[Nicole]

Perfect Robin.

Sharon, I understand respecting your parents space but surely there is a space somewhere for your machine.

[meleliza]

Oh Sharon, what a nightmare! I spent 18 long years with my parents and it nearly broke me. 🙂 And the two weeks we usually spend at their house every summer are trying at best. Thankfully, I’m old enough to drink now. 🙂 I hope you get your own house soon.

[Mama_Knowles]

Thanks ladies, I knew you would understand. meleiza that’s too funny! I don’t drink though but now I take heart pills. (I wonder why?!?) I am praying that something comes up soon for house for us. In the mean time I am trying to organize my space a bit better and keep on sewing when I can. : )

[meleliza]

So off topic, but we’re having family portraits done on May 30. I want Catherine to wear her Easter dress. http://queenoftheflies.blogspot.com/2014/04/easter-finery.html I had sort of planned to make myself a pink linen shift dress. But how shall I dress boys? I’m thinking blue or gray polo shirts. I’d like something classic, simple. I don’t want to look at the pictures in 20 years and regret their outfits, you know? Any suggestions? We haven’t had family pictures since she was born (when we all wore pink!) and they’re all at such a good age right now I want to capture it forever. And no, I’m not making the boys shirts. My machine is in the shop for two weeks, so there just isn’t time.

[Tamara]

It sounds marvellous Meleliza. I was picturing them in Sunday best but seeing the machine is in having treatment (shall we say it is having a holiday?) it might be a no go to pull a miracle of lovely handmade Oliver and s Sunday best trousers, shirts and vests. Besides it might also be a tad warm then too. Where are the portraits being taken? Inside or outside? Inside I would probably pick a more formal look but outside I would probably go casual dressy – but then that is just me.

The only professional photos we have had are the school pictures. We are well overdue for family ones.

I’m tea total too Sharon – out of choice not necessity and will occasionally relent. Yes yes a house of your own, the perfect nest for you and your family would be the ants pants right now. Is there a little cupboard where you could secretly sew at all?

[Mama_Knowles]

meleliza, I think grey polo shirts would look great with her pink dress. We tried having a family photo done on Easter but it’s so hard with all the boys to get everyone to sit still and look at the camera…including hubby. 😉

Hahaha, that would be so lovely Tamara, hubby and I sleep in the living room and it’s one big (well really small) room with the kitchen and dinning area all together. We don’t even have a door to close when we sleep. All the kids and us have a small closet to share too. I think the house is shrinking by the day now. I am thinking about going back to work but we are living so far from town so unless it’s full time I don’t think it would even be worth it. I was trying to stay outside ore but now I am very sun burnt. Sorry I am feeling so frustrated lately. Thanks for “listening”

[Tamara]

Working would help you get to move sooner but I completely inderstand your situation of being out of town and would it be worth it. We live half and hour from the nearest town but when I was working a couple of tears ago it was only metres from the driveway and that was only because the rail camp was situated there with the offices. Our situation is slightly different in the fact that if I worked it would alter things tax wise and I had enquiries from the pay lady about my situation because it put my pay in the higher tax gracket. The plus side though is that I got a tax return when the farm didn’t and that helped to pay for things around the house (because it wouldn’t if it was from the farm). This coming one will hopefully provide us with a much needed holiday but we will see first.

I was wondering how you would all fit and was hoping you would have your own “wing” but we aren’t all living in fabulously huge homes these days – one can dream though. It would probably mean you would have to feel obligated to get out of bed early if you parents went to the kitchen to make a hot drink in the morning. That to me is stuff for people with lots of patience!

The other issue would be if you were working full time, is to find a home close by. What if you found something even further away? You probably either wouldn’t take it or quit work and that wouldn’t be ideal at all! Oh I don’t envy the situation and really hope you find something soon.

As for listening, its great to be able to know that I am not the only one having issues in life – and it stops me from feeling as though I am rather selfish too!

Yesterday I took Noah for a hearing test. It took much longer than I thought but the results came back as normal. We were recommended a few other leads in order to find out if there is indeed an issue or not and we will take them up. One is finding out if he is a candidate for Auditory processing testing. I am ok with that I am not wuite so ok with a clin psych doing an assessment but I can console myself by the fact he will give an objective opinion rather than receiving a subjective one from the school psych.

[Sarvi]

Oh Sharon that does sound so frustrating. I lived with my MIL for nearly 3 years. It’s frustrating to try to fit your whole family and household into a single room. I suppose we were lucky to have an attached bathroom. Hopefully something just right for you and your crew will come up, in just the right spot.

[Robin]

Ok, this is so off topic, but I had to share with you Tamara. When my husband was becoming an emergency medical dispatcher he had to do a hearing test. He was almost in tears and was sure he would flunk out of the program. For years I’d been asking him if he had heard what I said. He walked out of the test and proclaimed, “I have hearing like a cat!” Good for his job, bad for our marriage. lol.

[Sarvi]

Haha! Great story, Robin. We get this in our house too but I’m afraid I’m the one with fantastic hearing who somehow misses half of what my partner says.

[meleliza]

C came home form school just the other day with a sticker that said “I got my hearing tested today.” He told me about the test, and I said, well, did you pass? He said yes! I did really well! So, I said, what’s your excuse then?

[Tamara]

I’ve been trying all day to get on the forum but ended up having to reboot the ipad as it wasn’t behaving saying all sorts of wierd things about no internet connection?! And I have a sim card with three dots!

Anyway, Robin that story was very familiar actually to the situation on Thursday. I had N grabbing onto my arm and saying all sort of things with worry in his voice about the audiologist being a murderer or something?! I sat him down and explained that he will have headphones on and have to signal to the lady when he hears sounds. It was all calm and relaxed when he found out the lady was actually nice! And not murderer material (please don’t ask where he got that from because I simply don’t know) at all AND that I had told him the truth about a telephone box like booth to sit in. Absolutely scared out of his wits he was! And happy as a lamb when we came out again. But wasn’t really impressed to find out he might have to do a similar test for auditory processing.

Boys in particular are really funny about anything medical – it’s worth having a giggle over afterwards.

I’m glad he has normal hearing because with all the machines and things around here, he could end up with industrial deafness in time – but then I am one of these mums who make their kids wear seatbelts and helmets and if he goes in the olds truck, ear muffs aswell. It is too important to keep hold of and once it is gone it doesn’t regenerate. I found out I have a slight hearing loss with my most recent hearing test so I am sort of thinking that controlling the enviornment is the best way to suspend all need for hearing aids. I’m not that bad yet but my late grandmother was wearing them by age fifty I think.

You know Meleliza I don’t remember our kids having their hearing tested at school. They used to as I remember having one myself. That is probably why it was so scary for him.

My husband works around loud machinery all the time but has better hearing than me – I apparently even keep waking him at night with my snoring! Hehe! But he does the same. I have a slight hearing impairment but it has come about I think through being around the loud noises and using headphones during my student days. I don’t use them alot now that I have found out my hearing has been damaged as a result.

Happy Mother’s day to everyone (mum or not) Hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow. I plan to start on my show quilt. I have a difficult choice to make – which out of the three “finalists” to pick. It will be fun to get started on the show things early. I have two months before I have to send my entry forms off so lots of time to get preparing.

[needlewoman]

Way to go, Tamara. Finalists? Please explain for a quilter who’s beginning to get her mojo back. Whatever you decide it will be gorgeous, I know – even if the judges aren’t sharp enuf to see that. LOL

[Nicole]

Oh Melanie, you are funny. He passed the standard hearing test, not the ‘have you cleaned your shoes’ hearing test 😉

Robyn, Jed has an ‘hysterical’ sign (please note sarcasm font) hanging in his shed. ‘My wife says I never listen to her, at least I think that is what she said’.

I got my own back. I found a sign warning of ‘health violations beyond this door’ in a salvage yard (printed in English and Spanish) and got our builders to pop rivet it to his shed door. He can’t get it off.

I do admire quilters.

[meleliza]

That’s hilarious. Maybe you should find one in a few other languages as well. German always makes for scary warning signs. Sorry you’ve been ill again, Nicole, you are such a trooper! I hope everyone is pampering you as you deserve.