Wednesday's Walk Down Memory Lane - Zzzzzzz

It's Wednesday, and time to go for another walk down memory lane.

If you would like to know more, click on the above link, join in, or just read other's contributions.

Today's memory is about something that we all miss at times.

No matter our age, gender, position in life.

It is something that we long for......crave........daydream about....

Today, my "Walk Down Memory Lane" is all about

SLEEP

or lack of it!

A good night's sleep hasn't occurred for the adults in this house for such a long time, it is a very distant memory! When I was pregnant with Samuel, I had all the usual pregnancy things that caused me to wake in the night and toddle off to the bathroom. Then of course, Samuel finally arrived.......

The above photo is one of the very rare times Samuel actually slept in his own bed. The teddy bear was put there for the photo, but the "silky" was and is still the constant sleep companion for Samuel. He has to have it up against his cheek.

Probably for the first year of his life, Samuel slept in my arms. He did not like his cradle, he did not like his crib. He did like to sleep in Mummy's arms. I usually sat in our huge leather chair. We sang, we read books, we told stories, sometimes we dozed.

The few nights that Samuel actually slept through the night, in his own bed, I would wake-up every hour or so and go and check on him.

Now that Samuel is older, he does stay asleep many nights, but there are many nights that he will burrow in between Jim and I. He wraps his arms around my neck and sighs, "Sam's Mum".

Samuel does sleep, in fact he has a child's ability of falling asleep almost anywhere the mood strikes!

A few months ago I went to change over a load of laundry, walked back into the family room and this is what I found!


Fast asleep on the coffee table


IPod in hand

Good night,

Sleep tight,

Don't let the bed bugs bite!

Sally-Ann

It's Wednesday, and time to go for another walk down memory lane. If you would like to know more, click on the above link, join in, or just read other's contributions.

I am posting my "Walk down memory lane...." a little late today! I have been thinking all day about what to write about. As I sit typing, I am still not all that sure. I decided to browse through my photos for some sort of inspiration.

This is the photo I settled on. This is a picture of Samuel Wilton Purdy at 2 weeks of age.

Nearly every week some of the "memories" include the birth of children. The memories shared bought back a flood of my own memories. Samuel is our 4th and last child. Sam is spoiled, Sam is our wild child, Sam is loved, Sam is a gift from a loving Heavenly Father that helped heal my broken heart. Samuel was a high-risk pregnancy - I was 42, diabetic, high blood pressure and had lost a child through stillbirth. Sam came into the world through an unplanned C-section, yelling at the top of his lungs and weeing all over the doctor. I held Samuel constantly after he was born, to have him in my arms was like the balm of Gilead. He is now the image of perpetual motion, but he still snuggles in my arms at night to go to sleep.

18 months before Samuel was born, our little Emma Rose came into the world. An event that was looked forward to with great joy and anticipation. But, instead of the usual congratulations, hustle and bustle, baby's cry - there was silence. We knew that our little girl was going to be stillborn, but you still hope for some miracle. The birth of Emma made me find strengths and faith that I didn't know that I had. Sometimes I didn't think I could continue to function, but because of my oldest 2 children, I did. I love my little Emma Rose and look forward to holding her in the eternities.

Jessica......Jessica has always marched to the beat of her own drum. We had given up trying to have another child and had began the adoption process. Then low and behold! The doctors kept telling me that she would be a small baby and would probably come early. Well, she came the day before her due date, and weighed 9pounds 8.8ounces!! This child has talent oozing from her pores! She writes, draws and plays the piano, steel drums, violin and harp. She is a amazing big sister and a joy.

Jessica and her brother Joshua, are very soft hearted and always try to help others in need.

We thought about having a baby and was promptly pregnant with Joshua. Joshua was a patient, calm baby and has grown into a patient, calm young man. I often wonder how first born babies survive those first years! It is a wonder that stressed out, worry wart parents don't scare them for life! I look back at those early years with Joshua and my mind is flooded with wonderful memories. It is hard to believe that he will be leaving the nest soon.

I love being a Mum. I have never been in a rush for school holidays to end or to whisk the kids off to babysitters. That doesn't mean that I don't go a bit stir crazy at times and need my space! I haven't really skimmed the surface of the memories I have and am making with my children, but I hope that they have equally good memories and realize that they are each loved more than words can express.

Sally-Ann

A Night Out at "Spamalot"

Last night I took Jim out for his birthday. His birthday isn't until Sunday, but last night was when we could get tickets for "Spamalot". I grew-up watching British comedies, including Monty Python. It is all very irreverent and a little bit rude. Well.......can be quite rude at times!! "Spamalot" was no exception to that. In fact, when we were leaving the theatre, Jim asked, "How come when something quite rude is said with a British accent, it is hilarious??" I don't know is my answer. But, this morning as I sat trying to work out how I wanted my blog to go today, I realised, whether it was intentional or not, there are lessons to be learned from this musical. So, read on for my wonderful insights!!!

One of my favorite parts is when the French insult King Arthur and his Knights. I wonder if they use the same insults every night, or think up new ones? This isn't one of my wonderful insights, I just liked this part of the play!

According to the playbill, "Spamalot is “lovingly ripped off” from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. On a twenty-five-dollar T-shirt that’s for sale in the lobby, you'll find the catchphrase “I’m not dead yet . . .,” printed. The catchphrase, which is intoned throughout the evening by plague-ridden corpses, by dragooned (decided that this is my word for the day!) soldiers, and even by an amputee knight, seems fitting to me in these times of economic uncertainty: we must never give up, an act of defiance, never say die (ha ha, I crack myself up).

Richard Chamberlin plays King Arthur.

In one song he sings:

“For life is quite absurd,

And death’s the final word.

You must always face the curtain with a bow!”

In all its silliness, I think we can learn something from "Spamalot". "Always face the curtain with a bow." Always be gracious, always do your best, always take the high ground....the list could go on.

Sally-Ann

Wednesday's Walk Down Memory Lane - Bicylces

It's Wednesday, and time to go for another walk down memory lane. If you would like to know more, click on the above link, join in, or just read other's contributions.

Two weeks ago I wrote about trains, this week it is bicycles. Could this be a trend?? I am not sure, but I just know that bicycles have been on my mind the past few days.

When I was growing up, everyone had a bicycle. From the time we awoke in the morning, until we went in for the evening, we rode our bikes. I had many types over the years. I started off on a tricycle - green. I am not sure how old I was, but for my birthday one year I received a "big" three wheeler. I loved it. I could hook my doll's pram on the back and took the dog for a wild ride. My first 2-wheeler was blue, complete with banana seat and those tall handlebars - not sure of the proper name. Over time I graduated to an "adult" style bike.

My oldest son, Joshua, rode bikes all the time when he was growing up. Jessica? We haven't been able to convince her that it is a wonderful thing to ride a bike. Samuel? I think he is going to be another bike rider.

My friends and I would walk our bikes up Gawler hill. Walk because it was such a long, long, long hill. The ride down was fantastic, the wind blowing in our faces. We would ride to the library, the park, to school......everywhere. It was such a carefree time. We had so many places to explore. Shaded dirt roads, the stockyards, the cemetery (it was lined with huge trees, great for climbing), our schools were close by and had wonderful playgrounds.

It was the kind of childhood summers that I wish my children could have. Times are different, we live in neighborhoods that aren't set up for that kind of exploration and freedom. If I misbehaved while we were out and about, I could guarantee that my parents would know about it before I walked in the back door. Having 10 uncles and aunts spread throughout the town, I didn't have a chance to cause havoc and mayhem!!

The weather has been fairly cool and nice here in Tampa lately, so I resolve to take better advantage of it and teach my kids - even the big ones, they need reminding every now and then - the joy of the great outdoors and feeling the wind in your face. I don't think I will teach them to go down hills with their hands in the air and their eyes closed. That is something I will keep to myself!!

Sally-Ann

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Originally this post was titled "Bye-bye Poo: Part 2", then I remembered it was Dr. Seuss's birthday today. I then thought I should name it, "If I Ran the Zoo". As you can see, I finally settled on, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" Surprisingly enough, I think this is probably the only Dr. Seuss book that we do not own!!

I do remember the opening page to this book however.

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

When your child is still in diapers and you are beginning to think of potty training, you (I did, so, therefore, everyone thinks my way, right???) think that with this great mile-stone in your child's life will come a new found freedom for both you and your child. Free of diapers! Free of.......free of what?? This is a myth, there is no new found freedom, at least not yet.

Once he got over his initial stubbornness, Samuel has embraced being diaper free. He has had very few accidents and finds great joy in flushing. With being diaper free, we now have new challenges. Everywhere we go we have to scope out the location of the nearest bathroom. Then I have to overcome the germaphobe in me and try not to have panic attacks over the trillions of germs that could possibly be milling around the facilities. I now carry a huge supply of disinfecting wipes. In fact, I may start buying stocks, even in this economy. We usually end up visiting the restrooms within 5 minutes of arriving at any location. Depending on how fascinating Samuel finds a particular restroom dictates how much time we spend there, or should I say, how often we visit the said restroom!

On Friday night Jim and I went out of a hot date! Well, we found it exciting. We went out to eat and then browsed the local book shop. I was checking out the kids section for a book that might help Samuel in his potty training efforts. Even though I found the selection interesting and somewhat amusing, I did not make a purchase. Though how I could pass up such a variety.........There was the usual, basic potty training books, but apparently they aren't good enough, or perhaps graphic enough?

For example -

• "The Truth About Poop"
• "The Long Journey of Mr. Poop"
• "A Potty For Me: A Lift the Flap Instruction Book
• "Even Firemen Poop"

and my personal favorite

In this little gem you lift flaps until you find the pile of poop.

When my oldest son, Joshua, was about 9 months, my mother called me one day and inquired why he wasn't potty trained yet. I reminded her that he was only 9 months old and wasn't even walking yet. She told me that my sister Gayle was potty trained by that age. I laughed and hung up. When you are going through this milestone, everyone has helpful hints and sure-fired ways that work. All I know is that.......

Today is your day!

I have potty trained my last child - I am not doing this with the grandchildren

You're off to great places.

It may be a toilet, but maybe it is a spectacular one

You're off and away!

Bye-bye Poo - don't forget to flush

Sally "Seuss" Ann

Australian Bushfires

Last Sunday was a National Day of Mourning in Australia for the Victorian bushfire victims.

I was going to post something about it then, but I haven't been very well all week, so it didn't happen. This tragedy is still on my mind, and fires are still raging in Victoria. As with any disaster, there is a huge flurry of activity in the beginning, but then new stories emerge and interest starts to wane. I know it is still big news in Australia, and it still is to me. I found the following on YouTube and wanted to share it. My favorite image is the Australian flag at the end. It is badly damaged, but still flying.

Be sure to watch the video full screen and turn the volume up.

The total fatalities is now 210.

Sally-Ann

Electronically Savvy

Our youngest son, Samuel, tends to be a bit obsessive about things.
His first great obsession was a foam letter T. T went with him everywhere, there was not substitution. If T was ever misplaced..........

it was a disaster of monumental proportions!

Then came the great "Airplane, bus, truck and train" obsession that lasted far to long for our sanity to stay intact! Every time an airplane, bus, truck or train was seen or heard, Samuel calmly announced it. The catch was, you had to repeat the word exactly how he wanted you to, or he escalated in volume and temper!!

It's a bus.

It's a bus!

It's a bus!!

It's a bus!!!

It's a bus!!!!

IT'S A BUS!!!!!

Thankfully, that obsession has now passed as well. It was PURE TORTURE driving down the interstate to get my daughter from school. Have you any idea how many buses, trucks, trains and airplanes we saw!!

It seemed like a trillion.

That obsession has now moved on and has been replaced by technology.

I never thought I would have to restrict my 3-year-old's computer use.

We have a child gate on our study door. If it is left open, Sam sneaks in, logs himself on and plays his favorite game. If you happen to be logged on, he will log you out of whatever programs you have open.

Sam calls this his "ABC Game".

It is a wonderful tool for learning letters and learning to read.

Just not all day, every day!

To make it even better, it is completely free!

www.starfall.com

Enjoy.

Sally-Ann

Pay It Forward

OK, to win on my hubby's cousin Amy's blog, http://thekirbyfamilyfollies.blogspot.com , I had to post this on mine.The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift from me. There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Post this on your blog then come back and leave a comment, telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift.

I like to give-away books, and I happen to have 3 extra books on hand, so that will be my 3 gifts.

1 copy of "In the Bush" by Roland Harvey

I have 2 copies of "Are we there yet? A Journey around Australia" to also give-away

Sally-Ann

Hair today, gone tomorrow......

Jessica has very long hair. We find her very long hair everywhere. Most recently, the vacum cleaner stopped sucking stuff up. On further investigation, we found that it had sucked up its quota of Jessica hair and the rollers had ensnared enough Jessica hair to make several wigs.

Jessica's hair needed to be trimmed, a good trim.

Jessica decided that she could part with 10 inches and then donate it to "Locks of Love." This is the 2nd time that Jessica has done this and I am proud of her.

10 inches and then some later......


Ta Dah!!!!

http://www.locksoflove.org/

Sally-Ann

Chug, Chug, Chugging Down Memory Lane!

My little boy, Samuel, loves trains. He is particularly fond of Thomas the Tank Engine. At the state fair last week we got to see a exhibit of model trains, old steam engines, etc..

It bought back memories from my childhood........so take a walk with me down memory lane.

When I was in 3rd grade, our school participated in the 100th anniversary of passenger trains in Tasmania. I am not sure if that was exactly what the anniversary was, but it was something to do with trains! We all got to ride on a steam train from Ulverstone to Launceston. It was an all day event, and was terribly exciting because we missed out on school for a day! We each also received a commemorative gold coin.

As we chugged along I remember at each railway crossing there were people lined up to wave as we steamed on past. When we reached Launceston we walked a short distance to the city park to have a picnic lunch. It was a fun place. There were monkeys exhibited in this park, so that made it even more interesting. The monkeys are no longer there, but the park is still beautiful and a lot of fun.

The trip back home seemed to take longer and wasn't as exciting, but I think it was one of the best field trips I had during my school years. Ever since this adventure, I have always enjoyed travelling by train.

My next train trip was with my Mum. We had been to visit my Auntie Lyn I think. We travelled from Burnie to Ulverstone. When I was deemed old enough, my friends and I would catch the train from Ulverstone to Devonport. The train station was a very short walk to the movie theatre and it saved my parents considerable time allowing us to do this. My friends and I were very sad when the passenger train service ended. It just wasn't cost effective to keep it going.

One of my favorite things about visiting England was riding the trains. When I lived in Perth, Western Australia, I also made use of the train service - as well as the buses. One of the places we will visit when we go back to Australia in June, is the Don Railway. It is a train museum, but they give rides, and that is an experience and a memory that I want my little boy to have.

If you want to share other people's walk down memory lane, click on the link at the top of my post.

Sally-Ann

Family Night

Every Monday night we have Family Home Evening. Why do we do this every Monday night?

Our church recommends that every Monday night be set aside for family time, but also because it is a god thing to do! We do a variety of things. One night we may have a formal lesson that goes along with whatever the kiddos are learning at church. Sometimes we go out to eat and then go to the book store. Another night we may deliver cookies to people or invite someone over for dinner and to participate in family home evening with us. In the summer we often go to the park.

We also like to play games.

Last night we didn't actually play this particular game - we had a Wii bowling tournament.

But, a week or so ago we were looking for a game that Samuel could and would participate in.
In the depths of our game closet we found "Splat". We hadn't played this game for a very long time. In fact, I'm not sure if they even sell this game anymore. If they don't, it is a shame.

Everyone has 2 bugs made out of play dough, the object of the game is to get those 2 bugs to the finish line. The other players will have several opportunities to splat your bugs. If that happens, you have to make a new bug and start it at the beginning.

This is a very tension relieving game.

I didn't realize that some of the photos were fuzzy until I downloaded them onto the page. I'm not taking them off now, so sorry!

This is a bug after Samuel had finished squashing it. The thing is, however, this bug wasn't supposed to be splatted, Samuel just randomly splatted our bugs with a big splatting foot designed for this purpose.

Joshua and Jessica made quite elaborate multi-colored bugs.

It was really fun to splat them and listen to exclamations of anguish.

(please excuse the piles of folded laundry in the background, at least it is folded!!)

And, no Family Home Evening night is complete until little brother climbs onto the back of big brother and slides down his legs - 30 times or so.

Sally-Ann

Florida State Fair

When I was a kid, I always looked forward to going to the fair every year when it came to town. In Tasmania it wasn't called a "fair" however, we called it a "show". I'm not sure why it was called that, but every year I went to the Ulverstone Show. Maybe because it was an opportunity for everyone to "show off" the things they had made and entered into competitions at the show?

We have carried on the tradition by going to the fair every year wherever we have lived. When we lived in Minnesota, it was a very easy thing to do because we lived right next to the venue of the Minnesota State Fair. The kids were little, so we would go to the fair, when it was nap time we would go home, and then go back to finish off the day's adventure.

A few things change over the years, but a show is a show - or a fair is a fair - wherever in the country or world it is.

When I was little, me, my sister and her boyfriend got stuck on a Ferris wheel at the Ulverstone Show - in the rain I might add! I am a little wary of Ferris wheels now. But, every fair has them, even here in Tampa!

Crowds of people everywhere!!!! We usually go to the fair on the first Friday. Jessica gets a ticket from school and her school district has the day off for "Fair Day". We usually don't stay for the evening because there is a lot of gang activity and trouble that particular Friday evening every year.

We always check out the petting zoo. Sam loves to feed the animals. Here he is feeding a zebra. This is one of the spots we spend the most money I might add! Sam would stay here all day. The big kids won't admit it, but they had fun here as well!

Sam hardly stops smiling the whole time he is here. In this particular photo, the giraffe had just given Sam's face a bit lick. Of course, I didn't catch it on my camera..........

Yum, yum, carrot sticks and cute little boy fingers.

We did not go on this ride. You could not pay me enough to go on this ride. I sat enthralled watching this ride. How could people go on this ride? They sounded a big fog horn every time they launched someone in the air. If a ride warrants a fog horn blast every time someone takes off, it is not a ride for me.

Everything at the fair is either deep fried

(even the candy and drinks)

or on a stick

We did find some "healthy" fair food however. Well......healthier!

One of my favorite places at the Florida State Fair is Cracker Country. They show how life was back in the "olden days."
You meet all kinds of interesting people at Cracker Country.

Sam would stay here forever! It was very hard for a little boy not to touch this particular exhibit!

TRAINS!

Toot, toot, chug-a-chug

Sam was also very excited to sit in a helicopter.

Relaxing in a rocking chair was also pretty fun!

Sally-Ann

Wednesday's Walk Down Memory Lane - Sissy

On Wednesdays I like to take a trip down memory lane along with many other people. If you would like to join in, or just read other peoples memories, click on the link and follow the directions!

Well, today I was going to write about one of my childhood memories, but after making a telephone call last night to my sister, I changed my mind. My post is still going to include some of my childhood, I'm jut going down a different path with them.

My Mum and Dad were married on my Mum's 18th birthday. My Dad came from a large family, 10 brothers and sisters. My Mum had 1 brother and 2 sisters. My brother and sister were born fairly close together and then there was a string of miscarriages. Eight to be exact. One little baby was stillborn and one little boy, David, lived a few short hours. Attitudes and thinking was a lot different back then, my Mum didn't get to see David before he died because he was transferred to a different hospital. She also didn't get to see or hold her stillborn baby. Like I said, attitudes and thinking were a lot different, this was in the 50s. My parents finally realized that another baby was not going to happen, that was, until they adopted me.

My brother and sister are 15 and 16 years older than me. Needless to say, I was quite spoiled growing up. I shared a bedroom with my sister. I tell my oldest son that it is a family tradition when I can see his frustration of sharing his room with his little brother - Joshua is 21, Samuel t is 3. I called Gayle, "Sissy". In fact, I was quite devastated when I found out that wasn't her real name, I think I was around 5. To me my sister was a fairy princess. My favorite photo of her is when she was all dressed up to go to a dance. I don't remember what type of dance, it was fairly formal I think. She was wearing a full length satin dress that she had made herself. Her hair was all done up and I thought she was beautiful. I still have a little toy tea set that Gayle bought me for Christmas one year.

I usually call me sister in Australia every 2 weeks or so. I missed calling this past weekend, so decided to call last night. Her husband answered the phone and told me that Gayle had been in hospital since Friday. He followed that with a, "I guess I should have called and told you." Gee, do ya think??? I called Gayle at the hospital and she sounded dreadful. Will call again tonight and hopefully she will be doing better. My Mum would always tell Gayle that when she died, it was up to Gayle to keep me up to date on all the family happenings, to keep in contact with me, to stay close to me. That is something that Gayle has taken very seriously. Because of the age difference, we weren't very close while I was growing up, but that has changed over the years since Mum and Dad died.

We are as different as night and day, but we love each other. Gayle loves angels and every Christmas I send her an angel figurine. I think I will send her an extra one this week.

Sally-Ann