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well for 2012 that is.....

The corn is up and doing well.  The potatoes are turning yellow - though 1 is staring to have some new growth so who knows what that means.  My upside down tomato looks like it is dying.  I think it needs to be watered more often.  the 2 tomaotes out the front are doing ok.  Not as big as I thought they would get but they have fruit.

I just have to make the time to set up a watereing system for the front beds so that when we are away the eldest can just come home from work, turn on the timer and forget about them.  I made her water them last night - not sure she did a good job, but at least she did it.

Tommorrow I have to do said watering system, make rumballs (minus the rum), make pasta salad, make greek almond crescents and get some flowers for Dad.  Should be able to do that, so long as I don't get on here and start looking at things like this......

Just ranting

According to new age philosophy if I have something that is bugging me I need to write it down and burn it.  It works too - I have done that in the past.  It is really good when you feel you cannot tell the person involved (that's if someone is the cause of the bugginess as opposed to something).

So - in line with burning it (sending to the ether so to speak) I am going to write it all down here.

And you get to read it - sorry about that - you can just scroll down if you like.

How long will it take for a child to grow up?  I have a 24yo that seems to think that her bathroom is not her responsiblity to keep clean, that it's ok to have her bedroom look like a bomb has hit it.  I mean really.  Who can live in a place where the only floor space is a narrow path to the bed?  She has to step over things to get to the wardrobe.  Not that she really uses the wardrobe anymore.  Most if not all of her clothing is just chucked on the floor.  Last time I cleaned up in there I got 6 loads of washing off the floor and I forget how many small bags of rubbish (chocolate wrappers, empty drink bottles, biscuit packets etc).  There were bugs in the carpet!!  And she wonders why she gets migraines.  There is no room for clean energy to move around in that room; I have no idea the last time the floor was vacuumed.  She has a tendency to just buy new clothes all the time.  Sure she works in clothing retail and they have to wear current stock, but it seems jut about every 2nd day she comes home with more new stuff.  When I cleaned up I found 5-6 new things, still with tags on still in the bags she brought them home in.  oh and she winges that I have been in her room when I do clean it for her...  Go figure!

And the bathroom.....  there is her stuff all over the bench.  She shares with her younger sister and the bathroom is really only a ensuite bathroom - quite small and no bath.  The last time I was in there, which was only last week, the sink was BROWN and covered in bits of hair etc.  There was makeup and hair products all over the available space.  When I told her to clean it up I got this grunt/groan that she does when told to do soemething that she doesn't want to do.  I wouldn't want to brush my teeth in a BROWN sink - would you?  It's disgusting.  Their toilet often keeps running due to the dust/dirt on the top of the cistern, their shower is a mould beasts favourite house.  The floor is usually a light tan colour too - it should be white.  They both have a tendency to use fake tan spray in there - but not in the shower cubicle where the overspray is contained and they can hose it off the walls.  No they use it in the rest of the small room and it gets all over the floor...

Sometimes i think I really should be doing that - cleaning the bathroom and their rooms - for them.  After all I am the mother.  But then I think, f@#k it all, they're old enough to take responsibilty for the areas they use.  It's not like I am in that part of the house everyday anyway.  I rarely go there (it's upstairs).  And if I do it's usually go fetch the dishes and glasses they have taken upstairs as we have run out, or it's to fix the toilet from running.   UUGGGGHHHHH...

I learned yesterday that the eldest is apparently going to move in with a friend in a few months time when the friends house is finally finished.  The friend doesn't want to live all by herself and her partner works interstate.  I pity the friend...

Low Fat Cooking

Well I think I may have found the right-for-me low fat cookbooks. 

They have recipes that when you read the name you know exactly what you are getting - tonight is Chicken with Cashews for dinner.  It is chicken, cashews and vegetables - very much like what I would have made in the past but without all the fat.  These books are also suitable for diabetics - that's hubby.

They also have inspiring testimonials from people who have used them to lose weight; which is something I desperately need to do.

I was out shopping at a local small plaza the other day - it might be 500-600m from 1 end to the other.  As luck would have it, I had to shop at both ends.  Walking firstly down to the other end was a effort - getting back a major effort.  I wanted to have a sit down before I went back!!

I am unfit cardio-wise, overweight by heaps (I could probabaly halve myself) and have a sore knee to boot.  The knee is getting worse the older I get and I know my weight doesn't help it.


SOOOO......
Yesterday I only had half of what I would normally have for breakfast and much less than usual for lunch.  Today I have done the same.

It's a week to Christmas and I have all dinners already planned.  Here's hoping they taste alright.

Since we will be going away for 2-3 weeks over Xmas/New Year and I don;t cook whilst away I can probably write that time off in the low fat stakes.  The trick will be to not go 'what the hell' and just eat whatever.

Let's see how this goes......

I'm supposed to be

putting costumes away back into the storage shed for the cali club, but I really can't be bothered.  It's hot yesterday, today and tommorrow with no change in store until Monday. 

The costume shed is a MESS.  We have taken out lots of costumes to sell next year and they are all just plonked in garbage bags near the front of the shed so getting to the tubs to put things away is a pain.  You have to move all the for sale stuff first, find the tub you need (which is usually on the bottom of the stack) and then put the for sale stuff back.

I've already done 1 trip and I've got at leats 2 more trips to go beofre it is all away.

Maybe I can hide it at home here so hubby won't notice........

17 days till Christmas

and I haven't even thought of what to get for family gifts....

I better hurry up. 

Each year since the kids were born I have given them their own Christmas decoration.  That way when they finally leave home they will have a collection for their own tree that is full of memories.  I also do the same for my neice and nephew.

Last year I gave them all hand made ones.  This year my guys got hallmark ones and I think the neice/nephew will get another handmade felt one.  I just found a great small wreath ornament that won't break the bank or take too long to put together.

Now for gifts.....

I have 1 for youngest, 2 for eldest, none for middle (but he's overseas so he may just have to deal with cash), and ZERO for anyone else.  There's only 6 of the anyone else, but that still 6 people to organise a gift for and absolutley no idea on what to give them.  Plus there's the whole "what do you give someone with aged demntia who doesn't know you anymore" saga.  I did think of knitting a dog like the demented person (is that rude?) had as a young man, but not sure I will have enough time to do it.

Ohhhh decisions, decisions......

Photos

I was going to post some photos of the vege patch this morning - but I can't find my camera to even take the pics let alone post them.  GRRRR....

Most annoying....

So you will just have to visualise the following......

The upside down tomato is doing really well.  It has flowers and what looks to me like strong stalks.  I got a liquid feed the other day.

Out the front the corn seeds I planted have sprouted!!  I counted 10 out of the 18 that I planted.  Supposed to have a 99% germination rate - so maybe birds got the other seeds.  I will wait the weekend and put in some more if the others come up.

I also put in 4 pumpkins and 2 have germinated.  They are only tiny bits of green poking up out of the mulch at this point, but they're growing.  I now just need to keep the water up to them and give them a feed in a few weeks time.

The 2 tomato plants out the front have fruit!!  4 to be exact.  They are the smallest bushes but fruit has set.

I have been eating the odd strawberry too when I go out to water.  tiny little things but strawberries none the less.  Must remember to feed them too.

The rhubarb is going strong - well 1 plant is.  The other one is a bit spindly looking.  There is almost enough to harvest on the good plant!!

I should probably feed the spuds too.  The heat of 2 days ago didn't knock things around too much.  I thought everything would curl up and wilt, if not die.

Still haven't gotten around to transplanting the other tomato, capsicum, broccoli and lettuces yet.  Poor things........


When hubby painted the front of the house (downstairs outside) he removed what xmas lights I had up from last year and just plonked them in a pile in the garden.  Well last night I put one string over a Diosma and another in the Hibiscus bush.  They are both solar sets, so if I can get them both to work properly our front door area will look quite festive.