My youngest niece is only one and a bit but she's very friendly and sunshiney as long as you don't want her to sleep. So my opening eyes were greeted with an immediate flop cuddle ie. her complete body flopped down onto mine leading to an "oof" leaving my body. Her older sister sooned joined us as well and BaconBones put an endless run of Spongebob Squarepants on the TV before kissing everybody goodbye and leaving for work. MinxB was up shortly after that but I continued to watch the girls for a while so that she could shower in peace.
Once we'd both showered and MinxB had dressed the girls we headed off for a spot of retail therapy at Westfield Marion. Westfield is the major competitor to the company I work for so we'll call it a 'Competitor Review' rather than 'Shopping With The Enemy'. First we sat down in a nice cafe and had a coffee and the girls had icecream. This gradually turned into a very sticky situation which resulted in a trip to Target to buy a new outfit for the littlest niece! I also managed to get a little treat for myself, a new pair of sexy knickers! Woohoo! There is nothing quite so good for your ego as buying new knickers.
While we were in Target, MinxB got a call from a painter she was expecting at noon. Argh! He'd arrived early! We rushed to Coles and grabbed a few things that MinxB needed for baking a special cake and then to the fishmongers for something for lunch and then we rushed home! The painter had waited patiently, he went in, assessed the job then promptly left again to buy the paint. MinxB then set about making a lovely healthy lunch for me, the girls and herself. A lot of lunch ended up on the floor, though none of mine!
After lunch MinxB set about making a birthday cake for one of her nieces. MinxB is amazing with cakes! She has her own online cake decorating business, Cake Bling which also has a Cake Bling Facebook page where she posts pictures of all her new products. She makes all her own birthday cakes and many for friends and family too. I managed to find time today to go through her stock and I made a couple of little purchases myself! I love that you can by sprinkles in single colours!!
Later in the afternoon, once they'd been de-caked, MinxB put on the My Little Ponies TV show and cut up some strawberries for afternoon tea. My youngest niece force fed me them until Mum came to collect me!
My two nieces are just bursting at the seams with their own little personalities and it was fantastic to get to see them both today. Sometimes I wish I lived closer because I miss so much of their growing up! Luckily, I know they have two fantastic parents so I know that however they grow up, they'll be doing it in a home filled with love. I said so to her directly last night but I'll also say so publicly, my brother could not have chosen a better wife if he'd tried. MinxB you are amazing and I love you very much.
Mum collected me in the late afternoon and we headed back down out of the hills to her place. Everyone there was getting ready to head off to dinner at Aunt C and Uncle B's house. We all piled into Dad's car, affectionately known as 'The Tonka Truck', a big white four-wheel drive. Me, Dad, Mum, Uncle M and his two daughters, my cousins. We were soon there and everyone joined around the kitchen table and shot the breeze while Uncle C assembled dinner and put it in the oven in stages!
It was a good night. All five of my Granny's children assembled in one place, two partners and four cousins. There were definitely more than a few photos taken and many laughs and stories shared. One of the good parts of the grieving process I think, getting together and sharing happy memories.
Today's food was:
- Breakfast was one slice of raisin and chia bread toasted and spread with margarine and two and a half eggs worth of scrambled eggs with a sprinkling of parmesan in them. Very yummy!
- Morning snack was a cappucino, no sugars at Cibo at Westfield Marion.
- Lunch was an undressed salad and three quarters of a large salmon fillet with skin on, pan-fried in olive oil. Also very yummy and big thanks to MinxB for cooking two very delicious and healthy meals for me.
- Afternoon snack was 25g of Barossa Valley Cheese Company Baby Bert with 10 or so Water Crackers and several cut up strawberries at the direction of an insistant toddler.
- Dinner was nibbles (asparagus rolles, Jatz crackers, marinated olives, Maggie Beer's Pheasant Farm Pate, pumpkin and something dip), five varieties of Uncle C's homemade pizza, and a greek salad into which my Dad accidentally incorporated one zucchini!
- Dessert was a delicious slice of lemon meringue pie!
Today was farewell for me to most of my kin. I will see my maternal grandparents and my parents in the morning but then I fly home just before lunch time. These quick trips kill me; there is never enough time to see and fully appreciate each person. My return home, particularly this time, is tinged with a longing to see my family more often.
Diet-wise this week has been trying but I'm not about to punish myself for that. Tomorrow might not see me quite out of the woods yet but next week is a full work week so I will be back in a routine and hopefully back on track too. Thank you everyone so much for your support and understanding during this time. I've truly appreciated it and it has made a world of difference in my ability to cope.
Jess
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