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#blog12daysxmas Work

Day “the number after that” of #blog12daysxmas

That’s abbreviated from Tigger. When he’s counting for Hide and Seek, he says “1, 2, the number after two…” And although I probably should go back and check what number #blogdays12xmas we’re up to, I honestly don’t have the energy. Please forgive me! But I’m pretty sure that we’re not up to (or past!) 12 yet, so I think I’m pretty safe. And I’ll check the number for tomorrow. I promise!

So today’s first thought was about Max, my Labrador who Hubby and I buried yesterday morning. But tweets from friends helped – and then it was straight into work before I even knew what was happening! And there, I’ve finally gotten off my rear end and set up a twitter account and facebook page for Bloxham Marketing. So now I’m feeling more “official” – and more able to look my clients in the eye when I talk about digital marketing. (I’ve been doing it for my clients, burt not for my own business! D’Oh!)

Today was also all about planning for the year ahead. The months ahead. The weeks ahead. The days this week. 

Boy, it’s good to get the ball rolling!

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#blog12daysxmas momentous events

A sad day…

Max has been a faithful companion for 12 years. A black labrador, he was best friends with Hubby’s German Shepherd “Storm” until her sudden death on Good Friday, 2009. He since played father to “Aksel”, Storm’s replacement; a very exhausting German Shepherd pup.

Max with Storm, late 2009.

We buried Max today, in a grave next to Storm. She would have liked that. He had broken his foot, and was in incredible pain. It was good to give him release from that pain. It was also good to see how much support I felt from others through how hard today was. Hubby – a tower of strength; my children, all trying to make me smile; friends on facebook with their condolences and messages of support.

But what surprised me the most were the instantaneous tweets from people I’ve never met IRL. People who I “follow”, and with whom I have communicated via twitter, sending me messages with (hugs), <<hugs>>, *hugs*, many *hugs*, big hugs, and hugs and tissues for me and my whole family. Absolutely incredible. I feel SOOOOOOOOOOO blessed. Thank you, my friends! I am so honoured to *know* you all!

One of my resolutions this year was to intentionally be more positive. So today’s photo of Max is accompanied by other memories of today that make me smile: Miss 3 building a tower out of Garlic bread crusts, and Miss 6’s eggs that she scrambled herself, while saying “These look like vomit, Mummy. Lucky they taste nice…” Just wanted to share these lovely memories with you, too.

Thanks, dear readers.

 

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#blog12daysxmas momentous events

Day 7 and the year is ending…

Today started with a song. I sincerely hope that means that it won’t end, in a few short hours, in tears! But in the style of @fionawb, I’m going to quote some lyrics here. They were the first thought past my brain this morning…

“The morning sunlight moves gently ‘cross our bed / the sound of distant traffic floats into my head”

and it had me thinking about how wonderful it is to have a large sliding door on the wall at the foot of our bed, with a gorgeously landscaped fishpond almost immediately in front. (We have a HUGE amount of privacy – I wouldn’t recommend this to just anyone!) But with the curtains open, the sunlight on water reflects onto the ceiling of our bedroom. It’s so incredibly peaceful, just watching the reflection move slowly. And listening to the distant traffic on the Bruce Highway, warring with (but thankfully mostly drowned out by) birdcalls is pretty magical.

Today I got busy. Cleaned out the house (even managed to push the vacuum around a bit!) and tackled Miss 6’s bed, as it’s been bugging me for ages. Silly me, when Miss 3 was big enough to move up out of her cot, chose expedience and bought two single doona covers. Was proud of myself, as I had managed to score prints that the kids would like (Miss 6 was into dinosaurs, and the other -for Mr 2- was blue and soccer-themed) but this quickly changed when I got them home and out of their packets. The extremely thin material (can’t remember the name of it now) was also absolutely PATHETIC at assisting the doona to hold its shape, so every morning Miss 6 wrestled with a very twisted doona, inside its thin, slippery cover. A difficult situation, when you’re trying to make your bed up on a top bunk anyway! (Mr 2’s wasn’t as bad, as not only does he not writhe around so much at night, but being on a normal single bed, there isn’t the height problem to deal with.)

So I finally talked myself into making another one. The first I had made (Nemo on one side, and Pooh Bear and friends on the other) had been Miss 6’s, but Miss 3 inherited it when Miss 6 got the dinosaurs. I’m not the best seamstress in the world (I just tried typing ‘sew-er’, but without the hyphen it looks COMPLETELY different!!!) so this was  a rather unusual occurence for me. But I got it done – and a pillowcase to match. Pretty pleased with myself.

Yes, it’s plain. Red. No, not her favourite colour, but just some material I had to hand. Still, it’s SOOOOOO much better than the twisted dinosaur one! Oh – and in case you’re wondering… here in our part of the world, we’re close enough to the water to get cool breezes pretty much year-round. So while the rest of the Sunshine Coast is in summer pj’s, we’re still under doonas! LOL!

That, and relaxing with hubby this afternoon while the kids enjoyed Madagascar on the PS2 (Christmas present) was my day. A very enjoyable one. Lots of reflection (not just the water! But thoughtful reflection on the year that’s passed) and sone tentative musings on possible New Year resolutions. And a conversation with Miss 6 about the *possibility* of waking her up to see the fireworks at midnight. And that was it.

All in all, it’s been a wonderful year. NEVER would have thought, twelve months ago, that today I would be a self-employed marketer. NEVER could have dreamed that I would be THIS happy. Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with so darn much! And help me to appreciate it far more than I do.

So I’m looking forward to 2012 with excitement… some apprehension (that’s the control-freak part of me talking)… and a sense that everything – at this moment in time – is ‘right with the world’. Maybe sometime in the next few hours I’ll muse those resolutions into a more solidified form. Maybe not. Either way, it’ll be great to see what happens!

Happy New Year, all! May you all have wonderful – and safe! – celebrations tonight, and may your 2012’s contain everything you wish for them, and more.

Til next year!

(oh, and the song was ‘Hold me in your arms” by the Southern Sons)

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#blog12daysxmas places to visit Random thoughts

On the sixth day of Christmas…

I’m getting a little confused. Travel at odd hours, lack of sleep, sleeping at strange times in weird positions, tends to do that to me, I find.

So from what I can work out, it’s now December 30, the sixth day of Christmas. Friday. I’m back at home, and in spite of Hubby’s best efforts to secure last minute accommodation for this weekend on Fraser, it looks as though we’ll be spending New Years at home. Which is good, in a way. I need to get my head straight again!

Not that it’s been bad – I’ve had a blast! Once hubby finished his Gold Coast conference on Dec 10, we left Dec 11 for Goondiwindi on our way to Dubbo. A few days there, exploring the Western Plains Zoo in absolutely GORGEOUS weather (although it was a pity we had to drive through a hailstorm to get there) was then followed by an allnighter trip to Ballina, where we again spent a wonderful few days. New South Wales. LOVE the jumping pillows (never been introduced to the concept before) but found the fact that while driving I was *forced* to restrain my lead foot rather frustrating. Twas good to be back in QLD where the cameras are fewer and far between – not so good to cope with the roadworks and traffic again. Ho hum.

(Jumping pillow. Struggling to insert image, as for some reason Ow.ly doesn’t want to play nice with me at the moment. ow.ly/i/nBhg )

A few days back at home, with time for Speech Therapy appointments (that nodule on my right vocal cord seems to be getting smaller – yay!); a hospital visit to remove the glittery purple cast on Miss 3’s arm, and the wires that were holding her elbow together; and a family Christmas get-together, then it was off to Hervey Bay, minus hubby who was keen to tackle the big surf. (It’s so rare here on the Sunshine Coast, and he misses it now he works such long hours.) So it was me and three young ‘uns headed north amidst the rain. Luckily the weather cleared, so by the time hubby joined us, it was perfect.

What wasn’t so great was the phone call from our neighbour on Wednesday afternoon, telling us that one of our dogs had died. Max. 11 y.o. black lab, whose health has been declining rapidly over the last year or so. He was underneath the Pajero (a favourite sleeping spot) but he apparently wasn’t breathing. So hubby decided to go home early. And take the children, so I could pack / clean / lock up in peace.

The kids’ clothes / bedroom etc was all packed in into the car when our neighbour texted. Max was up and about; it had been a false alarm. But we didn’t really want to unpack the kids’ stuff again, so we fed them dinner and then they all left, Miss 3 screaming all the while. She’s the clingy-est.

So I packed. I cleaned. I locked up, and left around 3.30am. Missed my family too much. But the long hours were more draining than I had anticipated, so I had to pull over at the Arbor Ten intersection and power-nap. Which worked, but boy did it hurt my neck! (I’m pretty sure I’d never slept with my head in quite THAT position before! But I made it home by 6.30 – perfect timing to surprise hubby and delight my children before breakfast. Which was great.

So now it’s Friday. The bags are unpacked, the clothes are washed, and we’re headed to Nambour Hospital this afternoon for (hopefully!) the final time for Miss 3’s elbow – bandage removal.

And we’re not going to Fraser tomorrow morning. Hmmm… maybe we’ll try for New Year’s on Bribie instead? (Ha! Stay still? Me? Not likely!!!)

Til tomorrow, readers!

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#blog12daysxmas Random thoughts

Strait-laced

Okay, so there’s one hour to go on this, the fourth day of Christmas. So I’m not too late for posting today’s entry – day 4 of the #blog12daysxmas challenge. Woohoo!

As mentioned in my last post, this was to be one about the concept “strait-laced” (I spelled it incorrectly, as I have since found out!)

A search among the weird and wonderful world of the web revealed (as expected) rather diverse opinions. However, a source that seemed rather trustworthy (in spite of sporting the name “Take Our Word For It”) stated this response to an email in general circulation (email at top, their response immediately following):

Ladies wore corsets which would lace up in the front. A tightly tied lace[d] garment, worn by a proper and dignified lady, gave birth to the term “straight laced.”

First, it is spelled strait-laced.  Second, its original meaning was “tightly laced” (regarding a bodice or similar piece of clothing), but it is not because proper ladies wore tightly-laced corsets that we have the term strait-laced meaning “prudish” today.  Instead, if the bodice were tightly laced, it would be somewhat rigid, especially if it contained stays.  This notion of rigidity was transferred to strait-laced when applied to human conduct, and eventually the “rigid” sense changed to “prudish”.  The term (with these meanings) first appears in the mid-16th century.

Any woman could wear a strait-laced bodice, not just proper or dignified ladies.

So there you go. Nothing whatsoever to do with my sneakers, and / or my father’s way of teaching me to tie them. Huh!

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#blog12daysxmas Random thoughts

On the curvature of laces…

I planned this post yesterday. Took the photo and everything. But time got away, so I find myself (yet again) posting a day late. Whoops!

In the Boxing Day sales, I bought myself a new pair of sneakers. I’m not really one for shoes, but my old pair had just passed the ‘starting to break’ mark, so figured that now was as good a time as any to replace them. So yesterday morning I took off the tags and started ‘fixing’ the laces. Which led me to ruminations on why it was I do that.

Why do I change the laces from the way that they do them in the shop? What is it about criss-crossed laces that annoys me? Why am I more comfortable when they are straight across the top? Is it just that a straight-laced shoe is how I was *taught* to lace  my shoes by my father, oh so many years ago now? Is that why I feel that a ‘straight-lace’ is correct, and a ‘criss-cross lace’ is indicative of an *inferior mind* (a concept that was caught via paternal osmosis, I’m convinced!)

So I straight-laced one shoe, and took my photo, whilst reflecting on the period when, as a teenager, I deliberately criss-crossed my shoelaces, just to annoy my father. Thought I was being such a rebel! (What a laugh!)

Left shoe – as it came from the shop (yes, it DOES say ‘Target’ inside. Said I wasn’t big on shoe-buying!) and Right shoe after I had *fixed* it. And then started to wonder where that phrase “straight-laced” even came from. Subject for my Day 4 #blog12daysxmas post, I think! (Which, seeing as it’s the fourth day of Christmas today, I intend to post this afternoon…!)

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#blog12daysxmas Random thoughts Work

Day Two and I’m on track…

Well after a bit of a mixed-up start, it’s still Boxing Day for a few more hours, so I’m managing to blog Day 2 of #blog12daysxmas on the second day of Christmas. Which is cool – but I doubt I’ll be writing much. I’m exhausted, (courtesy Master Two and a 4.35am start,) but trying to stay awake by watching The Glades while waiting for Harry’s Law at 9.30. But it’s tough – I keep on yawning, nodding off etc and I’ve eaten too much.

Last year’s #blog12daysxmas, I wrote about the song. This year I plan on being more reflective – something I’m learning, though slowly, to enjoy. And today was a perfect day to reflect. The kids and I went Boxing Day shopping early, and left by 10 from a very full car park, to explore the wonders of “Wet Side” at Hervey Bay. For those of you who’ve been there, you know how fantastic it is for kids. For those of you who haven’t, it’s like a fountain. On steroids. Lots and lots and lots of steroids! Unfortunately though, Master Two took a bit of a stumble, and clonked the very base of his nose (as in, where it meets his upper lip) so hard that his nose kept bleeding for some time. Poor kid. So we retreated to the safety of the adjacent beach. Which started at low tide, and kept getting lower and lower and lower. So mud flats and rock pools kept the kids busy for the rest of the day. Leaving me time to crotchet. And think.

I like being self-employed. I like being “Mistress of my own destiny”. I absolutely LOVE the fact that hubby has a brilliant, well-paying job that allows me to experiment like this. I’m enjoying the independence. The responsibility. The challenges. The learning curves. Thirty-seven-and-a-half and I feel like I’m finally “growing up”.

It’s taken a while!

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#blog12daysxmas

Not the best start

It’s Boxing Day. Early. Courtesy Master Two in the next bedroom who decided to wake up screaming at 4.35. Thanks, little man! Not exactly what I was hoping for when I finally crashed at just gone midnight. (I thought I’d better have a *fairly* early night as the two previous ones were the ‘past 1am’ variety.) So I was hoping for at least another hour or so, but instead I got to time to think. Reflect that another Christmas is over. Write a Boxing Day shopping list.
Plan my day.
And then I decided to check my HootSuite streams. (Am REALLY starting to like the convenience that my iPhone brings!)
And a conversation between @fionawb and @katiejf made me realize that I missed #blog12daysxmas yesterday. Whoops!!! Somehow in the busyness of the day, I didn’t even turn on my computer! So here I am, tardy but apologetic and raring to go.
I’m starting to notice that that’s actually my attitude to a lot of things in life, actually. “Bring it!” enthusiasm, perseverance, “get it done, and do it right” kind of thinking. Which I guess I’m kinda happy with, cos it gets things done.
Case in point – my son’s scarf. (Wha – huh??! It’s summer, silly!!! 25 degrees outside!! Yeah, I know. I’m getting there!)
I blogged some time back about the happy completion of my eldest’s crocheted blanket. It had taken five years, so finishing it was rather noteworthy! But to appease Miss Three, I immediately started (and finished within a few days) a scarf for her. It used the identical pattern to the scarf I had made for Miss Six some time earlier, so she was rapt.
A number of months later now, and I’m about a fifth of the way through her crotcheted blanket. (Not bad going, if I do say so myself!) But I’ve made nothing yet for Master Two. And I like to be fair as much as possible, so I decided late Christmas Eve to try making him a scarf too. Had some spare blue wool with me, so thought I’d give it a go. Try and finish it in time to get it into his stocking on *the big day*.
And I did. Considering I’m single-mum-ing it at the moment (the surf’s going off its nut back home, so hubby’s enjoying it for a day or so) with three kids under seven, I’m pretty stoked with my efforts. (Admittedly, he didn’t finish unwrapping the gifts in his stocking until early evening, so I had yesterday to work on it as well! But it got done. Tassels and all!)
So that was my Christmas. Scarf-making at the beach, at home in the bedroom, in front of the TV and at the meal table, in the midst of dressing, cooking, cleaning, treasure hunting, arbitrating, negotiating, and all of the other ‘ing’ stings I did yesterday. Phew!
So now it’s on to Boxing Day, and I’m up for another day packed full of fun and busyness. How ’bout you?

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#blog12daysxmas Uncategorized University studies Work

So it’s been a while…

I knew I hadn’t blogged in awhile. I just hadn’t realized that it was three months worth of ‘while’! I guess it’s a bit of an indication of how busy I’ve been. Busy with kids, with hubby, with growth in my business (which has its own name now, rather than being just part of my own personal ABN,) busy with the 7th (of 12) course in my Masters, and other general stuff at home – cubby house movement and garden bed rearranging being the main focus of the September school holidays.
On the work front, I’ve created a campaign for the St Paul’s Christmas holidays, a campaign for the expanded St James Kindy, and compiled a 2011 yearbook that was twice the size of its 2010 counterpart. And I’ve also started (almost daily) blogging for Bloxham Marketing, which has been fun. Phew! Nuff said.
And that brings us to the Christmas holidays, and the memory of last year’s #blog12daysxmas – which was my real foray into the world of blogging in the first place.
So now I’m wondering if I’m up for the challenge this year. Or even if there IS a #blog12daysxmas challenge this year!

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#blog12daysxmas #blogjune Random thoughts

And again…

I find myself unable to blog on a daily basis due to illness and busyness.

What is it about this month that has caused my inability to keep this blog happening on a daily basis?!!! Looking back, I know it’s been filled with both illness (that vomiting bug in the first couple of weeks wiped me out!) and busyness (Uni assignments, work deadlines etc) but has this month been more trying than the others or is it just run-of-the-mill reflection of how my life is at the moment? I’m not entirely sure. Maybe taking this #blogjune challenge was not as realistic as I thought it would be. It’s funny – I did the #blog12daysxmas challenge with no hiccups, in spite of floods keeping my family stranded in 1770 where staples and petrol ran out within days, and prices of ferry rides to Bundaberg (ha! Where THEY were flooded worse than us!) skyrocketed. I even managed the #octshowntell last year. So what is it about this one that I just couldn’t manage it? Is it that 12 days, or one story a week, is do-able, but 30 consecutive days is not? Hmmm…?

Well, I’m not particularly impressed with myself. At church this morning, we were regaled with a delightful reading from “Reuben Ramsay OR The Boy That Nobody Wanted”. A 1849 tale of a boy who looks into the mirror after deciding that nobody wants him, and then realising that he doesn’t even want himself. The Christian influence enters in the form of a lady, who tells him that what he was looking into when he realised that he didn’t even want himself was actually the ‘mind’s mirror’. As in, he wasn’t looking at the reflection of his physical person, but his personality. It was this – his personality – that he didn’t like, and he could change this by giving his heart back to Jesus, who made his heart in the first place.

An accurate reflection of us all, I would suspect, when we truly self-reflect. Well, it is an accurate reflection for me, anyway. I’d prefer to see something a lot nicer in there. Someone who keeps the commitments she makes, for example, to blog daily for #blogjune. Someone who doesn’t keep on stuffing up, publicly, and having to apologise and start over. Wouldn’t that be great. Maybe I should re-read that book, and take the advice offered.