My Miss14 has started playing with filters. Here’s one she used on me; apparently I look very relaxed like this, with my head pillowed on my arms.
Personally, I’m not a fan of photos of myself… but I’m happy she’s happy.
Here’s wishing you a photogenic week yourself, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
My very first hairdryer was a gift from my husband. We’d been married several months and he decided I needed one. Sweet, really. He’d seen me depart for work each morning, hair wet, and thought this would improve my quality of life. And so I became the proud owner of a hairdryer.
[Just to clarify: I wasn’t anti-hairdryer before then. I’d just been oblivious to the whole ‘hair management product line’ before that time. Yes, I know – a bit of a sad indictment! But it is what it is…]
Fast forward to 2019. Miss11 is using the hairdryer (yes, the same one Hubby bought me!) and the back fan-guard breaks as she’s packing it away.
‘Oh well,’ I think. ‘It can’t be that important.’
The following day I reassess its importance as I’m using scissors to remove the hairdryer from its proximity to my scalp…
It takes several weeks, but I finally go to buy myself a new hairdryer. I’m intrigued by one which advertises a retractable cord, so I buy it:
And I fall in very-deep-like with it!
The retractable cord part it what makes me smile every day. Honestly, pulling out the cord sounds like pulling out the cord on one of those kids toys, which then speaks something funny at you while the cord goes in (I can’t remember ever having one as a kid, so this is my opportunity!) and the cord whips around crazily as it retracts, so that’s fun too 🙂
So there you go. A whole blog post about my new hair dryer. The one which Miss11 laughs at and says, “You really love that hair dryer! You tell us every time you’re going to use it!”
My poor kids. Sometimes I wonder exactly what kooky memories they’ll have of their childhood, with me as their mum…
Have a great week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Kids grow up. So slowly you don’t notice when you’re with them
Minute by minute, hour by hour, day after day. But then you lift your head out of the trenches and realise that years have flown. Suddenly it’s not sleepovers, it’s Youth Group; it’s not The Wiggles, it’s Beyoncé. And you sigh and ask ‘what next’?
I had one of those moments recently. I knew one cherub had switched from Minecraft to Ark, but the change several months ago didn’t impact me until she told me one evening, “What I really want to do is teach you how to play Ark on the (Nintendo) Switch.”
Huh. Hold me back.
This game, from what I could tell, seemed like Minecraft with dinosaurs, with a dash of the breeding from DragonMania thrown in. Not really interested… especially when my Nintendo Switch time had to that moment involved learning Splatoon – badly – and playing Zelda, death of the Wild – also so badly my children loved watching to laugh at me about how slow I was to do anything. (And how many times Leaf died, but that’s another story.)
So I sighed, and said ‘okay’ and watched her face come to life.
And it hit me. THIS was her passion. At the moment, it’s this game. And she wanted to share it with me. Instant transportation back to her younger years when she’d bring me a dandelion flower or a lizard she’d caught. The same light in her eyes, the same grin; the same joy flooding through me because I am so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter who loves me and wants to do stuff with me.
So Ark? Yeah. Not the biggest fan – but now I want to play it when she asks, so I can play it with her. Because she’s an absolute angel and I love her to pieces.
And that – doing stuff you’re not really interested in because the benefits so clearly outweigh any other objection? – that’s my thought for the week.
Have a blessed week yourself, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
I call Miss14 my ‘bird whisperer’. She has several budgerigars in an aviary Hubby and I converted from the cherubs’ old cubby house. Trouble is, it’s not 100% secure – as evidenced by all bar three managing to pull a Harry Houdini and escape.
But this is where the ‘bird whisperer’ comes in: even though they have released the selves into the big wide world, she manages to encourage them back home again! Crazy, huh?
Anyway, this is one of the escapees: Cracker. A cutie, yes?
Have a wonderful week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
What feels like aeons ago now, but was only decades (ha!) I played violin in an orchestra. The South-West Regional Youth Orchestra, as a matter of fact, which changed its name during my time there to the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra. I was a member for the majority of my teenage life, and made friends there who not only came to my wedding but with whom I’ve kept in contact for the many years since.
Which brings me up to recent days – in which I received an invitation. To join their massed orchestra, with all their other alumni, for their 35th anniversary celebration concert.
Aiieeeee!
I’d love to go, to play… but I haven’t played (truly ‘played’, as in, played well, with technical proficiency) for well over a decade now… and I’ve never been to a reunion in my life!
Hence the apprehension.
It’s this Sunday.
By my next blog post, it’ll be all over.
Wish me luck!
– KRidwyn
My first ever 🙂
So I took a break from creating the sets for the musical I’m directing (opening night just 4 days away, tickets available on 07 5436 6777) and took Miss13 and Miss10 to the Sunshine Coast Womens’ and Girls’ chess tournament. They begged and wheedled, so -for the first time ever – I entered myself, as well.
It was scary! But I’m glad I did.
Miss 13 earned 2nd place in U18 division.
Miss10 won the U13 division (her sister’s title from 2017).
And I came 3rd in the Adult division! Woot!!!
Here’s praying that you have a successful week too, dear Reader!
— KRidwyn
I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”
I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.
And now, blessing #26. Because I could NOT have done the last week that I’ve done, without this amazing lady. She has been there for me, and for Hubby, 24/7, full of enthusiasm and ‘nothing is too hard for me to do for you’ attitude.
Always and forever, my inspiration. And I KNOW that she’ll be horrified to be on here, and to be acknowledged, but… Mum, you’re the best. Thank you for everything – for giving me life and for helping me to live it 🙂 and even for the toasted mince sandwich you’re making me for lunch so I can sit here and catch up on #blogJune posts 🙂
And, dear Reader, I trust that you’ll be noticing those in your life who are the blessings that they are to you, too!
Have a great day, dear Reader!
— KRidwyn
I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”
I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.
Today, blessing #17.
Here on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, it’s suddenly become winter. It’s as if the temperature lever has suddenly been pulled down, because the temperature has dropped 10 degrees overnight – at least!
So as I drove home yesterday, I was thinking ahead to all the washing I’d need to do, to get three sets of jumpers (the heavy woollen school ones) and three sets of sports tracksuits, ready for wear this week.
Imagine my surprise, on arriving at home, to realise that Miss10 had washed and dried a full load on Saturday and another full load on Sunday, and that there was nothing left for me to do!
What an incredible blessing she is!
I trust that you, too, can have a blessed day yourself, dear Reader 🙂
– KRidwyn
I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”
I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.
Today, blessing #14.
On Tuesday this week, I was driving from school to collect Mr9 from his CrossFit class, when two ambulances hurtled past me, sirens blaring. A police car followed – and as I gradually made it to the scene of the accident, where a fire engine was also on scene, I noticed that traffic had started to pile up quickly – far more quickly than I had anticipated. The accident, although not a major one (minor injuries only, from what I could gather) had occurred on a roundabout which was a major thoroughfare for the area, meaning that the ‘rubber-neckers’ (as Hubby calls them) – people who slow down more than is warranted, so they can stare at the action – were holding up traffic more than usual.
Now this wouldn’t normally have been too much of a problem, except that on a Tuesday afternoon, I’m on a pretty tight schedule. Leave school at 4. Collect Mr9 at CrossFit by 4.15; head back to school to collect Miss10 from her private Dance class at 4.30.
And, judging by the traffic jam, that was not going to happen!
Cue phone calls. To the school’s Outside Hours Care. To the Dance teacher. To my parents, who live quite close to the area, and who were able to look after Miss13 and Mr9 for me while I doubled back to battle the traffic and collect Miss10 from the school.
And – HUGE blessing! – everyone was able to accomodate me (and Miss10, Miss13 and Mr9) – with zero notice, with zero fuss, and with care and consideration all around. How awesome is that?!
I’m surrounded by so many who care for me, who love me and are willing to help me and my kids when I need that.
And I’m so blessed to have these people in my life.
So thank you, people! I appreciate you and want you to know that 🙂
And, dear Reader, I hope you too can have a truly Blessed day today!
– KRidwyn
I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”
I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.
Today, blessing #12.
Miss13 and I have an… interesting relationship. I love her, and she loves me (I think) but we butt heads more often than not, and have ever since she turned, well, 7.
She turned 13 in January – which meant a later bed-time, significantly later than her siblings. Which also meant plenty of ‘Mummy-and-me’ time was there for the taking, should we want it.
And the thought hit me… Gilmore Girls!
A way to introduce ‘teenage’ concepts to my daughter in a way that she could (hopefully) relate to…
And it’s working! We’re now, mid-June, at the beginning of Season Five; and after a bit of a rocky start – the first few discs in Season One were a bit of a slog – she now asks to watch them each night, and we snuggle and watch and chat about the ideas and situations it presents, as ideas and situations which she may encounter at some point, now she’s a teenager and going-on-25 🙂
So today I want to acknowledge the decades-old American TV show, for the blessing it is to my relationship with my eldest.
And I hope you day today is a blessed one too, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn