Looking for something, but what?…

February 9, 2014 / Renae / Leave a comment

I feel like I’m looking for something. I’m not sure if I’ve lost it, or if I’ve never had it. I’m happy to be here in Mount Isa; the mums I’ve met through the playgroup and through friends (of friends of friends) have been extremely welcoming and kind. I haven’t had to try too hard to make friends which is nice. But there’s just something missing. My patience is lacking and I’m feeling restless; like this is only a half-way point to where I’m really going. Or something.

Little things are getting me down; I still haven’t finished unpacking/organising/settling in, even though Mum and Dad have been here over a week, so my parenting responsibilities have been drastically reduced; I still haven’t worked on launching my new blog, even though I’ve had the new domain name for 18 months; we are not as financially stable as we both thought we would be by now; and I haven’t made macarons since I got my “macaron making kit” for Christmas. (A lack of macarons just adds to the melancholy.)

Just lots of little things that are making me feel lost and uneasy.

Some positives: I joined the gym the day after we arrived, and have been at least 5 times a week for 3 weeks. It’s a GREAT gym – nice and small with friendly, personal service. The classes are good and the childcare is handy. I’m already feeling more energetic and much more motivated to eat well. I’m just making small, hopefully sustainable changes instead of having over the top, grand plans to “finally eat healthy and get fit.” I just want to live. I want this to be a part of my life without it being a fad. This is a positive thing.

Also, Chanbe has been adjusting really well. And Quinn took her first steps this week! So exciting!

I’ll keep searching for whatever it is I feel like I’m missing. Maybe one day I’ll even find it.

Happy 1st Birthday Quinn!

February 6, 2014 / Renae / Leave a comment

It was rather a quiet affair for our little Quinndy, and a lovely time was had by all. I was trying to decide which cake to make her, and gave the cake book to Chanbe to have a look through. This is the suggestion he came up with:

Ummmmm. No. I don’t think so. We finally decided on the ladybird. I never had that cake growing up, and it’s a bit of a classic. Here’s the picture of the cake in the book:

And here’s how mine turned out. As usual, I couldn’t get that really rich red, but I was happy with a nice burgundy.

Chanbe was very happy to help lick the spatula!

I’m not sure what this face was about, other than just being funny!!

Then she decided on a demure pose:

Smile! Happy Birthday to YOUUUUUUU!

Oh yeaaaaah. Cake time!

Mnarn narm narm…

And present time! Hubs was convinced these pants belonged on her head…

And in the next few days, Quinndy decided it was time to take some steps!

My dear baby girl. What a treasure you are. You have brought so much joy and delight to our lives, and I love getting to know you more every day. I’ve never seen such a happy baby, and I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in the future.

It’s been rather an exciting week around here! I’m getting through the unpacking and organising, and starting to feel a bit more at home. I’ve met some more mums and am hoping to catch up with them in the next week or 2. Mum and Dad are here until Friday week, so there’s a few more things I’d like to do with them around – the time will go too quickly I’m sure! – and I’ve already booked our first trip back to Brisbane for the year, in about a month. Like I said, lots going on!

5 weekends, 5 towns

January 3, 2014 / Renae / Leave a comment

2 weekends ago we were here in Ingham, last weekend we were in Mission Beach, this weekend we’re going to Cairns, next weekend we’ll be in Townsville, and the following weekend (my birthday!) we will arrive in Mount Isa. The enormousness (and no, I don’t mean enormity) of the next few weeks (and the previous few) is starting to catch up with me. We’ve had a steady stream of house guests in the last month which has just been so lovely, and now that we have an empty house, it’s hard to get motivated to do anything. So we’re just having a quiet morning to regroup, before packing for Cairns this arvo.

I did actually blog from my phone on Christmas day, but that is very hit and miss, and unfortunately that post missed. We had a great week away at Mission Beach with family and friends, and in a huge group effort, put together a beautiful Christmas lunch.

This was the view we had for the week:

And on Christmas eve, I made the best pierogi I’ve ever made on my own. It felt so great to know that I can do it now.

The kids had a great time away, and Chance loved swimming at the beach in his stinger suit:

And Quindy didn’t mind just hanging out with Mama and eating crackers and dip 🙂

Who knows what the next few weeks will look like for us. Again, as usual, we’ll be on and off line during the move, and internet connection will be a priority once we arrive in the Isa.

It’s hard to believe that, once again, our time in our new town is coming to an end. It’s emotionally and physically exhausting, even NOT being 36 weeks pregnant this time! This time last year was hard work, and we know that this move won’t be as hard, but it will still be challenging, and we are looking forward to being in our new house and starting the settling-in time once again. The uncertainty hasn’t really bothered me until now – we still haven’t been allocated a house in Isa – but now I just want to know where we will be!

I have been ticking quite a few things off my 101 things in 1001 days which is exciting; like horse riding, flying a kite, and making a(nother) batch of pierogi. I’m really enjoying this list and am happy every time I cross something off.

And they said it couldn’t be done!

November 5, 2013 / Renae / Leave a comment

And by “they” I mean the voices inside my head…

Before/during:

Oh man those photos make me cringe. Especially the shot of the kitchen. We were (I was) still pretty relaxed and confident at this stage. I’m not sure how, but it felt pretty damn good.

And then…

I spent a solid 8 hours cleaning this house top to bottom, inside and out. I really hope the real estate agents are impressed, or at the very least, satisfied, because I was. Especially since I did it all with a very sore foot that turned out to be due to a stress fracture I sustained a month ago. I just didn’t get around to going to the doctor until it was all finished. In return for my hard work, I got to buy a new pair of (red) shoes! It was worth it.

Another empty house. Another move. Another change. Another adventure.

Wanna come?

Where was I?

October 17, 2013 / Renae / Leave a comment

Ah yes. Brisbane. Had a great time!! It was actually much more relaxing than usual, as I had only just been the month before, so didn’t feel the same urgency to catch up with EVERY SINGLE PERSON I KNOW who lives there. Just a few things here and there to top up my friendship cup.

And now, Mum is here in T-ville with us, and we are looking towards our next move. We are staying in Ingham for 10 weeks from the 10th of November. I say “staying” as opposed to “moving”, as we will be in a fully-furnished and decked-out 2 (very large) bedroom, 2 bathroom unit provided by the hospital. So we just really need to bring clothes and linen. Oh, and all the paraphernalia (WOAH! I totally just spelt that correctly first time!!??) that goes with having children. We had to buy a trailer to fit it all in. I’m serious. The rest is going into storage until the following move.

Anyway, after the 10 week stint is up, we will be heading west to Mt Isa. Hubs’ place of birth, and our home for 2014. I’m feeling quite fine about this move, unlike the last move. It might have something to do with the fact that I’m not pregnant, and not on as much of a time press as the Wang move. Plus, we REALLY didn’t want to leave Wang. And as much as we will miss our great friends and family here, as well as my cousin and her family who are moving up here next here (dang), we never really felt like we were “at home” in T-ville. I’m not sure we will feel any differently in Mt Isa, but we’re going in with open minds and know that whatever happens, we will make the best of things.

I packed 10 (small) boxes today. Mainly books and crafty supplies – you know, the easy stuff. Having Mum here to entertain the kids (and do all the other behind the scenes stuff mums do) is already a great help.

We’re not sure how much longer our internet will be connected here, so if I drop off the grid for a while, you know why. But rest assured, I’ll be back as soon as I can. Until then, wish me luck with the packing, and book your tickets to Mt Isa for 2014! Ha!

Busy Brizzie

October 9, 2013 / Renae / Leave a comment

Actually, it’s not busy at all. I just like how “busy” rhymes with “Brizzie”. Ummmm…. yeah. Let’s move on.

We arrived in Brisbane yesterday after a very successful, easy flight, thanks to Hubs’ Mum accompanying us after spending a few days with us in Townsville. Chanbe was a superstar and Quindy was delightful, albeit rather squirmy! I had a great night sleep last night, apart from Quinn being wide awake from 4-5am, as I didn’t have to wake up until after 9. Felt amazing! It’s lovely and cool down here, so I got to get under the covers which was so nice.

I really don’t have much planned other than making pierogi with my cousin on Friday, going to another cousin’s engagement party on Saturday evening, and catching up with Hubs’ sister and her girls on Monday afternoon/evening. Oh, and it’s mum’s birthday on Saturday, so it would be nice to do something special then too. There are other things to do, sure, but it’s nice to just laze around a bit and not be rushing around.

I’m feeling very positive at the moment. We have a lot on our plate (nothing new there) but in general, I’m just feeling very optimistic about life, which is giving me energy. It looks like we’ll be heading to Mt Isa next year – Hubs’ hometown! He grew up there and left when he was about 13 years old. We know it will have changed a lot, but we are excited about the new challenge this move will bring. It’s somewhat hard, as we are quite enjoying our lifestyle in Townsville, but this is a different opportunity for us, and we just feel we’d like to give it a go. And after that? As usual, who knows!?

So here I am. Just kicking back. A bit different to a year ago!

Clear eyes, full hearts,

September 30, 2013 / Renae / Leave a comment

can’t lose.

Hubs and I have just finished watching the TV series Friday Night Lights. If you haven’t heard of it, look it up. If you haven’t watched it, start immediately. It may change your life.

Or, it may not. But it probably will, even just a little bit. I know my existential crisis began while we were watching season 3, but that’s another story entirely.

We watched all 5 seasons over the last 4 or 5 months, so as you can see, we really punched through the episodes. We were always ALWAYS left wanting more, which resulted in a few very late nights of “just one more (42 minute) episode!!” Not so good when your 2 year old is bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:15am the next morning, I can tell you.

The show is full of teenage angst, love of all things Texas, making the tough decisions, Tim Riggins (the quintessential bad boy) and of course, football. Hubs and I knew very little about American Football before we started watching the show, and I can’t say we know much more about it now, but damn we ~~loved~~ love the show.

One of the best things about the show is that it keeps you guessing. It’s like, you’re about 80% sure about what is going to happen, but every now and then they throw a curve ball (so to speak!) (oh wait, that’s baseball…) just to keep it interesting, and unpredictable.

When Hubs was trying to get me to watch the show, it was very reminiscent of when he was trying to sell Firefly to me…

Wifey: “What kind of show is it?”
Hubs: “Ummmmm… a sci-fi western.”
Wifey: “No way!!”
The verdict on Firefly? One of the best shows EVER.

And for Friday Night Lights…

Wifey: “This show is about American Football?? No WAY!”
Hubs: “It’s supposed to be really good. Let’s just watch 1 episode.”
Wifey: “Fiiiiine.”

If I remember correctly, it was a Friday night around 9pm. We ended up watching 2 or 3 episodes straight up. We were immediately hooked. I gotta trust Hubs when it comes to choosing new shows.

I can’t seem to bring myself to end this blog post, just as I can’t believe we have finished watching FNL. I know I’m making a bit deal about it, but it has been such a big part of our lives these last few months, and even though we feel that we have closure, it’s hard to move on, you know?

Go watch it, and you too will be chanting
Clear eyes! Full hearts! Can’t lose!

Having regrets (and getting over them)

September 16, 2013 / Renae / Leave a comment

I’m currently booking flights for another visit to Brisbane next month. I regret not signing Chanbe up to the same flights reward program as me as soon as he took his first flight. He’s been on over 20 flights in almost 3 years. I also regret not always booking with the same airline, to build up more points.

These are small, somewhat insignificant things, but for some reason they, and a few other things, are weighing heavily on me. Maybe I’m trying to focus on small, meaningless things so I don’t have to concentrate on the big things in life at the moment. Like moving house. Again. I said I wouldn’t do it again. Who was I kidding? But it can’t be as bad as the last move, right? I mean, I’m not over 30 weeks pregnant. And we have a plan in the pipeline to make things easier for us. So it won’t be as bad. I’m sure of it.

Getting over it. I’ve just signed the kids up to the flights rewards program. Better late than never, right? I guess that’s one way to deal with regret. Do what you can do, learn from it and move on.

Update: I just realised, a week after writing this post, that it wouldn’t have mattered if I’d signed Chanbe up from the start. I never had to pay for his flights while he was under 2 years old, so none of those early flights (around 20!) would have earned him any points anyway. So there you go. I’m over it 🙂

Is she going on a holiday?

August 12, 2013 / Renae / Leave a comment

Yes she is. And so is Hubs. And Chanbe. And Quinnbe. We leave tomorrow night for Brisbane, then on Wednesday we are heading to Rainbow Beach for 4 nights, then the Gold Coast for a night, then back to Woody Point for a night before heading to Melbourne. We will spend a couple of nights there, then go to Wang for Thursday night, then back to Melbourne until the following Tuesday. We then head back to Brisbane for a couple of days before Hubs drives back up to T’ville. The kids and I will stay down at Woody Pt for another week or 2 after that.

What? I didn’t say it was going to be a relaxing holiday! It’s what we do. We don’t mean to do it, but it always ends up this way. Hopefully there will be a few days here and there where we can take a deep breath and chill. The last 2 weeks have been quite relaxing a great, with a couple of visitors, some wine, some jazz, and lovely sleep-ins followed by cooked breakfasts. Yum!

Life is pretty damn sweet. Hope to see you in your home down during the next month. And hope to be here blogging about it too, but as always, this will depend on internet access.

26 hours til we leave! I should really start packing…

5 years today!

July 1, 2013 / Renae / Leave a comment

This time five years ago, I wrote my first blog post. And I’m so glad I’m still here, 5 years and 778 posts later! I had planned to make a cake for this celebration, but I had made 2 cakes for 2 birthday girls this weekend, (here’s one of them)

and now I’m all caked out. So instead, I’m going to take a look back at 5 years of blogging.

Flashback episode! Oh yeah!

– Not long after arriving in Melbourne, I shared a post about our first official place together.

– I introduced the blogging world to my Nanny and Grandpa.

– I gave you all a small insight into crazy Wifey

– I did my first NaBloPoMo about my job history. Scary!!

– I’ve climbed mountains, just to have something to blog about! (I kid I kid!)

– I shared with you one of my favourite things to do

– And what I learned in my first year of marriage.

– This is where I started to really hit my baking stride.

– And if we ever live nearby, I want you to always remember this. Always.

– I did another NaBloPoMo, this time about our road trip across America

– And a few months later, I told you about our amazing trip to South Africa here, here, here, here, here and the start of a very silly drinking game here.

– I turned 30 and celebrated big time!

– I officiated at my first wedding as a Celebrant

– I got pregnant

– And we moved to Wangaratta

– This is how I commemorated my 400th post.

– We welcomed Chanbe into the world and into our family

– These girls saved my sanity and I love them so much

– I’ll always remember this smile

– We found a local cafe that we loved and who loved us back!

– I made a cake for #500

– We moved to Mt Beauty and visited the snow

– I said goodbye to Nanny

– I told you why I love my Hubs

– Chanbe turned 1 and the girls came to visit

– We said goodbye to Grandpa

– I broke my foot

– We left Mt Beauty and moved back to Wang

– Preggers with Baloo!

– Sh*t got hard

– Good bye Wang and hello Townsville!

– And hello Quinn

– I started running

– And started a challenge

I’ve just spent the last 2 hours compiling this list of posts. There are so many more I wanted to include, but I’ll leave it up to you to find some more gems. I’ve loved having this space to share so much of our lives with you all. It has helped me through a few rough times, and I know there will be many more words spilled on these pages, giving you an insight into our lives.

Thanks for reading.