My big girl went on her first school camp this week, two nights and three days at Mapleton.  It was the same camp I went to when I was in primary school… Obi Obi road! The facilities must have been improved since I went there because Claire told me all about the huge indoor rock climbing centre and the massive flying fox and giant swing… it sounded great! I was a bit concerned that she would freeze up there but when she told me our house was colder than the Sunshine Coast hinterland, I was floored. I must insist on insulation when we buy a house because I’m not happy getting lower temperatures than the hinterlands and not even getting the scenic benefit… my neighbours brink wall is hardly a breath taking view. I was also concerned about her personal appearance upon her return and as you can see in the photo above… I had good reason to worry… the boff was back!

Natalie was very keen to do a sculpture art class one day a week during big lunch.  It cost us $155 and she brought home the above item… that’s an expensive little nick nack!  She was very excited about her next sculpture piece, two dolphins riding a wave but unfortunately the term finished and she didn’t complete it.  So after the school holidays when school resumed, Natalie resumed the art class.  What we didn’t realise was that a new term meant another $155 and for Natalie to finish her dolphin piece we need to pay now. We weren’t sent an invoice but instead Natalie told me her teacher said she needed to pay now and Luke got a phone call from the school chasing up the money.  I’m guessing Natalie will finish the dolphin piece after we pay and then she’ll start another piece of art… but I’ll bet the farm that she won’t bring the next one home until the next term… after we pay ANOTHER $155!

I have often said in the past that I’m a “no frills” gal, I don’t need brand names and shiny jewelry… a chocolate bar and a downloaded movie will do me just fine.  I like to live life with the motto “NEVER pay full price” ringing in my ears but I don’t consider myself a cheapskate.  I won’t buy one ply toilet paper to save money, re-gift presents or buy a box of 500 tampons because it saves me two cents per unit.  I will however use coupons, make my husband and kids a packed lunch, buy MOSTLY groceries that are on sale and turn all power point switches off when not in use.  I don’t think that qualifies me as a cheapskate, however I did something the other day which made me question that… I reused stamps!  Yes… I know… but I couldn’t help myself!!! I found an old post pack (which I keep for the bubble wrap… oh God, that’s a cheapskate act isn’t it?) and it was covered in fifty cent stamps that had no postage marks on them.  So I gently peeled them off and glued a couple to a letter I sent my father.   He got the letter and I paid ZIP… does that make me a cheapskate?

I overheard Luke reading the bible to the kids the other night and I must say I am not familiar with the edition he used.  It was Mark chapter 4 he was reading from, you know…  when Jesus is asleep on the boat during a storm and then finds his disciples all panicking so he  rebukes them for having “little faith” before calming the storm.  Well I’m not sure exactly what verse he was up to but I heard Luke say “and Jesus said you pussies!”   Must be from the Houghton revised edition.

I love getting junk mail and looking at what’s on sale and where.  When I looked at this flier above I though “great, buy one get one free… I might just take that offer up”.  However when I looked more closely I simply couldn’t find an address.   Fancy advertising the best Butter Chicken in town but forgetting to add the address… advertising fail!

While looking at land on the internet we came across a block that was 1.21 hectares.  Trying to get a grasp on the actual size I said to Luke,  “that’s 3 acres, it’s not bad”. Luke then turned to me and said “No it’s not, it’s far smaller than you think” as he typed away in Google to get the accurate conversion.  He then had to eat his words as the answer of 2.98997512 acres stared at him on the screen.  Ok, not quite the 3 acres I said but close enough from the top of my head.

Last week I was sent this short e-mail forward:

When Love Fades…

Yesterday I wrote down the phone numbers of some car upolsterers in my local area.  Ultra Tune had quoted  $250 after we got the car serviced but that seemed a bit high to me so I wanted a few more quotes.  I sat down, phone in hand (which in itself is a minor miracle due to my general fear of the phone and people) and I dialed the first number.  This was my conversation:

Dude: Auto and marine Upholsterers, this is John.

Me: Hi John, I have a 2000 model Ford Falcon…

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

No Kidding, the guy hung up on me before I could even ask for a quote!   Maybe he didn’t like the type of car I have?  Oh well, in the end I found a place in Rocklea which will do the job in one hour for only $130. Take that John… BLAM!!!

I was doing my fortnightly grocery shopping and I was almost done when BAM…  the back end of my trolley gave out.   It sounded like a dump truck had unloaded a ton of rocks in the meat section of Woolworths.  Here I was standing in a pile of groceries while heads turned from every direction to look at me.  An employee came to my aid with a new trolley and she promised she would take my old trolley outside and shoot it.  When I eventually got to the checkout the shop assistant told me she had never seen a trolley do that before…  I guess there’s always a first!

While travelling in the car the kids play a game called “sweet or sour”.  They wave to a motorist and if they wave back they are sweet but if they don’t they are sour.  Claire was playing this game with friends while on a school bus trip when she came across a “super sour” as she puts it… the motorist gave the kids the finger!!!  Who the hell flips the bird to a bunch of nine year old kids?