HAPPY HALLOWEEN ...

From my desk calendar, isn't it cute !!!

Cats .... of course !!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Take care,

MEOW

Monday, Monday ...

Hello again, dear blogging friends ...

I haven't had a chance to post since last Wednesday (wow, that's quite awhile ago !!), but I am here now, and I will, for sure, be coming by within the next few hours to visit you all.

Anyway, what have I been doing ....

Thursday ...

I spent most of the day over at my parent's place. Mum & I were going to go shopping together, but she had hurt her back the previous weekend, and shopping would've been too painful for her, so we just hung around and chatted. Dad was there most of the time too. It was lovely, as it was just the 3 of us (I am an only child), and it was like "old" times ... before marriage and parenthood came my way. Now don't get me wrong, I loooooove being married and being a mum, but there's nothing nicer than being the "kid" again with my parents. We talked about all sorts of things, and had a wonderful day. After leaving mum and dad's, I had to do a rush grocery shop, so that I could get it all home, unpack, and get over to Chicky's school early to pick her up and take her to a class at another school. We eventually got home around 5.30, when I cooked dinner, tidied up, and sat back down at this computer, to continue my never-ending typing !!

Friday ...

I spent most of the day at my Aunt and Uncle's, finishing off what I started early last week, sorting out their computer, uninstalling and installing various programs, to make it a happy PC again. They fed me lunch (which was nice), and we then looked at all the photos from our recent Broken Hill holiday. I made it home, just in time to pick up Chicky from school. We were home for only an hour, and then I had to take her and a friend to German lessons. Returned home around 7.30, and put together a quick dinner. Did a few loads of washing. Then more work on the computer. Gosh, what a day !!

Saturday ...

Hung up about 4 loads of washing, which I had washed the previous night ... gosh I hate doing the laundry, but it is a necessary evil !! Chicky had netball in the morning, which Hubby and I both watched. The girls won convincingly, again (they have won 6 out of 6 games so far !!). After leaving netball, we had a quick lunch at McDonalds (healthy !!!), and headed into the city to the 4WD, Outdoors & Fishing Expo. Spent quite a few hours there, getting lots of brochures and ideas, and more dreams !! Headed home, light dinner, and watched some TV. No computer for me, for a change !!!

Sunday ...

Yay, I had a bit of a sleep in. Hubby did an extra shift at work ... 6am till 6pm ... so Chicky and I had the day to ourselves !! We went into Knox City (our local shopping centre) to look for a dress for Chicky to wear to her Grade 6 Graduation dance in December. We spent a few hours scouring the shops, and found a lovely dress and some shoes. Just need to get some accessories (jewellery and stuff), and she's ready to go !! Spent the remainder of the day pottering around on the computer (how unusual !!), and continuing with my typing ... nearly there, thank goodness !! Watched a bit of TV, and off to bed.

So, there you go, that's my last few days. Not very exciting, but very busy !!

What have you been up to ???

I hope you all have a great week.

Take care,

MEOW

A quote I liked ...

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

--Alan Cohen--

I'm Still Here ...

Hi There !!

I'm starting to get on top of my typing, but still have alot to do, so this will be another short post.

I was physically exhausted, after typing just about non-stop for the past couple weeks, so I decided to take the day off yesterday, and barely looked at the computer. I parked myself on the couch ... no TV, no music, just pure quiet ... wonderful ... and picked up a wonderful book which a good friend of mine had recommended. It is called Plain Truth (it's cover is shown in the pic above), and it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is quite long, 504 pages, but I finished it this morning, after starting it Monday night ... I couldn't put it down !! Here's what the blurb on the back says about it ...

"Moving seamlessly from psychological drama to courtroom suspense, Plain Truth is a triumph of contemporary storytelling. Jodi Picoult presents a fascinating portrait of Amish life rarely witnessed by those outside the faith - and discovers a place where circumstances are not always what they seem, where love meets falsehood, and where relationships grow strong enough to transcend death.

When Ellie Hathaway decides to defend an unmarried Amish woman against the charge of the murder of her own child, the urban-savvy defence attorney finds herself caught in a clash of cultures with a people whose channels of justice are markedly different from her own. Plain Truth is the extraordinary story of two unforgettable women - and what happens when their disparate worlds collide."

If you can get your hands on this book, and if it sounds like something you would enjoy ... do so, you will love it !!

I want to thank you all for all your wonderful comments. It's great that you keep dropping by, even though my visits to you have been few and far between. Soon (I hope) I will be back to normal. At the moment I have 3 big things to finish (or start !!) ... a huge document to be typed out for a client, a newsletter (which I do monthly) for a committee I am helping out, and the Grade 6 Yearbook for Chicky's primary school graduation. The newsletter I hope to have done by tomorrow, the big document I hope to do over the next few days ... then I can concentrate on the Yearbook, which is a huge job, but it will be a fun one. I need to fiddle around with lots of photographs, and graphics, and lots of typing up of individual student profiles, and stuff like that. I can't wait to sink my teeth into it, as I have been putting it off due to all the other jobs I have had on.

We are planning on heading into the 4WD show at the Exhibition Centre (also known as Jeff's Shed) on Saturday afternoon, after Chicky's netball. Should be fun. We always enjoy attending these shows, as well as caravan and camping shows. Get's the itchy feet itching for travel again !!

I took my kitty, Bambi, to the vet today, for her annual vaccination. She got the once over from the vet, and was pronounced in excellent health. The poor little thing tried to bury herself in my arms ... usually unheard of for this cat, as she doesn't generally like being held for too long. It was a challenge to get her out of her carry-basket initially ... I had to dismantle it ... as she had put herself in the furthest corner and held on tight !! Once the vet was finished with her, boy did she get back in that basket quick smart !!! It's really quite comical, as she generally hates the basket when we take her to the boarding cattery !! Poor baby, but at least we know she is one healthy cat !!

I have still been receiving postcards from you, my wonderful blog friends, and yesterday received a gorgeous little parcel from another wonderful blog friend. I haven't had a chance to scan or photograph all these things, so as soon as I have, I will share them all with you. Thank you everyone for caring ... hugs to you all.

Anyway, back to the grind-stone ... this typng won't do itself. I hope to drop by in the next couple of days.

Enjoy the remainder of the week.

Take care,

MEOW

(PS. I guess this wasn't such a short post in the end, after all *giggle* !)

Hello ...

Hello again, dear Blog Friends,

I am still running around like a chook without a head, and still cannot come out and play in blog-land as much as I'd like to. Thank you all for perservering with me ... you are wonderful. I will be back to regular programming as soon as I can. I hope to be by all your blogs at some stage over the weekend ... however brief.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Take care,

MEOW

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

-- Samuel Ullman --

Some Flowers For You ...

Do you know anyone who has the words "SUCKER", or "No Problems, I'll Do It !" written on their foreheads ??? That would be me !!! Hence why I haven't been around much lately. I can't believe how busy I've been.

I hope your week is going well ... I haven't had time to scratch, so my week is flying by ... too much to do, too little time !!

I would like to share with you some photos of some flowers we encountered on our recent trip ... once again, I am amazed at how some of these flowers just appeared out of nothing. Please enjoy.

Gotta go, will be back soon.

Take care all,

MEOW

Where Has The Week Gone ???

You can all call off the search party ... I'm here ... I'm no longer AWOL. I'm sorry if any of you were worried ... I'm OK ... just a very busy girl !!!

OK, now that's out of the way, how has your week been ?? As I mentioned, mine has been very busy. I have had an over-abundance of typing again, and have also been fiddling with my iPod, along with general house-wife / mumsy duties which keep me away from the computer. All this adds up to not being able to spend nearly enough time visiting with all you, my special blog-friends.

Do you like the flowers in my picture above ??? This photo was taken in Tibooburra (the place with the rocks beside the camp ground (see my earlier posts on our trip to Broken Hill). I have a bunch of other flower photos, which never ceased to amaze me, as these flowers just grow out of the ground or rocks, where there can't possibly be any nourishment ... go figure ??? I'm sorry I can't remember what this one was ... if it comes to me, I will let you know.

I've just come back from my local shopping centre, where I actually only just popped in to get some cat food, but ended up "gas-bagging" with a friend for an hour or so. We chatted about all sorts of things, as you do, and I somehow mentioned that I blog !!! Well, it turns out that my friend had not heard of blogging before, so I gave her a brief description, and my blog address, so hopefully she will come and visit. (Hi, Lisa, if you are reading this !!)

This got me thinking ... don't laugh, I do think sometimes !!! This little world of ours, that we take for granted, is really not all that well known. Obviously, WE all know what blogging is, but there is a whole lot of people out there that don't know what it is that we do. I think that is pretty strange, really. Are we some sort of secret society ??? Is it really such a special thing that we do ??? Although, thinking back to last year, before I started blogging ... I didn't know what it was either !! So, what does this all mean ?? Where am I heading with this topic ?? Who knows, really, just that I find it fascinating that something we really DO take for granted, is not really something that is known by all. Sad, really, as it has certainly opened up my eyes, and taught me so much about other people, cultures, countries ... whatever. I know that I, personally, try and talk about my blogging experiences as often as possible, and try to get new people involved all the time, as I know it is something I really enjoy, and feel that everyone should have the same opportunities that I have. I also know that I have made some wonderful new friends out of this experience ... you all know who you are !! Blogging has been such a positive, fun-filled experience for me, and I thank you all for being a huge part of it.

It seems Blogger is letting me (and hopefully all of you, too) post pictures again !! That was so frustrating early in the week ... Blogger sure can be a booger. I wonder how much all these problems have to do with the change over to Beta Blogger ??? I haven't changed over yet ... I'm waiting to be told by Blogger that it is my turn to change over ... hopefully they will do all the work for me !! I dread having to re-create my blog ... I like it the way it is. Or, is it a good opportunity for a change ?? Will Meow still be Meow without all her Meow things ??? Will it be like Superman without his costume ... no powers ??? Who know, we'll just have to wait and see. They say a change is as good as a holiday ... but I DON'T LIKE CHANGE very much !!

Anyway, I had better chooff off and do some more typing (bugger !!).

I hope you all have a stupendously fantabulous weekend. I don't have much planned again ... I hope to come visiting you all over the next couple of days.

Take care, hugs to you all ...

MEOW

Hello ....

Hello Friends ...

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was fairly quiet, thank goodness. Had some time to recharge the old batteries !! We did, however, attend a RV and Camping Leisurefest, where all sorts of caravans, campers, RVs, tents and all the relevant accessories were on display. We just wanted to get some ideas. It was fun.

Spent much of Sunday watching the Bathurst 1000 V8 Race ... it was quite sad, and I had tears welling, when they did a dedication to motor racing legend Peter Brock, who was killed in a crash a few weeks back.

Anyway, gotta go now .... just wanted to touch base ... I'm about to come around and visit all your blogs (hopefully I'll get through them all today !!).

I have tried adding pictures to this post, but both Hello(Picasa) and Blogger won't let me post pictures (Hello only posted half the pic ... go figure !!), so this will be a pictureless post ... shame.

I will leave you with a couple of quotes, which I particularly liked, courtesy of my good friend Greeneyes, who sent me a bunch of them ...

Tough times never last, but tough people do.

- Robert H. Schuller -

You may never know what results come from your action.

But if you do nothing, there will be no result.

- Gandhi -

Have a wonderful week.

Take care,

MEOW

Another Weekend Approaches ...

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

--Earl Nightingale --

Just a quick post from me ... I'm sure I've said enough in the past week, as well as shared enough photos, to last a life time !!

(This photo is from our Sunday at the seaside ... the tide was coming in, and it was fascinating watching the water come through these rocks ... just had to share another one with you ... can't help myself !!)

I really just wanted to wish you all a wonderful weekend. Hope it is full of family, fun and frivolity, and lots of relaxation. We are hoping for a quiet one, with some stay-at-home time, after our full couple of weeks.

Take care, everyone ...

MEOW xxx

A Meme ...

This Meme has been doing the rounds, so I thought I would give it a go ...

Are You :

1. A Cuddler? Yes
2. A morning person? Yes, mostly
3. Are you a perfectionist? Most of the time
4. An only child? Yes
5. Catholic: No
6. In your pajamas? In the middle of the day ??? ... no, just jeans and a blouse
7. Currently suffering from a broken heart? Oh my goodness, NO
8. Okay styling other people's hair? I do Chicky's hair for her, when she wants me to, but I'm no hairdresser !!
9. Left handed? No
10. Addicted to MySpace? Never tried it, don't know !!
11. Shy around the opposite gender? Not really
12. Loud? I can be, but not usually

DO YOU:

12. Bite your nails? I used to when I was a kid, but not these days
13. Get paranoid at times? Are you talking about me ??? LOL, not really
14. Currently regret something that you have said/done? A person shouldn't live with regrets
15. Curse frequently when you get mad? Only when no-one's listening !!
16. Enjoy country music? Yes
17. Enjoy jazz music? Yes
18. Enjoy smoothies? Sometimes.
19. Enjoy talking on the phone? Depends who I'm talking to.
20. Have a lot to learn? For sure ... life is all about learing, we never stop
21. Have a pet? Yes, a gorgeous kitty cat, and a few fish (oh yeah, and a husband ... does that count ??)
22. Have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" person? I used to, but then I found my Hubby ... he was soooooo right !!
23. Have all your grandparents died? Yes, and I miss them terribly
24. Have at least one sibling? Nope, I'm an only child
25. Have been told that you are smart? My daughter thinks I am (sometimes!!)
26. Have had a broken bone? No, never
27. Have Caller I.D. on your phone? No

HAVE YOU:

28. Changed a diaper? When Chicky was a bubba, I changed heaps ... not these days, though
29. Changed a lot over the past year? Only my hair colour !!
30. Had friends who have never seen your natural hair color? No
31. Had surgery? Only after having Chicky, some stitches and a D&C
32. Killed anyone? No, but have thought about it (no, not really !!)
33. Had your haircut within the last week? No.

LAST PERSON WHO:

1. Slept in the bed beside you? Hubby, and my cat
2. Saw you cry? Probably Hubby & Chicky, whilst watching the Terri Irwin interview last week
3. Went to the movies with you? Hubby
4. You went to the mall with? Chicky
5. You went to dinner with? The group of people we recently holidayed with
6. You talked to on the phone? Hubby,about 1/2 an hour ago.
7. Said 'I love you' to you and meant it? Hubby & Chicky
8. Broke your heart? Some guy when I was in high school, but it doesn't count anymore
9. Made you laugh? Hubby, Chicky, Mum & Dad

WOULD YOU RATHER?

1. Pierce your nose or tongue? Eeewww, neither, but if I had to choose ... nose
2. Be serious or be funny? Funny.
3. Drink whole or skim milk? Skim milk
4. Die in a fire or drown? Neither ... I'm going to live forever !!
5. Spend time with your parents or enemies? Definately my parents, they are cool people.

ABOUT YOU!

1. What time is it? 11.45am
2. Name? Now, that would be telling ! (Although, many of you know, anyway!!)
3. Nickname(s)? Don't know that I really have one !! I'll have to think about this one !!
4. Where were you born? Box Hill, Victoria, Australia
5. What is your birthdate? November 17 1964 (shhh, don't tell anyone !!)
6. What do you want? I think I have everything I want ... my life is quite content
7. Where do you want to live? Right where I live now
8. How many kids do you want? Just one, and I have her ... she broke the mould !!

Down By The Seaside ...

Dear Friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We decided to finish off our holidays with the people we travelled with to Broken Hill, by taking a trip down to the sea ... to Sorrento and Portsea. It was a stunning day, quite warm (although not as warm as it was when we were up north in the Outback !!).

At Sorrento Ocean Beach we went exploring the rock pools. The water was so crystal clear, it was just incredible.

We saw lots of different coloured starfish, as well as sea slugs, and various other critters.





The surf was quite exciting in places (not in this photo, but I loved the spray in this one) ... there were heaps of kids body surfing, and having an absolute ball.

We returned to the carpark via a huge staircase (needless to say, with my level of un-fittness, my legs feel like I have done half-a-dozen step classes in a row!!), and got our lunches and returned to the sand to eat and relax. The kids had fun, playing in the waves.

After a while, we decided to pack up, and head over the Portsea Ocean Beach. The weather coming toward us was looking ominous. We decided against going down onto the beach, and instead headed over to the Portsea Pier and the ice-cream shop !!

The cloud formations were beautiful ... I love taking photos of clouds !!

As we were heading off, the Spirit of Tasmania, which is the ferry which transports people, cars, etc., between Victoria and Tasmania on a regular basis, was passing by.

We had a fabulous day, and a great end to a very full 2 week holiday break. We all exchanged discs with all our photos from our Broken Hill trip, so that if anyone had missed any, hopefully the other had taken a photo of it !!

It is now Tuesday morning, Chicky started back at school yesterday, for her last 10 or so weeks of Primary School ... then she will be a big Secondary School student. Bit scary, for both her and me ... my baby is growing up too fast *boo-hoo*. Hubby started back at work today, so this is the first day I have been all alone for a couple of weeks. I will hopefully be dropping by your blogs during the course of the day.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Take care,

MEOW