Puddle Jumping!

I'm skipping question 18 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge and moving onto to question 19.  I'll get to 18 later...

19. Take a photo today and share it with us.

Our street is flooded!  So we did the only sensible thing and got in the car and went for a drive.  This one was taken down our street, out the car window, hence the brilliant quality of photograph.  Luckily the drainage seems to be working and no water seems to be headed inside our house.

I love rain!!!!!

Stylishly Sick?

So, I went to the doctor today and the good news is that I don't have pneumonia.  Yet.  He's put me on some really strong antibiotics and told me that I should start to feel a lot better by tomorrow afternoon.  I hope so, because I haven't feel this awful in a really long time.

Now, onto the next question in the 30 Day Blog Challenge!

Question 17: Go to http://www.shopstyle.com/ and make or choose an outfit that best represents your style. Post it.

Without further ado, I have come up with this...

Now, I am the first to admit that I have zero style, so I have no idea if these things work together, but I like them all so they are what I have chosen.

What would you choose if you could run amok at http://www.shopstyle.com/?

Well Read

Question sixteen of the 30 Day Blog Challenge. 

I have no idea how many days this has actually taken me, and I don't care.  I will keep going until I answer all the questions.

Number 16 is: What is your favourite magazine, book and poem?

I don't really have a favourite magazine.  I buy That's Life and/or Take 5 sometimes because they are cheap (for a magazine) and they keeps me busy for half an hour or so.  I also have a friend that writes for them fairly often, so it's good to see what she's been up to.

My favourite book ever is Four Fires by Bryce Courtenay, but I have a looooong list of runners up for this category.  Including lots of other Bryce Courtenay stuff, most of Judy Nunn's books and some of Colleen McCullough's as well.  I also love almost anything that Philippa Gregory has written.  Oh and Pillars of the Earth is another favourite.  OK, I'll stop now.

I'm not much of a poetry fan.  I once wrote one about trees, so if you are gonna MAKE me choose a favourite I will nominate that one.  I don't remember the whole thing, but it started out with 'Trees are green, they can be seen'.  It didn't get any better.

What about you?  What are your favourites?

Musical Memories

OK.  Life has calmed down somewhat.  Well, enough for me to have aenough time to answer the next few 30 Day Blog Challange questions...


Question 13 - What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received? 

"Never try to grow your hair, and stop dying it at the same time."  Thanks to Claire the Hairdresser for this one.


Question 14 - What is the worst advice that you have ever received? 

"Your fringe would look brilliant if you let me perm it!" Thanks to Frances the Godmother and Hairdresser for this one.



The Author, possibly 1992
 Hair not shown actual size



Question 15 - Some songs bring us back to a moment. Share with us a song and the moment it reminds you of.

It's hard to go past the songs we had at our wedding.  I walked down the aisle with my Dad to "You Were There".  Originally performed by Southern Sons.





While we signed the register, the beautiful band Chyken put together for the ceremony played a John Farnham song... 'The Reason Why'.





As we left the church the band played 'Come Back Again' by Daddy Cool.  There is meaning behind this, and one day I will explain it, but I think it deserves a post all to itself.  Soon.





This is our first dance as married people.  It's not the greatest footage in the world, but you'll get the idea.  The song is 'My Baby Just Cares For Me', in this instance it is sung by Nina Simone.





Chyken is home from hospital (he had four sleeps in there) and on the mend.  He's on some pretty scary looking tablets, but they seem to be doing the trick.

I had a complete meltdown last week.  The doctor said I was completely exhausted and severely stressed and told me not to go back to work for at least a week.  So I am at home this week too. 

We'll both be OK... Eventually. 

We have to be, right?

We Interrupt Transmission...

I've had to take a break from the 30 Day Blog Challenge. 

Chyken was taken to hospital yesterday with severe pneumonia.  He will be OK, but it means a few days in hospital for him and a few days of running around and worrying and sitting in the hospital and not much sleep for me.

I will finish the challenge... Eventually... I promise!

In the meantime, here is a picture of the sign above his bed in the hospital...

We THINK it means, 'High Risk Of Bad Dancing Here!'.  But we're not sure.

Transmission will resume in the not too distant future...  In the meantime, go and read some lolcats, that ought to keep you amused.

Too Cool For School

I've missed a few days of the 30 Day Blog Challenge.  Chyken and I have been very unwell with a snotty virus and the last thing I felt like doing was sitting in front of the computer.  Sad but true.  As a result, I'm going to answer a few questions in this one post, so I can try and catch up.

Question Nine:  What is something embarrassing that happened to you in high school?

At the time, I thought that pretty much my entire high school experience was embarrassing.  I was embarrassed that my mum wouldn't take my uniform up the length that all the other girls had.  I was embarrassed that I had the oldest parents.  In.  The.  Entire.  World.  I was embarrassed that I wasn't one of the 'cool girls'.  I was embarrassed that I lived miles out of town and couldn't go visiting my friends on a whim after school.  I was embarrassed that I never had the trendy outfits to wear on casual clothes days.  I was embarrassed that I wasn't allowed to get a perm until a LONG time after everyone else.

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can see that all of those things only mattered to ME.  No one else probably even noticed, let alone cared.  And as for being one of the 'cool girls', with the benefit of hindsight I now know several things: 

1) The so-called 'cool girls' were one of the bitchiest group of women I would ever encounter in my life. 

2) The friends I had in high school WERE the 'cool girls',  I just didn't realise it at the time.  I'm not saying that I didn't love and value them, I certainly did, but we did not think that we were the 'cool girls'.  My high school friends are the people that are still my friends today.  They are the ones that proudly stood beside me when I got married.  They are the people that pick me up when I am feeling down.  They didn’t care back then that I didn’t own a pair of stussy pants, and they don’t care now. 

3) Popularity once you leave school does not mean a thing.  I have since looked some of them up on Schoolfriends and Facebook and they are no more 'successful" or 'happy' than I am.  Suck on that, moles!


The Author, age 15

Question Ten: Fill in the blank. Right now I really want ___a winning tattslotto ticket___. 

Now, I know that this is something that almost everyone could do with, but I would make particularly good use of it at the moment.  Being sick is not cheap, even a minor sickness like the virus we have had this week.  I'd also like to pay off some debts we have, including getting a bit ahead on the mortgage.  While I'm at it, we could really use a holiday, I'd love to be able to visit our English friends again and/or to meet some of Chyken's wonderful American mates.

My Lucky Numbers?

Question Eleven:  How was your day?

So far, so good.  I went to work this morning.  It is quiet on a Sunday and not really like work at all.  Had a reasonable nights sleep last night, mainly because Mister Chyken Sweatypants is a sweetheart and took himself off to the spare bed so that I actually got some sleep.  This afternoon we have no plans, we might watch a DVD or two and just generally relax.  I got Chyken 'Storm Boy' on DVD yesterday, which is one of his favourite movies, but I don't think I have ever actually seen it.  Chyken has been off his food (no such luck for me!!!) but hopefully he will be up to eating more than jelly and fruit for dinner and we will have a nice chicken salad.  It is time to get back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon, I've been running just behind it for too long now.

Mister Percival!

Question Twelve:  What is your ultimate comfort food. And yes you can only pick just one.

One.  Really?  Just one?  hmmm... In that case, I choose... Fairy Floss.  We're talking comfort food, not favourite food, which in my book are two totally different things.  Fairy Floss has never failed to cheer me up, and that makes it the ultimate comfort food.  Plus, is is fat free!  Woot!


Food of the Gods!

How about you?  How's your own 30 Day Blog Challenge going?  How have YOU spent the weekend?  What is YOUR ultimate comfort food?  What was YOUR most embarrassing high school memory?  What do YOU really want right now?

An Orchard By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet

Question Eight of the 30 Day Blog Challenge.

What is your least favorite quote or saying and why?

Well, I like most things, and if it has become a 'quote' then obviously someone likes it and who am I to judge?
 
OK, you convinced me, I'll judge.
 
They're not really quotes or sayings, but there are several things that I have noticed people saying that really get up my goat. 

In no particular order they are:
 
Anythink
Somethink
Everythink
Nothink
'Of' when they mean 'have'
The incorrect use of they're, there or their.
The incorrect use of you're or your.
People who say asap instead of A.S.A.P. 
People who say 'Orchard' when they mean 'Orchid'.  Stop laughing, this has actually happened in my presence.
People who say 'vicA versa' instead of vicE versa'.

I think this is enough for now.  There is another one, and the word is on the tip of my tongue, but I can't think what it is right now.  I will edit it in when I think of it (probably at 3am, or 5 seconds after I hit 'Publish Post.)  hmph.

Have you started your own 30 Day Blog Challenge?  Leave a link in the comments and we can all check it out!




P.S.  A lot is two words.  Count them! 

Tools For Life

Post Seven of the 30 Day Blog Challenge


What is one of your favorite quotes and why?

I think this might be the hardest question for me, I'm not really a quotes kind of girl.  There is only one that springs to mind...

"You only need two tools in life, gaffer tape and WD-40.  If it moves and it shouldn't, use the tape.  If it doesn't move and it should, use the WD-40."




Tools for Life


Not very profound, but perhaps it will prove useful to you at some stage.


Please join in the challenge!  Leave a link to your blog in the comments!

Frankly My Dear...

Day Six of the 30 Day Blog Challenge!

Question Six is:

Which TV character do you think that you are most like?

This is a hard one, there is a danger of me nominating the person I WISH I was most like, and not the one I actually am like.

It's no secret that I look like Sharon from Kath & Kim...





Magda Szubanski as Sharon Strzelecki


But she's very into sport and I do my best to avoid any form of movement.


So, because I could not come up with an answer myself I turned to my two best friends. 

Gemma said that I was like Shirley Gilroy from A Country Practice.


Lorrae Desmond who played Shirley Gilroy

Because I am 'nice and funny and quirky and I don't take any shit'.  Runner up contender was Phoebe from Friends.  I'm not sure I'm quite THAT ditzy though.

Chyken thinks I am most like Doctor Frank Campion from All Saints.

John Howard as Frank Campion

The reasons are as follows:

* You are sexy, like Frank
* You are sarcastic, like Frank
* You don't mind a bit of power, like Frank
* You have a squishy soul, like Frank
* You have a pretty smile, but you look glum often, like Frank


So, what have we learnt today my lovelies?  We have learnt that I'm not really like any one TV character, and my husband loves a fictional man who likes pink shirts.


Have you started your own 30 Day Blog Challenge yet?  You should!  You will find out interesting things about yourself you didn't know.  Leave a link to your blog in the comments. 

Big shout out to Zette who has joined in already!

Overthunk - 2005 Style!

Day Four and Five of the 30 Day Blog Challenge

Quick answer to Question Five:  If you could re-live one year of your life, without making any changes to it, which year would you choose? 

I have decided that I would go back to 2005.  It was the year I met Chyken, and while it was not a perfect year by any stretch of the imagination (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder anyone?  Anyone???), I think it went a long way to cementing who I am today, and defining our relationship.  If one could be 'grateful' to a year, I would be forever grateful to 2005.


 
 
 
Now, back to Question Three:  (I skipped it, remember?  Oh please try and keep up!!)

What funny thing happened yesterday?

We went to the Melbourne Fringe Festival on Wednesday and saw Kitty Flanagan.  She was great!  The most amusing thing to come out of the evening was that by telling us all about how she is an 'overthinker', I realised that I am one too.

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin

Conversation in the car the next day went a little something like this:


Me: Chyken, I think I learned something from Kitty last night.

Chyken: Oh yeah, what was that?

Me: I think there is a possibility I am an overthinker.

Silence.

I look over at Chyken and he is smirking.

Me: Did you already know I was an overthinker?

Chyken: Well, I didn't know there was a word for it until she said it... But yes, you are indeed an overthinker.

He didn't say the next bit out loud, but I'm POSITIVE he was thinking it "And I love you, just the way you are, overthinking and all that. Don't ever change."





I've thought about it, and I'm not going to.

If you are joining in on the 30 Day Blog Challenge, please comment with a link to your blog!

Super Saturday!

Day 3 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge!

I'm skipping Question Three which is "What funny thing happened yesterday?" because nothing funny happened yesterday, but I am going to a comedy show tonight, so I'm hoping to get some laughs there.  Let's move on to Question Four, shall we?

What would your "perfect" Saturday look like?

It would start with a big sleep in.  In here. 

This room looks a bit different now, pictures on the wall and stuff, but you get the idea!

 

 

Next I'd be woken up with these:

Love Eggs!

I would then spend some time on the couch with this wonderful man! 

 

Chyken

 

We'd watch some of our favourite DVD's. 

 

We may or may not get off the couch to get food occasionally.

 

Then I'd finish the day with wonderful dinner out with friends somewhere in Melbourne and we'd go to see a theatre show, preferably a musical.

 

 

 

Now, when can I have a Saturday like this???

 

 

If you are joining in on the 30 Day Blog Challenge, please comment with a link to your blog!

Super Strengthy Savoury Scones

Day 2 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge!

Question 2: What do you feel are your best strengths?

This challenge seems a bit like a job interview. My strengths are time management, multi-tasking and team wor....

Nahhhh, seriously? My main strength is talking. And I'm a pretty good cook. I'm also quite handy at pressing bales of wool, or at least I used to be. I'm nifty at putting doona covers in the case with a minimum of fuss as well. I'm pretty generous, and would do almost anything to help my friends and family out if they asked.

Standard on the left and savoury ones on the right

Did I mention I'm a good cook? I am currently eating the above scones that I cooked in my shiny new oven. They are delicious! I made plain ones and savoury ones. Next time I will put more bacon and spring onions and cheese in the savoury because these ones weren't bursting with flavour like the ones my mum makes.

Anyhoo, I digress, back to my strengths. I think I've just about covered them. The only other one I can think of is loyalty. It takes me a while to make friends, but once I make them I tend to hang on to them for a looooong time. Sometimes this turns out to be a weakness, but mostly it's a strength.

If you came here from Meet Me At Mike's... Welcome! I'm sorry I'm not artistic or crafty-like. After I linked to here I went back to see the other links and almost everyone is a crafty person, I am the sort of person that would LOVE to be crafty, but I have absolutely no talent in that area. Sorry! Have a look around though, you might find something that interests you that isn't crafty-like.

Everyone else, have you started your own 30 Day Blog Challenge yet? You should, and when you're done, you should leave a comment here with a link to your blog!

Fantastically Flawed

Day One. (I'm doing a 30 Day Blog Challenge!)

Question One. What do you feel are your biggest flaws?

Oh my, where do I start? Does blogspot have a character limit on posts?

* Self-doubt.
* Inability to limit myself to just one biscuit.
* Inability to limit myself to just one piece of chocolate.
* Inability to limit myself to just one cupcake.
* I overeat.
* I bottle things up and then explode over stupid little things that usually have nothing to do with why I am actually mad.
* I expect other people to react to situations the same way I would, and then I am sorely disappointed when they don't.
* At the moment, my hair is pretty flawed.
* I SUCK in interviews. I have no idea how I got any of the jobs I've had in my life.
* I hate exercise.
* I'm reluctant to try new things.


Having said all that, flaws are part of who I am. Perhaps I just need to work out how to make the flaws work for me instead of against?

30 Day Blog Challenge

I'm doing a challenge and you can't stop me. The idea is that you do a post on a pre-determined topic every day for a month.

I stole the idea from Heather who stole it from Sara.

Join in if you want to... Please leave a comment with a link to your blog!

The topics are as follows:

1. What do you feel are your biggest flaws?
2. What do you feel are your best strengths?
3. What funny thing happened yesterday?
4. What would your "perfect" Saturday look like?
5. If you could re-live one year of your life, without making any changes to it, which year would you choose?
6. Which TV character do you think that you are most like?
7. What is one of your favorite quotes and why?
8. What is your least favorite quote or saying and why?
9. What is something embarrassing that happened to you in high school?
10. Fill in the blank. Right now I really want a ___________________.
11. How was your day?
12. What is your ultimate comfort food. And yes you can only pick just one.
13. What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
14. What is the worst advice that you have ever received?
15. Some songs bring us back to a moment. Share with us a song and the moment it reminds you of.
16.What is your favorite magazine, book and poem?
17. Go to Shopstyle.com and make or choose an outfit that best represents your style. Post it.
18. What do you feel has been one of your biggest accomplishments?
19. Take a photo today and share it with us.
20. What are 5 things on your bucket list?
21. Share a random high school memory.
22. What was one of your favorite games or activities when you were a kid?
23. What is one tradition that you do with your family?
24. You’re leaving on a jet plane. Where are you headed and why?
25. What is your favorite Bible verse?
26. Share some highlights from the month.
27. Tell us about a concert you once went to.
28. Kids say the darnedest things. What is something silly a child you know has said recently?
29. What superpower would you most want to have and why?
30. What is your favourite thing to either cook or bake?

I'm not going to promise to post every day,, but I aim to complete it eventually. First post coming up later tonight! (Maybe)



In the meantime, check out our new doorbell!