This is how family prayer time at the Petersen house looks.
Bunny Bear has become a permanent fixture in most of the daily tasks performed by LQ
Closing her eyes means gouging them out with her little fingers
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Family Prayer Time
Bunny Bear has become a permanent fixture in most of the daily tasks performed by LQ
Closing her eyes means gouging them out with her little fingers
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Chinny, Chin Chin
To the extra under my chin that I can see coming,
Please go away. You look like you want to take over the role of my regular chin. I wont allow it. My regular chin does NOT need an understudy.
Yes, my regular chin has been performing since the beginning of the drama entitled "Helen", but he is not worn out yet and will not be for many years to come. Your coming has been premature in the worst sense.
I don't understand why you have appeared so early on in this production. You are such a titchy little thing at the moment, but if I don't address this problem I know that sooner, rather than later, you will overtake the entire production and just make it plain ugly.
So, Mr Extra Chin, I implore you to leave us be for the moment. We will call you when my regular chin starts to get tired. Until that time, go harass someone with a well chiseled chin.
Cordially yours,
Hel (and her ONE chin)
P.S. you can take those ugly little black hairs that suddenly appeared to. They are just as unwelcome as you are
Please go away. You look like you want to take over the role of my regular chin. I wont allow it. My regular chin does NOT need an understudy.
Yes, my regular chin has been performing since the beginning of the drama entitled "Helen", but he is not worn out yet and will not be for many years to come. Your coming has been premature in the worst sense.
I don't understand why you have appeared so early on in this production. You are such a titchy little thing at the moment, but if I don't address this problem I know that sooner, rather than later, you will overtake the entire production and just make it plain ugly.
So, Mr Extra Chin, I implore you to leave us be for the moment. We will call you when my regular chin starts to get tired. Until that time, go harass someone with a well chiseled chin.
Cordially yours,
Hel (and her ONE chin)
P.S. you can take those ugly little black hairs that suddenly appeared to. They are just as unwelcome as you are
I can tell that we are gonna be friends
LQ has found a best friend. She calls her "bibby". When bibby comes over to play there is excitement and chaos. LQ jumps up and down waiting for bibby, her mum and little brother to come up the stairs.
And then the intensive play session begins. I love that LQ enjoys playing with someone else so much. It also helps that bibby's mum and I get along so well.
Of course I couldn't get a photo of the two of them looking at the camera at the same time.
And then the intensive play session begins. I love that LQ enjoys playing with someone else so much. It also helps that bibby's mum and I get along so well.
Of course I couldn't get a photo of the two of them looking at the camera at the same time.
The amount of mess on the floor directly relates to the amount of fun they have had.
Friday, 18 September 2009
Exhibition LQ
LQ has become quite the exhibitionist recently.
She has become aware of the fact that mummy has "boobies" and loves to point any woman out with the same. As we walked down a street in the CBD last week a small poster board advertising a bikini came into view. The young woman modeling the bikini had a nice toned stomach and beautiful skin. LQ quickly put two and two together and proudly smiled up at me as she announced "MUMMY!" while pointing at the nicely toned bikini clad model. Only in my dreams.
Here are a few photos of LQ showing her boobies.
Look how happy she is - I hope this ends before she becomes an adolescent
She has become aware of the fact that mummy has "boobies" and loves to point any woman out with the same. As we walked down a street in the CBD last week a small poster board advertising a bikini came into view. The young woman modeling the bikini had a nice toned stomach and beautiful skin. LQ quickly put two and two together and proudly smiled up at me as she announced "MUMMY!" while pointing at the nicely toned bikini clad model. Only in my dreams.
Here are a few photos of LQ showing her boobies.
Look how happy she is - I hope this ends before she becomes an adolescent
and for the coup de grace
Thursday, 17 September 2009
It is finished
I have finally finished the crib bumper that I have been making for my little nephew for the past month.
Little nephew is still cooking, so the hiccups in my sewing (looking for house, moving and getting sick) didn't stress me as much as they would if he were already here. Please admire and tell me how wonderful I am.
Little nephew is still cooking, so the hiccups in my sewing (looking for house, moving and getting sick) didn't stress me as much as they would if he were already here. Please admire and tell me how wonderful I am.
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Outside
My dead arm woke me up. I know that I have slept too long, but I can't hear any pitter patter of small puffy feet. Grandma must have let me sleep and taken LQ when she woke from her nap.
I LOVE Grandma.
I lay on the bed staring out the window waiting for my whole body to wake up. As I look at the wind shaking the trees I think about how much I am going to miss having the live-in grandma. My mind begins to wander to other subjects - how much fabric will I REALLY need to make a Mickey Mouse silhouette head board. Important subjects like that are a continuous stream when my mind isn't otherwise occupied.
I am interrupted mid thought by a scene passing my window. It is a familiar but beautiful scene that only takes a moment to unfold.
Grandma comes into sight carrying shovel in one hand and plastic bag in the other. The chickens must have been invading the human's territory again and left poo deposits up and down the driveway. An old dog slowly follows behind. In her younger years this sunset coloured dog would not have allowed such a befowlment on her master's property. Those chickens would have known who was head animal and may have even had their numbers depleted (if they knew what was good for them... grrrowl). Now the old dog's biggest worry is choosing a sunspot that will soothe her aching arthritic bones.
Lurching, stumbling, half-jogging behind the old dog arrives LQ. Her butterfly gumboots especially purchased for ambling around the grandparents five acres hinder her progress somewhat. LQ's mastery of the boots is coming along but she still manages to appear tipsy as she walks past the window.
The three - Grandma, Old Dog and LQ - amble single file along the path through the unkempt garden. This has become a familiar routine over this past winter month. As the sun tentatively and quickly shows what it is really capable of, Grandma will announce it is time for outside. Gumboots, beanie and puffy vest are donned in an excited flurry. LQ is heard to pronounce "'side?!" (outside) several times. Then it is on to pottering, gardening, piggy-backing ("Hang On!") and old dog chasing.
The flashing scene outside my window reminds me that these lazy days will soon come to end. I quickly capture the memory framing it in my mind. The framed memory will be used later when I lament days gone by when toes and cheeks were chubbier and life was all about being outside.
I LOVE Grandma.
I lay on the bed staring out the window waiting for my whole body to wake up. As I look at the wind shaking the trees I think about how much I am going to miss having the live-in grandma. My mind begins to wander to other subjects - how much fabric will I REALLY need to make a Mickey Mouse silhouette head board. Important subjects like that are a continuous stream when my mind isn't otherwise occupied.
I am interrupted mid thought by a scene passing my window. It is a familiar but beautiful scene that only takes a moment to unfold.
Grandma comes into sight carrying shovel in one hand and plastic bag in the other. The chickens must have been invading the human's territory again and left poo deposits up and down the driveway. An old dog slowly follows behind. In her younger years this sunset coloured dog would not have allowed such a befowlment on her master's property. Those chickens would have known who was head animal and may have even had their numbers depleted (if they knew what was good for them... grrrowl). Now the old dog's biggest worry is choosing a sunspot that will soothe her aching arthritic bones.
Lurching, stumbling, half-jogging behind the old dog arrives LQ. Her butterfly gumboots especially purchased for ambling around the grandparents five acres hinder her progress somewhat. LQ's mastery of the boots is coming along but she still manages to appear tipsy as she walks past the window.
The three - Grandma, Old Dog and LQ - amble single file along the path through the unkempt garden. This has become a familiar routine over this past winter month. As the sun tentatively and quickly shows what it is really capable of, Grandma will announce it is time for outside. Gumboots, beanie and puffy vest are donned in an excited flurry. LQ is heard to pronounce "'side?!" (outside) several times. Then it is on to pottering, gardening, piggy-backing ("Hang On!") and old dog chasing.
The flashing scene outside my window reminds me that these lazy days will soon come to end. I quickly capture the memory framing it in my mind. The framed memory will be used later when I lament days gone by when toes and cheeks were chubbier and life was all about being outside.
Sunday, 30 August 2009
Purely Update (and maybe a little bit of whining)
This post is nothing more than an update on what the Dal, Hel and Bel's are doing with themselves. I guess most of my posts are so I am not sure why I am so apologetic about this one....
We have been in Hobart living with my parents for just under a month now. While we are so appreciative of their hospitality and love being able to spend time with them, we are both (Dal and Hel) now ready to move into a place of our own.
It has been two whole months since we left Sydney and it has been over seven months since we have actually lived with OUR stuff. Our stuff doesn't amount to much when you look at it all packed in a 20 foot container. In fact it doesn't even fill a 20 foot container, but it is still our stuff and I long for my own cookware. I desperately want to curl up on our ugly brown couch and watch our dirty little television while LQ plays with her two enormous boxes of toys.
I want to go to the bathroom and leave the door open. I want LQ to sleep in a different bedroom to Dal and I. I want to be a home maker again instead of a holiday maker.
Cross your fingers and pray that this third place that we have applied for will be the one.
But after all's said and done, you know I will want to spend most of my time back here at mum's place... I'll just have my own place to retreat to once I have had enough.
We have been in Hobart living with my parents for just under a month now. While we are so appreciative of their hospitality and love being able to spend time with them, we are both (Dal and Hel) now ready to move into a place of our own.
It has been two whole months since we left Sydney and it has been over seven months since we have actually lived with OUR stuff. Our stuff doesn't amount to much when you look at it all packed in a 20 foot container. In fact it doesn't even fill a 20 foot container, but it is still our stuff and I long for my own cookware. I desperately want to curl up on our ugly brown couch and watch our dirty little television while LQ plays with her two enormous boxes of toys.
I want to go to the bathroom and leave the door open. I want LQ to sleep in a different bedroom to Dal and I. I want to be a home maker again instead of a holiday maker.
Cross your fingers and pray that this third place that we have applied for will be the one.
But after all's said and done, you know I will want to spend most of my time back here at mum's place... I'll just have my own place to retreat to once I have had enough.
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
One named Peter, One named Paul
Two little Dicky birds sitting on the car
Amused by their own reflections - I guess these birds don't see much of their reflections on account of the sun being behind a cloud most of the day
Amused by their own reflections - I guess these birds don't see much of their reflections on account of the sun being behind a cloud most of the day
It was so cute how they sat there twittering and playing with the window. So cute in fact that I had to take a closer look.
Oh RAH-EEEALLL CUTE!!
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Since when did we start preparing food on the chairs?
You have heard many times that Love is the universal language. Regardless of your language barriers, if you are in love you will get by.
True enough sentiment if you like being misunderstood by every other person in your lover's life.
When Dal and I first met all was well with the world. We got along famously and we both spoke english. What a coup! Love is blind and maybe deaf as well, because I can't remember having any issues with difference in speech or language in those beginnings. I dare say Dal noticed many differences but just bit his tongue and endured the little nuances in my language.
It wasn't until I moved down to Orem, Utah to date Dal properly that I even suspected that Australian's and American's spoke a little differently.
I had the opportunity to help a friend out by answering a few phones and during this time I realised that a lot of people couldn't understand me. And for heavens sake .... how DO you pronounce Orem? Is it Oh-rem, Oar-rem, O-rem? I lost the count on the times my friend had to correct my pronunciation of that wonderful little city. I am STILL completely confused about it's pronunciation - all because I have been corrected so many times.
It was so difficult for me to pronounce Orem the correct way because I had to speak like an American to get it right. Those hard 'R's ' get me every time. So in an effort to help those poor unsuspecting souls on the phone and protect my sanity, I began to slightly change inflections and important 'R's' in my speech. Oh, it's alright - I didn't change my accent, because that is one way people remembered me. But my accent became more... mixed. It was not only my accent that change ever so slightly. Certain words came into my vocabulary that I would not have otherwise used.
I call it my "Amestralia Language". I continue to perfect this bastardisation of the two languages every time I visit the Land of the Free.
Admittedly, I still get a few things wrong.
"Ju-Ju! Would you mind passing the hairdryer out to me. I think it is there in the bathroom with you on the bench!" I am yelling through the bathroom door to my youngest sister-in-law.
There is silence.
"It's a COUNTER sweetheart! She's not going to know what you mean," shouts Dal from down the hall.
"Oh... Sorry! I mean the COUNTER." Immediately I am rewarded with a hairdryer.
"Um... I guess we could use the bench to cut these vegetables." A perfectly reasonable suggestion to me until those around me start looking confusedly outside at the bench.
Yes... I call both a chair and a counter top the same thing. Only occasionally - and now only in Australia.
True enough sentiment if you like being misunderstood by every other person in your lover's life.
When Dal and I first met all was well with the world. We got along famously and we both spoke english. What a coup! Love is blind and maybe deaf as well, because I can't remember having any issues with difference in speech or language in those beginnings. I dare say Dal noticed many differences but just bit his tongue and endured the little nuances in my language.
It wasn't until I moved down to Orem, Utah to date Dal properly that I even suspected that Australian's and American's spoke a little differently.
I had the opportunity to help a friend out by answering a few phones and during this time I realised that a lot of people couldn't understand me. And for heavens sake .... how DO you pronounce Orem? Is it Oh-rem, Oar-rem, O-rem? I lost the count on the times my friend had to correct my pronunciation of that wonderful little city. I am STILL completely confused about it's pronunciation - all because I have been corrected so many times.
It was so difficult for me to pronounce Orem the correct way because I had to speak like an American to get it right. Those hard 'R's ' get me every time. So in an effort to help those poor unsuspecting souls on the phone and protect my sanity, I began to slightly change inflections and important 'R's' in my speech. Oh, it's alright - I didn't change my accent, because that is one way people remembered me. But my accent became more... mixed. It was not only my accent that change ever so slightly. Certain words came into my vocabulary that I would not have otherwise used.
I call it my "Amestralia Language". I continue to perfect this bastardisation of the two languages every time I visit the Land of the Free.
Admittedly, I still get a few things wrong.
"Ju-Ju! Would you mind passing the hairdryer out to me. I think it is there in the bathroom with you on the bench!" I am yelling through the bathroom door to my youngest sister-in-law.
There is silence.
"It's a COUNTER sweetheart! She's not going to know what you mean," shouts Dal from down the hall.
"Oh... Sorry! I mean the COUNTER." Immediately I am rewarded with a hairdryer.
"Um... I guess we could use the bench to cut these vegetables." A perfectly reasonable suggestion to me until those around me start looking confusedly outside at the bench.
Yes... I call both a chair and a counter top the same thing. Only occasionally - and now only in Australia.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Love Note to a Virgin
Oh Virgin Airlines how I love thee, let me count the ways
My dearest Virgin Airlines please never leave me in my hour of flying. You are my favourite and always will be... until I am able to fly business class.
P.S. Richard Branson, even though you are a complete toolbag, I may be in love with you for creating the Virgin brand. I said MAYBE!!
- the ease with which you check me in sets my heart aflutter. be it on international or domestic flights.
- I love your international flight and personal entertainment systems. The constant Playhouse Disney for LQ, the ever ready solitaire for mindless time passing, and your interactive games that I can beat Dal with.
- Your baggage check through at the international airport made me dizzy with pleasure. The added bonus of free shuttle to the domestic airport had me thinking you are too good to be true.
- Even though your domestic airline didn't have a flight to Hobart for some time after we arrived in sydney, your lounge service went above and beyond my wildest expectations.
- How could I have known you would refresh me with your lovely showers, entertain LQ with your enormous theatre room while we stretched out on your long luxurious theatre seats.
- If my house is not available, you, Virgin Lounge are my number one choice.
- I love you friendly and helpful staff - constant with their friendliness and helpfulness. I depend on your friendliness.
- I love your domestic flights with their better snack choices than other airlines and once again you provide me with personal entertainment.
My dearest Virgin Airlines please never leave me in my hour of flying. You are my favourite and always will be... until I am able to fly business class.
P.S. Richard Branson, even though you are a complete toolbag, I may be in love with you for creating the Virgin brand. I said MAYBE!!
Monday, 3 August 2009
Back to Oz
We are about to leave for our LOOOOOONG journey back to Australia. We have a six hour stopover in Sydney while we wait for the other flight to Hobart.
Each time we come to visit Dal's family, leaving gets harder. I get closer and more attached to everyone. This makes for a really hard time leaving. I know that if Dal's mom starts to cry, I definitely will - so this is my plan. I am not going to make eye contact with anyone for the next 20 minutes. Once we are out the door I should be fine.
Of course at the same time I am excited to be seeing my family again. Such swinging emotions should NOT be experienced at the same time.
Each time we come to visit Dal's family, leaving gets harder. I get closer and more attached to everyone. This makes for a really hard time leaving. I know that if Dal's mom starts to cry, I definitely will - so this is my plan. I am not going to make eye contact with anyone for the next 20 minutes. Once we are out the door I should be fine.
Of course at the same time I am excited to be seeing my family again. Such swinging emotions should NOT be experienced at the same time.
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
The Evils of Midol
I had the fantastic opportunity to play with "That Girl" from Pensievity yesterday.
I took LQ along just because we were going to the pool in That Girl's complex and I thought LQ might like it.
That Girl has just moved her family of three boys and a husband back to the US after living in Brazil for about five years. I sympathised with her when she recently wrote a post about cranky children and moving. I guess I just wanted an excuse to meet her, so we arranged a time to meet up and put our plan into action.
Before I left the house for my play date, I popped a few Midol pills. This was so my play wouldn't be hindered by any discomfort that I may have felt from my dearest monthly visit (BLAST that period pain!!).
In my Midol haze I may have:
I quickly prayed for a fast and painless death so that I wouldn't be burdened with the shame of scooping up the insides (that were no longer inside) of LQ's diaper and walking the long walk to the garbage bin.
No such luck. It was like I was having an out of body experience. I couldn't look anyone in the eye. I may have mumbled "Speaking of social faux pas..." and then forced a laugh that could have sounded more like a donkey's bray - I can't remember, my brain is already erasing this painful memory in an effort to make me feel better about myself.
I had hoped to help That Girl feel better about her "new girl" status by organising a play date. I am now 100% sure that the only way I made her feel better was when she realised that she is nowhere near being as retarded as I am.
That Girl is such a wonderful girl that she probably decided to overlook my Midol hazed stare, my constant stream of idiotic decisions and then my total lack of propriety by eating her food and then running off into the sunset. But I will completely understand if when I contact her when I am here again next year she hesitates before replying.
I took LQ along just because we were going to the pool in That Girl's complex and I thought LQ might like it.
That Girl has just moved her family of three boys and a husband back to the US after living in Brazil for about five years. I sympathised with her when she recently wrote a post about cranky children and moving. I guess I just wanted an excuse to meet her, so we arranged a time to meet up and put our plan into action.
Before I left the house for my play date, I popped a few Midol pills. This was so my play wouldn't be hindered by any discomfort that I may have felt from my dearest monthly visit (BLAST that period pain!!).
In my Midol haze I may have:
- Forgotten any sun protection for LQ - HELLOOOO we were going to the pool!
- Made the decision NOT to bring my own bathers because, I reasoned, it wasn't really a pool but just a sort of sprinkler park - HELLOOOO we were going to the P.O.O.L!
- Scared the be-whatsit out of That Girl by not knocking loud enough on her door and then having her just walk straight into me (the skulker)
- Decided against putting a swimming nappy (diaper) on LQ because I planned on just leaving her diaper-less.
- made That Girl loan me her nicest swimsuit. On a side note: I FIT INTO THAT GIRL'S SWIMSUIT!!!! (I am so excited about that. Do you know how fantastic she looks?!)
- Forgotten to take LQ's diaper off
- slathered suncream on LQ but forgot to put any on myself
- panicked halfway through our swim and made LQ stand in the shade until That Girl offered her son's t-shirt for LQ to wear in the pool
- just generally behaved erratically and unlike myself
I quickly prayed for a fast and painless death so that I wouldn't be burdened with the shame of scooping up the insides (that were no longer inside) of LQ's diaper and walking the long walk to the garbage bin.
No such luck. It was like I was having an out of body experience. I couldn't look anyone in the eye. I may have mumbled "Speaking of social faux pas..." and then forced a laugh that could have sounded more like a donkey's bray - I can't remember, my brain is already erasing this painful memory in an effort to make me feel better about myself.
I had hoped to help That Girl feel better about her "new girl" status by organising a play date. I am now 100% sure that the only way I made her feel better was when she realised that she is nowhere near being as retarded as I am.
That Girl is such a wonderful girl that she probably decided to overlook my Midol hazed stare, my constant stream of idiotic decisions and then my total lack of propriety by eating her food and then running off into the sunset. But I will completely understand if when I contact her when I am here again next year she hesitates before replying.
Take Me Out
The Arizona Diamondbacks are playing last years World Series Champions the Philadelphia Phillies this week.
Dal and I were lucky enough to go to a game last night with Dal's Dad and brother in law. Here's the story through pictures.
Taking the Light Rail into Phoenix. Pretending I am not tired and irritated by the stupid Phillies fans that kept clapping louding
At the ball park
Staring down the obnoxious Phillies fan
3rd inning, We bought ourselves a footlong "Ricky" Dog. Ricky was our toothless hotdog server who named the dog.
It turns out we could only eat half a footlong. It's a good thing we didn't get those Chili Cheese Fries.
Getting excited - about... the Diamondbacks fans who were leaving in droves when we were still down 4-1 in the 8th inning.
Dal rallied with his cap AND face
I asked my millionth question about what was happening
We finally went to the official swag store and bought me a shirt to represent in
We saw the second best comb over I have ever seen
I had to document my awesome sunglasses that we just bought. That's Dal's dad and Pete behind me. Notice Pete representing Dodgers? The Dodgers were down 10-0 when we last looked last night.
Diamondbacks score a two run homer in the 9th inning
The Diamondbacks still lost - 4-3. Sorry Dal
Dal and I were lucky enough to go to a game last night with Dal's Dad and brother in law. Here's the story through pictures.
Taking the Light Rail into Phoenix. Pretending I am not tired and irritated by the stupid Phillies fans that kept clapping louding
At the ball park
Staring down the obnoxious Phillies fan
3rd inning, We bought ourselves a footlong "Ricky" Dog. Ricky was our toothless hotdog server who named the dog.
It turns out we could only eat half a footlong. It's a good thing we didn't get those Chili Cheese Fries.
Getting excited - about... the Diamondbacks fans who were leaving in droves when we were still down 4-1 in the 8th inning.
Dal rallied with his cap AND face
I asked my millionth question about what was happening
We finally went to the official swag store and bought me a shirt to represent in
We saw the second best comb over I have ever seen
I had to document my awesome sunglasses that we just bought. That's Dal's dad and Pete behind me. Notice Pete representing Dodgers? The Dodgers were down 10-0 when we last looked last night.
Diamondbacks score a two run homer in the 9th inning
The Diamondbacks still lost - 4-3. Sorry Dal
Postscript: As I write this post, the D-backs are winning tonight's game 3-0 (7th inning). Dal is happy.
Thursday, 23 July 2009
We are Mountain Folk
Dal, Hel and Bel have been in the mountains for the last week and a bit.
It has been fantastic and I really enjoyed the lack of television, computers, internet, etc. It just made things seem a lot less noisy.
Here are a few of my favourite photos from the past week. Hopefully I can bring this blog up from travelogue to something a bit more interesting in the next week or so, but DON'T hold your breath.
It has been fantastic and I really enjoyed the lack of television, computers, internet, etc. It just made things seem a lot less noisy.
Here are a few of my favourite photos from the past week. Hopefully I can bring this blog up from travelogue to something a bit more interesting in the next week or so, but DON'T hold your breath.
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