Exciting news!

Kirby’s boyfriend, Nate, popped the question on Saturday, December 30, 2017! Woohoo! We are thrilled to welcome Nate into our family. 

He chose a lovely, elegant pear cut solitaire setting for the engagement ring 💍 

Wedding plans are underway, trying to secure a venue for March 2019.

☺️

Cheers - Joolz xx

Kirbz is 25!

First up yesterday, I made Kirby a birthday cake whic turned out smashing! I have never used a bundt tin before but the cake cooked perfectly

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Then it was off to our lunch destination, up in the Adelaide hills...

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Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard to be exact...

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Stunning views!

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Kingfish and scallop entree...

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My octopus main...cleaned my plate!

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Bri had the poached chicken...

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Gus and Kirby had the beef, all delicious!

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Fresh hills srawberries, sorbet and cream - flavour explosion!

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This was red licorice icecream, chocolare mouse and chocolate brownie crumble - again wow!

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Another trip around the sun...

 Gee, we have had some cracker sunsets  lately.  We seem to alternate between hot, sticky days with thunder storms in the evening, to breezy, cool days then back to the sticky weather again...

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 These pics were taken last week when we had some really hot days...

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 Kirby had her 22nd birthday on Thursday so we went up to the city on Friday to celebrate with dinner out then more dining out on the weekend.  I made her a Cappucino cake as she loves coffee.

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 It turned out well, but I would say, it's best suited to be frosed then eaten straight away - whereas I had to refrigerate it on Thursday night then pack it in a cool box to take to Adelaide.  It was a bit dry by then, not nice and spongy like when I first iced it.

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 Nonetheless, she got to blow out all those candles when we got home from our lovely meal out at Georges.  She is enjoying her job and it quite the city girl.  We are so proud of the beautiful woman that she is!

Love you, Kirby! xxx

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 Another sunset (I had this picture on my iPad)

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... and more of my lovely roses.  Next post is on the restaurant we went to on Sunday with friends.

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Cheers - Joolz

Happy Birthday!

21 years ago at 8.32 am, I gave birth to a little girl - today she turns 21! Wishing Kirby all the love and happiness in the world, today and always.

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Love Mum & Dad

More school daze....

Kirby - Kindergarten ~ 1995

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Reception ~ 1996
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Year 1 ~ 1997
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Year 2 ~ 1998
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Year 3 ~ 1999
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Year 4 ~ 2000
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Year 5 ~ 2001
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Year 6 ~ 2002
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Year 7 ~ 2003
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Year 8 ~ 2004
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Year 9 ~ 2005
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Year 10 ~ 2006
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Year 11 ~ 2007
.Year 12 - 2008

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Now she is a city girl who has completed a 3 year Bachelor of Marketing (Management) and landed herself a full time job with a media agency which she started at this week. She is really enjoying it so far - meeting with lots of interesting people and doing lots of different things.
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Bri has also landed some temporary work, relieving at an office while a lady is away on bereavement leave. It is general office work, phone answering, collecting mail, banking and other assorted jobs - she is loving it too! One client who rang was very impressed with her phone skills and told the boss that he would love to have her work for him in his city business next year (Saturday/weekend work) as he liked country kids and their work ethics/values. So she may have a temp job for a bit of pocket money lined up already!
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Needless to say, we are so proud!
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Cheers - Joolz

So proud!

Kirby has just completed her Bachelor of Marketing (Management) and has one exam to sit later this month, just before her 21st birthday. She has produced exceptional grades throughout her degree.
Out of the blue, last week she was asked to submit her CV to apply for a Media Assistant position with a leading city media company, by the Program Director at her School of Marketing. This is a fantastic opportunity and Kirby emailed through her CV and it was in turn, forwarded immediately to the company.
She was granted an interview for Thursday at 1pm. The interview went very well and she was called back to meet the CEO of the company yesterday at 10am. One hour later she was given the job!

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We are so thrilled for her! This kid has worked solidly for the past 3 years, living away from home, family and friends but has excelled at her course. This is the pay-off! We hope it is a job she enjoys - from what she has seen so far (on the whirlwind tour of the office and staff) she said it has a lovely feel to it and the staff seem really friendly. She starts in 2 weeks!
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Well done, Kirby - we are so proud and love you so much!
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Mum & Dad

Off to the footy...

On Sunday we took a quick road trip to Adelaide, firstly to have lunch with Kirby then off to the football at AAMI Stadium. This is the Coorong National Park. Because the Murray River is flowing again, the Coorong is full to the brim and looking very healthy.
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We met Kirby at Chianti Classico on Hutt Street and had a lovely lunch...
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Entree plate to share - Fritto misto di mare - salt & pepper calamari, prawns and white bait...
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Kirby had Tagliolini con Granchio - a spaghetti stack of rich tomato sauce, spanner crab meat, chilli and basil.
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I had the Pancerotti Veneti - handmade potato crescents filled with ham and cheese in a rich tomato sauce.
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Gus chose a fish dish.. what else? (this was a special so I don't recall what sort it was - delicious none the less). Sadly, time did not allow for dessert. Next time!
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After lunch and catching up with Kirby, we headed for the football. We were lucky to be invited to a corporate box to watch the game.
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AAMI Stadium is smaller than the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) but still quite exciting to watch a game at. The Geelong Cats come out onto the field as favourites.
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This is the home side - the Adelaide Crows. They have been struggling a bit this season...
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The game started late afternoon so the lights were turned on when needed. We had a good time catching up with everyone.
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Driving home through the Coorong, there was really amazing cloud formations.
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Closer to home, you can see the water lying in the paddocks. We are having a very good winter season which will set the farmers up for a good spring and summer.
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We were home by 6pm. I didn't really feel like much for dinner but Gus was a bit chompy so he threw some lamb chops in the pan, dusted with Morrocan seasoning. I mashed some potatoes and he did the rest. This is Brianna's plate - note the pool of tomato sauce? All in all, a whirlwind trip but so good to see Kirby for a catch up.
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Cheers - Joolz