Friday Already!
Today was non-stop, but it was Friday so it was all endured with a grin. I got an extra in the VCAL class and had my fingernails manicured and painted. That was an unexpected bonus! I love the VCAL program at work. It’s great for the hands on learners at our school.
On Wednesday night I went to a very well prepared and delicious tasting meal at school prepared by the students studying Food. I was really impressed, it was visually stunning and the desert especially was yummy. I booked for two because Darin was hoping to come, but couldn’t get the night off. Rhonda was the next, but had a big day the next day. Just as she told me she couldn’t make it, Asha called to say she was in town, so she became my dinner guest. I loved the way it worked out.
Tonight the kids came straight after school so the day kept up it’s busy pace. They have been an absolute delight. I love it when they are here. We have a full weekend ahead, so I’m having an early night.
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School Concert
Tonight I went to the kids school concert. I was so delighted to be invited. I have been looking forward to it and this week has been very busy and it’s crept up on me. It was sensational! I loved seeing the primary school students sing and dance their hearts out. Our two J(8) and E(5) were lit with the buzz of the performance and putting everything they had into it. J crashed as soon as we got home, but E was on a bit of a high from the days events and took a little longer. The concert was a great standard and they had a past student choreograph who is a professional. He did an amazing job and the students clearly adored him. School concerts are exhausting yet seriously educational in my opinion. They build self esteem, kids love performing and enjoy the audience adulation.
Our careers expo today at school went really well too. The first break I got in the day to check the time, was 5 minutes before closing and I would have sworn it was 3 hours earlier. I love chatting to parents and students one on one about their choices. The school looked great and everyone pulled their weight to make it happen. It was good to catch up with my friends from the other campus where I used to work when we were setting up. I was glad I got around to most of them before the crowd arrived, cause if I’d put it off, I wouldn’t have got the chance.
It’s been a very full day!
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Learning to make Arincini
I have enjoyed making chocolate tarts and lemon tarts since the school holidays. I’ve given most of them away and even thrown some out that didn’t go to plan. I’m ready to move to the next thing I want to learn how to make on my hitlist…. arincini.
I love rice. It is my favourite food. If I get sick, I crave fried rice. If I want to comfort myself I make risotto. I read a beautiful post about food today:Food Memories: Jill Dupliex. It reminded me of the delicious rice pudding my nana would make that we’d eat with golden syrup and cream. Delicious.
I know the value of rice since Roger Green’s Feng Shui course, which included some Macrobiotic food as one of the branches of feng shui. I remember enjoying a rice ball at the ‘Wild Rice Cafe’. When I heard about arincini, I knew I’d love it.
Darin and I made the risotto together on Thursday night. Asha had friends coming over Friday night so I had some victims to test my food on lined up. I also planned to have brushetta which I have pretty well handled now, just in case it was really bad. Darin fortunately had the night off so he helped me heaps with both and they were yummy. We had the kids and J(8) wouldn’t go near it, but Asha and her mates liked it. I heated up the leftovers tonight for dinner -not bad.
Next time though I want to make the risotto a bit wetter and put more mozzarella in the middle. Still I’m happy with my first try.
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Cleaning Out the Toy Cupboard
Today we cleaned out the toy cupboard. Each weekend when the kids come, I’ve shoved various toys they’ve accumulated into the existing games cupboard. There was an assortment of old games and toys that Asha and Tom had left, that have been brought back into use. We discovered lost treasures and I had many memories of games played and fun had.
I found a notepad inside our scattegories game with lists and lists of words. There was a note to my grandparents from me in it and I retrieved a memory that brought a smile to my face with a twinge of longing for them to still be here.
I didn’t really get rid of much at all, just reordered it so things can be found. The colouring books are all in a pile, the blank paper has been separated from the works of art, the pens, crayons, paints and texta’s are all back in their shoe boxes, the cards have been reunited, the legos, playdough and other vast assortment of toys are all back in their right places and can now be found without having to empty the entire cupboard.
The kids played all afternoon with their old toys as though they were new again:-). It was a great way to spend a wet rainy afternoon when dad had to work.
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Monday Holidays are good for…
Staying up late to watch the Grand Prix, when you can sleep in the next morning. Couldn’t quite manage the soccer, but as it turns out, just as well. I wanted Mark Webber to win too, so it was a dissappointing night for the Aussies sport wise.
After sleeping the morning away, we went for a shop and enjoyed a sausage sizzle breakfast at the local shopping centre. It was ran by one of the Neighbourhood houses and I was astonished to see the co-ordinator was still the same one as when I was a co-ordinator around 9 years ago. I love Neighbourhood houses and remember my time there with fond memories. We strolled around and didn’t buy much, some gumboots for J(8) who is going on camp this week, and a book for Darin to thank him for teaching me how to cook. He said it was completely unnecessary, but I love buying books so I didn’t listen to his protests.
So this evening we are cooking. He’s showing me how to make French Onion soup and Chocolate tart, which I want to take to retreat to reward the staff who are coming with me. I’m away for a few days this week. I haven’t been on a year 12 retreat since 1983 when I was at my own, should be interesting. I hear French Onion soup is incredibly easy to make, but still I love watching and learning how they do it in a restaurant. Under his supervision I know it will taste great and as it should, unlike some of the dishes I’ve tried to create from a recipe.
He’s just been called into work for an hour… they can’t seem to live without him, so I’m taking the break to write this. He wasn’t too happy about it I can tell you. I love hearing him express himself on the phone, he’s so clear and assertive. I learn as much from him about communicating as I do about cooking!
Interestingly when I was doing my new moon goals this weekend I reviewed some of my previous goal setting notes. I had set a goal that I wanted to learn how to cook. I didn’t really think about it again and I was kind of surprised to read it. (Says a lot about my memory) I’d done nothing concrete about it, but I realised that the perfect way of learning had materialised anyway. That’s often happened to me before and sometimes I think the goals I think the least about are the ones that come easiest.
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I Have Fire
I installed a reverse cycle air conditioner about 3 years ago. I have hardly used my wood fire since then. It’s always too easy to just flick that switch and get warm. Darin bought some wood this weekend and we’ve had a fire the last two nights. There is nothing like it. I love looking at flames. The heat is less suffocating.
This weekend has been lovely with the kids. I went into school to finish my reports Saturday morning and Darin took the kids shopping for a birthday gift for E (5) to take to the party she had today. We met at the library around lunchtime and got a pile of picture books. I love that they are excited about going to the library. I know a love of books will serve them well. Darin and J spent the afternoon preparing a delicious meal for us. The girls and I set the table with flowers and candles. Today they were off to a birthday party. The day flew by.
Tonight the kids have returned home to their mum and we are sitting in front of the fire. It’s quiet, but cosy too. I love knowing I have another day at home tomorrow. Bonus!
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A Little Ray of Sunshine –
This was one of the songs I used in the clip for Asha’s 21st. I love this song. One of my students used it in a video clip she made in my IT class last year and I remembered what a great tribute it was to our children. It’s true, they are a ‘ray of sunshine’, I am looking forward to seeing Darin’s kids on the weekend. This is an older version than the one I used, but you get the gist!
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My Kiva Loan Experience
I made a loan to Kiva of a very small amount Christmas 2008. Today I got the email to say it had been totally repaid. So I got to lend it again.
I have been meaning to lend more and I have to admit it wasn’t until I got the email tonight that I remembered to do it. It’s so easy and there are so many different enterprises you could support. I believe you could find someone you would like to lend a hand to, someone you could identify with and want to help out.
My son phoned me in the middle of the night a couple of months ago, to tell me about Kiva. He was so enthused cause he’d heard about it. I was annoyed that he woke me, but also pleased that he felt a passion for giving. I know it leads to happiness.
The thrill of giving is worth passing on. On the weekend we went shopping and I watched Darin give his kids some coins to donate to a worthy charity. They happily deposited the money into the box and I thought to myself, that’s where it begins. I remember my kids wanting money to give with equal enthusiasm to wanting things for themselves. I encouraged that.
We can always find an excuse not to give.
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Fridge Full
Darin has the weekend off and the kids are here. It’s been a while since he’s been home for the weekend. He has cooked here this afternoon and my fridge is now bulging with yummy food and my stomach is full of dinner that was amazing.
My parents took off today on their winter escape. It’s great to seeing them enjoy this lifestyle. I slept in this morning and thought I had missed them, but luckily bumped into them in the supermarket.
I feel full of gratitude for my life today. This afternoon was a beautiful sunny autumn one and all the huge trees around were showing their colours. The air and light in autumn inspires contentment in me. The kids were playing happily and I got a wonderful text message from Tom. These are the days:-)
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Ah Friday already….
The brilliant aftermath of the long weekend is the short week following.
This week was busy. I wasn’t expecting it. It was productive busy though and that makes all the difference. Darin’s treacle tart that I had for morning tea each day this week also helped 
.
The memorable moments of this week were many. I felt affirmed seeing photos of my son and receiving reliable reports that he’s healthy and doing well on Hamo. I enjoyed the greeting from Darin’s kids when they arrived tonight. They are so affectionate and excited to be here, it’s such a gift to me. A student who was away sick emailed me the assignment on the due date. I hate to be cynical, but usually if a student is absent on a due date… they are at home doing the assignment! Not that I am a big deadline person. In fact I am probably too flexible as a teacher with due dates for assignments. I have always found inflexibility to be an inhibitor. This student thanked me because they enjoyed the assignment. Not an everyday occurence. I had a student tell me she got her licence and got to relive with her that exquisite feeling of freedom and power that moment in time brings… I’ve never taught her, but have managed to develop a relationship through yard duties and as a co-ordinater. I had a student I taught last year at the junior campus greet me with such enthusiam! that I missed the place, for a minute, even though I am so happy where I am. The power of relationship building! To teach in a community I am familiar with is a gift. I know students parents and grandparents and Aunties and Uncles and brothers and sisters. It adds meaning to our relationships and helps to know and understand all kinds of differences that others can’t discern.
Someone said to me today it’s good my kids got out of here. I agree. I was in a big rush to do that when I was at that age and I was away for a total of 12 years…. off and on. I am so glad to live here now though. I love where I live. I love that I know a reasonable part of my community. I enjoy not having to line up with strangers(at least you can catch up with peoplein the queue at the supermarket). I realised today in a discussion with a new teacher, how much easier it is for me. There is a richness in long term relationships, whatever the nature, that is enriching.
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