Correction

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

In fact, I broke 3 bones in my foot. I went to the doctor in Mt Beauty yesterday to get my cast "upgraded", so they took off my intermediate cast, and this is what my foot looked like:


What? Doesn't it look bad enough? How about from this angle?

Still not convinced? Well check THIS out!!? Hellooooooo cankle!!


After having a look at the CT Report, the doctors thought it best that I actually go back to Wangaratta and attend their fracture clinic this Friday so an Orthopod can check it out and decide on a "game plan".

Why, you ask? (or maybe you didn't...)

Well, I've always been a little contrary. I've never done things the normal way. My life doesn't really "follow the rules". So when I brake bones, I brake them good. And as the doctor yesterday stated, I have broken "an unusual combination of bones." From what I can remember, I've broken the 2nd Metatarsal, the 2nd/Medial Cuneiform, and the Cuboid. (See here.) (Hubs is going to correct me I'm sure.)

So yeah, the fun continues! Mum has been an absolute God send these last few days while Hubs has been at work. I've just been sitting around, contemplating my navel laptop. And Mum just made us chicken stir fry for dinner. Hubs isn't a big fan of stir fry but it's one of my favourite meals so I'm going to be enjoying it with Mum quite a bit while Hubs is in Wang! Yum!

Feeling utterly useless

Monday, February 27, 2012

We're home! And that makes me happy.
Chanbe slept all through the night and didn't wake up until 7:15 this morning. That makes me happy too.
Mum is here to help me around the house while my foot is broken. That makes me happy and grateful.

I can't do anything useful that doesn't involve sitting down. That makes me sad. And frustrated.

I like to be doing things. Not all day - I do love my downtime - but to not be able to do my own shopping or washing or cleaning or picking Chanbe up is really hard for me. I know Mum is more than happy to be here to help out, and Hubs has just been a superstar even more so than usual, but it's so hard not being able to do what I want, when I want. I know this is temporary, and I know there are a lot of people in worse situations that are permanent, but that doesn't mean this isn't hard and that I'm not allowed a bit of a whine.

I'm still learning the art of asking for, and accepting help. I'm usually the one wanting to help others. I'm really trying to find the lessons to learn out of this situation. I get my "real" cast on tomorrow which I'm sure will be fun.

My goals for the next 4-6 weeks are:
- to not get lost in self pity
- to enjoy this forced break and make the most of the help that is being generously offered
- to give myself time to heal so as not to tempt a repeat incident
- to catch up on "paperwork"
- to work on my new blog
- to realise that even though things won't get done the same way I would do them, that's okay
- to read books, not just things on the internet

Wish me luck!

Broken in 2...

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

...places. So you know how I've been struggling a little lately with our current lifestyle? Well apparently God thinks I can handle more.

Let me set the scene for you. I was walking around KMart, shopping for various items, and was on my way to look for some magnets for Chanbe to play with on the fridge, when somehow I twisted my foot, tried to correct it, and fell on top of it. I heard a crack and the pain hit me straight away.

So as I was lying on the floor in KMart, politely asking (yelling/crying) for help, Chanbe was sitting in the trolley wondering what on earth was going on. Some staff rushed to my aid and an ambulance was called. I was mortified! But what can you do? I rang Hubs who came down to pick up Chance and the car and they met me at the hospital.

In the ambulance I was given this green tube thing to suck on for pain relief. It. Was. Awesome! I don't know if it was because Hubs works at the hospital, or if their care is always that great,  but I seemed to get extra fantastic treatment, getting x-rays, CT scan, diagnosis (2 fractures) and temporary cast in under 3 hours.

Last night I was feeling completely deflated, but am feeling slightly better today. We are currently in Wang and staying with one of the mums from my mothers group who is being amazing, helping to look after Chance, and I've had lots of offers of help that I will have to learn to accept.

Mum is coming down on Sunday to help which will be much needed. I still keep wondering how on earth this happened, but I guess I just have to get on with it. If you believe in prayer, I'd appreciate the support. I know it could be much worse, but I just really didn't need this right now.

Hay Hay!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Last year for our wedding anniversary and Christmas present, I bought Hubs and I tickets to see Colin Hay at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre. A good friend of ours kindly agreed to babysit Chanbe and we headed out for an adult night out.

To say it was amazing would be an understatement. To say it exceeded all expectations would be putting it mildly. To say it was one of the best live performances I've ever been to would be getting closer. Colin (yes, I'm on a first name basis) connected with the audience on so many levels. In between songs, which included tracks from his new album as well as some of his classics (Overkill, Land Down Under), he regailed us with stories of his childhood in Scotland, his friendship with Paul McCartney, and the lawsuit involving Land Down Under.

He did a 2 hour set and I was captivated throughout, and was very sad when it was over. My spirits were then lifted when we were advised that he would be signing copies of his CDs out in the foyer afterwards. Oh, and of course I asked for a photo!

It really was an incredible evening that will remain with me for a very long time.


By request

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

I'm a bit excited to publish a post that has been requested by one of my readers! After mentioning my new purse, I have been asked to show it off. I'm also trying to take better photos, so let me know how I go!

Here's my old purse that I bought at the Queen Victoria Markets on a trip to Melbourne in 2005 to visit my friend Ezza. (Yes, that's pre-Hubs!) It's leather and it cost me $35 which I think is a real bargain. Especially since it lasted me almost 7 years!


It had loads of space for all my cards - 14 pockets in all! And you better believe that I used every single one of them, some of them with 2 or 3 cards!

And you can see the blu-tac marks from where I had one of my photos


Enter, my new purse (with one of Nanny's old coffee cups, as well as one of her crocheted creations!)
This photo was taken before Hubs got home.

And this one was taken after I learned about aperture! (again)

This purse is also leather and it cost me only $15!! BARGAIN!!
The purse doesn't have nearly as many card slots, but I was looking to downsize the crap cards in my purse


So even though there's still a fair few bits and pieces of paper, I'm being more diligent about not keeping lots of stuff in my purse. (Although this backfired when I threw out my Coles docket and realised that I've bought a bulk 4kg box of washing powder that's front loader for our top loader machine. Hopefully I can convince them to exchange for me!!)


I chose this colour and pattern as it suggests a level of sophistication, as well as a bit of playfulness. There were lots of colours and patterns to choose from, but this one really grabbed my attention.

It usually takes me a while to adjust to a new purse, but I instantly loved this one. If anyone would like me to purchase one for them, I would be happy to visit the market in a few weeks time to pick one up for you! (Just email me or leave me a comment and we can make arrangements!)

Fireman Chance

A couple of weekends ago we went to the Mount Beauty market day. Not only did they have some cute stalls where I bought a new purse, but they also had the local volunteer fire brigade looking to recruit members. Chance was kind of keen.


Actually, he was VERY keen...


The firies were ready to recruit him on the spot! Maybe one day son!

Bring on the PMA

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

My friend and I frequently use the term "PMA" (Positive Mental Attitude) in our day to day lives. When we've had a rough night with our boys, we try to instill a PMA for the following day.; if we think something is going to be too hard, we try our darndest to have a PMA and get through it.

On Sunday afternoon, my PMA was nowhere to be found. Hubs was working in his office for the afternoon, and I was tired and defeated by the thought of tidying the house and packing for Wang. I had written my list, but I wasn't prepared to act on it. So I sat down and started writing a "my life is so hard" blog post. I was reading through and editing when Chanbe needed my attention so I left it, planning to return and publish the post later on.

Chance was going a little bonkers inside the house so we went out onto the deck and played with his cart and trike. We had a really good time and as I was watching him I thought "I have the power to turn this around!" Bring on the PMA!! So we came back inside and I started tidying and packing. Just doing one task at a time, playing with Chance for a bit, then doing a bit more.

I had completely forgotten about my blog post until hours later when I found it, had a quick read, and promptly deleted it. It felt goooooood. So thanks to my super organising, we were pretty much ready to go by Sunday night at 10pm! Chance woke us up around 7am (very reasonable!) and all we had to do was eat brekky, pack the esky, pack the car and make our cups of tea for the road. Which meant we left an hour early, which meant we arrived in Wang an hour early, which meant the 3 of us could walk to Hubs' work together and grab lunch on the way!

I love it when hard work pays off! Speaking of hard work, I also joined the gym yesterday afternoon, and between walking there and back both yesterday and today, and the pump* class I did this morning, I'm beat! But, you guess it, it feels gooooood. I might just have a little nappy-nap before Chance wakes up :-)


*I only wish I looked as good as the guys and gals on the video!!

Plummeting back down to earth...

Friday, February 3, 2012

... with an almighty crash. 


This time last week we were surrounded by family and friends and a support network. We were staying in the same house, night after night, week after week. We didn't have to pack and unpack and pack again every week. I felt relaxed and faced each day with anticipation and excitement, and had such a great time.

It's hard to come back to our "normal" (I use the term very loosely) life after such stability. I am sitting here with my diary open, planning the next couple of months. 5 days back home in MB, then next week in Wang, then back to MB for a week, then the following week in Wang, then back here and so forth for maybe 2 months. Oh, and a few trips down to Melbourne thrown into the bag just for fun as well. 

I realise the choice to go to Wang with Hubs is mine. But at the same time, it's not really a choice. If Hubs is going to be away for 5 of 6 days, and he's going to a place where I have a whole bunch of awesome friends, well... what would you choose? I think the hardest part about this lifestyle is that I don't know anyone else going through the same thing. So people can say they understand, but I don't think they do. 

This is why next year, I need for us to go somewhere and stay put for a year or 2. We'll go on holidays of course, but not every single freakin' week. It's already getting me down and we haven't even started. Man this is going to be a long year.

In 6 months time...

Thursday, February 2, 2012

I'm currently looking at my life, thinking "things will be better in 6 months time." There are a few things that are getting me down at the moment, that are completely in my control to change, that I would really like to change gradually to make them stick.

You see, I've put on a few extra holiday kilos (actually, they started creeping on well before we left MB) and it has been a very long time since I have felt this down about my body. A comment from a (I hope) well-meaning relative back home didn't help things at all. But that's okay. I have a game plan and my first day (today) went well. It's going to be a long journey, but I'm committed. I have to be.

Also, I don't really like my hair length at the moment - I want it long. I know that in 6 months it will be a great length to tie back and put cute little clips in.

Oh, and my fingernails. I've been a chronic nail-biter since I was 5 years old and the only thing that used to make me stop was $20 bribes from my aunty. Once I got the cash though, it wouldn't take long before I was back into the nasty habit. I've actually been mainly not biting them over the last 10 or so years, and the most recent massacre was when I was driving behind Hubs when he had just picked up his new motorbike. It took about 300km before they were all gone again, and I haven't given them any chance to grow back. But I love having fingernails (and hate hate hate the look of my chewed nails) so I have set myself the goal of growing them nicely for a couple of weddings I have in March.

The other, probably most important thing, is that I haven't felt like my faith is getting much of a look in these days, and thanks to my good friend who gave me a daily devotional for Christmas, I can re-connect which always seems to make the rest of my life better and easier.

Hmmmm... what else? There are a few other little niggly things that I might share at the 6 month mark. Wish me luck!

We're home

(This post was supposed to be published last night...)

Aaaaaaah. It's 11:30 on Wednesday night, and we weren't planning on being home til tomorrow afternoon, but here we are. Chanbe is in bed, and in a few minutes time, we'll be joining the little guy in dreamy-dream land.

We left Kempsey at 9:20am and planned to spend tonight in some random hotel in Goulburn, but we decided to press on and try our luck. We had a big break around 6:30pm so once we got back in the car, Chance was ready for sleep. we did the last 3.5 hours in one hit and although the yard is ridiculously overgrown, it felt so nice to pull in.

It's so funny to think that we were in Queensland yesterday morning; that Hubs went for a swim in the ocean at 6am; that Chanbe had a power spew in the car not far over the NSW border (coincidence? hee hee); and that our long-awaited, much anticipated, wonderfully enjoyed trip to Brisbane has come to an end.

I guess there's only one more thing to share! Road trip photo!