I dont like Mondays.

Because it means WORK.

This is my last monday shift WOO HOO. Well until next time they want me to fill in. As of next week I think I am only doing my normal 3 days. I am looking forward to it actually.

Today I start at 12:30. I will not get home till around 6 so we are having a BBQ for dinner. I have already done most of the prep so it shouldn't take long to have food on the table.

Not much planned for the week ahead. Not sure when Jakes new bike will be available so a lot will be riding on that (pardon the pun). We would like to head to St Arnaud this week end all being well but if the bike needs to be collected Saturday (as is there norm) we may not be able to go.

Warm and windy here today a top of 27 is expected.

Off to hang washing....

Stay safe

xx Nise xx

Long time no write...

Well it is Sunday and they are all still in bed. Well those that are here are still in bed. Jake stayed at a mates for the night and I am sure got up to no good but then again he is 14.

I decided at 9pm last night to spring clean Shannon's room. well it turned into a spring ,summer, winter etc clean it was BAD. I will not to begin to describe what I found BUT it took 5 rubbish bags to get rid of it. She has some small hobs to do in there today then we can vac the floor and maybe look at moving the bed? not much option in her room but we will see if we can wiggle it into another spot for a change.

Well I think we are MAD but last night we brought Jake a motorbike for Christmas. He is thrilled naturally. Col made a video call to him to let him know we won it on ebay (it is new) and his smile went beyond ear to ear. It is the same as Col's bike just a little smaller a 125cc. We have also ordered a second body kit in pink so when Shan outgrows her little bike she can have his as by then he will have moved on to a bigger bike I am sure. Now we need to collect it maybe Friday? and assemble the stupid thing that will take a whole day. Then I am sure it will be off to St Arnaud for a weekend of riding.

I am expecting a visit from the outlaws today. Have not really seen them much as we try not to go there very often after all the rubbish with the BIL. They rang last night to see if we would be home today so I might make a cake later just in case.

I have washing piled up that needs folding so I might watch some of the stuff I have recorded to the IQ. I have recorded so much stuff I need to sort it and see what I have watched and record stuff on to dvd that I want to keep. There is a new series called Ice Truckers. It is about a group of guys taking loads of supplies across frozen lakes to a diamond m in in Canada. They can each earn up to $75k for a 3 month season. I have seen 2 episodes and am hooked.

OH and another interesting (to me) bit of news. Col brought me a sewing machine. I LOBE IT! my old one died and I tended not to use it anyway as it had "issues" so I have now started sewing again. I have made a Christmas wall hanging from a stitchery I had mad and I have half made a quilt. I have some bits of fabric so got a bag of wheat and am going to make some heat packs. The smallest bag of wheat is 4.5k so everyone is getting wheat bags for Christmas!

Col is back on the road after his near miss on Wednesday. For those that did not hear.... He had a $150k Mercedes pull out in front of him from a Mercedes dealership and almost hit it. To prevent the smash he literally stood on the brakes peddle and it popped a brake line therefore losing all brakes. He managed to swerve and miss the sports car and then traveled another kilometer through a red light in busy traffic in Kew! before managing to get it to stop. After a lot of mucking about he discovered the what the problem was and had the RACV get a tow truck to bring him home. Then came the fun of trying to get the new line. Well Mercedes have none in the country! it was going to be a week to get one from Germany. So after a few phone calls we found a guy locally who ended up making one a lot cheaper and the nest day. So by Friday he was back on the road. He is still a little nervous I can tell you.

So fingers crossed this week will be a "normal " week :)

Off to fold that washing I can hear kids getting outta bed AARRGGGGG

Nise

Thursday on the Ranch

well it isn't really a ranch but I do feel like sticking something hot on the kids butts to get them going some days thou ... is that bad parenting?

Ok it is Thursday.... The school holidays are going well. Today is the the first day the kids have asked to have someone over. Not bad hey! made it till the second last day WOO HOO.

Jake has cousin Michael coming sometime today for a sleep over. Jake was going to go home with him tomorrow and stay the night but Michael has to go job hunting. Over the holidays he has decided to he dosnt want to go back to school to finish the last term. He is 17 and not academic. He is more hands on. He gets good grades at school but he has to work really hard at it.

Shannon wants a friend over for a visit but we need to arrange something with another friend first. The other friend took Shan to the pictures last week and it is our turn this week but we have not been able to get onto them. If I cant get them this morning to plan something for today or tomorrow then Shan can have the other friend over.

Today I have decided its calender day. Each year I make and print a calender for the next year. I use publisher because I cant buy one with enough room for all our c$@p. I did it a couple of years ago and it is fantastic. It lives in a plastic sleeve with a magnet on the back on the fridge. It is "Our Life" no one makes plans without first checking the fridge. Today I have printed 2 years worth. I have also googled the school holidays,public holidays and daylight savings etc and will sit and create these calenders. It will take me about an hour to complete but man is it worth it.

Not much planned for the weekend ahead. Bathurst is on so will plonk my butt in front of the telly for much of that. Would like to get the project car into the garage and outta the way so the project trailer can move up the drive and perhaps get some work done? We need this new bike trailer if we wish to go riding. We will have another 2 bikes in the near future and they wont all fit in the back of the Vito.

Off to have a hit of caffeine then food shopping oh the joy.

cheers
Nise

It hurts...

I hurt my hip Sunday lifting potting mix and now it REALLY hurts. I stuffed myself full of pain meds last night with the view to knocking myself out and not tossing and turning and what do you know it worked. I slept like a baby. It is still sore today but I think it is nothing panadol wont fix.

Well week 2 of the school holidays and all is well so far :) I am home all this week and plan to catch up on some stuff about home as well as take the kids to the pictures etc.

Yesterday was a dud I couldn't move so spent the day watching movies with the kids. this isn't a bad thing but how many times can a girl watch high school musical???? Today Shan wants to watch grease. OH joy!

Col and I have worked out our Christmas holidays etc and have decided to pretty much just take the week between Christmas and new year. We are planning to take a week off towards the end of January and go bike riding. We will wait and see what's happening with his work etc before deciding.

I managed to stitch yesterday for around 5 hours! first time in ages I have been able to get that much in. Part of that time was spent fixing up a stuff up from the night before ;) but all is well now. Col took me to the shops when he got home yesterday and I managed to get a pack of beading needles at the craft shop. They normally don't have anything like that only patchwork etc. So I think I might add the beads as I go rather than all at the end. not sure yet???

OK off for a caffeine fix to help start the day...

Nise

Monday and we survived our weekend away

Well we are home and we managed to not kill each other all weekend. Helps when all your family are spread in different directions and not hanging off you!

We got up early Saturday and were at St Arnaud by 10am after stoping for breakfast etc in town.

When we arrived at Steve & Julies they were just finishing unloading the removal truck and were ready for their breakfast so we made their breakky while they had a good look around. They had arrived at 2am and had not had a chance to see much.

The boys were soon off riding and we girls got to sorting the house. didnt take long and we had it all done. Then it was time for lunch. We had brought a chicken and some other bits with us from town so that became lunch.

Saturday night we had a bonfire and burnt all the wood lying about the house to clear it away and a heap of furniture that either had been left at the house OR Julie didnt want anymore.

Uncle Ronny and Auntie Val joined us for the fire and a few drinks and fun was had by all. It became a VERY late night and there were a few tired and sore bodies the next day.

Sunday it was everyman for himself and the majority were off riding. Col and I went for a ride then I stayed back and watched Holly while Steve and Julie went to survey their new 120 acre holiday property.

After lunch I started packing up to come home but no one wanted to leave. We left at 4 and were home by 7. Now I have a day of washing ahead :)

I had a play with the camera and just took photo's of everything so here are a few for you to look at.

Oh and in the phot of the view.. look for the house that is all green off in the distance thats ronnie and vals house

xx Nise xx

The bike is here...

Yep it is FINALLY here....

It took us 2 hours to get to the factory and back to pick it up and about 4 hours to get it out of the packaging and together.

It was stuck on the dock with customs for a week as it had asbestos brake pads that had to be removed. SO when we got it we were handed another pack of pads that at about 10pm we discovered only one set fit! SO today we will have to go back and get the right ones. Apart from that and bits in the bits in the box we have no idea where to put it this morning looks like a bike! It is in the garage so I will get more photos later.

its friday YYIIPPPEE

I like most am so glad it's Friday. Not for any particular reason other than it signals the end of the week. It for me is almost like "I made it through another one" if that makes sense?

Have worked all week apart from Monday. Have had crap thrown at me at work but it seems to have settled. I am fortunate the Operations Manager is on my side. I am right on this one. Not often I can say I am right but this time I truly am.

I would like a hair cut today. I finish at 12:45 so should have time. BUT the motor bike is due in today and you can bet I will have to go get it and I wont get a hair cut today ;) No bother I can always go tomorrow.

We are planning a weekend of cleaning the garage. it is over run with junk. There is even a home made go cart in there my brother made and dumped on to us. it will get cut up! I am going to enjoy that. Col wants more room for his office and we want to get the project car in there so we can finally get some more work done on it.

We have been looking at some bush blocks of land about an hour from here and they are reasonably priced we were surprised. We want a holiday place of our own. We need to pay off the Van first but after that we should be right.

OK off to do something with this hair so I can go to work.

Be good...Or good at it!

OK back again.... I have a few minutes ALONE!

I have been to work and am glad to be home it was MAD... I did manage to get a hair cut before I came home. I knew if I did not do it it would not happen :) I also found out the Motor bike is in! yIPPEEEEEEEE so now waiting for Col to get home so we can go and get it... Photo's to follow.

Rubbish bag man came today too and emptied our rubbish bag which is perfect for the garage clean now we have somewhere to chuck the trash.... Bye again

Nise