My latest reading!

I've been reading an awesome book the last few days called Lirael, by Garth Nix. I've had this sitting on my bookshelf for over a year, but have finally pulled it out to read. What a fabulous story I've been missing!

Lirael is the sequel to Sabriel, and is a brilliant fantasy novel, with kings, queens, princes and princesses, the undead, and one very unusual Dog.

Here is the summary:

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother and ignorant of her father's identity, Lirael resembles no one else in her large, extended family living in the Clayr's Glacier. She doesn't even have the Sight - the ability to See into the present and possible futures - that is the very birthright of the Clayr.

Nonetheless, it is Lirael in whose hands the fate of the Old Kingdom lies. She must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil - one that opposes the Royal Family, blocks the Sight of the Clayr, and threatens to break the very boundary between Life and Death itself. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael must find the courage to seek her own hidden destiny.

I have some suspicions regarding the identity of Lirael's father, but I'm not going to say here in case anyone reading wants to read the novels. Start with the first book though, Sabriel. I think Lirael would be a bit confusing without the background knowledge that exists in Sabriel.

And on that note, I'm off to delve into the Old Kingdom once more. Happy reading!

Something Pretty

Just had to share my beautiful flowers!

Unfortunately I can't take credit for growing any of these - the roses come from my MIL's (mother-in-law) garden, and the funny spikey flower appeared quite unexpectedly in mum's garden! I have no idea what the second one is. Perhaps someone can enlighten me!

I would LOVE to put this gorgeous vase in the centre of my dining room table, but I doubt it would last five minutes before one of the kids sends it crashing to the floor. So for now it is on top of the linen press cupboard in the hallway. Every time I walk past it I can smell the roses. Just lovely!

Doing Something Just for Me

I was reading a wonderful blog this evening called A Tray of Bliss . It's author wrote about doing something special each day just for her. It got me thinking about something special I could do just for me, and also about some of the items in my home.

Most of us have what we call the "good" china. It stays locked up and hidden away only to be used when company comes over. And sometimes not even then. What a shame this is! I have a display case with some Royal Doulton and Royal Albert cups and saucers that belonged to my grandmother. They sit there gathering dust and never ever get used. This is so sad! Why are these wonderful items not being cherished enough to make memories out of them? Think of the wonderful memories that we can make using these precious items - a relaxing cup of tea in the sun, morning tea with a dear friend, mum or daughter. These items should be treasured and used as they were intended, not locked away never to be seen or admired.

So I challenge everyone: do something this week that is just for you. And break out the fine china!

My Lettuce is Sprouting!

In an effort to be more SS (Simple Savings - check out their website!) I decided to start growing some veges. As we are renting and have a dog and two kids that all love to dig, the veges had to be planted in pots / boxes. I had a long planter pot filled with potting mix left over from last year's disastrous attempt at cherry tomatos and a packet of lettuce seeds that I got for free off the cover of a That's Life magazine.

So, feeling all very self-sufficient (hey, another SS term!), I got outside with Becca and her plastic sandpit rake and turned over the soil in the pot. Then we sprinkled some lettuce seeds in, covered them with dirt, filled up her little plastic watering can and gave them a good water. We've been going outside every afternoon and watering. Then, yesterday afternoon, when I went to put the rubbish in the bin, there they were! A row of tiny little lettuce leaves sticking up out of the soil! Hurrah! My first so far successful crop! I dragged hubby outside to show him. Oh, I'm so excited!

I still have half a bag of potting mix left, so I think I'll head over to Bunnings next week and get another planter box, and maybe some carrot seeds this time. So proud of my little babies!

Getting Older - Not so sure about this!

So I recently celebrated another birthday. Getting closer to 40 all the time! I've never really worried about birthdays before, but I'm not so keen on this one! I'm starting to feel slightly nervous about being in debt (and it's "bad" debt, not mortgage debt. Think credit cards etc). Can't seem to get it down. It's not going up, but it's not going down, either! So, time to come up with a few ideas on how to get the debt monster under control.

Firstly - list all the crap that's starting to clutter up the house! Oh, who am I kidding? It's been here all along! Anyway, I'm going to start listing up a storm on Oztion. Even if I only get $1, it is still $1 that I didn't have. Sell 100 items for $1, and things start looking a bit better!
I also have some larger baby items to sell (two cots, a high chair and a pram). I'm going to contact some of the baby shops that sell second hand to see if they want them. It would be nice to halve the credit card debt on at least ONE of the cards by Christmas! Think positive - it can be done!

Avon is going good. I'm starting to get a good little client base going. If I can start earning a bit more there, I can put the profits from that onto the CC (credit card) as well.

The kids are going good! Matt will be going into the "Alternative Classroom" next year (special ed). He's also started on Strattera in the last couple of days, a medication given to ADHD kids to help improve his concentration, where his main problems lie. Cross fingers we shall see a good result soon.

Becca is being very THREE. Any parents will get what I mean. If her behaviour is any indication of what is to come, I'm dreading puberty! lol. Well, off to make some phone calls about selling some stuff!

Controlling the Chaos Monster!

As usual my poor house has descended into a state of anarchy and chaos. And, in what I am sure is a conspiracy, the vacuum cleaner has packed it in and the washing basket broke. But, in true Clash of The Titans style, I am determined to beat this Chaos Monster! Time to dust out the old Control Journal and start tackling the monster 15 minutes at a time (can anyone say "Flylady"? lol)

The worst room would have to be the office. I have just started up as an Avon rep again so I'm going to need to get this in order quick smart. Will report in on my progress / success!

Happy Easter!

Easter was a fairly quiet affair this year, but as usual our cupboard is bulging with chocolate. I never thought I would say this but I am so over chocolate right now! I think the 2 kgs that I lost earlier in the year have come back with their friends!

We've had a hectic month! Both kids had surgery - Becca had her adenoids and tonsils out and grommets put in, and Matty had 3 teeth removed under general anesthetic. Both have recovered well though!

How much has changed!

Well, It's been AGES since I updated this. Almost a year! In that time Matty has greatly improved. His paediatrician and psych now think that he is Aspergers more so than Autistic. Although that is still on the autism spectrum, it is not really so bad. Hey, Bill Gates has Aspergers! So if Matty can be as successful as him, then that's a good thing! lol Matty is starting prep in two weeks. Two kids from his autism centre will be in his class. It is great that he will know somebody, but I hope he wont become too dependent on his friends and not work to his full potential. I'll have to speak to his teacher about that.

Becca will be three next month! How time flies! The poor thing has to have an operation this year though, to remove her tonsils and adenoids and put grommets in her ears. No wonder she talks so loud! The poor thing probably only has partial hearing. She is going for a hearing test on Thursday to determine how much she is hearing at the moment, and then she will have another hearing test after the operation to see if there is an improvement.

Seeing as Matty will be going to school full time, I'm thinking about getting Becca into dancing or something like that during the week. She loves music and dancing so I think she would really enjoy it. A girlfriend of mine is looking to do something similar for her daughter this year, so hopefully the girls might be able to go together.

As for me, I ended up having to quit my pole dancing. I developed bad RSI in my right hand and could barely carry the groceries, let alone hold myself up on a pole! Unfortunately I've become rather sedentary since then, but am going to try and get back into exercising starting tomorrow, even if it is just taking the dog for a walk!

More soon! Helen xx