The 2014 Christmas Letter

The Highlights for Lizzie & David (or Lesley & Bruce as the Children call us)

• Became Club Present of the local Cricket Club (El Presedente Bruce).
• Survived Loved the challenge and opportunities of having two funny, normal and irreverent teenagers.
• Loved, enjoyed and relished two weeks in Brunswick Heads with Family. 
• Continued to be gainfully employed (bonus).
• About to celebrate 18 years of married bliss excitement togetherness.
• Still hoping for a honeymoon in Bali (ok that is just Lizzie).
• Going back to Uni to get a post grad study in Accounting (Lizzie).

• 2014 Motto: Still Living the Dream  (especially if that dream includes teenagers a mortgage and  a never ending desire to sleep in more).

  
         

                                        
  
  
  

Bear: The Hightlights
• Graduated from High School Yeehaa and Amen!
• Played Water Polo, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Soccer, AFL, Volleyball, Cricket and any other sport going for Siena College.
• Made some wonderful Mates for life. 
• Survived  Loved every minute of Schoolies.
• Became a Boost Juice boy at Mba Beach.
• Became a proud owner of a Drivers Licence and a car. 
• Heading to USC to do a Gap Year Degree in 2015.
• Made his Parents incredably proud and happy and honoured to have him as theirs.
• 2014 Motto: Life is short – Live it Wide


   

Lulu: The Highlights
• Finished Year 9.
• Made the Grandfinal for both Oztag and Rugby Union. 
• Joined the local shop as their newest Check out Chick.
• Succeeded in getting Mum and Dad to drive her more places on the Coast to even more social engagement than 2013.
• Loved Survived 2 weeks in Brunswick Heads Camping.
• Continues to be  the joy and sunshine in our family.
• 2014 Motto: Friends Clothes Friends Family Friends

Sort of Random Thoughts

This great post is bought to you by (and nicked from) Roxanne and her amazing sister Shelly. Check out their blogs ... so so interesting and inspiring.


So just in case my kids one day want to look back and know a bit more about me (at the moment they both wish David and I would shuffle off to the retirement Village and leave them alone).


 ... here goes



11 Random facts about me..

1) If you had an unlimited amount of money to spend at any store of your choice, where would it be?
Flightcentre.com.au. I dream of taking the family to Bali.  

2) Where's your favorite place to eat?
www.bavigo.com.au     or    www.guzmanygomez.com

3) When not blogging, what do you do for fun?
Going  to the beach with the family and friends .

4) Favorite print magazine?
Weekend Australia magazine or the Q Weekend Mag in the Courier Mail. I can't stand fashion or gossip magazines.

5) Your life is going to be a script for a movie, who would you want to play you?
My life is way too boring to be on the big screen.  

6) Coffee or tea?
Both ...Coffee in the morning but I LOVE a well made ice tea.

7) Book or movie?
Both ... love going to see a flick with my Bestie Vyc but I also read everydayand look forward to jumping into bed each night with my book.

8) Camping or a luxury hotel?
Both ....I loved our last camping trip but who wouldn't love to stay in a luxury hotel?

9) What is the worst gift you've ever received?
Gifts are my love language so I LOVE all gifts that I received.
I just love some a lot more than others :-)

10) If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
Vegies

11) What smell do you like the best?
What ever perfume I am obsessed with at the moment. Guess Seductive is my current fave (and Vyc gave me a bottle that she didnt like. Such a score!)

Specific questions

1) What's one thing you're currently looking forward to?

Spending Christmas with my family.  

2) What is your favorite post on your blog?

  NONE! Haha I think its all mindless dribble.

3) Who is your best friend and why?

David, because we spend the most time together and he supports me 100%. I am also lucky to be surrounded by sisters, sis in laws, girlfriends and work mates who I love dearly and lean on when I need to. 
 

4) Are you a spender or a saver?

Ever since David and I built our first house, I have stuck to a budget. But that is by necessity and I suspect if I could, I would be more of a spender. I think we should save more and its a huge goal for me.

5) What's your favorite joke?

 Anything that comes out the mouth of Judith Lucy

6) What's one hobby you'd like to learn but haven't?

Bush walking
 

7) What's your favorite part of the day?

 Early morning -  just me, my coffee and the quiet house.

8) What's your favorite dish to order at a restaurant?

 I like to order things I dont cook at home, so seafood pasta or salmon.

9) You can go back in time and change one thing without negative consequences. What would it be?

 My Mum

10) Who is your imaginary celebrity bestie?

Caroline Hutchinson ... I managed to stalk her on FB and become her "friend"... I'm nearly there! 

11) What's the one movie you could watch over and over again?

 Dear John and Black Hawk Down

YOUR TURN
 

4 things

About Bear

 

1. He got his Learners permit to drive (hence the cough enthusiasm cough  to wash the car).
 
2. He got a job!!! We are the proud parents of Coles Supermarket newest Checkout chicky.

3. He still likes to argue with his Dad about anything and everything. Its fun NOT.The list of things he is currently debating with us include, consuming protein powder (we say no) having three showers a day (we say no) booking his schoolies holiday (we say no) cleaning up after himself (he says no) doing more study/homework (can you guess who says no).

4.He has purchased himself a home gym. He is very diligent and loves working out (his preferred workout music is 90's grunge and rock ... I hated it the first time around).

5. Just thought of number 5 ... We love him truly, deeply and fiercely (and he, us I suspect).

Showing you his fabulous customer service...

 

About Lulu

1. She is a Winner, her Rugby Union team came first in the Grand Final (undefeated the whole competition).
 
2. She love shopping and clothes and then taking selfies with the clothes she purchased at shopping.
 
3. She wont get out of bed unless David comes in and wrestles her and drags her out into the living room (it drives me crazy but they seem to like all that fuss at 6.30am).
 
4. She purchased new bathers on the weekend ... they are gorgeous (here's a pic of me modeling them). 

 

 





About Lizzie

1. I cut all my hair off  (and I love it).

2. I keep dressing like my workmates (its a gift).

3. I got an extension on my appointment until June 2015 (yay not going to be destitute just yet).

4. I am hanging out to go on holidays to Byron and see Krys and Sooty soon.

The Gorgeous Miss Sooty (Alexis Maragaret)

 



Still married then.

About David

1. He is finally coming to the end of the upstairs work on the house so he has started landscaping downstairs.

2. He has had both sets of parents come and stay over the last month, he loves hosting his family now we have the space and room.

3.He is not enjoying work that much.

4.He is about to start his cricket season and has been asked to play Firsts!

 

Instagram and being sane has wrecked my blog

I sort of stole that title off Brooke (I nick all her good ideas).

If you really want to know what I am doing ... follow me on instagram (bearlulu) I can't seem to find the motivation to blog ... or maybe I am no longer batshite crazy and need to constantly be poring out my inner most thoughts on this blog... hmmmm.



Anyhoo this is a snapshot of what we have been up too.

I did a development and leadership course for work... and it was held at Mooloolaba Beach. It was stunning!(and I learnt a lot and shock horror I put some of the learning into practice and guess what it works).

David and I took a road trip to help his Dad and Joy pack up and clean their Bay house as they are off overseas for six months. 6 hours alone with David, the BeeGees and Kenny Rogers was ace and sort of like a mini holiday.

I have picked out some paint to paint our dinning room chairs ... see below for inspiration.

David went on a boys fishing weekend and the kids and I hit the beach. We also had tea out. It was a relaxing and good day. The peeps behind us are having their wedding reception on top of a fish and chip shop... I have no words.

 

 

 



We went camping! It was so much fun (until I got a splinter... but even then it was good fun). We went with our neighbours who have baby twins and little boys. It was so good.

 

 

 

 

 

Lulu loves the babies and Selfies. She's great at both.








As we were clearing up the kids rooms, Lulu found some baby clothes. Time and humidity have not been kind to them :-)

 

 

 

Andrew came down from Cookers and we went celebrated by dropping a cash bomb on the Spirit House. 

 

Other things that are possibly only of interest to me (and my Dad lol). This is my work colleague Meegie... I love her so much ... she thinks I'm stalking her... and judging by our work clothes I am!

My gorgeous boy was out of his cast for a week and he hurt his arm at Rugby. This face sums it up. He is on the mend but David had to do the Dr and the hospital... I couldn't face the fracture clinic one more time (listen to me anyone would think I had the break!)

 

Riley also performed in the school Musical - the Seussical.  He devoted A LOT of time to practice and on the night we were so so so proud of our all singing all dancing monkey.

 

 

Hope all is great in your world :-)
Exxx

Short As

Its official ... I am the shortest memeber of the Crew now!

 

 

Tight As

I hate money... actually I quite like the stuff it gets you but I hate thinking about it or stressing about it. My lowest opinion is reserved for tight ungenerous people ... cant stand them.

Anyway what with not winning lotto and paying for two high schoolers at Siena and living our extravagant rock star lifestyle... money is somewhat thin on the ground at the moment.

After Christmas David and I did the soul destroying  awesome task of looking closely at our budget. We have always had and followed a budget but I realised this year that I was going to have to trim some areas to make up for other expenses. Grocery shopping, food buying, and clothing shopping for me all got the chop in some way.

These are my new rules and practises.

• I menu plan for 14 days and then buy to the menu.
• I grocery shop online ... its ALWAYS cheaper and we never miss the random stuff that ends up in the trolley when we shop in store.
• I try to come up with dinner ideas with the food I have in the pantry and fridge freezer (and google the ingredients to make something).
• I cleaned out all the bathroom cupboards and gathered together all the half empty shampoo and conditioner, mouse, gel, face creams etc etc that get shoved away when I buy a bright shiny new bottle. I haven't purchase a bathroom product (apart from toothpaste) for THREE months as we are using up what we have. 
• I am not buying any new clothes or shoes for me. I do not need them. I would also rather go to the movies with David or Vyc than buy another top (and its one OR the other this year).
• I have a list of clothes that David, Riley and Lucy need and that is all I am buying. Lucy needs a new school uniform winter jumper and David needs work socks. Riley needs everything because he has grown 3 sizes...
• I don't go shopping as a leisure activity  and if I do I always have a bit of a think about what I really NEED vs what looks shiny and new at the shops. 
• We don't go out to eat unless its for a special occasion.
• I have also taken on extra research work for a project at work to earn some $ for a trip to Darwin in the dry (this is still very much a work in progress).

I realise after reading these rules how pathetic it all seems but its working for me and that is the main thing. I am prepared to live a bit of a frugal life for the next two years (until Bear finishes High School) to make sure all the bills are paid and all our money is going on the stuff we need.

I also want to spend the dollars I save on things like camping, trips away with David and special dinners with the kids.

See ya
Ex

Catherine Comes to Tea

My sis Catherine came for tea last night ... it was ace to see her and I cooked the best tea (if I do say so myself).

 

 

I have been on a very big budgeting curve for the last 4 months. School fees are killing us but they are non negotiable so I am trying to find other ways to save cash (isn't everyone!).

 

I have found a heap of ways to cut down on our grocery bill - I will do a post at some stage!

 

So yesterday I wanted to use up ingredients in the fridge and pantry and not go to the shop (because when I go to the shop to buy a carton of milk ... I spend $50... weird). I turned these ingredients into the yummiest dish.



Curry Lentil and Cauliflower Rice.
1 x onion chopped
1 x Couli chopped
1 x table spoon of curry paste
brown rice and chicken stock.
Cook onion and add curry paste, couli and rice. Add stock and cook until rice is tender and then stir through a tin of lentils. I added mint and lemon at the end. It was delicious (and pretty good for us).

 This was also pretty good for us :-)

 

I hope your weekend was good

Big Love

Ex