Archives for July 2005

Successful surprise

July 18, 2005 by Jen at Semantically driven

I planned and pulled off my first ever surprise party for someone. It was a good friend’s 40th last week and she’s been in denial about turning 40 and consequently did not plan anything to celebrate. She did some little stuff with some close friends and family but that was to be it.

In come myself and another friend, J. J said we should organise something and I ran with it. J was coming to Adelaide to conduct a singing workshop with 40th birthday girl, myself and another friend so I had the perfect excuse for birthday girl to be around. I organised for about five other close friends to arrive later on in the afternoon, we would get birthday girl to answer the door where the guests would spring the surprise.

It didn’t quite go to plan because the doorbell went and went and went and we were in the back room unable to hear a thing. I could hear Monty going mad so I figured they must be there but I thought I can’t get birthday girl to answer the door without raising her suspicions. I went to the front door and told them there was a slight change of plans and they should rush round the back and surprise her that way. The only impediment I thought there might be was birthday girl’s daughter who also did not have a clue because she came to the front door after me wondering what was going on.

Birthday girl was suitably surprised and very pleased and we had a great night. Most of the guests slept over so it ended up being a pajama party. There was one girl there I didn’t really know and one I do know but don’t like very much. I liked the girl I didn’t really know and the one I didn’t like that much turned out to be okay on the night.

Everyone brought along some food to share and some booze and I’ve still got two bottles of bubbly in the fridge and we had more than enough food to go around and enough for breakfast yesterday morning.

It was a really good feeling to be able to organise something like this and have it go down really well. I would never do it for someone who I didn’t think would appreciate it as some people are not into surprises but we chose wisely for our surprise recipient. She’s been through a down patch lately and it was just the boost she needed.

Middle of winter

July 13, 2005 by Jen at Semantically driven

Yesterday we reached a maximum temperature of 9.5 degrees celcius which was our coldest day for about three decades. We here in Adelaide are not used to such cold days (it was only two degrees warmer than the minimum temperature) and we are not really geared up for it in a central heating sense. Well my house isn’t anyway.

After we got home from work yesterday I lit the fire to take the chill out the air of the living area and the kitchen, then ventured out all rugged up with the pram raincoat on and took the dog for a walk as she had missed out for nearly two days. Mind you she gets to run up and down my fence line barking at cars that drive down the laneway so she doesn’t miss out on exercise but dogs like sniffing neighbourhood scents so she needs to get out the backyard for that.

So we ventured out, went to the oval for a quick off the lead run. I didn’t let JJ out to have a slippery dip as it had been raining all day also. My only real motivation for getting out the house to ‘take the dog for a walk’ was to hire a DVD as there was absolutely nothing on tv last night – a common occurrence it seems these days.

It doesn’t feel that much warmer today. We are SO in the middle of winter.

MIT weblog survey

July 12, 2005 by Jen at Semantically driven

I have just taken part in this online survey. I don’t normally like surveys as they never seem to have the answers I like and the links they randomly chose from my blog were all Big Brother links which is not really representative of the other links I have. But I think if enough people do the survey it will be interesting to see the results.

It doesn’t take long, so have a go.

JJ has a mate sleep over

July 12, 2005 by Jen at Semantically driven

When I picked JJ up from a friend’s place a couple of weeks ago after a night out I said I’d return the favour so they could go to a party which happened to be last Saturday night.

This is only the second sleep over of one of JJ’s contemporaries. Read about the last one. His friend, L, hasn’t learnt how to go to sleep by herself so after I’d separated them mainly at L’s request (she wanted to go in my bed) JJ fell asleep pretty much instantly after he’d had a spit that he wanted L to stay in his room. After I’d read them a story earlier they started kissing each other, you know, quick pecks on the lips. I thought it was very cute and it crossed my mind that perhaps they shouldn’t share a room but then I realised of course that this is childhood innocence kisses, not adult let’s get into bed together right now kisses.

So L was in my bed for nearly and hour and had cried a couple of times saying she wanted mummy and daddy, and when was it going to be morning? Right after you go to sleep it will be morning I told her. I ended up putting a video on for her about an hour after she went to my bed. Half an hour later she was still wide awake so I thought she must have had a sleep that afternoon. She’d told me she hadn’t. I turned off the video at 9.45pm, by which time JJ had been asleep for one hour and fifteen minutes, and told her for the umpteenth time that it was time for her to go to sleep. About fifteen minutes later she was asleep and I was very close too. I got her out of my bed and put her back in her bed in JJ’s room and of course she woke up. I ended up sitting with her for a couple of minutes stroking her head and reassuring her and left saying that if I stayed any longer I would fall asleep.

I didn’t hear another peep out of her until the next morning when they both woke up at 6.15. TOO EARLY. They played in JJ’s room for an hour or so then I put on a video for a little while and then I couldn’t delay getting out of bed any longer so got up to start the day. It was smooth sailing after that.

Lessons learned

Sleeping in the same room can eventually work if they can fall asleep in separate rooms. I know when JJ stays over at family day care they usually put their son to sleep in their room and then move him.
Don’t babysit a child that doesn’t fall asleep without wanting to hang with you. I guess if I’d caved in to her she would have fallen asleep a lot sooner but I’m sure this isn’t the last time she’ll stay at my house so at least she’ll know the rules next time – that’s if she wants to stay.
It’s stressful looking after an extra kid by yourself so try not to lose it the next day when you’ve got a weeks worth of cleaning to do and the vacuum hose keeps unwinding from it’s holder thingy. Maybe the lesson learned here is to get all the chores done the day before so the next day can be a relaxing one.

Queen Bee(nie)

July 11, 2005 by Jen at Semantically driven

This winter I’ve really got stuck into knitting, but knitting little things that I can finish quickly and that don’t take very long to make up. So I’ve been knitting beanies for myself. I’ve got to stop now as I’ve knitted three in the last couple of months and that’s more than enough for one girl.

I’ll start knitting my son some stuff (he keeps demanding a scarf) and I reckon I’ll try my hands at some socks. The socks I buy are such poor quality that my bit toenail goes through them and I hate wearing socks that have holes in the toe area.

Here’s what I’ve knitted.

Just about my whole winter wardrobe comes from Goodwill

July 10, 2005 by Jen at Semantically driven

I’ve been a bit slack with putting up my latest op shop purchases for viewing. I had a good haul a few weeks ago. I took the photos outside and hung everything on a lovingly decorated coat hangar a friend gave me as part of a birthday present a few years ago. Of course, it came from an op shop. The prices are rough because I threw out the tags.

Goodwill – Hindley Street, Adelaide

Price $6.50 (It’s a Country Road top)

Price $4.00

Price $7.50

Price $5.00
The best one – a woollen dress that is very flattering on and fits really well as if it were made for me. The photo does not do it justice but the pattern is a silvery/sparkly colour.

Oh, London

July 8, 2005 by Jen at Semantically driven

London, you hold many special memories for me. I spent two years living with you and while I was occasionally inconvenienced by the tubes stopping because of a bomb scare or a little bomb actually going off I didn’t live through anything like you have sufferered in the last 24 hours.

I got pregnant in London the next time and the last time I was there so I hope my sons father is okay for my sons sake, and his father’s I guess. I haven’t heard from his father for over a year now so perhaps he isn’t even living in London any more. Even if he is, he was always a night owl so the chances of him catching the tube, or any public transportation at that time of morning are pretty remote. But you never know.

My sincerest sympathies go out to the families of the dead, and to the injured. Even though I’m not religious, God bless.

« Previous Page