Telly takes a tumble...
Yesterday the kids wanted to keep turning the TV on and off and on and off... you know, like kids do? So I pulled the plug from the wall to hilight my authority in such things. Well this afternoon Janene decided to plug it back in and let Clayton watch a video while she rested her bulbously throbbing face (see blog entry below). To her surprise the TV didn't respond even after being plugged back in.
What's this mean folks? NO TV!? I'm sorry to say so... (or am I?).
Actually, I can almost visualise the effect already. Give it a week and Eli will no longer be able to recite The Incredibles word for word like he has been. Clayton may find a new game to play, like colouring in or trains, instead of running around the house screaming "SPIDERMAAAAAAN!". Janene's thumb won't be sore from flicking the remote in an effort to find a decent show on monday night TV. And me... I might not be in a state of rage over the level of smut, blasphemy, poor humour and general garbage that would usually emanate from that radioactive tube.
You know what? I'm in no rush to get it fixed. In fact, I actually enjoyed a cup of coffee with Janene tonight as we both sat on the lounge together reading current editions of The Warcry. I think we otherwise would have been watching some crappy, media-biased 60 Minutes presentation.
God bless TV-lessness... (and He will!)
Monday, June 27, 2005
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Could it be?
Could posting to your blog REALLY be this easy?
Apparently it's true, so I'm giving it a burl. I'm posting this message from my email program. So if this works, I can email a blog entry fromwherever... as long as I have access to email.
Nice!
Bleedin Gums Nenesta...
Nene's turn!
Yeah, it's true... Janene had the pleasure of having her four wisdom teeth ripped out. However, unlike my dreamy experience under a full general anaesthetic, she had to have hers extracted IN THE CHAIR! Ouchy!
Janene had one impacted (i.e. sideways) tooth on the bottom right, which meant some bone drilling was required. But surprisingly that particular tooth came out with minimal effort compared to the one on the opposite side of her face.
Where it should have only taken around 2 hours to take all four teeth out, she ended up spending four and a half hours in the chair! The last half of that time was mostly due to the fact they couldn't stop her mouth from bleeding. Blood poured out everywhere! YICK!
So anyway, with Janene's face looking the way it does (check the picture which I took tonight - 3 days after the op!) I've been determined to keep her locked up until the swelling subsides and she looks less "abused". I fear that taking her out in public will almost certainly encourage whispers and general gossip among strangers who don't know (or care for) the real story! Cos let's face it... she DOES look like your average beaten housewife.
Sunday School...
Not one to shirk her Christian duties, Janene soldiered on and taught her Sunday School class this morning. While I sat there as her offsider in the circle of kids, the silent stares Janene got were hilarious. I couldn't hold back a chuckle as I watched Meggy's wide eyes stare unceasingly, with mouth ajar in horror at Janene's bruises.
Finally, before the lessons began, Janene took the time to explain why she looked like she picked a fight with Jackie Chan. Once it was explained, the kids were visibly relieved.
LOTS OF SOUP...
Yeah, it's true... Janene had the pleasure of having her four wisdom teeth ripped out. However, unlike my dreamy experience under a full general anaesthetic, she had to have hers extracted IN THE CHAIR! Ouchy!Janene had one impacted (i.e. sideways) tooth on the bottom right, which meant some bone drilling was required. But surprisingly that particular tooth came out with minimal effort compared to the one on the opposite side of her face.
Where it should have only taken around 2 hours to take all four teeth out, she ended up spending four and a half hours in the chair! The last half of that time was mostly due to the fact they couldn't stop her mouth from bleeding. Blood poured out everywhere! YICK!
So anyway, with Janene's face looking the way it does (check the picture which I took tonight - 3 days after the op!) I've been determined to keep her locked up until the swelling subsides and she looks less "abused". I fear that taking her out in public will almost certainly encourage whispers and general gossip among strangers who don't know (or care for) the real story! Cos let's face it... she DOES look like your average beaten housewife.
Sunday School...
Not one to shirk her Christian duties, Janene soldiered on and taught her Sunday School class this morning. While I sat there as her offsider in the circle of kids, the silent stares Janene got were hilarious. I couldn't hold back a chuckle as I watched Meggy's wide eyes stare unceasingly, with mouth ajar in horror at Janene's bruises.
Finally, before the lessons began, Janene took the time to explain why she looked like she picked a fight with Jackie Chan. Once it was explained, the kids were visibly relieved.
LOTS OF SOUP...
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Computers...
I've finally discovered what computers are good for! They're the perfect tool for tapping into the vast knowlege of technical support available on the internet, for the purpose of fixing your computer.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Christian School choir blits Eisteddfod
They did it!
This morning Janene, Clayton and I all went to watch Eli perform in the local Eisteddfod under the category of Kindergarten-Year 2 Choir. Theirs was the smallest choir of the seven choirs that competed, and they sang "Way Back to God" followed by "These Are a Few of My Favourite Things". They sounded beautiful... as did a few of the other choirs. But the final judgement was that the K-2 choir from the Christian school won the trophy, and Eli will get a certificate. I'm so proud!!
It was pretty exciting seeing my little nipper up there singing so wonderfully. He was extremly serious and focused - a side to Eli that I don't often see!
One important things I noticed too is that the Dubbo Christian School's choir was the only one that took the opportunity to sing a spiritual song/hymn. None of the other Christian-based schools did that! It's my personal belief that every opportunity should be made to set yourself apart from the rest of the world and shine a light in whatever you do... even in a school eisteddfod. I'm very pleased with the strong biblical emphasis in the DCS curriculum... they rock!
This morning Janene, Clayton and I all went to watch Eli perform in the local Eisteddfod under the category of Kindergarten-Year 2 Choir. Theirs was the smallest choir of the seven choirs that competed, and they sang "Way Back to God" followed by "These Are a Few of My Favourite Things". They sounded beautiful... as did a few of the other choirs. But the final judgement was that the K-2 choir from the Christian school won the trophy, and Eli will get a certificate. I'm so proud!!
It was pretty exciting seeing my little nipper up there singing so wonderfully. He was extremly serious and focused - a side to Eli that I don't often see!
One important things I noticed too is that the Dubbo Christian School's choir was the only one that took the opportunity to sing a spiritual song/hymn. None of the other Christian-based schools did that! It's my personal belief that every opportunity should be made to set yourself apart from the rest of the world and shine a light in whatever you do... even in a school eisteddfod. I'm very pleased with the strong biblical emphasis in the DCS curriculum... they rock!
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Maestro
New journey begun...
Eli picked up the violin tonight and I gave him his first lesson on the basics (which is already more than I know).
For now we're just practicing how to hold the instrument and how to bow a long steady note on an open string. We'll get the left hand involved on the fretboard further down the track.
I was caught by surprise when I discovered he has fairly natural and fluid movement. He looks to be the makings of a natural violinist! Check the pic (click for a larger view).
Eli picked up the violin tonight and I gave him his first lesson on the basics (which is already more than I know).For now we're just practicing how to hold the instrument and how to bow a long steady note on an open string. We'll get the left hand involved on the fretboard further down the track.
I was caught by surprise when I discovered he has fairly natural and fluid movement. He looks to be the makings of a natural violinist! Check the pic (click for a larger view).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Clayton makes the Terrible Twos
It was always gonna happen, Clayton turned two a couple of months ago... Can you believe I didn't report it earlier on my blog? This happened just before we left civilisation to live on the remote wilderness, so blogging was far from my mind at the time. Anyway, Clayton is two now, and he had a wonderful birthday with our little family as well as John the Builder who's working on our house (we invited him to stay for some cake).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAYTIE!
It was always gonna happen, Clayton turned two a couple of months ago... Can you believe I didn't report it earlier on my blog? This happened just before we left civilisation to live on the remote wilderness, so blogging was far from my mind at the time. Anyway, Clayton is two now, and he had a wonderful birthday with our little family as well as John the Builder who's working on our house (we invited him to stay for some cake).HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAYTIE!
A whole lot to say
Eli (Stradavarius) Phillips
Finally, after a month of waiting, the violins for Mitchell and Eli that I bought off ebay have arrived from the USA. They're groovy little items, and I spent last night tuning them and putting a coat of rosin on their little bows.
I had no idea that these quarter size violins were so cute and tiny! I'll be posting a photo of Eli soon with violin in hand... and under chin.
It's a long road ahead, and the next few weeks will really determine whether he's built to be a musician or not. I imagine violin is possibly one of the more difficult instruments to learn, so if anything, Eli will learn some patience.
I'm looking for a third kid now so that I can have enough children to start a group lesson at the Macquarie Conservatorium. On Thursday I'll ask Melissa from church if she would like to let little Meg have a go. I think she'd be perfect for violin :D
Meanwhile, I've pulled out my violin too and am determined to make some use of it.
Blue walls
Well the builder has completed the majority of the outside of the house, as well as my office and the kids' playroom. These rooms are like new, and the outside is ready to render over the top. But now the builder has had to move on to another job, and he won't be back until October! So we're back in our half-renovated house and we're pottering around, doing the odd painting job, patching job, decorating job etc. It's all lookin pretty good, but it aint easy to find time to do what we want when we've got kids at our feet. And on the rare occasion when they're not there, we just wanna enjoy the silence and sleep in or drink coffee.
The outside is now covered with the fibro-cement sheeting (called Harditex) that is a bright blue colour. It actually looks kinda trendy, though I don't think we'll settle on that colour :-)
RAIN!!
Most Aussies would be aware that my part of Australia is in a serious drought. We haven't had good, regular rainfall for years and it's taking its toll on the environment and the industries (farming etc) that rely heavily on it.
However, just recently we had a beautiful couple of days with showers and occasional heavy falls. Some areas got more than others, Mum and Dad's farm got about 20mm all up. That should give the feed crops a kick along, and keep things fresh.
Finally, after a month of waiting, the violins for Mitchell and Eli that I bought off ebay have arrived from the USA. They're groovy little items, and I spent last night tuning them and putting a coat of rosin on their little bows.
I had no idea that these quarter size violins were so cute and tiny! I'll be posting a photo of Eli soon with violin in hand... and under chin.
It's a long road ahead, and the next few weeks will really determine whether he's built to be a musician or not. I imagine violin is possibly one of the more difficult instruments to learn, so if anything, Eli will learn some patience.
I'm looking for a third kid now so that I can have enough children to start a group lesson at the Macquarie Conservatorium. On Thursday I'll ask Melissa from church if she would like to let little Meg have a go. I think she'd be perfect for violin :D
Meanwhile, I've pulled out my violin too and am determined to make some use of it.
Blue walls
Well the builder has completed the majority of the outside of the house, as well as my office and the kids' playroom. These rooms are like new, and the outside is ready to render over the top. But now the builder has had to move on to another job, and he won't be back until October! So we're back in our half-renovated house and we're pottering around, doing the odd painting job, patching job, decorating job etc. It's all lookin pretty good, but it aint easy to find time to do what we want when we've got kids at our feet. And on the rare occasion when they're not there, we just wanna enjoy the silence and sleep in or drink coffee.
The outside is now covered with the fibro-cement sheeting (called Harditex) that is a bright blue colour. It actually looks kinda trendy, though I don't think we'll settle on that colour :-)
RAIN!!
Most Aussies would be aware that my part of Australia is in a serious drought. We haven't had good, regular rainfall for years and it's taking its toll on the environment and the industries (farming etc) that rely heavily on it.
However, just recently we had a beautiful couple of days with showers and occasional heavy falls. Some areas got more than others, Mum and Dad's farm got about 20mm all up. That should give the feed crops a kick along, and keep things fresh.
Time to test a new tool!
It's been a helluva long time since I've written in my blog. There's a good reason for that too. Previously it's been a lot of hassle to open up a browser, open a blog page, navigate to my Edit screen and type up a new blog. It's even tons annoyinger when you've just typed a blog entry over the past 2 hours and then your submit fails... you click the back arrow in the browser and your entry is *GONE*. Actually, that could be a Pet Hate of the Day.
MOGSTA'S PET HATE OF THE DAY:
I hate it when you've just spent two hours typing/crafting an entry for your (extremely popular) blog and then, with a nice wide smile on our face, you hit the submit button, but to your utter dispair the page times out. You frantically hit the back arrow to resubmit, but find the contents of the MESSAGE box is GONE! Sheesh I hate that.
So anyway, I had previously tried a whole wad of different programs to post to my Blog from within a desktop app, but none utilised the extensive features available in blogger.com's native interface, so I gave up. Then today I decided to get back into my blog and after some lunchtime searching I found w.bloggar v4. In a word - ROCKON! Blogging was meant to be this easy!
Check out the software yourself: w.bloggar
Now, let's get on to some blogging! I've got a number of news items to catch up on.
MOGSTA'S PET HATE OF THE DAY:
I hate it when you've just spent two hours typing/crafting an entry for your (extremely popular) blog and then, with a nice wide smile on our face, you hit the submit button, but to your utter dispair the page times out. You frantically hit the back arrow to resubmit, but find the contents of the MESSAGE box is GONE! Sheesh I hate that.
So anyway, I had previously tried a whole wad of different programs to post to my Blog from within a desktop app, but none utilised the extensive features available in blogger.com's native interface, so I gave up. Then today I decided to get back into my blog and after some lunchtime searching I found w.bloggar v4. In a word - ROCKON! Blogging was meant to be this easy!
Check out the software yourself: w.bloggar
Now, let's get on to some blogging! I've got a number of news items to catch up on.
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