Ant and Spider Town...Population...Billions

Well I believe I said I had an interesting ant and spider post for you all, so here it is. Here in beautiful sunny Busselton we have everything you could want, gorgeous beaches, cafes, shopping, wineries just half an hour away, Simmo's, the best ice cream parlor in the world as far as I'm concerned and then we have two of the most wonderful creatures in abundance.....yep you guessed it....ants and spiders. Now neither of these particular bugs bother me much at all, if I see a spider and know it's poisonous, I kill it immediately....I mean I do have little ones running around after all and if I happen to see ants in my sink I simply turn the tap on and send them down the drain...though the ants in Busselton seem to have learnt to swim because they occasionally come back up the drain. Busselton is known for it's ants and you don't dare leave even a crumb on the kitchen bench or sink because you will come back to find a trail of fifty ants carrying one crumb and once they think there's a supply of food they just keep coming back.

Now like I said they don't tend to bother me too much, I deal with them as I see them but Chris on the other hand....now there's a story. The ants are driving him mad and he thinks Busselton has formed a mutant strain of ant because no matter how many times he sprays or puts ant-rid down they just keep coming back. I've never heard anyone curse ants the way Chris does and some days it takes all I have not to laugh at him when he gets on a rant about how it's his house and not theirs....hehe quite funny really. Prime example, I was clearing up the dinner dishes last night and Chris was wondering around the house aimlessly when he just happened to look down at the cats bowl, and what do you think he saw....yep, ants.....and not just a few there were hundreds!! Now the cats had left a few measly crumbs in their bowl after eating and the ants came for those few measly crumbs as if they hadn't eaten all week. Needless to say Chris was not impressed at this latest development in his war on ants, so out came the spray and the ant-rid warfare style. If I was an ant and saw him with that can coming toward me I'd be dropping whatever I had and running for my life because not a single ant was left alive last night and I swear Chris felt much better after abolishing them all from the house. Now this is not a weekly or fortnightly occurrence in our house, it's a daily occurrence, so can you imagine the amount of bug killing spray Chris goes through?? And it's not little ole fly spray it's the big ole powerful ant and spider spray, dead set determined to kill all your pesky pests.....lol.

And then there's our lovely little friends the spiders....my oh my...the spiders we have here are everywhere and I am a believer in if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone, after all they mostly stay outside but occasionally one or two find their way inside the house. Now if they're Daddy Long Legs no ones aloud to kill them because I like them and they kill other bugs that come in the house and aren't harmful to people because their fangs are to short to penetrate the skin. So I leave them alone to keep the rest of the house bug free. If we get garden spiders, red backs, white tails or anything else that can cause harm and dare to break through the boundaries and come inside, I kill them before they even know I've hit them. Now my wonderful hubby Chris is not a fan of spiders at all, he would rather annihilate the ants than deal with spiders. Take for example the other night, we're getting ready for bed and Chris is paranoid about checking the window....not for burglars but for ants...I guess to make sure we don't get over run in the middle of the night and taken hostage.....hehehe...(he's going to kill me) and though he didn't find any ants he did happen to find his friend Mr Spider. Chris says to me, 'there's a spider down there.' And I replied, 'so, it won't hurt you.' Chris, 'how do you know it won't crawl up the bed and bite us in our sleep. 'we' better kill it.' Me, 'So I guess you want me to kill it then?' No response from Chris just that look that says you betchya. So out of bed I get after having just gotten comfortable, walk around to Chris' side, pick up the closest thong and smacked the spider into the ground. He never saw it coming, probably just heard the crazy humans discussing whether or not to kill him. So I picked up the remains and flushed them down the loo, got back in bed and asked Chris if he felt better now, to which he said 'yep, now I can sleep.' To which I responded, 'unless another one comes in.' And then I wet myself laughing because the look on Chris' face was, 'Shit, I never thought of that.' Then while laughing my butt off I told him this would make a very interesting blog about how the man of the house had to be protected from the big bad spider by his wife. Then I really lost it and so did he and got me back with some tickling which I hate because I'm super ticklish and he knows it.

I guess you had to be there and some of you might be thinking we are just plain old weird but it was funny and sometimes it's the weird and funny things that happen in a day that make life interesting. I'm telling you, I went to sleep laughing at Chris, his obsession to kill all ants and his paranoia of spiders eating him in his sleep. I couldn't ask to be more entertained if I tried. Why go out and see a comedy routine when I have my very own right here at home....lol.

And the Nesting Continues...

So I thought the nesting bug would have settled down by now and while it dimmed a little it's now back in full force since I picked up my material from Spotlight to make my curtains. It had been on lay-by for so long I forgot what it looked like but once I picked it up and saw it I fell back in love with it all over again. I also happened to catch sight of the furnishing fabrics and they were gorgeous and straight away I had ideas flooding through my head. I've thought to make my own doona cover as I just can't find one in any of the shops I like, and cushions, lots and lots of plush cushions made from beautiful fabrics....Thank goodness I own a sewing machine.

I'm also trying to decide whether to buy new sofas or buy old ones that are built well and have them reupholstered....hmmm decisions, decisions, I think I'll have to think on that one a bit longer. Either way it'll be nice when I eventually find the right couch I'm looking for.

This nesting bug has hit me so hard this time round I'm even starting another interior design course. I did one a few years ago and it was more on interior decorating but this new course is a lot more in depth and it looks amazing. Now being that I have kids at home I'm studying online!!! How cool is that? I don't have to leave the comfort of my house and go out into the heat to sit in a lecture theater, I can do it all from home while the air conditioner keeps me nice and cool. I'm really excited and looking forward to starting this course, it should keep me even busier than I already was which is great, I hate getting bored.

We also got our Olive trees in on the weekend and my beautiful roses and hydrangeas are finally in the right spots as well. The grass in getting more and more green every day and really starting to feel like carpet under your feet. We're lucky with our lawn, we don't get prickles... just dog poo which Bec just happened to step in the other day. Thank goodness it was dried out and not fresh...ugh..gross.

So all in all the yards and house are coming together nicely and I'm on a design roll for the exterior as well as interior. It would be oh so bad if I ever won lotto but boy would I have a house and a half built to the exact way I want it designed. I can visualize it already.....hmmm....better keep dreaming for now I think but then you never know what's around the corner.

P.s..........I have an interesting ant and spider post coming up soon so keep reading

Half Function and A Clutzy Start......

So hear I am once again up at the crack of dawn and not able to go back to sleep so naturally there's not a lot else for me to do at this time of morning that doesn't wake up the rest of the house but to write.

I'm finding at this very moment however my fingers don't exactly want to work with me, I'm hitting all the wrong keys and my fingers are sliding around all over the place. I cut my finger yesterday while cleaning and patched it with steri-strip and now every time I try to use it on a key it slides right off. And then there's the fact I think I'm really only working on half function at the moment as it is only 6:16am here in sunny Busselton this morning. Whatever the reason I can tell it's going to be one of those days where I drop everything and probably spend half the day tripping over the cats too.

I have to say though I am looking forward to 11am this morning as I'm heading to the hairdressers for a cut and am just trying to decide whether I should go layers or choppy, doesn't matter too much but I've decided I'm keeping the length as this is the longest it's been in years. Now if you've seen my profile picture you might be thinking ooh it must be quite long now, well.... no it's not. You see I have a bad habit of going long, short, long, medium, short, long, short, medium and it has been this way for years but now I'm determined to get it to a reasonable length and keep it there and I'm keeping the blonde too as it hides those nasty greys that are coming through.

And now for a very blonde moment. Since I started this blog I've noticed when I publish a post it dates and times it on Amercian time, which is fine really as long as it's published I haven't minded but on occasion I have thought hmmm I'm talking about the weekend and it says Friday?? Not to worry people will get the idea, has been my reasoning. And now I've just discovered I can set the date and time myself so it shows the right day here in Australia!!! So very, very blonde of me that it's taken three months to figure this out, sheesh what am I going to do with myself, talk about half function.....hehe. I'm telling you it's going to be one of those days I can feel it in my bones, I know myself well enough to know when I'm going to have a clutzy day.

Well it's now 6:45am and I think I'm going to take advantage of the fact that the kids are all still asleep and have a coffee in peace and quiet, then water the lawns which are looking oh so lovely and green again before anyone wakes up and the clutziness begins.

And now I've just discovered if I set the date and time myself the blog won't publish until it's that time in America....argh...so looks like I will leave the schedule set for automatic so I can publish straight away and my weekends will just be earlier than they really are and I'll just have to be on American time....I'm telling you.....I can feel it's going to be a very long day....

Au revoir......

A Most Painful Time Of Year......

As someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, I have heard about nothing but Christmas for the last 6 to 8 weeks. I haven't celebrated Christmas for the last eight years and it has been peaceful and stress free and I have enjoyed every minute of not having to rush around to do last minute shopping for food and presents or had to worry about who to invite for lunch or where I am going for lunch or needing to have the kids ready to fly out the door or have them rush around cleaning their rooms so guests and family don't see how truly messy they are.

Now, I'm suffering through Christmas for a second year running. Chris and his family celebrate the holiday and his Mum in particular puts a lot of emphasis on it. Admittedly I'd be ecstatic to stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet and just have some nice family time in the comfort of my own home, however that won't be happening this year but it sure will be next year as Chris and I have already decided we're staying home.

Things really do go wrong at this time of year, all the bills seem to come in at once, there's presents to buy, travel expenses, the kids are finishing school and driving you crazy and just our luck our hot water system and stove died at the same time last Friday night. Talk about living old school, we have had no gas or hot water for 5 and a half days now and it has been a challenge to try and cook decent meals without a working stove and lets not forget the cold showers, what joy that has been, but I've managed it, just. At the moment it feels like everywhere we look something is just not going our way but thankfully persistence pays off.

Now I'm not trying to sound like the Grinch here, it just seems to me December is the worst time of year every year or am I wrong? Perhaps I am, who knows. All I do know is that I'm missing my peace and quiet and stress free December I've gotten accustomed to having and with only a week and a half left til Christmas, I'm already looking forward to boxing day where I will be back home, in my own bed, in my garden, down the beach and enjoying what time off Chris has left before he goes back to work.

So yes for me Christmas really is a most painful time of year........

Updates, Apologies and The Weekend

As you can all see I've updated my blog yet again. The reason I've done this is because I received some feedback from people who love the blog but find it a little difficult to read with the type of font and font colour I had selected. So being that I don't want to lose my readers out there I have changed the background and kept the font more easily readable. I hope everyone enjoys the updated blog as much as the old one.

For those who loved it and didn't want to see it change I apologise and hope you enjoy the new format as much as you did the old format.

Now for what I've been up to this weekend. We really didn't do a lot when I think about it but it was a very productive couple of days. Saturday was mostly catching up at home with cleaning, laundry and more laundry etc. Chris helped Dad out for a bit in the morning and again in the afternoon and came home with a chain saw and a ladies golf putter for me, so not bad payment for helping out. Once Chris was home we took the girls to his most favourite place, yep you guessed it, Bunnings. I'm sure you all remember me telling you how much I love Bunnings, well I felt another visit was in order as I had harvested the spring onions, leeks that didn't do to well because I found out a little too late they need to be 'hilled' to become bigger and thicker and the celery that was great but too skinny and I think that may have been a water issue. So with the vege garden harvested and empty I decided I wanted to plant some summer veges for all those lovely fresh salads we'll be eating. We bought some lettuce, capsicum (as the dogs destroyed the last lot I had planted), basil, cucumbers and we're going to attempt to grow some watermelon. I also got another beautiful rose called 'Pascali' to go with the red rose I got the other week for the rose garden. So Sunday morning I spent putting in all my lovely new plants and praying the snails would stay away, though I have to say since I put a few snail pellets down I haven't seen a snail in sight. That will teach them to mess with my garden, now I just need some tomato dust to stop the ants attacking them and the strawberries, who would've thought ants would eat fruit and veg?? Not me that's for sure. Now the garden is stocked with veges and has been given a healthy dose of thrive, I just have to monitor everything and keep watering and hopefully we'll have good success, especially with the watermelon as I've never attempted to grow it before.

Sunday afternoon we decided to go to the car show that was on but the traffic was so bad we couldn't even get past the roundabout that takes you out of town so we headed into town and took the girls to the foreshore, bought them an ice cream from the best ice creamery in the world, Simmo's, and decided to let the girls paddle their feet and have some fun. Of course Bec got wet. I knew that would happen but she was having so much fun with Eva I didn't worry about it. At one point Bec was running behind Eva and tripped over her own feet and fell flat on her face, kissed the ground and got back up and kept chasing Eva. I tried to see if she was ok but she shooed me away. My girl is tough, even with sand down her face and in her mouth and now wetter than ever, she just got up and kept playing not phased at all by the fact she just kissed the ground. When we finally got to the car I said to Bec 'I'll take your dress off you in the car because it's too wet to wear home.' So I turn to open her car door and as I turn back around to pick her up I see she's already stripped her dress off and is standing next to the car in nothing but her knickers...lol. I couldn't help but laugh, she's so like Luke, they're so literal that they just do things and don't wait and after a not so great week she made me laugh and put a big smile on my face. Chris I think was a little mortified and just shook his head. So I put her in the car all but naked and we headed home so I could finish my gardening that was so rudely interrupted, hehe and then Chris' brother dropped in for a visit on his way home from the car show.

So although I guess the weekend was slow and we didn't do a great deal it was still productive and enjoyable. I got my new veges in, we made it out for a while, we relaxed and we had fun. What more could one ask for from her family on the weekend, except maybe for the girls to sleep in past 6:30am on a Saturday and Sunday morning, other than that I'm happy.

The Nesting Bug

I'm in a nesting mood this week for a reason I can't quite figure out. All I seem to want to do is garden, fertilize the lawn, harvest my veges, put new plants in the ground, clean my house and cook til I can't cook any more. I blame the weather personally. Spring has finally come with a bang and the weather is warm and friendly and inviting me outdoors no matter how much house work there is to do. This morning I was outside at 7:30am watering the front lawn simply because it was a beautiful morning and I needed to be out in the fresh air. The street was quiet and I was lost in my own thoughts thinking how I needed to buy some fertilizer before it gets too hot and where the lawn really needs attention and when are we getting the trailer and getting the side dug out over the weekend and getting my roses in. My mind was going one hundred miles an hour when I was brought back to reality by the girls calling out to me from the front door, 'we're still hungry.' So I fed the masses and decided I was going to make some sweet monkey bread today. (For those who don't know what monkey bread is look under the recipe tab above.) And while searching through my recipe book I found my pesto recipe I thought I had lost so tomorrow night it's home made pasta and pesto for dinner. Tonight is lamb and rosemary rissoles with veges.

Why is it nesting only seems to affect us women?? Is it because we have the ovaries? Is it because we are maternal and men aren't? Or is it just simply a case of we women can be bothered and the men couldn't care if they lived in tents?? Whatever the reason it just will not leave me alone this week. It all started on the weekend, we had beautiful weather so Chris and I decided to go and play nine holes of golf. Neither of us have played before but my dad has given me some clubs so we thought, lets try it and see how we go. Well it's got to be one of the funniest but frustrating games I've ever played and while most people will think golf can't be funny, trust me it can be when you've got two novices' on the course. The funniest part aside from us continually missing the ball and not getting it in the hole was Chris hit a really good shot, then it hooked to the left, then it hit the trees and then a magpie (a bird I hate most) came squawking and flying off his branch so fast we couldn't stop laughing. Chris had taken out the magpie and after years of being swooped by them I finally felt like a little retribution had been done. But for all you animal lovers out there, don't worry the bird was not hurt just knocked off his perch, seriously funny, it's four days later and we're still laughing about it, guess you had to be there. So any way after golf I decided I wanted to go to Bunnings to buy some stakes for the tomatoes as they're on the ground. Chris hates Bunnings and any other hardware store for that matter, I for some reason I've never quite figured out love Bunnings and all hardware stores. I think it's because the smell reminds me of my pop's shed. I like to wander around and take my time and see what's in the gardening section and I always come away with more than what I went in for which is apparently why Chris likes to get in and get out, so I can't over spend, hmmm. I said to him, 'you're the bloke, aren't you supposed to love the hardware store and I'm supposed to hate it and want to get home? I think there might have been a gene mix up when we were being made hehe..' to which he responded, 'maybe, so we're just getting the stakes right?' hehehe he should know me better than that by now. I found what I needed plus got a beautiful red rose and some Jasmine, so I was happy, Chris was happy once we got home hehe.

Now we're half way through the week and I've staked the tomatoes, mowed the lawn, watered the lawns, pruned the lavender, put out snail pellets to stop those pests from eating every vege I'm trying to grow, planted the jasmine, done the laundry which is a never ending job with a family of five, made a loaf of rye bread and the monkey bread and am already looking forward to hitting the shop tomorrow to get the OO flour I need to make home made pasta. Anyone would think I've just moved out of home and this is all new and fun for me but in reality I've been doing this for the last twenty years yet just now this nesting bug has hit me big time. All I can say is watch out kids, watch out Chris, watch out pets and make way for all the projects I have planned to do over the summer.

I do have to wonder how long this nesting bug will linger for..........

The Best Parts of Life

Have you ever had a week where people really know how to get on your nerves?? Well I have over the last couple of weeks and I find it makes me frustrated, grumpy and cynical, so I've decided to counteract those feeling by reflecting on the positives in my life of what and who make me happy.

• Of course first is Chris, I could not have asked for a better husband and the fact he's quitting smoking just makes me smile even more, I'm so proud of him. It still feels surreal at times that I've married my high school sweetheart, how lucky am I to have found him again after so much time had gone by. So happy.

• My kids, all five of them. James, Luke and Lauren, all grown up now and I can't believe it, especially proud of Lauren or Lol as we call her. She's all but 16yrs old and moved out of home back to the city six months ago now and is standing on her own two feet, paying her own way and working her butt off. Keep going strong Lol. Then there's Bec and Eva, two girls I couldn't imagine not having in my life now. With Bec I feel like I'm raising Lol all over again and with Eva, well she's definitely her own person, stubborn, strong willed, temperamental but despite this she is bright, smart, amazingly good at craft for her age and funny, she has the loudest cackle I've ever heard. You just can't help but laugh with her when she starts.

• Music! I could not live my life without music. Get rid of the t.v, turn off all the computers but don't ever take away the music. Music is in my soul and my blood, I'm not quite sure how it got there or from who because no one in my family really plays an instrument or anything but I absolutely love music. All sorts of music too not just a couple of genres but a whole bunch of genres. 

• Being outside in the garden. Some days it takes more motivation than others but once I'm out there and the sun is on me I feel great and then of course I feel even better when I stand back and take a look at my hard work and what I've accomplished. I can get lost in my own thoughts when I'm gardening and forget everything else going on around me, I feel at peace then.

• And of course having people in my life who I love and who love me, respect me and encourage me in all areas of my life. I decided a long time ago to be as positive as I can be as I believe in the old philosophy of you get back what you put out there. It's a bit like the bible scripture from Galations 6:7 'whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap.' So put out into the universe love and appreciation and sit back and watch what comes to you! 

These are just a few things I thought I'd share that I consider to be the best parts of my life and I'm sure there will be many more to come in the years ahead. So take a moment to sit and think, what do you consider to be the best parts of your life?

Friendships

It's funny how friendships come and go from our lives and how some fade away without us ever really realizing it and then there are those friendships that just stand the test of time no matter how often you see or speak to each other.

Take my friend Linda for example, we have known each other for the last sixteen years and while we have had periods of time when we haven't seen each other we always catch up with one another and talk for hours like no time has gone by at all. I last spoke to Linda about two years ago when we ran into each other at our local shopping center, she gave me her new number and I said I'd call soon to catch up. Well I went and lost her number and couldn't find the address book which at least had her mobile number in it. So a few months later I find out I'm moving three hours away and it all happened so fast I didn't have time to even try and contact her to let her know.

 I have thought of Linda a lot over the last eighteen months and finally I found her daughter on facebook and asked her for Linda's number which she gave me as well as her Dads' email address. So I sent an email with my numbers and within hours Linda called and we talked for hours. It was so good to hear her voice and catch up and fill her in on what's been happening with getting married and the works. Linda has had a rough twelve months herself from what she tells me and I only wish I could have been there to help her through her hardships but hopefully things will start turning around for her and her family and they will have a good year over the next twelve months.

Peta and I on my wedding day.

Then there's Peta who I've known for the last eight years and the funny thing about Peta is we actually went to the same primary school but she was a year ahead of me so we really didn't know each other too well. We also went to different high schools so we had no contact with each other until our kids met up at school. My kids knew her kids through attending their dads church where Peta attended too. I was picking my kids up from school one day when Lauren started jumping out of her skin saying, 'there's Peta and her kids,' and I'm looking around going who and where. hehe.....she introduced herself and invited the kids over to play and it wasn't until we were having coffee at her house and talking about our own school that we made the connection that we went to the same school and were in the same school plays etc.

Peta has been a wonderful friend over the years and we have helped each other out whenever we can as friends do and for this reason I asked her to be my maid of honour for my wedding which she was stoked about. Even though we now live three hours away from each other we still catch up regularly through email, sms or phone calls and whenever I go to Perth I try to catch up with her in person though sometimes it's just not possible.

Of all my friends I've made in life Linda and Peta have stuck like glue and for this I'm grateful because true friends are hard to find in this world where so many are deceptive. The best piece of advise I can give anyone to find real friends is to surround yourself with positive people and say goodbye to the negative ones who only want to bring you down and hurt you.

Also there is a bible passage that says, 'He that is walking with wise persons will become wise but he that is having dealings with the stupid ones will fare badly.' - Proverbs 13:20................this small but wise piece of information is so true and good guidance to find true friendships, so keep looking with wisdom and you will find those who make your life happy as I have done. Thank you my friends.

Outdoor & Indoor Projects

Spring is finally here with all it's warm days full of sunshine and cool breezes that make it enjoyable to be outdoors working or taking the kids to the beach. I love spring, there is so much to do and if I keep busy then I rarely get bored however there also never seems to be enough hours in the day to do all I want to do. Chris is probably glad when the end of the day rolls round because I'm always finding things for him to help me with. I mean he is taller and stronger than me, so it's only fitting I borrow his height and strength. Yesterday he told me I was a slave driver!!(jokingly of course) Can you believe it? I was on a roll in the garden this weekend and Chris isn't the most enthusiastic when it comes to gardening but he does help me. We worked pretty much all day Saturday and a good half day Sunday, the only reason we did half a day was because we started early and finished early. Now both front and back yards look great and we can look forward to having friends and family over for bbq's all through the summer months. Of course there's still a few things I want to do just to finish off a bit more and make the yard more inviting.

The only downside to finishing a project is it leaves a gap until the next project comes along and depending on what it is you're looking to do it can take a while for a project to find you, so thankfully I'm not completely done in the garden as it's always ongoing. I also happen to have another project waiting for me to start it, yet I  just haven't had the time but I think I will be making a start tomorrow no matter what. I have a desk that I bought from an op shop years ago now and while it's still going strong and doing the job it's intended for it needs to be freshened up. So out comes the sander and the paint, it'll be done before I know it. Will post before and after pictures soon so keep looking out for it.

I'm also wanting to paint the house as I did Eva and Bec's playroom a few weeks ago and it came out fantastic and it's just inspired me to freshen up the whole house and I find a coat of paint always works wonders in freshening up a room quickly. There's also new curtains to be made which hopefully I'll be starting next week as soon as I pick up the fabric. So many projects to do and I have to admit I'm looking forward to all of them, especially the desk. My grandfather was a carpenter and I think wood work may be in my blood and while I loved doing wood work in high school I wasn't really brave enough to continue on with it as it was really considered a boys class. I now wish I had of done more as I enjoy working with wood and stripping it right back and  freshening it up by staining or painting it. My first attempt at stripping a piece of furniture was at least five years ago now and even my Dad was impressed with how well I did and how the dresser looked. I basically taught myself as I went along with a few phone calls to Dad to make sure I was doing it right. I love wood furniture and the smell of wood, it smells so natural and fresh. So here's hoping the desk proves to be an easy enough job to do. One thing I learnt and haven't forgotten since doing the dresser is if you're a girl and working with varnish make sure you have a hat on your head when working underneath furniture as I ended up with varnish in my hair and it was not easy to get out but it was worth it for the way the dresser looked when I was done.

Close Encounters of the sparkly but nerdy kind....

When I think back on all the people I have met over the years I realize I have actually met quite a few local 'celebs'. Now to those who don't know Western Australia mainly the Perth area this will seem like not much at all. Especially to all my American relatives, I know it's not quite the same as meeting the big stars over there but for us Perthies it's kind of an OMG moment because although we know these celebs live locally you just never expect to run into them.

My first encounter was while I was shopping at our local Woolworths Grocery Store and I was pushing my trolley along minding my own business when a lady and I both wanted to go in opposite directions but were coming at each other front on. So I moved aside and let the lady through, though as I'm moving I'm thinking to myself, 'man you look familiar.' The lady thanked me for moving and we smiled at each other and went on our way and then it clicked where I had seen her. It was Jenny Seaton!!! And I'm thinking to myself 'Oh my GOD I just met Jenny Seaton! Jenny Seaton who I just watched on t.v this morning! Jenny Seaton is shopping at Mirrabooka Square!!! She can shop anywhere!! But I just met Jenny Seaton!!' Now for those of you who don't understand my surprise of Jenny Seaton one of our local t.v presenters shopping at Mirrabooka Square it's like this, Mirrabooka is not exactly an affluent area, it's quite rough and quite a lot of crime and here she was obviously straight from the set and doing her shopping. I was 18 at the time and totally star struck but have to say in the brief meeting we had she is a lovely person.

My second encounter was with Bruce Samazan. For those of you who remember he was on Neighbours, an Aussie soap. So this time I was at a christmas function for kids with disabilities (Luke has Autism) with my ex-husband and all our kids when they were very young and I spotted Bruce not knowing he would be there. I said to my ex-husband, 'hey that's Bruce Samazan, what's he doing here?' to which David replied, 'obviously supporting the kids.' hmmm I thought to myself as at that time I thought Bruce was quite cute. I said to David, 'I want to go meet him but what should I say?' obviously I didn't want to look like a star struck idiot!! Not so easy to do in my family hehehe... David then said 'why don't you just go say hi.' So I thought about it and told him I'd be back in a minute. So I walked over to him and said 'Hi I'm just wondering what time Father Christmas starts handing out the presents.' Can you believe that was the best I could come up with!? Bruce nicely replied, 'in about half an hour and I hope you and your family have fun today.' I thanked him and then went back to David and the kids in total disbelief and thinking I can't believe that's all I could think of to say to him and why oh why didn't I ask him for his autograph or a photo!!! What was I thinking!! But did I really want to look like a crazed fan who thought he was cute?? I don't think so. Now I look back it was quite funny that I watched him on t.v every night and all I could ask him was what time Father Christmas handed out the presents...But I have to say he was very nice and friendly.

So encounter number three happened quite some years back after David and I had split and I was seeing Rick. Rick got it into his head we should go to Cottesloe for lunch one afternoon, and for anyone who doesn't know Perth, Cottesloe is an affluent yuppy area and I'm from the wrong side of town you could almost say hehehehe.....I'm from BALGA!! Definitely not affluent or yuppy side of town....Balga's the lock your doors and don't look anyone in the eye side of town....lol. Any way we had lunch and afterwards we were walking down the street on a nice summer day when I saw this lady coming towards me (no it wasn't Jenny Seaton again hehe) and I'm thinking to myself, 'you look so familiar where have I seen you.' And as we pass each other we give each other a friendly good afternoon smile and kept walking and then it hits me...AGAIN....It was Susanna Carr!!!! Susanna Carr has been Perth's local anchor woman for channel 7 news for quite some years now. So as she passes me I turn to Rick and say, 'OH MY GOD that was Susanna Carr!!'.. keeping in mind she's barely passed us. Rick turns to me and says, 'Do you have to be so loud about it?' and I'm like, 'But that was Susanna Carr, oh my god I can't believe I just got smiled at by Susanna Carr.' Well, Rick just put his head in his hand and shook it until we were out of sight but I was quite chuffed I'd just spotted Susanna Carr who tells me the news every night at 6pm.

My third encounter was with Todd Johnston who was lead singer of a local band called V-Kapri and my older sister Melissa was in love with him when we were in high school and I remember her being so excited because his band played at her high school one year. Well I was doing some work experience in a local hair and retail salon when Todd walked in and straight away I recognized him as he now does the weather on another local news channel. I had just finished serving a customer and he came straight up to me and asked if we had any bobby pins as his daughter needed them for dance class. He is very friendly and down to earth and also quite short for a guy but I overlooked that hehe. I helped him find what he was looking for and the whole time I'm thinking, 'I'm talking to Todd Johnston...argh!!! Mel will be so jealous..' Any way he paid for what he needed and was on his way only to be back about half an hour later with his wife in tow because he'd bought the wrong thing hehehe, never send a man to by girl things. His wife was nice but nowhere near as down to earth as Todd and all the while I'm helping his wife find the right clips she needed he is just chatting away to me and asking if we were busy and what I had planned for the weekend. He's just such a nice person, I think he could see his wife was getting a little demanding so was be extra friendly to counteract her fussiness. I finally served Todd and his wife for a second time and as they were leaving he gave me the biggest smile and told me to  have a great weekend. That was an encounter I won't forget.

Well my last encounter was only a few years back and very few people know him but I remember him from when I was about 6 years old and onwards. I'd been living in Ballajura for a few years when I was walking into my local shopping center and saw an elderly gentleman that looked familiar to me but I couldn't place his name. However he saw me looking at him and gave a smile so I smiled back at him politely and kept on my way do do my shopping. While pushing the trolley around I came across the same gentleman who was obviously looking for something and saw me again and asked me what isle the tomato sauce was in. I pointed him in the right direction and he thanked me and said have a lovely day to which I wished him the same. For days after I met him it was bugging me that I couldn't think who this man was. A few months later I was back down at the same shopping center only this time with a friend who had taken me shopping as my car was being serviced. As we were walking into the shop I spotted the same man again and said to my friend Silvana, 'I know that man from somewhere but I don't know where.' When Silvana looked at the man she said to me, 'his name is Peter, one of the brothers from the hall is studying the bible with him.' (we are Jehovah's witnesses so hence the bible study) And again it clicked to where I'd seen him as soon as she said his name. His name is Peter Dean and he used to help host a local children's t.v show here in W.A called 'Fat Cat's Fun Time Show'. Me and my sisters loved it and we watched it every Saturday morning as soon as we got out of bed. I so wanted to go up to Peter Dean and say 'I used to watch you on t.v when I was a little girl,' but again I didn't want to seem like an absolute crazed maniac at 32 years of age so I just smiled at him and let it go. However I did tell Silvana I used to watch him on t.v but unless you grow up here in W.A and watch the local channels, people just don't get it. Chris came over from New South Wales when he was 8 and he doesn't remember Fat Cat's Fun Time Show at all. I saw Peter Dean several more times at the local shopping center before I left the city and moved to the country. He is a lovely man who occasionally needs help finding his grocery items but I enjoyed helping him a few more times after that first meeting and it took all I had not to blurt out' I used to love watching you on t.v with sunny sandgroper'.....trust me all the west aussies will know what a sunny sandgroper is....

So these are my sparkly encounters and as you can see they may not be world famous but to us locals in W.A it is exciting when you run into them on the street or at work but maybe that's just me and my nerdy way of reacting when I see a local celeb. Who knows how I'd be if I bumped into someone really famous.....not tactful I'm sure of that much hehehe.

Fun and Work

The clouds are grey today but the trees are still, I think they might be taking a rest before the rain comes that we're supposed to have today. It's early, barely seven o'clock and outside everything is peaceful,quiet and calm  though the street will awaken shortly with everyone leaving their houses and going to work or taking the kids out for the day while the holidays are still going. I will be busy myself in a short while after running an errand in town then watching my beautiful niece and nephew for an hour while I paint Bec and Eva's playroom. The house is so quiet without Bec here, she usually has me run off my feet from the minute she gets up in the morning. Chris has already left for work and though friends and family say I should stay in bed I can't help but get up with him and organize his lunch and seeing him off, I know he's home later in the day but I miss him when he's gone.

Saturday we took the girls to Meelup Beach, my most favorite beach in the world where the water is always blue no matter what the weather is like. It was a spur of the moment decision to go as we were bored at home and itching to get out, the weather actually wasn't that great but we thought what the heck if it's horrible down there we'll come home. Horrible it was not, the sun was out and reasonably warm even though the sky was still a bit grey. The girls literally took off down to the water without me or Chris, they were so excited to be down there I don't think they even really stopped to see where we were. Eva was jumping over waves before we knew it and while Bec was a little hesitant to go near the water she ended up the wettest by the time we finished. To top off the day, just as we were leaving a guy said to me 'there's whales out there.' At first I couldn't see them, how ridiculous is that, it's a whale and I couldn't see it.....I'm still laughing about that. But they sure were there and they were playing and blowing water and flicking their tales in the air, it was amazing and the girls thought it was the best thing they had ever seen and I have to agree with them. I've been going to Meelup Beach since my family used to come to Busselton for holidays in my teens and this is the first time I've ever seen whales there.We stayed watching until we couldn't see them any more even though Eva swore she could still see them and Bec said she wanted to play with the wheals....(whales) got to love the way she pronounces things it's such a crack up. In the end it was a good idea to just get out of the house and go for a drive, now we all have the memory of a fun afternoon and being able to see the most graceful animals in water playing around.

Meelup Beach, even on a cloudy day it is still beautiful and one of my favorite places to be.

So now it's the afternoon and I'm completely knackered after painting the play room, mowing the lawn and putting the table to the new outdoor setting together. My thumbs hurt from holding the paint roller but the colour for the play room is beautiful, I think it's the nicest shade of blue I have ever seen. My ceilings are quite high and I'm quite short so it was a bit of a mission reaching those high spots but I managed it reasonably well and I think my calf muscles got a good work out with all that over reaching. The lawn looks good too now that it's done properly, I just can't wait to pick up the new edger Friday as I'm losing my footpath to the lawn and I'm losing my back to the lawn mower and the car after washing it at the car wash this morning but man I love that place, it's so easy to get the car so clean and sparkling there...lol. Thank goodness for hot showers  is all I can say, amazing how a hot shower always makes you feel better.

Well so far this week we've had fun and plenty of work but it's easy to make the work fun if you try. Today I've had the radio going all day while painting and mowing the lawn and even when I took the car to the car wash I had the radio going. I love my music, especially my country music so I tend to have it going while I work as I find time goes faster when singing along to my favourite songs. At the moment I've been listening to Sugarland and Carrie Underwoods new cd's and I have to say I'm in love with her song 'Look At Me'. For anyone who's married and still totally in love with your partner listen to this song and you'll just love it I'm sure....and even for all the single girls out there as I was for so many years just listen to it because it is a beautiful song. For something a little more fun and funky listen to Sugarlands 'Stuck Like Glue' it's just brilliant and makes you want to sing and dance along to it, so enjoy and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iiU5_guzCo Carrie Underwood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iDPw_qjhtM&ob=av2e Sugarland

Changing Seasons

What is it about spring that makes you want to get things done? Is it the warmth of the sun after so many months of cold mornings and rainy days? Well whatever it is I know that when the sun is shining warmly like it has been the last couple of days it feels good on the skin and makes me want to be outdoors as much as possible whether working in the garden, tidying up or getting ready for a bbq, I love being outside in the sun. I love the warm weather but not the really hot weather, it must be something as you get older not liking the hot weather or maybe it's just me and Chris getting old....hehe... When we're kids we don't seem to notice the heat as we're too busy playing and swimming to notice and now we find the heat makes life uncomfortable while our kids are running around under sprinklers or swimming down the beach not even noticing how hot it is..... Spring is also when things really start to come alive in my garden and then I can see just how well my green thumb is doing. All my veges are doing amazingly well considering I've never grown most of them before. The tomatoes are popping up everywhere, parsley and basil are growing profusely, leeks are finally getting bigger and  the capsicum is coming along nicely just to mention a few. I sometimes think I'm becoming obsessed with my plants as I check them every day to see the progress they're making and if they need watering, anyone would think I was looking after a new baby but it's hard not to obsess after years of nothing growing and now everything is doing really well. Even the strawberries which I've never been able to grow are growing rapidly and getting bigger every day, however we haven't been able to eat a single strawberry yet and not because they're rotting or dying or bugs are eating them it's because my crazy dog Lady keeps eating them as soon as they're ripe enough. At first I couldn't figure out how or why they were disappearing and then my neighbour tells me dogs LOVE strawberries, so out of the ground they came and into hanging baskets and pots, safe and out of the way of Lady. It's also been a mission keeping Lady and Molly (our other dog) out of the vege garden and from trampling on everything....we really need to screen it off somehow.

I will admit despite not liking the heat I am looking forward to summer very much this year and spending plenty of time at the beach with Chris and the girls. We only live five minutes from the beach so it's nice to be able to go down there at the end of the day and just take a walk or have a late afternoon swim and enjoy the last of the sun for the day. Summer time in Busselton is nice and while it does get hot the sea breeze is always in early so the day finishes with a beautiful cool evening and a nice cold drink with Chris. I'm also looking forward to many bbq dinners cooked on the new barbie and eaten around the table outside. Dining outside is something I love to do in nice weather as it just feels more natural and relaxing than being in the house which I've worked in all day. The best part of eating outside with the family is relaxing afterwards and watching the kids play with each other and the dogs. So many summer nights to look forward to and I can't wait for them to start. Another thing I love about summer is the way cooking changes from hot meals that are heavy and comfort food to light fresh salads and chicken or steak, whatever takes your fancy. As soon as spring starts cooking becomes different in my house and I enjoy the different smells that take over from more traditional winter dinners. This is when I pull out my cooking journal and start rifling through my recipes and even inventing a few new ones along the way and of course I just love using all that fresh produce that's been growing in my garden. 

Full Circle

Chris and I together after 20yrs.

Well I have to say I don't think life ever goes according to the plan we have for ourselves when we are young. We make decisions that change our paths and lead us in a completely different direction to where we thought we'd go, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. It isn't until we are much older and sit back for five minutes and think about life that we realize what we thought we wanted when young wasn't always what was good for us. We can all say I should have done this or I should have done that but the past is the past and it can't be changed so look to the future and make the best life possible you can for yourself and those you love.

My teens James, Luke and Lauren at our wedding,
Lauren was one of my bridesmaids.

I have a wonderful husband who I love very much  and we were married in February 2011 and we are very happy and in love. The thing about my husband is he was right under my nose more than 20 years ago and I didn't even know it yet I knew him. Now some of you are thinking what?? Well it goes like this, I met Chris (my husband) at the start of 1988 when we were in high school together. My friend Christine introduced me to him as she liked Chris' friend Gary and thought I would like Chris. I remember we hit it off straight away and even back then there was chemistry (he'll kill me for telling you all that as he's quite shy at times..lol), so we dated on and off for two years and eventually went our separate ways, then my now ex-husband came on the scene. A very long story shortened, I fell pregnant to my ex-husband at 15 and half years old, we got married after our first son James was born in 91, we had two more children Luke born in 93 and Lauren born in 95, life was ok but it wasn't great and it sure wasn't what I thought married life should be like, especially growing up watching my parents respect each other and constantly smooching day and night...lol. During the time I was married I didn't see Chris or even know where he was or what he was doing. I left my ex-husband in September 98 and though it's not easy raising kids on your own I made it and we survived and thrived.

Eva and Bec, Chris' daughters, flower girls for the wedding.

Then in late 2008 I found facebook thanks to a friend sending me a friend request via email. I had no idea what is was but thought I'd take a look, I befriended people on facebook I knew in my current life and then I discovered you could find old school friends. Well I did a search on my high school friends and low and behold who should be there...yep you guessed it..Chris. Of course I sent him a friend request with all those old feelings from school coming back and naturally he accepted my request. To my dismay he was involved with someone and had two children but what could I expect we were 33 years old then and though they were separated and we spent time together it wasn't meant to be at that point in time. I saw Chris for the last time in March of 2009 and we decided not to keep in touch for a while as his ex-partner didn't like me and as they were giving things another try I decided to step back.

In March of 2010 I moved from Perth, W.A 3hrs south to Busselton, Western Australia to be closer to family and to give my now teens a better lifestyle out of the city. Things were going along really well living in the country and I was happy making new friends and exploring the South West. I missed my closest friends in Perth and kept in touch via email and facebook, then one fateful night on August 17 2010 I decided to check Chris' facebook page to see how he was doing and was surprised to see he sounded miserable so I investigated his page further and found out his now ex-partner had cheated on him and he'd left her. Being that Trish (a close friend of his) had posted on Chris' wall and left his mobile number for the world to see I immediately sent him a text and asked him if he was ok. I surprised the pants off him because he sent me one back saying he thought I'd never want to speak to him again....pphhfftt....he's crazy at times hehe... Again longish story shortened....I called him, we talked, he told me what happened and from that night on we talked every day then in September I was going to Perth to visit friends and we decided to catch up for dinner and what do you know...yep...fireworks....all feelings still there and now we were both free to see each other....we started dating right away and after a couple of months of trips back and forth between Busselton and Perth Chris decided to move in with me and my kids permanently in November. I think we both realized there was no way we were going to let anything stop us from being together this time. In December 2010 we decided to get married and on February 13 2011 we married in a quiet little park surrounded by friends and family. Seven months later and we couldn't be happier, it took us a long time to get it right but it's right now and that's all that matters. I guess you could say we've done a full circle....he was the first boy I dated and kissed and now he's the last man I've married and get to kiss every day for the rest of my life......nothing compares to real love...