December

Who can believe we are into December already, I have got decorations up on the walls, although this year the tree is not going up really don't have the room for a tree, I do have a small tinsel tree that is sitting on top of the entertainment unit. Mostly I use the decorations that stick to the wall they are easy on and easy off, Tim complains about the expense but I generally buy them at the end of year sales when you can get them for -50-75% off the marked price. I also buy my Christmas cards at the end of year sale.

My daughters who I love so much really suck at Christmas decorations, they do not bother much if at all and that annoys me, they should be doing it for their children, Christmas is a wonderful time of year.  All my family know that I love Christmas and love to buy and give gifts to my family and I like to decorate the house and car.

Natasha wants to dye my hair, I am happy going grey as I don't want to worry about the cost of dying it regularly but she is insistent that my hair should be dyed, I also need to have it cut as I do not like long hair and  yes I know it isn't really long but for me it is so I am hoping Tim will cut it for me this afternoon.

The only birthdays we have in December are Blain's and Jonathon's first up will be Blain's which is next Saturday he will be 10, yes 10 bloody hell can't believe that he is turning 10, ok I can and do believe it why do we say things like that, he is turning 10 that is just the fact of the matter.

Also on the topic of Christmas decorations, I guess you could say I like to decorate myself for Christmas in that I often wear a Christmas Tee shirt and have Christmas ear rings and necklaces and I have a number of Christmas brooches I like to have matching ear rings and brooches also if I could I would have a matching necklace.

I also use Christmas writing paper for my letters at this time of year, I am also the one who does all the Santa letters for the young children in the family, why well because that is me I enjoy it, when Blain and Leo got their letters last week they were both super excited about getting a letter from Santa.

November 2015

Yes I am way late doing a November post, no excuse just forgot, so shoot me.

Anyway this month marked my parents 55th wedding anniversary and to celebrate I arranged a surprise party for them that we held at their house so mum and dad could both have a drink or two if they wanted to do so. Pretty much every one who was invited turned up which was good, with the exception of my mums brothers and their wives and also none of my sister Sue's children could attend. We all were pleased that our cousin Kristine brought her mum our Aunty Pat to the party we like it when Aunty Pat comes as we all know how much she enjoys the family gatherings. Aunty Pat is dad's sister his older sister she is a year older than dad and a year younger then mum.

Also this month was my birthday I turned 53, no party but did get some nice presents, Tim gave me $100 to spend on myself, Kathy gave me a $50 gift card from Kmart, Jessica gave me a new trolley for my laundry basket and Kelli gave me some photo frames and bath stuff the frames already have photos in them I just have to decide where I will hang them. Natasha at this stage hasn't given me a gift, my parents gave me a beautiful watch and a lovely pendant and some garden lights for my garden which I really wanted too.

My sister in-law Leigh, also had her birthday this month hers is two days after mine and the day before my birthday is Dave & Leigh's wedding anniversary.

From my birthday I dig out my Christmas jewellery and my Christmas hand bag as well as my Christmas shirts and of course the Christmas decorations go up, in fact yesterday I started to get the decorations up with the help of Blain, I think he liked helping me I still have more to go up haven't done the windows yet and I need to get some blu tack to put up some of them.

Natasha is moving home this month, she has given notice to the Dept of Housing and Tim and I have filled in forms to tell the Dept of Housing that she is moving back in here. She will be out of her place by the end of the month, she has got a storage unit to store her stuff as really only her bed and fridge are coming her everything else will be going into storage, ok her clothes and Blain's clothes are also coming here can't live without their clothes, (don't want them going around naked).

I will try and not be slack with next months post, I am thinking though as I write this that maybe I should do a post at the end of the month instead of the start of the month. I will think about it a bit more.

October

Hello October, we have a number of birthdays again this month starting with my baby sister Sandra on the 14^th then there is dad's birthday on the 16^th then we have a couple of weeks break before we have Sue on the 28^th and then Dave my baby brother on the 31^st.

Last month my mum signed up for Facebook, yes mum is now on Facebook via her phone my sister Sandra signed her up and mum has told me she is so happy that she did as mum has mentioned a few times to me that she has seen this or that on Facebook.

School goes back next Tuesday for the last school term of the year, school will break up around the 18^th December this year.

This weekend is a long weekend with Monday being Labour Day here in New South this is the day we have to mark the eight-hour working day for Australians, it also recognises workers' contributions towards the nations economy. It is an annual public holiday and its date varies across the states and territories. It is also the last long weekend of the year.

Of course I will be having Blain most nights starting from Tuesday night again this term with his mum still working at night as a cleaner. She would really like to find day time work as she is finding night work exhausting and she misses seeing Blain as she only sees him for half an hour or so each morning and this is also upsetting for Blain as well.

Leo is still suffering from jealousy with me having Blain so often but it isn't something I can do anything about, also I don't get to see my granddaughters as often as I see Blain but this is just the way it is at this time, things change all the time.

I have started getting Christmas presents online as I do every year, in fact I start Christmas shopping on Boxing day if not earlier. I love to give and it annoys me that Tim doesn't get that I am a giver.

Oh yeah I know that October is when some parts of the world celebrate Halloween and yes I know there are some in Australia who celebrate it but not me nor my family as for us it is not an Australian thing. 

Ok that is all for this month, not much is happening at this month.

September 2015

Hello September, and yes I know you are half over and I am sorry for that but I have been either to busy or lazy to write this post but I am doing it now so don't complain.

Anyway what does September mean well like most months of the year it means birthdays, starting with Hayley's she turned 3 on the 9^th and then Kathy-Lee turned 30 on the 10^th and Denni will also be 3 on the 15^th. I know that Samantha had a party for Hayley but I didn't attend, wasn't invited but that is ok I am not bothered by that and Sandra is having a family party for Denni next weekend which I will attend.

I had a party for Kathy-Lee yesterday, there was about 16 people here from both sides of her family, as in her side and her partner Michael's side, as I invited his parents and brother and sister in-law, his brother couldn't attend as he is away working.

Michael had gone away camping but it was only 45 minutes away and after Natasha told him off and his parents said something to him he decided he would come back from camping to attend and the whole thing was a surprise for Kathy.

Although she did say at one point she had wondered why I had made so much food and why dad (Tim) had cleaned the lounge room, and by clean I mean he took everything and dumped it in either the spare room or his room/office.

Everyone seemed to have a good time and of course there was plenty of food, as I was up at 6.30am I went for a walk and bought bread and shredded ham they didn't have diced bacon and after returning home I made a potato bake and a chicken and bacon pasta bake along with home made fried rice, snags and of course bacon.

There of course was cake this cake in fact and it tasted pretty good I bought it from a local supermarket that does cakes so it was both nice and affordable.

Also in September is Tim and mine 31^st wedding anniversary so that is September in my family.  

August 2015

Been a while since I have done a post here, I had decided to not do any more newsletters but  have changed my mind and decided I will do a post here at the start of each month starting with this month. 

Since the last newsletter we have an another addition to the family with the birth of Kelsi Jayne who was born on the 7th May 2014 she is the first child of Kirsty and Jacob. 

This year I have gone back to having a grandchild staying here many nights a week, Blain is here often from Monday to Friday nights except for Tuesday night when he stays at his place with Jessica and Leo, Jessica goes home after Natasha gets home from work. We also have Leo here at least one night a week usually Saturday night, this is because Jessica wants to have a break from Leo. 

The reason I have Blain is because Natasha is working Monday to Friday at night as a cleaner, she doesn't like the night work and would love to be able to find some kind of day work but she is at least happy to have a job.  If Jonathon isn't working he will have Blain but since he is a security guard working nights and he also doesn't live local any more so he only has Blain when it is possible. 

Blain is missing is mummy and daddy and wishes he could see them more, Natasha only gets to see him of a morning before he goes to school, she always takes him to school so she can spend so time with him each day. Of a weekend if he isn't going his fathers he spends time with his mum, it is hard for him to adjust but he is getting there. 

When he is here Blain sleeps in/on my arm chair since he has started doing this we decided to get rid of the old mattress that was on the floor in the spare room. at some point we will get another bed or maybe a lounge for that room. However, it isn't high on our list of things to do. 

At the end of the month the 23rd exactly Tim and I will be going back to New Zealand for a weeks holiday this time we are going to fly into Christchurch and see the bottom half of the South Island.  Tim keeps telling me that it is going to be bloody cold this I know and for whatever reason I am not concerned about that I will deal when we get there. This will be our 3rd trip to New Zealand and I never wanted to go there to start with and now I am looking forward to our third trip there.  

First Newsletter of 2014 part 1

A New Year A New Me

Yes it is a new year and in fact we are five months into the year and I am only just starting to think about a new newsletter but what the hell my life is so bloody busy that it is amazing at times I remember to do anything other than what it expected of me day in and day out.

This year I decided to try and lose weight, I wanted to lose around 20 kilos by the time Tim and I go to Hawaii in September, at the start of the year I was 103.7 kilos and my aim was to get down to around 80-83 kilos, hell it still is and so far I am doing ok it is slow going but the weight is coming off.

I started walking again at the start of the year, the first day I went out I found it really hard to get to the end of the street but I stuck with it walking around the block but it really took a lot out of me. I am still walking and have increased the distance I walk so I am happy, I intend to stick with it. I am now down to around 95 kilos.

Diabetes and Me

As some in the family know I have had problems with my diabetes this year, my BGL's have been up in the teens often it was around 14 when I got up of a morning and for those who do not know it should have been around 4-5, after eating my BGL would often go up to as high as 18 it should have been around 8.

I went to the GP who wasn't sure what to do so he referred me to see a specialist at the Royal, the GP was thinking of starting me on a drug called Byetta but wasn't sure if I should continue taking the Diamicron and Junvia or if I should stop one of them.

Anyway I saw the specialist on the 11^th April and he started me on a drug called Victoza which is like Byetta but you only take the Victoza once a day the Byetta will need to be taken twice a day. I have to take the Victoza for a month and keep a record of my food intake and my BGL's and when I go back he will decided if I should start the Byetta or not.

Since I have been on the Victoza my BGL's have been better still not normal but better usually between 8-11. Also the Victoza has an appetite suppressant in it and I am eating less as I am just not that hungry most of the time.

On the Job Front

What can I say about jobs, well I still don't have one that pays but other people in the family do such as Jessica she has a job now driving special needs children to and from school for Newcastle Limousines, she likes the job.

Tim is still driving buses for Hunter Valley Buses although he still isn't on full time or permanent much to is annoyance.

Natasha is still looking for work as a hairdresser but other then that I know nothing since she doesn't tell me much about her life.

Kathy is still working at the service station but has been studying child care, she wants to work in child care at some point, she has finished her on line studying and now has to do her work placement which is like work experience as she doesn’t get paid to do it she has to do 120 hours of work placement.

Jono is still working in security but would rather get into youth work remind you of anyone.

Michael lost his job earlier in the year and has been trying to get his own business up and running he has a web site which can be found here: http://www.tekdoffwebsolutions.com.au/

I know things have been hard for both Kathy-Lee & Michael and I know that Kathy has often been worried about money and mummy wishes she could do more to help them.

Houses & Homes

Do you have a home? Sounds like a simple of course I do question right, however, not all in the family have their own home. Sue was lucky to find a place of her own in December moving into a flat in Charlestown on Charlestown Road in the same block of flats that Kathy-Lee lived in when she first moved out of home it is a small one bedroom flat but it her own place and she is happy to have a place at long last.

Kelli has been homeless for over a year now and has been living with me and Tim since last October and I have to say I have liked having her with us although she is now looking again for a place.

Recently she has been staying at her mums flat while Sue has been in Queensland with Kirsty have to say the house is very quiet without her here. I have been missing her and Daemon something fierce.

Babies and Toddlers

In our family there always seems to be a new baby coming along, and this year is no different, Kirsty is due to have her first child any time now and Sue is in Queensland with her awaiting the birth of what will be her 5^th grandchild. Kirsty has decided to name her baby girl Kelsi Eve.

The family is full of toddlers and preschool children as well with the terrible trio who all will be starting school next year can you believe they are all 4 years old now. All so different and all so the same at the same time.

Then we have Daemon who is now 2 he loves to play with his brother Blain and his cousin Leo when those three boys are together they are a hand full and will often be running amok. Daemon also loves to play with his cousin Summer when she is here with me.

Summer who was the baby of the family is now 1 year old and such a daddies girl, she seems to me to prefer males, she loves her papa and prefers him over nanna any time. Also Summer doesn't like Jessica much for some strange reason she will cry whenever she see Jessica, honestly as soon as Jessica looks at her she will start crying.

Other Children

Now let's move onto some of the other children in the family.

Isabel is now turning 10 and she into Monster High and loom bands.

Holley is now 8 and she is into lala loopsy and Adventure Time then we have,

Lenny who is turning 5 this year and he is still into wrestling and likes Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Leo is now 6 and he also loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Adventure Time he loves Transformers he is growing up so much but he still loves his nanna and papa and loves to come here once a week,

Moving onto Blain his is still “my Blain” but he often doesn't like to come over for the night, he gets bored and wants to go home but he likes to come for a visit and stay for a while then go home. Blain is now 8 turning 9 this year.

Sandra's step son Zac has been living with her and his dad a bit this year and has even come to Friday breakfast a few times it has been nice to see him. He loves his little sisters so much and it is so plain to see when he is around them.

Dawson is now 15 wow where has the time gone I can remember when he was born, he of course still lives with his nanna and pop and goes still to Wakefield school 5 days a week and he loves spending time with his little cousins Temika & Denni and adores his little sister Liarna and his little brother Landon.

I am sure I have forgotten some children but hell there are so many I can't be blamed for forgetting one or two.

Newsletter Christmas Edition

         

Happy holidays from our family to yours!

Well another year is drawing to a close, and that means and end of year newsletter from yours truly.  There have been births, and baby news and moving of homes and becoming homeless for some. It has been a good year, a hard year and a so so year for some.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my family a great Christmas and a happy and safe New Years. 

Babies & Milestones

As all know in February of this year I became a grandmother for the 4^th time with the birth of Summer Dawn.

Recently Kirsty & Jacob discovered they were going to become parents next May and for those who do not know they are having a little girl.  This will be the 5^th grandchild for Sue.

Denni & Hayley reached a milestone with their first birthdays back in September, how the time fly’s by.

It seems that each year I our family grows in number.

9k

The matriarch and patriarch of the family now have 17 grandchildren and 9 great –grandchildren.

Do you know who should have a baby Tina she would make a great mother.

Moving homes and being homeless

This year Kathy-Lee and Michael have bought a house out at Maryland, with the help of his parents.

Sue has moved in with Tina & Tyler again, just so she cannot be living with her parents at 44yrs of age.

Kelli & Daemon tried living with Jono at his mums place but it didn’t work out and she has been left homeless. Recently she went to Queensland to visit Kirsty and Jacob for a bit over 3 weeks. She was going to stray with Heather & Paul but that didn’t work out.

So most of the time she is either here with me and Uncle Tim or with Jessica.

I wonder why it has to be so hard for a person to find a place of their own, so many places are out of the reach of many they cost so much and there is often a lot of people applying for the place. Sue has been trying to find a place of her own to rent with no luck either.

Then we have Jessica who would like a transfer to a place closer to me and her dad.

Also recently Sandra was offered a Dept of Housing place in Windale but she turned it down as she said she wouldn’t feel safe living there. I hope she doesn’t have to wait very long to get offered another place.

Vaughan has broken up with his girlfriend Hope so I wonder if he is going to be looking for somewhere new to live. I would think it would be awkward to still live in the same house as an ex. 

Child Care 

Well for those who do not know Kathy –Lee is studying child care now she wants to work in child care; in fact she has wanted to work in child care since Sydney-May was born.  She is doing the course online and is still working at the petrol station 3 days a week. Next year she will be doing her work placement at Sydney’s day care.

Next year Summer will also go into day care but a different day care from Sydney as the place Sydney goes to is full up and do not have room for her. This means I will not have Summer next year and yes I will miss her but at the same time I do think it will be good for her to be around other children her age.

Kelli would also like to get Daemon into day care one or two days a week so he get mix with kids his own age as well.

Let’s move onto preschool, well the day cares that Sydney, Temika and Liarna go to double as preschool’s so they will not have to change places to attend preschool. However , Lenny has not gone to day care so next year he will be starting preschool. This is a big thing for Heather  her baby boy is off to preschool and before she knows it he will be off to big school.  His preschool is just down the road from their house and just across the road from his sister’s school.

This year was Little Leo’s first year of big school, it was a rough start for him took him a while to settle in but he is doing much better now. Although Jessica would like to move closer to me and if that happens it will mean Leo having to start a new school all over again next year. It would be better for Jessica to be close to me when she gets a job as  then I may have to take him to school and pick him up of an afternoon. 

The Job Front

On the job front we have Tim still trying to get on full time at work, he has now been knocked back around 7 or 8 times.

Leigh this year changed jobs she is now working in aged care and as far as I know she loves it. She just got fed up with the last job and felt it was time for a change.

Jessica got her drivers authority this year, she would love to drive buses like her dad but it costs around $1000 to upgrade her licence and she doesn’t have that type of money. 

How about a hair do

Everyone in the family knows that Natasha has had a way with hair since she was a child, well this year she decided to do a hair dressing course at Tafe.

Of course she passed the course and has been trying to get an apprenticeship without any luck if she doesn’t find one she will do another level of hairdressing next year.

This year she did styling and dying and had different family members in as models.

Most of the family has thought she would make a great hairdresser. 

Let’s say “I do” 

On the 10^th of August after many years and three children together Heather and Paul became Mr & Mrs Lanesbury. The wedding was held in their back yard and what a wedding it was wonderful the bride looked so beautiful. It was a very relaxed casual wedding and has to say this aunty enjoyed herself. The girls Isabel & Holley looked so pretty and Lenny was very smart. The food was prepare by Kelli and it was bloody good, the cake was prepared by someone else don’t know who but can tell you it was yummy. I hope they have many wonderful years ahead of them.