Sunset... My way :)

Yesterday afternoon was a chilly time of day to be out but the sky was soooo beautiful...

I truly love living here... The pumpkins are barely on the vines and the celery and potatoes are still growing. The eggplant has had it and so have most things from the frost...

Love how now there will be a time of sleep and rest for the gardens, waiting for spring :) This time of year also gives us the best sunsets :) :) :)

Cheers Damaris

Three new Babies...

Today I picked up my three new babies... All are Leghorns. The blue grey girl I have called Bella :) She is mine. I hope she becomes a great friend for Floppy! The spotted ones are also so cute. Tim has already bagged one :)

I love instantly falling in love with the chickens we get and then watching their beautiful personalities come out :)

Can't wait to let them out of their relocation cage to see how they fit in with the others... Finally I have my 20! 16 chooks, 1 rooster and 3 ducks :)

Now let's hope they stop moulting and get laying :) So sick of buying eggs...

There are a couple inbreds I was given once as well as some non purebred chooks that will eventually end up in the stew... I want to concentrate on the pure and exotic... Help keep breeds alive :) Just like with seed saving and collecting :)

Cheers Damaris

Baptism...

Today, I had the privilege of being there to witness Margaret's Baptism...

Can't even describe the absolute honour... So happy for her and her new found love for everything biblical :)

Cheers Damaris

Girly time...

Last night after work, I made my way down The Range at Toowoomba and stayed with Margaret at her house for the night. Still can't believe that we were up chit chatting till midnight... Haven't been up that long for a very long time :) it was soooo needed though and incredibly healing for both of us :)

Back at the beginning of February, we had some very crossed wires. All I can suggest is: Don't depend on Facebook for conversation. FB should never replace a phonecall or a get together face to face, to clear up any misunderstanding... After a while of being in my 'cave' and learning quite allot about myself as well as others I can honestly say I'm much stronger as a person... This situation not only helped me with Margaret but has been a great help for work and other friendships :) A real blessings :)

Cheers Damaris

Playing with Blogger...

Yes, I have been playing with the colours and the background. Now also the photos that are rectangle in size fit much better onto the page :)

I'm rather happy with the result :)

Cheers Damaris

Dinner date...

Russell and I don't get out on our own at night... Not since Tim was born...

So last Wednesday we took the chance and grabbed it with both hands. I got done up and even had lipstick on (shock, horror!) Russell dressed up too ;)

The boys stayed home by themselves and behaved well I must say. Tim at one stage, for reasons unknown, thought we were not coming home till the next day so iMessaged me as to what he was to do about his medication... Poor sweetie. Put him at ease when I told him we would be home about 8:30pm. No need for him to worry at all. We weren't going to be out that long... Lol

I must say it was a lovely evening. The house Cooinda that Tim stays in for respite in Warwick was having a special dinner, just because. Just to get people together. BlueCare got special funding for the night from Commonwealth Respite which is just so wonderful. There was lots of chatter, food and laughter. The Cooinda Choir also performed ;) Was wonderful to catch up with old faces too :)

Tim was asleep when we for home, Josh came out of his room to say good night. Yes indeed... It had been just that ;)

Cheers Damaris

All alone...

Tim's friend Grant came down to the skate park with him but soon left... Tim loved having all that space all to himself.

We stopped there on our way to dinner and then onto Gymnastics :) He's loving going there still.

The skate park is not often deserted so he took total advantage of it :) To watch him do the flips, twists and turns was great :) Wad totally enjoyable to spend the time one on one with him :)

Cheers Damaris

I'll be warm this winter...

Josh is sort of modelling my new warm beanie :)

A lady had an oversized beanie she didn't know what to do with, so I offered to take it :) I like to double wrap my ears especially when collecting wood in the chilling wind of winter! Love my new beanie... Thanks Cheryle!

So does Josh, but he isn't getting it lol!

Cheers Damaris

Ewwww...

Russell put his new chair together and with working bits off the old chair was able to revive Tim's old chair...

When Russell took off the arms of Tim's chair below is what he found in there... Crumbs, a coin, a clasp from an old necklace and more crumbs...

Needless to say he no longer gets to eat in his room!!!

Cheers Damaris

What a Bargain...

I took Josh to the Optometrist in Warwick last Friday... His eyes had changed quite a bit since he last went 12 months ago.

Was quoted $240 odd, just for two new lenses. His frame was on its way out so knew I would be up for at least $550-600 in total. I decided to be brave and get a print out of his script and shop around... I must say I'm really thankful that noone tried a guilt trip on me for not ordering and paying there and then. Not that it would have worked but I would have been sad about it as we have spent at least $2000 there in the last five years...

I got home and onto the Net. Asked Russell to find out about a few companies to see what their reputation and customer satisfaction rating was... I couldn't go past Zenni Optical :)

All you do is load up a picture of the face, put in some measurements, click on some frames till you find the one you like... It was soooo easy and the total cost is what blew me away...

The best bit was that I got the glasses by courier yesterday :) So much quicker than if I had of gotten the lenses in town...

So the cost??? $53.30... Metal frames with bendy arms, 100% UV protection, anti scratch and glare with 10% gray tinting, so that there wouldn't be so much glare as it can get in our Queensland Summer!

He's wearing them and they are a perfect fit! We are so happy that not only can he see as he should but we saved a fortune!!! Never going back to buying in a shop...

Cheers Damaris

Reading...

He's the only one in the family that has a bit of an aversion to it... Yep, Josh is not so keen on reading...

Russell, Tim and I love it and we are trying hard to foster that love in Josh too...

Earlier this week, Josh got out his book and offered to read to me out loud! Was lovely and I loved it even more as it was in front of the fire! So peaceful. His book is full of kid humour which is a good way to get him interested :)

Here's hoping and praying he loves books as much as the rest of us soon :)

Cheers Damaris

Tween to Teenager...

Josh has his 13th Birthday today!!! He was our second miracle... Supposed to be born at 24wks gestation but hung on 4 days late :) 36hrs of labour and he came out blue... Such a long time ago... Yet it seems like it was just yesterday :)

We had loads of tween cuddles last night, just one more time lol... He's as sentimental as I am and he loved it :)

As I'm working tonight, we had his Birthday dinner and cake last night! He loved the cards he got from his Grandma, Opa and Oma.

He cried at what Tim wrote in his card for him. I cried last night as I read him writing it, as it came all from him and he meant every word... So special... Tim doesn't usually describe his feelings but he did for Josh's Birthday... Something Josh really needed from his brother :)

I'm so proud of how far he's come... He's now a teenager... Will I survive? Only time will tell :)

Cheers Damaris

Small yet so precious...

Russell's mum is on a giving away mood at the moment. She's clearing out as hopefully her house has sold :) Bring on July to know for sure!

This little gadget is so great. I have one allot smaller which is by Tupperware and nowhere near as good.

Had been after a bigger one for the big spoons for ages but never saw what I liked at the local Op shops... And there it was... I asked if I may have it! With cheer Erica gave it to me to take home :)

Oh what joy!!! Doesn't take much to make me incredibly happy :)

Cheers Damaris

Just because...

I worked most of the day this last Sunday... It was Mother's Day. And while I had mine the week before, the ladies and gents that I support still wanted to spoil us mums that weren't with their families that day!

I got flowers and a little gift from The Army at church in the morning, cards and a bracelet from some of the ladies... And many hugs and huge Happy Mother's Day echoed all around the grounds,

It was a honour to work on Sunday. All in all it was a most wonderful day and was really touched by their thoughtfulness :)

Bacon and eggs and the rest for lunch were yum... Needless to say :)

Cheers Damaris

Out with the very old...

Tim's had the blue desk since he was very little... He didn't want to let it go! We had to promise we would keep it for as long as it was useful... He felt like he was betraying a piece of furniture as he's been through so much with that table... He's had it forever...

But he loves, loves, loves the new one. We got the package for a song and are glad he's happy with it. He chose it and the colour. Picked my choices which I liked as I'll have to look at it when cleaning hehe. There are truly some hideous colours out there lol

So now he's starting to settle into the new desk. I've emptied one of the three draws from the old desk. Break time and then more will be done. Don't need to overwhelm him... Time is on our side :) He's loving all the extra space :)

I know he'll get many years of use out of this table :)

Cheers Damaris

What a sunset...

My Mash mountains (as Margaret has aptly named the mountains around here) really produced a glorious sunset two nights ago... I couldn't take my eyes off it. With each passing moment it got more glorious. The changes in colour and how the clouds changed and stretched amazed me! I know I see it often but nature captivated me so...

Even my clothes washing drying on a windy and sunny day... Extraordinary and amazing... And the smell of sun drenched sheets... Ahhhh there's nothing like it on earth!

As I was looking at this sunset I remembered a very dear and special friend and I sitting out the back seeing the sun go down over the horizon. A little fire was light in the brazier and we laid back in the hammock and enjoyed the dancing of the stars in the night sky... Oh what bliss... Oh how I miss that... Am glad and blessed to have the memory :) Thanks Margaret!!!

Cheers Damaris

More shiny bits for Tim

He was just beside himself when I told him that his grandma was giving him a chunk of her plain and coloured crystals... He used to spend ages looking at them at her house... Such a beautiful, large and varied collection it was :)

He's very happy with his newly acquired treasures... All the ones that needed a wash got a bath straight away! They all gleam now, off course!

Amazing how a bit of coloured or not glass can make my boy so happy...

Cheers Damaris

A bit of wood...

There certainly are some very clever people out there in this world...

My MIL has a shower lady that helps her... That lady's husband makes wooden puzzles for sale at markets!

They didn't have a chook one so the lovely lady designed one and had her husband make one just for Tim :) The all turned out great :)

Cheers Damaris

First for the season...

Yep we caved... Russell's mum is staying with us for the week and she gets cold quickly.

What better excuse to use so that we can enjoy a fire! :) I must say it is very nice and cosy here right now :)

Cheers Damaris

What the???

Russell was putting his new study chair together this morning and he was having trouble with one of the holes... Something was stuck in there!

After much banging and coaxing it fell out... What you ask??? A dried up pea!!!

Now the chair is made in China! Needless to say we now know what someone ate for lunch... On the assembly line lol

Gave us all a good laugh :) Luckily it didn't have to be quarantined lol

Cheers Damaris

Mother's Day... Early...

I'm working all day on the actual Mother's Day next Sunday, so it was decided that I get to celebrate my day a week early seeing this is my weekend off :)

Got woken up at a decent hour... Lovely not to be the crack of dawn seeing we had 2.2 degrees at 6am.

Russell and the boys wrote a lovely card for me :) I had asked Russell just for a poem as he is ever so talented in that area... I will bind all of my poems together one day! There are so many of them from over the years...

I did get another surprise... A four point bed massager :) Works wonders on my lower back and knee :) Has four settings and cycles if you want it to as well. And it's smart enough to turn itself off after half a hour, if you happen to fall asleep ;)

Had my first coffee ever made for myself today by Josh and it tasted perfectly :)

Solar oven is also busy right now baking muffins and cakes... Yummy!!!

Other than that it's a quiet day here, much the same as we like it on my weekends off as we only get one a month! I'm very blessed to have such a wonderful job and such a supportive family too... Couldn't do it without them :)

Cheers Damaris

It's a meal...

This squash came from Josh's garden yesterday afternoon :)

Going to scoop out the flesh from the middle, add herbs and some mince and bake it as part of dinner this week!

Can't wait to taste it! Well done Josh on your champion efforts in growing :) Well, it got lost under the leaves actually but well done anyway... Hehe

Cheers Damaris

New phone... No electricity usage :)

A lovely friend of mine, Lisa, gave me a phone a few years ago. It needs charging though...

Tried to get the batteries replaced and they aren't on the market anymore... Was going to try eBay but couldn't walk past this $4.95 cutie of a phone... Got the 8m long lead for $9.05 instead of $19.95 :)

$14 and I have a brand new phone. Means I can't lose it as it's attached. Also means if we lose power we still have a phone to make and get calls with.

Must say I was surprised at the decent quality. I know Dick Smith in Warwick were getting rid of the last three but there's no crackling or line dropping like with normal cheap phones :) I'm impressed :)

So with this phone I can hold it between my shoulder and neck and I won't be pressing any buttons ;) This is an old style retro phone too as it even has the lip on top of the base to balance your phone while you get the right person for the call... Very cool! Haven't seen that feature in years!

Sounds great too. You can't ignore it which is good as usually it rings when we are outside and couldn't even hear the other phones we used to have. Think I will be very, very happy with it... Especially seeing it doesn't use electricity hehe!

Cheers Damaris

Memories...

Couldn't help myself... I'm usually so good but this time I faulted...

Tutti Frutti hard boiled lollies... I had these occasionally as a child back in Austria... I've bought the bottle on occasion for my Dad as he remembers getting them as a treat from his own Mum...

Aldi had some bottles in yesterday... Yes, I couldn't resist... Tim said maybe would could have just one each, on a Friday, in case the boys react to the colours in the lollies... I didn't need much convincing...

My favourite are the mandarin flavoured or orange coloured ones... I've tried two today... Oh, I'm loving the memories... Those little treasures of sweetness in a little package...

Cheers Damaris

What a sunrise...

At work, I have such a honour during winter... I witness the most amazing sunrises... I am so blessed...

Here's one such morning this week :)

Cheers Damaris

Punch this...

Josh got one of his Birthday presents early...

He's wanted a punching bag for a while and here it is :) Off course guidelines come with the bag and he's going well. No, he won't be imagining anyone's face on the bag as he punches!

Hopefully it will help tone his upper body like he's after, as well as getting the odd occasion of frustration out of him :)

Love Russell's expression in this shot - pretending to be shocked by Josh's powerful shot lol.

Cheers Damaris