where's there a clone when you need one...

yep i'm putting out an ad...i need a clone!!! i've decided that a) i need a magic wish fairy or b) i need a full time 'gopher' someone who can go for this and go for that...lol <..... is that allowed...using the term 'gopher' or is it politically incorrect these days...ho hum. or c) no need to sleep (ahh like a vampire) and get everything done that's needed....think of all those night time hours wasted sleeping when i could be quite happily using that time to do all the things i want and need or of course d) a clone...yep i could do with any one of the above...except hubby thinks there's already enough of me in the world and it doesn't need another...lol

so life is busy...but then i figured you guessed that with the title of this blog post. although hands up anyone who isn't...seriously life is so different these days and all the 'extras' that come with all those responsibilities we have is huge, well actually huger then huge!!!

anyhoo this is another one of those really quick blog posts so you all know i'm alive....yep still in the land of the living. but i'm coming back to blog again hopefully later today or tomorrow. i have some photo's i want to sort through and edit and then upload one or two to here and there...yep my website and...over there, yep my FB page as well. so i'm outta here and heading in the direction of lightroom and photoshop...right here in front of me.

ciao xoxo

still here...

yep it's true...seriously, i'm still here and i'm still alive! amazing huh?! so i've popped on here to let you all know i haven't fallen off the edge of the world just yet. it's a busy time and quite frankly i'm missing those day light savings hours at the moment.

only a very quick post because i'm freezing my butt off here (hello winter my old friend) and really would prefer to sit up in bed and do a little reading where it's awhole lot warmer.

anyhoo that's it from me tonight...just letting ya all know i'm still alive and kicking!!!

oh and i've been tweaking my website which you can check out over here...well down on the next line really.

www.christurnbullphotography.weebly.com

night all, sleep well, pleasant dreams, stay warm and ciao!!! hugs chris xoxo

wee bit busy...

and that's the excuse i'm sticking to for not bloggin' sooner. sad i know but true and then every time i thought about it something else came along to either distract or prioritise so while i can tonight...i will!!!

life is busy there's actually nothing new with that, however sometimes i wish life would slow down a little and allow me the opportunity to take on more...sounds weird huh?!!! now don't get me wrong i love everything i do just that there isn't enough time to do everything or juggle it better then i would prefer...clear as mud?!!! thought so.

i guess what i'm trying to say is there simply isn't enough hours in a day or days in a week to comfortably allow everything necessary to sit balanced like a cute bug in a rug <..... did i just say that? yep i did...lol!

anyhoo you know how it is!!! at least i hope so ;)

ok now a little updating and gotta remember what i've already blogged about since mother's day.

• you all know lance got his licence...yep he's on his p plates now. doesn't have a car, not sure what'll happen there as one needs finances for it
• grace is still child minding which is fabulous
• steph is managing all 3 art classes at school in a week now which is fantastic and we are still not sure about netschool although we've had a little meeting there
• isaac is struggling because he is not in school and the fact he can't manage being there. did speak to those in charge of netschool and the assistant principal thought there was a possibility with home based - project based learning however when i asked the co-ordinator of netschool about it she flat out refused to take him onboard. so that was very frustrating indeed. just another organisation and another department that has allowed isaac to fall through the cracks yet again.
• since i took up the challenge of not biting or picking my nails they have grown, i have not bitten them and for the most part the picking has stopped. yay i have nails and i'm slowly trying to come to terms that yes i have nails and they are looking really good.
• no more painting rooms for now...too cold at the moment anyway but would you believe that after i put my back out a few weeks ago seriously...guess what? i did it again 2 fridays ago and pretty much canceled every appointment, meeting and anything else that wasn't needed so i could rest my back and manage the BAAG event we held last thursday 12 may. I did and right up until that morning it was very very uncertain due to not being able to stand straight or walk without serious pain.

while i mention BAAG...last thursday's autism awareness event with Prof Bruce Tonge and Dr Avril Brereton as guest speakers was a huge success. the night before we had 208 registrations and we received many more on the day, full house!!! the entire morning was fantastic...yes every part of it so very pleasing and very happy.

on another note...photography yes i'm still trying to sort through and fine tune a few things so i can offer families etc in my local area the opportunity of affordable photo packages and of course capturing those precious moments in time to treasure. there are a few families with children who have special needs and they are being very patient and this is where i plan to specialise a little as well but i have to admit that i'm still struggling with the 'confidence' factor...yes even little old me! 

something that has been a passionate hobby of mine is slowly turning into something more which is truly amazing and wonderful and as much as i love the thought and i'm working closer to everything in that way...i'm also concerned i'm not good enough. in this industry you need to be good enough to at least start on that journey...yes one grows and develops along the way, however one needs to be good enough in the first place to head down that path and from time to time i struggle.

and while we're on the subject...here's a few photos from a fun shoot with my girls from sunday...enjoy!

until next time enjoy these and if you're looking for more pics...don't forget to check out both my facebook page chris turnbull photography and my website chris turnbull photography. you can 'like' my facebook page and follow me that way and you can also click on the 'like' button over on my 'about me' page on my website too.

ok i'm outta here, enjoy the post and pics. hugs chris xoxo

mother's day...

i'm wishing all our wonderful mums out there a very special mother's day today. for me the day is almost over but as i sit here and blog away i'm reminded of what being a mum is all about. it's not about how rich you are, how eloquent one may be, about the class one may 'fall into', it's not about whether your a WAHM or a SAHM or work outside of home, it's not about the 'label' of clothing you wear or you dress your child in and it sure isn't about judging others. being a mum is all about love and selfless love at that, it's about caring and patience, nurturing and guidance, sacrifice and responsibility...responsibility and all that comes with raising a child that you have been blessed with.

it's not about the materialistic things in this world that makes us the best parent we can be...it's about giving...about the love we have for the child we've brought into this world. mothering doesn't come with a handbook, there is no manual when we bring a baby into this world, there will be heartache and heartbreak, there will be experiences both good and bad, there will be happy days and bad days and even days that aren't quite both. sacrifices are made, eyebrows are raised and moments can take your breath away - both good and bad. the love we have for our children is without question, it is full of challenges...we all know that but it is all also full of rewards and blessings. love has no boundaries and it is pure. no one said raising a child would be easy but being a mum is amazing and sometimes in the midst of chaos we just need to step outside ourselves and see how precious mothering and all that comes with it, can be. life is not perfect and neither is parenting...doing the very best we can, no matter the circumstances, allows us all to grow and become better people. 

i love being a mum even though the challenges of raising kids with disabilities is wrought with obstacles all along the way, i wouldn't change being a mum for anything else in the whole wide world.

hugs chris xoxo

back to the daily grind...

so our wonderful school holidays and easter break are over, the weather is slowly getting a little more chilly and the evenings are no longer nice and light till 9pm. yep shorter daylight hours and it's dark for a little longer here where i live. i don't mind that daylight savings is finished for another season and the evenings are somewhat cosier...i just wish for a few extra hours in my day or another day in my week to keep on top of everything. 

if only...

dreams came true and life wasn't so incredibly busy.

we had our family worker out last friday and because it's been awhile since his last visit due to him being sick, me putting my back out for what felt like forever, holidays and easter etc...he wanted to know how things had been since last time. tim and i mentioned pretty much the same thing - frustrated at the lack of services for our kids, frustrated that tim and i seem to do everything and do the chasing and do the prompting and live and breathe complete and utter frustrations at the moment and in a very exhausted manner. he then proceeded to ask what could be done to help change some of those things and once again tim and i mentioned the impossible. 

1. an ever lasting money tree out the back so we could cater for our childrens needs privately.
2. more hours in our day to manage everything
3. the possibility of another day in the week
4. needing another car would be useful and very helpful
5. the possiblity of a clone

of course in mentioning those serious recommendations i also mentioned that none of them were a possibility and therefore the help we need wasn't either as no department funds any of the above.

we also expressed the frustrations that due to the lack of services and help we need that everything else is impacted by those limited and inadequate services which amongst other things, i mentioned that i was having difficulty with not being able to juggle everything the way it needs to be and balancing life in every direction. i also spoke about the opportunity i have to take photos of families and their children as a number of parents have come to me to ask. all in a natural environment because many simply can't manage the more 'professional studio shoots' due to their kids having special needs and not being able to sit still. parents approaching me after they've seen my own personal photos and asking if i would capture those precious moments for them which i feel most overwhelmed. once again he asked what could be done to help...once again i mentioned the above...except that the ever lasting money tree would be helpful for a little more photog equipment and again not a possibility.

and for the most part...confidence. confidence to feel and know that although not a professional photographer there is talent even as an aspiring and budding photographer. some days i think yes and other days, more so when i'm struggling within myself, i think...nope not at all. the worst part is comparing myself to others...which although i know one shouldn't...how can one not at times.

so this week is a busy week, i probably won't have a chance to take any new photos until after our big may 12 event as there is pretty much something in the way of a meeting or appointment or get together everyday until then. talk about busy as but having said that of course if i get a chance this weekend i might just do that.

now before i go i've gotta share something pretty darn awesome with you all. our son lance who is 19.5 has autism, severe speech, language and communication delay, learning difficulties, long and short term difficulties, depression and a severe anxiety disorder has been on his learners licence for sometime now. last thursday after alot of work, plenty of professional driving lessons lance finally went for his p1 probationary licence assessment. he passed yes he passed and he passed with a 100% perfect score...we are so proud of him and with all we have gone through, this kid for the 1st passed a test fully....but wow what a test to pass. i hope all those parents/carers out there of children with any special needs that read my blog or may happen upon it, that this is the inspiration you may need right about now. it's not about the licence itself...it's about opportunity in a world that seems so negative and wrought with lifelong obstacles all along the way. it's about the ability to achieve what others may deem impossible, it's about life and love...its about hope! 

hope and faith, hope and possibility, hope and potential and in those darkest moments when we may feel the complete opposite because i will be the first to admit i did not believe this was possible for our son...it's about not ever giving up...not even when we feel we can't do anymore...it's about finding the inner strength we thought impossible and reaching a little further...never losing sight of hope...never giving up!!!

just a handful of photos taken on the easter weekend. these photos may just be pics to some but each and everyone of these photos tell a story...a story of courage, trust, of life and love...the architecture alone is based on faith, courage and trust. from a time now part of history...faith that the designers (architects) had the courage to not only bring together their ideas but build upon them and build them well so we could enjoy them today. the blood sweat and tears that went into each stone put in place, the history of an era that once was and is no more. the history of each of these buildings and what they were built for. take the last 2 photos, they're of our local war museum, those precious souls that lost their battle but fought for our freedom that we have today. it isn't just a building, it's what and who it represents...it's the story of hope!

till next time, hugs chris xoxo