Before:
Oh man. I don’t think Quindy’s hair has ever been this bad. I’m normally pretty good at staying on top of the knots. And by that i mean once a week I spend 10 minutes working conditioner through her hair and pulling apart all the knots amid protests of “don’t dooo dat” and then comb out the rest afterwards.
This mass took 20 minutes, 3 lots of conditioner – I used about 1/4 of the bottle – and then 10 minutes of combing. She was not happy.
But the after shot?
Totally worth it.
Wow. What a day. The cyclone was pretty crazy and a little bit exciting at times. This was our view for the day:
And the rains came down…
We watched as the water rose up in line with our trailer. Thankfully it held on and I believe everything inside remained dry!
Weer lost power very early on and it’s still off. Apparently it will be days if not weeks before it is restored.
And then there’s the new place.
We went over to clean up today. I don’t have the brain space to even think about our next move right now. We’ll just see what tomorrow brings.
It could have been a lot worse.
Marcia Marcia Marcia.
I’m sure no one else on the Internet has written that today. I’m so funny. As some of you may be aware, we recently moved to Rockhampton, and in turn moved directly into the path of a Category 5 cyclone. Woops! We also bought a 65 year old house with the contract settling 2 days ago. We figure it’s lasted 65 years and numerous storms, surely this one won’t knock it over! Maybe we should have settled next week!
The temporary house we are in has a rather leaky roof and is in a very low lying area. It is high set but I’m a little nervous about the few pieces of furniture we have bought from garage sales that we’re storing under the house. That part isn’t built in.
Anyway we’ve done what we can and now we wait. Apparently Yeppoon is getting hit pretty badly right now. Before we moved here, a number of people said “don’t live in Rocky, live in Yeppoon. It’s much nicer out there.” I’m kind of glad we didn’t listen 🙂
Apart from the whole “cyclone” thing we are doing really well! Mum and Dad have been up here for a week and we had a little party for Quinn’s 2nd birthday last weekend which was lovely.
We’ve also had some work done on the floors of our new place in preparation for us moving in. Here’s the last couple of weeks in photos!
I got another haircut!
The kids helped me make gnocchi
Quinn chose this bag to take with her to kindy drop off which amused Chance’s teachers and the other parents.
I made Quindy a froggie cake for her birthday
Which she ate happily
Ouma came up for some lovely cuddles
There’s been a lot of this going on
We removed all the carpet from our new place in preparation for getting them polished
So far they’ve gone from this:
To this after sanding. I know, right????
Darby-doo had his 10 week check last week and weighed in at a healthy (whopping!) 7.3kg. He is doing marvelously and even letting me sleep most of the night!
And then there’s the cyclone.
So that’s us up to date for now. I’m a little excited that this is my first cyclone which I know is morbid and I’ll probably feel very differently in a few hours but for now the novelty is there.
I’ll try and do an update in the next few days!
*house. We bought a house. Though, when I texted my friend with this autocorrect gem, she was pretty excited that we had embraced the country life and bought ourselves a steed, and perhaps not quite as excited when I corrected the error.
But yes, we are in the final stages of buying a house. I don’t exactly know how it happened. One minute we were looking at rentals and the next we were joking about how we should buy something instead. Just like we joked about going to Mount Isa for a year.
I’m sure this venture will work out a little better…
Some people spend months looking at places and look at dozens of houses before deciding on one and putting in an offer. We looked at this one house and decided. It was the right location, the right price (after talking them down a little) and we put in an offer 2 days after our walk through. We haggled a bit for the next 36 hours, but then the deal was done and the contract was drawn up.
I never thought I would say this but our Real Estate agent is fantastic. He’s probably in his 60s and the business is his own. He is a softly spoken, genuine guy and we just feel like we’re being well looked after. Plus whenever we have mentioned his name to locals, they have all sung his praises which is nice.
We got off to a bit of a rocky start (ha ha. Rocky…) as I rang him at about 4 and he agreed to meet us at the house at 4.30pm on that rainy afternoon. By 4.50 he hadn’t turned up and I was getting really annoyed. I rang him to see what was going on and he said “Renae I’m on my way right now.” I was all huffy, saying to Hubs “If this were a half million dollar house I’m sure he would have been here on time.” Anyway he showed up and apologised and said to me that after he got off the phone to me something came up and he completely forgot about our arranged meeting.
And you know what? I really respected and appreciated his honesty. He could have made something up to make himself look busy and important but he told the truth and from then on, he had me on side.
It’s rather exciting really. The house needs some cosmetic work – if that’s what you call a new bathroom and kitchen – but according to those who have inspected it, it’s a good sturdy house, and it has a beautiful view that is just dying to be seen from a huge wraparound deck. Yes we have big plans for the place. The first thing is to rip up the carpets and have the floors sanded and polished before we move in.
Settlement date is tomorrow week and everything is in order to go ahead. I’m really quite excited actually. I thought that the idea of living in a house being renovated would make me throw up in my mouth a little, but I really can’t wait to get stuck in to the place and make it our own. We have been scouring Gumtree and garage sales and have already bought a beautiful leather couch, a set of bookshelves and an awesome fridge, complete with ice and water dispenser. Next in my list is a washing machine.
We should be moving in on the weekend of the 21st of Feb and mum and dad are coming up this weekend for some extra help.
So even though is not a horse, it’s a big “adult” decision and I couldn’t be happier. Can’t wait to start showing some before and after pics!
Our dear little Quinderella. Holy moly you’re a cutie.
Those big brown eyes. Those gorgeous blond curls. You steal the hearts of all you meet and you have definitely stolen ours.
You are such a cheeky-chops and you get away with far too much, but no one seems to notice.
You love picking up your bag, my keys and whatever sunnies are lying around, and announcing you’re going to the shops. I ask what you’re going to buy and the answer is almost always the same.
“Ice and fruit and yoghurt.”
You love pretending to talk on the phone, and you use whatever is available to you at the time. Today you picked up a little hard paged book and pretended you had a flip phone.
You love your big brother Chanbe, and will follow him and copy whatever he does. Even when he turns on you, you can generally hold your own, and can give as good as you get. Not that we encourage such things off course….
Your latest antics are pulling a “funny face” when I’m trying to take a photo.
And even though you’re still not quite sure what to make of Darby, you do love to give him kisses and cuddles. I won’t mention the donks on the head though…
So my darling baby girl, keep smiling. Keep charming people with those eyes and curls. Keeping making Chanbe laugh with your silliness. Keep making your Gran and Grumpy smile at your sassy strut. Keep giving your baby brother kisses and cuddles – he’ll be giving them back soon enough. Keep your Dadda wrapped tightly around your little finger. And keep being my baby girl, just for a little bit longer.
I remember when my friend went from having 2 kids to 3. I only had 14 month old Chanbe at the time and was enjoying motherhood, especially since he was finally sleeping through the night.
When I visited my friend, I asked her what having 3 kids was like, and I still remember her reply: There are always 3 things that need to be done immediately but you can only choose 1. Right now the breakfast dishes need clearing, I need to get dressed, and my cup of tea needs drinking. Okay so the last one is not necessarily pressing but gee it makes me feel better in the morning. Oh, and write a blog post. And do the folding.
It’s very true, and I’m learning to adjust and try and choose one thing at a time. Obviously when Darby needs feeding the choice is simple, but when war breaks out between the other two at the same time, things get interesting. I’m trying to let them sort themselves out and that mostly works which is good.
I’ve had a few outings with the 3 of them which have gone really well and I plan on taking them to the pool this week. That will be interesting. We went to church on Sunday and meet some nice people and we’re going to their playgroup this morning.
I think Rocky is going to suit us 🙂
Okay so it’s not exactly the most original title, but I’m sleep deprived and have had a (rather generous) glass of bubbly so it’s the best I can come up with right now.
It’s been a good first week. We arrived last Monday just after midday and it was an absolutely stinking hot day, but I dare not complain. We drove to the hospital to pick up the keys for our temp accommodation and while Hubs went to do that, I took the kids to the cafe and bought 2 huge bottles of water. It was at this point that both Quindy and Darbs decided to fill their respective nappies. I bundled them up and found the baby change room and took a look at myself in the mirror. Yikes. I was extremely glad I had decided not to meet Hubs’ colleagues that day. My hair was dripping wet and I I didn’t have sweat patches – I had dry patches, and very few of them let me tell you.
Anyway we arrived at the accommodation and were pleasantly surprised. It’s a 3 bedroom house and although it’s on the main highway through town and is a bit of a hike from the hospital, we are grateful for the space, the air con in every room, and the luscious, green grassy yard!
We spent that afternoon and the next day looking at rentals, and even a couple of houses for sale. Hubs started work on Wednesday and I took the kids to the lovely big shopping centre. We had a 100% successful trip and I was particularly impressed with the parent rooms there! I arrived home feeling very confident that this year is going to be a good one. The next 2 days were equally great with the kids and after exploring the beautiful botanical gardens this arvo, I know that there will always be things to do with the kids here.
We have a couple of things brewing in regards to housing but I’ll share more when we know more which will hopefully be very very soon!
I actually wrote this post this time last night on my actual birthday, but as seems to be the case, WordPress and my Galaxy Note conspired against me and it didn’t publish. And I was just too dang tired to write it out again.
Oh my goodness!!!!!! I just wrote another whole post and not only did it not publish but it only saved the first paragraph! I give up. I’ll be back soon but right now I seriously have to go to bed.
It was 2:30am. I awoke to the sound of the rain pelting down. It was an absolute downpour and an absolute pleasure to listen to. As I started drifting back to sleep, I was hit by a horrible, horrible thought. I’d left the windows down in the car.
Mount Isa is hot. Have I mentioned that? So if there is any possibility that I might be going out again later that day, I leave the car windows open. I had gone shopping around lunch time, and figured that an afternoon outing might be on the cards, hence leaving the windows down.
Absolute torrential rain kept coming down. My mind was swirling with images of the car filling up with water and NEVER drying out properly; of having that manky smell hang around for months afterwards; of the electric windows shorting out and not being able to wind down anymore. I woke Hubs up gently and shared my concern, asking if he thought it was worth going and winding them up. He suggested there wasn’t much to be done.
I was just so annoyed at myself.
Another 10 minutes or so passed, and the rain just didn’t let up. I kept thinking that I should go and try and wind them up, but wasn’t sure if there was any point at that stage.
And then it hit me! We had met Hubs for dinner at the hospital and I had wound the windows up when we got home! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The relief that flooded through me right there and then was indescribable. I know this is sounding dramatic, but just remember that I was half asleep at the time, which makes everything bigger in your head.
I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but I was too hyped up from the excitement that I hadn’t just flooded our car. And of course, just as I was drifting off, Darby-J woke up for a feed. It turned out to be a bit of a restless night, but I didn’t care. The car was dry.
Oh, and it’s our last day in Mount Isa. This time tomorrow the kids and mum and I will be getting ready to head to the airport. We made it. We survived. We learned things along the way. We made some wonderful friends whom I’m sure we’ll stay in touch with.
We had survived the Isa. And I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner that is 2015.
And I don’t just mean physically.
Remember when we were packing up to leave Wangaratta and I said I’m never moving again? We’ve moved twice since then. I’ve also said of the last 2 places we’ve lived that I’d hoped we’d stay more than a year. This hasn’t happened but I’m saying the same for Rocky.
Moving towns is emotionally exhausting. There are new friends to make, new shops to find, addresses to change, kids to settle. The list goes on. I am feeling good about this move – for whatever reason I feel like it’s the right move for us – but there is still a lot to do.
I started writing this post yesterday and forgot to save the draft, assuming it would save automatically. I’m not entirely sure where I wanted to go with it to be honest. I don’t want to come across as complaining as I’ve been really lucky this past month having Mum and for the most part, Hubs, around to do so much for me and the kids. I’m not sure that it has hit me that we’re leaving in 3 days. It certainly didn’t hit Hubs until last night when he realised the kids and mum and I are leaving this Wednesday and he stays til next week.
Even though the removalists are doing the packing as well (a thousand times YAY!) there are still things to be done.
I’d best go and do them 🙂