4th of July!

It doesn't matter where she flies, she looks beautiful! What a lucky girl I am to be able to enjoy the freedom, and liberty this far away from where Ol' Glory usually flies!

Hope everybody had a great 4th of July celebration and or weekend, depending on where you live. I was lucky enough to have my husband take me out to dinner. I also did a bit of cooking. I felt like crap, and still do, but will be seeing the Dr tomorrow, so should be on the mend soon enough. I made the Peanut Butter pie, and think I might try that tonight, if my taste buds are up to it! Yummy! I also made Apple crumble, Apricot crumble, butterfly cupcakes for my MIL, Black forest cake type things. . . And then collapsed. Managed to enjoy our dinner out, and went to sleep.
Had to cancel a lovely visit we were going to have with a couple friends on Sunday. And mostly stayed in bed. Had a good long nap too. Loved it!
Hope all is going well in your worlds!

2 July 2009

Well, I started mixed volleyball last night, and I think I am going to love it. It is pretty intense, and will hone skills, and speed. I am looking forward to a great season! So, now I have girls on Monday night, and mixed on Wednesday or Thursday nights. That is two nights a week of guaranteed exercise. Not to mention the walking, and stuff I am doing at work, too and from work, and all the ad-hoc that is added to my days. Now if only I could motivate GM. (heavy sigh!)

Things have been busy, and I am, almost worn out, but pushing on.

This weekend is 4th of July. That is exciting to most people in the US, and to me. However, it is the dead of winter here, and so GM is taking me to dinner in celebration. I think it will be lovely. I also think I am going to make Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie for myself, it reminds me of home, and I can eat the whole pie, because GM does not care for Peanut butter much. I think we are also going to put up the American Flag for the day, as we have the flagpole, and it is a celebration for me, and the country I come from! I am looking forward to it, and missing the celebration, bbq'ing, potato salad & devilled eggs. . . . Oh well, maybe we will celebrate it in the US next year, you never know these days!

Daddy's Day & Volleyball. . .

Happy Late Father's Day to all the Daddies out there. I am kind of lucky with that. I call my daddy three times a year to wish him Happy Father's Day. Sunday my time, Sunday his time, and then again, Sunday in September, when Father's day is celebrated in Australia. I also call him several times throughout the week I feel very lucky to be in touch with my dad so much.
Love you now & Always Daddy - Munch. . . .lol

So, lots of little updates I guess. . . .
Had volleyball finals. Luckily, we made it to the finals. . . . Then lost. Oh well, it was great fun, the team showed up over 20 minutes late, without matching tops, and it was kind of weird, because we were following all the rules, and they weren't, but they did outplay us, so that is fine. We will be better & ready for next season which starts next week. Also, I am joining a mixed volleyball team, with my current team members, and the umpire that usually trains with us on Friday nights. Looking forward to that. Evidently we will see how slow we are compares to the mixed teams, but that will train us to do better, and get faster. I am very excited. . . :)

It's About Me!

A survey I borrowed from Lap Band Girl. . .
1. First thing you wash in the shower? My Hair
2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Purple
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Yes- Often
4. Do you plan outfits? Sometimes, if I can be bothered. . .
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? A little tired. I need more weekend.
6. Whats the closest thing to you that's red? My red pens.
7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? I don't dream so much
8. Did you meet anybody new today? Yes
9. What are you craving right now? Sleep
10. Do you floss? Yes. . . but not as often as I should.
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Coleslaw- Yum!
12. Are you emotional? Sometimes more than others. Have been lately.
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? Yes
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? I do both!
15. Do you like your hair? Yes, I am lucky to have it.
16. Do you like yourself? Sometimes
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? Yes
18. What are you listening to right now? A local radio station.
19. Are your parents strict? Nope They were when I was in school, but I am thankful for the way they brought me up!
20. Would you go sky diving? YES! I still want to go with Carie!
21. Do you like cottage cheese? Only if it is with something else.
22. Have you ever met a celebrity? No
23. Do you rent movies often? No
24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? Nope.
25. How many countries have you visited? 5 in total I think. I still want to visit more!
26. Have you made a prank phone call? Yes, when I was young.
27. Ever been on a train? Yes, Daily. Lucky me(sarcastically)
28. Brown or white eggs? Doesn't matter. Fresh is best.
29.Do you have a cell phone? Yes, I now have a work one & a personal one. Referred to as mobile here in Australia.
30. Do you use chapstick? Yes, still using my last batch from Walmart.
31. Do you own a gun? Nope.
32. Who are you going to be with tonight? GM!
33. Are you too forgiving? Sometimes I think yes, Sometimes I think no!
34. Ever been in love? Absolutely- Still am!
35. Ever have cream puffs? Yes.
36. Last time you cried? Does a commercial, movie or song count- if so, last weekend
37. What was the last question you asked? Too many to remember.
38. Favorite time of the year? Winter
39. Do you have any tattoos? Yes- 3
40. Are you sarcastic? What do you think?
41. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? Yes.
42. Have you ever walked into a wall? Yes, with & without alcohol.
43. Favorite color? Purple
44. Have you ever slapped someone? Don't remember
45. Is your hair curly? No
46. What was the last CD you bought? I have no idea.
47. Do looks matter? Not to me.
48. Could you ever forgive a cheater? Yes, Trust again- probably not. Once a cheater always a cheater. . .
49. Is your phone bill sky high? No
50. Do you like your life right now? Yes- Things can always improve, but I am ok.
51. Do you sleep with the TV on? Preferably off, but GM stays awake longer than I do.
52. Can you handle the truth? Most of the time. I appreciate it.
53. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? Dislike- Maybe Hate- No.
54. How often do you talk on the phone? Too Often- for work & personal
55. The last person you held hands with? GM
56. What are you wearing? Clothes
57. What are your favorite top 3 animals? Wombats, puppies, whales & so many more!
58. Where was your default picture taken? In Washington State.
59. Can you hula hoop? I can Wii Fit hula hoop!
60. Do you have a job? Yes.
61. What was the most recent thing you bought? Last week- an ice cream, before going home on the train.
62. Have you ever crawled through a window? Yes.

Okay, your turn. Copy and paste, and let us know about you!

Solar

Okay, we did it. I got something I have always wanted for my birthday this year. We have committed to installing solar panels for electricity onto our house. I have always wanted to go solar, we installed a solar hot water system last year, and it is really good. Now we are adding the electricity.

Something really cool about it, is we can feed power back into the grid if we do not use it immediately. Then in June or July, the power companies will actually start paying people for the electricity they put back into the grid, or at least offsetting the current bill. This is all really great for a few reasons: Less carbon foot printing, so it's better for the earth. With power likely to double in price over the next little while, it will take the ouch out of it a little. I love the idea! Estimations are: we will save $208.96 off our annual energy bill. We will save 1.6 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year; which is the equivalent to removing 2 cars from the road or planting 80 trees. I like the idea more and more. . .

We lucked out, and got a great deal, and with the government contributions right now, it will pay for itself in under 1 year I think it was. Fantastic!
When I get pics, I will share.

A Man and His Dog!

How can you not crack up? These are beautiful pics!

GM and his faithful pup. I love them both immensely.

They both seemed to have the same expression. I thought it was fantastic!

I took some more!

I Love this Pic!

4 October 2008

4 October 2008, originally uploaded by melissakv.

This is a pic of GM & I on the Murray River October 2008

Okay, I am testing uploading my pics from a different site, as I am afraid I will run out of pic space on blogspot.

Yet Another Tree!

I love trees, as you might have guessed!

This one is lovely.

And the clouds made it even more spectacular! Peaceful & Alone

What do you think?

Our Trip to The Dairy Farm pt4

Our Trip to The Farm pt4 or On The Road Again!Ralphy- tuckered out from all the playing he did with Rosie.
Pit Stop- Necessary when you are travelling three hours to get home. . .

A beautiful little boy!

Are you done taking pictures yet?

The long road home. . . I liked our trip!

Our Trip to The Dairy Farm pt3

Cows-Duh. . . I really liked the way this pic turned out though!

We went for a walk, it was lovely!

GM snuck this pic in. . . :)

Ralphy made a friend. Her name is Rosie.

She kept him running!

This is Bruce, setting up the milking.

Eating on one side, while being milked on the other. They have about 80 cows, and some yummy cheese too!

Our Trip to The Dairy Farm pt2

Our family on the bed. Not a great pic, but I like it!

Open Fireplace- Loved it!

Here is where we took a long walk. Beautiful!

Ralph inspected everything!

I wanted to see him climb the tree. . .

Our Trip to The Dairy Farm pt1

This is where we went, it was about three hours from home.

Sue & Bruce were great hosts. I bought some cheese to bring home too! YUMMY!
Ralphy made himself at home. . . .
This is the gorgeous place we stayed.

It was really relaxing, and the hosts were lovely.

My Sleeping Beauties

Several things in life truly put a smile on my face.

One of them, is seeing my boys sleeping. One has no shame, and the other reminds me of a little kid drifting off to dreamland. Can you pick which is which? lol

I love you both, thank you for bringing me joy & brightening my world.

Rainbow- Updated 25/5/09!

Guess who this one's for. . . . Rainbow. . . .

I loved it.

I have no idea when you will get it, but if you would like to email me your address, that will get me one step closer to sending it to you
Hope you are well, and will write more later. . . .

I will add completed pics, when it is uh. . . . completed. :) Done

GM's Birthday Weekend!

Been kind of quiet lately, I have been really busy, and had lots going on, along with angst about Mother's Day. But, I am trying to come out the positive end of that now.

I have a new employer, which is kind of cool. I am still working in the same office, at the same desk for the same man, doing the same job, but the company that pays my remuneration is different. It was a little stressful getting it all done, but is all sorted now. Works for me!
GM got a year older on Saturday, and partly mid life crisis, partly ours was slowly falling apart, he got a new car. I will take pics, when I get a chance. It is really pretty, and way too fancy for me, but GM is once again in love with a vehicle. . . :) We took delivery of the vehicle on Saturday, and also went out for a big night on the town to see Wayne Brady Live. He is hilarious! He does "Don't Forget The Lyrics" and used to be in "Whose Line is it Anyway" w/Drew Carey. Absolutely fantastic! We caught the train into Melbourne, took the tram up to my work, as I had forgotten my cross stitch, and goodness knows i cannot live without it. . .lol Then we trekked back closer to The Arts Centre- Hamer Hall, where we were due to be. On the way, we stopped for dinner. GM chose Burger King/ Hungry Jacks for his birthday dinner. Then we took a leisurely stroll to where we needed to be. The show was hilarious. I love Improvisational comedy anyway, but this was great! Obviously there was no research on his audience, which actually worked rather well for this. Not knowing what a panel beater, Cootamundra and The Rialto were, made it even more funny. Loved it! Got home around 12:30am or so, and went to sleep after 1:20am. There was also a walk of Zombies on, when we went into town, not to mention the usual weekend night young people stuff. I am in the city everyday, for work-GM is not. That made for even more entertainment. . . lol
Made a roast dinner & White Chocolate Raspberry muffins for GM as a continuation of his birthday on Sunday. Muffins instead of birthday cake. He seems to like them alot. We went and saw his mom for Mother's day, that was really weird, but it went okay.
Guess we will see what the rest of the week has to offer!
Hope you are all well, and stay in touch!

Lori

Guess who this one's for. . . .
I thought you could use an angel, and this one's pretty cute! Hope you are well, and I will send this eventually. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Hope you are well, and know that i miss you too!

Carie

Because My Li'l Sis's name is spelled differently than most CARIE items you find preprinted, I have always tried to find or make stuff with her name on it. And right now, I thought a guardian angel would be good for her, we both know she has one, but this one she can see.
Love you Baby Brat!

Advance Australia- Updated!

I finally started this little guy on the 11 April 2009.

I think he is absolutely gorgeous. I changed a couple colors, to suit what I had available to me. And have since changed another color, but will put another pic in here, maybe before I post this tomorrow. . . I did not even think about the fact that tomorrow is ANZAC day, when I started him. But, it is quite appropriate. I would love to do a US Navy one in honor of my dad too.

Anyway, hope you like it!

Finished!