Christmas is almost here...

I'm not really back from my blog/online hiatus but I did want to wish all of my bloggie friends and their families a Very Merry Christmas. May your festive season be safe and filled with love, laughter and precious time, making cherished memories with loved ones. For my friends who will have an empty place at their Christmas table this year I wish for you peace and healing. May precious memories of times past comfort you in your grief.

I am not sure why but my Christmas spirit is sadly lacking this year. Those who know me well will know that this is most unlike me. I'm a Christmas nut and usually celebrate Christmas with joyous abandon! I hope to come back to blogging refreshed and renewed in the New year.

I haven't been very active in my time away but seem to have kept busy nonetheless. Mr B had another surgery and has recovered from that well. Fingers crossed that nothing further will go wrong.
I have been dealing with the usual end of school year things with both my children and organising them for next year as well as sorting some extra support for my son who has had some difficulties this year.
It all sounds very simple when written down in a few sentences like that but it has been very time consuming. Playing telephone tag with various school staff etc has become tiresome and tedious but I think we are finally sorted. Now I am in the midst of book lists and uniform lists. What fun NOT! Lots of medical appointments to attend etc. Lots of WAITING around!

I have also managed some reading and would recommend any of the following books for those who love a good thriller/crime story.

• The Wreckage by Michael Robotham
• Doll's Eyes by Bari Wood
• Acid Row by Minette Walters
• The Retribution by Val McDermid
• Chill Factor by Sandra Brown   *romance as well as murder

My Christmas decorating this year is very simple by sheer necessity. All my trees and decorations are packed away in our shed behind furniture and boxes from where I moved in with Mr B. Unfortunately they are inaccessible without completely unpacking the shed and that is not going to happen anytime soon! I did keep out a small white feather tree that I bought last year and have decorated it with a single silver bead garland and it looks quite pretty, if very plain. My teenagers are getting money for Christmas so I just have to find a present for Mr B and my gifts are done. (Well ok being mum I will buy at least one small gift to go under the tree for the kids) Food will be a simple affair as Mr B still doesn't have his teeth and is on mostly a liquid diet. I haven't even been able to find the spirit to write cards this year. I am listening to Carol's as I type this and hoping to engender some kind of enthusiasm for the coming weeks.

I am still stopping by and reading my favourite blogs from time to time and I hope when I return to writing I still have some friends who will come back to read me.
Meantime from our house to yours -
MERRY CHRISTMAS & A SAFE and HAPPY NEW YEAR

 **Thanks to Karen at Graphics fairy for the santa image. The Grapics fairy

Puppies are fun....

But Oh soooooo exhausting! I have barely been on my computer since the puppies arrived but maybe that is not so bad? I am getting more exercise than I have had in a while and they really are a joy to watch. I feel like a new mother all over again. So I hope you will excuse my absence from blogland a little longer.

We also still have my sister and her friend staying. The house is a little squishy, it was never mean't to accommodate so many people at once. They have both started temporary work and are looking for a place of their own. Ohhhh how I wish our builder could get on with our extension!

The cats are carefully avoiding confrontation with the puppies and each other. My girlfriends cat has the puppies bluffed after a couple of firm swipes across their noses. Our two cats are curious about the puppies but also a little scared and are still sulking in the bedrooms a lot. Our cats are definately not happy about having another cat in the house but thus far we haven't had any real fireworks thank goodness!

My sister's pet rat is oblivious to all!

I may not be commenting much but I am trying to read a few blogs each day.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Meet Max and Cheby...

I mentioned in my last post how busy life was around here recently. We have a lot going on.
Thursday we picked up one of our new puppies. He is an 8 week old Bichon Frise Miniature Poodle Cross and just the cutest bundle of fluff at present.

Meet Max!

My girlfriend who became homeless recently owns a beautiful long haired domestic cat named Simba. Mr B and I told her that if she could not find a new home for Simba we would adopt her either temporarily or permanently. Simba arrived on Friday, perhaps not the best timing but we promised we would give her a home and so we have.

Meet Simba.

and yes her eyes are a beautiful green!

Saturday we collected our second puppy, a purebred miniature poodle we have named Cheby. Mr B tells me Cheby was a famous mathematician. Cheby is prounounced Ch for chain and Ebbie on the end.
Meet Cheby!

The puppies are settling in well. Simba is still very unsettled but coming out of hiding more and more. She seems unperturbed by the puppies but is nervous of people with the exception of my son, Sam and myself whom she knew previously. Simba sat on my knee for a short time today with one of the puppies so I think that is a good sign. Our two cats, Squeaky and Tabby are totally miffed and are still hiding in my daughter's bedroom only coming out to go outside. They are scared of the puppies and not happy about a new cat in the house. My sister and a friend are currently staying and I think my sister's pet rat, Hermione, is the only animal in the house truly relaxed at present. Hopefully in a short while all will settle in and at the very least learn to tolerate each other.
I imagine my time will be taken up with puppy raising duties and animal reassuring for some weeks to come.
I haven't owned a puppy for some 30+ years so it is quite an experience for me.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting our new babies, I have enjoyed showing them off!
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Busy busy week!

Just a little note to say there will be no Tuesday trinkets post this week. I have had a very busy week and have not had a chance to take photographs.
Last week Mr B had further surgery on his jaw and the rest of his teeth removed. I am glad to say he is recovering well. This surgery and teeth removal is due to complications caused by his cancer treatment last year.

My sister and a friend arrived to visit with us unexpectedly last week and are staying with us whilst they search for work and a place to live. My sister has lived interstate for several years at the opposite end of the country and we haven't seen each other for about 4 years so it has been wonderful catching up. Having two extra adults in the house has seen things a little cramped and a lot chaotic here but so far we are managing ok.

I have two very dear friends who are undergoing very serious health issues at present. I have been very anxious about them both and thinking about them a lot in the past week.

We are awaiting the arrival of a sweet furbaby addition to our family. I have spent a lot of time this week chasing up a second furbaby as a companion, thus far without much success. I didn't realise adopting a puppy would be so jolly difficult! There will be pictures and more info in a few weeks when our new purebred puppy (and hopefully his companion pound puppy) is welcomed into his new home!

So you can see I have had a few things taking up my time this week but hopefully Tuesday trinkets will be back again next week.

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Sentimental Sunday....

I spent a lovely day yesterday celebrating my Aunt's 50th birthday. There were lots of family there that I usually only catch up with at special occasions. I had a brilliant day and came home thinking about how much I really miss the time that we used to spend with extended family all through my growing up years. Somehow as the years passed various family members moved away and contact became less and less frequent.Now like many families many of us only see each other at birthdays, funerals and weddings.

I'm a very sentimental person and keep cards and letters and various other little mementos of people, places and things. Sadly I recently realised I have very few photographs of myself, my parents, my siblings or of my extended family. I took the opportunity yesterday to ask one of my aunt's if she would have a look through her photo collection for me to see if she has anything relevent that she could copy for me. She wasn't sure if she had anything but promised to look for me.

I was checking my watched blogs this morning when I visited Linda, a lovely friend of mine. I have Linda to thank for the inspiration for this post. Do pop over to Musings from my heart and read Linda's post on Sentimentality.  I really related to what Linda was saying and so the seed for this post of mine was sown!

I own a 'sooky' box - a box filled with things I keep for purely for sentimental reasons. Many of the items contained therein are baby items that belonged to my children. 'Coming home from hospital' clothes, baby shoes, first drawings and other miscellaneous items. I have boxes of cards, letters and more personal treasures also tucked away for bringing out and enjoying memories of times long past.
I know some people think of these treasures as junk and worthless but to me they are priceless beyond measure and I hope that some time in the future one of my children will look at them with the same dewy eyed sentimentality that I do. I would have shared photos but my 'sooky box' is packed away with lots of other belongings right now.

How about you? Do you have a soft, sentimental heart and keep a 'sooky box' too or are you too pragmatic and practical for such fancies?

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Christmas blessings to all...

Christmas is almost over for another year. It's funny how the tree just doesn't look the same anymore. The lounge room has various gifts, bits of wrapping paper etc scattered around. The gloss and glitter just doesn't seem to have the same sheen and sparkle anymore! We had a wonderful day here today, my son and daughter, my daughter's friend from the States, my partner and I. All adults but we still shared the special moments that the spirit of Christmas brings.

The kids were all up at some ungodly hour of the morning. I believe it was around 3.30am. I refused to get up until a respectable 7.30am despite repeated nudgings from my 14 year old. Everybody was suitably spoiled by santa and we spent the rest of the day chatting, relaxing, eating and napping turn about.
My partner and I managed a few short hours of special time together early evening as the kids all went off to have dinner with their father and his new family.

Now late in the evening we are all winding down, each relaxing in our own way prior to bed. My son is staying with his dad for two weeks holiday. My daughter's friend is staying with us for approx 3 weeks so we will be trying to show her a little of Australia before she returns home.I feel truly blessed to have my loved ones with me this Christmas.
I hope your family was touched by the Christmas spirit and enjoyed a loving and relaxed day.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

**photograph my own

How did that happen?......

My baby girl turned 18 today. I am sure all parents can relate to my question of how did that happen?
It only seems like yesterday she was a baby in my arms, a busy toddler playing dolls and dress ups or building trains and lego. I missed puberty as she was living with her father at that time. She returned home to me as a fully fledged teenager at age 14. Kate has always been old for her years and a very unique individual.

She celebrated her 18th in her own individual style today, an outing to the second hand bookshop where she enjoyed a big spending spree on foreign language books. Kate has Aspergers syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. Obsessions are a characteristic of the disorder and Kate has had various obsessions throughout her life, foreign languages being the latest and most long lasting. (She has studied various languages over the last several years and speaks Japanese and Indonesian)

Kate's birthday cake was a plain old madeira cake as per her request. The rest of the family did enjoy a more traditional birthday cake! We are not big on parties but birthdays always involve getting together as a family and sharing cake. As fitting to the occasion Kate and I shared a Midori cocktail. I'm not sure she was impressed. I suppose she will eventually find an alcoholic drink she does enjoy but I trust she has enough sense to drink responsibly.

I wish for my darling daughter as I do for all
sunshine in your shadows (Happy Birthday darling)
Helen

Blending the family...

My partner and I have been a couple for almost 3 years now. We have been talking about moving in together for the better part of a year and a half. We are finally about to take the plunge. It would have happened earlier this year but his cancer diagnosis kind of threw a spanner into the works! Ideally I would have liked to have been well and truly moved before Christmas but ....well the universe had other plans for us.

It will be a wonderful relief to me to leave my old house behind. Unfortunately it holds many more sad memories for me than happy ones.I am looking forward to a complete break from the past and an exciting new chapter in my life.
I am sure my kids will have mixed feelings about leaving their family home. It is the only home they have ever known. The house is to be sold, an unfortunate necessity.

In time I hope they will embrace the new and enjoy the freedoms our new home will provide. Our new home has space to run and explore, orchard & gardens to enjoy and many other things our current home could never provide. I know there will be huge adjustments to be made by all of us as we learn to live together as a blended family under one roof. I'm confident it will all be ok in the long run.

I'm not so sure about the 4 legged members of the family. We have 2 cats between us and introducing our cat to her new home and new family is going to be interesting to say the least. We shall be following the advice from our vet and praying a lot I think! Both cats are the same age, neutered females and used to being the Queen of their own domain! I hope they will eventually be friends or at the very least tolerate each other.

Moving is such a chore! I am badly lacking energy and motivation to get those boxes packed and ready to go. Hope to be done by New Year. Time will tell.....
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Tabby our princess

Squeaky Queen of my partner's realm

Happy Birthday Sam

A day late and a dollar short as they say! My baby boy turned 14 yesterday. I was feeling unwell yesterday though so the post is a day late. I'm proud of my son, he is growing into a fine young man.
I know all mothers are biased but it never ceases to amaze me that Sam is such a well mannered young fellow.
It must be so - his teachers tell me it is!

Whilst it's a lean year this year financially we still managed a card and a couple of small gifts and a chocolate mud cake. Sam was one happy boy.
Being on the autism spectrum means Sam likes routine and sameness in his life. Every year I ask what kind of cake he would like for his birthday and every year he smiles and says just a chocolate mud cake mum.
Happy Birthday Sam - never forget mum loves you!
always wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

When all else is grey and gloomy...

It's a drab dreary day here in Geelong today. Since this is my first post on this new blog I thought I would share a photo of the two biggest bits of sunshine in my life. 
My daughter and my son bring joy to my life every day. They will probably never understand how proud I am of both of them and their accomplishments. My daughter was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome when she was almost 8 years old. My son was diagnosed with Autism at age 4. Life has been a difficult journey for them both, a puzzling experience many times over. Despite all the challenges life throws their way they continue to grow and learn with enthusiasm and curiosity.Despite being on the verge of adulthood and well into puberty (my daughter is soon to be 18 and my son turns 14 next week) they will of course always be my babies! I cannot believe how they have grown. Where did those years go?


Wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen