Pens Ready...

Look at that gorgeous chair!

I had a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l weekend at my workshop and guess what? I wore THE DRESS to dinner! Huge success. Bit of a show stopper actually. Much better than a chest of drawers...

I am about to embark on some study. It is to further my evil plan. Mwahahaha!!! (wringing of hands) You see, as a Mummy, as a working Mummy, I can not reconcile myself with school holidays. I don't get the whole 4 weeks per year I get versus the 12 weeks per year they get. I just don't get the whole situation. I don't want my kiddies looked after by others (at a huge cost which makes working a bit obsolete for this period of time plus the quality of care can be a bit suspect). I l-o-v-e them and I want to spend the time with them. It is like a reward after all the rushing and cajoling through the term to be able to relax at the other end of it all. I've been trying to laterally solve this dilemma for years!! I used to work weekends which ticked all the boxes and solved a lot of it but didn't suit my total family life. Plus, now Miss T is in High School, she is ineligible for vacation care! What do parents do with their Tweeagers? I mean I could reciprocate a few days here and there but the 8 weeks gap!  

So, anyhoo.... back to my evil plan! I am going to study so that I can teach in tertiary educational facilities AND have school breaks off!  I plan to work in my field part time, teach and then I only need to cover 2 days per week which I can take holidays for. What do you think?

So, in anticipation of my future well organized life ... I thought a few pictures of gorgeous studies might help to excite me about the prospect of studying for the next umpteenth months... 

Enjoy...

Oh! Another gorgeous chair...

There is something about this green isn't there?

The window seat here might be a bit distracting mind...

oops! gorgeous chair again...

Simplicity at best...

Images

Ciao for now... 

Workshop Bliss...

 I am off on a professional workshop this weekend so you know what that means? Time to myself, education, dinner out, no cooking AND staying in a hotel room. Ahhhh! Bliss!! I can't wait. Meanwhile The Silver Fox gets some time with his kiddies without me. Sounds like heaven...

So, in the interest of anticipation, I thought I would show you some gorgeous bedrooms! Probably a bit nicer than where I am staying but hey, you never know...

Nice cushions. I might get a bit seasick looking at that wallpaper for too long...

Slight pop of red...

Look at those bedside tables...

Ahh, the focal point of yellow. I like those yellow and gray cushions...

OH, I seem to have chosen  black and white theme with gray! Looking nice and luxurious...

Images

 Ciao for now...
 

Miracles Do Happen...

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I was brought to tears the other day at work. Nothing awful happened. Something so very wonderful happened. Not to me but I was on the sidelines, witnessing it all. A long awaited baby arrived. A 'never thought it would happen' baby. A 'I dare not believe it is real' baby. He was real. A-n-d he was perfect... Welcome little Zachariah. Welcome to the world. His name means 'remembered by God'. Now, how can you not shed a tear too?

 Ciao for now...

 

A Magical Weekend...

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You might remember it was My Dad's birthday a few weeks ago and he is usually a bit tricky to buy for. He has had slippers for 20 years and rarely wears any of his clothes threadbare. We usually all put in and buy him something big like a fishing trip but as my heavenly Mum is dancing daily with dementia, time is really what he wishes for. He is quite desperate for it. He wants time to relax, take deep breaths and build up his energy stores. But. We all know time is very hard to come by.

So, after some very lateral thinking about something he would really enjoy, I have bought him three tickets to a magic show. Yes, he was perplexed too by the number of tickets but one ticket is for him and 2 are for my children. So, my gift was time. Time to relax, time with his Grandchildren and time away from my Mum to recharge his batteries. Sounds a bit harsh? Naaaah, just the way it is really. My Mum? She was with me. We planned to go to a movie and have a cuppa somewhere. Not to be. We were a bit late so instead we caught up with a friend and had afternoon tea. Then, a few hours later we met up with everyone for dinner.

It was a wonderful day. Apparently Grandpa was asked up onto the stage where he promptly had a $50 note torn to shreds only to have it reappear whole, with his name on it, from the inside of a lemon! Riveting stuff that!! I got to feel the note and it WAS sticky!!! I didn't plan the Grandpa- thing but centre stage 3 rows back is within 'being chosen' distance. They also had acrobats doing death-defying stunts. A good time was had by all. Fantastic really as it all went as planned.

What sort of presents do you give these days? These days I try to go for experiences...

Ciao for now... 

Teaching Daughters...

This is Emily the Teddybear...

Being the Mother of a daughter I am ever mindful of what I am teaching her about life. I want to raise a balanced daughter who is able to make good decisions for herself. It can be a tough world out there for girls with so many pressures put on them by society from how to look to how to behave. Let's not even think about the sexuality side of life yet. Let me cling desperately to my visions of my little girl with her teddy Emily...

Food is an area I am ever conscious of. Our family motto is to eat a healthy diet and that it is okay to have treats but not until after the healthy food is eaten and certainly not everyday. We also practice 'mindfulness' This is something Dr George Blair-West talks about in his book 'Weight Loss for Food Lovers'. It discusses childhood obesity and instilling good habits from when kids are young like eating with the TV off and eating together as a family. One of his big points is to enjoy what is being eaten and to eat slowly. It is quite a good read if you are interested. Obesity is getting to be a very 'big' health issue. I have heard Dr Balir -West speak at a conference and he made so much sense!!!

I read about a book called The Butterfly Effect- a positive new approach to raising happy, confident teen girls by Dannielle Miller and ran out to buy it. Teenage girls are vulnerable and with so many pressures today, I don't think it hurts me to be more aware of them and how I can assist my daughter to view life. One thing mentioned in the book is to surround them with wonderful role models and at the moment, I am happy to say, she has some lovely friends with equally lovely Mother. So far so good.

I make this for Miss T's lunch nearly everyday. Nicely balanced with fruit and yoghurt. It is a ham and salad roll up with cabbage, carrot, celery, a sprinkling of cheese, hummus and fresh bean sprouts.  She l-o-v-e-s it! Master T has one too but at this stage prefers salami in it. Got to start somewhere... I try to make food a non issue and focus on health and exercise rather than depriving foods. 

For Miss T

I have heard savage stories about the 'teen' years and was certainly bracing myself for the roller coaster ride to come. One blogger however commented that the teen years were her favourite and with 2 girls, I assume she has had l-o-t-s of experience! It has been lovely conversing with her and getting some 'tips'! Look I know one cannot really prepare but it does make me think about what type of role model I am. What does my daughter see when she looks at me? What messages am I giving her that I am not even aware of? So, this road to self discovery continues my friends.....

 Ciao for now...
 

Mirror Mirror On The Wall...

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A little exercise if you will. Stand in front of the mirror. Any which way you like: clothed, un-clothed, in your pyjamas..... Now, what do you see? Do you see the good bits or are you focusing on what you don't wish to see? Take your time. Keep looking. Turn this way and that. Hands on hips, hands by your side.... tilt your head to the side. Take a deep breath. And look. Keep looking...

Keep looking....

Do you like anything? Say three things out loud you like.

Go on, no one is listening. Except the most important person in the world. Y-O-U

You are not to mention what you are not fond of. Only what you like.

If you are finding this hard you need to keep practicing, every day, until you are able to be kind to yourself.

And real. You have to be real. And truthful. But. You can only look at yourself through kind eyes. No criticizing.

Now, get a beautiful journal type book and write those 3 things down

Congratulations. You have begun. Your journey to you.

I am being serious here bloggers. The journey to you has begun...

Ciao for now...
 

Weekend...

Amazing action packed weekend this weekend!! Saw Belinda Carlisle in concert last night. Remember her? She was pretty good. A lovely singer was on before by the name of Francesca De Valance. SHE was amazing. I got home at 1.30am! Just back from my Challenge: Iron man series. (sounds impressive doesn't it?). Grandpa and the kiddies are off to see a magic show whilst I take Mumsy off to see a movie and then maybe afternoon tea at a friend's house. Birthday parties, sleep overs.... action action...

What about you?  Anything exciting happening or are you having a quiet one? 

Ciao for now... 
 

High School Update...

Miss T seems to have settled into High School pretty well. She is coordinating the buses, remembering what subject is on which days, wearing the correct uniform...... but she came home cross yesterday and in tears!! Oh no!! What was wrong? Apparently she didn't get into the Advanced Maths class and was very upset. She was also very determined to be included when they reassess in 6 months so she is upstairs now doing extra Maths homework!!!............... 

Jeepers!!!! I wonder who she gets that from? Hope it lasts.

 Ciao for now...
 

Lovely Moments...

Wasn't he cute? Here he is 3...

Master T was giving me a huggle because he 'needed to'.  He loves me 'more than 500 billion hearts'. Hmmm, that is a lot of love. I hope he always does... He is nearly 11 and I am savoring every moment!! He was told by a new girl that she had be warned about him. She said she was told 'to watch out because all the girls fall for him'. As I said, he is nearly 11. Quite charming too! In this photo above he has a carefully scultpured 'wedge' haircut. He still refers to it as 'remember when you made me have that bowl haircut?' ... 'Not a b-o-w-l cut Son, a t-r-e-n-d-y wedge'. Nup. Won't be persuaded!!

Have a lovely day all...

Ciao for now... 

just Blogger Love...

There are a few Bloggers on the block that I look forward to visiting each day. Some are new and some you may already know. If you have time... have a peek:

Me Me Me It's All About Me

         Faux Fuchsia

I Endorse Good Grooming, Glamour, Blowdried Hair, Dresses (which I call frocks), Barbie Nostalgia, Decorating, Cooking and Entertaining, Gardening, Decluttering, Watching Movies, Reading, Thank you notes and Unchipped Nail Polish. I am also horrified by the utter Horribleness of Maternity Clothes. And I would never ever Knowingly Undercushion.

 I have just discovered the fabulous Faux Fuchsia! Look, I know she is a favourite for many of you and well deservedly. This is a blog full of style and makes me roar with laughter. I'm not usually a 'roarer'. And as she doesn't 'love' something but 'luffs' it. I also l-o-v-e her use of words! I think of her often and it makes me chuckle. So, do pop in for some style and fun.... You will 'luff' it..

Annie at a View On Design features beautiful houses and the house plans. I have always loved plans for houses which are usually oogled over as the house is being built. This Blog is lovely for being able to see the finished product. She has some wonderful houses from all over Australia to view plus a large variety of pages. This Blog is one I will eagerly seek and spend some time over.

Scrapbook is a newish Blog but one filled with such style and design. Melissah has many pages to flick through and I am sure you will spend quite a bit of time looking at her wonderful Blog.

Have fun. Do you have any favourite favourite Blogs???

Ciao for Now

Things I Know...

These things I know:

• That I have not yet learned how to 'save' a picture so that it will appear on my blog. Oh, I can use my photos but you know, the 'other' type. Feel free to email me with tricks of the trade.
• I l-o-v-e routine. Thank goodness school has gone back
• I also l-o-v-e that I haven't overbooked any activities for the Tweenies so after a busy week they can sleep in!
• Having friends over for the Tweenies means I can relax. Yay!!
• Miracles do happen. Welcome to little Zachariah!
• Health is so very important
• Sometimes friends need no questions, just a shoulder and a pat
• Most of our washing is uniforms for all
• It is Week 3 and all the socks in the wash have pairs! Fingers crossed it will last...
• It is such beautiful weather at the moment
• The price of grocery shopping seem to have increased quite markedly! Yikes!
• Take time to pause
• Take a deep breath and just 'be'
• Be kind to all. Each has their own battle to fight
• Life is good

 

 Ciao for now...
 

Valentine's Day...

Renewing our vows after 20 years of marriage

Happy Valentine's Day one and all. The Silver Fox and I met on Valentine's Day some 23 years ago!!! Sound romantic? Well, ummm, sort of..... you see I was on a date. Not. With. The Silver Fox. (Gasp!) I was out with a fellow I worked with. ( I worked in a Mexican restaurant when I was going through Uni) We weren't really going out and I was a bit stunned when he asked me so I said yes. So, we went to dinner and then to a night club. Aaah, the good old days. I was 21 and had loads of energy for that sort of stuff. There, across the room, was the Silver Fox. Less Silver then though. Our eyes met and..... that was it... Naaaah, didn't quite happen like that. Sounded good though didn't it? Well, our eyes met and.... he was a friend of my brother's so he came with references. I knew his brother but hadn't met him before. We met the next week and the rest, as they say, is history....I wasn't going to jilt my date even if I had just spotted the love of my life. I didn't know that at the time though. There were a few things I noticed straight away. He was funny and referred to girls as 'ladies'. A-N-D he crossed his legs. The things you notice huh? I still think he is pretty cute!!

So happy Valentine's Day my gorgeous fellow. Mwaaaah!!

 Ciao for now...

 

Simple Abundance...

Simple awareness of beauty that is surrounding our everyday

Simple, adj  1. without embellishment; 2. clarity of form and thought; 3. fundamental

Abundance, n 1. an ample quantity, profusion; 2. wealth; 3. plentifulness

Simple Abundance, 1. an inner journey; 2. a spiritual and practical course in creative living; 3. a tapestry of contentment

Sarah talks about us being aware that we already possess all the inner wisdom. strength and creativity needed to make our dreams come true. We may not realize it because it is buried so deep beneath bills, laundry and the every day demands that mean we may not be able to access our inner sources. Simple Abundance is about an authentic awakening as we already possess all we need to be genuinely happy. There are 6 main principles that guide this awareness, this inner journey. They are gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty and joy. 

Sound interesting?  I will be doing a snippet here and there so feel free to come on this journey, to comment, to agree... or not.

 Ciao for now...
 

Love: Sisters

Her favourite colour is orange...

Yesterday was my heavenly Sister's birthday! She was nearly a birthday present for my Dad. Not quite though so she still gets to celebrate a whole day to herself. She too is a light in my life and I know I am soooooo lucky to have a sister and one that I get on with. She is my BFF! I have done posts on her before and you can read about her here if you are interested. We call her LJ with the 'J' standing for John. It is not her real name but one that has stuck for quite a few years now.

There are 22 months between us with me being the elder sibling (middle child actually but let's explore that at a later date). I a-d-o-r-e-d my sister from the minute I met her. A bit too much it would seem so alas I was locked out of her bedroom before I killed her with kindness! At 4 weeks she was found lying in her cot with chocolate dribbling out of her mouth (did you put your hand over your mouth in horror? Jeepers! thinking about what could have happened...) At 6 weeks my Mother yelped in fright as she thought my sister was in her cot dead. She was rather pale but with an overdose of baby powder - everywhere including her face. They were quite right to lock me out really...

Unfortunately we don't live close to each other. If we did we could have had the most amazing child minding arrangements. Sigh... Alas, it was not meant to be but we make the extra effort to connect with each other and with each other's children. She is a great Mummy: calm, logical and kind. And strict. I like strict. She is a wonderful Aunt too.  My children adore her and she is good fun. My hope is to surround them with great role models so when they eventually tire of their parents, support will still be there. LJ is at the top of the list!


My sister is very glamorous and stylish and has a passion for handbags. That is what we are all giving her for her birthday and it is nice to know that such a gift will make her heart sing with joy. We speak nearly every day and she is loyal and kind and r-e-a-l-l-y funny. We both have different strengths which comes in quite handy for support. Sometimes she is much wiser than me. Here are 5 things about her:

• She was terrified of Spiderman as a kid and used to think he was on her wall at night
• She h-a-t-e-s spiders but is getting braver as she gets older
• She l-o-v-e-s the colour orange
• She has a bunny that she is absolutely potty about!
• She l-o-v-es Turkish Delight (I take credit for her chocolate fetish having introduced her to the taste quite young)

So Happy Birthday for yesterday dear sweet LJ. May your year be filled with health, happiness and love.



 Ciao for now...


 

Love: Dads...

You learn very important things from your Grandfather - I think this look is hereditary!!!

It was my Dad's birthday yesterday. He is such a wonderful Dad. Do you every look back on your childhood with adult eyes? He always was a great fellow, even looking back. He was kind, calm, clever... I could ask my Dad a question and he always knew the answer. Sometimes he resorted to the 'Pears Encyclopedia" but he took the time and was a great teacher.

If we were ill in the night we would always wake him because he awoke easily and never grumbled. I used to feel sorry for him that he had no friends and didn't go down to the pub like the other Dads. Now of course I look back and see the family man that he was. God love him. He spent time in the Antarctic when he was 19 doing "weather stuff" and was very self sufficient. He cooked and sewed and was very handy in general. It was nothing for us to ask him to whip up a skirt for the sports carnival the night before (adult eyes say OMG). He would draught a pattern a-n-d put in a zip and button hole! See, great Dad... He sounds very interesting doesn't he? He is.

Dad loved fishing and we would make sure he took us three children along as well. We would make him promise to wake us at 5 am and off we would go. We didn't really like fishing but we didn't want him to be alone! I'm sure he would have l-o-v-ed a bit of time to himself. He would have to fish our thongs out of the water, take us to the loo and untangle our impossible tangles. When we got home we would rush in and tell Mum that he "never caught a thing". Is it any wonder? I asked him a few years ago why we took us when really there was no peace for him. He said that he did because we wanted to go and he used to go fishing with his Dad when he was younger. Aaaawwww, what a guy!!! I bet they caught stuff.

My Dad l-o-v-e-s his Grandchildren and as the Silver Fox's Dad died before Miss T was born, he has taken the responsibility of being a Grandfather very seriously. He teaches the children little things.  Miss T was congratulated in woodwork the other day because of her ability to saw a piece of wood. "My Grandfather taught me" she proclaimed. She could also make a super paper plane at the age of 3 because of him. When Miss T was toilet training and she had an accident, she had a terrible habit that before you could get near her, she had said pants whipped off and would flick them like crazy. She did it for months. Not really very nice but we couldn't understand where she had picked up that little gem from!!! Until.... One day we were at my parents for a swim and my Dad changed from his swimmers and calmly went to the side of the pool and shook them like crazy to get the water out... A little lightbulb went off and I yelled at him "It's you"!! He had such a guilty look on his face. We laughed for ages...

So Happy Birthday to my lovely Dad. You have your hands full dealing with Mumsy as she lives more and more between twilight. You do so with such grace and patience. We love you so much and are very proud to have you in our lives...

 Ciao for now... 

Beasties Be Gone...

Well, I couldn't put a photo of a dirty big cockroach here could I? Image

When I was quite young I made a few decisions about life. I would not:

a) Push an empty pram. I thought it looked really dumb.

b) Sit with my arm over my head with a prickly armpit showing. My brother's friend's mum did it all the time and I thought it was so gross!

c) Talk about 'bugs n stuff.' There was an ad on TV where ladies were talking about how their husbands got rid of flies and cockroaches around their home. I thought it was really embarrassing to talk about this topic in company.

Well, I may have pushed an empty pram. I'm not sure but my scathing 8 year old self would have been none too please. Not sure about the second one but am just about to talk about the third point. I apologize in advance for the embarrassment that would have been caused to the 8 year old me.

Years ago everyone got their houses sprayed for bugs and even then I thought the health implications were a bit too potential for humans. We have never had any of our houses sprayed for years and years and definitely not since our babies came along. But. What does everyone else do? With the hot weather where we live, cockroaches seem to thrive, jive and survive. So. I'm laying it all out there folks. What do you do?...

 Ciao for now...

 

Uh-Oh...

Apparently I had, or have, an anxiety state... Hmmm, not really sure I agreed with that at the time. Upon reflection... Yep! Totally. You see the Silver Fox was working away all week and coming home on Fridays only to leave again on Sunday night as we had a business to run still. It didn't really suit our family life but hey, sometimes you have to do what you have to do. So, this continued for a couple of years. Now, I have a personal belief that a woman needs to be employable and able to earn reasonable money (We might explore in a later post so I can get your views...) so I have always worked part time to 'keep my hand in' so to speak. I guess I spent a long time developing a career so I needed to maintain it for a time when the kiddies were older and needed me less. So, I worked part time, cared for the kiddies and saw the Silver Fox on weekends. It had some positives: house tidy (we know hubbies are messy creatures), my channels on the tv... but it also had lots of negatives. More negatives really than positives. 

So I got into the habit of cleaning, cleaning, cleaning so it would all be done by the time the Silver Fox got home so we could enjoy our time without doing the mundane chores like shopping, rubbish bins etc.... There it started. I would clean at night so 'save' myself doing it later. And if I vacuumed (kids slept through everything) I thought I should probably mop as well. If I usually changed the sheets on a Monday, I would change them on a Thursday to get ahead of my chores. I would clean cupboards, the storeroom, cook, freeze stuff for 'later'. It was nothing for me to get to bed after 2am having been doing chores. Up at 5.30, no trouble. This went on for about 2 years. I also couldn't sleep and would be plagued by nightmares. Fun huh? So, functioning during the day, doing chores at night and not really sleeping. As soon as the Silver Fox would come home, I would be asleep, catching up on a weeks worth.

I also gained about 10kg. Not from overeating or having too many wines, but from stress and the lack of sleep. And it was a naturopath that asked me about my anxiety state. Which I denied. Me? Naaah... If you know me, I am usually pretty calm, I think. But, she was quite insistent and pointed out various aspects of my life that to her were quite unusual and, well, diagnostic really...

Light bulb moment....

And other cracks were showing. The Silver Fox had developed quite a depression from being away from his family all the time a-n-d Master T thought we were divorced. And wouldn't be convinced that we were still married. So, we made some huge changes. The Silver Fox closed his business, found a job closer to home and so began the journey back to family life and security again. 

Hence the reason for this blog being to take pleasure in the everyday, to know who y-o-u are, to know yourself... It is nice to come back...




Ciao for now 

just Martha

Do You Know You?..

I can usually find this book within arms reach on my side of the bed

A few years ago a friend gave my a copy of this book by Sarah Ban Breathnach It changed my life. Why? Because is helped begin a journey to find out who I am, what I love and to help me realize what I have. I am still on this journey but believe that I live my life being more aware each day. This author has taught me to believe in myself. This book is always by my bed and I have given many copies to friends. The layout is set around the 365 days of the year with suggested tasks to do at the end of each month. Each entry is about 1 page long-ish and a very easy read in bed each night before sleep overtakes..

Many pages and marked for later reference...

Some of you may have very contented lives, know where your path is going and know what you like and love. But, for some of you, there may be a little ache on the edge of your heart that you are only aware of sometimes. For me I think because of having so many roles, being so busy, having dependent little ones... that I sort of....  forgot myself. I forgot how to be present in my own life. I had nothing to say when everything else was peeled away. This beautiful author taught me how to take deep breaths and just 'be'. There is an epidemic in the world today of low self esteem, of low body image and low self love. Many of you are amazing women and your friends would agree. But do you? Do you think you are special? You are you know...

This is what Sarah says about Simple Abundance:

Embrace its gentle lessons, savor its sublime common sense, dare to live its passionate truth, and share its extraordinary and exhilarating gift with every woman you encounter: the authentic self is the Soul made visible...

After reading that how can you resist a little look? I am going to be doing some posts on the pages that resonate within me. Go out and buy this book or borrow it from the library. You will be very please that you did. I promise...


 Ciao for now...
 

Tickling of Tastebuds...

What is your favourite kooky snack? Do you love unusual tasting combinations? When we were going to school and my Dad made the lunches, we might get honey and peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter and jam or.... cream cheese and dates.... Hmmmm, was never sure about that combination! At Christmas we would have fried Christmas cake, ham and eggs. Quite nice really even if it sounds awful. The cake was cooked in butter...... obviously before the days of calories and cholesterol!!!

One of my favourite combinations to this day is green apple and a small wedge of cheese.....

So, what tickles your tastebuds?.....

 Ciao for now...


 

Weekend...

Imagine this as a view! Noice!    Decorpad

We are having an outside weekend this weekend, probably going to the creek with a picnic and some swimming. My brother is coming this weekend with his little son. Isn't that nice? He hasn't been well and my spidy- senses tells me he probably needs his gall bladder whipped out!

We have had a busy week and with Miss T starting 'Big Big' school she is a little exhausted from a) getting up before 11am and b) a bit of stress from all the changes. Thank you for all your kind comments. She l-o-v-e-s it! I want to thank you all for your kind words for my chest of drawers/dress exchange this week and guess what? I'm now totally guilt-free. Thanks!!! Welcome to new followers and ye old faithfuls... I appreciate you all.

I have just started a-n-o-t-h-e-r challenge at the gym. Bit of an addict I think! So, I have done the beep test, push ups, sit ups, dips, brace and a 2.2km run - all before 8am!! Go me!! Best get the day started so... have a lovely weekend everyone


 Ciao for now...