magnificent things

Sister tea parties at 5pm. Ham and cheese grilled on homemade bread. Researching postgrad education options. Black Swan. Taking mangoes to Grandad in hospital. Driving for the first time in months. Thinking up ways to outsmart centrelink. Vacuuming the bathtub. Wearing Hello Kitty watches. Kangaroo steaks for tea. The Magician's Nephew. 50kg bunches of bananas fresh from the tree.

I've been home for 9 days now. Beginning to feel a little stagnant already. Same old same old same old. Feel like I can't go anywhere, can't do anything, need to get organised and inspired. I think I will start my foolproof plan of action again: Tidy bedroom. Do a load of laundry. Listen to amazing music. This will start the ball rolling and magnificent things will start happening. Watch this space.

The sky above was never clearer

christmas

This year christmas has kisses and apricots for breakfast. It has parents who sleep in, but a guy who goes surfing with dolphins and a girl who takes photos in the rain. It has an easel and a canvas we are repainting white, world of warcraft, piano playing and at 6pm it has pork crackling and sparkling grapejuice and people at the dinner table laughing at everyone's jokes.

teacups

Saturdays - sisters playing world of warcraft, sisters playing charades and listening to music and eating salads.

Sundays - open bibles for the morning, roast turkey with gravy for midday, a school friend's engagement party for the afternoon, hot chocolate in fancy teacups for the evening.

attractive

I like the saturdays when I wake up at 8am because there's an attractive guy knocking at my door, telling me that he's going to get Macca's and check out the surf. And I roll over and smile because life is brilliant and I can go back to sleep for another two hours.

I like the saturdays when Paul and Rich and Sis and I are here for late breakfasts and later we buy shoes on sale from City Beach and drink watermelon boost juice and have homemade pizzas of epic epicness. Card games of Billionaire and Bohanza. Su & B arrive - more hugs, more giggles, more card games. D & M conversations while walking along the new service road. Mum & Dad and six friends around the dinner table for grace and salad and pasta.

I like the saturdays when I start making cheesecake at 10pm and someone is helping me crush up the biscuits for the cheesecakebase and someone is playing grand music on the piano and someone is reading Asterix or Calvin & Hobbes. The house smells like chocolate biscuits and lime rind. There's too many dishes to fit in the dishwasher. Bohnanza cards all over the dining table and the lounge room floor.

And I can't get to sleep for ages because I'm too busy grinning at the ceiling in the darkness above me.

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garage sailing

Some things Sis & I got at garage sales today....

Scrapbooking & Papercraft magazines.

Wild bag.

Men's watch.

Vintage scales.

Green bolero.

Checkered shirt.

Denim jacket.

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together

A great Saturday 20112010 is when you wake up early and you have a sister who tells you what to wear and what not to wear and you have a piano to play and a best friend in a purple car. It's a great Saturday when you visit a rainy garage sale, drive 187kms north, see some smiling faces, clean some dishes, lock some doors, return some keys, enjoy Chicken McBites and head south again. Great when there's a large blue beanbag elephant squished in the car and a cheesecake to give away upon returning home. Great when cows get fed and black suitcases get packed and we are excited to see old friends and meet new friends. It's a great saturday when heels are worn for muddy hills and hugs are had and after supper we sing together until 9.30. Great when cousin and sister and I are giggling in a tent and we can hear ladies whispering and babies crying and we are falling asleep grinning. Great when God is with his people. I love my life, and I'd say it's because of days like this.