The first of many

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We had our first “dinner party” in Mount Isa last night, with 5 doctors in attendance. I was a little nervous to be honest, as I hadn’t even met 2 of them, but I had a pretty solid 3 course meal planned, and as long as there’s wine, it’s always a success! I served bite-size tomato, bococini, basil layer thingies that Hubs and I are kind of hooked on at the moment. It’s such a fresh, light, tasty little something to have on the side or before a meal. I then served beef cheek stew which is Hubs’ favourite. It slow cooked in the oven in my chasseur for 6 hours! It was only supposed to be 5 but the kids took a while to go to sleep. I think the extra hour made it even better though 🙂

And of course for dessert, Hubs’ other favourite, chocolate mousse. The food was a real hit (yay!) and the company was just lovely. And the best thing? We mostly talked about everything other than medicine!!! I sometimes don’t really look forward to the conversation at these dinners, as I have very little to contribute to the conversation. Hubs always makes an effort to not talk shop too much, but it’s hard when you don’t have much in common with other people other than your work. But the people who came over last night were very interesting and it wasn’t hard to keep the conversation away from rashes and cannulas.

Unfortunately this morning, as I was getting dressed, I put my neck/shoulder out quite badly and couldn’t actually move. I’m so glad Hubs hadn’t left for work, and he was able to stay home and look after the kids. I was in quite a bad way this morning, but after some pretty strong pain killers, and lots of rest, I’m not too bad this evening. And I’m really hoping it settles down a lot overnight. It hasn’t been this bad in such a long time, but it’s been niggling all week, so it was only a matter of time before it snapped. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery!!

Soothing the soul

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Hubs warned me before we moved here, that Mount Isa doesn’t get much rain. When we arrived, I was really taken aback by how dry and dusty the town is, and thought “well, this is how it’s going to be.” The total rainfall for 2013 in this area was 69mm. For the whole year!!!

Just before Australia Day weekend, rain was predicted. Some locals were talking about how they’re “due for a good soaking”. But most were sceptical. Rain had been predicted before, and had never come. But it happened. On Monday the 27th, the clouds grew heavy and down it came. Not for long, but over the next 3 weeks, it rained every few days. And now, the grass is greener, there are flowers out (very few, but they’re there) and a plant in our garden bed is threatening to take over the courtyard. So far this year, the region has had 120mm fall.

The weekend just gone, it rained almost the whole time. What is it about rain that soothes the soul? I was happy and calm. I wasn’t irritable. I felt like myself. I mentioned recently that I was looking for something. Maybe it was the calm that washes over me when I feel like “myself”.

Today, the sun is out, and although it’s not too hot (yet) I already feel more energised from my weekend. The house is still a mess (where on earth are we going to find space for all this stuff???) and Chanbe has been getting in to bed with us EVERY NIGHT for the last 3 weeks which results in broken sleep for the 3 of us, but I feel calm amongst the storm that is settling in to a new town.

I’ve been going to the gym regularly since we arrived which has been great for my energy levels and my general mood. I have a plan of action today, and a to-do list with about 10 things on it. I’ve just had a lovely coffee (home made) and Chanbe is happily watching Despicable Me. I’m ready. I feel like Wifey again. It’s been a while, but I’m ready to get back on the ride!

Looking for something, but what?…

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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!

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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!

And then it hit me…

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The smoke stacks (or as Chanbe calls them, “smoke snacks”,) loom over the city. The ground is brown and bone dry, and it looks like it hasn’t rained here in years. Honestly, I started to panic a little. But then I saw the look on Hubs’ face. The look of recognition. The look of “coming home”. Hubs starts pointing things out to me; familiar places and new things since he left here 19 years ago. We drive past his old house, which I find lovely and exciting. He doesn’t feel it until a few days later, but he has come home. And I feed off that.

For the 2 weeks or so leading up to the move, Chance was going through his usual adjustment period, and it was especially hard work this time. It had been so hot (and horribly humid in Ingham and T’ville) and my patience was pretty thin. We had quite a few stand-offs and tantrums and lock downs etc etc. Nothing seemed to make any difference. I really tried to stay calm and give him lots of positive attention, but he was just out of sorts. On our final morning in Townsville, he completely lost it, and it broke my heart. This poor little boy. My poor little boy. We’ve moved him again and he’s finally cracked. I dreaded the days and weeks to come.

We arrived in Mount Isa, and I kept talking about how exciting it was going to be in our new home, and he agreed in his 3-year-old capability. We moved his aeroplane bed upstairs into his room, and hoped for the best that night. Not bad, not bad. Both kids slept well and we had a nice morning together. We then went to church and Chanbe was a bit of a handful, but no more than usual. The rest of the day passed without too much drama. And then Monday rolled around. We dropped Hubs off at work around 9am, and by 10am I was going crazy. Lots of deep breaths and hoping for the best. Hubs came home for lunch at which time I had a little cry and tried to move on. The afternoon and Tuesday were much the same, with lots of meltdowns (both of us) and negotiations.

We were both exhausted and I wondered how long this transition period would last. And then Wednesday came and Chanbe, my little trooper, turned a corner. We were having such a fantastic day, that at around 2:30pm I decided we could all go shopping together. I laid down the ground rules (no asking for food or toys), and off we went. It was one of those shopping trips where I walked around with my 2 beautiful children in the trolley, with my head held high, beaming with pride (and relief!) He was amazing. And he’s been his old self ever since.

Kids astound me. Chanbe surprises me every day with his resilience and his ability to adapt. I know I need to take lessons from him some days. We both need to take more deep breaths and just calm down and be still. We’ll get there.

23 days and 1000km (west) later…

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Aaaaah…. sweet sweet internet. Moving sucks. And not having internet in the interim makes it even worse. We have signed up for our usual ridiculousGB per month deal, but it won’t be connected until the end of the week, so in the mean time, we’ve paid a ridiculous sum for 3GB of data to get us through.

It’s been too long.

Normally it wouldn’t bother us as we use the internet on our phones, but the connection out here is terrible with Optus, so we have (almost) accepted the fact that we have to change our mobiles over to Telstra. Ugh. The things we do for good phone and internet connections…

Moving on. SO much has happened! But in a nutshell (with photos to come soon, hopefully) I left Ingham with the kids on the 12th of January and spent a few days in Townsville catching up with friends and family and making purchases that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make in Mount Isa. We then headed back to Ingham on the Thursday to pick up Hubs and the trailer and pack the rest of the house up, then spent our final night in Townsville with friends, though our 6pm getaway from Ingham turned into 8:30pm, so we didn’t actually get to hang out much.

Friday morning we threw the last few things in the car, and started heading west. We had a rough idea about where we wanted to get to on day one, and it was a really easy drive. We stopped at Richmond for the night, but not arriving until after 5:30pm made our dinner choices somewhat limited. There was the pub, or the other pub. I went with the other pub and grabbed a few takeaway meals that turned out to be fantastic! We shared the lamb roast and garlic prawns – both restaurant quality! I was very impressed, especially considering the, shall we say, “rustic” appearance of the pub.

We woke up around 7am the next morning, which just happened to be my birthday, and set off again. It really is such an easy, albeit boring drive. No traffic, not many towns to slow down through, and some very interesting landscapes. We stopped for brunch in Julia Creek, and then we were in Mount Isa by about 3pm that afternoon.

And then it hit me…… We’re living in Mount Isa…… Happy Birthday to meeeeeeee!……

to be continued…….

5 weekends, 5 towns

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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.

3 women, going in 3 directions

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We have new friends. They are awesome. They are friends we met through church and we just clicked. I joked with them that it’s like a summer romance that we don’t want to end. We are cramming in as much time together as possible, before we go our separate ways. The mum of the family and I have been hanging out a lot the last three weeks, and it feels like her, her husband, and four beautiful daughters have been a part of our lives for so much longer than that. It’s so hard to believe we only met weeks ago, not years. And I’m convinced Hubs and “the dad” were brothers in a previous life. They are ridiculously similar in so many ways. It’s awesome.

I was also introduced to the mum’s bestie up here, and she is just as delightful. It still blows my mind how many amazing, beautiful, like-minded people there are out there to meet, and how we keep getting lucky with meeting so many of them.

And in a few weeks time, the three of us will have left Ingham. One to the west, one to the north and one to the south. This is truly one of those God moments for me; I know he has ensured we crossed paths, and that there is so much more to come for our families. Maybe not now, but some day.

Happy 6th Wedding Anniversary

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Hubs and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary in the first weekend of December, and we took full advantage of my parents being here, and went away for 2 nights. Well, sort of. I’m still feeding Quinn, so we needed to stay pretty close to home so Mum could bring the kids to us for the day on Saturday. But we had 2 nights away and that’s what counts!

We stayed at Hinchinbrook Marine Cove Resort at Lucinda which was rather nice. We had a great view which was my only request when booking the accommodation. Hubs ended up having to work late on the Friday night, so I went and checked us in around 5pm since the place was only 20 minutes away, and put the champagne sparkling white in the fridge to chill for our arrival. I’m glad I did, as we didn’t end up arriving until almost 10:30pm!

We had a nice evening and a pretty good night sleep (nothing is as good as your own bed though!! Shame ours is in storage…) and Mum brought the kids up on Saturday morning, arriving around 8:30am.

I’m not sure who missed who more!

This is what happens when you don’t own a TV… My poor, deprived children…

Dad had gone fishing for the day up at Cardwell. Poor Mum had a bit of a rough night with Quinn, but in a cute way. Quinn woke up around 3am and just wanted a chat. For almost 2 hours!! So we took Chance to the pool while Mum and Quinn had a little rest.

It was quite hot and the pool was SO lovely. The shade cover made it very easy for us to hand around for over 2 hours! We had an easy lunch, and then I don’t really know where the rest of the day went! We just hung out and watched the boats and lazed around. We said goodbye to Mum and the kids around 6pm and said helllloooooo to Moet:

Happy Anniversary Hubs. This year has been one of our hardest, but definitely our best, and I know things with you will just keep getting better and better. I love you!

Making Pierogi

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A few months ago, my lovely cousin asked me for my recipe for pierogi, as she wanted to try her hand at it sometime. I suggested that when I was in town the following month (October), that maybe we could make it together. Actually, I said “LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN” in no uncertain terms. So we did. And it was awesome. And so was the pierogi 🙂

Getting pretty close to how Nanny used to make it! A few more tries should do it 🙂