I feel like I have run a marathon this week.  It all began last Saturday morning when Lee and I joined forces with our friends, Ash and Jo, to dig up our front yards and replace them with a more drought friendly Tuscan coloured gravel.  Our day began around 8.30am and finished with Jo and I raking gravel in the dark, filthy, sore and exhausted. 

Sunday was no better.  Earlier in the week I had this brilliant idea that Nicholas needed a desk for in his room.  His first year in high school has seen vast amounts of homework, and with only the kitchen table at his disposal the entire family has had to tip toe round while he concentrates, what better gift to give than a study table hahaha!    EBay came to the rescue with the exact desk that I was looking for.  With just a few days till the birthday I only had Sunday to pick it up, all the way over on the other side of town.  To cut a long long long story short, it took most of the day!!  I still had some gifts, cards and wrapping paper to buy, all my washing still in piles on the laundry floor (the laundry fairy didn’t turn up again!), food shopping to do as well as everything else that I would normally have done on a weekend.

Monday was a public holiday here in Aus, hip ra hip ra hip ra to Her Maj. Nick had invited a couple of friends to go to the movies to celebrate his imminent birthday and I realised as I dragged myself out of bed that I had not organised anything.  I spent the next hour running around like a lunatic making treat bags for the boys to take into the cinema with them.  By 2pm we are home and I now have the afternoon to relax get all the things done that I had meant to do the day before, including a visit to my sisters for a new hair do!

Nicholas turned 13 on Tuesday and as usual was up at the crack of dawn to open his gifts.  My parents called and asked if I’d mind bringing Nick over to see them before school to give him his gift,  as he starts school at 8.15 we are in the car and off to Mum and Dad’s by 7.30.  Before I go to work at midday I need to bake the birthday cake and pre-cook dinner as Nick has invited the entire family to eat with us, thanks honey I love you too!  I baked 24 yummy muffins and shaped them into a 13 and prepared his favourite lasagne and garlic bread!  By this stage I’m happy to see the bank and have a rest!

I’m so glad I pre-cooked the dinner as I really enjoyed the evening with our family all around and only a few dishes to put in the dishwasher and a cake board to wash.  The muffins went down well and we even had some left over to put in lunch bags for the rest of the week.

With only parent-teacher-interviews left on my list of things-to-do I was soooo happy to see the end of that hectic week.  I’m truly exhausted.  Today I intend to get my housework done by midday and then I’m going to treat myself to an hour in front of the telly watching my new BBC Classic, North and South.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful weekend of rest and relaxation.

TTFN