First Day of School for 2010...

Timothy in his new uniform, waiting for the school bus...

Yesterday was a huge day in our home, not only was Joshua going off to school on his own but also that Timothy was starting Year 8. High School... How did that happen so quickly???

I had been fretting quite a bit about it all, especially as the holidays drew to a close. He is 13 next Sunday but still so young. The questions... Would he be OK? Could he cope? Would he make friends? Would others think him different and treat him accordingly? Will he cope with the long day, especially the trips on the bus morning and afternoon...

He came home yesterday afternoon and stated he had had a fantastic day... He found 3 x 5 cent pieces and one 20 cent piece. He was wrapped. Kids called him a scab. He had no idea what that meant. He asked a kid that he said looked nice and didn't care about the meaning. He was determined to get the money. hehe Russell said he would be rich by the time he left school at this rate. That notion pleased Timothy no end. :)

Joshua didn't get to go to school first up as he had his Pre Op appointment at the Hospital. He is having a procedure done called: Resection of the Turbinates. Some of the filters in his nose are being cut out... Not a pretty picture and normally only done with adults but he really needs this done. The operation was to have been done on Friday but he has been moved from the Registrar list to the Specialist list. The top head honcho is looking after him apparently. It should be done within the next month. He loved the rest of his day though.

All in all the boys had a fantastic day. I am relieved that it went so well for Timothy but am still in the dark about allot of things. This will change as we get to know what happens at the school. Is certainly very different from when I went to High School. Mind you that was 1984-88...

Cheers Damaris

Love the toes...

Photo taken after my most recent Pedicure...

When I was on Straddie with my two sisters we all got some toe rings. Something I had wanted to do with them for a while now and was the perfect opportunity. :)

The silver bent very easily though so I wanted to find some 9ct gold ones that I could always wear and not worry about them falling off or changing shape.

Well at the moment our local Prouds has up to 50% off all their lines, including toe rings. They are refurbishing and will close down for a month from middle of February. I went in there to see what range they had and found two lovely ones. I love them to bits. And no longer worry about losing them. :) Added bonus. 1/2 price, you can't complain about that hey? Especially when it is my own pocket money. hehe

Cheers Damaris

Dream come true, literally...

My new stud. Happy girl...

At the Allora Show, February 2009, I met a lovely couple that had a stall at the show selling earrings, studs, you name it. The boys loved going to the stall for the Pokemon cards that they were so into at the time. Only $2.00 per packet where as in Big W or the like you pay around $6.00 for the same packet size.

It is the place where I get my nose studs from. I can't wear the normal ones that you get in the shops. The ones that have the bend at the end as the inside of my nose just swells up like anything and it gets rather sore. I get the ones that have the little ball at the end. That way my nose can really breathe and it doesn't fall out. I can't even feel it.

I know, Why on earth would I have a nose stud??? Well it is something that I have wanted for a long time. Just something that was different and it brings out the rebel in me. The one that says, hey this is me, like it or lump it. The rest of me is innocent really. lol

I had a golden sleeper in it for the P!NK concert in July last year but didn't have any of the rods to put back into it so have been wearing the sleeper since then. I had lost the other one when at the local pool. It dropped into the pool and there was no way to find it again... My dad keeps threatening to put a rope on it and lead me around... Yeah right!

Anyway, I had been after the rods forever, or so it seemed. I had searched everywhere. Every time I went to a Beauty, Piercing or Jewelery Shop I would ask if they had them. Each time the answer was NO. I had even had dreams of the couple selling me a whole heap to keep me going till the next time that I would see them. I seriously dreamt about them. How weird is that???

Last week I went to Warwick and what do you know... I found them at the main Shopping Centre. I bought 17 of them. All with lovely little stones in them. They are made out of surgical steel as well so will not rust or tarnish. I am soooo happy and have been wearing it ever since. The array of colours is lovely too. Didn't take any of the emerald coloured ones though. Not my colour and not what I wear so stuck to pinks, blues, clears. That sort of thing. Cheap as too. Glad I caught them as they are not going to Allora Show this year. They will be in Stanthorpe for their Show next weekend though...

Needless to say I have their business card and a detailed description of what I bought so that I can order over the net or phone from now on and never run out again. hehehe

Cheers Damaris

Pampering time...

Margaret getting her pedicure done...
Love my nails being done for me. :)

It is Margaret's Birthday next week and she came up for the night last night I so thought we would pamper ourselves. We went and both got Pedicures done. In our main shopping centre in Warwick, a nail and feet salon has just moved in and they are very reasonably priced. Love spoiling Margaret. She soooo deserves it. :)

Was also funny to find out that the lady that owned the shop was from Springfield and so was one of the girls and the other two were from Inala. They all travel in one car from their homes each day... Told them it would be cheaper to rent and stay for the week... Springfield is where our little family has come from so it was nice talking about familiar landmarks... made me think back... Oh soooo long ago... How far we have come...

Anyway Singstar is calling and so are my boys. Love having time out with them. :)

Cheers Damaris

Solar Electricity has Arrived...

My beautiful new panels...

Wednesday just gone was a very important day in our lives, well mine anyway... I always get really excited about these things... hehe

After all the researching, putting in for the quote and paperwork, waiting for the Government to approve my $8000, doing the 'over the phone' survey about placement of panels and getting the installers out here... It started back in April 2009 and as of 20 January 2010 I am the proud owner of a 1.1KwH Solar Electricity system. It is on my roof and working big time.

The installers got here just on 1:30pm and were finished with the whole job by 3:30pm. The roof was pleasure to work on apparently. Nice and easy. This also means that I am only out of pocket $300 in total and the panels are already making the Electricity Meter run backwards... Even though the panels ended up on the Western side of the house, due to Solar Hot Water panels taking up too much room on the Northern side, the panels are still doing their thing even at 8:15am which I find fantastic. Keep working babies - you have a long job ahead of you. hehe

Ergon now has to come out and install a new meter apparently so that they can tell exactly what my unit is producing and putting back into the grid. From now on I intend to do washing during the day when the solar is working as I might as well reduce my usage, seeing the meter running the opposite to normal and still getting clean clothes... Will try it out with cooking and baking as well. Love running out there and watching the meter. I know lame... But oh sooooo much fun... Doing my bit, that is how I look at it. And loving it. :)

Cheers Damaris

Meeting the Candidates...

Some of the candiates on stage before addressing the audience...

Last night I went with Carly to the Warwick RSL to meet the candidates that are all going for one position in Southern Downs Regional Council. Bev Shelley has left due to illness which I am sad about as she was very effective in her position and very approachable.

Eight of the nine were there last night and all had three minutes each to give us reasons why we should vote for them in the postal vote that closes 30 January 2010. Then it was question time from the floor. Very good questions there were too. Some not so clever... It gave me a good overview of what they each believed in and how effectively they would be able to do the job.

Mind you there is only 18 months until the next election anyway. I just wish there was the opportunity to have more of a shake up than just one new position but a few more... We will have our chance I guess in 18 months. Until then we will see what happens.

I am glad I had the opportunity to go and am glad that the local 'Free Times' put it on. Onya mate!!!

Cheers Damaris

Pay it forward...

Huge, Perfect and YUMMMMM

When I first came here I really wanted to start something... I wanted this community to share things. It was a dream of mine to have plenty of produce from my garden and to be able to take some excess and leave it at people's doorstep without anyone knowing it was from me. Just a little Hello from me but only me knowing I had said it.

I would also love to get a plot of council land and get that going as a community garden for people to have an input in growing veggies and fruit organically and then having a share in its harvest. Another way to get the community to grow together and younger to learn from older, that sort of thing.

Another dream is for a monthly Disco for the youngens, done at the Community Hall. Twice yearly Markets are up and running now so that is an achievement for our community as well. Proceeds go to local community associations. Love it, love it all.

Anyway back to the Pay It Forward... Last Friday when I went to Margaret's house I got home and there on the kitchen bench was a bag full of huge, and I mean huge Cherry Tomatoes. There must have been 40 or 50 of them. I was curious...

Russell had said that he was on the phone as he is working from home on a Friday and his connection was not working from work end but he heard someone saying something but he couldn't get out there in time to see who was there... When he did get out to the front door there was no one there but a little parcel of yummy things left for us...

I have an idea who they were from and I must say that I immensely enjoyed eating them. Yep, most of the ended up in my mouth. I remembered today that I had actually intended to keep a couple and plant them but alas they are already gone. Oh they were soooo yummy.

I can't wait for mine to ripen on my bush, that will be another few weeks and then I can do the same to someone else... woohoo... The intrigue, I love it. Others will hopefully join me and then it will really get going within this community... I will have my boys with me so they can also enjoy the feeling of giving without expecting anything in return. Joshua especially is busting to do it. :)

Imagine the intrigue and the rumours flying around... What a nice thing to talk about...

Cheers Damaris