Catching Up

Thursday:

Thank you M&B for babysitting, and the intense game of monopoly.

Friday:
Made another pact with myself to try to run. I liked this idea:


In case you didn't make it to the end, the message is try to reduce your sleeping and sitting to 23.5 hours a day. :)

Today we did more catching up with family, but not with my camera.

Whaaaaat?

Who are these strange children? They were so anxious today about the school cross country, and yet they came. . . third (L) and seventh equal (P)!

 Which sounds super impressive, but I have to admit that, thanks to the teeny tiny year groups at this school, it was third out of nine and seventh equal out of eleven.

Still, so not last!! Well done running chaps. I'm sure you'll both sleep well tonight.

Almost

P8 is feeling not being the sporty kid today, mostly because tomorrow is the school cross country, and she'd not looking forward to it one bit. Poor girl. Just keep trying!!

Second Makeover This Weekend

 It looks kinda grubby in pics, but not so much in real life. It's more weathered without the harsh flash.

And what's more, can you lighten your dark wax up the next morning if it looks too dark in photos? 

Why, yes you can. Thanks to a little clear wax, elbow grease and this little sucker. . . the best brush in the known universe. 

Annie Sloan I Love You

After years of coveting when it wasn't available in this country, today I bought my very first Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Oh happy day, did it ever live up to its expectations, and they were not slight. It's definitely a love affair. 

As usual, I forgot the before pic, but anyone who knows me well enough to occasionally peek in here is probably related to me anyway, so you know the one. Thanks to L11 for all the pics.

The last screw is out in the dark somewhere, so please imagine the eighth handle in place as it will be tomorrow. It was my first mod podge attempt, and now I'm finished and have subsequently learnt the trick, I'm certain the next thing I decoupage won't be as bubbly. :)

This morning - with all eight handles :)

Origami

L11 is happy because his class is looking at Japan for multicultural week, and that means. . . origami. After school he organized his collection of homemade shurikens so he could take a picture to email his teacher.

 So pleased we transported them from the other house with minimal damage.

 Ah, he's a boy after my own heart. . . rainbow organized shurikens.

Things That Make Me Happy These Days

New filters, and a new pump. I mean, check them out:

The plumber who installed the filters told me I had a very nice pump under there. I was terribly flattered. It really is a pretty special thing after all the water dramas we have been through this year.

 Oh, and stacked wood. I think I should document that Geeky Husband has mostly got through chopping up the tree. Mostly. Kinda except all the big bits. L11 did a great job on kindling creation and organization.

Growing

I was interested to see my huuuuge and growing-like-a-bean nephew on my sister's blog today, so here's a pic from this weekend showing my own lanky boy. Yes, he's using his grandmother a little bit like a pack horse (she's a kind soul). This photo shocked us all - the roller skates made him taller of course - but he's shooting up at the mo, and getting muscles too. 

Modern Love Notes

Today I was trying to sort out boring bills and needed to use the dashboard calculator on my computer. I pulled it up and found a modern love note. The sweetest of sweet nothings, written months ago it turns out, by my daughter, to be found one day, by me.

You made my day, lovely daughter of mine.

Weekend Hijinks

L11 had an odd request this morning. He asked me did I want to take a video of P8 pushing him on rollerskates while he used a slingshot to shoot ice at a block of wood, for my blog? How could I resist?


There were lots of roller stunts today.


It was also a weekend of chainsaw action. Geeky Husband was not enjoying the chainsaw we borrowed, but we had a whole tree to chop up that was inconveniently parked on our lawn. I won't hack on him and repeat the saga, but he did eventually come to terms with the electric version of his nemesis.

Of course, I'm not the kind of wife to pressure her husband into doing something she's not game to tackle herself, right?

Course not!

Maybe I Will Turn This Into a HAIR BLOG

Ah, what shallow old ladies we are :) So I should have taken a photo yesterday when I dried my hair and my entire fringe stood on end like I had put my finger into an electric socket. It wasn't a happy sight. Today I had my big 'embrace curl' hairdressers appointment, and I came out. . . well. . . 

completely straight.

Nah, the curly deal is still on, but she suggested a Chi Enviro Smoothing treatment to fix the damage and tame the frizz. It stays on for 48 hours, so it won't really look like this when it's washed, but will help it be more manageable while I have the two textures going on - curly regrowth and straightened ends. No formaldehyde and no broken hair bonds since it's not really a relaxer, so I'm honestly not sinking back into the straightening vortex. It just looks like it. Going back in two weeks to deal to these greys as this treatment is known to strip out the colour from your hair.

I feel sooooo much better, and I did lose about three inches of chemically straightened hair from the ends. The curls they will come.

Ha, who cares eh? Thrilling Friday night for me, obviously. No Friday evening wine because of the giardia meds makes Pippa a very boring girl.

Not Quite Roller Derby

Outdoorsy

Playing soccer together after school.

 Getting inventive working out how to dry the school shoes that were worn to a scouts Burma trail night that included a river crossing.

String

P8 and her classmates are obsessed with string games at the moment. 

 Ah, I remember how much fun that was.

 Yay, the cup and saucer is still down with the kids.

Shoes and Poos

This was going to be a lovely post about new shoes! 

 Then it became a post about the silly cat who was stuck on the roof all day.

 Which was overpowered by the doctor calling letting me know I have tested positive for giardia. Ewwwwww. Which makes me worry about the water tank. I do not want my kids to get sick.

So I race out to grab a water testing kit to find out if our water is okay.

And half way home I get a flat tyre. I have already replaced 6 tyres on two cars in the last few months, but yay - it was one of the final two. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a spanner that doesn't fit the nuts on the tyre and a husband who doesn't answer his phone. Handily the local mechanic is a sweetie and came out with his wife and a spare car so they could drive ours back, and I could take the courtesy car.

How is that for service? So maybe this is a post about being luckily, instead of the woe is me one that much of the day felt like?

Ice

In a bid to do something new we took L&P to the Ice House bar. They loved it, especially the part where you got to smash your ice glass. 

But afterwards we watched the news and felt so bad about the starving children in Sudan after we had just frittered money on drinking a drink while standing in a freezer, that we made an immediate donation. So now one child has food for two months, but I still feel guilt over our indulgent weekend treat. We are so very lucky.

Cute Thing My Daughter Made

P8 was on the computer the other day when she came out and told me to close my eyes while she put something in front of me then ran away. I opened my eyes and saw this:

So sweet.

Plums

The garden centre had a special on plum trees that I had been eying up all week. Today I cracked. The children are not terribly impressed. In P8's words - those are just sticks.

L11 is so useful in the garden now he's getting bigger.

 We did one each.

 Geeky Husband has happy memories of a childhood plum tree, so I look forward to watching these ones grow and making some happy memories of our own.