Is It So Wrong

Is it wrong to just want to be a housewife and not be paid for the jobs you do at home, to be just a mum (and perhaps a well known artist and a successful food business owner/operator) and be able to take your child to school and pick her up after school, to make her lunch everyday and prepare an afternoon snack for when she gets home, to cook dinner every night without being truly physically and mentally exhausted, to do the washing any time in the week instead of the weekend (because that is the only days off you normally have and no one else has done it and they don't care), to do housework a little at a time instead of all at once on the weekend (again because no one else has done it and don't care), and to just do whatever if you feel like it or nothing if you don't feel like it. Is it so wrong? I am not wishing anything because they say you should be careful what you wish for, but I do think a lot about the times I miss at home doing my own thing......like cooking up a storm......starting my food business which I have wanted for so long.........creating more art for personal gain and financial gain, spending more time with Zoe where I am not tired and had enough of school work, It would be nice not having to get up to go to work each day where I feel I am owned. I like my job, I am not saying I don't but there must be something more to life than going to work five days a week and coming home and doing the same old thing because you haven't got the energy to do what you want when you want. May be I am just tired, I am just getting over a rotten cold and after all it is nearly the end of term.....3 weeks left of school and school holidays start....One good thing to look forward to.......and then there is Christmas.........I love Christmas with all it's glory. Is it so wrong to want more time to do the things you really want?
Steph

Alex For Cooking Dinner

How much snot can you have up your nose or in mine and Zoe's case running out of our nose? Today I was meant to go back to work, thought I would feel well enough and same with Zoe, but we stayed home again as we weren't feeling all that great and our noses haven't stopped running. I should be grateful for tissues today as we have used loads of them but instead I am grateful for Alex (my son 18) who cooked dinner for the carnivores and saved me having to do it. Thank you Alex!
Steph

Staying In Bed

I don't know whether I gave Zoe her cold or she gave me one, but both of us are all germy and snotty today so we both stayed home to rest. Stayed in bed till lunch time and didn't even feel guilty. Got up did a couple of things, made some veggie soup to make me feel better and now I'm  back on the bed having another rest. Need it as I have to go to work tomorrow, whether I'm better or not. Can't afford not to. I suppose today I'm grateful that I can stay in bed every now and then, especially when I need it.
Steph

MYTH Play TURN

Tonight was opening night for MYTH's (Metung Youth Theatre) play 'Turn' where Zoe performed. The audience were all asked via email to dress up as Hippies as the play was about that. So Dave and I went all out dressing up and got Alex to as well even though he was a little reluctant. When we got there we expected the audience to be all dressed up, but we were quite surprised to see that no one had. The Director and teacher Annette was very excited to see that we had made the effort and even announced us and told off the rest of the audience for not reading the email which stated they were to dress up. We were late and would have had to sit all the way down the back but because we got dressed up as hippies we were rewarded and got front row seats. Fantastic it was, sitting up the front and being able to see Zoe perform and take photos of it all. Twasa Good Nigh!
Steph 

Good News, More Time, Bubble Baths

It's Friday and I'm feeling a little guilty that I haven't blogged since Tuesday, so here I am blogging and thinking of all the things I was and am grateful for these last couple of days that I didn't acknowledge here yet on this blog. So here they are:
I am grateful that Alex's blood tests results came back clear, I was getting worried and obviously don't want any of my children sick ever; I am grateful that my boss has allowed me to go three days a week next year and remain in a classroom team teaching with another teacher, this will allow me to start up the food business I have been wanting and allow me more time to create art work that I don't usually have the time or energy to do, and allow me more time with my Zoe; and last but not least I am grateful for candlelit soaks in our very luxurious claw foot bath, nice!
Steph

My Son Nicholas

Twenty two years ago my son Nicholas was born, my first child. Gorgeous, tiny, little thing without any hair. Got him home and when he cried at night I cried as well as I was new at this and I wasn't sure what to do. Today he has grown up to be a fine, honest, loving young man with a good head on his shoulders. I am proud to say he is my son! I love you Nick, Happy Birthday. I am truly grateful that you are my son.
Steph

Good Stuff

Good food, good wine, good family, good friends, good conversations, a comfy couch, a good show on TV and a comfy bed to retire into at the end of the day.
Steph

Effort Was Worth It

Wow what a difference a little effort or a lot in this case makes. Our bedroom looks amazing!
Grateful that the effort we put in was worth it!

Plain and a little boring.

Wow 

24 Hours In The Day

We have been so busy every day trying to sort our house and slowly but surely the piles of boxes have dramatically reduced to just a couple here and there. Today we will be picking up the rest of the floor so we can lay Zoe's floor and then move her into there, which then will leave the spare room free to finish off. I have to be grateful that there are at least 24.hours in the day coz we need as many as we can get.
Steph

Family And Our Friend Norm Putting In The Effort

Today I am grateful for my family and our friend Norm for putting in lots of effort in moving boxes and stuff from storage to our home, even though we have all had enough of shifting stuff. Now I can't wait for the weekend to open the boxes......it will be just like Christmas.
Steph

Dave Putting Our Bed Together

I have been so slack in blogging that I feel bad but it's not to say I haven't been busy. We haven't really stopped.....painting and moving furniture and boxes and there is still more to come. I am grateful for Dave for putting our bed together last night so we can once again sleep in it instead of a mattress on the floor. Thanks Darl.
Steph

Maria

Every now and then I think about my older sister Maria, I try not to think about her all that much because when I do it is sad and makes me sad, so when I do I try to avoid it. My sister Maria died when she was just twenty one years old and I was eighteen, yet the memories of the night she died are as if she died just yesterday. I sometimes miss her and quite often wonder what our relationship would be like if she was still alive. I would assume it would be a good relationship because it was good prior to her death, but then again my relationship with my younger sister is good probably more so because after Maria had died we learnt to treasure what we have and know what we missed out on with her, so we are closer because of it. So without further a do and without getting too emotional about it all, I am grateful for my sister Maria. Although I wish I could turn back time and make you all better and help you to live for a lot longer than you did, and get to know you, see you grow up, see you get married, see you have kids and all of that, I am grateful that by your passing it has taught our family to be thoughtful, to not hold grudges, to love each other and to tell one another often about how much we mean to each other, and to cherish our family and close relationships. So Maria, I thank you, I love you and I am grateful.
Steph

Me on the left, my beautiful sister Maria on the right

The two people I miss dearly, Maria and my Pappa

Getting Excited About Sitting Back And Enjoying Our Efforts

I am just taking five minutes from painting and laying floor boards. I have well and truly had enough of painting but it still needs to be done. I have helped Dave lay the floor boards in the lounge and spare room, but he has done most of the laying in the rest of the house. We have worked our back sides off this last few days. I have worked out that I have done around twelve full days of painting. I have had the last week off from work to complete it, however we are not finished. All the walls and ceilings are painted, some of the skirtings are now painted. Still to go are the skirtings in the hallway, Zoe's room, kitchen and study, as well as the window frames, door frames and doors. So much to do still and we are exhausted. The house still looks like a construction site, and we haven't got any furniture in yet, just our mattresses and some kitchen things. I am grateful that I can still cook in my kitchen and we don't have to sleep in the camper any more. I am really excited about finishing the painting and flooring so we can move our furniture and set up the house. It's going to look fantastic. Although we are exhausted and had enough, we are grateful that we can get excited about sitting back and enjoy our efforts.

Steph

I'm glad I can use my kitchen.
Today I made bread in my bread machine.

Lounge not quite finished.
Still using camping table and chairs for eating on.

Mum came up and helped a little

Haven't quite got the dining room I was hoping for.
Not yet anyway

Zoe's room

Me painting the skirtings.
Hopefully by backside will be tighter after all this.

Main bathroom

Dave laying the floor

Messy hallway at the moment

Still a bit of a mess but getting there

Our  bedroom nearly finished

Ensuite

Being In Our House

Being in a house.....our house, that is what I am definitely grateful for. Yay....no more camper living for me.
Steph

House Officially Ours

Got our keys to our house yesterday. Very excited about it. Cooked dinner in my new kitchen and slept in the house for the first time with some makeshift beds. Grateful it is now officially ours.
Steph

We put Zoe's mattress on top of the bamboo flooring boxes. A bit like Princess And The Pea.