31 January - handygirl in training

After work today, I assembled some new outdoor furniture that I bought.

Grace, as usual, was very helpful in getting all the screws and bolts out an trying to assemble it herself!

She also insisted on climbing onto both chairs before I had finished attaching the seat fabric so she could guarantee she was the first to test each chair.

30 January - wet wet wet

In stark contrast to the hot and fine days we have been having lately, today was so wet and crappy that Grace got to try her new gumboots. She approved so much she kept them on inside.

29 January - Plane Spotting

After a successful trip to Gungahlin, we thought Grace deserved a treat on the way home.
How do you treat an 18 month old girl?
Take her Plane spotting at Majura Park...

28 January - Coffee table bed

This morning Grace spent at least 15 minutes trying her absolute hardest to climb inside the shelves of the coffee table, until at last...SUCCESS!!!

27 January - Underwater....

Leah brought home an underwater digital camera from Tassie and today was the first time i remembered to actually give it a try.
It may have been in the bath and not the pool, but you get the idea.

Here is Grace underwater just dipping her chin and lips under far enough to blow some bubbles.

26 January - Australia Day

Today I built the mansion of bird feeders to try and attract a few birds to the yard for Grace.

It works!

25 January - stoopid animals

I installed a cat door to the laundry on Monday but our cats are so stoopid they haven't worked out how to use it. So unless I leave the door open they stay outside.
But tonight in a surprising breakthrough the stoopidest one of all actually worked it out.
Means she is the only one getting any attention from me!!

24 January - Leah and Grace are back

Leah and Grace came back home today, and Grace was so tired she slept for nearly 4 hours!
But then after a shower she had to show me how pretty she can make
Herself!

23 January - nice ute

Saw this on the way home from
Work today.i don't quite know what to say about it. I'm really lost for
Words.
And yes, that is a wheelchair in the tray!

22 January - Garden Day 2

Another day in the garden =
1 - More sunburn
2 - A slightly modified ute fuel filler after overloading the tray with pebbles and bending the fuel tank brackets!
3 - tired arms
4 - a much much tidier section between driveways :)

21 January - Garden Day

After approximately 9 hours in the garden and 6 trips to the recycling centre with weeds and green waste, I'm grateful to be sitting down right now and writing this!

The yard does however look a lot tidier and I finally got Graces swing set and
Cubby level and setup properly, although not the way i really wanted it.

Had a helper for about 5.5 hours and he did a lot of the weed clearing so grateful for that help too!!

January 20 – IM BLIND….

So today while driving to work i got to once again sample the genius that is the blue reflective glass on the Adelaide Avenue overpass.
Seriously, even in a photo you can see how bright and glary the stupid thing is.
It honestly does hurt your eyes to drive towards it.
I give it 6 months before ‘they’ decide it must be removed as a hazard.

19 January - Stormy Sunset?!

'they' forecast thunder storms tonight, but from the really cool clouds and clear sunset I'm not sure that 'they' know what they are talking about!

18 January - CAR CAR CAR CAR CAR CAR

Grace and Leah left for Hobart tonight. Grace was so excited to see the planes at the airport that she stood shaking and screaming "CAR" (which is what she calls planes) at the top of her voice. For approximately an hour and a half.

17 January - Compo!!

I was taught a long time ago by a former employer that if you injure yourself at work, you have to yell Compo at the top of your voice as the injury occurs, or else you get nothing!

I yelled when this happened today, but there was nobody else in the office so I guess I get nothing.
Which leads to the age old question of zen- if you injure yourself and yell Compo but there is nobody there
To hear, did you really injure yourself?

PS - at the time my arm looked a lot worse than the photo shows! Honest.

16 January - Reading with the girls

After work today Leah, Grace and I went to Cass and Nathans to learn how NOT to measure an area for turf.

After were done mocking Nathan and Cass for their lack of measuring we went inside where Grace and Maddie both insisted they read the same book!

15 January - Canberra Walk through Aviary

We took Grace to Canberra Walk through Bird aviary today.
All I can say is I was glad we got cheap entry through livingsocial, as it was a little bit shit (as I suspected).

Caption: "Grace I'm sure I saw some birds? Can you see a bird anywhere??"

14 January - Graces new pram

Today while cleaning out the computer
Room, grace decided she needed to ride around on the clothes airer. To make things a little more comfy we added a pillow.
I did suggest that this could be the solution to her not liking her pram.
But we thought we might get some looks walking through the shops pushing her on this!!

13 January - Splashing about

Friday the 13th. But nothing bad happened so that's good.

Grace had a splash in her clamshell this afternoon and Baxter decided he really must join her.
She also seemed to realise she got wetter if she laid down!

12 January - Graces stair exercises

Leagues club for schnitzel night every Thursday means one thing for Grace. STAIRS!!

After we've eaten all she wants to do is climb up and down the stairs in the foyer. And all I want her to do is stop!

11 January - Early Start

Today Grace decided she must show me how good she is at Multitasking.
Here she is drawing and singing along (even with dummy in) to a movie.
If it had not been at 5:30AM when she decided to show me, I would have been impressed. Instead I was just tired!

10 January - Grace in a train

So today the only photo I have is of Grace playing in a train at the plaza...and refusing to both get out of it, or have me put money in it.
As Leah said we will be the parents that put money in the ride to get her out of it!!!!

9 January - How do i work in this??

Back to work for a Monday and by mid afternoon it became blatantly obvious the main disadvantage of working with two Japanese colleagues...they do not feel the heat. What's more, they like heat.
This photo is the temp sensor on my keyboard mid afternoon.
I don't know how I am supposed to work in an office this hot!

8 January - miniature table tennis

Today, among other things we bought a mini table tennis set that attaches to our dining table.
All I can say is AWESOME.
Oh and I won the inaugural game by a very very close margin in a true nail biter.

We also went to the tip shop for a look at the quality goods available and very nearly got run down by a speeding pretend disabled senior in a 4WD.

7 January - Bad hair day - and bad knees

So today I'm far less convinced about Graces haircut than I was yesterday. Initially I liked it yesterday but today not a fan.
We went to the Queanbeyan pool today and that was also less than successful. Grace got cold, turned purple and cut both legs open on the ground. The only success was the bucket of hot chips Grace enjoyed.
Nice pool though!

6 January - Grace turns 17 and gets a trim!

Today was truly historic for Leah, Grace and I. To mark her 17 month birthday celebration, Grace had her first haircut!! Scarier for Leah and I than Grace, but we all got through it ok.
We kept most of her hair (sounds a little creepy I know) as a keepsake too!!

Here she is after the trim, having a little play!

5 January - Tanks in Manuka

Last year the Canberra Services Club burned down and it was only today that I noticed they had not even started to rebuild it.
Apparently whacking up a dodgy looking fence around two old chimneys and sticking a tank out the front is a good enough replacement.

4 January - Cold Biscuits

Todays photo was easy to choose once i saw this! i knew nothing else today would top it. (i know small things amuse small minds!).

Coles Curtin had the Arnotts Shapes, and also water crackers neatly stacked in the fridge directly above the meat...very strange!!!!

3 January - the day of the wasted chips

It seems that 2012 might be the year of the forced diet. Today we had lunch at the Queanbeyan Leagues Club, and in one of those rarest of rare moments for me, I couldn't finish it all and had to leave some food THAT I PAID FOR! I hate when that happens. Such a waste!

2 January - 200+ photos to choose one

Took over 200 photos today. But I did get this one that I like!

BUBBLES!!!!

1 January - and already nearly 2 days late

Already nearly two days late for my first post. But I did only find out about this idea a while ago!

Here I am enjoying the thought of more work around home!!!