so excited!

hey!
ITS FRIDAY AND TOMORROW I GO TO CANADA!
am i excited? hell yesssssssss!
i can not wait to get on that bus tomorrow morning. apart from the fact that i will be sitting on that bus for eight hours is kind of deterring, but tomorrow night will soooo be worth it.
oh last night, i ahd a tickle in my throat, it was annoying the hell out of me and i couldn't sleep so i tossed and turned for about an hour and finally i got up went downstairs and downed a couple of nyquil cold and flu drousy nighttime tablets. is it wrong of me to do that when i'm not technically sick yet? oh and you should have seen me trying to get the suckers out of the packet.. i ended up ripping them out with a knife lol
well they worked anyway. after about half an hour - in which i finished mockingjay, by the way it was amazing! - i fell straight asleep and didnt open my eyes again until my alarm went off.
so today the kids and i stayed home, did crafts, watched movies, played monopoly and thats about it.
then at three i finished and went to the library to get out 'plague', 'life as we knew it' and 'salem falls' but all of them were checked out so i got 'vanishing acts' and ' nineteen minutes' both by jodi picolt, for my gigantic bus trip.
then to the mall to look for a NYE dress, but i was only going to buy something if i really loved it, because i already have four back up outfits that i own.. and i didnt find anything anyway.
left the mall, got some nuts and lifewater from the store, came home and started work again.
the kids and i watched a movie, had pizza for dinne and then i put them in bed.
now i have just finsihed skyping with dad, and chloe, seperately.
going to bed now. goodnight! xo

ice hockey!

hey!
well the kids are off school until tuesday for winter break, so i had them all day again.
washed towels and sheets, played with their new toys and games and then we went to walmart after lunch so they could use the gift cards that they got.
then to game stop and best buy to find some little figure thing that harrison wants, but everywhere has sold out - seems they are quite popular.
went to the park - oh but before i got there some complete wanker pulled out straight in front of me, and a hundred other cars on a busy road, and almost killed us, lucky we have good breaks.
and anyway - froze my arse off at the park, it was only -1 celcius today.
came home and told the kids to have an hours rest - which they could read if the wanted but they all fell asleep.. score! so i had an hour and a half nap as well.
then i got ready to go to my first ice hockey game! it was only a collage game, but hey, the guys were hot.
so we drove to stoors, which is where the university of connecticut is, about an hours drive, and we park, walk for about five minutes to the stadium, we are trying to find our section of seats, and i hadnt even looked at the arena part, and then we realise we are at womans basketball, hahahahahaha!
so we walked another ten minutes to the ice hockey arena, and we had really good seats!
the game was really good too. our team won, and in between 'periods' like quarters, and when the puck goes to the otehr team, they play really loud cool music - just like the movies!
got a uconn huskies shirt for $1! then we walked alllll the way back to the car, stopped at maccas on the way home, and i kept reading the third book in my series called 'mockingjay' on the way home.. almost done.
goodnight! xo

oh boy..

hey.
no exclamation mark tonight. because i am just that tired.
super doopa tired. i have been up since 8 and had the kids. alllll day long.
and i have been putting away christmas presents, cleaning rooms, sweeping, vaccuming, mopping, scrubbing bathrooms. you name it - i cleaned it.
oh and the washing, five loads.
now the house is back in order and just the way i like it.
although i do still have quite a bit to do tomorrow - washing towels and sheets and cleaning under the kids beds. ugh.
i am so not used to it yet. having to do so much instead of just hang out and read.
but now i am finished, hoping G hurrys along in the bath so i can have a shower, make a cuppa and probabley go to sleep early. oh and i can eat a few choccies from my advent calender that i didnt take with me to seattle, sooo i get to play catch ups. yay.
goodnight. xo

and i'm home..

hello!
well i am back in connecticut.
so last night lucy dropped me at the airport and then i stood in the wrong checkin line for about ten minutes before realising that i could just go to the bag drop because i already checked in online.
but then the one guy who was manning about eight check in screens took forever to come and take my bag.
i finally get through security, go to my boarding gate and get on the plane.
that is when, about six rows in front of me, i see the new born baby in her carry thing. greeaaattttt. just great.
then a mother with a, maybe three year old boy, sits in the row infront of me, so now i am thinking, just kill me now.
on the plus side though i had an aisle seat and there was no one in between me and the window person,
sa-weet. and to make it even better turns out the baby didnt cry at all and the kid only cried for the first ten minutes or so.
then i landed in chicago, which i count as me visiting a state, illinois - check!
get on my connecting flight, and i got an aisle seat with no one in between me and the window person again! woo!
so i finally got to hartford, went to the carosel to get my lugagge - my heart was racing the whole time until i saw it come out. but there it was. thank god.
skip picked me up and brought me home, got to see the kids and give them their christmas presents
 before i went to sleep for a good five hours or so.
got up and thought it would be best for me to un pack all my stuff that was currently covering my floor.
now i am waiting to go to starbucks to see all the girls.
oh and i am half way through the second book - catching fire. god its good.
on the first flight i was the only one with my over head light on reading because even though it was the middle of the night i couldnt put it down.
bye xo

i don't want to leave seattle :(

hey!
well right now is the last three and a half hours i will be in seattle. i still have tomorrow off, but it is my last day actually 'somewhere' on holidays. boooo.
i want to be on holidays forever.
goodbye sleep-ins, giagantic queen bed, and no responsibilities.
hello early mornings, washing, and cleaning.
today i made the most of my sleeping in. i didnt wake up until 11, and then i stayed in bed reading 'the hunger games' until about 1 when i decided it would probably be best if i made an appearence.
had a bagel for lunch, kept reading my book.
and thats pretty much all i did for the rest of the day..
i have finished the book now and i HIGHLY recommend that you all read at least the first book, but then you will have to read the next two because they are just so addictive. its a book that is hard to put down. and it is written at a fairly good pace too, so there are no 'blah blah blah' parts.
now i have packed my things, showered, and am ready to start reading the second book on my flight.
which leaves at 11:30pm - the red eye. ew.
i will get home at 9:15am, after a switch of planes in chicago.
goodnight! xo

merry christmas!

helloooo australia! happy boxing day!
today is christmas here! so i was up at sparrow fart, because "santa came! santa came!" lol were the words being yelled whilst running downstairs and into my room.
so we went out and everyone opened their presents. ben (the baby) played with the boxes and wrapping paper that presents came in, he didnt even bother with any of the toys he got.
jack and sarah loved their presents from me, thankfully.
i got a present from everyone too. i got the hunger games books series, a bag of chocolate covered sultanas - which were from the cat - a starbucks girft card and a whole heaps of little things in my stocking.
great presents1 now i can drink coffee from starbucks while eating sultanas and reading my new book. could you ask for anything more?
then after that was all over with, it didnt really seem like christmas. i had to fight the urge to go back to sleep, so i made two pavlovas - one from scratch and one from a 'magic pavlova egg' which i think tasted like shit.
but anyway. oh and the reason i didnt make two from scratch is because i need five eggs for each and we had ten eggs but lucy needed four for the pumpkin pie, so i decided to try an egg mix. not recommended. mine was a thousand time better.
then we got the tables ready, cleaned up, showered, made ourselves look nice and then everyone started arriving.
it was a pot luck christmas so everyone was allocated something to bring, and there was SO much food.
i ate about five times to much and i couldnt fit one more thing down my throat if i tried. i am so full right now.
oh and we did a white elephant gift exchange for the adults.
so everyone brings a gift and we are all given a number to see the order of who goes when.
the first person picks a wrapped present from under the tree and opens it and everyone sees what it is. teh second person can then 'take' the first persons present or chose another one from under the tree. and this goes on until all the gifts are done. you can chose to 'take' anyone elses gift but the gift can only be stolen three times before it cant be taken anymore.
it was really fun, but i ended up with a file-a-fax.. yay, just what i always wanted haha
now i am in bed, reading my book, and about to sleep. i am exhusted.
goodnight xo

christmas eve.

hey!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AUSTRALIA!
it is still only christmas eve here. santa will be arriving within the next few hours - we have been keeping an eye on him on the google earth santa tracker! the kids are super excited. its so nice being with kids that so truely and whole heartedly believe in him. all through dinner they are like 'oooo i wonder where santa is now..' haha
so this morning we stayed at home, i played with the kids while lucy and dave attended to "santa duties" until we went into town to do some last minute christmas shopping.
came home and finished watching 'the surious case of benjamin button' had dinner, tracked santa, left out food for him and the reindeers and then the kiddies went to bed.
oh i skyped with grandma, pa, dad and chloe, before they had christmas lunch.
and skyped with mum and tanya while they were eating prawns and drinking champagne on the beach this morning.
waiting for aunty elana and trevor to come online so i can talk to them too.
i hope you all have a fantastic day, with good food, drinks, family and presents! - and to those who are under the age of, say, 20, i hope you arn't too hungover from last nights activities.
goodnight! xo

seattle city!

hello everyone!
today i went into the city! all by myself.. so yes, i was a loner, but it was fun anyway.
i had to get up at 8am (shudder) to get ready and then dave dropped me off at the underground tour - there was a huge fire in old seattle and instead of demolishing and building again they just built straight over the top of it, parts that weren't burnt you can do a tour through, so i did.
it was really interesting actually, and the tour guide lady was hilarious.
so after that (she gave me a super helpful map so i wouldn't get lost) i walked up to the 'pike place markets' which are indoor/outdoor markets, with food, seafood and gifty thing parts.
at one of the seafood stalls the guys would sing this song while they threw back fish/whatever other seafood the customer wanted to buy and then they would package it and throw it back. and i was right near one fish they were just throwing for fun and i got some fish juice splattered on my face. gross.
so then i went and brought some dried fruit - the guy was really nice and let me try everything before i chose, and i couldnt, so i got four bags for $10 - apple, banana, rockmelon and strawberries. they are soooo yum.
oh and i got a seattle magnet and shot glass to add to my collection.
then i had lunch at 'the crumpet shop' and walked up to the space needle.
went to the top, took heaps of photos, along with selfies because i had no friends to take them for me :(
caught the bus home - a nice little chinese lady helped me find thr right ones because i had to switch buses.
had surf and turf for dinner, and ate my frist ever crab! scrumptious.
talked to mother bear and now i might just watch a movie.
goodnight xo

whoopsie daisie..

hey!
there is no reason this blog is late. i just completely forgot. and by the time i realised, it was midnight, it was dark, my laptop was off, and i was too lazy.
so anyway, yesterday -
oh wait..
first of all. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY SISTER! i hope you had the best birthday ever. can not wait to party with you in a year. you are the most gorgeous sister ever. love you xo
now, yesterday, we went to microsoft -  where dave, lucy's husband works.
and it was awesome.the place is gigantic! and 40'000 people work there! 40'000! that is almost as many people who populate bundaberg, but working at one place! does that give you an idea of how big it is now?
so we had lunch, at the microsoft mall, of course, and then went to the "show off" room, where you could go on the net and play the xbox and kinnect, and play games on the touch tables! it looks like a regulaer glass table but its touch screen!
and that was about it for yesterday. oh i had my first ever crispy skinned salmon for dinner, which was delicious.
and i spoke to chloe on the phone, and stevie as well, who was at work at the time and chloe happened to be walking past her.
so i will let you know what happens today, later on.
goodnight xo

dq.

hello!
another day of holidays. can't believe i only have six days left :( wahhh.
today i went with lucy to a playdate, there were four adults and ten kids.. holey moley.
then we spontaniously decided to go on a little itty bitty road trip..
so we stopped at dq first (dairy queen) which was my first time ever! pretty much just maccas but i think its better - alot fresher and the chips are nicer.
then we went to this big waterfall (no, not niagara falls for thoses smart a**** out there reading this).. which was awesome and i got another shot glass to add to my collection.
came home and watched 'abduction' i definately recommend it..
ate dinner, had the best hot chocolate of my life!
have any of you had dove rasberry and milk chocolate chocolate before? well its delicious and the hot chocolate i had tasted like a liqued version of it.
anyway, going to watch 'the blind side' now just because it is such a great movie.
also, lucy and i watched 'the romantics' last night, and even though it had alot of well known people in it, it was very slow, not much excitement and the crappiest ending i have ever seen in my life. don't bother watching it.
goodnight xo

sleeping..

hey!
so last night i stayed up watching a movie called 'three years later' or 'three days later' something like that, with russell crowe in it, and it was really good. i recommend it.
so because i didn't go to sleep until 1:30am, i didnt wake up until noon again - ahhh the holiday life.
and then i just bummed around, this afternoon i watched 'straw dogs' which is a thriller and it was also good. a bit intense at some stages but it had good actors.
had dinner, read the kids a book, and now i dont know what i'm going to do.
anyone with an ipod touch.. do you ever click on facebook and it opens and then shuts straight away again? so you cant go on? well that keeps happening to me, so now i am re-installing it. fingers crossed it works.
night xo

love.

hey!
i finished my book at about 1am this morning. and it was fantastic!
its 'the pact' - jodi picoult. go to the library and get it. and love it.
so because of my late night/early morning reading, i didn't wake up until noon today!
then i had breakfast, got dressed and went with lucy and ben to run some errands while the other kids had a playdate.
we stopped at this really cool vegan, gluten and dairy free, organic cafe.. and had a really good orange and poppyseed muffin and hot chocolate (because they were all out of chai, wahhh)
came home and started ready another book, that right now i forget the name to and i dont want to go to the kitchen to get it - yes i am feeling THAT lazy.
we had ratatouille for dinner (yes like that movie!) and mash potato.
now i am going to watch dave's soccer and come home and watch a movie that lucy said was good.
night xo

another lazy sunday.

hey!
what is better then a sunday doing nothing? a sunday doing nothing and knowing that tomorrow you don't have to do anything either because you are on holidays. wooooooo!
today i actually did nothing. i didnt even get out of my pj's until 2:30pm.
i helped jack and his buddy make chocolate chip cookies.
played with ben and sarah.
anddd thats about it.
and tonight lucy made a lamb roast for dinner, and it was ah-mazzzing!
i hadn't eaten lamb for almost nine months! :O
god i love lamb. i plan to eat alot when i get home.
oh and i am almost finished 'the pact' that i started reading yesterday afternoon - you all need to read it.. its pretty intense.
now lucy and i are on this website - amazonfresh.com - ordering her grocerys that will be here at 6am tomorrow morning. how convenient is that.
goodnight! xo

tired..

hey!
i am exhusted.. early night tonight i think.
i got up and we hung out for a while until we took the kids to soccer, for an hour.
jack scored two goals and sarah scored one!
then we came home and waited until ben woke up from his nap and then we went into the city for lunch.
we went to the big blue c for sushi - the kids, they are seven and four - eat raw salmon no problem, its crazy.
then we saw the troll (its a huge cement troll that they built under a bridge) how cool is that?
went to the space needle so i could get a photo with it. do you know what i am talking about? probs not. it seems only people who watch greys anatomy actually know what the space needle is. google it.
then after getting stuck in rush hour traffic we went to a house around the corner from lucy's, and you tune into a specific radio station and his house christmas lights flash in time with the music.. and light up at different times. it was the most awesome thing i have ever seen. he must have spent all year getting it ready.
came home and played with the kids and i have started a new book, from lucys book shelf, 'the pact' by jodi picoult. it is soooo good so far. very addictive.
i talked to chloe and dad on the phone who are in south australia right now, and to mum on skype who is driving home from brisbane.
going to ahve a shower, make a cuppa and go to bed.
goodnight xo
p.s loving holidays.

allergic..

hey!
so i have always known that i am a tad allergic to cats, but i just love them so much that i will deal with the consequences of playing with them...
this mornings consequence - red raw eyes, full of sleep and watery. not good, not good at all.
it took them a good hour and a few eye drops with lots of warm water to make them back to normal again.
so now, i have to look longingly at the cat, from a distance.
then we took sarah to school, all of us wearing our pj's because, it was pajama day at school!
stayed there for a little bit and she showed me around and we read stories.
then we came home and while ben slept lucy and i watched a movie - the waiting city - i think it was called.. i ended up falling asleep.. it was very slow to the point.
then after sarah came home (and lucy and i changed into actual clothes) we had lunch and then went to jacks school so he could hand out his christmas presents to his teachers.
then we went for a drive to a park that overlooks the water and  downtown seattle.. and i saw the space needle - greys anatomy fans, it is so as awesome as it looks on the show.
although apparently seattle grace isn't a real hospital, which is unfortunate, because i totally would have pretended my appendix burst or something just to get in there.
then we came home and i fell asleep - yet again.
and we just hung out all afternoon - lucy made vegan chocolate chocolate chip cookies, which are delicious!
now i am going to have a cuppa and go to bed. it is forcast to be sunny tomorrow so we might get to go and see really good views of the snow topped mountains!
night xo

the weather..

hey!
so now you have caught up on the last couple of days. all is well here.
i am in seattle. and on holidays. without a care in the world. loving it.
and my bag came today! at lunchtime! it was oh so luxurious to have clean undies and deoderant.
this morning when i got up we hung out around the house, just me lucy and ben, while ben and sarah were at school. then when sarah got home (she goes to preschool) we had lunch and then went into town for a doctors appointment before going to this cute little coffee place that had the best hot chocolate ever!
looked at some mansions on the way home and then we did nothing for the rest of the afternoon. so nice.
and the kids are soooo cute. ben is the happiest baby ever.
and lucys makes really nice food. so we have awesome dinners.
i switched mattresses because the one i had lasst night was a futon mattress and super hard so now i have a nice squishy one. and its queen size so it like living like a queen. i have so missed having a big bed.
then tonight lucy and i went to 'whole foods' and it is the coolest supermarket ever. its like being at the markets and everything is really nice looking and the staff are friendly - they need degrees to even work there. its all very high class.
now i am in bed with my new best bud - mixy, the cat. she wont leave me alone.. climbing on me, rubbing against me..
well goodnight xo
p.s tonight i finished my book. it was intense. cant wait for the next one in the series.
p.p.s seattles weather is just like the movies.. rainy. all the time. and misty looking.

wednesday! helloooo holidays!

hey again!
today i started my two week holiday! woo hoo!
i got up at seven and got ready and then got the kids up and off to school.
so once they had left karen drove me to the airport.
so i get there and have to check in, even though i had checked in online at the neighbours house the night before which was strange.
then the x-rayed by check in bag, all is good.
i go through security, where everyone has to take their shoes off, so everyone is walking around is socks. then he took my bug spray off me because it was over 100ml :( and yes, i do carry bug spray in my handbag.
so i board my first flight to new jersey but we were sitting on the tarmac for about an hour because the plane was over weight - handy.
so they ended up bringing everyones carry on luggage (they put it under the plane on small flights) back onto the plane and you had to say which one was yours so the guy could put it in the over head compartment.
then we finally left and when we got to jersey i got straight onto my next flight to seattle.
it was pretty good. we were on there for six hours but i had an aisle seat so it was all good.
and i am almost finished the book i am reading at the moment which has taken me forever to read.
so THEN, we land, and because the airport is so big you have to get a shuttle train to the main terminal where the bagge claim is. so i get on and off again. go to the carosel i thought i was supposed to be at, turns out i was wrong, then i found lucy and the kids! i didnt actually know if she remembered so i was worried she wouldnt be there.. but she was.
then we go to the right carosel and i couldnt see my bag. now there were only a handful of bags left because im an idiot and got there after everyone else, but it kept going around and around and my bag was not there.. THEY LOST IT!!!
so i go to the bagge desk and she told me it was on another flight to seattle and wouldnt be here until midnight and that they would deliver it tomorrow! can you believe it ?!
of alllll the people it could of happened to it was me! plus another two guys.
so we left, without everything i packed, because in my carry on i only had a few coats and pj's and some shoes.. real handy.
so we came home, jack and sarah were very excited to see me, and it was the first time i had met ben - he is only one.
we had dinner and hung out, talked to mum, oh and used the xbox kinect which is the coolest thing ever invented.
you just talk to it and tell it what to do. no controllers or remotes.
i really want one when i get home - dad, hint hint ;)
then i went to bed and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
because of the time difference i was exhusted.
and for todays happenings you will just have to wait. bye xo

tuesday.

hello!
so my excuse for this being late is because our internet was being super stupid on tuesday night and i couldn't use it.. hence, no blog.
anyway, on tuesday, my last working day before holidays, hurray! this is what i did -
the kids went to school and i half heartedly started to pack for seattle.
then at 11am i went to get my hair done, just the re growth but then he talked me into getting it cut, so i did. nothing drastic, pretty much just the ends.
so i came home and tried again to get the packing situation under control, failed.
then i decided to take my nail polish off (i had painted them electric blue) and i forgot to put a base coat down, so when i took the colour off it stained my freaking nails! blue!
i tried soaking them, scrubbing them, using nail polish remover over and over and nothing worked so i went to the store and brought a lemon to stick my fingertips into. that also failed.
so i ended up doing one part bleach with ten parts water and scrubbing them with my old toothbrush - lucky i replaced it when i did hey?
and it worked! so i didnt look like i had a disease anymore.
i posted some things for karen, dropped a book off at the library and then the kids came home.
after dinner i was finished and by this time i really did have to pack properly.
when i come home to australia, i dont know how i am going to bring everything back - i packed half my going home weight with me to seattle for two weeks!
50 whole pounds.. which is 23 kilos.
then i went to bed pretty early so i was nice and fresh for holidays!
next blog.. xo

so much to do..

hey!
today has been an especially busy monday..
i was up and getting the kids off to school. dropped karen to work because we only have one car at the moment and i needed it today. came home and i cleaned the house.
then i got dressed and went to walgreens to buy a toothbrush - because i ahve been using the same one since i got here, vomit.
helped an old lady find a pen that she dropped - she dropped it, it bounced off the floor and into one of the rows of condoms.. that was entertaining.
then i finsihed getting the cousins chrissy presents.
went around to joannes to help her clean the house before family got there.
came home again, kids came home and we did homework - i painted my nails while spell testing them, because i am such a good multi tasker.
and then cooked dinner, they were hilarious.
i finished and then harrison helped me wrap ten thousand presents (his i ordered online last night, so i will wrap it when i get home) and put them under the christmas tree.. which i might go and take a photo of so you can all see how pretty it is.
although its real, so it drops its little pine needles everywhere and it has to be watered, but it does look alot better than fake ones.
now i am going to have a shower and sleep.
goodnight xo
p.s ONE DAY UNTIL VACATION!

oh my god!

hey!
holey freakin moley!
none of you told me that the winners and losers season finale would be so epic!
i watched it last night and i was bawling my eyes out and yelling at the laptop screen, and clapping, and my mouth was left gaping open. it was intense man.
craziest season finale i have seen in a while.
also last night while on skype with mum and chloe i went through new years eve outfits so if i dont find anything super hot to buy between now and then, i have three back up options that i already own. yay!
so this morning i got up and ready to go to the mall with lauren and chris.. they were late - shocker there lol
so we got there at 12, and at pacsun i brought a grey jumper with a super awesome back, a necklace and two nail polishes for.. wait for it... $20! yes just $20!
and i brought jack and sarah a present (cousin lucy's kids) still need to get ben's, and i also brought a really cute hook to nail to my wall when i get home.
then we went to my au pair christmas party at our LCC's house, ate, talked, exchanged presents and then left by 6:30pm because i was exhusted.
now i am home, and ready to put on my early christmas present from karen - awesome super cute pj's.
goodnight! xo
p.s do you like the new background? i love it.
p.p.s TWO DAYS UNTIL VACATION!

fantastic day

hey!
i woke up at eleven, and it was heaven.
and hey, i'm a poet and i didn't even know it ;).. lame i know lol
anyways, once i was awake i watched winners and losers..
i am now about to start the season finale.. yes, i am just THAT fast.
tonight i got ready while skyping with chloe to go and meet the girls for sushi and a movie.
we saw 'new years eve' and it was brilliant!
definately go and see it!
it is absloutely hilarious.
and just so you know, about 85% of the places in the movie, i have been to! jealous? i would be too haha ;)
and now i am home - it is freezing outside, quite literally, it is -5 celcius right now - and i am about to put my jammies on and finish my series.
goodnight xo

addict.

hello!
yes i am an addict...
to television series.
it is absolutely ridiculous. once i start a series i just can not stop until i have finished it.
and i mean, one epsiode after the other after the other.
i am already up to episode 15 since last night when i had just started watching 8.. i think it was.
anyways, apart from watching winners and losers today, i did all the washing - clothes and towels - and then cleaned my room, washed my hair, the kids got home at twelve, and the twins left at 2 when their dad picked them up.
so it was just me and the boys.
and because we didn't have a car, we played monopoly (kill me. god i hate monopoly lol) and watched tv.
i made them the friday night special for dinner - pizza - with garlic bread, because i am a top au pair ;)
although i used the tray that i always tell myself NOT to use because it burns whatever is on it. EVERY TIME! and it is always too late before i realise. too late as in, i take it out of the oven and the garlic breads bottom was black.. mmm tasty. matt, being the machine that he is, ate it anyway.
now i am babysitting until about 10 when i can finally lock myself in my room and pass out. i am so tired. looking forward to not setting an alarm for tomorrow.
goodnight! xo

winners and losers..

hey!
turns out i only watched the first three episodes and winners and losers and i am absolutely loving it..
up to number five now.
and because all the shows that i watch at night normally are all off until january, well i have nothing better to do then catch up on australian shows.
i did pretty much nothing until the kids, three of them, got home at twelve (half day), and then we did homework and lunch before G and matt played wars outside and rach started, what was to in the end take four hours, to write 20 interesting facts about the prairie dog for a school project.
i made steak and mash for dinner, got G ready for scouts and harrison went to tae kwon do.
now i am finished and about to continue watching my show before i go to pick up joanne from the bus station.
and before i go i would like to say how proud i am of my baby sister chloe. today she graduates from ag college after a whole year of being away from home and studying.
i love you too much and wish i could be there to see you in that hot dress you brought ;)
goodnight xo

aussie tv..

hey!
so i have decided, since i left australia two episodes after winners and losers started, that i am going to start from the beginning and watch it all, apparently it is super good.. which i knew it would be!
today i hung around until the kids got home at 12. well three out of four kids.
they have parent teacher interviews today and tomorrow so they only have half days.
so we did homework and lunch when they got home, then all they wanted to do was watch tv.
which was fine because it was non stop raining, allll dayyy longggg.
oh i forgot to tell you that when G was at school yesterday he got accidentally whipped in the eye with the end of a skipping rope and now he looks like he got puched.. poor thing, it is just getting blacker and blacker..
so anyway, to school today, he wore an eyepatch. hahaha like a pirate - minus the outfit. so cute.
then when i finished i skyped with stephyg, and now i am watching the americas next top model finale. yay!
goodnight xo
p.s in america you can drop your dog off at doggy day care, like you would a kid, but its a dog. strangeee.

happy birthday mumma bear!

hey!
i am going to start by saying happy birthday to the best mother in the world. mum, i hope your day is as amazing and beautiful as you are. i love you.
and guess what? it has been 250 days so far.. woah.
since i have seen any of you in person - two hundred and fifty days!
over eight months. it has gone so quickly!
so anyway - today, being tuesday, and having done everything yesterday, i kind of just did nothing.
at 11:30 joanne was supposed to be here so i could take her to the bus station by 12:15 (when the bus left)so she could go to NYC for a few days, and stay in THE UPPER EAST SIDE! so very jealous, but she didnt get here until 12:07, leaving us eight minutes to get her there, absolutely impossible, but we tried, and failed, anyway. so home we came until i took her to the 2:15 bus.
then by the time i came home and did a couple of things the kids were home.
we got homework done and then we went to gymnastics with rachel while harrison was at tae kwon do.
finished there, came home, made dinner and then i was finished.
now waiting for 90210!
goodnight xo
p.s have i told you how americans are obsessed with peanut butter. as in reeces peanut butter cups and peanut butter ice cream, and flavoured cookies and just everything lol




peanut butter

i dread mondays..

hey!
ugh, monday again.
i just hate mondays.. too much cleaning, washing, organising to do.
but its over now. yay!
all i did was clean and do the usual today.
then while i was showering i razored my nail! my freakin' nail!
i was shaving my legs and my middle finger on my left hand got in the way and the razor caught on the middle of the actual nail! are you about to pass out because it sounds so painful? thats exactly how i felt..
i had to make myself think of something else so i didnt faint.
after that little drama the kids were home and what do you know, we did homework - for two hours. i think homework is even worse for me now then it was when it was me actually doing the homework.
now i am finished and watching gossip girl!
goodnight xo

the mall.

hello again today!
well i slept for a solid eleven hours last night.
it was sensational.
and my sheets were still nice and crisp and pretty smelling.
when i woke up i ate, caught up on my blog from yesterday and uploaded photos - check them out on facebook in the 'america, three' album :)
i just have to tell you all that right now while writing this i am watching a new show on TLC called 'the virgin diaries' and it is THE most awkward thing i have ever experienced in my life. there is this couple that didnt kiss until their wedding day and they were pretty much eating each others faces off. and then they just kept kissing through the reception, and oh god. i am wondering how awkward everyone at the wedding was feeling. haha
so anyway, this afternoon at 3 after hanging around all day watching tv, i got ready and went to the mall with linnea and julia so they could get their winter coats and boots.
and then we met up with louise, alex and izabel for dinner at the chinese resteraunt. which is where i ate the best mongolian beef ever. and i always get mongolian beef, so thats saying alot.
and the mall is just gorgeous right now. with all the decorations and lights and trees.
and we saw a decked out house on the way home, so we stopped to take pictures.
now i am hoem watching this incredibley cringe worthy show and relaxing.
goodnight xo

its beginning to look alot like christmas..

hello everyone!
my blog is late, because i was busy living it up in new york city.
i woke up at 6am, put on a singlet, long sleeve shirt, cardigan and a jacket, plus jeans, winter socks, boots, scarf and gloves and i was ready to go. yeah, it was going to be cold. and because the buildings are so tall in NYC no sunlight gets through which makes it even worse.
so we got on the bus at eight and got there at eleven.
so we get off the bus and start walking to times square.. after about five blocks we realise that the street numbers are actually going down and not up - we were walking the in the wrong direction.
so we turned around and stopped at starbucks to get a coffee.
when we finally got to times square - yes it was still the most amazing place i have ever been - we met lauren, linnea and chris and got on the subway to the world trade centre, 9/11 memorial.
because you need tickets to get into the memorial and once you have them you can only go at a certain time - which we didnt have - we decided to wait until another time to go there.
so we went to century 21 (not the real estate agency) which sells designer clothing really cheap, and looked for a jacket for linnea.
then we walked to little italy and had the best tortillini for lunch. except the service was pretty crappy. it took forever to be seated, then for them to take our order, and then to get the check.. so i didnt tip generously.
we left there and went to chinatown where i brought this super cute little pearl ring, and a headband beanie thing. oh and there are guys walking around saying 'you like rollex? i got rollex!' then opens his coat and he has all these watches hanging inside, just like the movies!
and when i was walking to meet the otehrs because we had split up, i went into this perfume shop.
so there are two walls filled with perfume and the guy asks which perfume i like, so i said vera wang princess, and he said it was $50, i said $20, he said $40, i said $30, he said $35, i said deal!
i paid and he told me to wait, and wait and wait.. now at this point i am thinking he isn't even going to give it to me, but then he finally did and while i was waiting i asked why it was so cheap if it wasn't fake, and he said it was because they got good deals with the companies.
now i realise you all think i'm an idiot for believeing him, but, everything was packaged perfectly, with the plastic wrap around it, and looking real. but when i got home last night and unwrapped it, i am fairly sure it is fake. i dont know. it smells the same but the bottle is a tad different.
anyway, then we walked to SoHo, which is super cute and has tonnes of little boutiques and clothing stores.
i looked for a new years eve dress, but i couldn't decide on one, so i will wait.
oh and emma met up with us then, and we lost her in a store, and she wasnt answering her phone so we just had to stand and wait for one of us to spot her.
then we got back on the subway and went to the rockefella centre to see the giant christmas tree! and it is just gorgeous! and so big!
it was so busy, and everyone is pushing each other, and you could hear people complaining and other people stopping to take photos, seriously? thats what we are here for you spaz.
hm then we took photos with the huge tree baubles, and the huge nutcracker.
then mum called, just before we got dinner from these guys who were egyptian! how cool is that!?
we watched these street dancers for a bit and then everyone else had to catch their bus home so robyn and i walked down to central park and got photos with the horse and carriages, and saw the hotel from home alone two!
and then... sex and the city fans - be jealous..
we went to magnolia bakery! and the cupcakes were delicious!
it was so exciting.
oh and you know ralph lauren? well her daughter owns a place called 'dylans candy bar' so we went there, and it is three stories of candy! and the stairs are even made out of candy! it was awesome!
caught the subway back to the bus station at 8:30 and came home.
you know how a week or so ago i was saying i liked being tall? well. on a bus - not good! the part of my leg from the top to my knee is about two inches too long for the space for your legs. so uncomfortable.
so i was home at about midnight and pretty much collapsed into my bed. god i was tired.
over all, ten out of ten day.
NYC is a must just once in your life! if you ahve a bucket list - go and get it now.
from your undie draw, your fridge or wherever you keep it, and write on it 'see the greatest city in the world - new york city'. you won't regret it.
i will write todays blog tonight.
bye! xo

its friday friday..

hey!
i love fridays. let the weekend begin baby!
absolutely completely excited for NYC tomorrow.
i know this will be around the 5th time i have gone, butttt tomorrow will be different..
lots of amazing things planned, although, you my friend, will have to wait for tomorrows blog to find out what ;)
today - productive.
i got a whole heap of washing done.
mine and the kids clothes, and towels. as well as my bed sheets - can not wait to sleep in them. there really is nothing better then fresh sheets.
i got the house clean and ready for the weekend.
a guy came around to fix the freezer out in the garage that incessantly beeps.
harrison had his second half day, so we hung out when he got home at twelve.
i cleaned my bedroom floor, windowsills, bedside table junk etc.
and packed my handbag for tomorrows adventures.
the other kids got home, and they can watch tv in the afternoon on fridays, so guess what we did from four until six? watched tv. as well as getting all the kids showered and dinner on.
then the kids ate, karen got home, i am finished and ready to shower and do my nails - which by the way are still super long, super nice, just super awesome.
goodnight! xo

trip is booked!

pinch and punch for the first day of the month!
(we say it for the first day of the month not the last right?)
happy december!
24 days until christmas! and yes, i have started listening to chrsitmas carols.
before we get to today - last night dad called. andddd i found a new way to download songs!
so this morning i was downstairs while the kids were eating and i put on an egg to boil just before i took them upstairs to get ready. so anyway, while i was up there i didn't really remember about the so when we went back down i didn't know how long the water had been boiling and had to guess how long it had been.
then once the kids left on the bus and i made toast, i started slicing the egg open anndddddd.... you will have to wait until the end of the blog to find out how it was cooked ;)
oh and i have booked and paid my deposit for the two week contiki tour at the start of april next year!
i am super excited about it.
and i just love the lady who is my travel consultant - her name is brandy and she has the best american accent.
harrison had a half day today because of parent teacher interviews so he was home at 12, and we just hung out until the other kids got home. then after homework (where garrett got all 100 of his addition facts completed in 4 minutes and 48 seconds! so proud.) G went to a scout meeting, harrison went to tae kwon do and matty and rach stayed at home with me.
i made them mac and cheese and hotdogs with chocolate milk for dinner which is their absolute favourite and when i told them we are having it they were like bowing down to me lol
so now i am waiting to be picked up to go to marlices' 20th birthday dinner at 'olive garden' which is supposed to be really good.
its almost the weekend! woo!
goodnight xo
p.s the egg was perfect! like even more perfect than when i actually time it!

decision has been made.

hey!
i am going to montreal for new years everyone! i am very excited!
for $230 we will get there and back on a bus, have one night in a motel and get free drinks all night at a club.
if i had of gone to new york it would have been an awesome experience but there will be at least a million people there, and to get a good spot we have to be there by about 6 at the latest to get a good spot, but once we are put in our "pen" we cant leave and go back to the same one. so for six hours we have to stand in the freezing cold and wait and wait and wait...
so montreal seemed the better option. and it is where i wanted to go from the beginning anyway.
and it is all booked!
i also brought my bus ticket for NYC this weekend.
and i finished my silverbay homework from the first time i went there. and that is emailed in and my certificate is on its way within the nest two weeks.
i feel so accomplished today.
i got all the washing done, dishwasher unpacked, and house cleaned up by 11 which was good.
oh when the kids got home, garrett didnt have his back pack - he left it at school - and he was crying, but not over the backpack.. because he took his big lego space shuttle to school for show and tell and before he left this morning i told him it wasnt a good idea because it would break and sure enough it broke.. so guess what i spent dinnertime doing?
half an hour later - while cooking dinner, because i am a master at multi tasking, the shuttle was complete!
then after i finished work i took harrison and G with me to get milk.
got home and i am watching resteraunt impossible.
goodnight xo

i miss school..

hey!
boy oh boy, do i miss school.
not the work, or the assessments, or the hours upon hours of studying (okay, well maybe i didnt study that hard but you get the point)..
i miss going to school for the social side.
i miss seeing all my friends every single day.
i miss mucking around and making plans for the weekend while in class.
to everyone who just graduated - you wont be happy about it for long.
so today was boring.
nothing. that is what i did.
i watched tv. i went for a walk.
that is all.
so thats probably why i miss school. because i am so bored and lonely during the weekdays.
it was just me and my boys this afternoon - harrison and rach were at their sports.
now i am waiting for lauren to pick me up for starbucks and watching what not to wear.
goodnight xo

funny kids..

hey australia!
so its almost december.. can you believe it?!
today after the kids left i started washing the sheets (after they had made their beds, handy danielle) and then started cleaning the floors, bathrooms, washing clothes etc..
took a whole heap of stuff to goodwill and went to take winter clothes to the consignment but they weren't accepting any more clothes, so i came home and watched cake boss until the kids came home.
and while i G and rach were doing their homework i hear garrett say 'can i please throw this pencil at your face?' to rach haha
i made them dinner and matt was walking around the kitchen usinga n umbrella as a cane and saying "old man" things to me, and then gets these giant wooden chopstick things (not entirely sure what they are actually used for) and pretends he is eating the telephone lol
so we eat dinner then once the boys had done they left the table and it was just rach and i left and she was sitting there looking at her whats left on her plate unaware i was watching her and she is singing 'one little carrot, two little french fries, three little chicken....things.' hahahaha
after dinner i started showers and now i am finished, waiting for gossip girl and keen to put my pj's on.
night night xo

thanksgiving, again!

hello!
well this morning, i slept until 11, and it was sooooo nice.
then even after i had woken up i just ate a yogurt for breakfast in bed, while watching hgtv.
got up at one and got ready for thankgiving 2.0!
at the mansion baby!
so lauren picked me up and we went over. it was me, lauren, robyn, linnea and julia, plus robyns host mum and her friends.
so we sat around the fire outside (they have a firepit near the pool) which was kept alive by using a leaf blower to up the flameage lol
by the time we ate it was about 5, and it was all the same food as the first thanksgiving.
and we had pumpkin pie again! yummmm!
left at 7:30, mucked around with the kids and now i am watching once upon a time before i have a shower and indulge my face with a face mask..
goodnight xo

christmas shopping..

hey!
i set my alarm this morning, with the intention of washing my hair. but when your bed is as warm and comfortable as mine was this morning, i was prepared to go out side of the house with a little less then clean hair. i worked it though - nothing like a blake lively inspired messy ponytail.
so lauren picked me up at 11:30 and we went to kohls, because their black friday sale was still on, even though it was saturday.
my mission - to have christmas done and dusted by 2pm, when the specials finished.
so i find rach a present, then while browsing for the boys stuff, i decide against it and put it back, i get G something, go back and get rachels same present again from the shelf, put G's back, find matt and G a combined present, find absolutely nothing for harrison, find something better for rachel, then add to it, go downstairs and get other various gifts, back upstairs, add one more thing to rachels present, go through the checkout.
then whilst trying to find lauren, i find another present, find myself a super nice scarf, decided against that present, keep the scarf, go to the check out AGAIN..
did i mention i absolutely hate christmas shopping?
too many nice things, not enough money!
so after buying everything i had a total savings of $130 and earned $15 kohls cash for next time, sa-weeeeet!
then to walmart to see if there is anything for harrison, nada, so i will talk to him about what he wants on monday.
then i come home, eat noodles, watch tv, shower and wash my hair, talk to mum.
then i ordered the chinese, lauren came over we went and got the food and a dvd and ice cream.
came home and skyped with sister bear.
and thats pretty much it.
i am completely ready to sleep for the next 11 hours or so.. life is goooood.
goodnight xo

day after the feast..

hello!
so today is know as 'black friday' when everything is reduced. and by reduced, i mean, a sale on steroids. everywhere! doors open at 12am friday morning and the sale in some cases, goes until 12pm friday.
these are the type of sales where people are trampled when the doors are opened and get severely injured because no one has time to help you if they are going to get their hands on one of the $200 laptops or someone shoots you because you took the last $90 mix master - okay so that one is a bit of an exaggeration.
i however did not and will not be going to these sales - one, because there is no way in hell i am getting up in the middle of the night while its freezing to get a good deal and two because the sale is pretty much still on tomorrow, anddd people wont be as crazy, so i am going to go then and do my christmas shopping.
back to todays household events - the kids had no school so they slept until nine. score.
and then we sat around and watched tv, then played cards and yahtzee - the pokemon version, and animal soup and zingo - like bingo but wayyyy cooler.
and by the time the kids owned me in each and every one of those games their dad had come (at 1pm) and they left for the weekend.
so i heated myself up a big juicy turkey wing and watched tv, before having a nanna nap.
showered and got ready for dinner, and then skyped with grandma and pa! and elana and luke were there as well! grandma just got a new laptop and now has skype!
http://contiki.com/destinations/north-america/tours/23-southern-adventure-start-los-angeles# and grandma that is the link for my travel month tour, once again. (if you hold the 'ctrl' button and click it, it should open in a new window for you.)
so then i went to ulta to buy a nail file for my handbag while waiting for our table at bettuccis.
had a delicious dinner, went to barnes and noble to have a look and now i am home and sooooo ready for bed.
goodnight xo

happy thanksgiving!

hello!
today is thanksgiving! and i am so full, it is unbelieveable.
i dont think i could fit a single crumb into my stomach right now.
this morning the kids got up before me, even though they didnt go to bed until 11!
we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then watched tv before getting ready for the feast.
the kids and i cleaned up the house and the basement (that was trashed) then all put our "church clothes" on and did our hair etc..
once i had the kids ready we watched the macys thanksgiving parade on tv - you know the one with all the gigantic balloons thats on movies - and then i started my share of cooking - mashed potatoes.
it was the most i had ever made before - a whole bag full :O
oh and on the turkeys they have a 'pop up' button that pops up  guess when the turkey is ready. and karen couldnt find it on ours, so she thought they didnt make them like that anymore.. but then when we turned the turkey over in the oven we realised she put the turkey in upside down haha
in the meantime matt cracked his foot down on the handle of the cheese and crackers dish and smashed it, handy lol
by the time we ate it was around three and there was turkey with gravey and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, butternut pumpin, corn, salad and bread rolls.
and then pumpin pie (delicious!).. i had never had it before.. well i dont think i have, and my pavlova! which was perfect. but the berries for the top were still frozen because we forgot to get them out of the freezer so i was trying to thaw them in a pot of hot hot hot water while still in the bag, but that was taking too long, so i used the microwave, resulting in them being very saucy so when i put them on the pav it looked like it was "dying" - according to rachel.
then after we cleaned up we sat around watching monsters inc and eating pistachios.
now i have had a shower, made a cuppa and am ready to watch an apisode of slide and then go to sleep.
i am so tired. goodnight xo

half day..

hello!
i finished all the home videos today. i wish there were more. super entertaining.
this morning the kids went to school and i went to the art and craft dtore - micheals - with karens mum to help her look for christmas decorations.
came home and harrison got off the bus at 12 (because it is thanksgiving tomorrow they only had half days) and then the rest of them got home at 12:30.
the middle boys went to joannes house and while harrison and rach watched a movie a caught up on 90210 from last night on my laptop.
and we pretty much just sat around all afternoon until i skyped with sister bear.
ordered pizza for dinner, ate, and now all seven kids (their cousins are here too) are playing, and i am done and ready for a shower and a cuppa tea.
oh and i cant get the second episode of the series steph sent me to work so i cant keep watching. i am going to see if i can find it on the internet.
and how could i forget! i made a pavlova! for thanksgiving tomorrow! a little bit of australia on the table..
it turned out well. i have put it in a container until tomorrow when i will top it with cream and berries.
sooo looking forward to tomorrows feast. i am fasting from now until 3pm tomorrow in preperation.
goodnight. xo
p.s my sister and her friend emily found a kitten. so they kept it. and it is the cutest freakin little kitten ever!

new years plans..

hey!
today it was super miserable.. it was overcast all day and cold and now it is raining and has been for the past three hours.
i did nothing all day.
except give joanne silverware to shine and take a turkey out of the freezer.
when the kids got home harrison went to tae kwon do and rach went to gymnastics and so the boys and i watched victorious before i made tacos for dinner.
and while we were watching the girl was wearing a sequined purple dress with stockings on underneath but they had a design on them. and G is like 'ohhh myyyy godddd look at all those tattoos on her legs!' hahaha
oh yes, today i watched more home videos, they just crack me up.
i went to starbucks tonight and we started to plan new years..
we are definately going to montreal in canada, becauseeeeee, i can drink and party and have actual fun! woo! it will be my first 'legal drinking' new years too.
so the plan is to get a bus there, stay at a hotel the night (well really just keep our things in there) and then party all night long, at a club with an open bar! an open bar people! and come home feeling like death the next day. this is all a package deal for $250, bargain i say.
and its so soon as well! i am super excited.
well i am going to bed. the kids only have a half day tomorrow so i will need my rest.
goodnight! xo

more mail!

hey!
i got a package from grandma! with a tamworth catelogue thing, a whole heap of old photos and a pink love heart breast cancer luggage tag!
and a package from mum with all our home videos burned onto dvds for me to watch!
today was boring. kids went to school, i had to go to the school at 11 to give G and rach clothes to swap in to because rach was supposed to wear blue and she had on pink and black and G was supposed to wear white and he was wearing a halloween shirt.. they were both in a performance.
i came home and had lunch then worked out, cleaned the bathrooms and vaccumed, which is when i almost sucked my whole head up the attachment piece while doing the stairs... i used the same hand i was holding the sucker upper thing in to scratch my cheek and then it grabbed my hair (which was hanging down from my pony tail) and started sucking it up hahaha but dont worry, i escaped unharmed and my hair is fine.
oh and i got up to the second episode of the series steph went but it stopped ten minutes into it and i cant make it go past it.. i will try it on the dvd player tomorrow.
usual afternoon, kids were very, shall we say, disruptive, but i am finished now, and dont care.
going to make a cuppa and watch gossip girl.. ahhhhh :)
goodnight xo

best weekend.

hello!
this morning we got up, well i got up first because didem sets her alarm for 7:30am and then presses snooze every five minutes until 8am. i really dont understand this? i figure you should just set your alarm for 8 and then sleep properly all the way through.
but anyway - we packed up our stuff and went to delicious breakfast.
had games with kids and american slang classes, which was hilarious!
had lunch and then we went home.
so on the way we go through these tolls and there are people in the booths, but we are in the middle of no where, so where do these people park?! and if not, how the hell do they get there? strange right?
we got home and 4:30, dropped didem off and then went to ulta (where i brought blush and face masks) before seeing breaking dawn! it was so good! can't wait for part two!
then to starbucks for a chit chat.
came home and unpacked, showered, opened my package from steph peters. thankyou! (an aussie movie called slide and all different aussie teas) and put a face mask on before writing my blogs.
oh and by the way, this time last year i had graduated and had my prom. right now i had just arrived at the best week of my life - schoolies. ahhhh. i am so jealous of every single person there right now.
goodnight. xo
p.s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBT4-EXqddo&feature=related
this is THE funniest thing i ahve EVER seen! watch it. you will crack up like me. and it never gets old. i watch it over and over again.

super fun day!

hey!
i have decided i love silver bay.
it is so relaxing and the classes are super easy and laid back, and the food is awesome! and its on a lake and everyone is so nice. i just want to stay there.
today we did our classes and then there was a performance and then the 'disco' with no guys and no alcohol.. cant get much funner than that people!
no, but it was pretty good. it was beach theme, but screw putting on a beach dress when its almost freezing outside. so like 90% of the au pairs we just kept our normal clothes on.
went back to the rooms, jumped on the beds - as you do - and went to sleep.
next blog. xo

silver bay again.

hey!
sorry my blogs are late! we did have wi-fi at silverbay but i didnt take my laptop and i didnt want to do it on my ipod, so i figured you all wouldnt mind waiting a little bit.
hmm, friday.. friday, friday, friday.. let me think.
well from what i can remember, the kids went to school.. oh yes, and i stayed home and did washing. how could i forget.
i went for a jog and then when i got home i washed my hair and shaved my legs so i didnt have too over the weekend. i packed for silverbay and then when the kids got home they went straight to their dads and i went to the mall, to go to H&M, AGAIN!
you wanna know why? yes? okay..
well it is because i am stupid.
when i went there the first time i got overcharged, remember? so i went back and got my money back. but in the time i had the clothes at home with me i didnt try anything on (i didnt try them on before i brought them either because it is winter and i have too many layers to be taking off in the change room) and then when i eventually did put them on i realised one of the sweaters was too granny looking and i wanted a different size for one of the leggings. hence the reason for going to the mall.
now this is where the drama started, on my way home.
boy oh boy, i was on the brink of having a heart attack.
i am driving along, in the van, and i noticed that when i accelerated that the car would jerk forward a bit, and then the 'drive' light started flashing and an engine sign lit up and another little sign.. so i am FREAKING OUTTTTT! like the car was okay while it was actually moving but if i had to brake and stop the car completely it would take a good ten seconds for it to get going again.
so i was calling karens dad (karen was out of town) and he wanst answering, so i kept calling, still no answer. then i call karens mum and she tells me to see if i can mkae it home.. which i did because i wasnt too far away at that stage. but i had to plan everything ahead so the car never actually had to stop fully.
so after that little incident, lauren picked me up, we got didem and emma and then we were off to silver bay!
took four hours to get there, didem and i were in a room and lauren and emma were in the one next to us. so we could talk to each other through the wall, because the inter connecting door wouldnt bloody unlock.
and then we went to bed at around midnight.
end of. next blog.. xo

frozen nose..

hey!
another boring day.
i know the blogs are boring, but now its almost been eight months i really dont have any more exciting facts about america to share with you.
this morning after the kids left i watched tv. yep, how boring.
oh i made myself a boiled egg on toast, yogurt with half a banana and a cup of tea for breakfast though. yummo.
had lunch and then went for a jog, where my nose practically fell off because it was so cold outside.
showered, kids came home, homework was a headache...
rachel helped me make dinner (wearing safety goggles) while we danced to disneys most known songs.. hakuna matata was a favourite.
kids did their after school activities and then harrison, rach and i watched cheaper by the dozen while the other boys were at scouts.
oh and i have been trying to drink alot of water lately, i don't know how people drink two litres a day, i have to pee, ALL. THE. TIME! i feel like i am always on the toilet lol
waiting for greys anatomy now.
goodnight xo

back to the mall.

why hello there!
today just blew by! i feel like i just woke up. its just excellent, becauseeee i can go back to bed now.
after the kids got on the bus, i spent the next good chunk of the day talking. yes, talking. to a neighbour of ours. then at almost 1:30, i decided i needed to get some stuff done.
so i came home, oh by the way, the whole time i was over at her house i am in my pink matching winter pj's, since it was an out of the blue meet up - and i started the washing, actually got dressed, with a hoodie on, just in case i needed it to hide my face at the mall (my whole chucking a runner issue).
so i went to the mall, in the pouring rain, and thank the heavens, the lady i dashed fro yesterday was busy trying to sell it to some other poor person - in the door to H&M i go, unnoticed.
i got my $25 back, all the while keeping an eye on hawk out the front, then when i went to leave she was stalking her prey, about five feet from me, so i pretty much hid in the store until she grabbed someone and then i took off - again. haha
came home, finished the washing, the kids got home, did homework, cooked dinner and got them all showered and ready for bed by 7:30, go me.
now they are all peacefully sleeping so i can relaxxxxx.
goodnight xo

naughty..

hey!
today macys had there biggest sale of the year, apparently, so yes, i went shopping.
but it was for a good cause. i needed another suitcase to take home with me, anddd they had $40 suitcases.
the kids went to school first, i got ready and then came my big blonde moment.
i went to kohls, went upstairs to the lugagge department, i am looking around, and then i think 'hmm you would think a sale like this would be really easy to find' so i check to coupon thing in my wallet, and of course, the sale is at macys, not kohls, danielle you spastic.
so off i go to macys, and i found them. woo hoo. i got a check in bag, a carry on, a hand held thingo and a little makeup bag, all for $40 reduced from $160, bargain. and i realise that they arnt very good quality but thats okay, it only needs to last 21 hours on a plane, once.
then i went to H&M where i brought a buy one get one free sweaters, two pairs of leggings and a nice big winter scarf.
now here comes to naughty part.. i still can't believe i did it, i feel so bad..
when i walked out of H&M there was one of those stall things set up straight out the front of the store and even though i did not make eye contact she still grabbed me and asked me to try this you beaut nail shiner thing. and i must admit it is pretty fantastic, and she did say i had the nicest nails she had ever seen (go me!) but i just couldnt spend that much money.
the deal was, if i brought two (they were $49.95 each) she would give me two for free. in each set there was the buffer, cuticle cream, nail file and hand lotion. and i thought they would make good presents. but then i realised i couldnt take them home because of the weight and $100 is alot of monay for nail shiners, and i need to keep saving for my travel month. so i said that is was a good deal, which she took as a 'yes i will buy them' which is not what i meant.. but i just can not say no to these people. i feel so sorry for them getting ignored by everyone and people avoiding them (remember when i gave in and brought the hair curler? it turned out to be worth it) so i had every intention of buying it and told her i had to go to the atm to get cash out because (and this isn't a lie) i didnt have enough money in my card acount and would have to get it from my savings account... buttttt i never went back. i know, i know, i am terrible. but dont worry, karma has already come around and taught me a lesson. when i got home i checked my reciept from H&M and they overcharged me $25, so now i have to go back and get it. and i am going to have to walk right in front of her.. i am currently working on a disguise for tomorrow ;)
and because i was "going to the atm" i walked in the opposite direction to my car (outside macys) so i had to leave the mall at the opposite entrance and then walk alllll the way around the outside to get to the car.
so anyway, i finally leave and i went and returned some boots and a dress at marshells, a beanie at walmart and a jumper at ocean state, i got a little gift for grannie annie, met up with friend at starbucks and then came home. which on the road i came home on there was a detour because of roadworks, so i take it and then there is another arrow at a small intersection with the arrow pointing left, so naturally i go left, and keep driving and driving and bam, dead end. stupid little kids turned the god damn arrow around.
the kids came home, everything was the same as every day.
then i went to tuesday night starbucks, came home and skyped with rach and now i am going to sleep. because i had the worst sleep last night ever.. i woke up this morning and i had taken my pillow case off while i was asleep, bizarre or what?
goodnight! xo

magic.

hey!
guess what? in one month today, i am on vacation - for two whole weeks! ahhhh. so excited. have i told you where i am going yet? i am going to seattle to visit cousin lucy and her cute little family!
so it is getting colder now, and you know how everyone loves winter flanelette sheets.. so i put them on all our beds today. yay, cosy sleep here i come.
oh and it is monday, which means it is house work day. sigh.
i watched alot of hgtv too. it is super addictive.. something about crappy homes being turned into beautiful ones just makes me watch for hours on end. probably a bad habit though.
just now on gossip girl dan mentioned one of his book signings in hartford! thats where i live! woo hoo.
back to today - dinner was hilarious, the kids just crack me up.
and then i taught them a card trick, which is awesome. now we can tell everyone we are telepathic!
and that is about it. goodnight australia. xo

so tired..

hey!
well today, unlike yesterday, was very busy.
i was up at nine and started getting ready for this afternoons international au pair thing.
we all had to get in ur country groups and make a presentation like thing for all our host familys to come and look at.
so i got a pavlova and a lamington recipe ready on a disc, got dressed and went to staples (officeworks) to get them printed. and i needed a piece of white cardboard as well - but of course that was impossible.
turns out that in america you can buy one giant arse piece of foam board for $5 or a pack of ten "card stock" for $5.. like what the hell. i only need one piece!
so i went to micheals - the art and craft store - and they had it! hallelujah!
then i got a coffee from dunkin donuts, because i still hadnt had time to eat, and then went to stop and shop to get a loaf of bread - 99 cents baby.. love it.
then i went to laurens where she made an australian animal and famous landmarks slideshow, i made a huge poster with all different facts about australia, and then fairy bread and vegemite on bread.
so we finally finished and rushed to the place and got there at three - we were half an hour late..
and we set our table up with the poster stuck on the wall with the table in front of it with a map of the world and a giant arrow pointing to australia leaning against the wall. then the flag was hanging on the front of the table with a giant blow up kangaroo off to the side. and we had our slide show going with the land down under song playing through it, and we had our recipes and the food, and tattoos and boomerang colouring-ins, and a little afl footy.. it was really good!
but very boring... it went for like two hours and i was so tired.
then we finally got to leave at 5:30.. i got petrol on the way home at a citgo and paid $3.69 a gallon and then when i left i drove past a mobil that had $3.75 a gallon.. rip off.
so now i am home, ready to shower, and go to bed.
goodnight! xo

literally did nothing.

hey!
anddd goodbye.
because i really don't have anything to say.
i woke up, went to the toilet, slept, woke up again at 12, ate toast, watched tv. end of.
well i did go to stop and shop to return last nights dvds and get new ones - the caller and thirst.. both were okay.
brought a stirfry for dinner, was delicious.
and thats about it.
i did forget to tell you that i burnt my bloody arm while i was getting ready for mike posner on thursday though..
on the hair curler, on the under side of the top half of my arm, it hurt too.
but yeah, thats all.
have a good afternoon! x

i love my kids..

hey!
today has been a great day!
my kids have been super good. and they are just so cute.
they went to school and i did the washing and washed rach's sheets.
and then i went back to bed, after last nights adventures i was quite tired.
when i woke up i folded the washing, unpacked the dishwasher, re-made rachels bed, and broke a freakin' nail! god damn it.
so i ended up taking my polish off from my manicure because it was getting all chipped and looked tacky and now i just have au la natural.. is that how you write it? i dont know.. oh well. anyway..
had a shower and then the kids got home, rach and harrison went straight to their dads house and i took G and matt to stop and shop to get popcorn and dvds for tonight.
on the way there, while stopped in a traffic jam, i was flicking through a book the kids have and found a map of australia and pointed out where tamworth is, and then they were looking at the map and found 'wagga wagga' and thought it was absolutely hilarious to say...
so while we were there G brought this match box cars thing with his pocket money - which is all in $1 notes, well wasnt that fun..
because we were at a self serve checkout and having to slot in each individual note i took the notes and paid on my card, soooo now i have a miliion dollar bills in my wallet.
then on the way home (G got gum as well) matt is like 'brother can i have a piece of gum?' and G is like 'yes brother, you can' hahaha it was so cute!
then their cousins came over, i had the kids for the night, and i made them pizza and mac and cheese for dinner, then popcorn and chocolate for dessert.
they watched movies while i caught up on greys anatomy from last night - oh by the way i watched vampire diaries today too, it is sooo good! everyone should watch it.
and now i am finished listening to music and i think i might read my book.
goodnight! xo
p.s youtube gavin degraw, he is amazing.

mike poser babyyyyy!

hey!
so yes my blog is late - BECAUSE I WAS AT MIKE POSNER'S CONCERT!
it was awesome, but we will get to that later..
this morning i woke up and the kids had school! wooooo!
everything is finally getting back to normal, so we did our normal school day routine and they went off to school while i went off to bed. i actually slept again until 12. then when i got up i had a shower and did my hair ready for tonight, watched some stupid cop show on tv and then harrison came home.
the other kids got home, slowly got their homework done, i made dinner whilst playing guess who with G, and thenn as soon as karen got home i went upstairs and got ready to go to new haven - which is where the concert was (yes, the same place as yale)
lauren and robyn came and picked me up and then an hour later we were there!
so we were early, we got a drink at a cafe place, while watching teenie boppers in incy wincy teenie tiny skirts and shirts walk by, you could have sworn it was summer based on what they were wearing, and it was only 7 degrees outside!
then we went to 'toads place' where it was held to look around. now by this stage there was barely anyone there because it was only 8:15, then we realised mike posner didnt even come on until 10:45, so we left and went walking about the place then came back at around 9:30ish.. that is when we saw "emily" out the front, a complete random, but her friends kept yelling her name, which is why i know it, and she is being a complete douchebag. soooooo drunk. and she is stumbling about the place, and hanging onto strangers, and running around singing. and her friends looked super angry at her. haha
so we went in and 'the goonies' who were the introducing act, were actually reallllly good! by this stage we have made our way into the mosh about two metres from the stage, and now brace yourself for what i am about to tell you..
right next to me, and by right next to me i pretty much mean on top of me, there is this guy and girl fully making out, but i am almost certain that they were having sex too. yes you can go and vomit now.
like seriously?! if you wanted to have sex why didnt you just stay home you filthy animals. there is like 200 people watching you right now - everyone around them were fully aware of what was happening.
and to top it all off, their friends, right beside them, were doing exactly the same thing.
so i kept slyly pushing them away and giving them dirty looks to see if they would stop, but they wouldnt!
there were hands going everywhere.. dirty american teenagers.
then these same people were trying to push in further towards the stage so these girls next to us made like a barrier and wouldnt let them through, but the guy kept trying so this girl turns around and pushes him flying back into everyone behind him hahaha - it was great, i wish she had of knocked him out while she was at it.
so all that drama was over - dirty teenagers had moved somewhere else - and then mike came on!
it was such a great concert! and there were girls in the front row that he got down on a stool and sung just to them and one girl got chosen to go up on stage when he was singing 'bow chicka wow wow' and then at the "i bought you flowers and a teddy" part, he gave her a teddy! it was so cute.
and then guy in the band playing the keyboard or whatever, was super hot.
yes, so anyway, it finished after midnight, and then we came home and i finally got to bed at 1:30 this morning. i have six hours to sleep before i have to start work.
goodnight! x

gorgeous weather..

hello!
it is amazing how it can go from freezing with a snow storm to hot and sunny in a matter of days.
today was so warm!
the kids and i got ready and then went to the library, got some dvds and books and then came home to watch shark tale - they hadn't seen it before.
but then G was all angry and naughty so i put him in his room, where he fell asleep for almost four hours!
so the kids and i watched the movies and then rollerbladed outside for a while, then when G woke up he had his sandwhich and then about an hour later he kept saying 'i want my breakfast' and i was like 'what are you talking about?' and he told me that he hadnt had his breakfast yet.. i had to explain to him that he didnt wake up from nighttime sleeping and that it was now almost 5 and i was going to start cooking dinner soon. how cute is that though?
oh and today the forth lot of guys have come to the front door asking about fixing the yard back up and taking the tree off the roof... super annoying. because they dont understand that i cant say yes to anything because i am just the au pair.
anyways, i made dinner, kids ate, i finished work at 6:30, realised i didnt watch 90210 last night and so i caught up, and i am now waiting for americas next top model.
goodnight! x
p.s today is tanya's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANYA! hope you have an amazing day! love you!

andddd we lost power. again.

hey!
so last night i presumed i had set my alarm, turns out i didn't.
because this morning i wake up and think to myself wow, it is really quite, everyone must still be in bed, and then i think, no its too light outside, so i look at the time and it was 9:30! oh my lord.
i ran downstairs, and was like 'kids why didn't you wake me up?!' and they are all like 'oh well we didn't even think about it, like we didnt realise you were here' - karen had gone to work and they didnt think i was home, so i guess they thought they were home alone. lol
then everything is going well, they are watching tv, i started a movie on my laptop downstairs with them, and then, bam. no power.
jesus christ. you are freakin kidding me.
so i called joanne and she said we could go around to her house.
first we went to the library so i could get the book 'lies' which is the next one in the gone series.
then to maccas, i got the kids a 20 pack of nuggets for $4.98! love america, and a large fries, that i won on the monopoly game.
then we went to joannes and they watched  finding nemo while joanne took harrison with her to help a friend.
so i tidying up her house, then the kids and i cleaned up the basement - it has a whole heap of toys in it - and then we went to gymnastics with rachel.
she is super good! doing things that the other kids couldn't!
went and got harrison from joannes, took the kids to deangelos for dinner, it was hilarious.
god we had a good night. they were so funny while we were eating.
oh and by that stage we found out that our power had come back on! wooooooooooo!
came home and thennnnn we carved our pumpins!
it was hard - i did a template one (the kids drew their own designs) and it was a three out of four pumpins difficulty rating. andddd it turned out awesome.
i shall post photos soon!
now i am trying to skype with rachel nelson, the kids are in bed, and i am exhusted.
great day though.
goodnight! x
p.s the kids were home again today because it was a teachers in-service day.
tomorrow school is closed for "safety reasons"... so they will be home again. that brings the count up to about 10 days of missed school already - and they have only been at school for two months.

in love with power..

hey!
oh how i love electricity. glorious glorious electricity!
today the kids didn't have school, sigh. just because they are still connecting power blah blah.
so they were home with me all day, which turned out pleasent actually.
apart from the two hours of cleaning, five load of clothes and three loads of towels that i did, the kids didnt fight, or argue with me, and actually helped out alot!
and having a working tv was a major plus.
then after lunch joanne came over with the three cousins but as soon as they got here they all split off to play with the neighborhood kids.
so it was quite an easy afternoon.
made dinner and now i am finished. i have caught up on all my shows that i missed, and am now watching gossip girl.
bye! x
p.s yes, i changed my background. like it?

thank the lord!

hey!
WE HAVE POWER! yes real life, light switching, tv watching, food cooking, body warming power! it is so great. words can't describe how relieved i am.
this morning, well lets just call today, seedy sunday.
i woke up and went downstairs at the mansion, then went straight back to bed because i felt like i was going to die.
fixed all that up with a couple more hours sleep and a hot shower.
then went and got a juice and bagel for breakfast, facebooked and then went to the movies to see 'in time'... its good, but i wouldn't recommend paying to see it.
then i came home, opened the door and stepped into a warm house, and i even flicked the lights on..just cause i could.
made tuna and cheese on toast for dinner and now i am going to shower and catch up on all the shows i missed this week.
goodnight! x

a week later..

hey!
so today i woke up in the most comfy bed ever had a hot shower, washed my hair, shaved my legs - just took my time pretty much. it was awesome.
then we (robyn and i) went and got bagels and coffee for breakfast where i took my laptop and caught up on the first half of my blogs.
went and got a manicure - complete with a back and hand massage... best $10 i spent all day. oh and they colour of my nails is dark grey.
then the plan was to go to the movies to see paranormal activity three but the movies is still closed because of the whole power thing, so we went to starbucks instead and i finished off my blogs.
went home and put away all my washing that i did at the mansion, gave the twins their birthday presents! they are seven today! and then we all went to chilis for dinner.
came home and got my stuff and then went to the mansion for a party. yay.
it was a great night. and at midnight the clocks went back an hour, extra hour of sleep this morning! yeahhhh!
next post... x

snow storm - friday

it has been five days and six nights.
i am going insane.
before i get into what happened today i will let you know that..
- the reason the electricity has been out for so long is because so many powerlines are down. and the big huge tower things are down too. that is because all the trees still had most of their leaves on them so when the 10 inches of snow fell the limbs broke off - onto the lines.
- all week joanne and i have had three kids at home.. you can imagine how hard it was to keep them occupied all week.
so today - we had seven kids, because my four were home.
do you know what its liek to have seven kids at home under the age of twelve with no power?!well let me tell you.. it is your worst nightmare. i am super glad toay is over.
we stayed at home for the morning and then went to the playground in the afternoon for a while. where there were these guys at soccer practice, so i ahd a little eye candy for the day.
came home and the kids played hairdressers and i did all the washing up and cleaned the house ready for the weekend.
then when karen got home at eight i went to robyns house (the mansion) because she has power back! power people! and we watched the new death at a funeral and then i slept in the same luxurious bed. then at 5am my phone rang and it was little sister. she was at her end of year ball and calling cause she missed me. how cute. she obviously didn't take into consideration the time difference.. lucky i love her.
x

snow storm - thursday

almost there...
getting extremely over having no power. do any of you know what its like to go this long without power? it is horrible.
this morning we went to the playground and thats when i got cell signal! hallelujah!
and i had a message from robyn asking if i wanted to stay the night in mystic in an already paid for motel room because there is power down there.
so i packed my stuff and we went to starbucks to meet emma before we left and thats when i found out that the kids were coming home a day early from ethir dads and i needed to be there, so i couldn't go.
so i went shopping with emma (while robyn went to mystic alone), i got the twins presents, a hello kitty shirt and hello kitty colour your own back pack for rach and a phineas and ferb toy thing and a spongebob squarepants beanie for G. and i got a present for mother bear too.
got dropped home, took our car to get petrol and then went to starbucks to use the internet and i got to facetime with mum!
then i went home to wait for the kids so we could go to the martins for a couple of hours in their nice warm house.
while we were there i was about to go upstairs with the kids and the gas ran out for the generator so it went pitch blacka nd i had their three year old and she was crying and the other kids couldn't see anything, so i was standing there with six kids in the dark, calling out for someone to come and get us with a torch haha
then we went home to the igloo. x

snow storm - wednesday

and again.. hello.
another day of doing nothing.
i will never say i am bored again as long as i live - and have electricity. it is so cold in our house all you can do is sit there and put up with it while doing nothing and being bored out of your mind.
my book that i am now reading is called 'were just like you only prettier' and it is hilarious!
its written by this lady from teh south and she just writes about things that have happened in her life etc and i can not stop laughing while i read it. it truely is laugh out loud funny. she just cracks me up.
oh this afternnon we went to the martins again and had stirfry for dinner and watched captain america (well the first hour and a half of it).
then back to the igloo we went. and karen sent mum an email today from her work (working at ESPN they pretty much have their own power plant to keep things running) telling her that i was alive. x

snow storm - tuesday

hello!
so it is the end of three days and four nights of no power - and they are now saying it won't be on until saturday! are you kidding me?!
i don't actually think i can make it that long. it might turn out that i will die from no power instead of being cold during winter.
but actually - it might be both. during the day it is warmer outside then it is inside and at night time.. well, we may as well be camping outside.
today we sat around the fire, suprise suprise, and then decided we might go and see if any playgrounds or librarys are open - they weren't, wishful thinking.
so when we came home we went to the martins who live just down the road and guess what?! they have a generator! and i got a steaming hot shower and washed my hair! woooooooo!
it had been almost five days since i last washed it and i have been wearing a beanie so that no one can tell.
we got to sit in the warmth and watch dvds and then had steak for dinner, it was such a great night.
came home to the igloo and went to sleep in a freezing cold bed. yay. x

snow storm - monday

hello!
woke up afetr a great sleep, i didn't even wake during the night because i was cold, i did have a sheet, blanket, doona, blanket and another doona though. which was so heavy i couldn't even roll over, but hey, at least i wasn't cold.
so i went downstairs and wrapped myself up in a blanket and had a cuppa in front of the fire - the only source of heat in our house.
then karens brotehrs kids came over because their parents both have to work, and we went to west hartford to look for a cell signal, had maccas for lunch, then came home and sat around the fire again.
and thats where i sat for the rest of the day.
i ended up finishing my book so now i don't have anything to read :(
oh and i got to have a shower! only 45 seconds worth, but god it was good!
and by the way - the kids are with their dad where they still ahve power - an hour and a half away. so i don't have to worry about keeping them occupied. x

snow storm - sunday

hey!
so i wake up this morning and look out the window and it is absolutely destroyed outside. it looked like a war zone. there were tree branches everywhere and the cars and powerline out the front had a tree on it and looks like it is about to snap.
so i put on snow boots (harrisons) and a snow jacket and went outside to into the open part of our yard so i didn't get impailed by a falling branch and had a little play, because the snow was about a foot deep and so fluffy and fun.
then i came back inside and just wandered around the house because there was absolutely nothing to do.
started reading the second prequal of the 'private' series, went to sleep, read, slept, then i could hear an alarm going off in my dream so i wake up and our security alarm was actually going off for some reason, so i turned it off and went downstairs (now it is about 2pm) and karens dad was outside plowing our driveway. so that was my first human contact in about 20 hours. then he left and karen got home!
i was fully preparing myself for another night alone, i even went into the basement and got out food that i could eat for dinner and cook on the stove because i could cook it on our gas stove top using a lighter to light it. but instead skip went out to get milk and other stuff and got chicken for dinner from one of the places that was still open. and we sat around the fire - karens mum came over too, and eventually it was 11pm and we decided to go to bed. i slept under five doonas because the heat doesn't work obviously and it is almost as cold inside the house as it is outside now.
oh and the hot water will run out soon too, so we will have to limit showers, gross i know, but there is no way you can shower under cold water in this weather.
oh and they say the power will be out for another three days. kill me.
i hope none of you are worrying because i am unreachable. i am fine! x

snow storm - saturday

hey!
so i wrote down my blog every day so i wouldn't forget anything to tell you by the time we got power on.
and i was planning on saying that 'i will tell you at the end why this blog is late' buttttt you all know why it is late - because there was a freak snow storm that took away all electricity for, in about six hours time, a whole week.
right now i am in brueggers bagel place eating breakfast and using their free wi-fi. yay.
back to what happened saturday -
this morning i woke up at around 9 and got ready to go winter stuff shopping with lauren, but she ditched me, so i had to go alone, but that was okay.
i decided to have breakfast and watch tv before i went so i didn't end up leaving until 11ish.
anyway, when i left it was just overcast, about seven degrees and okay weather. i did know that they were predicting a  snow storm that afternoon though, but after our last "hurricane" i just assumed that the americans were over exaggerating again.
first stop was ocean state job lot which is like dimmeys. tehre i picked up all my thermal undergarments, shirt, pants and socks. then to old navy where i got a jacket, indoor ugg boots and a three quarter shirt and singlet as well just because they were reduced with a further 30% off, so why the hell not?
and thats when it started snowing! it was real white movie like snow! but that meant that the storm had started about four hours early.
so after i paid i went outside and just stood in it and took a couple of photos. then i went to marshalls where i brought boots, pjs and socks.
then to tj maxx, nothing there and then walmart to get gloves and a beanie. this is when it really started snowing. everything was completely covered in snow, it was like being on a movie set.
so now it was time to go home and i had to teach myself how to drive in the snow - not recommended.
i was driving about 15 miles an hour and the road was so slippery, and i could barely see a thing, but i made it home alive.
i took a million photos and then unpacked my haul. karen got home and picked up some things and then went to skipd house for the night and the plan was that lauren would come over for a movie night because i hate being home alone.
so then, at about 5:30, while i am on the toilet (of course, i mean where else would i be when the lights turn off?) the power went off! just great. i text lauren and told her not to bother about coming over and she probabley shouldn't drive in the snow either.
so i found a torch and lit my candle in my room and then stayed there.
i had cereal for dinner and i finished my book 'hunger' because there was NOTHING to do.
and the only thing worse then being home alone in a big house with a basement (where the demon lives) at night, is being home alone in a big house with a basement at night with no electricity.
i was so scared. iw ouldnt even go downstairs. oh and to make matters worse, the cell signal was gone too, so i had absolutely no outside communication at all.
so i am sitting in bed after what feels like a lifetime but it was only 8pm! i couldn't believe it. i tried to sleep but i kept waking up and at 2am the whole house shook! i thought there was a freaking earthquake, but then it stopped and i realised a tree must have fallen on the house.
so i went downstairs absolutely scared to death - not of the tree but of whatever may or may not be lurking down there - and went out the front door and sure enoguh there was a huge limb from one of our trees on the garage roof.
there was nothing i could do about it though so i went back to bed.
continue to next post. x

a boring cold day.

hey!
yes, its still cold.. and guess what?
there is a snow storm forecast for tomorrow afternoon. i hope its pretty white snow! how exciting would that be! today, i did washing, and thats it.
oh and i am addicted to hgtv. its a home designing show/ house hunting etc channel.. i could watch it for hours on end. so as soon as the kids got home, they went with their dad, but rachel stayed because she had a halloween party to go to.
so her costume is a japanese girl (geisha) and she needed her face to be made up.
boy oh boy, i had noooo idea what i was doing. but in the end we got the white face, little pouty red lips.. she looked super cute!
so i dropped her off at the party, came home and remade my bed with clean sheets, facetimed with mum, had eggs for dinner, and now i am sitting in bed doing nothing, being lonely.
night! x