Happy New Year 2012

Here's to a blessed new year full of new things to learn & new adventures to have!

Much love to you all...

For those who like to reflect on the year behind, here's some questions to ponder...

2012 is nearly here...

I LOVE this cartoon...
Go the Mayans ;-)

Christmas over for another year...

How delightful to sleep in this morning!! It was totally awesome.

It was great to celebrate Jesus' birthday yesterday. Our band was rostered on in church so that was fun to play at - there were lots of laughs, a few mistakes & lots of joy. Wonderful to hear some Truth. My two had a great morning - they really loved all their gifts & it was great that they loved watching us open a few things too. I hope they keep growing into caring adults...

Marea & Alf got caught in nightmare traffic do didn't get here until a bit later than we thought, & Katherine & Andrew were running late too...but we all had lunch eventually although I forgot to put a few dishes out. & the bonbons got left up high on a shelf where D had put them! Oh well, it was lovely to relax together & EAT. We will be eating left overs all week?

Tonight D & I wanted to watch an old Dr Who episode that I'd taped...however it was quite scary. So Noggin is sleeping in my side of the bed with D & Drama Queen is sleeping on the lounge so they feel safer. You forget how dreadful fear can be to a child...I am such a dreadful mother...I thought it would get better & they did have pillows over their faces...sometimes it's what you don't see that can be scarier than what you do see & what you imagine is worse than reality...hmmm, maybe there is a lesson there for me as I think about career etc...I am so dreadfully nervous about considering all my options...

Sounds wonderful...

Christmas. Dreading it?

Christmas. Dreading it?

This is a great article by Petrea King...we learnt so much for spending a week at her centre post D's transplant. It was so helpful! She has some really good comments to share about Christmas & pain after a loss...worth a read!

I loved this quote: "there is no finite time for grief as there is no finite time for love"

A pack of ravenous 17 year old boys are coming for dinner...

...madly cooking things I can find around the house as the bank balance is pretty empty until Thursday!

D's group of school guys have planned to have a meal together & then they're watching "12 Angry Men"

What a great movie to see as a student! Anyway...back to the cooking ;-)  I hope as Noggin grows up at school he has great teachers who will teach him great things & inspire him...

*Holiday Crisis Cleaning* (Thanks FlyLady!)

Holiday Crisis Cleaning
flylady, 12/17/2011 2:00 pm

Dear Friends, I can hear the panic in your voices. "In a few days, we have a ton of company coming, what am I to do?" If you want a crash marathon cleaning session, I can help you, but be warned, without the routines, your home will be trashed again in a day. So you have to listen closely. 1. GO GET DRESSED ALL THE WAY TO SHOES, HAIR FIXED AND FACE MOISTURIZED OR MAKEUP PUT ON. DON'T QUESTION ME ON THIS. JUST DO IT NOW. Put on some good working music. Not too fast, just slow and steady. peppy, but not aerobic. Light a candle that has a good scent or put on some spices on to boil on a very low heat. We are going to start in our kitchens. As the kitchen goes, so does the rest of the house. 2. Set a timer and spend 15 minutes in the kitchen. If your sink is not clean and shiny, then shine it first, then you can fill the sink up with hot soapy water and start to clear off the left and right counters. Empty the dishwasher, When the timer goes off. Stop what you are doing and go to the living room 3. Set the timer again and do 15 minutes cleaning off the coffee tables or picking up toys or newspapers. Concentrate on one thing. Not all of it. When the timer goes off, then go back to the kitchen. Get a laundry basket and put the things that don't belong in the living room in the basket. Take a garbage bag with you too. Start throwing away the trash. Don't get caught up in the guilt we have about recycling this stuff. Just bag it up for now. 20 pounds of trash in a landfill is not going to kill you. So get over this perfectionism attitude. As you get your home in order there will be plenty of time to recycle. For now we are focusing on getting the home presentable. You can't do this if you are hyper-focusing on sorting and recycling. 4. In the kitchen set the time for 15 more minutes, continue to work on clearing the counters. DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED AND WANT TO CLEAN OUT A CABINET. WE ARE DOING ONLY SURFACE CLEANING. 5. Now take a break and walk around and look at what you have accomplished in just 45 minutes. Set the timer for 15 minutes and drink a cup of tea or coffee or whatever you love and just relax. When the timer goes off. You are back in work mode for 15 more minutes. 6. This 15 minute session is in the bathroom. Do you have this! Clean the sink in here first, then pick up towel and dirty clothes and put them in the hamper. DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED AND START A LOAD OF LAUNDRY. I MEAN THIS. LAUNDRY WILL COME LATER! 7. When the timer goes off, you are back in the kitchen. For 15 more minutes. We can do anything in 15 minutes. Keep working till the timer goes off. Then you go to the Living room once again. 8. In the living room, continue to pick up and put away. 9. Every 45 minutes take a 15 minute break. Adapt this schedule to fit your physical limitations and children's needs. But you get the picture. Stay focused on one job for 15 minutes. You are going to be so surprised at how much you get done in a days time. My timer is my best Friend. You can do this. Now turn off the computer and get to work! Let's FLY through this Crisis Cleaning, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy your guests, FlyLady P.S. Put this in your Control Journal for future reference, just in case a friend needs your help.

Order by colour...

This fascinates me...not logical at all, but very artistic. Not good for remembering where things are though...

We're home...

Does a holiday get any better? Coffee from Little Gunga & beautiful scenery...sigh. We stayed with friends at Lake Conjola - time to read, pray, rest, play, kyak, eat, laugh & walk for miles to the toilets in the caravan park we were in. There were three shower blocks, most days one was open...I must be so fit now.

We loved having pizza together our last night & Santa came into the shop to say hello while we munched on wood fired pizzas. You never know who you might meet at Milton. Could have sworn I was behind Vince Jones at an IGA.

Now back to washing washing washing, unpacking & trying to get my head together for Christmas.

*love*

Ah, memories of the 70s. I love everything vintage on this blog!

End of year staff luncheon

How lovely to celebrate the end of the year with all the staff today!

A farewell to some, hugs & relief for others, and a slap on the back for all teachers who have made it through the year AND SURVIVED!

All staff were fed & watered & given a small gift - a paper weight. Great for knocking ourselves out when life gets tough...or holding down the thousands of papers we should mark on a windy day...

It really is a lovely school with such encouraging staff to work with.

I am still trying to get confirmation from OUA to find out if I have been accepted to study...I tried to resend some copies off this afternoon & it still won't accept my scanned copies. They haven't confirmed that they got my faxed papers!? Sigh...at this time of year I feel like teaching is wonderful, but then I feel like it's not able to be sustained. My health just can't keep it up for too much longer...so very hard.

Exhausted

So incredibly weary...but happy that the holidays are nearly here. No school lunches to make today, no pick up from the bus stop, no piano lesson to drive to...tomorrow is a lovely staff luncheon for the teachers, & then we are on hols...

I have pretty much spent the day in bed & the kids are in their PJs at 3:49pm in the afternoon. Bliss...

However, my body is not feeling very well. Lupus...go away please.