It's a new year (but things are still the same)

Now that the silly season is over, and with three weeks of school holidays left, I am so looking forward to what this year has in store for me.

I am looking forward to both girls being at school. Finally, time for me. 

Everyone keeps asking what I'm going to do with myself. I don't have a clue. Have a clean house for more than five minutes. Time for my brain to uncrazy itself. After that, who knows.

Yesterday Izzy had the pleasure of helping me wax my toes (riveting school holiday fun). I know my toes! Only the big toe and the one next to it.

I was sitting on the back steps, pondering life with a cup of tea, when I noticed how black and coarse the hairs were. Do they get worse when you get a bit older? They seemed worse. 

Usually I reserve my wax strips for my chin, upper lip and my threatening mono brow. 

It doesn't seem so bad, until I actually look at the hairs on the wax strip. How can I have so many stray hairs like that growing on my face! I am totally going to be the old lady, asleep in my chair at the old folks home, with a ripper white goatee. I dread. 

The girls are loving the pool they got for Christmas. So have the kids next door! Pool party time at number 8. They are eating me out of house and home too, hungry buggers! They're all having a ball though.

I got a new camera lens for Christmas, not that I have used it a hell of a lot, but I couldn't help but pull over and take some photos of hay cutting season along the road as I drove to Pelican Point the other day.

I love country scenes like these. If I pulled the car over every time I wanted to, I would never get anywhere. I have found a lot lately, that when I'm driving, I am looking out the window and seeing things as photographic scenes, waiting to be captured. I need to pay more attention to the road!

I am still undecided about a mantra or word for 2017. I do know that I need to take better care of me, instead of putting everyone else first. It's been that way for too long, and it is taking a huge toll. 

I know I need to practice gratitude more often. I find it really helps to remember at least one good thing that happened during my day, to turn around negative talk and feelings.

I need to be patient, and present when it comes to the kids. I think it comes back to the fact that I need some time for me. I have been a snappy McChappy lately and I hate it. 

We've been as busy as shit too, I am reeling most of the time. It was soooo good to have some quiet days at home last week, even though it was kid city in the pool for some of it.

Maybe I need to change some things. Maybe that needs to be my word. Hmmm.



Tell me. What's your focus for the year? 

I'd love to know what you got for Christmas too!!

An InLinkz Link-up

I've no time to scratch my arse (but due to my awesomeness I actually do)

Excuse me while I spray the site for crickets, because it's been a bit quiet round here to the past week and a bit. I gave myself a week off Open Slather, and online socialising generally. Quite frankly today, I am real life socialled out, and on the brink of mental exhaustion.

So I got a new lens for christmas. Yesterday husband had a poke (whinge and a jibe, about me putting the old lens back on), because I hadn't used the bloody thing to it's full advantage in the last week.

I was all like, HELLO, I haven't had time to scratch my arse these 'holidays', to even think about it.

Fair enough we went to the beach on new years eve, which was a fab family get together, but did I want to get it out and spend most of my time behind a lens? HELL NO!

I took a couple of photos with my phone and got on with the business of digging for cockles (which totally ruined my newly self-pedicured nails. As if I care!), drinking a couple of wines and eating all the cheese. Plus a lamely cooked hamburger. At least I didn't have to cook it! I know when to keep my sarcastic mouth shut and give kind advice (:D) In the big picture, that has to be a strength, right?! 

Lets get back to 'holidays'. Yes that's right, 'holidays'. 

Like when people say they are on holidays, it means they get a break from their main source of stress, a break from thier work load.

I don't know about you, but my main source of stress, my main source of work load, has to do with-

1. A husband, who likes to sleep in on 'holidays'. He also likes to unload a lot of whinging about just about any subject you could think about. On me. 

I don't care. 

Stressful.

2. Kids, who say "Mum", way too much, when Dad is standing right there, or sleeping in. 

Stressful.

3. A son who has Aspergers, who shits me to tears some days. Worry. 

Stressful.

4. A household, who demands cleaning, washing, cooking, gardening, gathering, general bullshittering.

Stressful.

I need a holiday, away from all these things.

Likelyhood. ZERO!

Thank god someone invented wine, and food. Lots of food.

And wheelbarrows, because I am going to need one to carry my sorry arse after this 'holiday' season.

By the ways, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I have good feelings for 2017. I am actually a big fact optimist you know, and proud of it.

The first thing I did when the clock ticked over into our new year, was spill half my creme de monthe cocktail all over my shoe as a firecracker went off. Scared the beejeesus out of me! Can't be all that bad, starting the year off with a cocktail and firecrackers! I am used to being in bed way before the clock hits midnight on new years eve.

I have been out of sorts today, due to the fact I did not get to bed until 1am, not drunk, I actually drove us all home. I woke at 8am and rose half an hour later with Izzy. 

Please forgive me now for the whining, but husband got up a 11:30 for a shower (to save face), only because someone pulled up in the driveway (Loser. I'm such a bitch). It was just my Mum. 

On the upside, I got to spend more time with my neice yesterday, before she jets off with her new husband to Japan for the next couple of years. An adventure of a lifetime. I sat for a while and watched their wedding photos slide by before my tired eyes. They were gorgeous images which brought back beautiful memories from their October wedding, which just seemed like yesterday. Because October was just yesterday, wasn't it!

And now it's a new year. 

Our christmas tree came down yesterday. In my mood I felt it didn't need to be there anymore. The magic was over, and the reality of normal life had set back in.

The holiday house renting business is in full swing, and off there today to do some cleaning for new tenants tomorrow. 

What was the first thing that happened to you as the new year ticked over? I hope it was as boring as snoring, I would be jealous in fact.


So do you have a word for 2017? I haven't quite worked mine out yet, I know it's going to be something selfish....and I am totally OK with that.

Joining Denyse for Life this week

An InLinkz Link-up

A quiet visitor in a quiet moment

I made sure I relished in the final days of peace and quiet I had last week, while the girls were attending thier last days of school and kindy, for the year.

I cleaned the house Tuesday, or it could have been Wednesday, which as usual, was a complete waste of time. I'd better get used to the fact it is going to look like a bomb hit it for the next six weeks.

I am looking forward to not having to be up and organised this morning. 

While sitting on the back steps, I noticed a butterfly. It was perched, not moving at all, on my dahlias.

This was one chilled out butterfly. I saw the perfect opportunity to use my camera. So inside I went, and the butterfly just kept doing it's thing. 

I snapped around him, and he didn't care. I gave him a poke on the tail, he opened his wings and kept sitting there. I felt privileged to spend those few minutes with that butterfly. 

I will have to remember that calmness and wonder in the coming weeks. Try to be present, not stress and try to enjoy the crazy. I wish I was that chilled out butterfly.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunset on Bungalow Bay