Christmas Comes Early At The Browns....

Yesterday we decided to put up the Christmas tree.
It's a week earlier than normal but since next weekend's going to be busy I thought we'd get on to it this weekend to enjoy it a little bit longer!
I decided to go with majority gold this year!
I think it came up well.



It's been stinkin' hot here lately so I've kept mostly indoors or out in the pool!
I hope it settles down soon - I don't like the heat too much!

Anyway, this week's going to be a pretty busy one again.
I was sick most of last week so the house has a lot of work needing to be done!
Washing,
Vaucuuming,
Mopping
Bathrooms to be cleaned,
Dusting ...
just to name a few.

I had a pretty miserable day yesterday. Got a migraine and felt rotten all day!

Today, I had a hang over from all the headache tablets and migraine so I had the day off.
But, I was busy the whole day doing "other stuff" around the house.
I did a candle delivery and got some bits and pieces from the shops.

Tomorrow I've got a couple of appointments so I'm going to have to have the day off again.

We've got a HUGE garage sale on the weekend.
I hope it goes well. I always hate garage sales - especially if they're a flop!

Amanda arrives on Wednesday night. We can't wait to see her again!

On Thursday I'm off to see this:


I can't wait - so excited!!

It's been a busy couple of weeks - I can't wait until things slow down a bit!

Just wanna say .....

I bought this gorgeous book for the girls on the weekend.
It's absolutely adorable!
Everyone with young kids should have one of these books at Christmas time!


On another note, I'm still working at Macquarie Uni - third week now.
It's a little boring and a long way to come but it pays the bills.

We are all doing well.
Aaron's studying at the moment - just for another 2 weeks.
I'm working - just for another 2 weeks - hehehehe.
Ash is counting down the weeks until Christmas holidays.
Lauren is counting down the weeks until she starts school next year.

I tell you what, I have to be the queen of thriftiness!
Yesterday I rang up our telephone service provider to query why our phone bill was so high.
By the end of the conversation the customer service rep had reduced our bill by a whopping $110!!!
And I was only expecting to maybe get a $20 discount!
You've gotta be happy with that!

What do you mean where have I been!?!?!!?

Been so busy lately.
Haven't had time to scratch myself.
This week I'm working for the Executive Dean of Business and Economics at Macquarie University! The traffic sux!! But at least it's money!

Here's a few photos to catch you up ....

Happy Halloween!!

The girls enjoyed going trick or treating last night! Got wayyyyy too many lollies!!


Ash snuggling up to Thomas. He's had a bit of a hair cut. He got in a fight a few weeks ago. He's been a bit cranky lately and moody. I had to shave the sides of him because his hair got matted after being in a fight. But he's on the mend!


Ash and Taylor enjoying their gifts from my trip to Singapore. Lots of bollywood stuff - bangles, saris, bindis!!



Two peas in a pod - Georgia and Lauren! You'd almost mistake them for being sisters!


The weather's warming up now which is nice! I can feel Christmas in the air - YAY!!

I'm Back!

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while.
But I'm back from Singapore now and have lots of photos to share.

Let me just start by saying - the humidity is a killer!! You just have to sit down and you sweat!

I stayed with a good friend who is living over in Singapore for about 2 years. This is the view from her apartment:


The pool is fantastic!! The round pool in the middle is waist high so you can sit there and relax!! I didn't get nearly enough time in the pool! Maybe next time!!!

We went to this amazing Indian Restaurant (fantastic food). The restaurant was on top of a building so we had 360 degree views of Singapore! It was amazing!



This is something EVERYBODY has to try before they die! It's called a FISH SPA. You stick your feet into this tank and the tiny fish eat all the dead skin off your feet. It tickles like a son of a gun! Your feet feel amazing afterwards and the tingling sensation stays with you for a while afterwards too! It's absolutely amazing. I can't wait to do it again! Unfortunately they only have this in Singapore.

Here is my initial reaction to the fish spa (it's a bit out of focus but you get the idea):

(Excuse the 'cankles' - the humidity made my feet swell!)

I had THE BEST drink over there! It's called a Himalayan Tea Latte and it's absolutely delicious! It's quite sweet - you can taste the cinnamon and a caramel flavour. Yummy!! Unfortunately they don't have them here in Australia! They are sold at McCafe!

I visited a place called Little India. It's probably the dirtiest place I visited whilst in Singapore because the rest of Singapore is pristine!

Little India .....

The streets of Singapore - just gorgeous ....


Because it's so hot during the day - everybody tends to come out at night! The night life is incredible. The shops are open until about 11pm! They even have outdoor air conditioners to keep everyone cool! Very strange!

I left at just the right time because they had the Formula One the weekend after I left so I got out before the crowds came! However, we did get to drive on the track while I was there!!


They had so many festivals on while I was there. Here's just one .... the Chinese Autumn Festival! The street decorations are so elaborate ...

Well that's about it for now. I'll post photos from the Singapore Zoo next time!

I'm Off To Singapore!

I think that just about says it all.

The ticket is booked ....
19th September!

I finish my temp assignment at work on the 18th and fly out the next day!!

I can't wait - I'm so excited!

It will give me some much needed ME time! No hubby, no kids - just me and my best friend and hot weather!! What more could you ask for!?!!

Oh yeah - great shopping!!

Wanted: Good Home for Tabby Cat - Goes By The Name Thomas

I came home this morning from dropping Ashleigh at school to Lauren grabbing me by the hand and pulling me towards the laundry. There on the laundry floor were two goldfish!

Thomas had gotten into the tub that we have our goldfish in and had scooped them out.

I thought they were dead but I quickly picked them up and threw them into the water.

Luckily they came back to life and started swimming around.

I'm not sure how long they will survive but for now they're alive.

As you can imagine, I went ballistic!!

Then I came to work this morning to find this picture attached to an email from a friend at work.

How appropriate!!! hhhmmmmm.