[Meadow]

My week has been taken over by illness, not mine, my daughter's. She has had a high fever since Wednesday, took her to the doctor this morning... throat infection, antibiotics for a week. She missed her fieldtrip to Science World with her class today. She has been lethargic and pathetic with a cough that would make your chest hurt. Sarah is a trooper though and loves going to visit the doctor, she says she wants to be a doctor when she grows up, as well as a firefighter, animal trainer, contractor and painter and I think there is a dancer in her "resume to be" there also I have managed to fit in two weight sessions before all this started mid week so positive outlook for next week being on track.

On the house building front, my husband is thwarting me. Latest is that the tile guy says that laying it on an angle in the hallway will take too many cuts and he doesn't think it will look nice. Isn't the point of laying tile on an angle to make small areas look bigger? There will be at least three full tiles on an angle that will fit but NO! because of the vents and doorways he doesn't want to do it. The paint I picked from Benjamin Moore was too expensive and they "supposedly" colour matched it at Home Hardware but when I hear things like he painted the bathroom "brown" when I chose a colour called "lambskin" which should be a soft beige/taupe colour :shudder: MEN!

Happy-much sympathy for your missing items! When we move we are doing it all ourselves, cost thing but at least I'll know that it is all in the truck somewhere

Teel-How are you doing? Any relief from your ankle sprain? Are you getting some fur therapy, is Cleo sitting on your leg like a little hot water bottle? Hope you have someone fetching you tea and something to nibble on

Mel-How cold is it? We don't have any snow here. The cherry blossoms are out and some green shoots are sprouting up out of the ground. I'm doing my laundry today too, small world

Shad- I always think spicey chilis about Thai food. I started salivating when you mentioned the chicken satay, hmmm. Hope the weather holds for you this weekend and you get some puttering in the garden done. Sounds like you could use that peace to center yourself and get away from the phone!

Linus-I'm glad you showed Craig the cartoon, maybe he will appreciate you more, you could give him some dire consequences! ((((Big hug)))) Remember that this too shall pass.

Holly-Are you feeling alright now? Combining a bunch of children and an exploding head is punishment above and beyond. You deserve a medal for courage under fire

Hi Mooz, nice to see you!
Tig, stop running and let us know how you are.
Rose, where are you? Have things settled down?

Here is an email a buddy sent me, I thought it was a very good message

The 'L I T T L E' things .



As you might know, the head of the company survived
9/11 because his son started kindergarten.


Another fellow was alive because it was
his turn to bring donuts.


One woman was late because her
alarm clock didn't go off in time.


One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike
because of an auto accident.


One of them
missed his bus.


One spilled food on her clothes and had to take
time to change.


One's
car wouldn't start.


One went back to
answer the telephone.


One had a
child that dawdled

and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.


One couldn't
get a taxi.


The one that struck me was the man

who put on a new pair of shoes that morning,

took the various means to get to work

but before he got there, he developed

a blister on his foot.

He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am

stuck in traffic,

miss an elevator,

turn back to answer a ringing telephone...

all the little things that annoy me.

I think to myself,

this is exactly where
God wants me to be

at this very moment..


Next time your morning seems to be

going wrong,
the children are slow getting dressed,

you can't seem to find the car keys,

you hit every traffic light,

don't get mad or frustrated;

God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you

with all those annoying little things

and may you remember their possible purpose.

Pass this on to someone else, if you'd like.
There is NO LUCK attached.
If you delete this, it's okay:

God's Love Is Not Dependent On

E-Mail !!



(that's the cool part)

[happy2bme]

Meadow, that was a great essay. Thanks for sharing it. I might print it out and keep it in the car with me because it really struck home...

Well girls, the patio furniture came in. They had to take the tea cart back because one of the wheels is bent and wobbly but when it comes back, it will be perfect for making and serving those cool fruit smoothies we talked about at the other "house" of ours a while back. Just have to let me know if you want your smoothies by the pool or in the shade of the umbrella on the patio. We got a nice glider too. I think I'm going to really enjoy our yard this year. I did not enjoy spending 2 hours digging through the bushes out front pulling out dead leaves. Will it ever end? I did wear long sleeves and gardening gloves this time and no welts or allergy bumps. It's supposed to be 65 degrees outside tomorrow - might be considered downright freezing from the likes of Suzi and Shad but for the rest of us it's pretty nice. Sunny too for a change - it sure does rain alot here. You're all invited over for coffee - this week we have a delicate cafe l'orange which is wonderful. DH said he's making breakfast on the patio but you have to be here by 8 if you want it hot. We also got the dining room furniture and the rug today. Looks quite nice if I say so myself. Now I have to get a nice tablecloth and grown up linens. I'm more interested in a nice floral arrangement for the table. We're debating about getting one of the ready mades at the craft store or picking our own flowers and having an arrangement made special for us. I'm a little concerned at the types of flowers DH might pick out. There is a whole art to flower arranging including the colors of the flowers, the types and the "filler". Perhaps I should just make him buy me fresh flowers each week --- do you think that would work? Nah, I didn't think so either Maybe once a month but certainly not each week.

Saturday is our 28th wedding anniversary. We are going to dinner at a quiet little restaurant several people here have recommended. Once again an anniversary has arrived and the only thing I can still fit into is my wedding hat. Must try harder for next year!

Meadow, I hope you daughter is feeling better. Teel I hope your foot is feeling better and Linus I hope your tummy has settled down and your son along with it! Tell Craig he'd better settle down or the new wee little one will become your new favorite. Holly were you on the under the weather gang too? Shad I hope you've had a nice Saturday which has calmed the nerves down a bit. As I was working in the yard today, I thought gee, this must be how Shad spends her days. There is a sense of satisfaction working outside -even if your back and hands and knees don't always appreciate it.

They were supposed to fax me a claim form from the movers but didn't get it out to me before I left work for the day. We were stuck having to let the movers pack everything because my company paid for it and the movers would not insure anything we packed ourselves - including hubby's big honking telescope which we still had the safe original packing for. We had to tell them how to fit things into the box. Oh well, I'm trying not to get to upset over this. DH thinks they misplaced a crate somewhere, the person I talked to is putting a tracer on the shipment.

I am sitting here and yawning more than I am typing. Which makes it hard to see the screen or keyboard. So it's off to bed for me, got to get up early or I get no brekkie.

Hellos to all you chicks and I'll touch base on Sunday.

[Shad]

Here we are at Saturday night. It's been a fairly busy day although I didn't get out into the garden - too hot after I got back from Pilates and Vege and Fruit shopping. So I have cleaned the computer table down, and the filing cabinet, re-arranged the cabling yet again and cleaned dusted and tidied out the recipe book case. I have too many cookery books! I've also set up a whiteboard to remind me of the things I'm supposed to do after work. Maybe that will get the *** motivated to move when I get home at night. I've watched some footy - the first of my two teams got up. The second game is not on until 5.30am tomorrow as it will be played in South Africa.

I did pull out the baby beetroot today. I was going to have them for dinner tonight but ended up with fish and veg instead, so tomorrow will be a baby beetroot salad and some chicken strips. Yummy.

After I came home from Pilates and had a bit of siesta, I had a shower. The humidity is so high today that I was sweating again as soon as I got out of the shower. It's been a sticky slow sort of day. Just right for snoozing.

Tomorrow is my eldest sons birthday. He will be 31. How did I get so old???? Then on Monday, we have another birthday - I wonder if who amongst us know whose that is. A very important birthday!!!!!!

Mel - I did mention the greek bloke - he's A in the paragraph relating to dinner. Apart from that the fact he is 30 years younger than me and a nice young man - get your mind out of the gutter!

Meadow - sorry to hear that your wee girl has been sick. It's always such a worry when they just sit around being apathetic. Hope she perks up soon.
It's always a stressful time building a house and trying to to get the decorating right. It doesn't help when the builder makes the decisions for you. The last thing you need is to have to redecorate as soon as you shift into a brand new place.

Happy - good to hear from you again. Gardening sounds fun and I hope you enjoy the new furniture. Wish I was around your pool at the moment, I could do with a long cool swim.

Bedtime calls, hope all you good lot are feeling on top of the world.

[MELODY525]

shad~ It's good for me to keep my head in the gutter, it helps wahes out my ears!!! 30 years younger??? What a way to go!!! glad the day went well and you can come to my house now and straighten out my "spaghetti" I call cabling!

Happy~ I'll have my smoothy out byu the pool and while you're at it can you bring the suntan oil?!?!? 65 degrees?!?!?!? I'm leaving as soon as my chair is fully charged and my suitcase is packed!! I'll bring Linus and
teel as it seems they need a bit of coddling too Hope you get somewhere with the movers and enjoy all those flowers!

Meadow~ (((((HUGS)))))for Sarah and good wishes to get well soon!!! so sorry she missed the class trip! Good luck with the tilemen and painters!! I'll go up and supervise for you and straighten those men right out. I'm good at yelling!!!
Good luck with the ON PLAN week!!! I could use a better one myself!

Holly~ I am so glad the paper was well rec'd and will be spread about. I thought it was very good myself. We have a need for control in this world and more teachers and parents to speak out and not stand for bad behavior. Good luck and congrats.

Linus~ I think postage has risen above the cost of the items being sold! You are right.....they are probably charging me for storage!! Just hope the box arrives in one piece! I am soooo excited just waiting for your reaction! I do love babies so. Jen too. Especially when they are someone elses!!! Hope the evening sickness goes away! Poor Kirsty!

Tig and Nae and Teel must have met up with each other in Mexico! Hope they are all having a grand time!! linus is right though.......please send postcards and let us know you are all right!

I'm going to change sheets and clean. Hopefully Monday will be a Mall trip and it goes to one where I get my haircut! It's growing down my back farther every day!! Wish it would grow thicker instead of longer Feeling good but a bit tired of the whole Clara thing. Relatives and help from the govt. are not responding. No help in sight. I am still not cooking so at least I have been making much better choices for MEL and her health in that direction. People in offices seem aggravated I am not there. a maint. man told me they are confused and unorganized with me gone. For one second there I felt "needed" but the feeling passed. I have twinges of guilt but nothing bad enough to fall back into the trap. I suppose the twinges will pass too!
Have a wonderful weekend and take care!

[Shad]

Good morning all.
And another scorcher coming up I see. Better get out there and do my thing before the sun does. I want to poison off some weeds down the side of the house and the little b*ggers are sneaking in between the pavers again. How come the bugs don't attack the weeds?
While I think of it, I must tell you about the Body Balance class yesterday. It was a fairly big class and the trainers microphone broke down, so she had to yell. Anyway this is a new release of Body Balance and there were a lot of new moves to do. One of these new poses is called the Bird pose. Basically what you do is to have hands firmly planted on the floor directly under the shoulders. You take your weight over and onto the shoulders and the arms. You then bring the legs up so the feet sit outside the hands and the knees are touching the upper arms just above the elbow - uncomfortable yet? Then you squeeze the upper arms with the knees and try to lift the feet off the floor so you are standing on the hands with the feet tucked up near the butt. Apart from the fact the it is the most bizarre situation to be in, most of us ended up on our noses in the first try. And if you stand at the back of the class all you can see is big butts lifted to the sky. Graceful? I think not.

Happy, I'll take my smoothie out by the pool as well, however forget the suntan stuff, I'll have a fluffy cotton blanket to wrap around me if you please. Still the converstation should be warm and good. Actually 24C degrees is quite nice. One feels energised. It is, I might add, the average daytime temp for winter here in the Great South East!!!!

Okay, time for the roundup backpack and the walking backwards syndrome as I spray the weeds on the path. See you later with the tales of the day.

[suzi in auz]

Hello ladies,
I'm sorry once again I have been neglecting you all and I have a computer that works!
I have had the wonderful privilege and decadence to just sit and read and write this morning/afternoon. It's been wonderful . I have walked and feel quite righteous. ...lol
You have to hold on to these fleeting moments.
I am proud of myself with 8 points towards my challenge for the week. Yaaay me.
Happy my mouth is drooling and very hungry for one of your smoothies, sorry to hear about the mishaps with you move. I hope the wrinkles get iored out.
Happy 28th anniversary to you. That is some achievment!!!!

Meadow , Hoping that Sarah feels better soon. I have a Sarah too and giggled when I read her resume. I think they have kindred minds. OUr list of wannabees changes by the hour. Thank you for your lovely message. It really is something to think about. It makes those little annoying things that we hate seem small.


Holly, thank you so much for your journal entry. It liften me today. YOu are an angel and so strong.

Shad that bird pose just sounds scary! The thai was good? I haven't read back only this page to catch up. The temps here have dropped today amazingly and it does feel cooler. Makes me hopeful for our garden.

Mel we want pics please. Hope the hair do looks lovely. It's so nice to finally be able to do that.I have nails that just look gross. They really need attention. It's one of my luxuries but at the moment they look like a vampires...ugly image sorry. It's so nice to read you are feeling better about you and our choices, they will pay off!
I found a little something for you all today.





Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever.
There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did!
And because I did I'm going to celebrate!

Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger.

I will go through this day with my head held high and a happy heart.
I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts:
the morning dew
the trees
the clouds
the sun
the flowers

Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice
Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people.
I'll make someone smile.

I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know.
Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me.
Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine.

And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures.
As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow,
I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life.
And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child,
excited with expectation because
I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!
Love and thoughts to you all
Suzi

[Hollyhock]

Happy~ Happy anniversary. Hope you enjoyed it on the patio with frothy drinks and coziness.
Meadow~ How's your daugher? My DH and son now have the cold I had.Thanks for your comment in my journal.It means a lot to me.I admire you! oh, brown is NOT the same a lambskin, LOL!
Shad~ there is a yoga pose like that. I have never been able to do it. 24C is about my fav temp. Any hotter I melt.
Mel~ no guilty twinges allowed!!! Thank you for caring and always responding! You are a good friend.
Suzi~ what beautiful thoughts!! I love that and will print it!!!

Maybe the Gals in Mexico are into the tequila and have lost the post cards.Ole!

I had a LONG but pleasant day. Not enough sleep though. I am tired out. No sleeping in tomorrow either. Church at 9am.
DS had a shutout, 10-0, his first!!! It was exciting. DD and i spent the whole day in London, saw my Sis and DN, did Grandma's hair, did 2 other cuts hung out a bit, went girlie shopping, I bought the Kalan CD, mmmmmyum.
DD has wanted a pink poncho, found one at Old Navy.She is thrilled, wore it to bed, took her to McD's( it's been since last july), went for groceries......home again, tidied up, DS came home from a party, tossed everyone into bed, watched trading Spaces, IMed with a friend..........I should go to bed.
Love and HUGS to all.
You chicks rock!!!

[Shad]

Good evening - as Hitch used to say.

Happy, hope you are out there enjoying your anniversary. Getting up there in years now you two. Congratulations and may you enjoy many, many more. I'm about to raise a glass to you both myself.

My eldests birthday today, I just rang him and he is in an Indian restaurant and then going to the movies with friends. He tells me he wants a new squash racquet for his b/day present. It's on its way son.

Been a very busy day today. I've cleaned, swept and dusted, changed the beds, done loads of washing, poisoned the weeds, trimmed up some plants, thrown others out. watered the garden, cleaned out the carport and thrown out stacks of junk. There is still some there which DS2 will have to look through to see if he wants any of it, otherwise out it goes. I've also washed the car, done some shopping, changed the bed, made my breakfasts for the week and tidied up the recipe folders. Some days there is no stopping me. All I have left on my list now is to fold up the washing and do the ironing - did I send the iron to happy?
Go to go, my dinner is ready - chicken fillets with homegrown baby beetroot and baby lettuce leaves, herbs, tomatoes, and the rest of the salad type ingredients. Mooz and I have something in common - we stick anything and everything into a salad.

Catch you all tomorrow. Have a good sleep, wake up all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

[suzi in auz]

My goodness!! Shad your list of dos makes me dizzy. What a busy little thing you have been today Yaaay you. It's lovely to achieve.
Holly I thought of you with your DD's pressie. I am sure she felt so wonderful that you found just the thing. Her little tank will be filled to the brim, what with a party to boot. How nice.
I hope your Sunday went well !
Night to all just a quick peek to bed. I'm off to catch up with DH he's been at a confrence in Adelaide and I just want to assure him that he has been missed!

[MELODY525]

Shad is wearing me out just reading her posts and all that work and balancing. Too bad the Greek God wasn't in the Class (insert wolf whistle here)
sorry Shad, couldn't resist! But the images the pose conjures up are mind boggling! You have been so busy I hope when the alarm goes off you even WANT to go to work!

Holly~Hope the family feels better soon and DON"T you go and take it back from the either! Good luck with all the little kiddles this week! save some Holly time for your TV shows

Suzi~ I am glad you are in a good place and hope things stay that way! Sending many (((HUGS)))) to keep you there! When I reaf your posts, I am often reminded of myself and have had MANY days like that in my life too. Gets confusing. Lucky we have friends that help turn us around and point us in the right direction! Take care!

Where is everyone else???? I am really missing Nae and Tig and haven't heard from Tig by phone either!! When she took the wrong turn she must have ended up by Nae's house and is visiting with her and Teeka!

Cleaning, cooking and resting up for tomorrow are on the agenda. I am doing NOTHING to jeapordize that!! Hope you all have a great day and enjoy the coming week. Take care of yourselves and be well.

[Hollyhock]

Good Morning you glorious Chicks!!
11:09 and all is well!!!
Just home from church, had a chicken breast, and baby spinach on ww sandwich and an apple. I was up and at em by 6:45. DS was off to practise, DD and I went to church, DS came later, taught a spectacular class, and signed up folks for the directory. DD went to a friends. DS has a game at 4:30 2 hours from here. DD and I are going to a shower.
Bits of tidying to do and I MUST do some dishes.
I am feeling less burned out today but definitely need a good sleep tonight.
I dreamt about Kalan all night. I have such a crush. Dork! www.kalanporter.com
I am listening to him right now. sigh

HUGS and HAPPY WISHES!!!


Go Shad! It is great to get that much done!! Happy Bday to DS.
I keep teasing my Mom that her baby is 40 this summer!!! That makes her 61! heehee

Mel~ the minister spoke at chidren's time today based on my article.
Had your haircut yet??

[MELODY525]

Happy~ I raised my frappuccino to you while in the shower. It was the closest I could get to a smoothie by the pool! Hope you both had a great time!

[MELODY525]

Holly~ Haircut tomorrow and your sandwich sounds great!! glad your paper is making itself known to people!! Great news! Have a good day my friend! We posted at the same time!

[Hollyhock]

HUGS Mel!! Check your email* wink*!!

[MELODY525]

i am listening to the song and typing!!! I love this and may just have to look for the cd!!! he could put his shoes under my bed for the night anytime! Thanks! I will clean the house and play this till I learn it! You made my day Holly!