Silly Farmers Wifey

I'm so scatterbrained at the moment. I'm blaming it on the time of year and the fact that I'm super busy and enormously tired.

Yesterday whilst driving home from town, I realised that I needed fuel in the car but decided it could wait until today. So today I drove right past the petrol station completely oblivious to the fact that my orange fuel light was glistening.....

When I got home I realised I had a dilemma. I could see that I had 1 km left on the distance gauge and 7 kms to drive back into town. Hmm a problem yes?

I told The Hubbster who berated me for for being an idiot and left the problem up to me to solve.

As he wouldn't help me, but instead belly laughed at my predicament, I told him in no uncertain terms to go forth and multiply because obviously it was his fault that I had this fuel issue.

He made a deal with me that if I washed the car, he would solve my fuel problem. We shook hands and he walked to the shed and collected the drum of diesel "just for emergencies". The cad had tricked me!

And if that wasn't bad enough, I drove into town and filled up the tank to the sum of $80.00 only to realise I had left my wallet at home. Crap.

I thought I'd then be calling The Hubbster from the police station but the kind attendant allowed me to call back later and pay the account. But not before writing on the bill "drive off" so now I'll probably be on Australia's Most Wanted.

I'm going to bed. Sigh.

Random because that's the way I roll

Bringing to you another random post full of excitement and wonder...

I just wanted to name and shame our internet provider (skymesh, if you're reading, you suck) for constant bad service, ridiculous reasoning as to why we have constant dropouts and poor signal. I am totally over not being able to receive reliable internet connection, but you are all we have at the moment so I guess we either just pay our account and shutup or disconnect and have no internet.

So I'll just pay. Sigh.



Is it just me or is anyone completely over this year? I am so tired and am looking forward to school finishing and the dance concert to be over. The last week of school involves dance practice every afternoon so it will be full on...the concert will be so worth it though.

We are doing Alice in Wonderland and our concert is titled "Wonderland". Both Miss D (aged 9) and Miss T (aged 5 and in her very first concert!) are performing and I am super excited. Miss D is the March Hare and has a legitimate excuse for acting the goat. Or the hare.



I will be breathing a sigh of relief on Sunday 12th December as we will only then have Christmas and the kids birthdays to deal with. This year has gone so fast and I am not as organised as I usually am.

The best thing about the end of the year, is the beginning of the next, something I truly love. A new year, new beginnings, new chances to focus on the things that matter. I love getting the booklists ready for the new school year, and the anticipation that comes with starting afresh.

I don't, however enjoy covering the huge volume of books needed and will perhaps be outsourcing the job this year. That or drinking way too much wine to cope with the stress of sticky contact.



We were well and truly floored this year when we lost a beloved baby - a surprise but very wanted none the less.....the experience drew us in, sucked us dry and threw us back in the mix. I'm still not over it and don't think I ever will be. Good days versus bad days, that's the way it is.

I want to walk straight again, have the status quo ante restored. I am sure that will come with the arrival of January 1st. I plan to get things in order, find my motivation again and enjoy what life has to offer.


And lastly, we had a little spider and a medium sized frog in the shower the other night. Miss T (aged 5) commented "we have wild animals in there".

Tuesday Housekeeping

First up, I've recently guest posted on Lucy's blog...she is so sweet to allow me to feature. Grab a cuppa and check it out...

Also, I would really love you lots, and appreciate it if you could click the Babble Link on my sidebar, and vote for Farmers Wifey...I would love to be included in the top 50 Bloggers List..

Just scroll down until you find my name and vote....I'm on the second page...at the moment!! I only have to catch up a few hundred or so votes....sigh.

My Getting My Shit Together or November To Do List is going along well....although I still have alot to cross off and only a week to do it in. I think I need my own PA..

Please God send me a Personal Assistant. Or a finished house, whichever comes first and is easier to post.

Car Games

As we live out of town, the kids and I love to play games in the car, while driving in for shopping, dancing or football, or driving to school in the mornings...

We refer to the first game as "the movie quote game". We take it in turns to...well...say quotes from movies we love and see who can guess which movie we are referring to. It's kinda like, I'll say:

"Hello, my name's Bruce" "Hello Bruce"......from Nemo or

"You didn't file your paperwork"......from Monsters Inc or

I do the funny noise the bird makes in the movie UP which usually has the kids in hysterics..


The second game we play is the one I like to refer to as "Lets say how awesome Mummy is". I start of by saying something in a singing tone and the kids repeat, like this:-

F/W Mummy is awesome

Kids Mummy is awesome

F/W Mummy is beautiful

Kids Mummy is beautiful

F/W Mummy cooks nice dinners

Kids Mummy cooks nice dinners

F/W Mummy is skinny

Kids Mummy is skinny

(I'm serious, we really do play this game)

F/W Mummy's a good dancer

Kids Mummy's a good dancer

F/W Mummy's smarter than Daddy

Kids Mummy's smarter than Daddy (by now the kids are in riots).......


The last game is a new one...we start off by singing the iconic song "The Wheels on the Bus" and in the verses we make reference back to "our" family. Here, I'll show you:-

The wheels on the bus go round and round
round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All the way to town

The people on the bus go up and down
up and down, up and down
The people on the bus go up and down
All the way to town

The tweens on the bus go yeah whatever
yeah whatever, yeah whatever
The tweens on the bus go yeah whatever
All the way to town

The mummies on the bus go do your homework
do your homework, do your homework
The mummies on the bus go do your homework
All the way to town

The boys on the bus go Ben 10 rocks
Ben 10 rocks, Ben 10 rocks
The boys on the bus go Ben 10 rocks
All the way to town

The mummies on the bus go clean your room
clean your room, clean your room
The mummies on the bus go clean your room
All the way to town

The kids on the bus go it's not my stuff
it's not my stuff, it's not my stuff
The kids on the bus go it's not my stuff
All the way to town

The daddies on the bus go get off the computer
get off the computer, get off the computer
The daddies on the bus go get off the computer
All the way to town

The mummies on the bus go where's the wine
where's the wine, where's the wine
The mummies on the bus go where's the wine
All the way to town

The mummies on the bus go kids you're busted
kids you're busted, kids you're busted
The mummies on the bus go kids you're busted
All the way to town

Mother Heart

Today I wanted to write about my eldest daughter, my first child - Miss D. She is turning 10 in December..double digits and a fully fledged tween. I know she's a tween because she's crazy about Taylor Swift and kinda in love with Taylor Lautner....

I have to stop and think "where did the last 10 years go"? How did she grow up so fast?

It saddens me that her "baby years" are almost over and the world is at her feet. Both exciting and scary...she has a lot to look forward to.

She is very smart and capable, and she has had to grown up fast because when she was 4 years old - still only a baby herself, I had a two year old and a newborn....how on earth did I cope?

She is a very determined, strong willed child, and tries to put me in my place..often. And boy do we clash...we both won't back down in an argument, and we both want the last word.

I only just realised that the reason we clash is because she is so much like me. It's like looking in a mirror....I may as well be fighting with myself because that is how it feels. Two strong personalities fighting for the upper hand.

But she's 9 and I'm 43 so I think I know what's right.

She is hovering over that ledge that is a litte girl and a girl ready to blossom...and I know its confusing and confronting for her. She still comes to me if she is hurt or sad and I cuddle her and she melts into my arms like a sweet babe...

I am trying my best to be sympathetic to her moods, and believe me, she is a very good girl most of the time. And there lays the problem.

One minute she's sweet as pie, and the next, she's doing her best Linda Blair impersonation, complete with the head spinning on its axis rendition circa The Exorcist.

She seems to take alot of her frustrations out on me, her primary caregiver, her mother who suffers the most.

She actually wakes up grumpy some mornings and I say to her "what the hell did I do to upset you in your sleep??"

I know it's very hormonal and because she has inherited the emotional side of my personality, sometimes her world is full of chaos. How much chaos can a 9 year old actually have?

If we have had an argument, and she has behaved unreasonably, she comes to me at night with a note and an apology...she is quite remorseful and teary and it breaks my heart that we have these issues..and we both promise to do better the next day.

And I constantly remind her that : even though we fight, I love her so much and I tell her the most important thing..and that is this:

"My darling, you made me a mother. I dreamed of you and wanted you for so long...I knew you were somewhere waiting to come to me..you are everything I yearned for and the minute you were put in my arms and I looked at your face, I knew you. I really knew you...

It was almost as if we'd met before...all these years I had waited to have a child, and as I looked at your beautiful face, I knew there and then that I would give my life for you...."

(The Hubbster and I have been together for 23 years and I had wanted to have a baby for as long as I can remember...)

The final word must go to The Hubbster who said to Miss D recently " You will make a very fine lawyer one day because you're very good at arguing"...

Touche..

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Day 21

Wednesday 13 November 1996

Hannibal to St Louis, Missouri, flying to Salt Lake City, Utah, flying to Los Angeles, California

My last day in America. I feel very sad that my trip of a lifetime is almost over.

This country has lived up to my expectations...the people, the food, the scenery....just amazing.

This morning we left Hannibal and drove to St Louis, the traffic was heavy and we were late. I was terrified I would miss my first flight to Salt Lake City...

I said a rushed goodbye to my friend, and jumped on the plane.

It was so cold and snowing and as I looked out of my little window, I saw workman on big platforms hosing the ice off the wings of the plane. I started to feel a bit anxious.....

As soon as the plane sliced through the clouds, the sky was blue and so beautiful..

It was a 3 hour flight from St Louis to Salt Lake City, and the scenery was breathtaking. The mountains around Salt Lake City were beautiful, all covered in snow. It was like another world, looking down from the window to this sight!

Salt Lake City airport is really lovely...after running for my first plane in St Louis, I now find that the flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles is delayed...which means I will be somewhat late arriving in Los Angeles for my international flight.

I'm starting to get a bit worried about this...but there are alot of red coats (Delta Airlines customer service agents) to help get me where I should be going...

I am alone, in America now, possibly late for my international flight to get me home.....it's a strange feeling...

I feel quite homesick and just a bit teary....

I'm delayed by over 2.5 hours, but our flight to Los Angeles is uneventful..apart from being put up the front of the plane and being told by the stewardess to "run when the plane lands, don't worry about your luggage, just get to the international terminal"...

I arrived at Los Angeles at 10pm, I only had 1/2 hour to get from the Delta Airlines domestic terminal to the international terminal...check in, find my luggage and get on the plane. There was an americian lady with me who was travelling to Australia, so as soon as the plane landed, we bolted.

I think we actually could have been hand in hand at that stage...but we ran from one to the next, I remember standing outside saying "I have no idea which way to go"...but we made it.

I climbed onboard and found my seat. With QANTAS....I was so relieved and so happy to hear some Aussie accents......

In the end our plane was late taking off because of thick fog and the backup of planes waiting to leave. I had no idea where my luggage was, or if I would see it again...I was so so happy to be on my way home....

I think I went to sleep right away...I was so tired...I just wanted to get home safely.....

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Day 20

Tuesday 12th November 1996

Hannibal Missouri

We spent the day shopping in Hannibal and I met another Australian named Kerrie who worked as a waitress in the town. It was strange to hear another aussie accent again, after listening to so many Americian accents!

I had my photo taken at Lovers Leap, in front of the Mississippi River, which was so amazing. It was very very cold in Hannibal, but the town was beautiful.

At night I met some of Mitzies friends, and again, I felt like a celebrity! I talked about Australia and they were very interested in my country.

I felt sad that I was leaving America the next day...my trip of a lifetime was almost over......

Vote for me......

Hello peeps! I've always wanted to write that!

I'd love it if you could vote for me here.

It's the Babble's Top 50 Bloggers, and I'd love to be included.

Thanks and chocolates in advance.....

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Days 18 and 19

Sunday 10th November 1996

Waverly Tennessee to Hannibal Missouri

We spent the day visiting Mitzie and Mishelles family, who were very welcoming to this Aussie! It was wonderful to meet these Americian families whose hospitality was so inviting....

We drove alot of the day, onwards to Mitzies town of Hannibal, Missouri, boyhood town of Mark Twain.


Diary Entry
Sunday 10th November 1996

We drove through Paris Tennessee, through Murray Kentucky, Paducah Kentucky, Northward to Mt Vernon Illinois, Westward to St Louis Missouri, Northward to Hannibal Missouri. Arrived at 9pm, we drove most of the day...


Monday 11th November 1996

Hannibal Missouri

Slept in today, I felt much better after coming down with a cold on my travels. Visited Walmart, yes I was actually THERE! and put all of my films in to be processed. Remember people, digital cameras were not the thing those days...

I met some of Mitzies friends and co workers and actually felt quite the celebrity! We did some shopping and just hung out...it was really really nice, and a change of pace from the tour I had just finished.

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Days 17

Saturday 9th November 1996

Nashville, Tennessee

My two new friends, Mitzie and Mishelle and I drove to Nashville, Tennessee.

We visited the Parthenon, a full size replica of the original, which was amazing and beautiful..and toured the State Capitol Building and the office of the Governor of Tennessee....

I was very fortunate to be able to do this, as an honourary aussie, and sat in the Governors chair and made a phonecall. Just kidding!!

The Governor of Tennessee at the time was Mr Don Sundquist.

Now do I look like the Governor of Tennessee??? Or just a very lucky Aussie?

Many thanks to my friends for making this possible. I don't think alot of Australians would have had this opportunity....

We walked around Nashville and had lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory....and finished off the day at the Opryland Hotel Atriums which were divine....

Thank you to my two friends for showing me these wonderful sights....

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Day 16

Friday 8th November 1996

New Orleans to St Louis, Missouri via Atlanta, Georgia

It was with sadness that I left the Contiki tour to embark on the second stage of my visit to America. The tour continued on to New York and I flew onwards from New Orleans to Atlanta, Georgia where it was very cold and overcast.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is a huge airport. I had to catch an underground train just to get to the next concourse! There was a Delta Airlines representative there to help me find my way, because remember people, I was now on my own in the big wide world of America!

It was thrilling and scary at the same time.

I was only in Atlanta for a little while and had a connecting flight to St Louis, Missouri. When I arrived, I met for the first time my pen pal Mitzie, whom I had been writing to for 12 months. It was wonderful to meet her and her young daughter.....

We drove through Missouri, and Illinois and had dinner in Mt Vernon, Illinois. That sounds so strange to me now! Dinner in Illinois, WTF?

We then drove through Kentucky and arrived in Waverly, Tennessee at 9.30pm. I can't believe we drove through so many states in the one day......

I was so tired, and I was coming down with the flu so off to bed I went, but not before meeting Mitzies sister Mishelle and her family, who we were staying with....

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Day 15

Thursday 7th November 1996

Tunica to New Orleans, Louisiana

It was pouring rain and I sat right up in the front of the bus today. We stopped at Jackson, Mississippi for lunch and headed towards New Orleans.

We crossed Lake Pontchartrain, which was amazing....from my friend Wikipedia:-

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, consists of two parallel bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana. The longer of the two bridges is either the longest or third-longest in the world depending on definitions, measuring at 23.87 miles (38.42 km) long.



It was very heavy rain, and it was hard to see the road in front of us. Which made it scary because we were on the middle of this very long bridge over water in a storm....

We arrived in New Orleans at 6pm and I sadly got ready for my last night out with the tour. I was to fly out to meet my penpal the next day, while the tour continued on to New York.

The French Quarter did not disappoint! Awesome much? We drank Hurricanes (and yes they taste as good as they sound) at Pat O'Briens and danced the night away....

I even managed to bring the long tall Hurricane glass back to Australia in my backpack in one piece!

Getting My Shit Together or November Followup

My Getting My Shit Together or November To Do List is going along well. You can see I've already crossed off numerous items but I still have a way to go. I'm actually finding it easy to get things done because they are listed here and I am kind of in a race with myself to get it all finished.

I did the bookshelf and the kids clothes yesterday. Here's proof.




As you can see, the kids clothes are stored in crappy, cheap drawers that fall apart and need to be glued back together. That's a job for today.

There are five of us sleeping in the same room, sharing, 3 small wardrobes and two sets of these crappy drawers.

I can't wait, I really can't, for our house to be finished, so everyone will have a walk in cupboard, complete with strong, hardwood shelving. I can almost taste the space!

Oh here's some pics from my travel series..

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Days 12, 13 and 14

Monday 4th November 1996

Dallas

We had a very busy and interesting day today, visiting Texas Stadium, the home of NFL's Dallas Cowboys. This place was huge...we toured the locker rooms and had photos taken right in the middle of the playing field.

The other amazing thing we did was to visit The Texas School Book Depository which encompasses The Sixth Floor Museum. The self guided tour gives you information and understanding about the events of November 22 1963.

The building is notable for its connection to the assassination of President John F Kennedy. We participated in a conspiracy tour and discussion and to this day, I believe there was a conspiracy - that Lee Harvey Oswald did not fire the bullet that killed President Kennedy, that there was another gunman and that there definately was some sort of cover up.

It was quite surreal to actually be there, where it all happened so many years ago. I felt very sad.....also.

We walked back to the hotel, through Dallas in the late afternoon, looking up at the skyscrapers, which was really wonderful.

At night we caught a tram called "Matilda" (from Australia) to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I love Dallas, it was and still is one of my favourite places....



Tuesday 5th November 1996

Dallas to Tunica, Mississippi

Travelled on towards Tunica today, stopping at a border town called Texarkana - the city sits on the state line between Texas and Arkansas. I found this fact quite amusing!

We toured through the State Capital Building in Little Rock, Arkansas, arriving in Memphis Tennessee at 5.05pm. Yes, four states in one day...again!! Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi!!!

After a quick drive around the amazing city of Memphis, we drove out to Tunica Casino where we were staying.

After a quick shower, we were back in the bus, heading towards BB Kings Blues Club in Memphis. Enjoyed dinner and an evening of blues music.


Wednesday 6th November 1996

Memphis Tennessee

Another of my favourite cities, Memphis was very satisfying. We spent the morning at Graceland. A very humbling experience to see the home of THE KING Elvis Presley.

And standing in front of his grave, and that of his mothers', I shed a tear. A most beautiful, serene moment that I will cherish forever.

In the afternoon, we visited the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, which was fascinating. The Lorraine Motel was where Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968, another fact that I find very sad.

We walked around Beale Street for the rest of the day, looking at shops and buying postcards. We visited the Peabody Motel, which is famous for its Peabody Ducks.

These ducks march to and from the fountain in the lobby, twice a day. At night they live in their royal duck palace on the hotel rooftop!

We went back to Tunica for the evening. Tunica is in the state of Mississippi, and we were staying there, rather than in Memphis. Tunica is full of casinos, and we had the pleasure of visiting some including the Hollywood Casino and Harrahs Casino.

Drinks are free, by the way, if you are gambling.

Check in tommorrow for some photos.

I won! I won!

I had a lovely surprise arrive at the post office today. The competition that I won, courtesy of Seven Cherubs was waiting for me.......

I just can't wait to snuggle up in bed and read this book....

You should check out Naomi's blog.....it's one of my favourites. She is an amazing mother and a good bloggy friend!

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Day 11

Sunday 3rd November 1996

Amarillo to Dallas

We left Amarillo at 9am and travelled towards Dallas, Texas. We had lunch at Wichita Falls and bought CD's at a cheap music shop. We arrived in Dallas at the most amazing hotel called The Dallas Grand Hotel.

It was very swanky and posh! As well as our Contiki group, there was a church gospel choir staying as well as delegates in a gay and lesbian soccer convention. Such a mish mash of colourful characters!

Had a quite evening, I did some washing and just relaxed. At 10.30pm a few of us went upstairs for a roof top spa. The spa was, obviously on the roof of the hotel and it was absolutely beautiful - on top of the hotel with the Dallas skyline glowing in the background.

I could hardly believe I was here.

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Day 10

Saturday 2nd November 1996

Albuquerque to Amarillo, Texas

We woke at 6am and went hot air ballooning. It was too awesome for words. The organisers even had a champagne breakfast waiting for us!

We travelled onwards towards Amarillo where we had a photo shoot at Cadillac Ranch.

At night we went to the most amazing place, the Big Texan Steak Ranch and danced and drank Cinnamon Shots at the Midnight Rodeo Bar.

Check out the links above, so much namedropping but I have to say that Texas was my favourite state. Without a doubt!

My Roadtrip: An Aussie in America Day 9

Friday 1st November 1996

Durango to Albuquerque Via Santa Fe

I wasn't surprised that I had a hangover this morning..they made us get up at 6.30am for a group photo. On the road heading for Santa Fe. We arrived around midday.

We had an amazing authentic Mexician lunch at a restaurant called The Ore House.

We shopped in the afternoon looking at beautiful indian jewellery. I loved the buildings in Santa Fe, the earthy tones of the adobe construction were beautiful.

We arrived in Albuquerque in the late afternoon, and again ate mexician food for dinner. My favourite!

We had a quiet night at the bar, drinking "Golden Dream" cocktails and just hanging out with the group.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

The month I get my shit together - or November

As promised a couple of weeks ago, I am posting my To Do List here for the month of November. I'm hoping I can use this month to really get on top of things, just in time for Christmas!

So I'm officially renaming November the "month I get my shit together". Care to join me?

Clean out the fridge. Seriously
Make my dental appointment
Update kids 5 year books
Order 2011 calendar
Exercise
Write that school letter
See school re above letter
Spend birthday voucher (6 months old)
Do up budget
Take one child to dentist
Clean out the freezer
Scrape tape marks from front new house doors
Write up calendar including dates from school newsletter
Read book to give to daughter re puberty
Clean out my wardrobe and drawers
Get some sleep
Start Christmas shopping
Spring clean kids clothes cupboards
Totally clean out bathroom cupboard
Organise Christmas envelope stickers
Buy Christmas wrap, tags, ribbon
Write up Christmas cards from me
Make Christmas cards from kids to their friends
Make and/or buy Christmas gifts for 3 teachers
Read Princess Bitchface so I can handle my tween
Get brand new sewing machine out of box and go to lesson
Clean out oven
Catch up on reading Southern Vampire Mysteries
Clean and sort out pile of crap on computer desk
Organise photos - save to disk
Organise videos - save to disk
Clean out bar fridge
Sort pantry
Clean and organise kitchen cupboards
Make kids job charts
Spring clean loungeroom
Sort out bookcase

Halloween

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

Halloween, Aussie style in America!