School horrordays...

Today I need to do a bit

Ideally Husband will go to the doctors and see just why his glands are up rather than just complain it is irritating him *grins ~ nah, it wont happen*  He can also pop past the dentist and smile so he can get that front tooth fixed ~ they need to know what is required before any appointment can be made! *even less likely than going to the docs*

I have hydro therapy at midday and I am looking forward to a bit of a walk across the pool and hanging about with some noodles. *chuckles*  Gotta laugh!  Then I'll hopefully get a hot shower in before heading over to test drive a new car!  While in Wendouree I might drop past Bunnings and see what we could get planted in the front so no more unfriendly faces can be seen staring at us from the road.  Really ~ some people should be taking a good hard look at themselves.  And watching the road for that matter!  Stoopid woman!!

So what does the ol' horrorscope predict today:

Now yesterday, because its 2am Saturday *grins*:  There has been a lot of change over the last 8 days, in which time Venus and Mars have returned to your sign, Mercury and Pluto have both turned direct and Jupiter has returned to your romantic and creative sector. However the one thing that has remained constant and is fast becoming your rock, is Saturn’s position in an intuitive part of your chart. Yet in the past your intuition was almost turning against you, but already self doubts are fast turning into a new sense of resolve.

Nothing in there about Green Smoothies!  Or is that the new sense of resolve?  So I did have my smoothie but chose a normal selection of fruit and veg rather than stinging nettle or red onion to start my Challenge.  Peeled the kiwi fruit and frozen banana, chopped them and added a red apple and two celery stalks, everything bar the apple core - gave that to the chooks - and zjushed it in the Magic Bullet, adding about 1/2 cup of water to thin it.  Lip-shmackin' delish!  So I'm having another of those with my muesli in the morning and then I thought I'd have one mid afternoon, after lunch, with something like pear, lemon, mint. It's going to be interesting.

Any miraculous change?  Nah ~ and of course having steak & veg for dinner won't aid the benefits kicking in with any speed.  But it has begun, the veg will become more as the garden gets up and I am really keen on getting it as regular and 'normal' as possible.

Spent not a penny on anything today ~ The doc and dentist were avoided. Husband went to Melbourne using a voucher to pick up a phone repaired under warranty and grabbed the free paper for the journey home.  I went to hydrotherapy, test drove a car, answered a questionnaire (and got $20 voucher!) and had some entertainment with 'catch the escaped roast' from the chook quarters.  Gotta get them on the the block - darn that it is holidays but the three boys might make it through because they are doing a top job on the weeds in the BigBed.  Husband didn't realise, but he placed the boys enclosure on top of some 'lovely' lambsquarter weed - that which will soon be in my blender!!  Apparently!!

Bit achey now ~ feeling rather sore actually. I think it might have been the test drive! Gonky seats in the basic model but gee it was a dream compared to the old Magna. Part of my 'get out' of my little insular safe home plan is to do free silly things - not a time waster per ce ~ in doing the test drive I also had done a shop and received $35. I have a haircut coming in a few weeks as part of the school of hairdressing cut and colour programme.  There is usually no cost, sometimes $10 for colour, and I am all for having students getting hands on experience.  My spine op was done in a teaching hospital - while I am sure my surgeon undertook most if not all of the work, students would have been involved and I found their bedside questions meant more information was shared, understood - that was cool!

So far, this week's spending has been under $70 for groceries, animals and all the personal, house cleaning requirements. Very pleased with that!  Husband's birthday was under $20 - more a needs over wants, but the chocolate covered coffee beans were a bit special. $20 petrol went in yesterday and seeing as the school holidays have started, none of the school run is going to be needed so we might fill up with vouchers on the cheapest day to last the whole holidays. I do enjoy the way Facebook allows me to find out about so many interesting discussions about food, gardening, saving, budgeting, shopping that are real and manageable by 'real' people on low incomes where an extra $10 saved means more than anything - not where is two people working and managing money poorly, more making what you have available stretch and work better for you.  

One site I have loved and get updates from is The $120 Food Challenge. I have enjoyed reading recipes ideas, tips that Sandra incorporates into her daily life but only recently found the information as to how her website came to be.  I took a little snippet from her blog ~ 

It started because I was angry and frustrated with the cards I had been dealt. Defeated by my failure to secure a permanent job, I had no choice but to turn to charity for help to buy food. When I told my friends what had happened to me – a monumental decision to share the load and not keep it a guilty secret – I told them I planned to cook with the two $60 food vouchers I had received from the Salvation Army – and then, one of my friends asked for a recipe. This blog started because a friend asked me what I was cooking. From the back of an envelope, scrawled in messy writing, was a menu plan, beginning day 1, day 2 …I wrote the first recipe from that list and posted it on my Facebook page, read by just a handful of friends. Then, at the end of that first week, I anonymously told another blog community that I had been forced by circumstances to feed my family for $60 that week. I wanted to whinge. Instead I got encouragement to keep going. That was six months, 390 recipes and over 260,000 blog hits ago.

Even more exciting is that Sandra is now writing a book after being seen on a Today Tonight Tomorrow Type show.  And there are prizes to be won.  If you want to enter **here** ~ Sandra's got cookbook packs worth $150 to giveaway and you only need to post her some encouragement as she starts her writing. If you do enter, please mention you got the referral from me - its gives me another entry to win and helps cover some Christmas presents. Truly our budget is THAT tight, most gifts will be hand-made home-made with love (sweat and possibly tears).

Our grocery bill would probably average out to around $90pw, including all the guff I've said before - its not just the food stuffs in our grocery budget. Once the veggies are there for harvesting, this will reduce to about $75 a week and less if I am foraging from the garden.  Not in the mood to talk budget, but we are managing fairly well and it will only get easier once the steady regular payments start next fortnight (I think, we get SO many letters from MrCentrelink it makes it difficult at times.)

Gotta love technology

Just having fun barracking with me mate over the footy ~ semi finals, Cats v Pies.  I'm the Geelong Cats fan, he's the *pppt* Collingwood Magpie supporter.  I'm watching here at home, he's listening at home - in the UK.  Not happy about the first half - at least I don't have to hear his silly gloating chuckle for real!!  *grins*  Always the second half mate - Cats are known for it!! . . . but not this time. *sighs* Oh well...

SmallBoy is having his first 'LAN' night - at home.  He has saved and saved and with the release this week of Halo Reach coinciding with the school holiday, he is online with his new game tonight until 8am tomorrow - no - today.  I can't stay up any longer but Husband is set with his refurbished repaired iPhone and both have that wonderful(?) glazed look in their eyes - the only brought on through excess staring at a screen in one small area for a long period of time... SmallBoy is going to have a headache I am guessing, so hopefully we can wait a long while before he is keen to do this again.  He is well aware it is an 'opportunity too good to miss' but one not likely to happen again in a hurry.

I know it's late, so I thought now it is tomorrow already I should see what is in-store according to the horoscopes because as it is really now today, these will have updated:

As you adjust to life without Jupiter in your work sector, you're likely to be realising that this has done nothing to stop the momentum already in progress. What this has brought an end to is overwhelming work forces that dominated everything else, with a chance to restore the kind of balance that allows you to spend more time with your family, at home or doing the things you love. You're finally able to find that elusive balance between work and play.

Well, that's not bad really ~ on track with how things should be trundling along.  And the best part is I am totally ready and wanting it to happen.  Good timing ~ good reinforcements ~ good golly!!  Good night ~ or is that good morning...??

 ♒   Something's Perfect   ♒ 

Drifting room, shadowed tomb

Gentle music, peaceful tune

Don't you remember the time we danced through the night

You spun me around, pulled me in and held me so tight

Waltzing the lawn, in the dark and with no one in sight

Times of perfect

Watching a rainbow appear and grow stronger with time

Holding my hand, you always cover me over until it is fine

Every so often you leave me notes to say your heart's mine

Times of perfect

Love with you is one thing so precious

You make it like it comes without effort

I know you give me more than I'll ever

Give you 

Not for wanting

That's just You

βε(̆̃̃εїϑε їռ ოﻪցﻨ८

☮ ❤ ☺

ℒΦϑє, ʆίφђϮ & ℐﻪ℧ჭɦʈeʁ