M-I-A…
Sorry guys… I know I have been missing around here lately… but I do have a good excuse!
I had both my legs operated on last week and have been relegated to the bed and couch for the duration of my recovery! It is frustrating and boring and FRUSTRATING, but there it is!
You will all be happy to know that my recovery is going well and I will be up and about again in the next few weeks… annnnnnnd – I HAVE been taking my photo-a-day! The bad news is, it's like groundhog day around here and all my photos look the same! lol! When I finally get to upload them, you will see a lot of pics my bandaged up legs, and not much else… something to look forward to, I'm sure! lol!
So, when my red-headed guard dog (aka: the husband) lets me back near my actual computer, I will catch up on all my photo-a-days!… in the mean time, please don't forget about me!
day two hundred and eighty-two | 2011
nine. ten. eleven… Zoe's eyes… are they green; are they blue?… they are gorgeous, that's a given!
day two hundred and eighty-one | 2011
This week, the local radio station was running a competition to find the best party trick… I entred this video of Xanthia and her vibrating eyeballs… first thing Monday morning I got the call – Xanthia had freaked out enough people to be the first winner for the week… her prize – a family pass to this weekends Shepparton Show!
Now, I wasn't planning on a trip to the show… but I didn't have any other plans either, so off to the show we went… and we had a blast!
Darci and I decided to give the rides a miss… but that didn't stop Zoe, Xan and Willow… although I do think Willow may have had moments of regret… hahaha!
This is the 'little' pony Willow won when I gave her one of my lucky numbers to open… the big pink pony was definitely her choice!
Thanks to Jordan and Steph from StarFM Shepparton for the tickets! Great day!
day two hundred and seventy-eight | 2011
Darci 16 year old portraits… of sorts! She is a hard girl to get 'serious' out of, so I just take what I can get!
She is wearing one of her birthday presents… the wonderful, one-of-a-kind, recycled, patchwork creation made by Darcie of Infinite Possibilities. I love it so much that Darci had better keep an eye on it or it might just wind up in my wardrobe… a bit like my ugg boots that, somehow, now live in Darci's wardrobe!
day two hundred and seventy-seven | 2011
We love daylights savings… it means we still have beautiful sunshine at the end the day to just sit down and collect petals… we have a magnificent banksia rose growing wild over our back fence, and Xan collected a bowl full of fragrant petals to put in her bath!
day two hundred and seventy-six | 2011
It's still school holidays, but I still have to work, so I had to wake all the girls up early this morning to give Darci the rest of her birthday presents… they were all still a bit dopey, but I think Darci appreciated it!
Happy 16th Birthday to my beautiful middle child!
ps: I was under threat of death to cut Zoe out of all photos from today… she is NOT a morning person! LOL! (don't worry Zo… I'll just save them for your 21st!!)
day two hundred and seventy-five | 2011
Less than 12 hours and this girl will be SIXTEEN!!
day two hundred and seventy-four | 2011
I promised Zoe I wouldn't photograph her pyjama's (that she is STILL in) if she came to be my photo-a-day… but I didn't promise I wouldn't talk about it! LOL!
day two hundred and seventy-three | 2011
Taa-Dah! The finished room!
Darci's 16th birthday is not actually until Monday, but Russ has to head back to Sydney tomorrow, so we wanted to give her her main present today… a new bed, rolling table and bed spread! She loved it! YAY!!
day two hundred and seventy-two | 2011
You know what a wonderful day at Ikea (or TWO Ikea's, as the case may be!) leads to?… a frustrating night at home! LOL!
With Zoe as foreman, and Russ, Xan and Willow as willing labourers, they set to work to put together Darci birthday present before she came home from her animal first aid course in Wangaratta… and they did a FANTASTIC job!
day two hundred and seventy-one | 2011
Making the most of snuggles with dad before he heads back to Sydney ♥
day two hundred and seventy | 2011
What?? … what else would you use a trailer in the back yard for? Star jumps and dance's all the way!
day two hundred and sixty-six | 2011
Xan and Willow's hockey presentation night… we loved this club so much and give huge thanks to our wonderful coaches, Justin and Karen.
day two hundred and sixty-four | 2011
Our little pocket sproket was at it again today after making it through to the District Athletic Carnival… she competed in the 200m (4th); 800m (4th); 100m (3rd) and finally the 200m relay (4th)… what a CHAMPION!!
day two hundred and sixty-one | 2011
This girls birthday never seems to end… today it was a cake with the Bendigo crew… talk about spoiled!!
day two hundred and sixty | 2011
Xan and Willow went through their entire U11 hockey season undefeated… they stumbled at the last hurdle and went down 1-4 in the Grand Final 🙁
The kids played a great game and we will be really sad to say goodbye to this club.
day two hundred and fifty-nine | 2011
Happy Birthday to our zany Xani! 11 years ago, today, we welcomed a little blonde whirlwind (something akin to Warner Brothers Tassie Devil) into our lives, and things have never been the same! Love you Xanthia! ♥♥♥
First there were presents, of course!
(the much wanted; hinted about; begged for; and sucked up for iPod Touch!)
… then big sisters and birthday punches… really painful birthday punches!!
… then MORE presents (this time from Grandma and Grandpa Bingley)
… and then, finally, cake! Xan wanted a cake with profiteroles on it, but we couldn't buy one like that in out dodgy little town… so we improvised!! Chocolate mud cake + a packet of profiteroles = Xan's dream cake!
day two hundred and fifty-eight | 2011
Presents are wrapped and we are ready for the birthday girl, in the morning!
day two hundred and fifty-five | 2011
Russ played in his Veteran Mens B grade hockey grand final last night… not only did they WIN 2-0… my mega-talented husband scored the first goal! What a rockstar!
day two hundred and fifty-four | 2011
Willow, helping dad with his homework… apparently she did a-ok on the Bushmaster instrument panel symbols! lol!
What's a Bushmaster? - Bushmaster
day two hundred and fifty-three | 2011
My aunt, Sue and her amazingly talented fashion-designer daughter, my cuz, Sophie… after the premier of her collection at Fashion Week in Melb! You rock Soph!
A little look at Sophie's collection here – Sophie Jacobs
day two hundred and fifty-two | 2011
Today was a sad, sad day… today we had to say goodbye to a member of our family… a beautiful, friendly, crazy and slobbery member of our family.
We knew our Cleo was getting old, and we knew she wouldn't live forever, but it was still a shock to wake this morning and find that she had passed in the night. We weren't ready. We weren't ready to say goodbye.
These photos were taken just last weekend, on Fathers Day…
And to the wonderful and gernerous guys I work with, I was truly touched by the beautiful flowers… thank you ♥
day two hundred and fifty-one | 2011
You know how they say 'a picture says a thousand words'?… well, I'm pretty sure this picture only says two… and they are not nice!
day two hundred and fifty | 2011
♥ And then my soul saw you and it kind of went "Oh there you are. I've been looking for you" ♥
day two hundred and forty-nine | 2011
A quick snap of Zoe in her awesome room before bed!
day two hundred and forty-eight | 2011
Maddie and Darci ready for the Nursery Rhyme/70's school social (in my makeshift studio – car headlights in the driveway!)… Darci won best dressed for this 'costume' – that she put together from her wardrobe!
Trust me when I say, she goes supermarket shopping dressed like this!
… moonwalking in her skates… she is just damn talented!
day two hundred and forty-seven | 2011
Fathers Day at the Bingley House… never a dull moment!!
First, of course, there were presents!
Then there was the yummy bacon and eggs, cooked on the BBQ, for lunch…
…watched closely by the dogs!
(side bar… Xan and Willow built this cubby house – and look who decided to move in! LOL!)
After lunch… and a rest… and a movie… I was able to convince (read: order) the family to indulge me in a little daddy/daughter photo shoot!…
… which was not without it's challenges!…
then I gave Darci (sitting the the centre front seat) the camera to hold for the trip home… mistake… BIG mistake!
Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful fathers out there!
day two hundred and forty-six | 2011
Phew! I only JUST made it with my photo of today… with minutes to spare!… and the only one awake was my ranga ♥
day two hundred and forty-five | 2011
Grandma and Grandpa Bingley came to visit for the weekend, and Willow jumped at the chance to take on a new victim, I mean 'opponent' in her 'Connect 4' game!
day two hundred and forty-four | 2011
What an amazing sunset… shot by Zoe from the passenger side of the car, across me, out the window, while I was driving!
day two hundred and forty-three | 2011
Homework is never-ending when you are in grade three! (well, that's the way Willow tells it!) lol!
day two hundred and forty-one | 2011
Mine: Mine: and the wrong baby I brought home from the hospital (otherwise known as – HIS)
day two hundred and forty | 2011
On 28 August 2011 two things happened… my mum and dad celebrated 40 years of marriage… and my Willow made her first communion (wearing the same veil I did for my First Communion 30 odd years ago♥ )… but while we were on a roll, we also celebrated my uncle Paul's birthday (27th August), my brother, Dru's birthday (29th August), my sister-in-law, Kellie's 40th birthday (21st August) and my cousins Jac and Liam's birthdays (4th and 6th September)… what a day!!
Russ and I joined Willow as she recieved her first communion…
Monsignior Toms presents her with her certificate and medallion…
Willow was so proud… as where grandparents, Mazz and Colin…
The party was all set…
Six cakes for the eight celebratees… Paul, Dru, Willow, Mazz and Colin, Jac and Liam, and Kellie!
… and here they all are!!
day two hundred and thirty-nine | 2011
What? Doesn't everyone sit around in their school uniform eating McDonald at nearly 11 o'clock on a Saturday night? No? Weird.
Ok, so Zoe and I just got back from a school function that went over dinner time and we were STARVING! Desperate times call for desperate measures!
day two hundred and thirty-eight | 2011
Xanthia stayed home today, to recover from her school camp… I found this on my desk when I came home at morning tea time to check on her ♥♥♥
day two hundred and thirty-seven | 2011
Look whose home from her school camp in Canberra… Xanthia might be tired, but that didn't curb her appetite!
day two hundred and thirty-six | 2011
Jaimi is in Bendigo (for work); Xanthia is in Canberra (on school camp) and Zoe and Darci are at the movies… tonight Widget got our undivided attention – and didn't she love it!
(though it has now come to our attention [due to the lack of the sister-shaped filters], that she talks a LOT! – LOL)