7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol 114)

1
Finally I stepped on the scales to weigh in.  I have lost over 5kg(11+lb) since New Year. It is so exciting to be able to fit back into size 10 jeans!!  Achieved by more vigilance in being grain free and sugar free.   My goal is to lose about another 5kgs.  I didn’t realise how much my weight was bothering me until I lost it,  I look good, I’m feeling great:)

2
Over the Easter Triduum we had all eleven of us at home, and now we have shrunk to only seven.  When Anna Maria travelled back to College the girls headed South with her to enjoy a holiday with Grandma.  Yesterday Carpenter flew to South Australia, his first plane trip, both sets of holiday makers will be gone for a fortnight.  We are missing them, those of us remaining continually mention how very strange it is without them.  We are currently an all male household, saving myself, with only five boys here it feels very, very odd indeed.

3
It is school holidays here so life is travelling at a different pace, a mixture of lazy days and projects tackled.   I’ve enjoyed a browse around the op-shops and found a nice pile of book finds and  a couple of exciting world geography puzzles.  Disappointingly I never find clothes for the children any more, when Anna Maria was young there were far more children’s clothes to select from. Op-shopping is my holiday treat to myself.

4
One project I’ve begun is to sew skirts for the girls.  After cleaning their bedroom I realised their wardrobes need a massive overhaul.  Today I dragged out the fabric box and began planning.  Inspired by my friend’s upcycling successes I also turned a gorgeous woman’s top into a skirt for Princess.  Can’t wait to see her response:)

5
Selecting curtains is forefront in my mind too, with winter approaching curtains would certainly make the room warmer.  I’ve had a curtain professional measure the windows and leave samples, and PC and I met at the fabric store and poured over the curtains on sale.  The majority of the curtain materials on offer are so neutral, so bland.  Neutral appears to be the decorating theme.

6
Last week I tossed a garbage bag of clothes from my wardrobe.  Anything that made me not feel good about myself went.  The three girls hung out in my room giving their opinion and giggling at the old fashioned jeans I unearthed.  A special moment and I feel so great about moving those clothes along.

7
 Shortly before Easter we adopted a dog, a Border Collie/Lab cross.  Indy had spent all his life, 22 months, in a dog rescue shelter.  At first he was a little overwhelmed with the sensory stimulus, the children jumping on the trampoline etc.  He did however really take to the girls, was fine with women but was skittish around men, considering most of the volunteers at the shelter were women that seemed reasonable and achievable to overcome.  The problem was Indy tried to have a go at the little boys, not just once but a few times, and not just a growl but a full lunge at them.  So with great sadness not a week later we had to return him.  The children are keen to get another dog, but as Jem for now is still a little traumatised we’ll leave it until his memory settles down.
*And no, adopting a bat instead is not an option!

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