Pet Day preparations part 2

The boys wanted to have a go at practising making things for the Pet Day .. which they are doing at school .. here are some of the creations ..

Cam's and Michael's

Our Potato people

    

Michael's, Mine and Cam's

Almost at halfway ... so close ...

I've just had my monthly measurements done at the clinic .. and thought I'd share them .. esp. since I am only 200g from halfway ..StartWeight 84.1 kgChest 112Waist 108Abdomen 111Hips 120Month - 3Weight 74.7kgChest 96.5Waist 89.5Abdomen 104Hips 106.5Weight loss - 9.4kgCm's lostChest 15.5Waist 18.5Abdomen 7Hips 13.5Total cm's lost - 54.5So .. heh heh ... just had to share

Pet Day preparations .. Part 1

ummmmm .. whats this .. me baking .. holy batman

Nope .. on the "Preparations for Pet Day" notice was a little note .. OPTIONAL - your children can make and decorate 3 biscuits .. now I was kind of ignoring this ..la la la la la ...until the boys raced home on Friday all ready to make them after a wee chat from the teacher to the class about if you'd like you can do this ... arghhh ..

Ok so biscuit dough - well the stuff that was left (found an easy recipe which is at the end of this post) .. add playdoh cutter shapes - yeh I know .. but I don't have cookie ones .. and they do the trick

 

Trawl the cupboards for left over dyes from cakes, sprinkles and bribe lollies .. and yay we're ready for fun (minus Cam hiding under the chair coz he can !)

In the oven they go

All cooked (well I hope)

.. and ready set .. go!

 

Michaels' and Cam's

.. adding sprinkles .. and what have you ..

Michael's and Cam's

Some of the end results .. yes before Cam was even near finished he started scoffing them - lol!

Taste testing .. of course ..

..remind me not to get the icing and things ready before hand .. as the boys were PACING .. while the cookie were in the oven .. and don't talk to me about the 20mins "rest" the dough needed in the fridge .. heh heh .. but I survived .. and not one lot of fighting between them .. yahoo!

.. and no I didn't have an urge to 'help' them .. well Ok just a hankering once or twice when the icing was all over the place .. but resisted the urge .. and stepped away from the bench .. and coolly watched as they had fun ..

.. Mark one up for being the "good" mummy today .. heh heh .. (what am I talking about I'm great everyday - ahem - next !)

Next step  .. finding rocks for Pet Rocks .. and veges and fruit for animals/people ... and leaves and flowers for a vaseline saucer (wtf!) .... what happened to sand!

Aha .. found the rocks .. handy having a river on the farm huh?

Tomorrow at school the boys are making their creations .. which is great because a) its done at school, b) because its a surprise when you go and see it in the hall and c) it's done at school .. heh heh ..

Right here is the recipe that is so quick and easy .. I like that kind of thing .. esp. when it comes to cooking ..

Basic biscuit dough

Preparation Time - 15 minutes

Cooking Time - 15 minutes

Makes - 40 (it does .. ummm whoops)

Ingredients

• 250g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup cornflour

Method

1. Using an electric hand mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add egg. Beat until well combined.
2. Sift flour and cornflour over butter mixture. Mix well. Divide in half. Press each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in baking paper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Roll each disc out between 2 sheets of baking paper to 3mm-thick.
4. Using letter-shaped biscuit cutters, cut letters out of dough. Place onto trays. Roll leftover dough together and repeat. Refrigerate biscuits until firm. Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes & tips

• Hint: Dip cookie cutters into flour in between cutting each biscuit to prevent dough from sticking.

Source: Super Food Ideas - December 2004, Page 46

Recipe by Dixie Elliott

When pumpkins drink to much .....

Some new designs from the boys ...

These are Cameron's

Just a mess ... just whatever .. is what he said they are ..

These are Michael's

  

The box .. for Dad ... Calves in the paddock..

A banana .... All that is in the sky today

Dumb rainbow ... cool rainbow

It's so great they have such different styles ..

I really like Cam's first one .. and Michael's second rainbow ..and are going to get them framed ..

Morning sunrise ...

Weight loss progress 23.10.08

83 kgs .... and now 76kgs ..8kgs lostThe jeans and pose don't do much for me though .. lol

Teeth ....

 

See any difference ... Cap on .. Cap off

This is the grossest (is that a word) thing .. my crown keeps blimmin' faliing off ..

I've been to the dentist once already .. and it looks as thought my accident from 26 years ago (and past technology) has come back to haunt me ..

I have NO space under that small "bit" of tooth left .. it's gone .. don't know where .. not even sure if there was any .. but the steel rod in to my gums .. is in to NOTHING!!!!

The one on the left has apparently got "nothing" holding it in at the moment .. and in the next wee while will start falling out also .. while the one on the right of it .. apparently has a crack or something in the root (and it has a steel rod also holding it on) .. and is about to turn to custard also ..

So the "quick" trip to the dentist to have the crown re-gunked last week .. turned in to a dilemma of "how much can you afford to have done" kind of trip ... so I didn't quite have the $10k ... plus specialist and extraction fees and all the rest of it for dental implants .. I'll have to save for that .. so unfortunately I am going for the dental plate .. and have all 3 of the crown extracted (which is still going to cost a pretty penny .. hopefully ACC will come to the party for some of it .. but well that is yet to be seen) ..

The dentist basically left off saying .. well your mouth is a time-bomb waiting to happen .. and luckily this crown fell off as you may well have woken up one morning with a swollen mouth .. because teeth (as we know through Cam's escapades) are the easiest way to get germs in to you bloodstream .. lovely ..

Anyhoo .. next Friday is the D-Day ..and  when I called in on Mon to try and get the crown re-cemented yet again ... I was lucky enough to get the dental imprints done (as luckily someone had cancelled) .. talk me about having a great gag reflex .. meanwhile the dentist telling me to concentrate breathing through my nose .. yeah right ... the mould stuff had dripped on to the back of my tongue ... and when I swiped it with my finger a big lump of the stuff came out .. and he goes .. oh didn't see that dripping out .. arrghhh!

Anyhoo .. all over and done with within 20 mins .. and come back next week ...

.. I asked about re-cementing the tooth .. and he was in a rush and said it's not that much of a pain is it ... Ahhhmmm - YES!

But by this time he'd walked off with the next appt .. grr...

So this week .. I have attempted to NOT swallow my tooth oh about 1000 times .. OK overkill .. but lots .. and last night I kept waking up and almost swallowing the blimmin' thing also ...

.. I now take my "tooth" out and sit it in a safe place while I eat .. and the kids roll about laughing and are very fascinated by my "pirates" tooth as they call it ..

I seriously don't know how adults with no teeth in the front can go without them .. it is soooo uncomfortable ... let alone trying to talk properly ..

So tonight .. I'll quietly take it out and put it beside the bed .. and hope it doesn't get lost ..... lol!

A lesson learned here though .. young ears hear everything .. and remember ..

I said to Michael this morning .. "Time to brush your teeth .. otherwise they go bad .. and might fall out" .. "I don't care" he says .. "I'll be just like you and Nana then .. cool!"

Argghhhh! *headbang*

BEING A MOTHER ....

After 17 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She
said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.'
* * *
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been alone for 20 years,
but the demands of my work and my two boys had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
* * *
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
* * *
'What's wrong, aren't you well,' she asked?
* * *
My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign
of bad news.
* * *
'I thought it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us.'
She thought about it for a moment, and then said, 'I would like that very much.'
* * *
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her
house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last birthday on November 19th.
* * *
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. 'I told my friends that I was going to go
out with my son, and they were impressed,' she said, as she got into that new white van. 'They can't wait to hear about our date'.
* * *
We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my
arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only
read large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at
me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. 'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were
small,' she said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I responded.
* * *
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation- -nothing extraordinary but catching up
on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.
* * *
As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me
invite you.' I agreed.
* * *
'How was your dinner date ?' asked my wife when I got home.
'Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,' I answered.
* * *
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't
have a chance to do anything for her.
* * *
Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place
mother and I had dined. An attached note said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I
could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife.
You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.'
* * *
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I LOVE YOU' and to give our loved
ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time
they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some other time.'
* * *
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.... somebody
doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history.
* * *
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct .. somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
* * *
Somebody said being a mother is boring . somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit. Somebody said if you're a'good' mother, your child will 'turn out good'.... somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
* * *
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.... somebody never helped a fourth grader
with his math.
* * *
Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first .... somebody doesn't
have two children.
* * *
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery....
somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten ... or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'
* * *
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married....somebody doesn't know that
marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.
* * *
Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home.... somebody never had grandchildren.
* * *
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.... somebody isn't a mother.

Sad news ..

A very close friend to our family passed away this morning semi-suddenly .. he had been unwell .. but had come right .. and was doing well ..

He has been in my life since I was born ..

... in fact his wife (my Mum's closest friend) were in the home together when I was born ...

.. a semi-second father so to speak ..

.. it hasn't really hit me yet ..

.. but I am heading down to see my Mum's friend this afternoon ..

RIP Ron

A morning at the beach

So I've felt kind of slack not doing much "stuff" other than pottering around home with the kids during the school holidays ... so after going to see Pop in hospital (he is still quite unwell) we went down to East End beach .. and the boys had fun at the beach .. one of their all time favourite things to do ..

Running away from the waves

Collecting treasures

Checking out the ponds and puddles ...

A view of the beach ...

Starting out as a limpet ... and not happy

Coming around .. throwing stones in to the sea ..

Michael having a whale of a time ...

Running through the tide ..

Throwing leaves into the river ..

Chilling out by the river ...