The Week That Was

So - you may have noticed that not only did i go AWOL for the four days that i mentioned i would be Rockhampton, but that i also gave myself the rest of the week off from blogging too. As much as i like to keep things up to date, to keep the posts coming and the blog chugging along, i think i need a wee little break every now and again. But what did i get up to with all that spare time away from the blogosphere?


Monday: Dropped Flynn off at daycare. Did not get so much as a " Goodbye Mummy, i love you ". Cursed him under my breath for being such a turd. Got dropped to the airport, checked in ( along with my partner in crime, J ) only to find our fligh out of Dubbo was going to be 40 mins late. Made it to Sydney, checked in on a different airline, met up with the 4 other NSW staff members headed to the conference, and wolfed down some Maccas in time to make it to our gate for boarding to Brisbane... and found out this flight would be 40 mins late. Spent the majority of the flight wondering if we would make our connection to Rocky. Got there just as boarding opened, caught my third flight for the day and landed in Rocky pretty much on time. Dinner time actually. Checked into our rooms, freshened up and met Queensland staff members for tea. Not enough meal allowance to order dessert ( boo! ). Head to bed absolutely exhausted.

Our accomodation - The Edge

Tuesday: Full English  style breakfast ordered at 8am, made the conference room at 8:55am. Actually interested in the mornings presentations. An hour for a pub lunch - at a table of 19 managed to sit myself across from the chattiest staff member there. Get a case of threethirtyitis mid afternoon and struggle to stay awake in front of the boss. Break for the day just before 5pm. Back to the room for a freshen up and a dose of Music Max. Meet 6 other keen staffers for diner ( the rest were pikers - boo to them! ). Find a great boutique pub bistro and have one the nicest dinners i've had in a while - including dessert! Order the apple tart tartine and am gobsmacked when it is not just one slice but the WHOLE BLOODY TART. Do the best i can to tackle it but, even with sharing a piece, can only manage to finish two thirds. Can barely walk back to the motel... am too full of apple tart.

Home of the best apple tart tartine ever - The Heritage Hotel, Rockhampton

Wednesday: Bacon and egg breakfast ( again ) ordered at 8am, made conference in time to get the seat right next to the national boss. Yay. Dont mind so much as very interesting round table discussion til morning tea, and then discussion on customer service. Big boss puts confidential notes in front of her on the table - apparently thinks that i either cant or wont sneak peeks at it when she isnt looking. Lunch at the same pub. I dont know how but i manage to get the seat next the big boss at lunch aswell. My salmon is slightly overcooked but the lemon/lime/bitters goes down well. Stay awake and alert for the last afternoon session. Finish the book i started on Monday before dinner. 17 of us head to the same boutique pub as Tuesday night. After a lovely chicken scallopine i decide to tackle the apple tart again. This time make it two thirds of the way through by myself. May have finished the whole thing if it werent for few Midoris i'd already consumed ( yay for open bar tabs! ). Make it back to the motel despite my enormous apple tart belly. Repack suitcase - couldnt be arsed doing it at 6am.

This is NOT my boss - ha ha, i wish!

Thursday: Up at 6am and at the airport an hour and 10 minutes early for our flight, thanks to a particularly edgy staff member. Grab a crappy airport cafe breakfast ( tastes like cheesy cardboard ). On and off our first flight before the time i would usually leave for work. Potter around Brisbane airport and invest in a new book. Also bought $11 worth of mixed lollies ( rip off ). Brisbane to Sydney is uneventful - so uneventful in fact that i manage to drift off for a half hour nap. Grab some lunch with J, do a couple of laps of Sydney domestic and then settle in at our gate to wait for boarding. Actually have a flight with REX that arrives AND leaves on time ( incredible! ). Spend the flight trying to rest but giggling at the conversation from the couple behind me ( work in tv production, bitching about their bosses, filming out west, planning on driving to their destination 4 hrs from Dubbo at twilight - bad idea! ) J and I were two of the last people off the plane but the first thing i notice is Flynn pressed up against the terminal window, marvelling at the plane. Once he notices me he gets all excited and runs towards me as fast as his little legs will carry him. One huge mummy huggle and short drive later, i get tea cooked for me at my mum and dads. Mick drives us back to our place where, after putting Flynn to sleep, i collapse into bed, totally cactus.

Friday: A regular day at work, except that we're playing catch ups from the four days we were away. Barely have time to scratch myself. Make up a batch of spag bol for tea because, frankly, i couldnt be bothered doing gourmet. Again, i hit the sack before 8:30pm. Around 10pm i hear Flynn wake but Mick is still in good daddy mode and goes to him, and ends up sleeping in Flynns big boy bed with him. Good job Daddy - a calmed child and i get the whole bed to myself!

Saturday: Am gifted a sleep in by my gorgeous fiance. Feel so rested up on waking that i finish our shopping list while i tuck into my cereal. Go out and buy some new work shoes while Mick goes down to his shed and washes his work truck - meet back at home and then head out for groceries. Pop to the neighbours with Flynn for a quick visit when we get back. Flynn loves the little girls and teh dogs next door, so far is a bit scared of the mum ( big sook ). Once he figures out that K has swings, a trampoline, a pool AND can ply him with lollies they'll be good friends. Lots of cleaning and clothes washing done in the afternoon. Made some yummy chipotle chicken wraps for tea and watched " Monsters Inc " before bedtime. No wild saturday night for this little black duck!

Sunday: Flynn gives Mick his Fathers Day presents in bed, but instead of saying " Happy Fathers Day " he says " hello Cookie bird! " ( methinks he was dreaming about his aunties talking parrot... ). Go out to local nursery/cafe for Fathers Day brekkie with my parents, my younger sister and my brother and his family. Yummy French toast and fresh orange juice. Also lots of being dragged by the hand to see the fish in the pond. Flynn lets a combination of teething and finally becoming clingy ( which i thought he might, once i came back from Rocky ) turn him into a complete and utter feral child. Combination of sookiness, squealing and toy throwing drives me up the wall. Manage to get him to fall asleep after an hour and half on my lap. More sookiness when he wakes up which thankfully wears off when we go to my parents for bbq dinner. Good food, big laughs. Come to the conclusion that both my son and my father may just be nuts. Still, settle into warm bed to watch " Underbelly: Razor " with a big smile on my face....

Census Night - Woo To The Hoo!

Census night - is everyone excited?!? No? No? Thats probably because the Census questions are boring.... which is why you need to do the " New Adventures in Dreamworld Alternative Census "! In the spirit of knowing all about my readers, and thus my very little community, i have composed this list of Very.Important.Questions that you all need to think about answering:


1. How much money have you spent at the petrol station on lollies/drinks/magazines you dont need?
2. Are Josh and Jenna the most annoying reality tv couple ever?
3.Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob, or are you over the age of 18 and really dont care?

4.How much did you contribute to the national economy by spending half your annual income at the Target/Big W/Kmart toy sales?
5.How many times a year does your partner do a load of washing - without being asked?

6.Would you consider the area you live in to be: City? Suburb? Rural ? And would you consider the state of your home to be: Pristine? Liveable? Post-Children Apocalyptic?
7.Have you stopped watching " Sunrise " on Channel 7 because Kochie is a major dickhead?
8. When was the last time you were able to take a shower/have a bath without a child being present?

9. How often do you have roast dinners, and is you meat of choice: Chicken?Lamb? Pork with crackling?
10. How awesome do you consider the author of this blog?

Ok, i think that should give me a good handle on you guys. Feel free to answer in the comments or to steal the questions for a post of your own!

Friday Feel Goods

So - i was working by myself today. No other dispenser, and no optom, which also meant no patients...which all equals not much work to do. And what better way to keep myself amused at work ( you know, when you arent allowed access to Facebook ... ) than to make of all the things that i enjoy in life. The feel good things. The ones that make me smile instead of causing me unnecessary worry ( and bloody frown lines.... ). Things like:

* Warm days during winter. Its no secret that i hate the cold, so when we do get a mild/warm day in between the frost, i like to make the most of it - take Flynn to the park, play out in our front yard, or scour through our (small) garden looking for ladybugs or caterpillars.

This got a really big " woooooooooow! "

* Flynns excitment - his childs enthusiasm makes me smile. For example, the other day he found a caterpillar on our tree and it was like it was the most amaaaaaazing thing ever, in the whole wide world . ( And lets face it, when your only 19mths old, caterpillars probably are pretty awesome ). Ladybugs and the moon and dandelions are illicited the same " Wow Mummy - wow! " on the first encounter.

* Dessert - i've got a sweet tooth all year round but winter desserts are just so ....good. Great. Warming. Comforting. I'm thinking tonight would bea great night for a crumble and ice cream. Ooh, or homemade cheats apple danish.

*A good book - i'm a bit of a reader. I have been since kindergarten.... its only now that i have a family and, thus, very little time to myself that i appreciate a good book, the escapism that it offers. I'm in the middle of " The Shifting Fog " by Kate Morton at the moment ( yea, yea, i know - i'm only a few years behind everyone else... ) and if i had the opportunity to just sit and read and read i'd finish it in one sitting...

I am SO hanging out with these people next week!

* Text flirting with my fiance - and you can get your minds out of the gutter. I dont mean "sexting ", i mean playful little messages through the day, or a random " Love u babe xx " out of the blue. Its nice that we still do silly things like that, and that they still make me smile.

* Having " things " to look forward to - like a roadtrip to Sydney next week where we will stay with Micks aunt and unlce, catch up, go and see Cirque Du Soleil and do some shopping. Excited!

Maxabella Interviews Me!

Ok, not quite - no, Ms Maxabella from MaxabellaLoves actually interviewed herself today, but she encouraged us to play along and interview ourselves too. And me being the meme whore that i am decided to give it a shot!

My earliest memory is... catching the XPT from Dubbo to Sydney with my dad. Actually, i'm not sure if its a memory of the event or i'm remembering the stories my Dad tells about the trip. I was 3 yrs old and apparently the water fountain on the train kept me amused for hours...

Image from here

My school report usually said... " Amy is a very diligent student, and a pleasure to teach ". Ha! ( Nevermind that sometimes it was followed by " She can, however, be a little too opinionated at times... ")

My first relationship... was in primary school with a boy named Kenny. We kissed behind the girls toilets, sat next to each other in the playground, and held hands when we walked home from school. I think it lasted about two weeks. Brief, yet very intense...

I don't like talking about... whats bothering me, deep down. Oh yea, sure, i'm fine to blab about it to the world on my blog, but when it comes to revealing deep dark secrets to my loved ones, i go mute.

My most treasured possession is... my engagement ring. I had to have it re-sized a few weeks ago ( yay for losing weight! ) and i felt a little naked without it. Ask me again in 4 months and my answer will probably be my wedding ring..

My father always told me... " stop picking on your brother/sister! " Yep - i was a bit of a shit-stirrer as a kid, and my brother and sister were easy to rile up ( can you tell i'm the oldest ? ) Other than that, i think my father impressed on me that every choice we make has a consequence, and we need to own that choice, whether we're happy with the result or not.

There's me, being gorgeous... no, wait. Thats Anne Hathaway...

In the movie of my life, I'd be played by... somebody goooooooorgeous dahling. Like me, you know? I'm going to go with Anne Hathaway, even though she is taller, thinner and more beautiful than i'll ever be.

I wish I had... enough money, or enough equity, to build a home for my family. A place we can make our own and raise children. With an amazing kitchen and a big backyard. And a dog. Named Buster.

I wish I hadn't... wasted so many years as a teenager/young adult living entirely within my own mind and worrying about would happen if i stepped outside my little box. What a great way to miss out on so, so much stuff...

My most humiliating moment was... falling off a dance platform ( or " the top box " at the 'Mersh as its known - Polly may know what i'm on about ) at a local club, and landing on my arse amongst the other dancers. My crazy, drunk-dancing friend " accidentally " danced a little too far to her right and booty-bumped me right off the edge. Shame, Amy, shame.

My guiltiest pleasure is... bad reality television. Though i dont stray as far as " Jersey Shore " ( and hey, thats only because i dont have pay tv... ) i will admit to being a fan of such fare as " Big Brother ", " Pimp My Ride " and " MTV's Next! "...

My last meal would be... eaten.very.slowly. Relished even. I'm thinking something wholesome and comforting if i'm about to go to my grave - roast chicken, potatos and the most awesome baked pumpkin ever. Steamed green beans. And garlic bread. And then a decadent chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Mmm....cheesecake ( cue Homer Simpson style drooling... )

Trust Yourself - Come Alive

Another of the #Trust30 posts - and just for future reference, for the ext month or so you can assume every post is a #Trust30 post unless i say otherwise...
( By Jonathon Mead) Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you had one week left to live, would you still be doing what you’re doing now? In what areas of your life are you preparing to live? Take them off your To Do list and add them to a To Stop list. Resolve to only do what makes you come alive.
Bonus: How can your goals improve the present and not keep you in a perpetual “always something better” spiral?

One week, in the scope of things, is not a very long time ( though much longer than the 15 minutes were given in the first prompt of the #Trust30 challenge ). It might be long enough to organise that sky-dive you've always wanted to do, or take that short trip up the coast that you've been promising yourself, or to dance on the table tops nude at your favourite pub. But, in the scope of things, one week really is not that long a length of time. So, if i did only have that short time left, what would i want to NOT have to worry about? What would i want out of the way so i could enjoy the time i had left?

I'd quit my job - that ones a given. Not only would i not want to spend my last 7 days on Earth working, but i wouldnt want to be working for the company that i am now.
I'd hastily arrange a marriage certificate and licence and tie the knot, even if our parents and Flynn were the only ones in attendance. And...
I'd take my brother aside and tell him to grow up. None of us are sulky teenagers anymore and that means more empathy and less selfishness and immaturity.

Those are the three things that i'd want to get off my plate - off my " To Do " list, so to speak. So why dont i do them now? Why are they still loitering on that list of things that need doing, just not in the forseeable future? Well - the wedding IS in the forseeable future. With only 5 months til our big day i think we can pretty much take it as a given that this WILL happen. Quitting my job? Well, being the responsbile adult and mother that i like to think that I am... i cant quit without another job to go to. I cant just leave my family hanging for the sake of my own happiness. It might be sad to say, but sometimes we need to put our own satisfaction and happiness aside, just for a little while, to benefit the greater good. I wont do it forever though - in fact, i am currently looking a other employment options and should they not work out i fully intend on not going back to my current job after my next period of maternity leave. ( Having another child is also at the top of my " To Do " list....unfortunately that one doesnt have instaneous results, and wont be hurried ).

And the brother thing? Lets just say someone needs reminding about the importance of family, and the way its supposed to work. He also needs reminding that just has he aged so have others, and though he still wants to see them as they were, theyve grown and matured and so should he. The reason i dont say this to him in the here and now is because, right now, it isnt exactly my place. And, even if it were, there would be repercussions that maybe i dont want to deal with. ( Selfish? Yes - perhaps this is a slight case of the pot calling the kettle black.) So i dont say it, though if it isnt said soon - by me or whomever else - it might end up being too late.
So thats that - those are things i'd need to do to allow myself to breath and feel alive for my last week on Earth. After those were out of the way... sky-diving? Freaking hell yea! Trip up the coast? Definately - Mick and Flynn included. Nudie table dancing at the pub? Even with only a week to live, methinks not....

Smile For A While

Bare with me while i babble - i'm just going to write, even though i dont have anything specific to say, because i want to. Need to, even. See in the wake of the personal tragedy unfolding in the blog world, and the devastation in Queensland ( and northern NSW and now Victoria ) and hell, the untold suffering the world over, i want to write, but i dont want to write anything sad, or sensitive, or sorry. I would love to write something extraordinarily uplifting, a post that would get linked to and Twittered about, that would be sent around the world to bring a smile to the face of people everywhere. Sadly, i dont think i really have that in me. At least not today. With that in mind, however, i thought i could at least bring a smile to one persons face, in the hope that smiling is contagious. And so, ladies and gentlepeople, here is a short list of 5 things that have made me smile in the past fortnight of gloom:

1. Flynn turning around and blowing a raspberry " pfft! " noise really loudly after his Daddy had...erm..."passed gas". Seems he is already, at one year and 20 days old, a typical boy who finds farts funny. Who am i kidding? Farts are funny to everyone!

2. Losing weight - i know, finally! For those of you following along with my Operation Slimdown, keep your eyes peeled for an official update next week.

3. Finishing two books inside of two weeks - its not a record, but i reckon its pretty good, especially with a demanding little person crawling around. I read " The Persimmon Tree " and " Fishing For Stars ", both by Bryce Courtenay, back to back ( you know, seeing as one is the sequel to the first ). I really enjoyed the " The Persimmon Tree " but felt that " Fishing For Stars " got bogged down a little too much in unneeded details, which made it a bit harder to get through.
 
4. Swimming in the afternoons. Our neighbour has gone away for a few weeks and granted us full permission to use her pool ( as long as we also clean the filter ). Its been nice just to be able to pop across the road for a quick dip when we get home from work, and Flynn is beginning to love the water. Ooh, and bonus smile: he looks so cute with his big fat tummy in his swimmers!
 
5. The idea of being able to go clothes shopping soon - not on a grand scale, but rumour has it that my mum and dad are going to give me some cash for this purpose for my birthday. I havent been able to go clothes shopping for a while - baby stuff and maternity-leave-without-pay put a bit of a dent in my clothes shopping budget - so the thought of being able to take a bit of time and find a few cute things has made me smile...

2010: A Dreamworld Year In Review

Woowee - what a year! My first as a mama and as an engaged woman, its had its share of ups and downs. And what better what to put everything in perspective, in its place ( and the crappy things to rest! ) than with my annual wrap up of the year! Oh, and reminder - anything that is my " best " of the year is my favourite; anything that is " worst " is utterly crappy in my humble opinion. Agree or disagree, but dont argue the technicalities in the comments, ok?

BEST FILMS:
1. Sherlock Holmes - ok, technically this come out in the last week of 2009 but i was stuck in hospital with a newborn and didnt watch it til 2010, so it makes the list. Also, it features Robert Downey Jnr and i think its the general consensus that he is one of the coolest dudes in the universe.
2. Eat.Pray.Love - bah to anyone who's laughing at this choice! It was my favourite book of last year, so why would it be one of my favourite films this year? A little schmaltzy, sure, but its still appealed to my love of travel, of self-exploration and the romantic in me. Javier Bardem ? Delish!
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt1 -  i only saw this on Monday but i loved it and i cant wait til the last film comes out next year. And no, i still havent read any of the books, though i want to. I think i'm gonna wait til i see the last film ( so i dont spoil the film series for myself ... ) and then read all the books...
4. Precious - oh.my.God. If you have not seen this film, go rent it now. Its certainly no light, fluffy, rom-com and it had me in tears more than once, but you need to see it for the strength of the acting alone. Its hard, and its harrowing, and its probably altogether to real for some people, but its a film that will stick with you.
5. Hot Tub Time Machine - awesome! I loved this film - this was funny in the way i was expecting " The Hangover " to be ( but it wasnt it ). Totally crude and juvenile but an easy, hilarious way to spend the afternoon, without having to think too much or make too much effort. What a cack!
Notable mentions : " Beneath Hill 60 "; " Iron Man 2 "; " Shutter Island "; " Alice In Wonderland "

AND THE WORST?
I have to go with " Cop Out ". Not that it was an awful film, only that i didnt watch a lot of new films this year, and the stuff that i did watch was pretty good ( you know, because i had to be selective with my time ). So this gets my "worst " nomination because the average/ok film out of a really good bunch. Sorry Bruce Willis.
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BEST SONGS:
1. " Whatta Want From Me? " by Adam Lambert - i love me some good pop and i think Adam Lambert has been one of the great pop finds of 2010. And he has in own thing going on without verging into total weirdo territory (  i'm talking to you Lady Gaga ).
2. " All My Life " by Thirsty Merc - i loooooooooooove this song. Its on the list to be played at my wedding. Sometimes, when i'm alone, it even makes me cry. A great Aussie band producing great Aussie music ( and it doesnt hurt that they hail from my hometown ). A beautiful love song....awww!
3. " Teenage Dream " by Katy Perry - Katy Perry annoyed me for a while when she first came out but the more i listened, the more i realised she had some really well crafted pop songs. Like this one - its sweet, it makes me feel young ( which i am, but young as in " before baby " young ) and it sums up the way i feel about my relationship with Mick. Another for the wedding dancefloor playlist.
4. " Grenade " by Bruno Mars -  this one was only released in the past month-ish but it is really damn catchy, and i l.o.v.e his voice. I also love the sentiment and the harmonies in the chorus. Oh, and the video clip. And his hair is ace. That is all.
5. " Forget You " by Cee-lo Green - waaaaaaaaah, i love this song! Its funky and upbeat ( despite the subject matter ) and hot damn it makes me wanna dance!
Notable mentions : " Love the way you lie " by Eminem ft Rihanna; " If its love " by Train; " Need You Now " by Lady Antebellum

AND THE WORST? "Only Girl In the World " by Rihanna. Sorry, but RiRi has majorly grated on my nerves this year, and everytime i heard this song come on the radio i switched stations. Too repeative for my liking and her voice is beginning to annoy me aswell. Bah! Oh, and also, anything by Ke$ha... yuck!
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BEST BOOK -  " The Hour I First Believed " by Wally Lamb which i already blogged about here. It was just an awesome, awesome read and its really stuck with me. If your a big reader and you havent already read this, get your hands on this. In fact, do yourself a favour and read anything by Wally Lamb - the man is in my top 5 favourite authors.

BEST TV SHOW - Aside from my unwavering obsession with " The Amazing Race ", i've really felt myself fall in love with  " How I Met Your Mother " this year. I've always liked this show, but the second half of this year i started to not want to miss an episode and it dawned on me that HIMYM is like the new " Friends". Ensemble cast, really funny but still poignant, and everybody seems to love it. And they especially love Barney, and even though its a bit of a bastard. Legen....what for it!....dary!

PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT - anything involving my son learning a new skill. But seeing as there are too many to choose from there, i'll go with the Tim McGraw concert back in September...good times with Mick away from our baby, dancing til our feet hurt and staying out late!

PERSONAL LOWLIGHT - breaking up with my best friend. I've already talked about it enough so i wont go into anymore details, but suffice to say it sucks arse bigtime, even more so because i really had no say in it, and even now 4ish months later i'm still bitter, and confused, and hurt.

And thats it ladies and gentleman! Tune in tomorrow ( or whenever i get around to it ) for my New Years resolutions. Wishing you all a happy New Year and hoing everyone gets to celebrate in style ( even if that means stained-tshirt, at home with the kids, eating dip and crackers with a West Coast cooler kind of style! ) tonight - pool party at the neighbours for us!

Check Out The Smoochiness!

Oh yea, thats right - i got one thing off my to do list!

I found this great little template on the Microsoft website, downloaded, added the sweet smoochy picture, changed the background and voila! - Save The Date cards. Sadly, i forgot that they were formatted to be a 5x7 size and got them printed as 6x4's ( which meant that the text at the bottom got a teeny, tiny bit skimmed off the edge... ). But, seeing as they arent actual invitations, i'm not going to worry about re-doing them and have stashed them in with the Xmas cards to be mailed tomorrow. I figure putting them in one envelope saves on paper, and on postage. Oh yea, i'm a tight arse eco-warrior!

So thats one thing ticked off. I'm halfway through Flynn's Santa sack - which i'm hand sewing because i dont have a sewing machine - and only have one Xmas present to go. Way to work Amy! Ooh, and i found a make up artist for my wedding who'll do my makeup for free . Again with the tight arse-ery. Turns out its kind of awesome when one of Mick's workmates wives is a beauty therapy teacher at TAFE and is also an awesome lady who offered to come round and do my makeup, as a favour from a friend. Your awesome Ange! And that is all...now, if i could only manage to get all the washing on the room of our floor, washed, folded and put away...

Books!Books!Books! - How Many Have You Read?

So.... i came across the meme on Kylie's page over at A Study In Contradictions   and i thought i'd play along. See, apparently the BBc has published a Top 100 booklist ( i'm not sure of what the list actually is tho - best books ever in, like, history? Bestsellers? Who knows... ) and they've come to the conclusion that the majority of people have only read 6 of the 100 books listed. Really? Only 6?
The aim of this game is to highlight in bold those which you have read, and italicize the ones you started but didnt finish, or have read parts of.
Feel free to play along!

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen ( one of my top 5 favourites.. )


2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien


3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (also a top 5 pick )
6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott  ( i read this when i was 11ish - i would love to revisit it now )
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare ( i've read " Romeo and Juliet " and " Taming of the Shrew " )

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger ( i have to admit though for all its hype, i wasnt really a fan... )

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame ( started this as a kid - i dont recall ever finishing it )

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma -Jane Austen ( This is my current read - i'm halfway through and i gotta say Emma is not a likeable character at all... )
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood (One of my Top Ten)

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan ( loved the book, loved the movie... sooooooo want Keira Knightleys green dress! )

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (read this earlier this year and really enjoyed it )
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Inferno - Dante

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom ( its kind of short, but its really ...well...good. Inspiring good. )

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ( read some of the books as a child, but not all of them )

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Meme Time!

So my last post was a re-doing of a meme that wasnt really a meme because i'd never been tagged for it ( Got it? Good ). Today, my post is an actually meme because i was tagged for this one, and awarded some bloggy love, by the lovely Hayley at Our Unique Journey. She thinks i'm a Kreativ Blogger!

And, with so many blog awards, come the rules and regulations of the meme. This one wants me to tell you 7 random things about myself. I can't promise they'll be NEW things but i'll give it my best:

1. I secretly enjoy watching childrens television shows. I know in years to come i will probably be sick to death of them, but right now i enjoy both the programs themselves and the bright look they bring to my sons face. At almost 9 months old he's still a bit little to really WATCH tv, but we sit down together at 12pm and watch " Sesame Street " ( Elmo and Grover in particular get a huge smile ) and he also enjoys " The Magic Roundabout ". However, i shant be letting him watch shows that dont use proper language, such as " In The Night Garden ". I cant stand that show and cant understand why anyone would let a child who is developing their language skills watch a programme where all they do is babble nonsensically.

2. I enjoy driving in Sydney. This is possibly because i dont actually live there, so everytime i have the need to drive in there its because i'm on some little adventure. I'm sure if i actually resided in Sydney i'd feel different but for the time being i dont mind driving on the M4 or negotiating the one way streets in the city itself...

3. I never thought i'd have my first child with a man that i had only known a matter of months and wasnt married to ( i always pictured being married first, not that it matters ) but you know what ? The world works in mysterious ways. And i like it.

4. I'll admit it - i'm a pimple picker. I know your not supposed to pick and squeeze at them, but i just can't help it. If i feel a big hard, yucky lump under my skin, i have this compulsion to get it out. Yes, it'll probably scar, but i just cant help myself. Hey, at least i'm not a nose picker....

5. I failed my drivers licence test 3 times. Yep - 3. The first time i actually hit  a car while trying to reverse parallel park ( actually, it was when i was pulling out of the park... ), and the other two times had to with the " blink off " at roundabout road rule here in NSW. I'll cop to the first test, i should have failed that time, but the second and third times were just revenue raising.

6. I think i'm becoming a Zumba junkie. I'd always been in love with yoga ( and still am ) but almost 9 months after giving birth and not having shifted any weight, i decided to give something a bit more hi-impact a try. And i love it! I dont have to be a born dancer and you dont even have to get the steps 100% perfect all of the time, you just gotta feel the music and move. And its way fun!

7. I have a habit of surfing real estate websites for houses in my (pretend ) price range, even though i'm not yet in the market for a new home. We live in a duplex which the bank  I own, but at the end of next year or early 2012 i'd like to buy an actual house to raise our family in. So, even though its a year or two away, i like checking out what kind of homes are out there waiting for me to buy one day...

So there you be! I know i'm also supposed to give this award away to 7 of bloggers of my choice and link to their blogs...blah blah blah...but as i've done this meme before, i might skip that it this time. However, if you want the Kreativ Blogger award leave me a comment telling me how awesome i am ( ha! ) and i might just give you one...

I'm Building An Ark - But I'm Not Growing A Beard

I was listening to one of our local radio stations this morning and, in anticipation of the heavy rain that has been forecast for the next few days ( which, mind you, i bet doesnt eventuate.... ), the morning dj team were discussing whether they had better build themselves an ark. All that had to make it with was some newspapers, some Blutack and a pen but hey.... it got me thinking. If that Biblical flood was a-coming, what would i put on my ark?
( Please note that, like all good hypothetical things, such as deserted islands, my ark will be fully electric. Its a pimped out ark, okay? )

My family -  this one's a given. Mick, Flynn and the rest of my immediate family. Extended family i could give or take but we gotta take Poppy and Grandma and the rest of them. Also , we're going to assume that my friends have their own arks so they dont need to hitch a ride with me.
My computer -  and internet connection. We have to stay connected to the rest of the world ( well, all those people who were savvy enough to prepare for the watery Apocalypse ... ) and how else are we going to know when its safe to come out and dock?
Books - lots of them. Something for everyone to read - everyone except my dad and my brother, who are not such big fans of books. Maybe i should take some magazines aswell, just so they have something to entertain themselves with. Booby magazines are banned though!
Food - uh. Duh.I'd be getting my bake on before we set off into the great unknown - heaps of freezable pastas and casseroles and yummy, yummy cakes and slices. We wouldnt want to run out of food and have it turn into a whole plane-crash-in-the-Andes cannibal type situation, would we ? Because if it came down to that i think i'd be one of the first to go - my bootiliciousness would be delicious!
Blankets and pillows - and possibly beanbags and mattresses. We wana be comfy in our ark because Gawd knows how long we're gonna be in there.
And finally....
Deoderant - lots and lots of it. And maybe dry shampoo. I suppose we could rig up some kind of shower in this electrical ark of mine, and there would be plenty of water to go round, but failing that we gonna need some kind of BO buster.... it'd be stinky up in that house ark!

50 Films I've Seen. And Loved. And Would Totally Watch Again.

Yep - i think the title says it all. Todays posts is a very special Blog This! challenge - the brief this week reads:
50 Things...Take your pick, this one is open. 50 things I want you to know about me; 50 things I would do if I won lotto; 50 things I want to cook; 50 things I have photographed; 50 things I want for my birthday; 50 things I would like to tell my ex....
It's up to you, whatever you want to tell your readers.
So, in case the blog title wasnt quite literal enough for you, my " 50 things " is a list of 50 films i've seen and really loved and would watch again. Some of them are childhood favourites which i've already watched over and over; some are films i've watched and kind of liked, so i've bought them on dvd so i can re-watch them on rainy weekend afternoons; and some i've only seen once but would watch again given the chance. Here goes ( in no particular order ):

1. " The Never-ending Story " - loved Atreyu, i cry when Artex dies in the Swamps of Sadness and, as a child, i was totally scared of The Nothing. An 80's childhood classic.
2. "Annie " - Tomorrow! Tomorrow! yep, as a girl i sooooo wanted to be a redheaded, singing, dancing orphan...
3. " The Princess Bride " - Inigo Montoya rocks, and Buttercup and Wesley would probably make my Top 5 film couples list ( if i had one ). Ah, true love.
4. " Empire Records " - one of Liv Tyler and Rene Zellwegers early screen outings. Its set in a record store - coolest place to work EVER.
5. " Young Guns " - even though i was only around, maybe, 10 years at the time, i loved me a piece of Lou Diamond Phillips. Pity age caught up with him...
6. " Forrest Gump " - even though critics out there alwasy deride this as " schmaltzy ", i love it. It has all the best quotes, the coolest soundtrack and one of the most loveable characters of all time.
7. " The Little Mermaid " - one of my favourite childhood animations. Even now i still sing snatches of the songs to Flynn - and if i had a pet crab, i'd name it Sebastian.
8.  " Chocolat " - Johnny Depp. Juliet Binoche. France. Chocolate. And its based on one of my favourite books. Wait, did i say Johnny Depp?
9. " School of Rock " - its funny and sweet and crazy. Plus it stars an awesome rock'n'roll soundtrack and Jack Blacks awesome eyebrows. I aspire to those eyebrows and their crazy tricks, i really do.
10. " Dogma " - Kevin Smiths best. And Alanis Morrisette as a rockin' female God? If i were a believer, thats what i'd want...
11. " Almost Famous " - i went through a period of imagining myself as a young Rollingstone journalist. This movie was like my ultimate fantasy. It would be worth it for the whole " Tiny Dancer " sequence alone.
12. " Gladiator " - i saw this twice in cinemas, own it on video ( oh yea, on VIDEO ) and have watched it numerous times. The soundtrack is also rather stirring, especially the music played over Rusty's *SPOILER * dying scenes.
13. " The Crow " -  i do not have the time nor space to fully describe why i love this one. Its my all-time favourite movie and so far i've only discovered two other girls that have ever seen it ( shout out to you, Brea ).
14. " Pleasantville "- its the costuming and the gorgeous " black and white to colour " cinematography that gets me with this one. Also - Paul Walker is pretty.
15. " Dazed and Confused " - Slaters whole marijuana-fueled spiel on George Washington makes me laugh. So does Mathew McConaugheys moustache. Just keep l-i-v-i-n!
16. " Pans Labrynith " - quirky, and foreign, and spectacularly beautiful, both in imagery and in theme. Guillermo Del Toro is a genius.
17. " The Muppets Movie " -  The Muppets ? In a movie ? Who wouldnt love that?
18. " Transformers " - ok, yea the critics say it sucks. And yea, the plot ( or what there is of one ) has some might big holes. But its stuff blowing up, and Transformer robots, and awesome CGI - thats stuff is cool!
19. " Amelie " -  i've already written a whole post on this one. I heart this film. That is all.
20. " Reign Over Me " -  if you havent seen this one, go out and find it. I rate this as Adam Sandlers finest dramatic performance. Its totally heartbreaking though, so grab yourself some tissues.
21. " American Pie " - the quintessential high school comedy of my generation. Its kind of rude, yet has its tender moments. Sort of. Either way, that pie scene was hilarious!
22. " The Breakfast Club " -  and onto a quintessential high school film of the generation before me. It may have come out the year i was born but it just got to me. Judd Nelson was way cool - you know, for a bully.
23. " A Streetcar Named Desire " - A classic for many reasons. One of which is the scene where Marlon Brando is coming home from work in his white t-shirt. That man, in that scene ? Sex on legs my friends, sex on legs.
24. " 13 Going On 30 " - its all bubble-gummy and cutesy. But as far as chick flicks go, i love this. The sweet Jennifer Garner, the divine Mark Ruffalo and the " Thriller " dance. Sweet as.
25. " Shaun of the Dead " - i'm not big on horror films but horror film spoofs? Especially one as clever as this? Count me in! Which reminds me - i need to get myself a cricket bat in case of zombie attack...
26. " Moulin Rouge "  - i love me some Baz Luhrrman. And this movie is so pretty and sparkly and woo! Plus, i wana live in that elephant. You know, just without the whole being a prostitute.
27. " Benny and Joon " - sweet, and funny and romantic. Benny and Sam are so odd, but they're odd together, and thats all they need. Ooh, and did i mention Sam is played by Johnny Depp?
28. " Breakfast at Tiffany's " - Audrey Hepburn at her most glamorous. Love the dress, love the city, love the characters. Ooh, and love Tiffanys!
29. " Reservoir Dogs " - oh Quentin Tarantino, you loveable kook, you. Everyone has a colour-coded name, people get their ears cut off, and the soundtrack is groovy. Classic Tarantino...
30. " Cyrano De Bergerac " -  you know what? Gerard Depardieu in English ? Lame. Gerard Depardieu in French ( playing a classic French hero ) ? Funny. And at turns oddly grumpy and sweet. Also sweet? Vincent Perez. Yum....
31. " V for Vendetta " - awesome graphic novel adaption. Its politically motivated, sure, but stuff blows up and here are great fight sequences and Natalie Portman looks rather fetching with a bald head.
32. " Beauty and the Beast " -  another one of my Disney favourites. I want to sit down and watch this one with my neice - introduce her the beautiful songs and " beauty is on the inside " message.
33. " Love Actually " - i think this is my favourite chick flick. It's funny and smart and has such a wonderful cast. This is one of those films that, whenever its on tv, i'll watch it.
34. " Edward Scissorhands " - the most beautiful of Tim Burton's fractured fairytales. I watch this at least once a year and still come to the brink of tears at the end. Oh, and did i mention Johnny Depp ( even in all that makeup ) ?
35. " Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King " - of course i've seen them all, but this one is the most action-packed, and it asnwers all the questions ( except, whether Sam and Frodo ever got it on ). Also, Aragorn is at his most rugged in this one. Scrumptious.
36. " Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest " - and while we're on films that are part of a trilogy, here's my choice from the POTC series. Johnny and Orlanda at there most gorgeous, that crazy tentacle beard and that snotty Lord Cutler Beckett. Oh, and did i mention Johnny Depp?
37. " Saved! " -  a very clever little film. Proves that Maculay Culkin is funny ( when he isnt all strung out ), Mandy Moore can do more than sing, and that Jesus is the Devil. See what i did there? Trippy.....
38. " Say Anything " - John Cusack has aged so well. Go back to this 80's effort and he's freckly and kind of geeky but still totally cool. And sweet. Doesnt every girl want a boy to serenade her with a boombox outside her window?
39. " Mean Girls " - another clever chick flick ( thankyou Tina Fey ). It is also a reminder of what Lilo used to be .... you know, normal and talented.
40. " Hairspray " - this musical is all frizzy, and fabulous and it makes me happy. I think if i'd been around 13 years old when it came out i may have been in love with Zac Efron.
41. " The Lion King " - doesnt everyone love this film ? And doesnt everyone hate Scar? Yes, and yes. This is one i want to show to Flynn when he's older.
42. " Pride and Prejudice " - the Keira Knightley version. This is one of my favourite books of all time, and i just love this adaptation of it. I know i've said it before, but i totally want to be Elizabeth Bennett...
43. " The Dark Knight " - soooooo worth it for Heath Ledgers performance alone. Plus, Batman is my favourite superhero. Which reminds me, i really need to get my copy of this back from my brother...
44.  " Don Juan Demarco " -  a film that speaks to the romantic in us all. Sure, Marlon Brando is old and fat but he still rocks - and i have mentioned the ever delectable Johnny Depp?
45. " Somethings Gotta Give " - Jack Nicholson at his twinkly, lady-loving best. At least in this one he's loving a lady of appropriate age - the beautiful, funny Diane Keaton.
46. " The Truman Show " - i initially liked this because it was Jim Carrey without the rubbery goofiness. On second and third watches i loved it for what it said about society at the time ( the days BEFORE " Big Brother " ). Good afternoon, good evening and goodnight!
47. " Roman Holiday " - if " Breakfast at Tiffanys " is Audrey at her most glamourous, this is Audrey at her cutest. I love the whole look and feel of this film, and it makes me want to run away on a Roman adventure.
48. " Romeo and Juliet " - Baz and his brilliance again. This is manic and modern and hip and made Shakespear trendy. And that fish tank scene ? Awww....
49. " Rent " -  so many people hate this movie or, at the very least, think its a bad adaptation of the stage musical. Not me, i love it. This is the movie i watch when i need a pick me, despite the dying and disease and stuff. Its the music and the friendship and the love. It makes me happy.
50. " The Usual Suspects " - Keyser Soze? Spin out!

What I Like About You!

Ok, not actually you , out there reading this. This is actually another Blog This! challenge post, which for this week reads: Select 10 things you love about your life and tell us why. It could be certain people, where you live, your local shop...include images if you like.

So, in know real particular order ( or, i should say, the order that these things sprung into my head. Read into that what you will .... ) -

1. My son - well duh, of course Flynn was going to be on my list. Even with crying, teething, pooing, not pooing, hair pulling and vomiting, the almost-6 months he's been in my life have been the bestest time ever.

2. My fiance - Michael brightens my world. We very rarely fight and the few times we have i've only loved him more the next day. He tells me my mummy tummy is beautiful, says he's proud of me, loves my cooking and encourages me to be a good wife and mother. I love him big lots!

3. My family - my people are good people. I'm really close to my immediate family - if any of them ever move away, i'm not really sure how i'd cope. Seriously, i see either my mum and dad, my little sister, or my brother and his family at least 4 times a week. When i need adult conversation during the day ( being home alone with a baby can make you a little mental ) my family are the first ones i turn to. And, having a best friend be someone you've had a falling out with and are still trying to get back on track with, my family are my best friends too.

4. The internet - it connects me to the world; it informs, educates and entertains me. Its my window to the world beyond my front door which, with a baby, i sometimes feel i'm not really a part of. I love you inter-web!

5. My slow cooker - best.invention.ever. Its so convenient to be able to put dinner on at lunchtime and not have to worry about it at the busy end of the day. Plus, succulent, moist, meat falling off the bone? Heaven...

6. Cooking in general - I've totally fallen in love with cooking in the last few months. I'd cooked before of course, but it had only ever been out of necessity. Now, i love the ritual of sitting down with recipe books and cooking magazines, planning the menu for the week, writing my shopping list, buying the produce and then cooking each meal. It fills me with some strange kind of satisfaction when i get a dish right, or when i get a compliment on it. I love compliments!

7. Naps - really simple: naps are refreshing, and there is nothing better in winter than being able to snuggle up with a blanket and go to sleep. If i'm tired enough, when Flynn sleeps, i sleep. Naps make my world a better, and much easier, place.

8. Pepsi Max - thirst quencher! I'm not a big drinker of alcohol: i know zero about wine, cant stomach beer, and only make myself a Midori and lemonade every blue moon. So when i need something sweet and fizzy, Pepsi Max is the go to. Apologies to my sisters boyfriend for sneaking cans from their fridge...

9. My father sense of humour -  this could technically come under " My Family " but my dads sense of humour deserves a spot all its own. He's the wittiest person i know and has a special brand of sarcasm and dryness that just tickles my funny bone. Couldnt live without it.

10. Ugg boots - dont look at me like that. Yes, they arent really fashionable, and no, i dont wear them down the street (much ). But they're comfy and warm and snuggly and those are the things that rock my world.

Mothers Day Recap

So yesterday, as you would be aware, was my first Mothers Day to celebrated as a mama - and i'm not going to hide it... i was kinda excited! How could i not be with a gorgeous little fella like this to call my own:

Gorgy smorgy!

So, here's how my day played out:

* Woken at 3am for a feed with Flynn. Mick gave me my present - a fluffy pink dressing gown/bathrobe. He later said i looked like Dame Edna in it ( i'm not sure if that was supposed to be complimentary or not ).

*Got out of bed at 7am, when Flynn woke for another feed. I was hoping for breakfast in bed ( whihc is wat i had been told i was getting ) but, due to Micks having " got his beer on " the night before, he kind of forgot thats what he'd promised.

* I got upset and had a little tear or two, at which point Mick redeemed himself by rushing out of the bedroom and apologising. Good man.

* Got read the Sunday paper in peace because Flynn decided he would have an hour long nap. Good boy.

* Showered and went to the mall. Bought a new fleecy hoodie. Since getting big milk-boobs, i dont have much warm that will fit me for winter.

* Subway, Eat Fresh!

* Watched a recorded DVD of this past weeks episode of " The Amazing Race ". I love me some Race, and this was on my wishlist of things i wanted to do on Mothers Day. Flynn had a feed and a sleep while it was on, and Mickey J took himself off for a quick bike ride.

* Went to my mums for afternoon tea ( we had been to Micks mums last weekend. She lives in another town so it was easier to split the visits ). My dad made a lovely zuchinni and sweet potato cake. Good man.

* My sister had bought a puppy and was also visiting my parents, with the puppy. I love puppies!

* Flynn got tired and had a nap on my dads lap which was awesome, seeing as he's been majorly clingy the last few weeks. Good boy.

* Got home and gave Flynn a bath - marvelled at how he marvels at the rubber ducks that he has in the tub. Too cute!

* Mick made me a lovely red penang curry fpr dinner. We figured out earlier that he'd forgot to plan dessert, so i made my own peach crumble. Tinned peaches to the rescue!

* Mick and I settled in to watch " Where The Wild Things Are " ( Flynn had already flaked it and gone to sleep ). It was a really, really sweet movie. Actually, you could probably even describe it as bittersweet. I dont really remember the book so much - although i do know that i read it once or twice as a child - but the whole melancholia of Max and the Wild Things and the beautiful rise and fall of their friendship really touched me.

* Gave Flynn a dream feed .... we've had a full week of him waking around 3am-4am for a feed, when he had been waking at 6am or 7am, so i tried the whole dream feed thing hoping it would get him to sleep a little longer. It totally worked. Good Mummy!

* Went to bed utterly exhausted. I had Friday at the zoo, Saturday at the show and Sunday out and about - by 10pm last night i was well and truely ready for bed.

I really enjoyed my day, even though we didnt do anything spectacularly exciting. I had breakfast, lunch and dinner all prepared for me; i didnt do a single load of washing; i got to take a shower by myself; and i got to snuggle up to my gorgeous fiance in a cuddly, warm, dressing gown whilst nursing my precious son to sleep. What more could a mama want?

Very Superstitious....

Day four of " What the reader, wants the reader gets "/300thblog post celebration week. Todays post is courteousy of Kylie at The Rockgarden. She wants to know: Do you have any personal rituals or superstitions?

I had to kind of think long and hard about this one - i dont really have any personal rituals ( like wearing lucky underpants or putting on my left shoe first or whatever ) but i am a little superstitious. But why? Why have i picked up some superstitions but completely dismissed others? I suppose it comes down to how you were raised and who by - if you parents and grandparents tell you a certain superstition, i think you're more likely to stick with it.

For the record, i chose that there picture because i DO NOT  ever walk under ladders. I'm sure this one was passed down to me by my nan. Its bad luck standing under ladders you see ( for what reason, i'm not sure... ) so i dont even risk the wrath of the Universe. We quiet often have workmen come to my workplace needing to get into the roof, and the manhole happens to be right above my work station. Well, as long as they have their ladder open there i find something other than paper work to do, because i refuse to stand or walk under ladders, even for a few seconds.

I also:

1.  Never put shoes on the table

2. Cross my fingers when i'm in need of good luck

3. Fork my fingers when a black cat crosses my path and;

4. I was known to spend a good amount of time searching for four leaf clovers when i was young.

So no - no crazy personal rituals that i can tell you about, but a few odd superstitions here and there. Strangely enough i'm one of those folks that DOESN'T think Friday the 13th is bad luck - in fact, every Friday the 13th i go out and buy a lottery ticket, hoping to catch all thegood vibes floating around out there! So what superstitions do you guys believe in? Why ? And anything in particular that makes you feel lucky or unlucky?

Ooh, and only 2 days left of " What the reader wants, the reader gets! " so get your suggestions in!

I " Honestly " Love You....

I gotta say – I love you guys, my faithful blog readers. You sent me so much bloggy love in the comments of my last post, when I was feeling all down about the state of my housewifery skills. I really appreciated it that so thanking you all very muchly – you people rock! What also rocks, and is very much appreciated, is being given an award : the “ Honest Scrap “ award ( which I know some of you out there already have ) by the very talented E over at Whining At The World. So a special thanks to you E.


Now apparently there is also a meme that goes along with the award, and it goes a little something like this:
1. You must brag about the award.

2. You must include the name of the blogger who gave you the award and link back to that blogger.
3. You must choose a selection of blogs that you find brilliant in honest content.
4. Show their names and links and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with this award.
5. List at least ten honest things about yourself.
........then pass it on with the instructions!

So......
1. I have hair on my feet. I’m not exactly on par with a Hobbit but I have light skin and dark hair so it’s a little noticeable on places it shouldn’t be. You know, like my toes. Eww.

2. My FIL annoys me. I don’t hate him or anything its just that his idea of a conversation is talking AT you ( not to you ) and he doesn’t really believe in punctuality. Or letting my baby sleep. Those things get on my goat.

3. I secretly worry, at the back of my mind, that Mick will figure out that I am not totally sane and will up and leave me one day. That thought scares me.

4. I don’t have many friends. I never have really – I was always the girl at school who kind of got along with everyone, but really only counted a handful of people as good friends. In the 9 years since leaving high school, even those “ good “ friends have dwindled down to only 3 – and I’m not really even sure about one of those either.

5. I leant some of Micks boots to a photographer friend, even though I was 95% sure he wouldn’t lend them to her if he were here. Then I lied about lending them. This is the only lie I’ve ever told him – and I feel really bad. I’d make a “ maybe he should spank me “ joke right about now, but if he busts me lying about his boots he wont find anything funny in it at all.

6.I haven’t done yoga for a while – there was only one antenatal yoga class offered in my town and it was too expensive, and my normal yoga teachers couldn’t cater to me once my bump was too big – but, when I did go to classes, I felt superior to other women in the class because I was better at it then them. I know, shame on me, but I’m good at yoga ( I’m also kind of a yoga Nazi… ) so call it pride, call it ego, but it felt good to know I was better at something than someone else for once.

7. Mick and I are having our engagement party on Easter Saturday, April 3rd. So far we have had quite a few people RSVP “ not attending “, including every single person that I work with. Even though most people who aren’t coming cant come because theyre going away for Easter, I feel really rejected – truth is, besides birthday parties when I was little, I’ve never actually had a real party before. And now heaps of people aren’t coming to this one and I feel like a big old Nigel No-friends. Poo to that.

8. I think I can sing well. I don’t know what anyone else thinks because I’m too embarrassed to sing in front of anyone but my baby ( Flynn loves my rendition of “ Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes “ ).

9. I don’t get along with my maternal grandparents, especially my maternal grandmother. Without delving into details, she’s not a nice person and I just don’t like her. People tell me I should because she’s my grandma but that doesn’t mean jack – you earn respect, its not just handed to you on a platter people.

10. I’m not normally into shameless self promotion, but today I am – head over to Blog This! , vote for me in this weeks Challenge poll ( for this post here ) and help me see if I can win!

And now for my recepients:
Daughter @ Daughter of the Stars
Madisons Mum @ Raising Madison
Paula @ Insert My Blog Name Here

Thinking Happy, Week 7 ( ? )

Ok, at leats i think i'm up to Week 7. Either way, its time for another weekly round of Operation Think Happy, brought to you by Holly at Good Golly Miss Holly!

1. Time with family and friends - yesterday was such a great day. Mick, Flynn and I visited with a dear old friend of mine, a lovely older lady that i've known for years, and it was a pleasure to catch up and be able to introduce her to my little family. Plus, after that, we got ourselves some Subway for lunch and headed to one of our local parks and met up with my parents, my sister, my 2 neices, my  uncle and his 2 daughters.... for a huge playdate!

2. Lovely weather - the sun makes me smile. It amkes me smile even more when the temperature is not so hot that you feel like you're going to drown in sweat, but not so cold that you need to bundle yourself up. Its been a week of absolutely lovely weather and i've been fortunate enough to be able to get out and enjoy it.

3. New recipes - So remember how i wanted to be Martha Stewart ? Well i've really been giving it my all this past week. I went through some recipe books, wrote myself out a shopping list, and cooked some really yummy meals this week. Mick has appreciated the effort and always tells me how good the meal was and thanks me for cooking it ( even when its crap! ) so its made me smile that i can cook nice meals for my family, without becoming too boring.

4. Fitting back into my pre-pregnancy jeans - hallelujah! Again, i dont really feel the need to mention the specific size but fitting back into my pre-pregnancy jeans made me happy because a) there are 2 or 3 pairs i  just really love and b) i dont have to waste money on hew jeans to fit my post-pregnancy body!

5. My son - he just gets cuter and chubbier and more clever by the day. He's learnt to poke his little tongue out ( cheeky boy! ) and now if he's sitting on my lap and i take hold of his little hands and gently lift them up, he plants his little feet and pushes up with his legs til he's standing. He think its the neatest trick ever and i think its too cute when he looks all chuffed with himself.

6. Getting to have a long shower - most days i get enough time to jump under the water, have a quick scrub of my bones and jump out. So it makes me happy when i can leave Flynn with his daddy and take a long, hot shower, shave my legs and wash my hair properly. Mmm, bliss....

7. ' Special ' time with Mick - if i have to explain this one to you, your too young and naive to be reading my blog...

Thinking Happy, Week 3 - Happy Valentines Day!

Ok, so its actually the day before Valentines Day but i'm getting in early while i have both my children ( the baby-child AND the man-child ) asleep . Once again, i'm joining in Good Golly Miss Holly!'s " Operation Think Happy " by making a list of 7 things that have made me happy or put a smile on my face this week - feel free to join if you like!

1. Being healthy - both Flynn and I had our 6 week post-natal check ups this week and i'm happy to say we're both healthy and problem free!

2. Having time to myself - I left Flynn at Grandma and Poppy's house ( thats my mum and dad ) while i went to get a haircut. Its the first time i've had in 7 weeks to get and out and about by myself - it was so nice just to have an hour and half just doing something for me. Of course i wondered what Flynn was doing and went straight to him and smothered him with kisses when i got back.... but in the moment, it made me happy to have that little ounce of freedom.

3. An early morning snuggle - with everybody! Now before you let your imagination run away with you, i'm taking me, Mick and Flynn, all curled up together this morning. I had Flynn curled into my chest trying to get him back to sleep and then Mick rolled over and hugged me into him. It was just a blissful little moment where i realised what a beautiful little family we've made....

4. Blog posts - not mine: yours! I've read so many interesting posts this week.... keep up the good work people!

5. My haircut - ok so i've already mentioned that being able to get out and go for a haircut made me happy, but the haircut itself has put a smile on my face too. I've had about 6cm/2 inches-ish taken off so i now have a shoulder length bob type thing happening. I have a natural wave in my hair which, with the new length, looks much more bouncy and less weighty. Noice!

6. A full nights sleep - Flynn had one night of what is called ' sleeping through ' - that is, he slept from 10:30pm til 6:30am, which means Mummy got almost a full 8 hrs. Might not sound like much but it made my day!

7. Facebook friend requests - i had one from a blog buddy ( hey Paula! ) and one from a girl i went to high school with. She still lives here in town but - as you do - we lost touch, so it was nice to get a friend request and be able to catch up a bit. I've also realised that there are at least 5 girls from my class ( including me ) who still live here who have babies 1 yr old or younger. Maybe i should try and start a mummas group with them?

So there you be - with Valentines Day up tomorrow hopefully i will have some more highlights for next weeks list.... and a specific Valentines Day recap post for you aswell!

Realisations and Ponderisations 28.10.09

* I love my blog – and my bloggy friends. Why else would I have gone semi-postal only a few days ago ?

*People love a pregnant lady. I personally have always loved pregnant ladies, with their big round tummies and the way they have to waddle everywhere. ( Yes, that’s right, I’m admitting it. I WADDLE. ) Now that I’m well and truly showing I have people that come into our practice asking when I’m due, or do I know what I’m having…. As of yet I haven’t had random people wanting to touch the bump though. Thank god, because if it gets to that stage that may be a little too intimate to be sharing with strangers. I am, however, happy to share my bump with J – she’s yet to actually catch a kick or a movement, but she’s trying really hard.

*Lawns are great. I’d say grass in general, but I’m not overly fussed on wild grasses or the overgrown jungles you find in some peoples backyards. I’m talking about lawns – nice, fresh, manicured, green lawns. It’s a real treat to be able to kick my shoes off in spring and summer and walk around barefoot ( in my yard of course, not like, say, at the mall. Umm….eww. ) The feel of lush grass underfoot is just the essence of Australian summer for me. Plus, a well kept lawn just makes your whole house look better. I’m about the presentation to, you know….

*Whilst on the subject of lawns – DON’T PARK ON MY GRASS. Seriously people – Mr Gil and I do not spend precious time watering and feeding the lawn to have you park your big, ugly, dirty car on it. The lawn is for walking and admiring – the street is for parking. Also please note: parking on my lawn is extra rude when your aren’t even a guest of mine. If your hanging out with one of neighbours, park on their damn grass.

*“ Big Bang Theory “ is a great show. I didn’t quite get into at the start but now I’m loving it. I think its because, underneath, I’m actually a nerd ( Mr Gil claims my adeptness at Wii Boggle to be evidence of this claim ) – I’m not quite on the scale of Sheldon, but I can appreciate the whole nerd aspect of the show. Plus, I totally have a crush on Leonard. Leonard is a total cutie with his big glasses and his shyness and his sarcasm – and Penny can totally see it. Penny and Leonard are going to be my new Ross and Rachel….

*I actually enjoy cleaning my bathroom. This is both strangely odd and kind of scary. Who the hell enjoys cleaning anything, let alone their bathroom?

*I miss sushi. And soft serve icecream. And camembert cheese. All things I’m supposed to avoid whilst pregnant. Poo to that.

*I haven’t been to the movies for a while. By a while, I mean for maybe 2 months, 10 weeks at the most. That’s quite a length of time for me. And whats even weirder is that their have been movies released that I would have liked to have seen, I just never got around to getting down to the cinema. This makes me kind of sad. It also makes me realize I had better check out a few more new release movies before I have a crying baby to disturb everyone else with. Thank god for the “ crying room “ at my local cinema complex….

Another Weekend By The Numbers

8:30 - time i went to bed on Friday night. Yep, a Friday night and i'm in bed before most 10 year olds. However, i am pregnant and Friday night i just could not get comfortable AT ALL. There was no remedy for it except to gu lie down and shut it all out.

1 - diamond ring that was presented to me with my breakfast in bed on Saturday morning.

1 - proposal by Mr Gil.

5 - approximate number of times i smiled " Yes!!! " in reply. Yep - consider me engaged...

6 - number of people my mum invited around to my house for an impropmtu afternoon tea on Saturday afternoon. Without checking with me first, but seeing as my mum supplied the banana cake we ate, i didnt mind. My mum just couldnt wait more than a few hours for me to announce my engagement to my immediate family.

$70ish - the approximate cost of the lovely romantic dinner Mr Gil took me out for on Saturday night. We tried a new Thai resturant in town - mussaman curry = mmmmm....

62 - my new top score on Wii Boggle. Mr Gil thinks that i'm a nerd because i'm good at Boggle ( ok, probably true ) but i think he may be secretly reading the dictionary so he can beat me one day.

7 - hrs spent at antenatal class on Sunday. The midwife that ran the class was quite casual and funny, so everything seems a bit less scary now. If literally billions of other women can have babies, so can i!

$600 - approximate amount of money we've spent on the bubba so far. Thats not including clothes and blankets and knick knacks, only big ticket items. We've got a car seat on layby and then we only have to get a cot, and it will be time to set up the nursery.....