Rss Feed
    Showing posts with label Just for Fun. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label Just for Fun. Show all posts
  1. decaffeinated

    Sunday, 10 April 2011


    On a whim a few days before new years, I sent this tweet:

    I think I might give up coke for New Year


    And so I did. As of midnight January 1st, 2011, I pledged to not drink coke in any form for a year.

    And today, it's been 100 days since I've had any.

    I'm proud of me. I'm pleased to be able to say "i told you so" to a number of people who thought I couldn't do it ;)

    But I must be honest.

    It's been really hard.

    I think it's been more difficult to fight the habit of drinking coke and the immediate mood lifter (for a little while) it would give me, than actually missing the taste.

    Some things really make me want one.

    Fueling the car
    When the kids stress me out
    Music practice on Thursdays
    When I'm bored
    When I'm hungry

    While I'm finding it easier to push through those cravings, they don't seem to be going away very much.

    I don't think I've lost weight.

    I don't think my skin is any better.

    I'm not sleeping any different.

    Why am I doing this again? :D

    But, I will see it through. Maybe at the end of the year I'll be able to see a little more clearly.

    265 days to go.

     How are you going with your New Year resolutions (if you made any)?

  2. Library

    Friday, 26 November 2010

    Adam and I have been wanting to enlarge our library. Not only have we had children destroy our books, but we gave a lot of them away in various moves. Adam still regrets giving up his Tom Clancy and Dale Brown collections.

    On facebook today, a girlfriend had one of those "paste this into your notes" type surveys. The premise was that out of the listed hundred books, the BBC believed that most people would have read only 6. (some were book series counted as one)

    I was quite delighted to realise that I had read 26 of them, but saddened to acknowledge that it had been many, many years since I had. Of late, I've found it difficult to focus on a book long enough to read it through, which is quite a distinct difference from a few years ago, where I could get through a book in a day. (I read Deathly Hallows in under 8 hours. I did time it too... but I still think Gwyn read it faster).  Some of them, I'd either heard of, or even had on my bookshelf at one time, but never got around to, and others, I've seen the movie, but not actually read the book. There were also some they I've started, but not fonished for some reason or other.

    So, I'm going to make it my endeavour to read the entire list in the coming year. I'm going to post it over to the side and cross them off as I read them. I'll pop in bold the ones I already have. I'll italic them if I want to read it again, to refresh.

    Which ones should I make my priority?

  3. Back in 5...

    Wednesday, 13 October 2010

    I am crazy busy trying to get the house ready for Eli's birthday party on Saturday.

    But trust me. There will be some serious YOU:create-ing happening.

  4. You:create {embroidery}

    Thursday, 16 September 2010

    I'm kinda sorta (but not really) cheating, because I did one of these for last weeks You:create, but blogger wasn't cooperating. I did the smaller two this week though, promise!





    I've always enjoyed sewing cross stitch, and admired needlepoint embroidery, so I set to work to teach myself a few years ago how to do it.

    This particular piece is very simple, comprising of only back-stitch and whipped back-stitch, (and some french knots) but I think it very beautiful.

    Please excuse my crappy photos. I'm still learning how to use my camera.






    5"


    4"


    3"


    I am giving them as an engagement gift... don't you think they tell a beautiful story about nurturing love?






    Hop on over and see what else people are doing
    ::~just for fun~::
    and add something of your own :)




    The pattern was created by etsy seller September House and the pattern is the Seedling Trio.
    They are based on some watercolours she made for her new baby's room.


  5. Would you pass?

    Monday, 26 July 2010




    Australian Citizenship Test

    The Australian citizenship test has been designed to assist people who want to become Australian citizens gain an understanding of Australia’s values, traditions, history and national symbols.

    The test is an important part of ensuring that migrants have the capacity to fully participate in the Australian community as citizens and maximise the opportunities available to them in Australia. It will promote social cohesion and successful integration into the community.



    Test Rules

    There are some basic rules which you must follow during the test:

    - Test is timed - You will be allowed 45 minutes to complete the test (or 90 minutes in the case of an assisted test). No additional time will be made available.

    - This is a closed book test - You must not bring any test resource material into the testing centre (this includes note paper, the Becoming an Australian Citizen resource book, study notes, etc).

    - Personal belongings may be taken into the test site however these must be stored under the desk for the duration of the test. Mobile phone sand all other electronic /communicationgaming equipment should be switched off while you are within the test centre.


    If you do not follow these rules, you may be asked to leave the test centre and may have to sit the test again.


    Test Questions


    You may begin writing only once you are advised to do so by the test supervisor.

    (1) Do you understand the meaning, but are unable to explain the origin, of the term “died in the arse”? Explain the meaning:
    ____________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________

    (2) What is a “bloody little beauty”?
    ____________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________

    (3) Are these terms related: chuck a sickie; chuck a spaz; chuck a U-ey? Yes / No

    (4) Explain the following passage:

    In the arvo last Chrissy the relos rocked up for a Barbie, some bevvies and a few snags. After a bit of a Bex and a lie down we opened the pressies, scoffed all the chockies, bickies and lollies. Then we drained a few tinnies and Mum did her block after Dad and Steve had a Barney and a bit of biffo.
    ___________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________

    (5) Macca, Chooka and Wanger are driving to Surfers in their Torana. If they are travelling at 100 km/h while listening to Barnsey, Farnsey and Acca Dacca, how many slabs will each person on average consume between flashing a brown eye and taking a slash?
    ___________________________________________________________

    (6) Complete the following sentences:

    (a) If the van's rockin' don't bother _____________________________
    (b) You're going home in the back of a ___________________________
    (c) Fair crack of the ________________________________________

    (7) I've had a gutful and I can't be farked. Discuss
    ____________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________

    (8) Have you ever been on the giving or receiving end of a wedgie? Yes / No

    (9) Do you have a friend or relative who has a car in their front yard "up on blocks"? Is his name Bruce and does he have a wife called Cheryl? Yes / No

    (10) Do you or your family regularly eat a dish involving mincemeat, cabbage, curry powder and a packet of chicken noodle soup called either chow mein, chop suey or Kai see Ming? Yes / No

    (11) What are the ingredients in a rissole?
    __________________________________________________________

    (12) Describe the correct procedure for eating a Tim Tam.
    __________________________________________________________
    __________________________________________________________

    (13) Do you have an Aunty Irene who smokes 30 cigarettes a day and sounds like a bloke? Yes / No

    (14) In any two-hour period have you ever eaten three-bean salad, a chop and two serves of pav washed down with someone else's beer that has been flogged from a bath full of ice? Yes / No

    (15) When you go to a bring-your-own-meat Barbie can you eat other people's meat or are you only allowed to eat your own?
    __________________________________________________________

    (16) What purple root vegetable beginning with the letter "b" is required by law to be included in a hamburger with the lot?
    ___________________________________________________________

    (17) Do you own or have you ever owned a lawn mower, a pair of thongs, an Esky or Ugg boots? Yes / No

    (18) Is it possible to prang a car while doing circle work? Yes / No

    (19) Who would you like to crack on to?
    ___________________________________________________________

    (20) Who is the most Australian (pick one answer):

    (a) Kevin "Bloody" Wilson
    (b) John "True Blue" Williamson
    (c) Kylie Minogue
    (d) Warnie


    (21) Is there someone you are only mates with because they own a trailer or have a pool? Yes / No

    (22) What do the phrases “sinkin piss at a mates joint” and “gettin paraletic” mean?
    ___________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________

    Please submit this paper back to the test supervisor when you have had a fair crack.







    **This was an email sent through to me. I do not know its source.**


  6. Week 1.. err... 2... part 1

    Thursday, 8 July 2010





    When Gitz announced the weekly YOU:create Bloggie doobilacky thingumy whatsit, I knew exactly what I was going to do. It was a project I'd had stashed away for the better part of a year.


    What?


    Tell me you've not got one of those.


    So anyways, today, I went about doing it. And, not out of character with this household, It came not without it's own share of drama and catastrophe.



    So. What are we working with today?




    This is the top of a little table that I had before the kids destroyed it. Snapped the pedestal right off it. I never threw away the top though, becauseI knew what I wanted to do with it


    This is the back...




    Ok... involved in this project, is a secret ingredient and the following...



    Primer, Turpentine (turps), ivory spraypaint, sandpaper and painters tape.



    Oh, and this.

    Of course.

    So here we have the tabletop all nicely sanded back, to get some of the varnish off so the paint sticks.



    And here it is sunbaking after a nice turps rub down.



    All primed and ready to go...


    And for the record? Old cloth nappies are the BEST drop cloths. Hallelujah and amen.


    Next, I had to tape off the middle bit of the table, so I could spray the edges.

    Why you ask?

    You shall see.

    I used some scrap paper I had lying around after priniting off some songs for church on Sunday


    Those curves?

    TEDIOUS.

    I'd complain more, but if you know me, you'd know I was in my element.

    Want to know what the song was?


    Listen to it HERE. It's my in my heart and soul right now. I'm constantly singing it.



    Next came the taping off of the newly painted stuff to paint the inside part.

    Oh. my. WORD... this took me so long. It took even longer, since it was about here that the catastrophe happened...

    Eli lost my wedding ring.

    I'd taken off my rings to paint, and put them in a cup.

    You know... safe.

    Finally found it after about 45 minutes, in the gutter of my driveway.

    Once the ring had been found, I finished taping it all off, and it was time to use the secret ingredient...



    I've been meaning to make this into a chalkboard to write a weekly bible verse on to get the kids (and myself) in to the habit of learning scripture by heart.

    Is it bad that I'm also hoping to send subliminal messages through it too? My first two will be "how good it is for brothers to live in harmony" and "LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER".

    *ahem*

    So I sprayed.

    And sprayed.

    And sprayed.

    And look what happened.

    See that white bit? It's the paint, coming off in little balls like sand. Only in that darker area you see. And, obviously, where the white is.

    I was going to go distressed, but that was for the frame, not the blackboard!


    My perfectionism is cringing that I don't have the end product to show, but I'm going to have to sand it all back, and next time, I think I"ll get a tin of paint on chalckboard paint.

    NOT a fan of the spray kind.

    But you get the idea,

    Next week, I'll show the fixer-uppin' of the fixer upper.



    Including getting rid of the big smear I did on the ledge there.

    Man I was miffed.



  7. ROOM 101

    Saturday, 12 June 2010

    Not the scary one... the funny one.

    Adam and I only discovered this hillarious show this morning, and its premise is that "celebrities were invited to discuss their pet hates and persuade the host to consign them to a fate worse than death in Room 101"

    A few of the things we came across were the 80's, Disney, Chris deBurgh, short people and Mendelevium.

    I asked Adam what would be on his list, and after some thought he came up with
    1. social media (like, the people who have a twitter, fb, blog(s), myspace, linkedin, jabber blah blah blah)
    2. p0rn
    3. curling
    4. Steriotypical Americans (of which we know none. Just so you know.)

    The show gives the guests 5 things, but Adam had to go to work.

    I don't have many things that I have a total abhorance for, but I think my selections would be (keeping in mind that you need to be able to joke about it, so human trafficking and childhood cancer is out):

    1. Spiders
    2. Prosti-tots (you know, the 12 year old little girls dressed like streetwalkers)
    3. Brussels Sprouts
    4. Cameron Diaz

    What about you? I'd love to see the things that you would cast into the room.


  8. TOW-MAY-TOE/ TOM-ART-OH

    Friday, 11 June 2010

    I was watching this hillariousness, and it struck me that there are lots of words that we Australians pronounce 'funny' to Americans.

    Like, for example, daughter. We say Daw-da. You say Dah-ter

    Or, route. We say root, you say r-ow-t.

    We call ourselves Ozzies... you mispronounce it Ossies

    We Aussies speak in "text" as one of my favourite comedians puts it. A service station is a "servo", car registration is "rego", a barbeque is a "barbie" and so on and so forth.

    A few people have asked for a video of me (and Adam) talking. We're working on it. For some reason, our computer has dumped the web-cam, so we have to get a camcorder and a tripod.

    Good thing tax time is only a couple of months away.

    But we will, I promise.

    So... what would you like to hear us say? What about us would you like to know? It could be anything funny, real, stupid, serious, whatever... I'll write it all down and we'll discuss it all for your viewing pleasure and, I'm sure, amusement.

    We'll attempt to deliver.

    We're really silly though.

    Consider youreslves forewarned.

  9. These...


    Are now on their way here, wrapped in love & frindship.

    "Time or distance cannot touch
    the friendships of the heart"
    ~Anon

  10. Tis the Season...

    Tuesday, 17 November 2009

    ... for give aways, it seems.


    And I totally want this one.




    Oh how I want this. Aren't I nice to let you in on the secret?
    Ok, so I get an extra entry for it... sue me ;)
    But not only that, one lucky person will get a swag of goodies (including a voucher for a 6lb turkey!) which MPT has listed on his site.
    You might want to go over there and leave your own entries :)