Tuesday, September 29, 2009

☼☼☼☼True Story Tuesday☼☼☼☼


I've been in the Bloggy Blah's just lately.
In an attempt to blow them away I have been looking for a little guidance,
a little inspiration...with just the right mix of silliness thrown in for good measure.
Now, Rachel and Mr Daddy over at Once Upon a Miracle, seem to 'get' my sense of humour.
It would appear that even though we are separated by almost half a world, we share similar moments...see this post at my place.
See...same BUT different :0)
EEEEWWWWWWWW

Taking Up the
True Story Tuesday Challenge
I offer you my True Story on True Story Tuesday.

{{The story is true, the photos are real, the people are real...however they are in costume so as to conceal their true identities <<>>}}
After my fabulous Hubby's long hours, dedication and exemplary leadership skills were honoured last Saturday at the Port Hedland Camber of Commerce Business of the Year awards.
I bragged about it here.
Juzz gives and gives.
He takes little in return. He asks for little.
When he does splurge on things for himself, it usually involves cookbooks or equipment for the kitchen and we all win again...
He R☆CKS it in the kitchen, as many of our friends and family can attest to.
SO
Last week I took the advantage of a little 'gift' deposited into my bank account and decided to do two things in a very short period of time~an afternoon~ Eeep!!!
Purchase two things we have both discussed on many, many occasions.
1. A Large Flat (ish) Screen T.V
AND
2. A New Couch (this was the most sensible purchase as the old couches were in very VERY sad condition).
In the space of an afternoon I wanted to purchase both things.
I understood that having the couch purchased AND delivered may have been a bit of a stretch! {it is the Pilbara after all}
I did however, anticipate having the Television bought AND set up by the time my Husband walked in the door from work!

Set up..really set up. Foxtel plugged in, DVD plugged in, TV chanels tuned and happening by the time Juzz rolled into the driveway sometime after 6pm.
The eldest She-Devil and her Bestie decided that the MUST be involved in the decision making process, so along they tagged.
....to preserve their identities {{{scorfs}}}....

I present MissyBee


and

MissyLadyBug


We headed off to the Electrical Goods Store, no they were not wearing their costumes!!!
I buy local, they are good to me and have my loyal patronage because of the great service I receive there, so I head off to RetraVision.

We walk into an area that is wall to wall T.V's. MissyBee and MissyLadybug are laughing and giggling loudly, they are pulling and tugging at each other, whispering snippets of silliness to each other...it was heart warming to listen to. I love watching them explore the perilous waters of teenagehood friendships, they are often not more than an arms reach from one another, so they can reach out a helping hand if the seas become a little rough! Tears and Laughter...precious memories are made in moments like these.
They bowled past me pointing to this television and that one, pausing briefly before moving on to the next television that had stolen their attention.
Then MissyBee paused.
Something has captured her attention.
She moved towards a large EXPENSIVE flatscreen TV.
Her hand reached out and she traced the outline of the brightly coloured 'button' in the top left hand corner of the television. She was mesmerized.

Can you see the pretty green button in the top left hand corner of the television that now takes pride of place in our lounge room?
The one on the television in the store was luminescent green. It glowed brightly...MissyBee was drawn to it like a 'bee to honey'. She was hypnotized.
"Oh Mumma...let's buy this one? It has this pretty light that tells you when the television is on. Please please please can we buy this one PAHLEEEEEEEEEEEEZE........" she tugged on my sleeve.
She BUGGED me incessantly...get it...bugged me...... LMAO {{rolls eyes}} bwahahaha.
ermmm.....sorry
Anyways...I passed the television by. I didn't care HOW pretty the light was, she had just been drawn to THE most expensive television in the store. I passed it by.
Ignoring her... Mumma mumma mum mum mOMMA mOM mum Mumma MUM Muuuuuuum Ma ma ma Mother ma mumma....she continued to 'bug' me!
Though she eventually gives up
and after much looking around, I stand between two televisions.
MissyLadybug is standing to my right. MissyBee is on my left...and we are looking at the televisions. One will eventually be the television of our choice.
However, for the moment, we are tossing up between two televisions...
This one or that one?
This one or that one?
How much for this one Vass?.......and that one?
Then MissyBee is drawn to the green light.
Not in the same place as the first TV but the same vibrant pulsing green light none the less.
"Ooooh ok lets have this one instead of the other one. This one has one of those pretty green lights," MissyBee tries her best to be persuasive.
Only MissyLadybug and I are frozen to our spots because of MissyBee's comment!
The one thing that made THIS TV more appealing than THAT TV...
...the pretty green light!
MissyLadybug and I look intently at MissyBee, trying to work out if her comment was genuine.
Seriously not...she had to be joking!!!

......alas she was not......


{{ok...now for the purpose of retelling this story as accurately as possible I DID 'create' the 'light' in the top photo that shows the whole television....}} I used the same thing the store used HOWEVER...mine has a picture of a star on it...ROTFLMAO the one in the store did not!

It was a just a plain fluro green STICKER!!!!

Bwahahahaha.. yes.. dear sweet MissyBee thought the sticker was the 'stand-by' light.

True Story

I sweeeear!

Thanks for dropping by
Cheers
Jewelz


Monday, September 28, 2009

♡♡Happy Birthday Sweet Girl♡♡

Where have the last three years gone?


You've grown in oh so many ways.
You're such a pleasure twenty four hours a day.


Sweet Bella We Love You


And We Show You By The Things We Do


You Want Ladybugs and Honey Bees For Your Birthday...
...Sweet Bella, We're There For You

You want Dora and LadyBugs
When We Sing
♬♪♪♬♬♬Happy Birthday To You♬♪♪♬♬♬
Then We'll Get Them For You

A story to finish off the night
A kiss from Mummy and a Kiss from Daddy
in the glow of the magical light.
We Love You Sweet Sweet Izabella
Happy Birthday
Good Night

xXxXxXxXxXx

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Mad Monday

I felt like such a fool. First, I was FURIOUS. I brooded, I'd been ripped off. I'd just spent 20 minutes in the bathroom waving a Fairy Wand around!

{{Which by the way, the guy at the fair SWORE to my nearly three year old was REAL}}

It makes a great

☆☆bli..bli..bling sound☆☆ and flashes pretty lights and all ☆☆

BUT THE BATHROOM WAS STILL A BLOODY MESS AFTER TWENTY MINUTES OF FLASH AND BLING!

Someone point me in the direction of the complaints department right this moment, I wanted to scream!

I wanna report this guy to Santa. Put him on the naughty list Big Guy!

Then a small hand took mine and a little voice calmly said to me...Mummy, it's a Light Saber not a Fairy wand!
And all was suddenly clear, so obviously clear...how silly I had been!
I threw away any thoughts of fairy dust and glittery wings...
...and I used 'The Force'
Brute force, muscle power and a good dose of CLR...man the calcium deposited by our water is mean!
I swear I was in there for two hours...Housework can be brutal!
What a workout...Master Yoda would have been proud!
I reflected upon these words of his.

“Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.”


I'm small but I used the force and am suitably satisfied.
A small but tediously physical job done.
Energy levels increasing, all because I now have a scum/calcium build-up free shower!
All because I got around to one of those jobs you always push to the bottom of the list. So today I thought I'd turn my list upside down.
If you turned YOUR list upside down...what would be the next thing you tackle...what have you been avoiding?
Crossing it off your list might just make you feel better than you'll ever imagine!
Go on...give it a go.
Let me know how you go ;0)
Cheers
Jewelz

Sunday, September 20, 2009

☆☆☆SOOC Sunday Celebrations☆☆☆

Port Hedland Chamber of Commerse Inc. Business of the Year Awards 2009
(shot by Tegan using She-Devil's Canon Ixus80 Point and Shoot)

Saturday night was a Black Tie event here in Hedland
((It does NOT happen often and when an event like this happens, it is VERY cool to see how Pilbara people scrub up~Pindan (red dirt) inevitably kisses everyone and everything here, so staying dust free is a quest all on its own here.

Saturday came around and I fought hard to lift the veil of apathy that has descended over our home. Long working hours, a string of maladies that have drained everyone, hormonal hybrid He and She-Devils testing the boundaries and painful parents putting into practice attitude adjustment techniques are just a few of the strains that seem to have dampened a few spirits here in the Byrne household lately!

Juzz complained....he didn't have anything to wear to a 'Black Tie' event.
(He didn't even wear a tie to our wedding for goodness sake!)
I didn't have a suitable dress...and Hedland is NOT a shoppers paradise!
He was tired...we've all had a flu that has involved various antibiotics!
'Not really keen on going tonight BUT we've (the company) paid a fortune for four tickets...so we should go for a little while!' he teeters between going and not going!

We head out to the shops...strike it lucky in a mere two hours (NOT HEARD OF FOR US)!
OK, so it's not OFFICIALLY 'Black Tie' but dang he scrubbed up alright
....I especially like the purple tie~Meh, we do thangs a little different up here~
☆Black Tie, Smack Tie...Purple was far cooler☆
(FujiFilm FinePix Waterproof Point and Shoot)
The Walkabout was a sea of red and black, with an oriental theme dominating the evening!
A friend,Lorraine, did a magnificent job dressing the hotel up for the event
I played it cool with the cameras....there was a dominating theme. FLAT Battery, FLAT Battery oh and a FLAT Battery! I clicked a shot or two camera died...it's a sign I WILL need a camera tonight. Texted She-Devil, Pahleeeeeze bring Mummay your camera just incase :0)
{{Luckily Tegan has her licence and He-Devil could continue babysitting Wee She-Devil}}

Sunday Celebrations
SOOC
{Straight Out Of Camera}
Intuition paid off.....not only did we take out the award for Best Business with 20 plus employees BUT we also took out the biggy
The Port Hedland Camber of Commerce Inc. Best Business of the Year Award for 2009

Justin has done an absolutely amazing job, as have his crew.
For me, it was so nice to see him acknowledged for all of his hard work.
He has brought Tim Davies Landscaping so far and has made a big impact on our community.
There is nothing nicer than the striking contrast of green against the bright red of the Pilbara Pindan and my man helped make it happen.
♡♡He colours my world...and the world of those around me♡♡

Thanks for Dropping By
Cheers
Jewelz

Now Pop over to Melody's @ SlurpingLife and check out everyone else's SOOC Shots this weekend.
Slurping Life

Monday, September 14, 2009

☼☼☼☼Silent contemplative SOOC☼☼☼☼

Jewelz of the Pilbara

Slurping Life

"Some people say that the best stories have no words... It is true that words drop away, and that the important things are often left unsaid. The important things are learned in faces, in gestures, not in our locked tongues. The true things are too big or too small or in any case always the wrong size to fit the template called language.
I know that. But I know something else too... Turn down the daily noise and at first there is the relief of silence. And then, very quietly, as quiet as light, meaning returns. Words are the part of silence that can be spoken."

Quote from 'Lighthousekeeping' ~ Jeanette Winterson


Cheers
Jewelz

Saturday, September 5, 2009

..♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡SOOC♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡..

It's tough being a Fairy Princess in the Pilbara
H3CK it's tough being a Princess fullstop!
this post explains some of the reasons why it's a little tougher in the Pilbara.
The Pilbara can be a mean and unforgiving place.
However, there are somethings that make it a little easier on a young Pilbara Fairy Princess when she sets out to explore the big wide world outside of her front yard
......and somethings that I am a little jealous of.

She has big sisters and brothers!
Who will let her go off to explore
HOWEVER
They are always close by
to take her hand and to walk beside her to assure her that she is safe.....

......and that she is L♡VED unconditionally.


I do have a younger brother but we are not close.
...that however, is a story for a whole other time.

More than anything
I wish I had a big Sissy
just like this one

Because it IS a big wide world
and when it becomes a little tough,
it would be nice to flop into the arms of someone
who L♡VES you
UNC♡NDITI♡NALLY

Slurping Life


The above sequence of shots are SOOC shots.
Straight Out Of Camera
✰✰NO EDITING ALLOWED✰✰
You are allowed however, to click on the Slurping Life Linky Button above
and head on over to Melody's @ Slurping Life.
When you get there, leave her a little Bloggy L♡VE,
then get ready to start a little blog hopping!
There are many talented people that participate in Melody's SOOC weekend.
Click on their links, check out their SOOC shots, and maybe even leave them a comment or even a little Bloggy L♡VE....
sometimes clicking on that little heart in the 'reaction' click a box section, like I have under my comment link, is all that is needed to let someone know you made the effort to drop by and you enjoyed what you saw at their place!


Thanks for dropping by.
I appreciate it.

Cheers
Jewelz

Friday, September 4, 2009

♥♥♥Mother's Bragging Rights♥♥♥

Had a crap day yesterday...that full moon tomorrow night has a lot to answer for!
That or really really poor parenting skills (someone else's not mine)!
I'm stressed by my own teenagers behaviour, but a small child threw my perspective right out of whack at school yesterday!
A belligerent seven year old smacked me upside the head with a closed fist, whilst I was wearing my sound field system mic/headset!All because he didn't want to follow my instructions!Ok there is no way out of this parenting gig, and I don't want out anyway!However I have been left wondering whether or not, after twenty years, if teaching is still the right profession for me.I have no idea what else I would do....I have never contemplated changing professions until yesterday.
So today I took myself to a place that makes my heart swell with pride.I may be having teenage troubles presently with the He and She-Devils, howeverI L♥VE them all unconditionally.So today I stroked my parental pride...begged for compliance from YouTube and tried to upload a couple of videos to Facebook and SmashingCups that would show off the talent of the fruit of my womb AND the members of their Dance Crews!
So without further adieu I present for your viewing pleasure two videos.


The Global Rock Eisteddfod Challenge 2009



Hedland Senior High's performance for the 2009 Global Rock Eisteddfod.
Held in Perth in June 2009.
Two of my talented offspring performed this year. Last year it was only the He-Devil that got involved. This year his Sissy wanted to try out for the team with him.
When the lights first come up Jordy is in the red tutu second row from the back right of stage. Towards the end of the dance she is right there rockin' the house right behind her big brother. Josh is the student co-host that introduces performance. He enters stage left after the opening sequence finishes, the lights fade and the music changes. Josh is the fist male dancer to enter dressed in Black and white. He does a front flip then a backsault. After he exits, he re-enters with a black hoody on! It comes off again when he takes center stage with the other boys to rock the house.
Hedland is so proud of all of the Hedland Senior High 2009 Hedland Eisteddfod Dance Crew.
✰✰✰✰You Rocked The Perth Convention Center ✰✰✰✰



and

YohFest 2009...I posted about this in this blog entry :0)


Josh, Sash, Tegan and Courtney put together this dance, with the help of H.S.H.S Dance Specialist Miss B. They performed it at the Matt Dann Cultural Festival in front of The Yoh Fest Judges and a supportive crowd from Hedland. Now the big wait to see if they have made it to the finals, to be held in Perth later in the year.Yes it's a crappy copy but heck it's the only copy I had to brag with. It's taken with my handy dandy FujiFilm Finepix Point and shoot....cause I can find the dang charger for the Handycam grrrrr!


Hope you enjoy their performances.

♥♥♥♥♥Proud Mum♥♥♥♥♥

Thanks for dropping by

Cheers
Jewelz

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

....>>>Focusing on the Future<<<....

YohFest has Come to Town


The He-Devil has been a little more focused on what he wants to achieve in this lifetime.
He has been kept busy (which is what I think is what he needs), because if he is busy he has less time to be the little rebel he has been over the last few months.
It is one of the drawbacks for the youth of a relatively isolated mining town, which is what Hedland is...don't get me wrong, it's not a 'one horse town' kinda isolated.
It's quiet large (I'm including Port and South together here) so it's more like a 'two town horse'.


Anyone confuzzled???

Hedland is a community comprized of two towns~we have different postal codes~we are seperated by 13kms and a bridge that allows the constant stream of traffic over the train lines and into and out of the port, to flow relatively steadily. If people had to wait for every train that had to enter and exit the port...well lets just say NO-ONE would get anywhere on time.
The infrastructure of both towns combined, provides the communities with the amenities that are needed to service the community.
There is only one high school and it is this side of the tracks.
It is here that Josh has been able to pursue his love of the dramatic arts.
Singing, dancing and acting.

He's not silly...look at the gorgeous girls he get to hang out with :0)
They are not just are not just a good looking crew either!
They are each very talented, they work well together AND are nice people to boot.
They are also good for Josh.
They encourage him to achieve the best he can.

...and you know something, he's not too bad at it {{{if I do say so myself}}}
Last night Josh and three of his school friends (that's them above),
performed a great piece for the YOHFest that they put together with the guidance of this awesome woman. Fingers crossed our crew makes it into the top eight...then they get to go to Perth, much like Eisteddfod, and perform against the other chosen teams for the Grand Prize...I think they can win their school $10,000.00AUS...Sash??? Is that right?? I know she's popped by my blog every now and then
:0) and I did ask her for permission to paste her lovely face all over my blog :0)
So I'm sure she'll pop in to make sure I didn't post a horrid photo of her LOL...she did give me those 'conditions' when I asked her if I could post a piccie of her!!! LOL


This is Miss B

I have much to thank her for.
It's amazing to think that a few years ago my first encounter with her was at Coles...our local supermarket. She was a fresh, polite breath of air....serving me at the checkouts!
She worked at Coles for a little while until she graduated Uni as a teacher.
Hedland Senior High is blessed she is their Dance Specialist/Teacher.
Last year Hedland.S.H.S was the first country school to be awarded the title of Specialist School of the Arts, which is very very cool and especially awesome considering that dramatic arts is THE only path that Josh seems to be keen to travel...and he really is suited to the stage.
He is a performer, he revels in the spotlight ~a little too much sometimes!!!~
{{{sighs and rolls eyes}}}
She has been one of Josh's greatest supporters, for which I will be eternally grateful. When everyone else was ready to kick him to the curb because of the brewing 'attitude', which we have been proactively readjusting, Sash was there encouraging him to be better, to have confidence in his abilities and to drop the cocky 'jock'
attitude. It has been a tough battle but one we appear to be winning
!!Yay!!
He has his late fathers stubborn temper...and his amazing biceps too LOL!

Miss B leads by example, her passion is evident and her drive to help our kids achieve all she can help them achieve is obvious.
I personally have much to thank her for, because during our little 'run-a-ways' escapades, she was right there behind the scenes doing all she could do to support him AND help bring the He-Devil to his senses.
She watches out for him and I appreciate it

Sash ✰✰YOU ROCK GIRL✰✰
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

I hope everyone is having a ROCKIN' week.

Put those headphones in, turn up your favorite uplifting tunes and take yourself to a place where your 'rock it' attitude and groove is...then let go babee.
Dance like no-one is watching, be silly, cut loose...it's awesome therapy!

Peace Out
Thanks for dropping by
Cheers
Jewelz