Panic Panic Panic!!!

Stephanie's debutante ball is on Friday night.

I have made a list of all the things that need to happen. The list scared me. A great deal. And another thing that scares me is that I have never organised a deb ball before....so I don't know what I haven't done!

Friday is going to be a stressful day I've discovered. I'm taking Steph and her friend Sophie to Port Lincoln to have their hair and makeup done. Simple enough. I have just discovered that they will finish having their makeup done around 3pm. Steph's photo's are at 5pm. Port Lincoln is an hour and a half drive...which means we have half an hour to get dressed, get the men in the family showered and dressed and into Cleve! I'm really not sure how we are going to manage that!

On Thursday we are having a run through with the sound and lighting people there. The hall will decorated by then (that's happening on Wednesday) and it will give the debs and their partners a feel for where everything is and how it will run. It might give me an idea too!

As each deb is presented the MC tells everyone a bit about them, a bit about their dress, and also introduces their partner and tells them a bit about them. I have asked the girls for some information so I can get all this written up, and I have about half of them! AARGH! Teenagers are so unreliable!

To give you a bit of an idea...here is Steph's introduction...

Introducing Miss Stephanie Bates.

Stephanie is the daughter of Kym and Sharon Bates of Verran. She is currently studying year 11 at Cleve Area School. Stephanie is also studying a certificate II in make up services, as well as being interested in a career in naturopathy or acupuncture.

In her free time Stephanie enjoys netball, spending time with friends, sketching, and music.

Stephanie designed her own gown, which has been made by Melissa Smith. It features a strapless, fitted bodice with a silver lace overlay and is made from white cathedral satin. The skirt has three tiers, with silver lace again being a focal point.

It then goes on to introduce her partner Trent.

As this is being read out a powerpoint presentation will be running with photos of each girl as they are growing up. Thankfully I have finished that!

I am yet to print the tickets and the program.
I have to ring the DJ and confirm her booking.
I have to make sure the licence arrives on time.
I have to make a CD of music to be playing in the background while the girls are being presented. I have to choose a father daughter dance song.
I need to find someone to man the door for us (or do it myself). I have to cook something for supper.
I need to write up all the introductions.

I need to calm down......

RAIN!

This is what the window of my car looked like this morning. This is what happens when you are too lazy at night to put your car in the garage and it rains. Not that I'm complaining. Far from it!

My car is now all muddy. And I don't mind at all!

I woke up to the sound of rain on my roof. Now we have a tile roof so when I hear rain on the roof I know it's raining properly. It has been steadily coming down ever since. Just the kind of rain we like. Steady. Not too heavy that it washes away and doesn't soak in. Just right.

The long range forecast has been telling us that it wasn't going to rain until June. I'm so glad they got it wrong! June is getting too late to plant a successful crop. But late April. Perfect.

Of course we are cautious. Last year started with promising opening rain, but our crops died in Spring with no Spring rain. But I refuse to think about that. We are having a good start. And that's all the matters for the moment.

Lord, thankyou for this wonderful, steady, soaking rain. I pray that as Kym puts our crop in that he will be careful, not work too late and look after himself. I pray that these rains can be followed up during the year to give our crop the best chance.

AAAARRRRGH!!!!!

In a few weeks time this will be funny.

Maybe.

Last night Steph had a dress fitting. She didn't like it. But she didn't say so at the time because she doesn't want to hurt Melissa's feelings. She just waited til she got home and complained at length about how the bodice is too short, and the ruching makes her look chubby, and she is already the chubbiest girl in the deb ball.

*Sigh*

So this morning I had a chat to Melissa, very apologetically. She said that she could tell Steph wasn't happy by her body language and having slept on it she had already decided to make another bodice. The woman is incredible. She says it's fine. No problem. She made her mum make her bodice three times before she was happy with it.

Luckily we have lots of extra fabric.

The thing that bothers me the most is that she really does think she is fat. And there is nothing I can say to convince her otherwise. She is a size 8-10 (which I believe is 6-8 in the US). She is definately not fat.

Like Melissa said this morning, I'm so glad I'm not a teenager anymore, I'd forgotten how tough that gig is!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my baby boy's birthday. He is 14. How time flies. It was just yesterday when he was a beautiful brown eyed smiley baby. The photo below is of Scott when he was still in primary school, about year 4 I think! This was before he became an obnoxious teenager and he was still smaller than me. He is now a good two inches taller, and still growing!

Here is Scott doing what he loves the most. Riding his motorbike. Scaring his mother. Both equally joyous passtimes in his book!

And here he is with his new favourite passtime. Surfing. Equally scary as motorbike riding if you ask me! They don't call our coastline the home of the great white shark for no reason!

And honestly...floating around on a surfboard impersonating a seal is just asking for trouble!

Happy birthday to my little boy, who at 5' 11" isn't so little anymore.

Do you mother a favour and stop growing out of your shoes within months of buying them...and would it kill you to give your Mum a hug occassionally?

EVERYTHING HURTS!!!

Yesterday was my first game of netball in three years.

Three years ago I retired after a (second) knee reconstruction that didn't quite work. My knee still hurts every day and I hate going up and down stairs. So, why would someone with a dodgy knee go back to the netball court you ask?

Because I LOVE the game! Always have, always will. I tried staying involved by umpiring and coaching but it just wasn't the same. Also Steph and I are playing in the same team and I thought it might be fun to play a year with her.

Yesterday was fun! Heaps of fun! I loved every minute I stood on the court. Of course the fact that we won helped too!

By the time we got home last night I was beginning to stiffen up, so I had a nice hot bath and went to bed.

This morning I can hardly move! My knee is sore, but that is situation normal. But also my arms are sore, my back, my butt (? who knew you used that to play netball??), my stomach muscles...everything!

One thing I discovered yesterday was that I need to practice my goals. Vertically challenged people like myself can not afford to be inacurate because I have precious little hope of getting a rebound.

But, the main thing is that I had a ball....bring on next week!

Sun, Surf and Family Fun

We have had a fabulous Easter weekend. We, along with another family who are dear friends went camping. We camped at a place called Sheringa which has huge white sandhills, perfect white sandy beaches, fantastic beach fishing and surfing, and best of all, it's out of mobile phone range.

On Friday we challenged the teenagers to a game of volley ball on the beach. We lost. So we evened the teams up a bit!
In this photo we see Kym has just hit the ball over the net, Trent is standing in the background (he is the son of our friends, and Stephanie's partner in the upcoming debutante ball). On the right side of the net is Dale (Steph's boyfriend) and Stephanie who is about to kick the ball, which I don't think is technically correct in volley ball but it worked, and it looked hilarious!

Here is what you do with teenagers who are really annoying you! Trent is at the back, Steph in the front. It did cross our mind to leave them there!

Here we have Dale digging the hole that Steph would end up buried in. It was Steph's idea to dig a big hole but she soon gave up.

And here we have Kym proving that you are never too old to surf! Well, to be honest, as good as the photo looks he actually did porve that you do indeed get too old to surf! He was exhausted by the time he had paddled out there!

I am back at work now, fully rested and while I wouldn't say I'm raring to go, I am feeling refreshed and approaching life with a better attitude.

I read two novels in four days. That is my idea of bliss.

One more sleep!

Today is my last full day of work for the week. Yay!

Tomorrow I'm finishing at lunchtime to head off for the weekend on a camping trip. We are going across to the other side of our peninsula to the west coast. The coast line on our side is very protected and calm, but the west coast is open ocean, part of the great Australian Bite. This coastline is rugged, powerful and beautiful.

This is a photo of part of the coastline where we are headed. It's called Sheringa. There is a beautiful long white sandy beach that isn't shown in this photo but it's a great surf beach. Steph's boyfriend Dale is a keen surfer and he's looking forward to getting into it. He says that he has a spare board he can bring if the rest of us want a go, but I'm not that keen on being shark bait.

I am keen on camping. And relaxing. And just doing nothing if that's what I want.

I can't wait!

Just when you thought it was safe...

You know the saying from Jaws...Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

We have had a relatively peaceful week with Princess Drama Queen Teenage Nightmare Stephanie. She spent the weekend being pleasant. She tidied her room. She spoke in whole sentences. She smiled.

I started to relax.

I started thinking that things were improving. That maybe she was starting to grow up.

No. It would appear not.

She has just come in from school. Quite happy. She has now gone off with some friends.

A customer of ours has just paid me a visit. He is a father of one of Steph's friends at school. He has just told me that Kasey (that's his daughter) told him that Steph has been suspended. WHAT?!?

Apparently today at lunch time, along with three other 16 year olds, she went into the drama room and painted clown faces on one of her friends. So now I'm a bit out of sorts. Part of me is thinking how dare she come in here and be all sweetness and light when she KNOWS that it's only a matter of time before I hear what she has been up to. And part of me is thinking what? is that all? that's hardly a suspendable offence I would have thought. I can remember doing much worse than that as a teenager and not getting suspended. Of course I didn't get caught either.

She even showed me a picture on her phone of Jess with a clown face painted on him. She just didn't tell me that she was in the drama room illegally!

Of course I haven't actually heard from the school yet. And if she is suspended you would think they would tell me. Who knows, they could have rang home and talked to Kym. I hope they have. Then he can deal with it.

Teenagers.