NEWS!

I have been very, very slack with my little blog.  However, I've had a few very good reasons:

1. I started a new job right after the Brisbane floods and had to spend a ridiculous amount of time getting the office spick and span after suffering so much damage in the floods (hence no time to blog).
2. My husband and I went to Melbourne to celebrate our 6 month wedding anniversary.
3. Oh yeah, I'M PREGNANT!

That's right, I'm pregnant with my first child (who we're calling Jellybean, possibly until their 21st).  Unfortunately I have suffered really bad morning sickness (read: not being able to get out of bed, eat anything, or go to work.  I have also ended myself in hospital for a few days) but it has all been worth it, especially when I saw the first scan of my little Jellybean yesterday.  I was supposed to be almost 11 weeks pregnant but found out that from the size of my little bub, I'm only just over 9 weeks (argh, another few weeks of vomiting to go!) and Jellybean is due on 3/12/2011.  Everything seems to be ok, and I just happen to be one of the lucky women who suffer morning sickness 24/7 for 12 weeks (although my doc warned me that most women who have really bad morning sickness in their first trimester usually have it all the way through their pregnancy.....way to psych me up, doc!)

I will post photos of my scan tomorrow if I'm feeling up to it :)

Hope everyone's doing well, and I can't wait to catch up with everyone's blogs after being AWOL for so long.

Brisbane Rosalie flooding

This is my work, about 3pm yesterday afternoon.

This morning it's completely underwater. I'm not completely sure how much water has gone through it as no one can get anywhere near it unless you have a boat. My boss has been notified that they probably won't be able to get into it until Sunday at the earliest, so the hard work will begin then.

I have friends who have been evacuated from Paddington, just around the corner from the video. Their house is probably ruined....and they've just finished renovating it. Friends of mine also live in Westlake and Jindalee and are overseas right now and have had to rely on people notifying them of the damage (which is extensive since they both live on the river/lake). I also know a newly married couple who have bought their first house in Ipswich and have had to relocate to an evacuation centre as no one could get out of Ipswich into the city.

Other friends have been evacuated from Auchenflower, Toowong and West End, but just as a precaution as they wouldn't be able to get out when the flood waters rose.

Stories have come out that there are now 13 people confirmed dead in Ipswich and Lockyer Valley. My heart goes out to the families affected.

This crisis is completely devastating.

If you can do anything to help, please contact one of the following:
Volunteering QLD Register here
The Premier's Flood Appeal - information for donations here

Brisbane floods - part 2

I just saw my work on the ABC news.  The reporters are literally standing right outside our door.  It's about to go under.  The school has already gone, along with many houses.  My favourite coffee shop is waist deep in water.  This is a beautiful community village, about a kilometre away from the Brisbane River and Brisbane City. 

This is what Rosalie usually looks like. Source: Tourism Qld

I love seeing that people in the area are out, trying to help save houses and businesses, but it's a small positive.  It's upsetting that I can't get over there to help because I'm cut off.  I have to sit here, watching the news and keeping my fingers crossed.  It's upsetting that we'll lose most things, despite our best efforts.  The water has already risen this morning - at 4am this morning it was starting to spread up our street; now it's waist deep in places and steadily rising.

Milton State School yesterday

Milton State School this morning

Around Suncorp Stadium

Suncorp Stadium

I've got my fingers crossed that everything will be ok for all of my friends and students in the area.  My heart goes out to you.

Queensland Floods

Brisbane is preparing for the apocalypse.  We're preparing for Watergeddon.

Seriously, it's getting pretty bad here.  I luckily live away from the Brisbane river but there's a fair bit of flooding in our area.

This is the flooding from the creek behind our house.

Fitzgibbon Chase - a new housing estate behind our house.

Beams Rd, about to cross the bridge.

Beams Rd bridge from the other way.

Roghan Rd Taigum, getting close to going under.  This is on the other side of our house.

I didn't have to work today and Mr L was told to go home at about 2pm so we decided we'd better prepare ourselves in case our electricity is cut off.  We wanted to get the basics just in case we're cut off from the shops (as we have been once before). 

This was what we saw...

Source: couriermail.com.au

This is what my city is doing right now.  After everyone was warned to go home at lunch time, it was a ghost town.

Brisbane river from Southbank towards the city.

Eagle St Pier with water lapping the buildings.

 I'm supposed to go into work tomorrow, but as that suburb is on the river and is already going underwater, I don't think I'll be able to.



Milton State School



See what I mean?

Brisbane and Ipswich are supposed to suffer from king tide tomorrow, with the worst to come on Thursday.  If you live in a low lying area near the river, please be careful.

I feel for all the people being warned about possible flooding in their houses.  As the devastation of Toowoomba and North Queensland has shown us, there is no such thing as being too careful.  My thoughts and prayers are with the people who have lost loved ones.  Stay safe everyone.

Good links for updates:

Queensland Police facebook page

Road Closures



Christmas recap

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope Santa rewarded everyone with lots of lovely presents.  He certainly rewarded me - I was spoilt rotten!

It's a family tradition to have a big meal on Christmas Eve so I went all out with a traditional English feast (Mr L is English, as are my ancestors) of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and roast potato, pumpkin and onion.  My mum and dad came over and we had a lovely meal together.

Christmas morning was lovely with just Mr L and I.  We exchanged presents before everyone came over - I got tickets to see Two Door Cinema Club at Byron in February and some diamond earrings.  I also got a vintage print apron, some of my favourite lollies and chocolates (Cookies and cream Lindt balls....mmmmm) and some nailpolish (Ulta 3 ones that I don't have! Someone must have been looking through my collection!)

I gave Mr L two canvases of photos from our wedding, vanilla coffee pods for our Nespresso machine, lollies, Black XS cologne by Paco Rabanne (I had been dragging that all around Asia on our honeymoon, trying to keep it a secret!), vanilla and coffee soap (can you see a theme here?), a couple of t-shirts, Seasons 3 and 4 of 30 Rock on DVD, and Season 4 of The IT Crowd on DVD.

Soon, my whole family came over, along with my MIL and FIL and we quickly got around to exchanging presents.

I played Santa.  Notice my new apron.  Notice also the champagne and beer beside me.  Yes, they were both mine.

Dad got wine, wine labels to help keep his wine collection organised, and some new shirts.

Mum got a Tiffany bracelet, Fred M babuska measuring spoons, nail polish, Private Collection perfume, massage soap from Lush, and earrings.

This is mum showing off her Tiffany bracelet to my MIL.  My MIL is showing off her new earrings, courtesy of us.

My sister, K, got a Tiffany necklace, Ralph Lauren polo, nailpolish, and a Masterchef cookbook.  Her partner, T, got a Ralph Lauren polo (so they can be matching - it's a bit of a joke), and the second Masterchef cookbook.  They're both foodies so they loved it.

Here's my sister getting excited when opening her Tiffany necklace (the canvases I bought Mr L are in the background).

Here they are getting excited about their Masterchef books (T, you promised us the "super wanky chocolate cake", Source: K.W, 2010.  I know you both read this).  Notice my dad's face - I don't quite think he knows what the present is!

G and I got Gold Class movie tickets, and a photo ornament for our tree from my mum; a VERY expensive wok and cooking utensil pack from Dad (along with more wine); wine, tequila, books, and tickets to see Top Gear in March from my MIL and FIL (so excited about this!); Baileys and beer from T; and a chocolate fountain and a pizza stone from my sister.  I also got some beauty products, undies and headbands from mum, and a personalised notepad with Mrs Y on it from my sister.

This is me enjoying my Baileys.

This is Mr L enjoying his beer.

This is how I set up our Christmas table:

 I'll post some more photos soon - we cracked out the photo booth after a few copious amounts of drinks so there's a few dodgy ones of my family.

Hope you have a very safe New Years!

Source: news.com.au

Merry Christmas!  Hope you're all up and busily giving lovely presents to your near and dear (and unwrapping them too!) 

I'll be doing a lot of the above.....except our table will have cold food, lots of alcohol, and no one behaving.

Have a safe and happy holiday everyone!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This angel has been in my husband's family for years...and we got it (we're the favourites!)

Presents!

Poppy helping us wrap some presents.

G's stocking is the one all filled, mine is empty (although apparently I have stuff).  The red one is for our cats - Lilly and Poppy.  We don't buy them stuff...but everyone else does! (Admittedly we buy for the other animals in the family).  Those flowers in the background are also from my wedding bouquet.

Those presents down the front are bones for my sister's dog, Charlie, and my MIL's dogs, Saffy and Merle.

Excuse the no makeup look.  I look about 12 in this photo.

We're having Christmas at our house this year since it's the first as a married couple.  It will be us, my mum and dad, my sister and her partner, and my MIL and FIL.  We're doing a completely cold buffet, with different cold meats, my MIL's amazing salads (seriously, this woman can do things with potatoes and eggs that I've only dreamed about), seafood (including WA lobster - thanks Dad!), and a dessert buffet made by yours truly.  I have a recipe for Christmas pudding that has been in my mum's family for generations.  I'm trying mini ones this year, as well as ice cream puddings (since my MIL is intolerant to gluten), and chocolate self-saucing puddings (just for my sister as it's a family tradition).

I'm hoping we can have it outside under our new gazebo but the Brisbane weather just isn't co-operating!

I'm anal a perfectionist so I like to have things just so.  This year I've decided to have a purple, silver and white theme so I've bought some beautiful purple glasses and a purple tablecloth from Spotlight. 

I also bought a white and silver table runner.

We had lots of white bonfav boxes left so I'm cracking out the lolly bar from the wedding again (with white and purple lollies of course).

We're also cracking out the photo booth so look forward to some crazy photos of both my family, and my in-laws (you saw photos of them from the wedding!)

What are you all doing for Christmas?  How do you celebrate?