six different types of vegetables. 2 Jan: Dug up some potatoes which we ate later that week. 30 Jan: Cut my first pumpkin from the vine. There are at least 2 more big ones growing.
- Get my weight down to 80kg (this requires a loss of 11kg). 31 Jan: Went up and down this month to end up exactly the same weight I started.
- Refine my bread making technique. (Hard to measure this one, but I'll know when I feel comfortable.) Haven't been making bread this month.
- Make a dent in my scrapbooking/cardmaking stash. Doing this. See above for cards and pages made.
- Learn how to apply basic make-up. Not saying I want to start wearing it, I just want to know I could if I wanted! No progress here.
- Go out for lunch or dinner with Dale at least once every 2 months (without kids). 14 Jan: We walked along Seacliff bridge and then had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. 28 Jan: Dale and I went shopping in Wollongong, had a nice coffee and then a relaxing lunch at the same place we went to on 14/01.
- Sew an item of clothing. Bought some material. :)

Afternoon craft time

I have been saving boxes, paper towel rolls and other bits and pieces for a couple of months in a 'useful box' (think Play School!). This afternoon we sat together as a family and created.

Callum made a rabbit/mouse/cat. It changed a few times during the creation phase but I think it was a mouse in the end. :)


Callum then had a bit of an emontional breakdown and a time-out in his room while Dale, Annie and I made hats and had a little hat parade.



Thank you Dale for being such a good sport. Love your hat!

A good male/mail day

Callum went back to school today. He's a big year one boy now and is very excited. He has been put in a different class to his closest school friend which Dale and I think will be a good thing for his independence. I didn't get a photo of him today, but he looks a lot like he did last year (just a bit taller!).

Since Annie was at daycare, Dale and I took advantage of our kid-free time and headed to Wollongong. We had a relaxing time. Coffee, some shopping (spending a giftcard which is always fun because it lacks the guilt of spending actual cash), and lunch at a Vietnamese restuarant. Very nice indeed!

When we arrived home I had two parcels waiting for me. The Wicked CD I had ordered. I still intend going to see it in Sydney once we have the money but for now the CD will do.

And this prize from a Planet Ark competition I entered last year. Yay!

One World One Heart Giveaway

One World One Heart is an event created by Lisa in 2007. As she says on her blog: "The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way."

I was too late to join in last year but thought I would join this years fun. I will be giving away two prizes. A set of four handmade greeting cards and a set of five handmade greeting cards (both prizes are pictured below). To win just leave a comment on this blog post. This is open to everyone from all parts of the world! Please make sure there is a way I can contact you, either via your blog or by leaving your email address. Winners will be selected on Feb 15th using a random number generator.



To some more fantastic blogs, make new people and possibly win some great items, head back here and check out the full list of participants in Lisa's sidebar on the right hand side.