New Year's Eve 2012

Spent the night in our new house.    Getting the pool cleaned and nibbling on chips and dip.   Left at 10pm to sleep in a bed at the transition house and watch the Sydney Firework show.   Hannah couldn't make it to the end and fell asleep at 10 minute to midnight.  

Laundry Day

Holiday over Time to Go Home

Myall Lakes Beach Adventure

Queensland Strom's and NSW Strom's Epic Christmas Comes to an End

Lazy Days

Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve with Cousins

Poolside on a Sunday

Cousins in the Waves

It is a pretty special place our Christmas Vacation Spot.

Travelling

In the car after lunch and heading to visit Eric's brother and family on the beach for Christmas.   First Christmas on the beach ever.    

Preschool Pick Up

Picked up Owen and was greeted with a very hot,  sweaty, red faced,  dirt feet, little boy.   He told me all the boys were playing cops and robbers.   So he was running really fast.    I ran a bath and we cooled him off and cleaned him up.    Great last day he said.  

Christmas Holidays

The girls last day of school.   Owen has one last day at preschool tomorrow.    They are so excited to be off school again.   Wow such a long 10 weeks of school and then off again.   They have had such a bad school year this year....  (right what is it 20 weeks of holidays)

Lacebark Kurrajong

I think that this is the name of this flowering tree that is a few streets over.    Very very pretty the Lacebark Kurrajong.   There are 31 species so I may have the exact name wrong but enjoy the pretty.  

Wontons Without Friends

Woke up craving wonton soup.    After finding all the ingredients at the store came home and whipped up a batch.   Now my excitement of making the wontons soon faded as I realized the last time I did this I had two lovely ladies to talk to that make stuffing and wrapping many many wontons go faster.  As well I actually had pans to put the wontons on to freeze.  Let me tell you trying to wrap and freeze 80 wontons on a 9 X 13 cake pan well it isn't fast.     So tomorrow night wonton noodle soup is on the menu and I can't wait.   But I still wish I was doing this with those two lovely ladies.  

Australian Bathtub Pet Peeve

I have a rant.    I am sorry if anyone gets offended!    But really....... you can seen the lovely bathtub scenes in American movies.   Where the taps are on the feet or head end of the tub.    So why and I know not all Australian tubs are built like this but all the houses I have been in or visited do have them built with the facet in the middle!!!!
This above photo results from having it in the middle.     Those facets bite and hard.   The reason the facets are at the feet end is when you are feeling low  (too much Christmas drinks ) and you just want to roll to your side and place your big head on the cool bathtub surface you will not have the tube bite you in the @$$###(^*%&*!!!!    Granted it did make me forget my big head for a few minutes while I was sucking in my breath from the pain. 

Human Pyramid

Drinking Water Can Be Fancy

I just love this mural at the kids school above the drinking water area.  

Big Bad Wolf

Christmas Tree

One

One of Eric's co workers dropped off a Christmas Tree and ornaments.   Some very excited kids got busy.   I do have pangs that we aren't having a massive real tree in our Kamloops house.   But change is always good. 

Colourful Walls

Neat Mailboxes

There are some very cool mailboxes as you travel around the back roads.  

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

Rio Tinto Kids Christmas Party

The kids went to a Xmas party today.   Santa arrived in a fancy transport truck horns hooking and lots of waving.  

Mailbox Ideas

Two of the cruelest, most primitive punishments are the empty mailbox and the silent telephone.   
Here's an idea for my dad.   Snow Plow would never knock this down (well maybe not the post at least the box doesn't like it is very stable)

Parkes Santa Claus Parade

We all went downtown to see the Santa Claus Parade.    Now besides missing the freezing weather.   The weird thing was that Santa is on ever float,   and not at the very end.    Very big let down.   But some more old Holden's for you dad!!

Finding New Parks

It was a much cooler day today so Owen and I went for a bike ride and just happened upon a park we hadn't seen before.   So we stopped and climbed and had a snack and then road back in time to pick up the girls from school.  

I got nothing.....

just a random photo.   I wasn't on the ball today.   But the building look cool black and white.   This is  a side street downtown.   The build right behind Owen is the grocery store and the one to the right is the Metro Plaza,   which just has some office building in it.  

Monday and Back to School

The week begins again.   

Sunday Lollipops

They are giving out candy like crazy around here because Christmas is so near.  

Ice Cream Fail

My kids are Cowbrough's through and through.   We love ice cream,   there is no bad ice cream.    But...... this place the air conditioning had failed it was 40 degrees outside and I don't know what it was inside and well the ice cream apparently tasted like sour milk.   So.........

Parkes Camera Club Trip to The Dish

The Parkes Camera Club got a chance to go to The Dish for their Christmas Party End of the year bash.    We got a tour up in the dish and then a chance to take photos around the backyard that you usually can't go to.     Such a great experience.  

Brush your Teeth.....ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch

Hot Back Outback Roads

Hot, Humid and Rain

Sometimes rain and cloudy skies are really blessings in disguise.   Especially when it has been a very hot and humid day.   Felt so nice.  

Playing at School

The Soul

 The soul that see beauty may sometimes walk alone. 
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Biking Around the Neighourhood

Friday Morning Before School

Hannah trying to eat pickles for breakfast,   Owen studying his peanut butter,   and Ciara getting beautiful for school.  

Night Time Computer Look Ups

After School Zone Out

Eating Meat Pies on back Country Roads

What'll I do if you never wanna come back

Driving the back roads not wanting to come back home.   I kind of like my Monday's without kids.