Once upon a time .......

Once upon a time there was a very sweet Princess named Michelle. She lived in a far, far away land where the rains often fell. The Princess' family were the proud owners of a castle in another far, far away land but because they were not nearby the castle began to fall apart. The poor Princess tried her hardest to get the castle fixed again but it was not proving to be an easy task. She was very dismayed and wished that a very large dragon would appear and burn that castle to the ground!
There we go - the story of our house in Pretoria. That pretty much sums up how I feel about it right now!



Its half term this week so I have the undivided attention of my lovely children all week. By Sunday I shall be in desperate need of a coffee break on my own at Starbucks as Paul has 2 exams this week and then is off to my brother's bachelor party on the weekend.
But come Monday next week, there shall be no more football and no more university which therefore means NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait!
And to make next week even more exciting - my parents are arriving!!!!! YAY!!!! Don't you just love it when Grannies and Grandpas are around? I really do as I don't get to see my parents very often and they are a huge help with the kids.

Because of this we shall all live happily ever after.
This Princess has no servants so she's off to make a cup of tea and relax.
xxx

Another Day, Another Week .......

Another week has passed and that officially leaves us with only 106 days left in sunny (not) Wales. Can you tell I'm not too impressed with this Spring/Summer weather we're having??? I just love fetching Ross from school everyday in the rain! It just makes things such a mission - pram out, Gethin in, raincover on, Maddy out, raincoat on, stand outside classroom with no shelter waiting - they're always late, back to car and reverse the whole procedure! Anyway, its a Bank Holiday weekend this weekend and Paul says its supposed to be the hottest weekend of the year. I'm not sure where he gets his info from but I sure hope its right! We haven't got any official plans for this weekend as Paul is studying for his last two exams and life has been pretty hectic lately. Maybe take the kids swimming and do some nice outdoor activities - weather permitting that is.
On the move front, things are moving along slowly but surely! I have e-mailed the relevant authorities for the week and am hoping to lodge my application with WACOT next week when my friend has verified my certificates. I have also started making appointments for removal services so that should be finalised in the next month.
All these things make me realise that we really are going to do this, which then fills me with all kinds of strange emotions ranging from absolute fear to extreme happiness. My new philosophy is that "if we go there expecting it to be a rocky ride we won't be disappointed if things don't run smoothly straight away and if they do we can be pleasantly surprised!" It makes sense in my head!
I have done very well with our scrapping challenge this week and completed my layout a few days ago!
The single layout that says "heaven" is actually meant to read "heaven sent" but I ran out of alphabets and need to find the same ones again.
That's all folks!Have a good week!
xxx

All Birthday-ed Out!!!

I'm still here - its been awhile I know. I am officially Birthday-ed and partied out! Our baby is now 1!! I can't believe how fast this last year has gone. He had a very low key Birthday with just a few little pressies which his brother and sister gladly opened and played with for him! Ross and Gethin then had a shared party on the Saturday after Gethin's birthday. I'm not too sure Geth even realised what all the fuss was about but they both seemed to enjoy themselves and I was particularly pleased with my cake creations!! In fact, I was very impressed with myself and had loads of compliments from the other moms.
Last weekend was Ross' and my birthday which we also kept very low key as we'd already had the party. Birthdays aren't quite so exciting when you hit 34 and have children. I get more excited about the children's Birthdays nowadays than my own. But it is nice to be spoilt and although Paul isn't very proactive with lovely, surprise treats and presents on the actual day he has given me carte blanche this past week to treat myself to some new clothes!
The scrapbook challenge is still on the go even though we occasionally bend the rules ever so slightly to suit our schedules. But as Kerry said the other day, at least we're doing something which is more than we were doing before.
My brain is working overtime lately as our big move creeps ever closer. We are now down to only 115 days till we move!! I can't believe it. I better get myself into "move mode" and start sorting the more urgent issues which should not be left for the last minute. I think I may start writing the things I need to do on here so I can hold myself accountable every week. This week I need to sort out my registration with the department of education in Perth. Lets see if I've got it sorted by next week. I'll keep you posted.
On that note I shall say farewell and so long,until next week!