goal setting..slightly unhinged!

It was great to catch up with the group yesterday and see how much everyone has achieved. Way to go woman!!!
Vicki gave a very powerful goal setting/vision finding workshop that made my day somewhat disturbed. (This is a positive thing!) I have now have so much more to contemplate. I have realised that in the past 15 years or so I have achieved a vision I had created but do no still feel like I am 'there'. There is a lot of baggage I need to let go of but not to the point that I simply go with the flow.
So I have assigned myself the goal of setting some new goals. AGH!
This may take some time and lets hope my 'balloon' does not burst from too much thinking in the process.

SHARYN IS A WONDERWOMAN

Way to to Sharyn!!! Awesome new about your well earnt win as rural business woman of the year!
Ladies...the bar has just been raised higher.

Paint is on!!!! (walls, ceiling, skin, hair, dog, kids.....

Oh thank goodness for that! About 30l of white paint later that job is done. Does anyone know how to get paint out of hair??? Both kids are sporting rather trendy locks at the moment and were far less help than 2 years ago. Lets just say "Slappers Painting Contractors" are not quite ready to paint in the real world or franchise just yet. I as so very pleased it is over! Just have to get the drips of the floors now....
So now we move onto furniture or the lack of it. Lucky there are a couple of clearing sales on soon so hopefully that will be fruitful.
So far all I have spent money on is paint. Now that has been done it seems everyone in my extended family has decided that they can have input into further developments. I very much have "little red hen" syndrome at this point and want to do it all by myself as they were lying on the beach during January while I was painting. The fact that they may be sleeping in it far more than me is totally irrelevant.
Many have issues with the toilet being downstairs. My solution is to maybe put in a waterless toilet upstairs in the tub room and convert the tub to a shower thing and they might both fit in the tub room. But to do this I will require finances....

In the mean time if you know of any beds, tables, chairs etc that need a good home and can be bartered for few cartons of eggs and a necklace or two please let me know...........

Painting in progres...

For all of you waiting out there with baited breath about the spray gun idea, it didn't work! The paint was too thick. So we are back to brushes, rollers and painting contractors who fluctuated in both technique and motivation. As per usual the first thing that they painted was the dog. And so I shall continue to paint the 2 bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and verandah......lucky its all just going to be plain white.

Why do I have a headache on New Years Day?

Well 2010 is here. I am still at no particular decision about exactly what I am going to do with the building once it is ready. At present the goal is to just get it ready. So far I taken out all of the crap that is not needed and have nearly finished washing down the walls. I have manged to convince Joff to let me use his spray gun for the painting. A couple of people have told me you just need to put plastic over the windows and floor and go for it. It actually sounds like a bit of fun! Of course I shall keep you posted.

Douglas Christmas Newletter

Merry Christmas 2009


Well that’s another year done and dusted for the Douglas family. Lots done and a fair bit of dust is still about. We are waiting for it to settle with some grass growing, dam filling and river running rain.

09 was all about adapting to changes for all of us. Many thought Kylie had quit her teaching job, headed for the hills, grew her arm pit hair and other mysterious plants in the scrub, painted a rainbow on the hi-lux and home schooled the kids. Some of the previously mentioned are true- I’ll let you work it out for yourselves. I did teach Darcy year 1 though Charleville distance education (school of the air) which is through education Queensland. Both children attended the “Verniew Paddock Academy” with Joff as the director. Kylie also got a refresher course. Curriculum included: animal husbandry, water management, mustering techniques, fencing skills, dry lick nutrition distribution, truck driving for dummies and bore pulling 101.
After a very long adjustment period we are now all loving being at home more and being involved with all aspects of the ‘cattle company’ that we are still in partnership with mum with.



Now to the perfect husband of the year and wonder children updates!

Joff: Still very busy and has great difficulty keeping still unless there is beer or rum in his hand. He has a new secret weapon of Black Angus bulls we are trying this year. He has been buying and selling shares a lot more and actually reading books by Alan Kohler. As a token of his great love for me he built me a dam at ‘Dougdale’ called Fiji as that was where our holiday money went instead! However, we did go on a camping treck to South Australia which was a bit chillier but still most enjoyable.

Darcy: (6) Musters cattle like a mad thing and canters past Kylie to block the lead. He played football this year and both parents were ecstatic that he ran the same way as all other team members. (We don’t even watch the state of origin.) Darcy also won in a local art show judged by Wolfgang John from Birdsville. You should have heard the conversation he and Joff had about the difference between art and crap!

Princess Samantha: (5) Sam did ballet this year and loved it. Kylie has become the founding member of Mitchell Mothers Against Bloody Ballet Concerts but is yet find any members. Joff fell asleep in the second half of the concert. Sam’s new day care became the chook pen as she is the only one who is allowed feed, water, collect eggs 110 times a day. She even requested a rooster for her birthday. All things pink and girly are still of the upmost importance in her life.

Bring on 2010! We will look forward to better seasons, 2 kids to teach in the schoolroom and maybe a camping trip to the Northern Territory?? Kylie has become very accustomed to sitting on the veranda with tea and scones watching the grass grow and the cattle get fat and plans to do a lot more of it in between the supply teaching and distance ed camps that pop up in her retired life.

Thanks for your friendship and support this year and may you and your family have a brilliant and refreshing Christmas and memorable 2010.

Merry Chistmas! Love From Kylie

Paint purchased

I have bought a very large tin of white paint and some sugar soap.....

total cost so far $160.00.

Now the fun/work begins.

Might even try to tackle it over the Christmas break.....