The travellers!

While SH was talking to his parents last weekend they mentioned they had the travelling bug again and were off on a trip. He was interested to which exotic location they were going now. None it seems! They were off on a road trip for a few days and to areas not more than a few hours from home!!! Not exactly what we had been expecting. They stayed with us last night, a good distraction after our harrowing day, and lovely to catch up on bits and pieces. They headed off this morning expecting to be away another few days but have phoned tonight to say they are home in Geelong safely, the rain was too miserable to be travelling in!!!!!!!

I had a lovely day today, I didn't have to work so that's always a good start. Mum came over for the day, we went out for lunch and browsed the shops, picking up a few bargains!! We then brought home some cakes for afternoon tea when the kids finished school. Mum brought us these roses in memory of Jess. A bit hard to see in the photo but a beautiful apricot color.

Farewell dear friend....

Jessie Jo passed away this afternoon. No more suffering for her. We will miss her so much.

R.I.P

Oh dear where has the time gone?????

Hard to believe another fortnight has passed since I posted! All I can say is I am a little overwhelmed at the moment. With work and kids and general chores there are not many spare moments and I really can't see it improving until January!! We already have something on every weekend until then and on some occasions more than one thing. Catching up on some blog reading yesterday I am not alone. With that in mind I am hoping to post each day for the next fortnight , call it a little challenge to myself. I must be able to find 5 minutes a day and at least 1 thing however small to report on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor Jessie Jo (our older dog) has been very unwell again. She had a trip to the vet Thursday as she had finally finished the medication she'd been on for 3 months and also developed a cough. Amy the vet was very pleased with her, since Jimmy arrived she is doing so much more exercise and she looked healthy and happy. Amy was sure the throat was irritated, maybe from the dust flying around so after an anti inflammatory shot and armed with antibiotics and cough syrup we came home. She just went downhill again from there and by Friday evening was unable to walk and was not eating - one very sick Jess. Saturday Amy wasn't working and the vet I phoned was too busy!! to see her. I did go and pick up some more of the previous medication she had been on (quartazone) to see if that would help. If they had seen her that morning I am sure she wouldn't of come home with us. She finally picked up a little by Sunday night when she wanted to go for a walk with Jimmy. Monday the cough changed and became worse so when I took her for the prearranged appointment yesterday I was still very worried. Holly (yes it is a clinic of only female vets) wanted to do chest xrays so I left Jess there for the morning. It showed the worst case scenario but what we expected, her dodgy heart is failing and is surrounded by fluid making her cough and struggle to breath. Holly has sent her home with heart tablets and fluid tablets and if she responds to them it will give her a lovely quality of life for a bit longer. If she doesn't at least we have tried everything. She started on them last night and we are expecting it will take 2 or 3 days to see the effect. I was up with her every hour last night (as I have been for the last week) comforting her as the coughing took hold. I hope they work quickly as I'm not sure I can see her like this for much longer.

On a different subject matter I have not picked up needle, thread or fabric let alone put out my sewing machine in the last fortnight!!!! I miss it, I need it and I want it!! Let's hope that changes quickly!

I purchased a new book last week that I am hoping will change my life!!! 'House Detox' - 200 ideas to declutter your home, room by room! I am a hoarder, I am unorganised, I need help! I have already read it cover to cover once and it has inspired me to change . I am putting a realistic timeline on it ( the book helped me realise it took a long time to get this way, can't be fixed in a day! a bit like excess weight - maybe I can work on that next!), and I will plod along. I have planned new storage units and I am excited about it. I have taken photos of all my rooms, cupboards etc (think my quilting cupboard is the only tidy organised one) so I have a record of what used to be. Unfortunately they are not fit to post so I will leave you with a photo of the book which will change my life.........................................I hope!!

I'm back .......

Well I can't believe it's a fortnight since I posted! No real reason except everyday life took hold, oh and we've had 2 lots of visitors!!
The day after my last post I worked in the morning and then headed over to Mums for the afternoon. It was the anniversary of Dads death, 12 years now but in some ways it still seems like yesterday. Mum is always very 'scratchy' at this time of year so the distraction of our visit was good for her. We took her out for lunch then visited the cemetery. After that was a visit to Mum's dentist for the 'Horsey' one for a second opinion! When she had visited our dentist for a check up the previous week he had suddenly decided she needed to urgently see an Orthodontist and honestly the prices he was talking was making me faint! Our regular dentist has recently retired and she was quite conservative about orthodontic work ! Anyway the 2nd opinion was yes she does need to see an orthodontist but as a planning tool which may involve some work now and eventually braces or a plate but certainly not at the prices he was quoting. The 'horsey' one didn't get a tooth until she was 13 months old and still has at least 6 baby teeth left. They don't fall out by themselves and are extracted when the adult tooth there comes through properly. A truly unique child!! Anyway she has decided she won't go back to the first dentist again so we will be making the trip to Mum's dentist for her regularly now!!
On the Saturday the 'horsey' one and I set off to Ballarat to catch up with 2 of her Godmothers (she has 3) and another friend. We all worked together many years ago and try and catch up a few times a year. Colleen and her husband have just been on a trip to Alaska and Canada and the photos were amazing! A part of the world I definitely need to visit one day.
The first lot of visitors arrived last Monday night at 11pm!!!!!! I am an early riser and an early to bed kind of person so this killed me having to stay up waiting for them to arrive! Add to this that I had spent the day running with dentist appointments (HS this time), haircuts, collecting drycleaning and parent teacher interviews all before the kids returned to school after holidays on Tuesday. It was our great friends from Queensland who had come for a flying visit. I help Robyn at trade craft shows , she is a button maker, and Mum stitches her samples. There is a show coming up in November and she will release a new quilt so she wanted to touch base and check on the progress. Her and Mum are very happy with the finished product so it was worth the 2000 odd km they travelled! We had lots of laughs, good food and wine while they were here.
The second lot of visitors arrived on Sunday ( honestly the dust in my house doesn't know what's hit it - being moved 2 weeks in a row!). My best friend since kindergarten Karen, her partner and my goddaugher 'Bianca'. They live in the city and this was there first visit to us for about 4 years. They stayed in a hotel and we had Bianca who is 2 for her first ever sleepover!! She was absolutely perfect for us! We had a lovely few days together. She is such a bright and talkative little poppet.
On the craft front I received some exciting parcels last week. Decided I couldn't be left out and I needed! the monthly pincushion kits. The first two arrived so I can't wait to get going on them. I also received the first instalment of the 'Bluebird' Quilt by Janelle Wind, a Block of the month. Another thing I can't wait to get going on. I have made some progress on something for Chookyblues SSCS. Of course it is a secret so I can't show you..... I am trying to do a little each day so I am not panicked closer to the deadline!! The work has been a bit slow as I'm nursing a sore arm after having a tetanus injection last week , the reason I had to have it was Jimmy bit me!! Wasn't really his fault, I put my finger in his mouth!! Yep sometimes I just don't think!! Luckily my finger is healing well!
Hoping things are back on track again and I'll be back to posting more regularly!! also will have time to visit everyone and catch up on all your news!

Grrr Teenagers!!!!

Does anyone else have teenagers that are just beautiful, kind, funny, clever etc etc etc but drive you to distraction occasionally??????? Yesterday when I went off to work I asked for just 4 things to be done to help me , tidy up the kitchen, do homework, walk the dogs, and bring the washing in, hardly rocket science or unreasonable I would think! Yep you guessed it , the total number of these done when I walked in the door late and tired - a big fat 0!! Oh well today is a new day and I do love them anyway!!