Category: family anecdotes

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family anecdotes momentous events

10/52 empty…

So Miss18 moved out last Saturday… then Miss21 moved out on Monday. What a weird week it’s been! To go from a 3 kid household to a 1 kid household within days!

And not only that but Master nearly-17 decided to spend Saturday with his older sister… meaning we were empty nesters for a day!

Man, that was WEIRD!!!

It brought back memories of when Hubby and I were DINKS (double income no kids) and then later DI2DS (double income 2 dogs) and those were some fun memories, let me tell you!

We’ve noticed a reduction in our power usage. I’ve noticed that there’s still food in our fridge at the end of the week, and the house seems cleaner now; or tidier, at least. And EVERYONE’S noticed how quiet it’s been.

But I’m missing them like crazy.

I love them.

I hope and pray that they’re okay. That they’re making good choices.

But I can’t live their lives for them.

And I’m super-happy for them and MEGA proud of them, for living their lives for themselves.

And that’s my week, dear Reader. Here’s hoping yours ended well too, in spite of how it may have started 🙂

KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Random thoughts Reading Review

5/52 Blood over Bright Haven

My older brother recommended this book to me and once I’d finished it, I was surprised by his comment that the MC was so unlikeable.

But I liked her; respected her; understood her.

Possibly it was the difference in our genders which led to such disparity? Our experiences? Our current cultural environments and / or political leanings? He’s a New Yorker; I’m happily ensconced in semi-rural Australia, after all.

Whatever the reason, it was a good discussion about a well-written and thought-provoking novel.

Well worth the read, dear Reader, if you have the time!

And have an amazing week 🙂

– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes places to visit Random thoughts

32/52 sunset

I did the big car-trip-weekend with my Miss 20 back when she was on her Learner license. Then again with Miss 17 earlier this year.

This weekend it’s been Master 16’s turn. Not Yeppoon, nor Agnes Waters, but this time it was to Emu Park… in the rain!

Back on the Sunshine Coast it was forecast to pour all weekend. And my boy drove through over 4 hours of it. But by the time we got to Rockhampton, there were blue skies above us. And check out the amazing photo he took when we finally arrived at Emu Park!

Oh, what a privilege it is to be spending such quality time with my cherubs and watching them learn to drive at the same time.

I love it! Thank you, Lord, for my children!

Have a blessed week yourself, dear Reader 🙂

KRIdwyn

Categories
family anecdotes

23/52 birthday weekend :)

51 yesterday.

This weekend has included:

Dinner out on Friday night

Saturday morning with my garden and my dog and then a movie with children 1 and 2

Lunch out with my Mum and child 2, followed by an escape room (where we didn’t succeed in the allotted time and the world exploded so I’m sorry about that everyone!) and a movie with Hubby

And then this morning, breakfast (buffet at Caloundra’s Oak & Vine) with mum, Hubby and all 3 children.

Child 1 and 2 even got to decorate the blackboard there:

Woohoo! Loving these 51st birthday celebrations! Bring on the rest of the day, I say!

Have a wonderful week yourself, dear Reader!

KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Random thoughts

18/52 on childhood films

I watched ‘Christopher Robin’ this week. You know, the Ewen McGregor one?

I had the time and not much energy and not enough headspace to get work done, and it was there.

I was hoping for some light entertainment, maybe a return to the fond memories of when I’d watch animated films with my children (The Tigger movie etc).

And boy, did I get all that – and more! I had not realised how analytical I’ve become… having two daughters in the field of art / animation / films has led to a lot more knowledge than I’d previously had, I guess. And I really LIKED this movie!

But what made it most enjoyable for me, I think, was the voice animations. They were just perfect!

So, a BIG thank you this week to

You made my week!

Have a fond memory-full week yourself, dear Reader!

KRidwyn

Categories
Blogging challenges family anecdotes Life Random thoughts

17/52 … and I’ve caught up (again)

I’m sitting on the bed in apartment 2B in a hotel in the township of Agnes Water. It’s 7.37am and I’ve just returned from a beach walk with Miss17, who drove for nearly 6 hours yesterday to get us here – part of the mission to get her to 100 hours as per our state’s requirements of learner drivers.

 

A bush turkey has just walked past the door. The books on the shelves are inspirational. Original copies, not pre-loved library ones, and classics. Good taste, I think, as I wonder if the titles are replicated in all apartments in the hotel… or if we just lucked in due to the apartment number.

There’s legit two bees on the room number plaque too, which is also pretty cool.

But the thing making me happiest right at the moment? That I can sit and write. It’s been a month of either busy-ness or lack of internet coverage, and the fact that this is the first I can actually update my blog with words rather than just photos is SO incredibly satisifying. I’ve missed it, dear Reader, and that also makes me smile.

So. I hope you’ve been well, as I have, and that you find things (a bookshelf, a room number plaque, a bird, time with one of your loved ones) to make you as happy today as I am.

Have a blessed week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Work

12/52 furniture choices, the new wheels, and a family pic

I’m getting ideas for new furniture in my library. A colleague has these, and they’re comfier than they look! What do you think?

Hubby also finally collected his new car – 3 weeks after he was expecting to! I think he likes it – and the doggos in the back are pretty darn cute too!

And with my brother in the country, it was family pic day today.

Yes, Kiya is one of the family!

Have an amazing, photo-worthy week yourself, dear Reader!

KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Work

12/52 furniture choices, the new wheels. and a family pic

I’m getting idea for new furniture in my library. A colleague has these, and they’re comfier than they look! What do you think?

Hubby also finally collected his new car – 3 weeks after he was expecting to! I think he likes it – and the doggos in the back are pretty darn cute too!

And with my brother in the country, it was family pic day today.

Yes, Kiya is one of the family!

Have an amazing, photo-worthy week yourself, dear Reader!

KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes

2/52 on road trips and other holiday happenings

Miss16 has until July to get her 100 hours of supervised driving in. But seeing as she’s had other priorities, we started the year at 6 hours and 5 minutes.

Cue a roadtrip, the plan being to drive to Yeppoon, crash at an AirBnB, then drive back the following day, adding an extra 10 – 14 hours drive to her tally. 

To start off with, everything went well. But around 3 hours in, she started hurting. Maybe all that anxiety? Her wrists, her back (although to be fair, she’d hurt her tailbone quite badly, recently) and then when her right ankle joined in on the party, I figured it’d be better to turn around and head back. So we arrived in Boreren, enjoyed a beautiful cheesy garlic bread late lunch before starting the return journey. We made it to Childers and by then she was in enough pain I took over. On the up-side though, her confidence is vastly improved, we missed the storms which hammered our place back home, and I now know significantly more about the wonder that is Star Rail 🙂

The following day, Hubby went fishing,

I decided to finally learn the alphabet codes so I no longer have to try to think ‘m for… um… moustache’ (which was, literally, a conversation I had on Friday!),

and council mowed our road. Check out how pretty it looks now!!!

Looking ahead, it’s school stuff buying time (books, uniforms) and collecting textbooks and laptop, before starting officially on Thursday. And that, dear Reader, is just a little bit EXCITING!!!!!

Have an amazing week yourself, my friend!

  • KRidwyn
Categories
family anecdotes Writing

1/52 and let’s add photos…

Last year was somewhat successful in the blogging department. There were daily blogposts in June (thanks to @FiFYI for the challenge all those years ago now!) and pretty much weekly blogging for all the other months, so all in all I’m happy with that. Consistency was incredibly lacking prior to 2024, so hopefully 2025 will see me consolidate that improvement!

And this year I’m challenging myself with adding photos. Meaning the taking of photos, and sharing of same. Which is confronting, because I’d much rather not show evidence of how not-good a photographer I am.

And this new challenge? It’s going to include photos of me. See? Look how happy I am about this new challenge!

Just kidding. But if it’s ’only dead fish swim with the stream’ then I figure that to ‘be alive’ is ‘to grow’ and growth takes effort… which is uncomfortable. And I want to FEEL alive not just BE alive so this photo challenge it is. Something which takes me incredibly out of my comfort zone – not always a bad thing…

The photo above, taken by Miss16, is one I sent to my Compassion sponsor child earlier this week, when I finally worked out how to write letters online (sad, I know!) and I’m hoping he’ll like it because it’s been years since I sent him a photo of me! Other photos I took this week:

Mooloolaba at NYE after the 8.30pm fireworks. It’s a very pretty part of the world I’m blessed to call home! And:

The new look to my lounge room: the piano that Miss16 and I moved out of her bedroom. And I sightread a two-page Telemann piece after moving it, so I was doubly proud of these efforts! And finally, the social media screenshot which I’m FAR more comfortable sharing with you compared to my own photography efforts! This one I loved due to its surprising simile usage 🙂

And that’s it from me. Have an amazing second week of January, dear Reader, and I’ll meet you all back here next Sunday!

  • KRidwyn