Bloody beer thieves!!

So I got up nice and early Saturday morning as we were heading out to Biloela to pick up our new (2nd hand) car (see below for details).  I had invited a couple of friends over for a BBQ Saturday night and went outside to see how wet our outdoor area was since it had been raining.  As soon as I walked out I saw that the drinks fridge door was wide open and grumbled to myself that Owen mustn't have closed it properly the night before when he'd put the lemonade away however as I rounded the corner I saw that someone had actually ransacked out outdoor buffet thing and then notice over half a carton of beer missing from the fridge.  I called out to Owen that we'd been robbed and he called back asking if they stole his car, lol, which is broken and doesn't even start!!   I told him they had stolen our beer and he went to check the cars.  Guess who forgot to lock their car on Friday night?  Ooops & Bugger!!  So all the doors of my car were ajar, GPS is gone, all my CD's gone (mainly copies but some originals), contents of the glove box all over the seat, ashtray out, center console open, center of the back seat open and the contents of the boot pulled through to the back seat!!  Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!!  So as I said above we were meant to be headed to pick up our new car and trade in the crime scene so the timing was just perfect...not!!
I rang the police and a lovely officer who was having a busy morning eventually came around to check it all out and take all the details.  Owen said had woken up at about 4.30am and had thought he heard voices so had gone and checked on Jack and then gotten himself a couple of panadol so had turned on a few lights in the house.  We think he probably scared them away because when I was hosing off the patio later that afternoon I found a half drunk bottle of beer behind the outdoor lounge.  The forensics guy came and got some really good clear prints off the car.  He said the prints were probably from a teenager by the size of them.  Owen, Jack & I all had out prints examined for illumination which was interesting.  Apparently we all have quite unusual formations on our middle fingers.  Jack was really interested in how they do the fingerprinting.  We had just been looking the night before at a fingerprint kit in the toys section at Woolies.  There is a vacant house behind us which has been a haven for quite a few undesirables in the last few months.  The house has been trashed, all the windows smashed, the back door is practically missing and they just come and go as they please.  We told the police that we regularly have people wandering around our street that end up in that house.
So after the officer had finished, Owen cleaned off all the fingerprints and we headed out to pick up this...



Yes, it is very very red!!  I'm very excited.  We had had our old car for about 10 years and it was starting to need alot more work done on it than it was worth so we thought we may as well get a new car.  Choosing a car is such a hard decision.  I'm pretty sure there are a few car salesman in our town that are sick of seeing us and then we ended up buying from a town 2 hours away anyway.  It is very very comfy to drive and it the Classic version of the Falcon so Jack is very excited that it has a built in DVD!!
So that was our Saturday!  We now have a new car, a new sensor light at the front of the carport, a very very noisy alarm on the beer fridge and a bit of a yuck feeling about an invasion of our home space.  We found 2 of the CD's on our way home, surprise surprise they were on the footpath in front of the house I was talking about earlier.  Bella, our very old doggy, was in her kennel whilst all this happened too, approximately 2.5 meters from said beer fridge so we're grateful that she's old an deaf an probably didn't realize they were there because it would have been devastating if she'd been hurt.

Just a few photos to share.

There hasn't been much going on around out place lately, lots of work, not enough fun :P  Since it's been so long since I've posted I thought I might just post some photos.

The first one is of Grandma Jean & Grandad Kev with baby Emmy on Father's Day.  She is soooo beautiful...cluck...cluck...cluck...

Here's cheeky Jack just being cheeky.

Jack and Grandma playing with the palace they just built.

Kitti looking serene and pretty in her beautifully blingy Meow collar.

Ahhh Sunday, I love you...

Lazy Sunday's are just the best and that's what I had today.  I worked every day this week and had plans to do all my housework today but I just couldn't be bothered.  I did some washing and packed the dishwasher and then ignored the rest.  Even Jack's lunch was casual today, he had a Munchables pack which he made into these cute little 'cupcakes'.  

My Mum's 60th birthday is coming up and today I worked on the invitations for her party while Jack had a play outside.  He decided he wanted to blow some bubbles so I took the opportunity to get the camera out.  Jack had been going through an anti-photo phase but hasn't been too bad lately.  We found a cutie little ladybeetle while we were out there.

On to the bubble blowing...

Ouch my eyes...

and bubbles galore...

So in our house this week we've had a couple of additions.  Jack had asked if he could have a hermit crab and I thought why not, easy care, cheap pet so we headed off the pet shop to pick one out and grab some essential crabby supplies.  That night I was doing a bit of research on the net and discovered that what I thought was going to be an easy care pet is actually not at all.  They like company, they need the right humidity and temperate, they like fresh fruit and veges cut up really teeny tiny.  So now we have a new tank, a hermit hut, a little friend etc etc etc.  So introducing Mr Crabs and Spongebob, Mr Crabs is on the left.  They are actually quite cute.  Jack and O took Mr Crabs in to school for show and tell last week.  They don't actually seem to be as social as the internet had said but maybe they're just getting used to each other.  Spongebob is definitely more adventurous and is normally crawling all over the tank whereas Mr Crabs has just burrowed in and hardly comes out.  I just hope they don't grow too big.

The crabs were biting...

We went to the beach yesterday with our friends the Williams's for a spot of fishing and a bit of a play.  Fishing would be the operative word there since we didn't actually bring anything home but we had a great time.  The water was a bit cold but not too bad really and the weather was really lovely.

Here's Jack waiting for the fish/crabs to bite.             

                        

Tricia, the supermum and chief fish releaser, with her three gorgeous kiddies, Piper, Sofie & Oliver the fisherman.

The catch of the day!!  We caught about half a dozen of these little crabs.

Jack with the other catch of the day, puffer fish.  Owen caught two of them.

O, the fisherman.

The boys trying to pump up some little crabs.

After the beach we headed to the little shop and had some fish and chips for dinner before heading home.  Thanks Trish for the company.  It was a fun afternoon.

My weekend...

I've had a pretty good weekend this weekend.  Nothing spectacular, just got some things done, got to have a catch up chat with my friend Kim and I was well for a change.  The last two weekends I have ended up in the ER with gallstone attacks so to have a well weekend has been a really nice change.
Yesterday I got most of the cleaning done in the morning then grabbed my groceries before heading over to Kim's place for a playdate for Jack and a catch up for me.
This morning Jack and I went to check out the Mumma's Fair and pulled up just as Kim was getting the kids out of the car so that was a bonus.  There was some nice stuff there but it's a shame it wasn't a bit bigger although I think it's the first one for our area so it wasn't too bad.  We shared some nice little cupcakes and then Jack and Charlotte partook in the kid's yoga class which was adorable.  I'm pretty keen to start yoga myself actually so I might start that on Tuesday night.

When we got home I made Jack a little plate of lunch and then made myself some sushi for lunch.  Yummy!!  Smoked salmon and avocado with a little Japanese mayo.  It was very tasty.  I love sushi.
One of the local scrapbook shops is moving and is going to be only a block away from our house which will be very convenient.  I saw them setting up as we were coming home today.  I'm keen to get in and do some scrapping but unfortunately my scrap room is chockers full of junk that needs to be sorted, sold or donated.  I was feeling a bit inspired today so I actually went through Jack's cupboard and sorted out all his clothes and linen...three garbage bags later.  There is a market once a month not far from where we live so I'm going to aim to get everything sorted through in the next few weeks and have a stall there next month if all goes to plan.  I was going to have a garage sale but I think that there'd be more patronage there.
Well I'm going to drool over Department 56 Christmas pieces.  Jack's already thinking about Christmas.  Or maybe I'll check out Halloween decorations instead since Halloween's closer than Christmas.
Ciao

Oh so sweet!!

Have a look at this gorgeous little cabin.  It is just adorable.  Click here if you want to see more. 

At Target at the moment they have a cute little timber cubby house.  Seeing these pictures makes me want to go and buy it and make Jack a little home away from home.  Obviously it wouldn't be a shabby chic white little girly house but something suited to a little boy instead like a cowboy theme or a deserted island beach hut.  Hmmm, might have to think about that one.

Toy Story 3D

So today I took Jack to see Toy Story 3, what a great kids flick.  All of the Toy Story movies have been really good but the addition of 3D made this one extra special.  Yes, I did cry at the end.  I had taken tissues with me as I'd read some comments about it and wanted to be prepared.  Here's the trailer...

If you're looking for a 3D movie to take your littles to then this one is a good choice. 

The added bonus for me is that Jack's interest in the Toy Story characters and toys has been re-ignited.  He used to have a Toy Story themed bedroom and obviously had a Toy Story birthday party for his 3rd birthday.  He had been given a pair of inflatable Buzz wings which I had stowed away in his cupboard because he was so anti-Toy Story but I pulled them out this afternoon and he wore them for most of the afternoon.

We had walked to the cinema and had to grab a couple of things from the supermarket on our way home and look what we won from the claw game...

The newest addition to Jack's bedtime buddies, Rex!!  He has a little collection of things he sleeps with, a teddy, Theodore Chipmunk and a little dinosaur he won at the show.  This afternoon he came and asked me if he can have a nap.  Of course I said yes, he hasn't napped since he was two, and he went an tucked himself in with his little bed buddies...for about 2 minutes and then hopped back out of bed.
K, I'm off to watch Masterchef.  Ciao

Sleep Over!!

We had made arrangements for Jack's friend Oliver to have a sleep over on Saturday night.  It nearly didn't happen, Ollie was starting to get a little nervous about his first non-Grandma sleepover so he bought along his little sister Sofie as his wing man/girl but they both settled down okay for the night after I read them 9 stories!!  Jack on the other hand just could not get to sleep.  He tossed and turned in his bed until 11pm!!  It was crazy.      

The next morning was cold cold cold!!  It took ages for the reverse cycle to warm up so the kids snuggled under their blankies while they ate their pancakes for breakfast and watched some cartoons.

Then they had a good play.  I'm pretty sure they were up to something sneaky here but they were happy enough to smile for the camera.

It was very exciting for Jack to have some junior company at home so thanks Ollie and Sofie for coming.

Jack's First School Sports Carnival

Jack had his first sports carnival the other week.  Now he is not a very good loser so we had spoken to him in detail about how not everyone can win and it's all about having a go and enjoying yourself etc etc.  They had been timing the kids at school so they were pitted against worthy rivals.  Their race started with a false start so they re-lined up, bang went the starters pistol and they were off and racing.  I was so proud of my little boy sprinting down that field, little arms pumping and cheeks jiggling.  His little friend Mitchell won the race and Jack was unfortunately at the back of the pack.  I could see his little shoulders pull upwards in the start of a sob and I reached him just as a teacher and the headmistress were asking if he was okay.  I scooped him up and gave him a big hug and told him how proud I was and what a great job he'd done as I struggled to hold back my own tears.  All the Prep kids got a ribbon for competing which took some of the sting out of the loss for him and he recovered quickly enough.  I was worried that he wouldn't want to participate in anything else but he was back on the field in the relay race not long after.

The next activities for the Preppies were the ball games.  That was adorable to watch.  Even though they had been practicing the games at school the excitement of the day made for a bit of confusion as to who was to run and to where.  I was very thankful to my boss for letting me have the day off so I could go and Owen stayed for the first race as well which was great.

They took a break for lunch.  Jack had a chocolate milk and an ice cream...a real athletes lunch!!

After lunch they had high jump (which wasn't very high and was of mixed techniques, his friend Lauren has some great form), a ball toss, vortex throw and they finished up the day with the long jump, again using a variety of techniques.  It started spitting just as they were starting the long jump so the end of the day was timed well.  Apart from the not so good start to the morning Jack seemed to enjoy himself which was great and it's always nice to hang out chatting to my friends Tricia, Kim & Erica so it was a good day all round. 

The school holidays started this week and so far Jack has done alot of PS3 and Wii playing.  He has been asking about going to the "zoo park" for awhile now so after I finished work the other day we headed up there for a couple of hours.  We started with a walk around the animal enclosures before heading up to the playground area.

Here's Jack being very co-operative as a size model beside this huge leaf.

Daddy helping him out on the monkey bars.

Sitting on top of one of the big concrete pipe thingy's and looking pretty cute doing it too.

And getting a push from Dad on the swing.

Not much else to report and it's pretty late so I better head off to bed.

Ciao

The Rocky Show

So after Owen and I finished work yesterday we headed off with Jack to the annual Rockhampton Show!!  Woohoo!!  Oh what fun!!!  I just SOOOOOOOOO love the show.  It's such and exciting event in my year!!  When we were kids it was just such an extreme treat to go to the show and my brother and I both even used to get a new outfit just for the show.  The atmosphere to me is just electric.  So many sights and sounds, so many different personalities, different fashions, I nearly go into sensory overload. 

We didn't get there until about 4.30 so I did miss out on going through all the pavilions (Jack would be thanking his lucky stars for that).  As soon as we got there we went and registered Jack at the Police stand and got him and ID bracelet.  Last year we actually found a little lost kid so if there's something like this offered at your local show, I'd definately recommend it.  Before we headed off to the rides we went and checked out how we went with our cooking and craft entries and we both did quite well.

Jack received a commendation for his Lego entry which he's proudly pointing to here, it's the green vehicle at the back.  He tells me that just about all the protruding thingys are guns, lots of guns, such a boy thing those guns.

He won 2nd place for his layered jar display, Yaay Jack!!  His mask wasn't a prize winner unfortunately but you can see it in the photo on the bottom shelf, it's the one with the red pom pom on it's cheek.

I got a 3rd place (I think) for one of my scrapbooking entries and a 2nd place for my jewellery making, Jack unfortunately missed out on a place for his scrap page and fine art drawing.  On to the baking!!  Jack placed 2nd for his scones and I can't remember now whether he got some type of placing for his muffins as well.  I got 2nd for my birthday mini cupcake display and I can't remember what placings I got (all seconds and thirds) for my scones, pumpkin scones and chocolate cake so that was pretty exciting.

*Official Results*

Jack-  1st for chocolates

          2nd for bottle of dried food

          3rd for batch of plain scones

          Commended for Lego display

Me-   1st for Pumpkin scones (thanks Kim)

          2nd for Jewellery Making

          3rd for Chocolate Cake

          3rd for Plain scones

          3rd for Mini cake decorating

          Commended for scrapbooking (I thought I'd at least gotten third place but nope, just a commended)

By the time we got through that one pavilion Jack was champing at the bit to get stuck into the rides and games so we headed off for him to enjoy himself and enjoy himself he did.  He had a ball with all the ball games...

...boat rides (get away shark!!)...

...driving the train...with no hands...woohoooooo this ride is wild!!!...

...the merry-go-round...

...the jumping castle...

and the dogem cars with Dad which he just loved.  The last dogems ride they had was pretty rough and I thought at one stage that Jack looked as though he was about to jump out of the car to escape but after he the ride was over and we were walking away he told us that all the big bumps just made him tougher...grrrrrrr...and then he sauntered along with his hat on backwards, "the tough way".  Awwwwwwwwww, he's so adorable.

So that was the show for another year and it was great.  

Ciao

Bit off more than I could chew...

So our local show is on this week (which I'm very excited about) and Jack and I have entered a variety of things in the craft and cooking sections as we have the last couple of years.  Thinking back now I'm pretty sure that last year I told myself that I should choose just a few things to do and not do so much however I obviously forgot when I was filling in the forms.  I had done a read through and highlighted the sections I thought Jack and I should enter and then when I filled in the forms I just kept adding other things.  So I have had one hell of a busy baking weekend.

In the craft sections Jack has entered the fine art drawing, a layered jar of dried foods, decorated mask, scrapbooking and the lego and I entered scrapbooking and jewellery making.  The cooking was where I went overboard.  Jack has entries in the sweets, scones, small cakes, muffins and juvenile cake decorating.  I'm in the fudge, scones, pumpkin scones, slice, chocolate cake, tomato relish and the cake decorating.  I was meant to be in the chocolates, ring cake, damper and piklets but ran out of time.

This is my wedding cupcake entry

And this is my entry for the birthday cupcake section.  I think they're really cute but they won't win because I didn't have time to do any piping (well that and the fact that I'm an amateur who does some wonky work)

As well as all the baking, Jack had a soccer game on Saturday morning and has started Circus Skills classes on Sundays so we have had a full weekend.

 I bought this gorgeous oil print from work the other day.  I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her.  I tried her out in a few different spots before I found the best place for her.

I had to re-arrange a few other things to fit the print in so now this is my entryway and all the photos that were in my entry are now in my hallway.  It's nice to have a change around.

Patrick the butterfly and Ollie's Birthday...

We were spreading some blue metal in the back garden the other day and this little yellow butterfly needed to be rescued from the path of the wheelbarrow.  He was a friendly little fella and didn't want to fly away so Jack got the exciting experience of having a little pet butterfly sitting on his finger.  He named him Patrick (after Patrick starfish from Spongebob).  

After a bit of a modelling stint we put him in Jack's bug catcher so he could take him to Ollie's party.

And here we are at the party.  Oliver just LOVES Steve Irwin and LOVES snakes!!  It was a pool party at his Grandma's house and Jack was so inspired by all the other kids swimming abilities that he decided he could jump in and swim to the other side all by himself.  I sh*t myself.  I'm trying to get to him, swimming around and under all the kids, panicing that my baby wasn't going to make it.  He did.  I gave him a tiny push to get to the side.  I was told later that he didn't need my help and he could do it by himself.  Growing up is a teeny tiny bit heart-aching for mothers.

Red rimmed eyed Jack and his little mate Jared showing off their scary looking lizards.

It's been a while between posts.  We've had some goings on at out place, all good now though.  I'm having a bit of trouble getting into a routine with work and school and housework etc but I'm really really hoping to get back into crafting and sewing very soon.

Better get ready for work.  Ciao.