What a night!

What should have been a nice relaxing evening out with the girls turned into a night of chaos and more.
First, I go to the trouble to plan a girls night out at the outdoor cinema 2 months ago. I choose a 'chick flick' and suggest it to a bunch of girls. 8 of us decide to go. All get tickets. Its a go.
Then 2 weeks ago, Jim's audit director gets his travel plans changed and instead of coming over a weekend to take us out to dinner, it happens to be THAT ONE NIGHT THAT I HAVE PLANNED to go out with the girls. So, not only do I not have Jim to stay home with the kids, I now have to find a sitter on a school night. UGH! But do find one and all seems good.
Till I pick up Sophie to drive her to the city to go to the movie and then I was to meet Jim and Paul at the restaurant in Woolloomooloo. (Yes, that is spelled correctly!!!) It starts to rain as we exit the Harbour Bridge. Teesh calls to say the movie is cancelled due to bad weather. OK, no problem. Change of plans and I am to drop Sophie off at the Cathedral Square car park. One problem, we aren't exactly sure which car park that is. Then we get a call that Nicole and Teesh are stuck in the rain at the art gallery, so I turn around and grab them so they don't have to dash out in the rain. Drive them back to Nicole's car and send them off into the rain to find a place for dinner.
Call/text Jim to say I am on my way now and he tells me he is just leaving the office to go back to Paul's hotel to change. Won't be too much later. Go have a drink before they get there. No big deal. I set off in the 750 or so metres away from there that I need to be and sit and sit and sit in traffic. For about 20 minutes. Meanwhile I am getting updates via text from Jim that they haven't been able to hail a taxi at all.
I finally make it to Woolloomooloo and find the address of the restaurant -- Kingsleys. No parking. Get a call from Jim -- still haven't gotten a taxi. Tell him, no parking around. Will drive a bit more. Drive and drive. Do the loops and find the car park is FULL. All the street parking for the whole wharf is FULL. No Way! He calls and says no taxi yet. I suggest I meet them back in the city. They agree and I head off in their direction.
While I am driving, they are having NO LUCK finding a decent restaurant to book us into on a Thursday night at the last minute in the rain. Unbelievable. At least one that has an opening before 9.30pm. I valet park at the Four Seasons to avoid trying to find parking in the city. We sit and have a drink and the finally set off for dinner around 8.45.
Jim said it was this really neat place in the Rocks that was an Australian style restaurant with a meditteranean tapas twist to it. Sounded good to me. Or I was that hungry by then. Only problem was, he couldn't remember the name of it from the conceierge, only that it was by the Rocks Museum. And maybe it had a short name? So typical.
So, the three of us walked in the rain the 4 blocks to the Rocks. Wandered around while Jim tried to see if anything rung a bell. Shhhh.... what's that I hear? No bells... I find the Rocks Museum for him. Found the information center he kind of remembered being mentioned about something. And then I said, well, there's this one restaurant that I have wanted to try inside the information building. Let's look there. I walk in, spy the name Pony and BINGO. Found it!!!
Dinner was very good. Conversation was good (except when work happened to creep in too much) and we made it home by 11 on a school night. Now I just need to catch back up on my sleep and I have a feeling Jim will too!

Happy Anniversary

Happy 38th Anniversary to Mom and Dad. Hope they are enjoying Mexico (but not too much!)

Productivity Returns

Jim walked in the door tonight after a dinner cruise with work people. It was about 8.30 -- so not too late.

First think he did was stare at me. Couldn't quite figure out why. Then he said, "I love your hair!" He noticed I got it cut and colored today! WOW!!!!!

Then he realized I ironed shirts. And called USAA about the frozen pipe/water damage in the Grayslake house. And did laundry. And went out for coffee. And took the kids swimming. And started the medical claim forms.

Amazing what can be done when you don't have kids attached to your limbs and they are back at school.

First Day of School

Today was the (second) First Day of School. I called it the first day of school, but my educated children chose to remind me that their first day of school was LAST YEAR MOM. This is our second year of school, so it can't be our 'first day of school!" Technicalities, technicalities!

Anyway, the way things work here is we drop them off at their old classrooms from last year. They go to lines and return to their old rooms. Then by lunchtime the school and teachers are able to see the number of children who are truly returning to school and then begin the class restructuring. It ends up being a bit like choosing sides for gym class. The headmistress starts reading names for each teacher and their corresponding classroom.

Emmalee's teachers was named first. She got the teacher we had all been crossing our fingers, toes, ankles, knees and whatever else we could cross in order to try to get for her this year. All the bribery from last year worked -- all the Nikki Bikki's that Sophie plied Mr. Court with, the DVD of last year's end of year concert, the quick computer help -- it all paid off. Of course, none of that is taken into consideration when the children are chosen for the classes, but I like to think it may have helped!!!

Andrew had his fingers and toes crossed that he would get placed with Kyle and Fraser. He, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He is now a proud member of the 1/2W classroom. That is the 1st and 2nd grade composite classroom. I don't know who all he is in with, but he has Brian and Daisy from his KJ class. And Bella, Georgia, Molly, Ben, Cleo and Jack from Emmalee's class. So Andrew knows and is known by quite a few of the kids. The teacher is a new teacher, so it will be interesting to see how things shape up.

One day down...

We have moved!

It is time to update your address books. We have moved. Same city. Just 1.24 km from the other house. This time we have a pool and a view. Photos to come shortly!

Waltzing Matilda

Australia Day

Being the civilized Americans we are, we invited our Aussie friends (Bartons & Fords) over for Australia Day for a BBQ. Didn't really think of it that way when we did it, but needed an excuse (or rather Jim did) to get the house in some sense of order and having people over was a good way to kick the unpacking into high gear.
Rather than doing a traditional sausage sizzle or lamb bbq, I opted for a more flavorful fajita night. Have to pull out something different when I am cooking. Luckily, they turned out great. Everyone loved them. I made the dill potato salad (couldn't find the recipe, so I had to wing it and it turned out yummy!) We had tons of fruit and not much to put away. I think we went through 3 mangoes, 2 pineapples, 1 canteloupe (or rockmelon), many strawberries and a punnet of blueberries. WOW! Letetia brought over a classic Pavlova. It was a beauty -- not much left at the end of the night. I also made a white chocolate cheesecake so we had desserts a plenty.
The grown-up boys played a 9 hole round of Wii golf together before the Fords headed out. John and Jim managed a rematch of Wii football while Sophie snoozed on the couch. It was almost 11 by the time the game finished up. Had Anthea sleeping over(She refused to go home with Teesh and Andrew) with Emmalee, Andrew barely sleeping in his bed and the Bartons dragging their way out the door when the football was done.
What a great night!

Here is to great friends!

This is for all of our good 'mates' we have made here. They have made us feel very welcome in our home here -- and most of them don't think of us as the 'Americans' -- just as their 'mates', which is great!

Bartonisms

"Is this the first time you have Wii'd, Andrew?" -- Sophie (a young 30 something)
Speaking to Andrew Ford regarding his first game of Wii golf

Meet one of our neighbors...

Andrew likes to think his name is Andy because of the spiky 'hair' on the back of his head/neck!

We have a couple (or more -- who knows!!!) who like to sun-bake near our pool or on the fences nearby.

We are open for other naming suggestions... post and we'll have a vote!

Getting into the Australia Day Spirit

This weekend its the Australia Day holiday. Saturday in fact.
So, as the local Americans here in Northbridge, we are getting into the spirit of things (he he he he)

Bartonisms

I have been meaning to post some of the great things we have heard from all of the Bartons...

"I like the one with toothpaste in the middle better" - Fraser (6)
when talking about a chocolate bar Sophie sent for him and Andrew one afternoon

"Now I will pretend to think" - Jacqueline (8)
when talking to Emmalee about a test they were play acting this morning

"Thankful for popping our cherry" - John (30 something)
when talking about sharing the first American Thanksgiving with us this year

Football Widow

You would think that being 2000+ miles away from the frozen tundra, that would keep me from sitting here on the couch at night all alone. You know -- next to my husband -- but all alone.
You see, he is watching his beloved Green Bay Packers play the New York Giants in the playoffs @ Green Bay. They showed the temperature of 4 cities around the world and GB was by far the coldest at -4F -- colder than the North Pole, colder than Russia and colder than somewhere else that is normally freezing COLD. Oh, sorry, I am repeating the only real conversation we had tonight.
Anyway, hubby here recorded the game on IQ here and is watching is by his lonesome (with me at his side). He is sitting here talking about feeling bad for the players freezing their parts off until I remind him how much they are getting paid to play by CHOICE there. And same goes for the fans who pay HOW MUCH for the tickets to sit though the "BLUSTERY" weather. No sympathy here. He managed to make it through the whole day without finding out the outcome of the game. Its tied 20-20 in 4th quarter and his blood pressure is about to go through the roof. Lucky for him, I taped the show after the game since it looks headed for overtime.
But widow-hood still happens here, is the land down under. Far far far away from the frozen tundra. Ah, but only for a couple of more games.
Oh yeah, then there is golf on Friday, tennis that is still going on in Melbourne (Australian Open) and who knows what other sports he feels the need to connect to.
Tap tap tap... is there anyone dealing with this too?????

My boys are at it again

After dinner the boys sat down for a friendly boys game of Madden Football 08. This is after John has beaten Jim a few too many times at the game, both family play style and real style with numchucks and all.
As I type, I can hear the little boys playing in Andrew's room (9.31pm) and the big boys still playing Wii football. I think I should take Fraser home so I can get Andrew to bed. Ugh!

Our Fill In Father

Sophie's dad came over for dinner with them tonight. We haven't had a working dishwasher since we moved in here. Jim (yes, Jim) thought it was because there was no end cap on the water line to the dishwasher and therefore no water running to it. So all it needed was an end cap. But, he wouldn't know the type to get... So we called the agent and the soonest the service people could come is Feb 4th.Jim mentioned it to Sophie's dad, Don. He took a look, said, "Sure, I have a cap just that size in my car" (He is a licensed builder) and went out to the car to grab the cap and the wrench. In he came. Added a little thread tape and capped it off. Didn't run at first, but he said it was just a bit of colic (made me smile!) We turned on the dishwasher twice and then off it ran. Whoopee!!!!
Yeah for Sophie's dad, Don!!!!

Tap Tap Tap

is there anyone still in Sydney??? That is the question I keep getting.

Well, the answer is yes. It's just that things are a bit crazy around here. Let's see.. in the last 10 days, we have:

• Thought we had a lease for a new house, then we didn't, then we did, then we didn't, then finally we did -- but had to move in with only 5 days notice
  
• Packed all our belongings up to move from one house to the next
• Moved 1.23 km further from the school to a new house
• Hired movers (aka Removalists) to move the furniture and pack the kitchen/dining room and move it all on Monday
  
• Find a washer on eBay
• Find a dryer on eBay
• Find a refrigerator on eBay
• Find a microwave on eBay
  
• Arrange to pick-up/have delivered all appliances
• Manage multiple play dates for the kids during school holidays
• Worry about Jim working LONG hours because of the internal (regularly scheduled) audit
• Get Andrew's hearing tested
• Not have any working telephone lines at the new house or at the old house since Jan 12
• Not have any Internet working at the new house or at the old house since Jan 12
  
• Take Andrew in for his tonsillectomy, to find out they are doing an 'adenoidotonsillectomy' because adenoids tend to grow back the 1st time they are removed. Plus he is getting grommets/ear tubes for the 6th (and hopefully FINAL!!!!!!) time
• Oh yeah, and then attempt to unpack everything we moved -- which goes to show us just how much junk we really have.
  

Guess who lost his first tooth!!!

This was last night before bed. It was quite wobbly.and then it came out this morning while he was eating banana bread!!!!