I did a bad, bad thing.....

Yesterday I went to the shops.

Master 15.....who wasn't back to school until today....needed to get his school supplies.

He also wanted to check out a few clothes shops...being the fashionista that he is.....so we went shopping together.

Master 15 loves shopping...as much as I do....and he will often encourage me into buying things that I don't really need....and I often let him.

I had been meaning to get myself a new pair of sunglasses.....so I thought I would have a quick look.

I am extremely indecisive when it comes to picking things like glasses...it's just so hard to pick out what suits you best and what will be the most useful....so it's always helpful to have another opinion along with you.

The girl in the shop was lovely....very helpful....and very good at her job.  She looked at my face....and was immediately able to tell me what style, shape and colour would suit me best.  Everyone needs a girl like this when picking out sunglasses.

Problem was she was too good.

She zoomed around the store and plucked several pairs from here, there, everywhere.....and presented them to me to try on.

I loved every pair....they all looked good....and now I had the job of narrowing down these five pairs to just one.

So one went because they were too similar to my last pair and another went because they didn't feel as comfortable as the others.  The third pair were culled when they didn't pass her smile test.  You put on the glasses and smile a big smile.....if your cheeks touch the bottom of the frames they don't fit your face well....apparently.

So I was left with two pairs....two entirely different pairs....two entirely different colours....two entirely different shapes....two entirely different styles....and a big decision.....

These.......

...or these.......

Which pair to choose.....I HATE making decisions!!

I ummed and I ahhed....and I could NOT make up my mind.......so.......

I bought both

Ssshhh....don't tell Hubby!!

Even Master 15 who loves spending money, specially someone else's, just shook his head in disgust.

I would love to say they were cheap ones....and it really didn't matter that I bought both.....but they weren't....and it did!

So I mentioned to Hubby...."I bought some sunglasses today"....I just didn't mention how many pairs.

Now to keep them hidden for long enough so that I can bring them out later and say "What these old things!"

Have you ever bought anything that just made you feel sick with guilt afterwards?

Hello High School....

Not so very long ago I sent a cute little boy off to his very first day at big school....

He was keen to be a big boy and start school....but was a little nervous about the unknown.

Fast forward 7 years and not too much has changed.

Master 12 started big, big school this morning......

He was keen....high school has more street cred....and all kids reach the point where they are anxious to grow up.  But he was also nervous....having an older brother filling your head with high school horror stories will do that.  Master 12 is a kid that gets comfort from routine and familiar surroundings.

I picked him up this afternoon...he had a big grin on his face....that's a good sign.

You know your boy is growing up when you ask them how it went and they shrug their shoulders...."Good"....and that's it.

I managed to get a little more information by bribing him with chocolate milk.....apparently the good things about High School are that you are allowed to sit anywhere you want  and the teachers don't act childish (!?!).  The bad things are that the timetable is complicated and he's not going to use the toilets....ever!

His final assessment...."High School is better than Primary"....and with that I let out a giant sigh of relief!

Hidden treasure....

Hubby discovered an old game of his when we emptied out the old entertainment unit....see yesterday's post for that exciting adventure.

He decided it was almost certainly worth a small fortune by now.....being vintage and all....and decided to check out that fount of valuation knowledge....eBay....to see if he would be able to take an early retirement.

Turns out he will have to keep working for a few years yet!

In the process however, he discovered that people will pay good money for those old gems.....Game and Watches.  Now it just so happens that I had a few of those in my youth...and so I was sent to check out the boxes of mystery in the back of the cupboard in the hope of finding them....just in case he could take early retirement on my money instead.

The Game and Watches remained elusive...and no doubt a trip into the roof cavity will follow at a later date to locate those....but I did find this little hidden treasure.

It's my "port" from kindergarten....and inside....some carefully selected school books from my Primary School years.

I obviously didn't keep them all....just some very early ones....and most of my Poetry and Creative Writing.  My favourite subjects back then....and still enjoyed today....hence this blog.

Here's a delightful self portrait I drew on one of my first days of kindergarten....

....something was terrifyingly wrong with my legs!

Then an exciting story about cracker night.....from first grade.

Obviously written back in the olden days....when you were allowed to set off fireworks in your own back yard.....those were the days.

But my favourite of all.....a report written covering Toffee Day in fourth grade......

Reporting:
Toffee Day
At playlunch time On Wednesday the 28th of November 4/5S will be holding a toffee stall, I think it will be rather heavy.  It will be held at 11 o'clock near the canteen weathershed.  They will be sold for 5c each.  The money that is raised will go to Stewart House, I'd rather keep it myself.  We are hoping to sell at least 50 of them.  So please don't forget to bring your money.  Thank You.

Which proves I was a ratbag back then too!

Botox for the buffet.....

Hubby decided he wanted a BIG TV.....which meant a major overhaul of our  "TV furniture".

So I came up with bright idea of performing a little makeover on this old piece....

It was even one of my New Year's Non Resolutions......I promised I would get it done this month....being January.....being almost over.

I did make a start....I took off the old handles....

.....and ordered some new ones.

I sanded it back.......

and started to paint......

....even more amazingly I finished painting.

Then I asked Hubby to drill 4 holes......for the new handles.

Cue the elevator music.....waiting.....waiting.....waiting.....fast forward two weeks......Hubby drilled the holes and we added the handles.

TA-DA......

Not too shabby hey?......well it is......but that's the way I like it!

And that extra storage I eyed off in the sales.....

well TA-DA......I bought it.....then I changed it's handles too.....to these little sweeties......

So we have BEFORE.....

And we have AFTER......

Now all we need is that big TV......."HUBBY!!"

UPDATE
Just to prove how fast things happen when Hubby wants them to happen....by this afternoon there is an AFTER the AFTER......

.....spot the difference anyone?

Linking up with scandi coast home.

4/52

"A portrait of our children, once a week, every week in 2013."

Master 15:  Just completed the 2013 Raw Challenge...every boy's idea of a good time...running around in the mud.

Master 12:  Pensive and thoughtful......imagining the big week ahead.

Linking up with Che and Fidel and their fantastic project.

Happy Australia Day...

Today is Australia Day......and this year it can be found nestled snugly within the Australia Day Long Weekend.  It's so much nicer that way.....when it falls mid week it just doesn't feel right....nothing is more Australian than enjoying a long weekend.

There's really no excuse not to make a whole holiday of it.  Therefore, I decree from henceforth whenever our National Day falls within a weekend it will be known as......Australia Day Eve, Australia Day and Boxing Kangaroo Day....and everyone must "Avagoodweekend".

We began our patriotic celebrations last night by going out to dinner for that most cherished and true blue of Aussie traditional meals...the local Chinese Restaurant.  There is nothing more Aussie than a Friday night serving of spring rolls and sweet n sour pork....we all grew up enjoying that.

Master 12 brought a mate...I nearly typed friend but that wouldn't do for this post.....we will call him Master Z.  He showed us his fully Australian chilli eating talents.....

Today most Aussies will be enjoying Family BBQs.....with a dozen snags per person.....just in case......after all Bruce from next door said he might drop over for a beer.

I will be following the other Saturday Australian tradition...that of cricket widow....cause if cricket doesn't stop for Christmas....it sure doesn't take a break for Australia Day!

To prove my true blue patriotism to the citizens of the world.....well at least the ones driving past my place....I decided to add a little decorative flair and a whole lot of Aussie spirit to the house....

....amazing how much national pride you can buy for $5 from Coles.

Until you read the fine print.......

Finally, I nicked this from a friend's mate's facebook page....I think it sums it up better than I ever could :)

Hope everyone has a fantastic Australia Day.....Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.....oi, oi, oi!!!

The most important meal of the day.....

This morning as I was busily completing my housework....OK.....as I was sitting quietly reading a philosophy book.....OK....as I was lazily lolling around in bed playing Angry Birds on the iPad....I could hear Master 15 banging and crashing around in the kitchen.

The sound of pots and pans, utensils and cutlery echoing throughout the house could only mean one thing.....Master 15 was cooking himself breakfast.

Now I know that such pursuits are to be encouraged...it's wonderful that he is growing up....becoming independent....that he is capable of looking after himself....that he is showing an interest in such things....his future wife will surely thank me...yada yada yada!

Deep down inside....I was cursing!

When Master 15 decides to cook it can only mean one thing......a huge, disastrous mess.  It usually involves twice as many pans than is strictly necessary.....every whisk, spoon and spatula in the house gets a workout.  There will be splashes and spillages on every conceivable surface...and on a few you would never have thought of......and it will all be kindly left for ME to clean up.

But despite my fears and impending frustration I bit my tongue and didn't rush out...I left him to his own devices.  I must admit the aroma of scrambled eggs wafting through the house was appetising.....I'm still working on the part where he makes whatever he is cooking for everyone and not just himself....and I waited.

Once everything was quiet....and the bedroom door slammed....I made my way out with trepidation to view the awaiting horror......and you know what......

......it wasn't too bad.....he could have leaned over and put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher....but everyone needs to leave a little room for improvement....right?

Spot the difference.....

Usually when I go shopping for the day it's to the local suburban shopping centre...if I'm feeling adventurous I might venture further afield to a shopping centre in another suburb....but today I tried something quite, quite different.

Today I went to the big smoke and shopped in the city.

Master 15 and a couple of his friends wanted a day "in town"......and as I'm not quite prepared to let him take off on the train on his own....just yet....Master 12 and I scored a day out too.....whether we liked it or not.  Master 12 did not like it.

It was quite a shock to my system when the alarm went off...in the holidays....at the unearthly hour of 6.00am.  This was to enable me to get up, get ready, get the kids up, feed the dog, nag Master 12 to get ready, pick up the other two boys from their homes, drive to the local train station, find a park, buy a ticket and catch the train....all by 7.53.

Master 12 not liking it

Here is Master 15 and pals not knowing me on the train....don't you just love teenagers....

It took over 2 hours to get from our place to Town Hall.....it wouldn't be out of the question to be expecting something pretty special after travelling that far.....would it?

However I found the shops in the city to be basically the same as those in the suburbs....with just a few minor differences.

Fancy Schmancy

• The floor tiles are much nicer.
• It cost me $16.80 to get there....I can only imagine the cost of being a full time commuter. 
• There is more "high end"....which I can't afford....and I doubt many others can either.....dresses reduced to $1050 for example.  
• The clothes that Master 15 specifically wanted....and travelled all that way for.....were found to be more expensive than if he had ordered them off the internet and then had them shipped from the UK.....he bought them anyway.
• A chocolate milkshake costs $7......I bought it anyway....Master 12, that is why you will one day be paying for my nursing home!

Liquid gold

Next time we'll just go sightseeing!

But at least the parking was free....

One week till school goes back....and other harsh realities....

Eeeks...school holidays are almost over......where in the world did that 6 weeks disappear to?

I know plenty of Mum's are eagerly counting down the days....and trust me in some ways I am too.

This household desperately needs some form of routine reinstalled.

When it's holidays our sleeping patterns are all over the place, our eating patterns are all over the place, the housework is done sporadically, exercise is totally forgotten, washing is only done when someone runs out of something....and we never know what day of the week it is.

99% of the time I love it.....Hubby not so much!

But now it is almost over....Master 15 is about to go into Year 10....which I'm sure has to be a mistake....because by my calculations he only started school about 3 years ago.

Master 12 is about to start High School...and this thought horrifies me somewhat.  Mostly because my little baby is almost grown up...and partly because it reinforces the fact that I must be getting OLD!!

So today we are off to the uniform shop at school to collect a few last minute supplies...I'll come out of there with a school diary, a small pile of exercise books, a pair of shorts and maybe a polo shirt and a supermassive black hole in my bank account!!!

Welcome back to reality!

Let me tell you a secret.....

I have been having a clandestine affair.....and this time it's not with the air conditioner.

I've been trying to keep it from Hubby...though I suspect that he suspects.

It won't last forever...in fact I have it on good authority that it's for a limited time only.

So I'm grabbing any chance to indulge....whenever and wherever it arises.

I can be found sneaking out at all hours for a guilty rendezvous.....which coincidentally usually coincides with Master 15's pick ups and drop offs from work.

But tell me....who could possible resist......

...a frozen passionfruit Slurpee type thing.....for a limited time only??

A long lunch......

We spent a lovely afternoon with some old friends yesterday.

I would put up a few photos, but Mr T is averse to having his picture on the internet....so I shall keep him suitably incognito.

They came to our place for lunch...it was one of those long, lazy meals that started with nibbles, cheese and wine, to be followed with a bruschetta starter, to be followed later with a surf and turf main...to be followed even later with a lime and lemon tart for desert.

As a result we were eating our lunchtime desert at around 7.00pm.

If we were in a restaurant there would be no tips for speedy service...but we were in no rush and there was plenty of time for conversation and reminiscing.

In effect we were eating.....constantly.....for many, many hours.

We waved them off as they left for the drive home at around 8.00pm...and wandered back inside.

Master 15 turned to me....."I'm hungry.....what's for dinner?"

MERCY!!!

3/52

"A portrait of our children, once a week, every week in 2013."

Here we are at Week 3....

Thanks Che and Fidel, loving this project and the blogging community it opens us up to :)