Sammie

I think it hit 37c and it’s still only Spring. Summer’s going to be a scorcher! This getaway was on my mind today, but still another 4 months away. I’m thinking I really need to be planning another sometime between now and then. 7 months ago

and the movie was well worth it. Too many good points made in it to mention, and sooooo many laughs (oh, and a few really cringe-worthy moments too!)

It had a little of that Muriel’s Wedding feel to it, you could tell it was the same director.

Well worth a watch.

http://mentalmovie.com.au/ 7 months ago

Just some musings on this week. Nothing to do with anything important, just something that’s been occupying my thoughts a little.

I keep thinking about the saying ‘when someone shows you who they are, believe them’. While it’s probably meant more for when people show you a negative aspect of themselves, I think it can also be applied to positives.

That said, it was a negative thing I was shown this week. Something that I know I’ve noticed before, but rationalised off or refused to acknowledge. So thinking deep thoughts on what this might mean and what my next step needs to be (if a next step is needed).

Aside from that little niggle, life is good :-) 7 months ago

Cute :-) 7 months ago

We did this the other week and it was a huge hit with the little man. He was so good in the theatre, sat through the whole movie – admittedly halfway through he ended up on my lap, but that was nice too :)

We did the whole popcorn and soft drink thing, not really a trip to the movies without them.

Madagascar 3 was bright and colourful and funny, so he of course loved it. Can’t wait for his next movie now! 7 months ago

... or perhaps more accurately, things to NOT take into Summer with me.

A little over 9 weeks until the first day of Summer in the Southern Hemisphere and I’ve been thinking about how I’d like this Summer to be, and what stands in the way of that happening.

I still crave that clutter-free existence, the one where the house feels spacious and airy and is a breeze to clean. The one where I can find things, because they’re where they should be and not hidden under a layer of “stuff”. The one where I can think clearly and focus on the task at hand, because we’re not surrounded by distracting piles of things screaming out “deal with me first!”

Each year I creep a little closer to the end goal, taking a few steps forward and then a couple backwards as busyness intervenes and the detritus of daily life starts to build up again.

Maybe this Summer will be the one that I finally step into unencumbered by my clutter?

[Photo credit:Mirabbi on morgueFile] 7 months ago

He’ll be turning 4 in January and we haven’t been to see a movie at the theatre yet. I think he’s just the right age now to find it exciting and possibly even sit still through a movie ;-) Aiming to take him in the next couple of weeks as a special treat to see Madagascar 3. 7 months ago

Wow! I came across this series quite by accident and haven’t been able to put them down since. There are currently 8 books in the series, plus a Novella (The Hangman) that sits between books 6 & 7.

I love a good mystery and these are absolutely wonderful whodunnits. The plots are rich and original and slowly wind throughout the books as each piece of the mystery is revealed. The imagery the author conjures up is so detailed that I often felt I was standing right there in Three Pines with Chief Inspector Gamache, strolling across the green to the bistro, waving to familiar townfolk.

Start with “Still Life” and I guarantee you’ll be hooked. 8 months ago

The job is going wonderfully, the study not so much. It’s not that I’m not motivated to get it done, it’s just that … well, everything else is sooooo distracting! And I’m the absolute Queen of Procrastinators …

There’s also been a few hiccups with my course so I need to finish up my current unit and make a decision on whether to switch institutions or not. 8 months ago

Must check this brew out, it sounds divine! 8 months ago

... and I’m just about to start my first entry. So much cool stuff in it already! 8 months ago

I know, it’s only a weekend away. 3 days with a change of scenary … but this household is so excited it’s not funny!

I guess that’s a good indication of how much we needed the break. sigh Can’t wait to do a lovely winter walk along the sand … 10 months ago

That would definitely put me off it! 12 months ago

I’m sure you’re right, he would probably love to tell Mummy off for drinking the bad stuff ;-)

Not doing too bad on this at the moment, have severely cut back and limited my daily intake. Even had a few days last week where I went completely without and no headaches, so it’s getting there. 12 months ago

My next big-ish project is to give the bathroom a fresh coat of paint. The hardest bit so far has been picking a colour. It has to be something that goes with the existing tiles and patterned border. I’m thinking white to be on the safe side, although a very pale pink or green would also work. 12 months ago

Very, very keen in fact :) 12 months ago

5 and half years ago I successfully kicked the habit. Then it slowly crept back until in 2008 I was as bad as ever. May 2008 I kicked the habit again, made easier that time around due to bad morning sickness while pregnant with my son. I stayed off Coke for the entire pregnancy and while breastfeeding. April 2010 it started to creep back into my diet again and now I find myself right back where I started.

Going cold turkey leads to severe headaches. Easing off it slowly hasn’t worked. What on earth is in this stuff that I crave it so much?! It must be something to do with taste, because Pepsi does not sate the cravings at all – it has to be the real thing.

So, I find myself steeling for another battle with the big bad carbonated sugary beverage. 13 months ago

Eight months away, but booked in and it’s more like a week than a weekend. Can’t wait! 13 months ago

All booked for July – a wonderful winter weekend away from it all. Now to plan an activity or two for while we’re there. 13 months ago

I’ve loved 99.9% of everything I’ve ever read of Neil’s and this book was no exception. Aimed at younger readers, it’s such a well written story that adults will have no problems being drawn in too. If you like storys that flow magically along and aren’t adverse to a slightly darker than norm setting, then grab a copy and settle in for a lovely treat. 13 months ago

Okay, so not really one book but eight. Great series with well-rounded characters and storylines that really pull you in. If you like Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire series (Sookie Stackhouse / True Blood) or Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, then you’ll like these too. 13 months ago

That leaves only 43 more items to get rid of!!!! How flukey was that?!

It’s a sign – this goal must get finished today.

I’m sure I can find 43 more things to fling around here … back later :) 13 months ago

Thanks for the prod Todd! Not much progress lately, but not giving up on it.

Still struggling with whether I’m just scared and low on confidence still, or if I just honestly don’t like driving. The thought of having the freedom to drive myself and Jag anywhere we need to be is like a carrot dangling in front of me though. Too enticing to give up on it! 13 months ago

Cleared out the office yesterday and started going through boxes of clutter and old folders of paperwork. I’m sure the count is way over 67, but I was tossing too fast to keep up with the tally ;-)

One huge purge, and I’m hoping a shedding of items that hold negative energy, was of divorce related paperwork from years and years ago. Tez & I celebrate 9 years married this week, so it seemed more than apt that I finally let go of things from before our life together. 13 months ago