Watching kids...

Loved going to school last week and cutting back dead bushes. While I was there the kids at the school also enjoyed the sunshine, in the sandpit... Am still sooooo glad I was one of those that fought sooooo hard to get that sandpit :)

Fun was had all round :)

Cheers Damaris

Visiting :)

James Dancing :) Always beautiful to watch him mimic the movements...

Margaret and James so proud of those ribbons...

Those lovely ribbons...

Love spending the day with Margaret... After spending the day with her recently then off course her boys got home from school. James had had a sports day and had gotten a few ribbons. He was rather proud of them and loved showing them to Margaret and I :) He made sure I took some pictures as well. :)

He also loves dancing to music. So off course had to watch him dancing to the current favourites... Margaret also enjoyed showing me another favourite with both the boys... Dinosaurs Farts on YouTube... Lol they are funny I must admit :)

Got to look around the yard and what was newly planted. Veggie gardens are also planned to go in. Can't wait to see the end result :) Margaret does No Technology Tuesdays at her place now from what I do and trust me am not a favourite in that house with her eldest at the moment lol. Most proud of that one hehehe

Love spending the day with such lovely people. So blessed to have them in my life :)

Cheers Damaris

Choosing subjects...

Ag Science had a week old lamb on display :)

Special Ed had their lovely display :)

Lots of info was there on the night :)

Year 10 is just around the corner for Tim and that means that he has to chose his subjects again for next year already at this time this year...

When I went to school, just over 20 years ago, I chose my subjects for Year 9 and 10 and couldn't change... These days you have to do them every year and even then you can change during the year even then if you want... Amazing how things change.

So they way that Warwick SHS does it is they set up the huge Hall as a market display. All tables are manned by the people that teach the subjects and you can ask for outlines of what will be taught in the subject the next year. :) Great way to meet the teachers as well as give yourself a heads up as to what to expect. Always well organised and enjoyable. :)

Cheers Damaris

More piccies to share...

Love that huge tree :)

Here are just another couple of photos from last week's sunrise from work :) Really must draw that awesome huge tree! Love my job :)

Cheers Damaris

Being spoilt...

So proud of my boy :) Oh how he is growing up :)

Tim invited my by special invite that was sent in the mail to a special morning tea where his class was practicing how to entertain. I off course said I would go...

So I get there and I am greeted by the door no less :) He then asks me inside the kitchen dining room and introduces me to his teacher. He then asks me if I want a coffee and how I would like it. :) How cute is that. Not even Russell has EVER make me a coffee... Just not his thing... He doesn't drink it...

Tim was so good at making sure that I had something to eat and drink that I felt really spoilt. I got to talk to other mums there as well and teachers. Some kids didn't have their parents there so some teachers stepped in to help out. The students were being assessed on this experience. I am so glad that Timothy did so well :) He was even making sure that other mums were looked after as well and ensuring that the other kids did their bit. So him... He was rather worried that they were all being marked as a class and was not interested in failing. Not a worry they all got marked on their own behaviour and how they interacted so he will do fine :)

Was a lovely morning out :) Great work Tim :) Very proud of you... You have come such a long way :)

Cheers Damaris

Very, very blessed...

Down comes the broken one :)

With Brian's wonderful help the new one went up :)

You may remember that over a year ago I had nothing but problems with our Solar Hot Water Panels... One broke due to frost. It has a thermostat which means that the pump should have pumped up warm water or taken all of the water out of the panel in the first place. It should never have busted in the first place...

Anyway, long story short I ended up organising to have the booster switch put on Tariff 31 which meant that it only heated during the night hours and at a fraction of day time hours power costs. Worked really well :) Then a lovely couple by the name of Michelle and Brian had exactly the same panels and set up as ours as we built with the same company at the same time... They had nothing but problems and had the electronics in their system die on them. It was going to cost them way too much to replace it all and in the end they found out that the company has gone into receivership anyway... So they went for Instant Gas Hot Water instead...

Glad they did too as we scored their two working panels. How lovely was that off them. Another member of our community ended up with their 400 litre tank :) How blessed are we all :) All cost nothing as these items would have only gone to the tip anyway. This way there was less landfill and I could organise for the panel that was broken to be replaced.

I did just that and within a week had our plumber our and Brian even helped to get the old one down and the new one up :) Now we are going to take the broken one apart and sell it for parts, especially the copper :) The other panel will stay with us as a spare :)

Love the community spirit in this place. :) Now I have two panels working and loving having my solar back on track :) :) :) :)

Cheers Damaris

Snooze time x 3...

Bailey, Nova and Erica snoozing together :)

Russell's mum was staying with us for a couple of weeks a couple of weeks back. Boy did we have fun with her. She loves spending the time with the boys especially and gets a kick out of watching them grow up before her eyes... We love having her here as it gives her a break from her home and gives her company all round...

That is whether she is awake or asleep for that matter... :)

Cheers Damaris

Stew time :)

Love the look of floating veggies in the cooker :)

Have not used my slow cooker for a while now as most of the foods don't end up failsafe. Amines come from food that takes a while to cook. Russell though wanted some stew the other night so we ended up using it. Boy was it a hit with the kids. I didn't get to enjoy it till the next night as I was off to work and the left overs were yummmy as well. lol

Cheers Damaris

Smoother butter...

Bimbi at work :)

So Russell has been wanting to find ways of having smoother butter that is easier to spread. I wish he would just do without it altogether but nooooo he just couldn't do that.

Anyway as it has to be failsafe as well he has found the receipe that is the easiest and the quickest way to make that is in our Bimbi off course :) The Thermomix comes sooooo in handy.

Butter and Canola Oil at the right consistency and there you have it :) It is really easy to do and keeps well in the fridge off course. :)

Cheers Damaris

New job for Russell...

So this is him on his second day at work... At our lovely little local school. He is standing guard at parade in this shot...

He's loving the job which is great to hear and see. Amazing how much more relaxed he is. And others are noticing it as well :)

Cheers Damaris

What the???

Something wrong with this picture lol

How can this be??? This was a game that I was playing with Joshua the other day... And those balls are not mine by the way... Yes, it is a VERY rare occurrence but this time it was Joshua's turn to do badly at Pool. Mind you it had been a while since we had played to that could be why...

I am going to go with... I was just brilliant on the day. lol

Cheers Damaris

Brown Leghorn chooks...

Warwick State High School sent home a message from Agricultural Science that they had chicks for sale. $4.00 each. How can I say No to that... Well, yes I can't so ended up with six of the little things and they are now growing ever so quickly...

They didn't even need heat by the time they got home to us as they already were fully feathered. They stayed inside for a couple of weeks and last weekend I put them outside in one of our protected outside cages where they are having a ball getting to know the other poultry through the wiring. :)

Hope they end up all being hens and only one rooster... Here is hoping :)

Cheers Damaris

Getting the hands dirty...

Getting his hands dirty :)

Joshua is right into helping out around the house. This time I got him to help me with the mixing of the rissoles mixture... Yep he didn't like that one at all but loved having the dogs lick his fingers afterwards... He laughed so much as it tickled... Was a good way to finish of a cooking lesson. :)

Cheers Damaris

Chores, chores, chores...

It will change as we do...

After working for four weeks I had had enough... There was no way that I could be away from home around 40hrs a week and still keep the house in the same shape that I was used to when I was home all the time... I was going nuts... I was suffering... Something had to change and something had to give... And something did :)

I did up new rosters. For everyone... Much more detailed and there are also consequences if these things are not done. They are done before any play is done and so far it is all working really well.

Just need to train the hubby more. lol

Cheers Damaris

Russell's Birthday...

Joshua, Russell and Timothy...

Yes it was that time of year again... Was his Birthday on 21.7... I was working the night before and on his Birthday so we delayed our celebrations for one night to the Friday night. :)

Was well worth the wait. Had roast chicken for dinner with roast veggies and Pavlova for desert :) Yum all round lol

Cheers Damaris

What a view...

This is the little walk I go up to get my hair cut... The garden is lovely even at this dead of winter time of year. :) Brings me pleasure to walk up that garden path just for my hair cut. lol

Cheers Damaris

Jumpers and Jazz, 2011

'Starry, Starry Night'

'Romeo & Juliet'

Here are the two entries that were made by our Maryvale Craft Group... They turned out really great. For the 'Starry, starry Night' we ended up scoring a Commendation... :)

For the 'Romeo and Juliet' display some of the roses were stolen and the drop of poison was broken off. Shame but am thinking that someone needed the roses more than us. lol

Cheers Damaris

RIP Ros...

After a long battle with illness and in the end cancer as well, Ros was finally called home... She is now in a great place and I can't wait to see her again one day :)

Missing you Ros... Such an inspiration... Such a woman of Strength... She lives on in all that she touched...

Cheers Damaris

Love my job...

I know, I know... I am supposed to be over it all by now but am not... I am really enjoying my job... It is so fulfilling.

One reason is for me to be able to witness the awesome sunrises and sunsets there... Being up at the top of the Range and overlooking down the Valley is just an awesome experience... I am truly blessed... Just wish I could share it with my little family sometimes...

Cheers Damaris

Fiona making a sling...

Fiona hard at it :)

Phoebee asleep :)

When Fiona and I go walking we have to take her two youngest kids with us as her hubby is away at the moment for the term teaching up north...

I had no trouble using the backpack for Phoebee but knew that we had a bit of a challenge for Lewie...

So at the end of July we talked about maybe seeing if we could make something. That morning we had nothing else to do so spent the majority of the morning with some left over material and my sowing machine... Yep, I held the baby while Fi did the sowing. Lol

She did a great job... The sling works really well too...

Was a fun way to spend the morning together and Phoebee even slept on me as well. She is soooo cute... :)

Cheers Damaris

Bit more frost...

This winter we have had a good share of frost... Last year we only started using our heater end of June... This year beginning of May...

We have had some spectacular views because of it though. Josh has loved collecting the ice and making snow balls. He kept them in the freezer so he could share them with Russell once he got home for the week.

Here is a collection of some of our cold mornings...

Cheers Damaris

Where does the time go...

So here we are in the middle of the year again already... July has come and gone and now we are onto August already. Shops have had their big Toy Sales around here and am glad to have not had to go anywhere near them during this time. :)

Working again has taken up allot of my time. I still do the reading at school with the kids and walking every day during the week. I have had a change in partner in crime as Fiona is not able to do this with my anymore. I now have a lovely lady called Esther. :) She is a gem and one woman of knowledge. She is a wise gem that I love to learn from...

So many things have happened in the last month that I don't really know where to start... So here goes...

Last Saturday I finally was able to sit for my First Aid/CPR test. Have been booked in for over two months and the day finally came. I didn't want to really do it as don't like tests but knew my stuff. I ended up with 48/50. Was cranky with myself as I got two wrong but not a bad result anyway. :) That is now finally over and done with...

Russell has commenced working 3 days a fortnight at Maryvale State School... He is the Administration Officer in there and loving it. He loves the variety and can't wait to properly settle in...

Russell also finishes his Brisbane job TODAY!!!! Yep, we are very excited to have him home permanently. Just the way it should be :) After today things will be rather different around here... I might only work 22-25hrs a week but with sleepovers and driving to and fro it ends up being about 40 or more hours instead. This means that we now have a total role reversal...

New charts of chores have been instigated and the boys are all doing well with those. And yes there is a list for Russell and I also so that Russell knows what to do when... He has no clue otherwise. This way the house stays nice and tidy and things run smoothly. :) I tried for four weeks to do it by myself and just couldn't with work as well...

Yep there are many changed about to happen... I can't wait what life throws at us next. :)

Cheers Damaris