My 'baby' got accepted into the University course he so wanted to do ! He is going to Auckland University next year to study to become a Physiotherapist... how awesome is that? I am so proud of him! They only take a certain number in each year, so he is very lucky to have been accepted.
Today: The kids have athletics all day today, Stew is going to watch them... not me! I don't even like kids half the time, why would I want to sit and watch them? I think I will go into town and have a wander.... Should really start shopping for Christmas! Not that I'm going to be getting much for my lot.... I only buy for my 5 grandchildren now... if I bought gifts for all my kids, their partners etc I would end up bankrupt! 
Ok, been to town, picked up a few things, got some wrapping paper... should now start wrapping the bloody presents....
OR.... I could read a book.... might just do that! Cos, I HATE HATE HATE wrapping presents!!! And I suck at it too. They always end up looking like some 2 years old did it.
Dunno about that first book, whether I can be bothered... the author has overdone the descriptive side a bit.... have already gone off it. Not done much else, my internet has been 'down' for the last 2 hours, grrrrrrrr! Don't know if it's a problem with the server or something in my house. Driving me nuts it is.
It has been an absolute scorcher of a day here! Maybe not as hot as it gets in other places overseas, but just perfect for here! Have done diddly squat this afternoon, got dinner sorted (lamb chops and veges) and have fed the family. Am now going to chill out and watch Coronation Street (wooo hoo!) then I'm thinking of taking Izzy for a nice walk in the cool of the evening.. but before it gets too dark! I'm a chicken in the dark.
Walked Izzy in the cool of the evening (with Stew) it was lovely... we did 3 kms in 25 minutes... not bad! Izzy found two puddles from people watering their lawns and promptly lay down in them.. it was really cute.
End of Day: another good one !
NSV: well I was happy! nite nite.
I went to the Doctor yesterday, my fluid retention is very bad at the moment.. and he has increased my piddle pills and is sending me for an ECG.... something my niece in Aussy will be very pleased to hear I'm sure! She told me ages ago that fluid retention CAN be caused by a heart problem.... my Doctor does not think there is anything wrong with me ticker, but has decided to err on the 'safe side' and get it checked out. ALL IS GOOD!
Today it's morning tea with the girls again... then housework AGAIN. Don't ya just envy me???? At least today I can scrub and polish the showers without hurting me fingers...
What do ya do when you are bored and can't be stuffed doing the housework? You go trolling for new 'blog widgets'!!! I found a new one from Karen's blog.... Neocounter... should be fun to see where all me visitors are coming from eh?
So much of the housework has to be left till the last minute tomorrow, so today I have decided to do bugger all! Might just be a totally lazy day in fact.
I did say it was going to be a lazy day eh? WEll, it has been! Nothing is happening... got chicken in the oven for dinner, Stew and the kids are out doing I don't know what, Mike and Abby are on the couch and I'm twiddling me thumbs! I know it will be busy tomorrow morning tho so I'm not feeling guilty at all. Havn't even got a photo to share today.....
Thanks to Lyn, I've been having a bit of fun on Google... if you Google "bugger, damn and blast" you will find my blog! same with:
- Chris H
- Nana Nap
- Diet coke rocks
and goodness knows what else!!!!! Is that freaky or what?
I am going to have a great day, I am going to be positive and not grumpy.... I am going to track every morsel that passes my lips and even PLAN my meals. No more letting the stress get to me and letting evil little snacks get in my face, or overeating.
TODAY: Kids to school, walk the dog then do some jobs in town.
Food: I WILL have breakfast, I will NOT have anything evil in town and I will have at least one shake today. I want to end the day with a positive feeling in my heart, not hating myself!
OVEREAT = Feel like crap
STAY ON TRACK = Feel fantastic
WHAT DO I WANT???? Derrrr, it's really no contest eh?
When Stew is home he is the one who loads and turns on the dishwasher.... the few times I've done it he's come along later and 'huffed and puffed' and rearranged everything.. like I don't put it in 'THE RIGHT WAY' !
Well I just got my first thrill of the day... I loaded the darn thing and I turned it on! OK, it took me a little while to figure out how to make the bloody thing go, but I did it. Small things eh?
Celebrity Slim shake: Strawberry... is bloody YUK for breakfast! That's all I have to say on that subject!
ANOTHER victory for me today! I just cancelled my gym membership and did not have to pay the $250 cancellation fee.... as we are moving to an area that does not have my gym AND cos I have not been able to go much due to ill health. YIPEE! How neat is that?
I will of course be finding a new gym to attend once we are settled in Auckland. Just have to get there is all!
Stew is home early from Wellington, so ... we are going to Bulls for lunch... just love those kebabs!!!! Hey, it's only 30 minutes to Bulls!
End of Day, and it has been lovely! Stew and I spent a good 3 hours together (just the two of us)... so nice. Just finished feeding the family dinner... going to watch some mindless TV, do a bit of tidying up etc.
NSV: Saved myself $250 on cancellation fee... not bad. nite nite.
I will miss them, they were so very pretty, but drove me nuts. And... I hurt one of my fingers twice on a door handle in the kitchen and my finger throbbed for days.... and they do not go well when you are scrubbing out three shower bases.... so I have 'been there, done that', it was an experience I shall not forget.
Today: kids to school, into town for nail appointment, home and maybe walk Izzy if it's not too hot, then lie in the sun and work on the tan. I got quite pink from yesterday!
It would seem that the people who are very keen on our home are also very cheeky.. they want to offer about $20-30 thousand LESS than our asking price!!!! My response to the Real Estate Agent? Tell they to get FUCKED! Hmm, I'm sure she did not say quite THAT to them, but I am not giving away my beautiful house! 
1 PM: been to town and had the nails off, it took an hour! Then to console myself (cos my hands now look YUK) I bought myself two pairs of summer slip on shoes. Feel better now.
Then I tottled off home....
ABOVE: This is Ben (aka Bowser) a mate of Mike's... Ben calls himself my 5th son!!! He came for dinner last night, as you can see, the little shit is still here! He got to sleep in the 'pink' room... lucky bugger!
AND... here's Mike and Abby, still in bed at 1pm, watching Ben play on the computer. How 'cosy' can ya get??? Right, now I better do a bit of housework, I've been out all day!
I'm PROUD to say I did no housework, I sat on me bum and chilled out! AND I'm not cooking either, the kids are having a quickie dinner, Mike is too and Stew and I are going to BULLS for a kebab! OOOO YUM.
OOO dinner was lovely, washed down with some bubbly white wine... and a piece of cheesecake from Cafe' Cuba back here in town..... now I am totally stuffed and ready to just blob out!
End of Day, it's been NEAT ! Lovely fine weather, retail shopping, dinner out... what more could a girl ask for? OK OK... might do 'THAT' later too!!! hee hee he!
NSV: ummmm I am happy will do ! nite nite.
At least today while I'm getting the house sorted for viewing I won't have bloody kids running in and out with their dirty shoes on, and dropping their stuff on the floor... I can get the place spic and span in no time without them under foot.
Today: kids to school, blokes to work (yahoo too), get house sorted then if I get time I will give Izzy and me a walk.
While the house is being viewed I will go into town and have lunch with Stew... might even take Izzy... she can sit under our chairs outside a cafe or in the grassed area in the middle of town. What a good idea!
I will also be catching up on all your blogs later today too!! I did not get to read or comment on many yesterday.... was kinda busy.
MARGARET: I have kinda 'forgotten' about the shakes!!!! They simply do not compare to yummy homemade scones and bacon and egg pie!!!! Or birthday cake! BUT... I am going to have at least two today instead of eating stuff I shouldn't.
I am a total stress eater... I'm sure once the house has a contract on it I will be able to relax and chill out.
*******HELP NEEDED .. read below.....
FALSE NAILS: have to come off! They are really pretty, BUT.... they are driving me nuts! I can't do up buttons, pick up coins/hair clips or anything small... and yesterday I kept catching one in particular in door handles ....FUCK THAT HURTS!!! So, can I just chop them off and let the rest grow out??? HELP !
Thank you girls for the nail suggestions... I just had me thumb in acetone for 20 minutes... nothing happened to the nail... not a bloody thing! So I'm thinking I will have to get them taken off by she who put them on!
The house is all done, spent the last 3 hours getting it 'just so' again...almost time to round up me dog and get out of here!
Izzy saw ducks in town... Izzy wanted duck for lunch... Izzy chased ducks.... Izzy can't fly so Izzy got ... NO DUCK.
It's nearly 6pm and we still havn't heard from our Real Estate Agent... don't know whats going on...if they are keen or not. Bugger it. If I could chew my nails I would, but I've never been able to! I have an appointment on wednesday to get them off....
End of Day, no sale yet. NSV: I like the strawberry shakes! Yum yum. nite nite.
For all you tarts out there who think scones are the be all and end all.... (for you Americans etc who don't know what a scone is, it's a bit like a bread bun but only takes 15 minutes to cook)
Courtesy of the Edmonds Cook Book....
SCONES:
3 cups white flour, 4.5 teaspoons baking power, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 25 gms (1 oz.) butter and about 1 cup of milk. To this basic recipe I add about 1 cup grated cheese and a good handful of cooked bacon pieces, some herbs too.
I chop the butter into tiny pieces, add it to the sifted dry ingredients with a fork and add the cheese and bacon then the milk.
I use a fork to stir the milk in, and I turn the mixture onto a lightly floured bench and just pat into shape and cut up with a knife. I do not knead it or anything! I think the trick is the minimal handling of the dough.
Bake in a hot oven (230 C) for 15 minutes.
You can add anything to the basic recipe I reckon... raisins, dates, cinnamon.... to make them sweet or savoury. I want to try adding even more veges next time... anything to get veges into Griffin!
****************************************************
Today: well you can guess can't ya?
Bloody vacuming, dusting, cleaning bathrooms and toilets (fuck I'm loving this)....... *laughing me head off* REALLY !
All this excitement, and I'm not even out of bed yet. Can the day get any better?
I can't find my Christmas Wreath anywhere, so last night I made a new one.....
It's going to hang on my front door.... hell I can't believe I'm thinking about Christmas already! I'm not putting up the tree.... just a few discrete decorations.
I have felt like crying already today...Mike went to work at 6 am and left his room and bathroom in a bloody mess.... and I had to clean it up.. he text'd me to say he would do it when he got home, but knowing Mike he'd leave it to the last minute and totally stress me out...hence why I have done it. Why do teenagers feel the need to pop their zits and leave the mess on mirrors all over the bloody house! I swear to God Mike has left a mess on no less than *6* blasted mirrors in this house!!!! I COULD KILL HIM.
NOT HAPPY JAN! What else to report? Still doing the big clean, it does not get any easier I tell ya. And to top it off it's Griffin's Birthday and the poor little bugger is getting ignored.... and getting shitty with it. WE will have to do something extra nice for dinner for him eh? Better get back to it....
Well that's another Open Home done and dusted... lookee what I had cooking in the oven ... smelt delishious! It's bacon/egg/cheese and a few veges in a pie. OOOO yum.
End of Day, I'm knackered! Might have some interest from today's Open Home, a couple are coming back tomorrow for another look.
NSV: I got lots of exercise today! Ok, it was just cleaning, but I got really tired. Going to put me feet up now! nite nite.
Stew always goes to Wanganui on a Friday... and I don't know why but I've never gone with him.. kids I suppose! Anyway, today I am going with him, and will spend a couple of hours 'doing' the shops over there while Stew does his business.... then we can enjoy lunch together. How neat is that? It will be like a mini 'date'.... awww how cute.
So, Today: kids to school, then off for the day with my hubby... so don't go checking back in here till at least 2-3pm this afternoon cos I won't be here! later...
WE got to Wanganui at 9.30 and after saying "HI" to the guys in the office there I said "right, I'm off to look at the shops" to which one of the men said "Yep, good luck ... that should take you all of 5 minutes"! Wellllllll..... 2.5 hours later I had 'done' the shops and had a ball !
Yummy lollies for my Mum for Xmas.... ones I know she can't get in Australia... tempting to have some... but I havn't!
After the shopping, we stopped in Bulls on the way back for a late lunch, we had a Doner Kebab...OH MY GOD they were the best I have ever ever had!!! I have told Stew he has to take me there for dinner soon!!!
Did I ever say, I had my second daughter in Wanganui ? Well I did, I lived there for a grand total of 12 months, arrived with one newborn baby and left with a 1 year old and another newborn baby! Don't remember much else about living there, it was about 27 years ago afterall.
Right, time to go and get the kids from school....
End of Day, I'm off to bed to try out the new bed tray....
NSV: ummmm none today, ate too much, did not get any meaningful exercise ... unless shopping counts? LOL nite nite.
Picture this:
Mike left to get his hair cut... so I rung the salon and told them it was his 18th birthday.....*snigger*.
Mike comes home... and says : "Yeah THANKS MUM" !
Me : "What for Mike"?
Mike : "For telling them down at the salon it was my birthday... they all stood up, even the ladies with tin foil in their hair and sang 'Happy Birthday' to me"
.... oooo I'm an evil Mummy!!!
*** BIG BIG LAUGHS***
Today: Kids to school, walk Izzy, off to work... usual stuff.
I drove around my 'walk' yesterday, it's exactly 3 kms, so am going to add another 1 km to it today... and will slowly build up to the 7kms I used to do every day. Feeling good ....
Work today: I was run off me feet!!! They were having a clothing sale.. everything was 50 cents!!!! Well I couldn't resisit COULD I ???? I think some of these will fit my wanna-be daughter-in-law Lisa or one of my girls.... They don't photo very well I must say, cos they are all in excellent condition!
Not much else to blather on about right now, going to have some lunch and put my feet up before I have to go get the kids from school.
Catherine: 7 kms used to take me about an hour, flat ground, no hills.... I hate hills... but can do them now if I want, that is the best thing about not being obese anymore, I can do so many things that I couldn't before!!! At the moment 3 kms is taking me and Izzy about 25 minutes, so my pace is bang on what it used to be, but not my stamina. It will get better I'm sure.
It is bloody freezing here!!! WE have an icy blasting wind, it has even snowed on the surrounding hills and Desert Road again... brrrrr where the F*#k is summer????
End of day, all in all a good day. Not been very good with the diet, but not too worried, it will happen.
NSV: I have upped my walking distance, getting there! nite nite.
And I did kinda leave it to the last minute asking him what he wanted... so .. yesterday I went out and bought him an Apple Ipod Nano.... at his request. And he also requested it was all wrapped up in pretty paper... well..... I didn't have much paper in the house ! Do you think he will notice his gift is wrapped in BARBIE PAPER? *HA HA HA* He did ask for pretty paper!
Today: kids to school, walk the dog..... some things do not change! How boring. Then...... buggered if I know! I could go to the gym, but probably won't... I'm more likely to have a sauna at home after my walk then blob out for a while.
...................................................BEFORE.............................................
And the verdict is.... no fucking change!!! I am still seriously anemic... and I have to double the iron tablets.. OH JOY. I know the Doctor would like to give me iron injections, but that is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!! No way. I have heard they hurt like hell, and as I am a big sook... well I'm not going there!
This explains the extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, lack of energy bla bla bla.... I had hoped they would have 'worked' by now... oh well... maybe in another month??? At least I can get up and down our stairs now without having to stop half way... so I feel I am getting a bit better. Lets be positive eh?
Today: usual stuff, kids to school, walk the dog.... then I think I will visit my friend who had a hysterectomy last week... oh the life of a 'kept woman' is bliss. Sorry to all you working girls out there! But hey! I've been 'working' on raising 8 friggin kids for 28 years already... I deserve a break!
It looks yuk out there today... might even rain... and it's COLD. Thank god I have the sauna to warm up in after I walk me dog...
We walked in the rain.. it was lovely! Then home for a sauna... also lovely. Am now off to visit my girlfriend and have a nice healthy chicken salad sandwich for lunch.. can't wait I'm starving!!!! later...
Lunch was nice, visiting a friend is always nice too. Shame most of them work during the day, it can get so lonely sometimes!!!
AND did I tell you.. I was in my sauna for 45 minutes this morning, the temperature was 63 degrees Celsius and I DID NOT break out in a sweat at all !!! Hmmmmm.
ABOVE: Brylee with almost two front teeth again, and I am growing her hair a bit longer too.... getting it off her face.. she's so cute! And healthy right now too, she's eating really well and it is showing on her face! She has cheeks!
End of Day, I had a carmel flavoured Celebrity Shake for dinner. It was quite nice! Am now watching the idiot box, then I'm going to have another sauna and I hope to sweat this time!
NSV : I'm STILL on track... and feeling really happy with myself I am! nite nite.
Stew and I watched this movie last night, and I loved it... but more importantly, I loved the clothes... and I want to wear lovely clothes like that too!!! But of course that is not going to happen when I'm so fucken fat.... sooooooo
I am vowing to myself to get back on track, pull finger, do the exercise, eat properly and all that shit... cos I WANT TO BE THE BEST I CAN BE.... full stop, end of bloody story. And it is totally up to ME ... I am going to do it again by hell !
Today: kids to school, walk Izzy, then do some weight training... followed by a healthy lunch and a shake for dinner. No piss arse-ing around any more. Look out size 12, I'm coming back! *BIG BIG SMILES*
Ahhh, so far so good! Did a 40 minute walk with Izzy, came home and did some weights, had a wee rest .. then did some housework... and have just had my lunch..left over meatloaf and some rice. That was nice.
Now all I have to do is behave till bedtime! Wish me luck!
Still doing well... and... ICE has been absent so far today.. my teeth have been sooooo sore lately I just had to give it a rest today. But, now that I've said 'it' I'm wanting some... derrrr. Maybe just one glass???
I just had my first 'shake'... chocolate... it was quite nice. Still had that funny taste all meal replacement shakes have... but it was not overpowering and on a whole quite sweet. Will be interesting to see if it keeps me 'full' for the entire evening though.... I almost always feel 'peckish' around 8.30 - 9 am. Tonight I hope to take Izzy out for another 30 minute walk...we will see how I feel soon.
End of day, still doing well. Am going to bed early (9.45) so I don't end up eating something!
NSV: I liked the Celebrity Shake... hope tomorrow's flavour is nice too. nite nite.
And I am NOT getting me tits in a knot today, uh uh no way! I have the bread maker all ready loaded and ready to go, just have to add the water and switch it on... then it's simply a case of making the beds, getting the kids and Stew out of the house at 12 and doing a last flit around.
Sounds easy eh? Haaa haaa ha! It's not when you are a worry wart like me. But I do need to chill out a bit, cos this process could take months, and I don't want to be a cot case at the other end of it.
Right, all this talk and I'm still in bed awaiting my latte.... 
It's all going good today, not nearly so much to do this weekend, above is Izzy's "kennel" transformed into a sunroom... looks good to me!
I made this pot years ago, it's been used as Izzy's water bowl for a while, but it's developed a leak, so I popped out just now and bought some plants for it... pretty. Still got an hour and a half till the Open Home and everything is done ... so no TITS IN A KNOT today people!
Feeling a bit bummed, only two groups through today, and no serious buyers... so no sale today.
End of Day, busy but good. Brylee has a headache, which means she threw up... she always does ... we think she gets migraines. Not too often though, so that's good.
NSV: NONE, did not do the shake thing today.. tomorrow for sure. I'm the QUEEN OF PROCRASTINATION at the moment. I'm sure it's cos my life is now in LIMBO so to speak, hard to concentrate on the weight with so much else going on and all the stress involved. I am going to try so very hard to get my shit together. I am, really I am! nite nite.
Last night I had a sauna before bed....
I headed into our bedroom after my sauna, Stew was already in bed, he looked up and said "the three S's"??? I said "HUH"?
He said "Sauna, Sex and Sleep" !!!
I said "Like hell... more like "Shit Show Stew" !!!
Ahh you've gotta love a trier eh?
On that note, it's another lovely day today, so I hope my mood picks up, the girls (well a couple of them) are coming around for morning tea.... and I had a really lovely conversation with my niece in Australia last night that really perked me up. So,here's to a better day.
BLOODY HELL !!! I'm baking again!!! Ham and Cheese scones for morning tea.... oooo the smell is devine.......*snigger*
Morning tea done and dusted, a few scones gone! Now.... I'm going out to buy some CelebritySlim meal replacement shakes... going to give them a go.... not sure if they will be nice or not, my niece reckons they are. Anything is worth a go at the moment! I am so over gaining weight, and bitching about it!!!
later... my life seems to be dominated by cleaning and cooking! I just made a huge meatloaf for dinner.... the smell is to die for!!! I am having some, the shakes can start tomorrow! How little willpower do I have eh?
But, tomorrow will be 'it'... again.... cos if I don't put the brakes on now I might as well give up altogether ! And I am not going to do that, no friggin way!
End of Day: kids in bed, I can now wash and polish the floors, do the fiddly things ... ready for tomorrow's Open Home.
NSV: Got me some meal replacement shakes to try... anything in worth a try eh? nite nite.
This is it... Mike and Abby on the couch... playing electronic games!!!! Awwwww how LOVEY DOVEY can ya get??? NOT my idea of hanging out together that's for sure! I just don't get it.
Today: we will be mowing the lawns, planting some pretty flowers at front door, scrubbing, polishing, vacuming, dusting, .... you get the drift!
But first, I'm going out to morning tea at Anne's.... can't miss me girlfriends get together... wonder if anyone has had a good week weight wise? I know I havn't.
It is supposed to be fine this morning, and raining this afternoon, so I better get his nibs up so he can get those lawns done right now! later....
Well, I'm not... today I will have to tell my 'boss' at the Hospice Shop that I will be leaving mid December. After that time we will be at the beach, then who knows? If our home sells we will be in Auckland, if it doesn't .. I am staying at the beach!
I hate to be big headed, but they have come to really like me at the shop, so I'm sure I will be missed. And I have loved working there, hopefully I can find something similar to do once we are in Auckland.
So, today: Kids to school, quick walk for Izzy then off to work I go. And once again, I am going to try NOT TO BUY anything! Think I can do it again? ha ha ha.
dumm deee dooo, dummm dee day, what did I buy today? Two cushions for the outside settee, and a nice two piece outfit for me Mum.... I just could NOT HELP MYSELF!!! Someone shoot me now! We were steady in the shop today, plenty of time for a natter.. ha ha ha. Am home now starving... going to make myself a noodle thingee with some ham added.... mouth is watering thinking about it...OH and some Diet Coke, have not had any all day!
As for the resigning thing.. she took it well... it was me who felt awful! But that is life, it goes on. I'm sure when the time is right I will find another job that I love up in Auckland.
