The year of the big red hen...

The year of the kati Mac
Plans: house ?where?when?how
Ambos another when?&?Where (and Andy says why!!)
Teach English as a foreign language course some how and some where
Tracy (scottish) over in Dec for 2 mnths
Ciro (Itlian) over in Sep?
Moving place for work?
Doing one market minimum by self or with Trin!
Learning to Jive my way into intermediate class ;-)
More road side collections (and please please a house to put them in!)
Possibly a smooch off a handsome starger (he he he)
More surfing
More adventure sports
More dinner parties and just parties!
And much much more!

Sweet farewells

bitter sweet I think they are

the niceness of seeing friends

makes up for the bitter sweetness or farwelling them again

This wk I am bring house dreaming and longing for Tuscan hills...

Captured

My husband is amazing.  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. In so many ways.  Ways like searching the bedroom at 3 in the morning for a snake that had bitten me a few hours before when I got up to go to the bathroom (my dreams are WAY too vivid sometimes).  Ways like dancing to stolen music on the end of a pier, lighted by the moon and the glow of the streetlamps.  Ways like being so comfortable in any situation, like having dinner with a couple in their 70s and loving it.  He also sees things that I don't, beautiful things.  This is our weekend that we spent in Hobart a few weeks ago, through the eyes of my amazing photographer-husband:

The Size of a Large Heirloom Tomato

Week 19, the week we saw the kiddo.  The week that people started to realise that I was pregnant, not just bloated from too much lunch.  The week that even a good, hot Indian meal couldn't make it's way through my digestive system in a way that could be described as a hurry.  And the last week of the teens.  Half-way is coming way too fast.  Seriously way too fast.

A Riddle

What do you get if you cross a phone call about op shopping with a sister, a bouncy bed and a desire to avoid uni work?  An op shop jump photo shoot!  I pulled all my op shop threads out of the cupboard (except for a few pairs of jeans), got dressed and started jumping.  I hadn't realised how many new clothes I've acquired in the past little while until I was huffing and puffing my way through the pile (from all the jumping of course).  It's going to be a struggle to pack it all in my bag to head back to the farm next week!  Anyways, on with the show...Top: Scope Charity Shop, Chester (UK)

Tights: models own
Top: Lifeline, Wallsend (it's grey and stripey and I almost didn't try it on cause it was a size 12 but then Kt Mac convinced me)
Top: St Vinnies, Wallsend

Jeans:  Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop, Geelong (I LOVE this place, it's the one we missed out on Mum)

Scarf:  Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop, Geelong
Cardie:  Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop, Geelong

Breasts: models own
Cardie:  Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop, Geelong

Vest:  Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop, Geelong (with little iron-on Union Jack in the shape of a star to hide a hole that I somehow managed to make on the first day I wore it)

Top: Anglican Op Shop, Clarence Town (front)

(Back)
Top: Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop, Geelong

Brooch: kringloopwinkel, Somewhere in The Netherlands (it's a little bike, appropriate huh?)

Bag: Anglican Op Shop, Clarence Town

Body: models own
Top: Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop, Geelong (off the 50c rack, oh how I love thee HA Op Shop-although everything else seems to be around the $2 mark, not bad, not bad)

Fisherman's pants: St Vinnies, Macksville (and yes, that is a slight muffin-top at the side, they're a little tricky to get on with my expanding ways)

Top: Anglican Op Shop, Clarence Town

Pants: Lifeline, Hamilton (helped to fill a $3 bag)
Dress: Lifeline, Wallsend (and yes, I'm wearing it backwards, the sisters decided it was best that way)

Top/dress thing: Red Cross Op Shop, Geelong

What a stash!

Introducing the Kiddo

Or Andrew and Calli's Joint Craft Project, as named by Andrew.  We were prodded and poked and scanned yesterday.  Moo was mostly uncooperative, turning stomach down, laying on feet, not unclenching hands, hiding in my dark corners, jumping about all over the place.  But we got to see our baby for the first time.  Woh.

The Size of a Capsicum

This is technically a week late, although I did take the photos last week but never got around to putting them up here.  Week 18, the week we felt the baby kick.  We were in Tasmania and on Sunday night I was laying on my belly drifting to sleep when I suddenly felt 3 big somethings, kinda like having a manta ray flopping about in my stomach.  I'd felt movements before but I hadn't been sure of what they were (gas being the most probable!).  But these ones were undeniable, they woke me up and that's a rather big feat for someone of my sleeping abilities.  On Tuesday Moo was thumping about in there again and Andrew was able to slide his hand under my belly and he got kicked too.  I think Moo may be Australia's next great hope for Olympic trampolinist.

Snip-Snip

The haircut, including a mouth full of jatz, cheese and tomato.  Mmm.

I just had a haircut.  And one of the most intelligent conversations I've ever had with a hairdresser.  Definitely worth $10 I'd say.

Watch out for Sharks

(Randomly choosen photo from my sample photo's - 'cause it's autumn and all)
Conversations

We have all sorts of conversations here in this house. Some start because people mishear what is being said.
Exhibit A
Me: "Connor can you run and ask Mumma to get some bin bags from Coles when she goes?"
Connor: "Sure" (Connor quickly exits the house and catches Mumma before she zooms off in her car, then he comes back in and says)
"Mumma says that she can't get them at Coles, but perhaps she might find some on the side of the road."
Me: " Ah Connor what did you ask Mumma to get."
Connor: "Bean bags Mummy!"

Some conversations start because other people have talked to my kids about things and it is not clear in their head.
Exhibit B
Kenzi: "Mummy I think when I give birth I would like it to be a water birth."
Me: "Ah, Ok. That sounds like fun!"
Kenzi: "Mummy, we will have to be careful of sharks though."
Apparently after having a conversation with Aunti Strawberry about different sort of births you could have Kenzi has decided that in an ocean somewhere will be the best place to birth my grandchild! I guess that I will be there fending off the wild beasties while her husband keeps her head above water!
Yep, I love conversations and the way they give me insights into my kidlets crazy and wildly imaginative minds.

The Parentals

(Watching the ducky-birdy things that I can't remember the name of catching fish.)

(Wandering around the ocean baths.)

(Us 3.5 and a jelly fish from the ocean baths.)

Mum, Dad and I did get up to stuff other than taking silly photos while they were down here.  Although mostly it involved walking from one cafe to the next snack spot whilst taking silly photos in between!  

(I swear I fed him while he was down here.)

(No competition for Whoppa-Titty.)

(You look so pretty...)

(Flat capping, just for Gary Morgan.)

It was so nice to have them down here and to do a little exploring of Geelong with them.  Our days would start out on the balcony with Dad commenting on the ships coming and going through the bay and the pair of plubbers that were usually on the roof (he got a little distraught when only one was there for a few days).  Then there was wandering around the town/shops/water followed by lunch and then naps for Dad and I whilst Mum did mum things like iron Andrew's shirts and clean out the bottom of the dishwasher.  The afternoons consisted of much the same as the mornings and then dinner on the balcony with Andrew.  It was such a nice, chilled week.  

(Artistic representation of Dad's sheds.  Yep, he had some of the stuff in the pile.)

We did venture out of Geelong on Saturday and went into Melbourne.  We wandered around the Sustainable Living Fair in Federation Square most of the day and then headed to the Queen Vic Markets.  Unfortunately mostly everything was shut so Mum and Dad didn't get to sample all the delicacies I had been raving about.  However, it was even better because the few stall holders that were left open were wanting to offload the fruit and veg that they had left over.  For a grand sum of $7 (or maybe $8 or $9, I can't remember what Mum spent) we got, rough approximates: 8 kilos of plums, 3 kilos peaches, 1 kilo nectarines, 1 kilo tomatoes, beans, snow peas, red capsicums, zucchini, and 2 cabbages (and possibly other stuff I've forgotten).  The cabbages were funny cause a guy came up to Mum and tried to sell them to her for $1.  Mum said no because we couldn't carry them with all the stuff we already had.  The guy went away and was soon back and said she could have them for free.  Well, suddenly we could make room if they were free!  So 2 cabbages came home with us as well!  We stewed and boiled and chopped and froze when we got home and we're still going on the delicious haul that we brought home.

(Figuring out how to get our haul back to the car.  In the end, after offloading a few plums onto a friendly Canadian, we sat on a bench while Andrew hiked back to the car and came and picked us up.)

We've also still got a few stolen apples.  We did a few open houses on the weekend and each of the houses had apple trees.  Mum and Andrew were rather sticky-fingered and we ended up with some 'free' apples as well.

So, thanks for coming down Mum and Dad.  If we move here I think we should make a habit of it!

The Size of a Baked Potato

I think this is the week that things really started to swell.  There's no denying the tummy now, I wear a belly band most days cause it just makes it a little more comfortable.  

My tummy isn't the only thing swelling, I almost had to have my rings surgically removed yesterday as the heat had made my fingers balloon and only after a ridiculous amount of tugging and cold water would they budge.

I never realised how pregnancy affects so much more than the waist line.  My blood pressure is still plummeting at the most inopportune times.  We were all dressed and ready to go to church on Sunday when I got all woozy and then proceeded to sit on the bed and blub like a baby.  Andrew (after having a little bewildered laugh with me) undressed me and put me back to bed where I stayed sound asleep for over 2 hours (he came in to check that I was still alive, apparently I was).  My bag of smarties (thanks Mum!) and bottle of cordial go with me everywhere, especially handy when the woozies come on when I'm out in public by myself.

It's coming toward the end of week 17 and we're heading to the doctors tonight to hopefully arrange an ultrasound.  We're going to get to see our baby!

(Two pics cause my hair and jump height looked crazy-cool in one but there wasn't quite enough tummy showing, so that's what the other one is for!)

watermelon, Bubbles, Cricket and Face Painting

Connor and Kenzi

Just because I love them and they like seeing themselves on the blog!

Not Ian Thorpe

But his Mummy was just as proud.
This is my little man who was so brave. He didn't want to go in the 50 metre races. He wanted to go in the 25 metre. He is more of a cricketer than a swimmer. But he traded his cricket bat for his boardies and hit the pool.
And I am one proud Muma!

Teaching Dayz

The kids have been off sick...sore throats and runny noses. In between the rest times we have teaching times. Here is where we have taught Kenzi to battle the bullies - not really, but I would be scared and wouldn't touch her again if she looked like this. What do you think?