I cant believe it's all over!

Well, here we are, BOXING DAY already! Where has December gone? Christmas day, has been and gone, everyone is totally happy with this years pressies and peace reigns in the Youd household (for a few days anyway!). A big surprise for us on Christmas eve! Rosso, Lukes mate who is like a 4th son to us, walked down our driveway!! (he moved to Ingham about 18 months ago or more), I was only saying to Luke the day before, how much i missed him coming for his Christmas Dinner (he was bought up Jehovah, and had never had Christmas before he met us, he has spent every Christmas day at our house for the last 4 years, I felt overwhelmed that he had driven down especially to be with us! and to make it all the better, i had no idea!!)

Cameron received some (much needed?) PSP accessories and games and of course..the guiness book of records! Aaryn finally got his batman blaster and Hero guitar (which is one of the best sony accessories and i just love it!).

We had a great day starting at Tina's for Brekkie, Where Poppy, dressed as Santa and seemed to really enjoy his new role in life!! (very worrying lol)

then over to Hayley's for lunch and then back to ours for dinner! why do we just seem to eat all day?

Finished the day with the traditional Poker match! (hayley bought gary a poker set, so the 'boys' were very professional this year LOL.. (photo, Gary

, Rosso, Luke, Tina's head and Zeb)

I always feel a little sad on Boxing day so see Christmas gone, this year is the same, although not as bad as we get to do it all again in 2 weeks when my brother arrives!!...

It will soon be time to take down all the lights outside, but we'll leave them on for another week, AT least it's not going to be so hectic as it has been and we'll be able to relax and enjoy the Christmas season, hopefully do something nice new years eve with all the kids!

In regards to our wishing well, we have raised in excess of $300 for the precious babies at NGH, so will leave the well out until after new year, for passer's-by (we had heaps in last night, but left them to their own devices, we needed time out lol)..

I think to date, Christmas 2006 has been our best yet! Good friends, family and lots of love, that's the secret!!

Love this pic of Aaryn..the kewl dude he is!!

TA..DA..

and here is the finished project!!!...well most of it..you cant see the 8ft santa's on the lawn to the right of santa's workshop (aka the garage lol).. lights on the roof, move,and you cant quite see the blue drop lights that go along the front of the house between the blue poles..nor can you see the G'day Mate sign behind the palm tree, shall put in more photo's later, i was just learning how to use camera with aperture and some other technical term tonight LOL...

FINALLY

Fairy lights finished!

The end of painting the lights has arrived. I've painted 2050 bulbs this year now all that's left to do is put them up. I've just put the igloo into the garden and Gaz has to get on the roof and put up Santa and Rudolph and the other Santa in the chimney..The fairy goes on a 20ft pole to go up the 30ft Christmas tree in the front yard!!! BUT as luck would have it..it's too windy to get on the roof or put a pole up, so he's having the day off work tomorrow, hopefully it will be done then. That's it then, finished, ready for the big tour to start on Saturday!!..bit excited this year as a little birdy told me the newspaper is coming to surprise us with a little interview, quite famous, We've already been mentioned on the radio as we are fund-raising for the hospital and they arranged a little announcement to get the ball rolling!! which reminds me. THE WISHING WELL, has to be pulled out and put in the front garden with the signs around it. I guess everyone is sick and tired about hearing about the lights but to be honest, that's all that's happening here at the moment..give me til next week, then it's 3 of the 5 kids birthdays ..YES..3 of them in the space of 6 days!! Hayley on the 15th, Tina on the 20th and Cam on the 21st!! not to mention Monika (adopted daughter of sorts!!) on the 19th and her Citizenship ceremony on the same day..an exciting time for everyone!!... 20 MORE SLEEPS TO GO and then it's all over for another year!! (and still no presents bought, how slack i have been this year indeed!!!)

just an ordinary update!!!

Not a lot happening in this household other than LIGHTS, LIGHTS and more LIGHTS! we still haven't finished decorating but have to be by Friday ready for the start of the Wonderland of Lights tour!! I'll be painting light bulbs until new year the way i'm going, i'm still to paint the 6ft fairy and the 6ft santa going down the chimney, touch up some of the ones already up and paint the igloo doorway!! shouldn't take too long LOL...I'm going to work out exactly how many lights there are later too (just a bit of mathematics, Cameron will help me,!!! you get sick of people asking how many and just saying..A LOT..so this year i'm going to stump them by giving them a number LOL..) We are collecting for the Special Baby Care Unit at the hospital, so hope we can raise lots of $$ for them. Had the kids carols last night, we lasted 45 minutes! Absolutely DREADFUL, had to have them in the highschool hall because of rain, it was hot, stuffy and far too noisy, trying to fit a whole school into a far to small area, kids running riot, and the school band that they had were just woeful! couldn't hear the kids for the noise coming off the school, the classes were to have gone onstage at 5.30 at 6pm we were still waiting for the wretched noise makers to get off the stage so kids could get on..Usually our carols are one of the best around, but the last 2 years have been shocking..wont be going next year if they are in the hall, BRING BACK THE OVAL i say!!!..Cameron was pleased to leave as well, he said he wont go again!! Aaryn was not to pleased to say the least, he was having fun playing on the oval with his mates, and couldn't understand why we were so hot and frazzled..(probably because the man sitting beside me who i didn't know, was clapping so loudly, singing along to the songs just as badly as the kids and gave me a migraine) to add insult to injury, Miss Emily, decided that nanna's boobies would make a really good chair, so promptly, stood on my legs and then plopped her bottie square on them, she was the only comfortable person in the room LOL..when trying to get her off, the man beside me had a thrill, as my top came down with her and the 'seating arrangement' was revealed to all!! shall update with some photo's of the weekend later, i'm off to Tina's to do a bit of much needed christmas present scrapping now!!

Starting early!

This year, we have put up the tree a bit earlier than usual (well only 4 day's i'm sure nothing bad will happen)..we've just got so much on Friday that i'm sure we wouldn't have time to do it..what with outside to light up, and everyone coming to see that..The boys had a ball doing it, with absolutely no interference from mum! (which was really hard, but i didn't..ok i did..just once..i put my scotland and paris ornaments where they could be seen LOL)..have to yet put a little ribbon on the back of my little welsh doll and scottish doll to be used as a decoration too!! The boys did a really good job, it was funny to watch them step back to admire, then tweak and remove ornaments too close together..I thinkthey must be growing up!

It was Cam's turn to put the Angel on the top which he did just fine!!..

(probably not as lavish as other tree's but it's ours!! plain and simple!!)

The countdown to Christmas has begun. Today I got out the tree and Hayley made it all straight and tidy ready for me to mess up with decorations. Couldn't resist taking a few (well 30) photo's of the delightful Miss Em, just loved this blooper, which turned out quite cute...Emily trying to blow out the xmas lights!!! Aaryn was being a little snot today, so out came the telephone to ring the big fat man. I was having a very animated conversation with Santa (him and i are great friends you know), when suddenly the phone I was holding, rang!!! oh the embarrassment of it all..I've never been caught out before..and by the likes of a little snot too!!he had rung the house phone from my mobile to see if i was really on it, me thinks he is getting to old for THAT trick!!he hasn't let me live it down at all..I shall get him though...my brother is on standby, with his santa voice ready!!..It's a well known fact that I love everything Christmas..We had a test run of the lights extravaganza tonight and have to admit to feeling a little choked up when the kids went AWWW dad, it's fantastic..and we haven't even finished putting them up yet..Quote of the week has to be miss Em, when leaving the house today..looked at poppy, put her hands in the air and proclaimed..I JUST LOVE IT...I LOVE IT ALL...IT'S LOVELY!!! just too cute!!

birthday photos

what do you think??

SO,..what do you think of the new blog look?? i kinda like it!!..and clever me worked out how to replace music AND i'm finding the new beta blogger much easier and user friendly!!!

Birthday Fun

I had a wonderful birthday last week..lots of goodies came my way..a massage chair off gary and the boys, box of choccies off the boys...Tina made me the cutest photo box and gave me an assortment of goodies from the LSS. Hayley and the kids presented me with a beautiful vase with stick things in it!(how technical am i!!)..2 blue cannisters off Chris..beautifully decorated letter T off Tassie Deb...some beautiful earings off my adopted mother Heather, hand decorated card of adopted aunty Jenny and a $20 gift voucher for LSS off Jackie!! (with which i bought my photo album for my BOM. A party was had at daisy's, all the girls were going to be there..imagine my surprise when, out of the blue i heard a voice yell at me across the room..DONT JUST STAND THERE, HELP ME GET MY STUFF IN HERE!! i looked up to see Chris standing there, with the biggest grin on her face..I just froze, burst into tears and couldn't believe what my eyes were telling me.(see the photo, you can tell i've been bawling LOL) I hadn't seen her since swig, and she drove down after work especially to surprise me..WOW..even Tina never told!! (she actually avoided me for a couple of days so she wouldn't tell me LOL).. Jackie bought me a mud cake YUMMMYYY...photo's were taken..posed even LOL.. I sure wont forget my 46th birthday for quite a long time i reckon!!!.. ok having probs with naughty blogger uploading photos will post them later!!

Restaurant

The name of the restaurant was.....THE NAKED TURTLE...Kings Beach....YUMMMMMMMMM

WHAT a Night!!!!

Sunday night was one of the best nights out EVER (dare I even say, more fun than Michael Crawford concert! and that's saying something!).. First we went out for a nice dinner, just the 2 of us at The Naked Turtle at Kings Beach..the GARLIC PRAWNS are a MUST HAVE..just thinking about them makes my mouth water, reasonable prices too and the main courses were FANTASTIC (i had boring FishnChips, but they were the best i've ever tasted and so much!!)..Then we went to the Cultural Centre to pick up our tickets and wait for the Smokie Concert to start. First there was this guy singing (whose name i cant remember, Dennis someone) he was WOEFUL..he sang a song about going to the river to drown or something like that, i remember thinking..if he doesn't stop singing, i'll personally take him to the river and drown him. LOL..then on came Phil Emanuel..WOW WOW that man knows how to strum a guitar...AMAZING...then the highlight.,..SMOKIE!!!!!...WOWZERS!!!! They haven't lost any of their appeal, charisma, vim and vitality at all, I dont know where they get their energy, but boy do they know how to have an audience eat out of their hands.. They had us singing with them, up in our seats dancing..YES they even sang ALICE and everyone at the appropriate moments yelled out ** who the F**k is Alice** just like my cousin said we would LOL..oh so funny..I was so pumped..was a bit reserved at first because there was a man sitting beside me and he told me before the concert he hoped i wasn't one of 'those' women who liked to sing and dance along with the group..(and it wasn't gary) after about the 2nd song i thought, stuff you mister, i paid for my ticket, i'll sing and dance if i want to..SO I DID!!... NO camera's were allowed in the venue and those who did take them in paid the price of having them confiscated and photo's deleted..(tut tut)..another funny thing was this woman in front of us, during the 2nd song, started to crawl out of her seat, and had some sort of hysterical turn in the aisle..she lay down, thrashing about, overcome with it all SO FUNNY..the security guards came and sat with her for a little while but she couldn't be removed from the place..then she sat quietly on the steps, inching her way down to the floor area..Every now and again, the lights would come on so that we could all sing with the Band, she would sit up very straight and yell out to them..(so embarrassing lol)..during the last 2 songs which were the loudest and longest of the night (and most fun), she started to crawl her way to the stage, much to my amusement. i was in fits of giggles..the band noticed her and made a signal to the security, by this time i was nearly wetting myself laughing at her (I mean, she was at least 60, the stupid woman)..with that the Police came in, SMOKIE started to sing REALLY Loud..the lights dimmed down, and she was taken out, the lights came back up and they sang the final song of the night (Alice)..much to everyones delight!!..then they stayed onstage and shook hands with as many people as they could..WHAT LOVELY GUYS...i shook one of their hands, was so in shock i cant remember which one I think it was Mike the lead singer!!..had a kiss blown to me bySteve the Drummer, (because i blew him one!!). .. And had a Wave off Terry, (the original smokie!!) and off Martin (keyboard)...and had a thumbs up off the ever so sexy..Mick..(guitarist..)..so all in all it made for a terrific night i wont forget for a very long time..ROLL ON FEBRUARY 08..when they come back again...I'll be there, camera hidden!!! ready for after the show!!!...oh and yes..i did buy a cd.. but NOT the tshirt LOL..dont think i'd look good wearing a tshirt with (who the F**k is Alice) written on the front of it LOL

in loving memory of Angela...a victim of Breast cancer 1982..my dear cousin..still sadly missed

SMOKIE!!

Well what a suprise for me!!! well 2 suprises really, yesterday Gary bought me a Shiatsu massager (an early birthday present) because I had hurt my back yet again and was in agony. I've used it 4 times and can now touch my toes again which is good, and today i've had no pills whatsoever!! so a great investment..Of course, we had to sell one of the kids to pay for it LOL but worth it LOL LOL..the other suprise was TICKETS to see SMOKIE one of my fave bands from the 70's...some of their hits were..Living next door to Alice..(i must not yell out who the hell is alice!! a long standing joke)..It's your Life...Stumbling In (sung with Suzi Q)... Don't Play your rock'n'roll to me..Lay back in the arms of someone....Oh Carol....Needles and Pins.. etc etc..the list is endless. I'm taking my camera in, not sure if we can use it yet, but will try!! there is also an autograph session afterwards..I SHALL BE THERE with camera in hand and cd case too LOL...We are going out for dinner first, Tina is babysitting the 2 boys and she said we can come home whenever we like NO CURFEW woohoo LOL..

Learn Chinese in 5 Minutes, must read out loud!!

1) That’s not right................................................Sum Ting Wong 2) Are you harbouring a fugitive.........................Hu Yu Hai Ding 3) See me ASAP..................................................Kum Hia 4) Stupid Man......................................................Dum Fuk 5) Small Horse.....................................................Tai Ni Po Ni 6) Did you go to the beach.....................................Wai Yu So Tan 7) I bumped the coffee table..................................Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni 8) I think you need a face lift................................Chin Tu Fat 9) It’s Very dark in here.........................................Wai So Dim 10) I Thought you were on a diet...........................Wai Yu Mun Ching 11) This is a tow away zone...................................No Pah King 12) Our meeting is scheduled for next week..........Wai Yu Kum Nao 13) Staying out of sight.........................................Lei Ying Lo 14) He’s cleaning his automobile .........................Wa Shing Ka 15)Your body odor is offensive............................Yu Stin Ki Pu 16) Great................................................................Fa Kin Su Pah

Chrissy's Class

Bev's Class!!

Raechel and Me!!

Surviver SWIG 13!

YES..i'm a survivor!!!...I survived my first ever SWIG!!...Thanks to my table buddies, Raechel, Chris, Jackie, Judy and Michelle W, i have never laughed so much (or wet my pants!! too much info I know!)..Also thanks must go to Roomies, Julie and Chris..(even though Chris snored far too loud!!)..I did 2 classes, so wishing i did them all, next time, i will be!!..I made a beautiful frame for the grandies with the ever so funny Bev, and a doodled layout with the lovely Chrissy. (Have to admit i was a secret doodler and really enjoyed coming out! LOL..)..The food was..ok...to be fair .. the roast on Saturday night followed by apple pie and custard was delish, the poached egg on Sat morning was yum, The marble cake and orange cake was LUSH,..the kfc we snuck off for and the macca's brekkie on sunday (another sneak) were delish...the food was ok..just really not a lot of it, BUT that is not the Girls fault, more so the Prison warders who ran the joint!! BUT being us, we even managed to really laugh them off too!!...Other than that, the venue was terrific,. LOTS of room to move about, a whole table each!!!!! A cabin YES a cabin with ensuite!! most impressed!!!...I've been on lots of 'scrapping retreats' and have to admit that this was one of the BEST venues...(we just wont mention food again ok!!)...I did 9 layouts and 2 classes, in between laughing so hard everything hurts...I must remember to take my cushion next time, my back is killing for not remembering it!!...Also must remember to leave phone at home because those naughty girls kept stealing it (yes...Judy and Michelle!!) to listen and watch Harry the Hamster...(a very naughty hamster who expresses himself delicately LOL)... Hearing aids must also be packed, as I kept 'mis'hearing things and I'm 100% sure that Deb B did NOT say..I'm terrified of those cane toads jumping out all over the place... Bloody Virginia..(meaning that V told her that cane toads would get her lol)..oh no..she didn't say that..I heard a part of her anatomy mentioned NOT V's name!!!that caused a major asthma attack...just so funny...and then Raech, who wanted a squirt of my glue...THAT is not what she said..she wanted a squirt but not my glue...believe me..those girls are WICKED!!!!...i was a saint before i went, but it's ok..i've been to confession, said my 10 hail mary's and all is forgiven.until the next one..WHERE i shall be taking my Poise..(just incase !!) I enjoyed spending a weekend with Chris, who I haven't seen since she defected to Maryborough, and had forgotten just how much fun we used to have together..I just LOVED Raech..such a funny genuine person..I just wished she lived closer, so we could scrap more often together..Jackie...well what can i say!!! we scrap together most Fridays and she always has me in fits...Judy as usual, made me laugh so hard..and Michelle, well it was the first time i'd met her and she's an lovely person and ever so funny too.....Finally meeting BEV..well..what can i say only that her stories are TRUE..oh so funny, i nearly choked eating morning tea, wet myself laughing..i'm amazed i wasn't taken away by ambulance with all the asthma attacks i had from laughing.!!!.....All in all, everyone was just LOVELY!! Beryl and Christine did a fantastic job organising the classes, running the shop, generally keeping all of us in hand LOL...I CANT WAIT TIL THE NEXT ONE!!!!

I've been tagged!! (thanks Chrissy!!)

The rules of the tag are: List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets.Tag 5 friends and list them. Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people. Dont forget to let the people you tag know by posting a comment on their blog! 1. I like to dance along to the wiggles when no one is around 2. I dip my chocolate into coffee 3. I always clean the shower before getting in it 4. When making tea or coffee, i always stir it 10 times (always) 5. When i scrap, i have Meatloaf blaring from the computer!! I tag:- Julie, Debbie Y, Susan C, TD, Jenelle

WE ARE

Expecting...yes..Gary and i are expecting yet again!!!!....it's a boy!,