Mother's Day

Well I hope everyone had a really great Mother's Day. I did. We slept in until 7 am. Then it became to much for the children and they had to give me the presents they had purchased. I got a lovely and warm pair of slippers that Jess would approve of, a toasted sandwich maker that I put on Lay-by last week and David picked up and of course Twilight on DVD. Thomas wouldn't give me the gift he made for me at preschool because he told me it was for Thomas day not Mother's day. He wanted to celebrate him yesterday. That was fine. I will however need to find the gift he made me and hide it so that I still have it and we can remember Thomas's Day.

I watched Twilight yesterday already but whenever I watch it it makes me want to reread the books. Crazy. Well it was a really nice day. David's Mum and Dad came for breakfast which I cooked. It all worked out really great and the boys were super good for us. I got to lay about and watch movies. I watched my new DVD after they left and then in the later afternoon I watched Notting Hill on Foxtel. I love that movie. Really it has been such a great weekend. Everyone was calm and we had a really nice time. I wanted breakfast so the afternoon was ours. It worked out perfectly. We ordered in because David didn't think we would need to book anywhere but that was fine. I wasn't in the mood to go out.


Well I hope everyone else had a relaxing and great day also.

Love,
Helene
xoxox

Happy Easter

Well I hope everyone had a really nice Easter. We had a lovely day. We were had the family here to celebrate Harrisons birthday and Easter. We sat a ate all day. I did all different kinds of nibbles and at first I thought there wouldn't be enough food but as the 8th course came out I realized there was plenty. We had cold nibble and hot nibbles and finished off with cupcakes. It really was a great day.
I do wonder why people come for a visit if they are only going to sit a mope. It really did bring down the mood. If people don't feel like being chatty and have a good laugh they should just stay home. Really!
Well I hope the Easter bunny was good all around. I got my usual of a large bag of M&M's. Peanut of course. It makes me happy. Now I am trying to hide most of the chocolate so Thomas doesn't eat much more. I was thinking Fondue.
I think that is all for today.

Love,
Helene

Well March was truly a bad month. It just seemed that every week there was something else to worry about and in the end David's grandfather passed away and it was really sad but he was so unwell that is was also a good thing. Well here we are a new month. Hopefully April will start to look up. Jonathan did his reconciliation on Saturday and asked God to forgive him for pushing his mother over the edge. Well at least I hope that is what he asked for.

Yesterday we went out with the idea that we wanted a chiminea. I wanted one and David wanted one but the first stop we made was a pet store and as you can see we bought birds instead. They are very noisy but they do not require much in the way of food or care so it was the only animal I would allow. David wanted a dog but I just don't want one. Yes I am mean but my yard looks really nice right now and I want to put some more new plants in.

Well here's to a better month.

Cheers,
Helene

Bullying

Well yesterday I said the week was going OK well it stopped being OK Tuesday afternoon. I am so sick of the the boys bullying my son all the time and goading him and just being plain mean and then him reacting and being the one in trouble. One of the boys doing this I happen to have known some years ago and who has really nice parents the other I was told it would not be worth calling his parents because they really don't care. He is often in trouble and the parents aren't really bothered by what he does. I thought that was just great Now What? What do I do as a parent when the school just can't wait until he is not their problem anymore?

I know that the way Harrison reacts makes it all the more fun for these boys but I am not sure how I can get him to stop reacting. He is very highly strung and the boys just push his buttons so easily. What can I do? He has started seeing someone to help him work through this so maybe that will work. Now Jon has stopped liking school too. He says he has no friends and he wants to play with Harrison but the other boys won't leave Harrison alone long enough to let Jon play.

Now I am just rambling. I am so unhappy. I guess if they were just average normal children then they would have accepted all the changes that we have put them through better. Well I guess that will do for now.

I hope everyone is having a better week than me.

XOXOX
Helene

A New Recipe

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

500 g beef mince
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, divided
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 t. Steak seasoning
1 Tablespoon canola oil
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup Cognac
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup beef stock
1 packet brown gravy mix


In a large bowl, combine beef, 1/4 cup mushroom soup, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, egg onions, and steak seasoning. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or clean hands, and shape into four oval patties. ( I usually get more than four patties. I make them a little smaller)

Heat oil together with 1 Tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown patties on both sides and transfer to a plate. (no need to cook through yet.)

Add remaining butter remove pan from heat and add cognac. Saute mushrooms for 7-8 minutes. Add beef stock and whisk in gravy mix until smooth. Stir in remaining mushroom soup.

Return patties to skillet and spoon gravy over top. Cover pan and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.


(Now I don't add the cognac or the mushrooms. In the third step I just add the beef stock and whisk in the gravy mix and mushroom soup. I gave you the proper recipe so if you like mushrooms you can do it the proper way. I hope you like it if you give it a try. I serve with mash and vegies.)

Well it is Tuesday and so far the week has been ok. Early days.

Love,
Helene

Planter Boxes

Well today started out pretty good. David took the boys to get their haircuts. I can tell you that it was past due. They were good and were able to get a treat. When they got home my in-laws were here delivering some plants and a lay-by that I need. Well it was still
a good day all through lunch. We wanted to get some planters for the gardenias that I bought the other day. We liked the way they looked up against the fence. Well we could find nothing that we liked at Bunnings so we went to the local pots and plants store. We found these lovely planter boxes. David and the man who owns the place were loading up the car, Jonathan was playing around the statues. Out he comes screaming that he was bit by a spider. Well I saw a wasp on his shirt and when I tried to knock it off it stung me too. There was a huge wasps nest under one of the statues that Jon disturbed. We got some ice for him to put on his sting put a planter and some dirt in the car and went home. We carried all the stuff out the back set up the first planter (which weighs about 50kgs) and David went back to get the other one. We carried the planter out the back and while setting it up I dropped it on my big toe. I think I had less pain giving birth. I don't think it is broken but the nail will be coming off soon. It was very quick to turn purple and is still throbbing. Well that was Saturday and we have two more planters to get. Not looking forward to that day.

Well hope the rest of the weekend is less painful.

Cheers,
Helene

March Madness!

So with March already here I am thinking that maybe I should start my Christmas shopping. Before I know it it will be July and then December. I am finding the time is flying by and I seem to miss so much on the way through.

I knew it was almost time to renew my licence in March but really I thought I had another week. So Monday I thought I would have a look to see how much time I had left, well I found that I had no time left at all. It expired last week. Not a good thing. So lucky for me I was able to drop Thomas off at a friends and duck up to the RTA and fix it up. I am usually so good at remembering things but oh well all fixed up now.

Well today we start the middle child in Reconciliation classes. I am worried about the day that he has to go and confess his sins. We could be there a while. He may have to ask for a lot of forgiveness for the last 5 years of life. He was good for the first couple but them the devil found him a willing participant in naughtiness and it has been downhill since then. I am looking froward to see if he gets anything out of the experience.

Thomas is loving preschool now so he spends most of the day there. We are in a good schedule and he enjoys the time we spend at home but I think he likes being at school better. He has different toys there and more people the play with. I am boring because I have other things to do during the day like blogging and playing on Facebook.

Harrison is struggling through school and all that they have to do. He is not enjoying it as much as I would like but puts on a brave face every day to try to make it through. I hope he can settle in so that he makes the best of his time. I am hoping that he makes a few friends to keep him out of trouble.

Love ya all.
Helene

Just kidding about the Christmas shopping. I think I will just stick with shopping for me for a few more months.