I'm so proud of me

You won't believe it but I actually had the dogs sleep outside last night. That's right ALL 3 of them. I'm not going to lie, it was hard to go to bed knowing that they were out there. But I did it. It killed me to see little Miss Becky's face through the security sliding door but I walked away.

It did result in me having a more restful sleep last night though which is good because for the last week my sleep has been CRAPOLA. I even woke up at 6am and I mean woke up, rested!

Did the normal shopping thing with mum yesterday, got me a bargain I did. I decided to buy everyone a gift for Christmas this year which I might have already mentioned and since one of my nephews would like some car seat cover, thought that would make a good gift for 2 other nephews who are all into the Aussie thing, even have a tattoo of the Australian flag on their arms, so went to Kmart hoping to see if they had the seat covers and how much they would be.

I was looking, looking and low and behold, there was a 9 piece pack, front seats x 2, front mats x 2, back mats x 2, seat belts strap covers x 2, and steering wheel cover x 1 = $57.99. Imagine my surprise when I come across the same set but as a 10 piece pack with all of the above plus a air freshener = $25?????? Here I am, back and forth between the labels, maybe its a different fabric? Nope same fabric, maybe there's something wrong with the labels? I read them carefully, nope reads right, get another nephew to go and scan it (their good for leg work those nephews) and it scans at $25. Right I'll have 3 of them, but of course my luck can't run that good as there is only 1, but the girl tells me that there's 5 at another Kmart, I went there that night (open 24hrs) and there's only pink! Sue the boys would love that.

So today will be a look for another 2 sets, probably at another Kmart plus I have to look for something 'Fox' for another nephew........... but I think I will be able to pick up the car seat covers, mum's new handbag and the Fox stuff all at one location which will be excellent.

dilemma?

I have a dilemma ................ I have 2 jobs.

Let me start by saying I don't generally like to work in the best circumstances but now even though only working a few shifts at my 2nd job which is in retail, I don't think I want it anymore.

My dilemma

• Daz is about to go in for 1 of 2 operations and he won't be getting paid
• But that means he will need someone to look after him when he is home from the hospital but I will be either at both jobs or be too tired after working 2 jobs!
• It also means I could end up off sick at my first job because I am someone who gets physically sick when I am over tired
• I was hired as a Christmas casual which means if I wait too long to tell them I don't want their job it leaves them stuck for staff in the busiest time.
• A big part of it is that I am lazy
• But I can probably get more hours at my first job if I need to make more money as well
• The first job has a higher pay rate by $9 p/h but the 2nd has 40% off clothing

I just don't know what to do. Daz's operation is on the 17th of this month but today he has his pre-op examination and he is getting bad pains which could mean that he may end up staying in the hospital or having to go back tonight anyway and have emergency surgery.

I'm meant to work tonight at the 2nd job after going to the first but am also worried about Daz who is going for the pre-op when I am finishing my first but before I go to my 2nd. I really don't want to go to the 2nd job but feel I am letting them done, even though I won't really see them again except for when I am making a purchase.

What do you think I should do?

Inspiration and a bit cheap

Well I have been thinking about growing some much used veggies around here but with my puppies it can be a challenge but yesterday I started to grow some salad greens, some strawberries (of course, any gardener worth anything grows strawberries) cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and a variety of capsicums and peppers, I say variety because I have no clue which were in the punnet ;) Now I say cheap because I am sick of spending so much money on buying lettuce, I generally buy it pre-packaged but even if I didn't, a butter lettuce is like $3 and that's just 1 variety that I like, together with the cherry tomatoes another $3, cucumber ....... well the list goes on and since I generally have salad with some part or all of a meal every day it just makes more sense to grow it myself. I have had to place some out the front of the house for now otherwise the only consumption will be by my dog, Humphrey! He loves veggies and salad.



I think that the capsicum, cucumber and cherry tomatoes will probably have to be separated at some point as they will all grow out of these pots but while they are little they will be fine, I hope any way :) By the way, don't you love my hanging plant baskets, I just love them to bits, will have to buy more like these they come in many different designs.

I also wanted to show and tell my garden bed before and after:

Before:

After:

We have been doing a bit to the yard of late as well, once that's completed I will post some more photo's. I can't believe by pulling sown one overgrown, falling down bush (that was inter twined with rose bush I might add) has opened up our yard and make it look much wider.

We have a few trips to the tip today with green waste but it will all be worth it in the end when that #$%#@ rose bush is all gone.

Change

I felt like a change to something more brighter, more come on summer, so this new background is the result. Don't know how long my eyes will like it but it is what it is for now.

Thought I would update with some random complaints at home/work:

1) Daz has lost over 10 kilo's since I changed his eating habits for his gallstones but I haven't lost any #$@*%

2) D.HS had me do counselling to make sure I wasn't f*cked up mentally, which I have proved not to be but still haven't heard back from them

3) All the people at my new work love sport, watching sport, taking part in sport, talking sport ............. I don't!

4) a good 50% or more go to the gym at my work, what's with that?

5) means I'm going to have to get my butt into gear too

6) I've continued to put on weight, now in the mid 90's yet I am the one at work who eats salads for lunch!

7) can't seem to do the food thing right, in verse's out ......... I know I'm not exercising but come on, am I eating too much or not eating enough??????

8) My nephews girlfriend is pregnant again! That will make 3 for them and he hasn't even turned 21 yet!

9) My 25 year old niece thinks that giving a Christmas present to all of her family members in the way of a mug with half tissue paper and lollies is appropriate when she has requested a King size doona from me and a blackboard for her son, which she continues to shove down every ones throats! It would seem petty but for her partners side of the family they will get grown up presents not something that I would expect my 8 year old niece to give me from her school fete!

10) ....... well can't think of a 10th thing right now but I''m sure by the end of the day I will.

On a brighter note, Master Humphrey was taken to the beach yesterday on the back of a trailer with his other doggy friends from his walking group. Apparently he loved it, hate to have seen the vomit in the back of the trailer on the way home, all that sea water and God knows how many dogs!

Powercor gym has just opened up near home, might have to go down and have a look at the equipment they have. Pretty good I think for $4 a session

a leaf from

Kek had some nice new shiny things so thought I would take a leaf from her and show my new shiny thing :)We brought a LG Flatron Monitor for the computer because we were using a monstrous clunky old monitor and the new one is fabulously huge at 22 inches. It has such vivid colours and I can now see lots more on Facebook except for Farmville which is another story all together!

I also brought this book, which is very extravagant for me as I normally borrow my books from the library but it was a lazy Sunday trip to Big W when Daz was at work and it happened to ring some bells for me. So anyway, I just sent some time reading it and it makes some sense, except for the bit about me not eating red meat every day and the picture for the minestrone soup that looks more green than tomato red. Its funny because I can actually hear his voice when I was reading it, you know how animated he gets when he talks, that's how I read the book in my head as well. Scary stuff.

So I have to go plant shopping, no for the garden, no, for my food to eat. His theory is to eat 2/3's 'Basic food' which is plant food - vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains etc, and 1/3 'Bonus foods' which is all other stuff. He also advises that kangaroo meat is very good but still a bit unsure about that little fact. It may be good but don't know if I can get it past my lips.

Has anyone tried it before???

He doesn't follow that GI diet but HI factor, you may ask what is the HI factor? Human Interference. How many times has human touched the food you are about to eat? From picking, peeling, washing, smashing, mashing, frying, you get the picture.

He has 'the rule of 15' which is eating 15 different types of basic foods a day, doesn't have to be the whole piece of food but at least a bite of it. and FP100 which is his fruit platter always in the fridge which is just bite sizes of fruits at hand which can also help you with 'the rule of 15'.

It does make allot of sense but I do like my steak, don't know if I can change it for Kangaroo steaks even though I did see in Safeway/Woolworths last night kangaroo steaks, marinaded kangaroo steaks and marinaded mini kangaroo roast rolls. Why are they marinading it? Does it taste that BAD?

Oh and I forgot to mention, you know how bad I have been with getting work or should I say keeping work of late, I have a second job at Katies! and an interview with the local council again for another job. So at the moment I have 2 jobs and may have to decide which I will keep as my main if the council job comes through for me.

not around much

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately. I think I've been a bit depressed about the whole adoption process.

You see they have 'suspended' our assessment because it seems they don't like it when you have a bad memory. That's not bad memories but a bad memory. I can't tell a 'fluid' history story for them so their answer is to send me to counselling to see if I have any suppressed memories, maybe I was traumatised as a child ad they want to get it out. Or maybe I just have a BAD MEMORY! Also because we had moved away from my dad's family so I don't know allot about them and dad doesn't talk about them and doesn't like to talk about it, it appears to be a problem for me as I don't know enough family history. God this is frustrating. And the last stupid reason for the suspension. Dazza smokes. That's right, he smokes, it appears not the smokers are the minority, although it is legal its still a no no for the 'government' department that does adoption in Australia.

Now I got a call yesterday from the head of the department advising of a counsellor that they want to use but I will have to pay for the session and they will met the cost of the report that will b issued. The cost, $90 per hour. I don't mind the cost really just that I think it will be a waste of time because there is nothing wrong with me. I questioned if I could claim it o my health insurance an the Head almost fell off her seat. Why is that a wrong question, you want me to pay for something that in my opinion is a waste but I am happy to do it if it gets us further in the process, they should be happy that we pay for private health insurance.

I think I left her a bit put off but its my life they are fucking with. They are stopping me form having a family, its not bad enough that God decided that we shouldn't be blessed with babies but now some government department can stop me with these ridiculous reasons. I would understand if they said something about my families criminal connections but they just cal that a 'colourful history' which I have o remind her that it was my families 'colourful history' not mine as I have not taken part in anything criminal or even associated with the part of the family that is in the 'underworld' but again apparently they have shaped me even though I haven't seen them personally since I was a child.So instead of telling them were to go, which I was really tempted to do yesterday, we have decided that we are going to think outside of the box they have put us in and continue with I* V* F as well which is a no no.

Dazza sees to have settled down on the health issues as well, just waiting for the hospital appointments for both operations, maybe before the end of the year but no more attacks of the gallbladder as yet, touch wood.

As for work, I now have 2 jobs, I am working a part time office temp in the freight and transport industry as well as a part time (3 shifts per fortnight) at a ladies fashion retail store. I have never done that before but it should be fun except or the shop lifters...............

Dog issues!

I need help of some sort.

Today I was going to blog about actually getting off my arse and going for a walk, but instead I'm back to my usual problem if Miss Molly (the border collie) pulling palings off the back and side fences where there happens to be other dogs. This would not normally be a problem if I didn't have Master Humphrey the Alaskan Malamute who of course doesn't like small dogs and will go into the other properties causing God knows what problems.

You may remember some time ago the neighbour on the left had a Jack Russell. I say had as some how after palings were removed by Miss Molly, said neighbours dog ended up dead in our back yard!

I don't know how to fix this problem of her pulling off the palings. Its doing my head in and once Daz gets home he will be less than impressed once again. I thought about running the clear plastic along the fences like they place around trees to stop the wild life ruining the trees but Daz says it won't work. Anyone else have any thoughts on what I can do?