Best laid plans

Thank goodness the classes on Jessica Sprague's site are available forever, and don't expire like some of the others do. This is the first lesson in Digi in Deep, the most advanced digital scrapbooking class. I've enjoyed doing it. Now that I've upped the RAM in my MacBook, I'll do more. She has added another class which I may sign up for. It focuses on working with text. I'm so much more comfortable with the text tool now, thanks to her classes. I should do more though, it's one thing to follow a video, another to do it all myself.

This week hasn't panned out quite like I wanted it to. The kids at the golf clinic has been a big plus for the week. They've just been so excited. I picked up Billy-Joe at lunch time today, because he had a bad headache. I left the other two there. When I went to pick them up, the Pro, Mark told me that the kids had played 18 holes, then 9 holes and had gone out AGAIN!!! He said the kids are so keen, he can't stop them. They were disappointed that I'd picked them up earlier than normal.

I'd done some groceries in the morning and was on the phone to Apple for an hour still trying to resolve my dropout issues. It could be a modem issue, so we've changed some settings. I've had no further problems today, but time will tell. I had a pedicure in the morning so am sporting nice pink toe nails. I laid down for a bit in the late afternoon, I'd had a headache all day.

Dinner was simple, a Woolies chook and I made a delicious greek salad. I splurged today and bought Greek Feta instead of Australian Feta and now I understand the more than double price tag. The Greek Feta is so creamy and crumbles beautifully through the salad. Love the salty combination of fetta, olives and the freshness of salad topped with a good quality olive oil.

My dear Bunny is finishing work early tomorrow and taking me out to lunch. We are going to Eumundi to eat at a pub there. I'm shop sitting tomorrow night. Am looking forward to seeing Karen. The weeks go by so quickly, but I miss her when I haven't seen her all week. Thank goodness for iChat. Barbi is away having a well deserved holiday. I pray that the weather has improved. The dust storm would have spoiled her last couple of days too. Today was clear and the air was fresh.

A dusty day

I was going to the beach today. To catch a few rays, and Vitamin D, and to listen to the waves roll in. It's a windy and revolting day with the air thick with dust. Apparently there have been dust storms south of here and they even hit Brisbane, and we've had more than our fair share. I have so much trouble with my eyes normally and I got a new paraffin gel for them on Friday which has helped enormously, but the dust in the air is too much today.... I've had to put the a/c on in the bid to clear the air. The light is a funny yellow, chillingly reminiscent of the dust storms I lived through in Geelong during the Ash Wednesday Bush Fires all those years ago. The kids are out playing golf. I've not had a call so they must be doing fine. The wind has died down now, which means that the dust is just sitting there, thick, heavy and intrusive.

My boys are growing up

I remember, not all that long ago, approaching the school holidays with a heavy heart and dread...... What a dreadful admission for a mother to make. My days were difficult enough with two small kids and then when they were all home together it was diabolical. There was no peace and quiet. They fought and got into mischief all day long. I hated it. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when they were all in bed, and then faced it all the next day.

Nowadays, while I still breathe a sigh of relief when they go to bed, my days are so much nicer. I have talked about this before. In those days I was so grateful for the holiday care programme. It saved my sanity. It meant I had days that were quiet, and I could be home on my own, or do errands, or have my hair done. Just time to be me!! As the kids got older, they didn't like holiday care so much, but I still sent them, that time for me was crucial and a great way for me to feel rejuvenated.

Now I look forward to the holidays. I can lie in and the kids quietly watch TV or play on the Wii. Bliss!! We can do things together, without almost giving me a coronary. I can take them places and know that they are well behaved, much calmer days. A wonderful reward for all the hard work I put in in the early days. The routine, the discipline, the constant haranguing has paid off, it more ways than I can count. The structure and the order, and the not letting them have their way while hard work at the time has brought its own rewards, thousandfold!!!

Today another another stage was entered.

The kids started a golf clinic. For four days, they have tuition and a game. They play and have a clinic session every Saturday and play most Sundays. Sammy generally comes home after clinic, while Mickey and Billy-Joe stay for the game. Sammy likes to come home with Daddy and has had enough. We were a little concerned about how he'd cope with the clinic, but decided to 'make' him go, to push him out of his comfort zone. Their beaming faces when I picked them up this afternoon, said it all!! They had an absolute ball. Their scores were amazing. Billy-Joe played sensationally. DB was stunned! He said he's destined to be the worst golfer in the family lol......

I kind of wasted my day, in that I didn't do anything special. I had an appointment to have my routine mammogram done, and had to pick up some groceries. At home I'm still organizing my drawers and stuff. Losing my desk with the filing cabinet has actually taken some storage space away. I still need some stuff from Ikea and am hoping like heck that my girlfriend is going again this Friday.

I did have a kip this afternoon which was very nice. It wasn't as hot today as it's been the last few days, so was much more pleasant.

Dinner is Quesadillas, with a coconut cake for dessert.