It's oh so quiet...

Everything is a bit slow around here at the moment. Low on energy. Low on motivation. Don't have alot of words.

I'm well. I'm happy. I'm just quiet. For a change.

Hope all is well with you. x

Celebrity Crush

I've been watching Masterchef. I prefer to tape it so I can fast forward all the drama and just see the good cooking, food, locations and celebrity chefs.

They have been featuring Donna Hay a bit this season. I think I may have a little crush on her. Her food is undeniably delicious. Her magazine a feast for the eyes and stomach. Her food styling...impressive. Everything about her and her work seems to be wholesome, down to earth, simple, yet so visually appealing.  

I like her taste in home wares. I love her cupcake holders. I like that she presented on Masterchef in what looked like comfy pants and a long sleeved tee.

I like her. Alot. Right down to her stylish pony tail.

See? A crush.

Here's some of the chocolaty goodness she's shared for our enjoyment thanks to her Facebook page. I know, I'm ridiculously ridiculous...a fan of her FB page. Anyhoo.

Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake.

Enjoy!

Images Via

Fairy friends in the making

Inspired by this imaginative friend, I've got the ingredients ready to invite a little fairy into our home.

When I've mentioned this concept to friends and family, they've all asked the same question: "Why do this?"

Right now, seeing S make up her own stories, her face lights up. She's pulling ideas out of her head as fast as her words are streaming out of her mouth. She's got a great imagination. I want to capture it and allow her to feel like there is magic and wonder in our home. That a fairy would want to live among us and receive our artwork, our letters, our questions, our attention...perhaps our love.

I need to talk more to Nic about how much of a commitment it really is to keep the idea of a live-in fairy alive. But I can't wait to see my little girls excitement when she finds fairy dust outside the fairy door and a little letter left outside it. I can't wait to see where S will take us if I just give her the beginings of the idea.

I asked S if there were fairies - which she said there was. I asked her where she thought they might live. Under the mushrooms in our garden, she said. Luckily we do have a few mushrooms in our backyard, so I'm planning on writing the fairies a letter with S and leaving it beside a mushroom late one afternoon. The next morning S will find a fairy door on our wall with a letter addressed to her and her sister thanking them for inviting her/them to live with us.

I'm thinking their cousin the Tooth Fairy can stay when she has work to do in our house...still a few years off. So many things to do and concepts to play with.

Happy days.

Quilt love

Showcasing the talents of one Gill Dempster. A surrogate mum for me - the actual mum of one of my dear friends. She generously gifted Isabella this quilt when she was born.

We use it every day. Every. Day. It's safe to say that we love it. Is has even made friends with Gill's grand-daughter while sharing it.

Thank you Gill - the time and love you put into making this quilt is much appreciated! x

Thanks to Jo for the images.

More Inspiration

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by sleep deprivation recently. Anyone who knows me well knows that me without sleep...well, lets just say it isn't pretty.

When I recently received this little package in the mail from the inspiring Christie, it was just the lift I needed. I may not have alot of energy right now to create, but I do have time to sit with a cup of tea and swoon over these pages. It may even be just the inspiration I need to get me back into creating.

Thank you Christie for hosting this giveaway - I am wrapped to have been the lucky winner. As if reading your blog isn't inspiring enough, I've so enjoyed reading this book and planning my next creative adventure. x

6 months

The days, weeks, months are flying by. My baby is 6 months old. When I say flying by, perhaps a more accurate description would be moving by in a haze of sleep deprived stupor. But it's a happy stupor.

How could it not be with a gorgie like this beaming up at you every day? Eating like a trouper. Smiling her sport of choice. Cuddles a favourite too.

Moving forward on her tummy using her legs like a caterpillar. Rocking back and forth on her hands and knees. I'm watching my baby grow in leaps and bounds week by week. I'm delighted for her while at the same time grossly outraged at how quickly the newborn phase passes and how before I know it this little girl of mine will be running amok around my home.

Funnily, it's this same reliance on the changing of phases that I hold onto when my eyes are hanging out of my head once again from a busy night shift. It's a phase. It'll be over soon.

How bittersweet motherhood is. We break out hearts if we think our children may not be thriving, yet they also break when they do. Thriving means growing. Growing means changing. Changing means that time is passing. Quickly. I'll be discussing world events over a cuppa with Is before I can blink, and I know it. I'm acutely aware of it. And yet I look forward to it.

For now at 6 months of age I'm loving being the centre of her universe. Having her rely on me for everything. My heart feels like it moves in my chest when she smiles at me. When she tries to take the spoon off me to feed herself. When I walk back into a room and she's halfway to the other side of it beaming at me with pride.

Go on then - thrive my lovely one. But go easy on me - my heart can only take so much! x

PS. Two milestones to note:

1. Received her first black eye as an accidental gift from her sister.
2. Slept in the pram - finally!!!

On a whim...Bloggers Without Makeup

I came across a post this morning. It spoke to me. Bloggers Without Makeup.

This concept speaks to me on many levels. I always keep in mind when reading blogs that the author is showing me a snippet of themselves. A snippet that they're happy for the known and unknown public to see. And that's fair enough. But keeping it in mind allows me to enjoy pictures of perfect family rooms, tended gardens, thriving vegie patches and dream holidays without feeling envious. I know these are the best parts of those things. Perhaps they look like that sometimes. Other times I'm sure they don't.

Bloggers Without Makeup also speaks to me because of the path I'm taking. I know that going without makeup is a daily occurrence for many people. It's not for me. Those that see me without makeup belong to a sacred circle of trusted people. I know that sounds dramatic, but for me to let down my guard enough to front up to your house fresh faced (and a little coy), then you can safely assume you're one of my inner circle. Not that its a posse I expect many aspire to - it's just symbolic of what it means to me.

So without too much thought...so that I don't talk myself out of it, I've decided to front up on my journey into self love and show my real self. Taken this morning in poor light. In my pajamas. May or may not have a bra on. Haven't touched my hair. Not a speck of make-up.

Welcome to my posse. x

Mothers Day

I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day.

I did. I felt the love. Felt the effort. Enjoyed the sunshine. Got some exercise. Put myself first. Felt grateful for all that I have.

Amazing how one day of loving attention is all you need to feel happy day to day wiping bottoms and meeting endless needs. x

It was also great to spend the day with my family and for the cousins to play together - in Nonna's autumn leaves as usual.

We tried to take a quick family portrait - now there's an oxymoron for you. S wasn't interested & the Big Fella got tired of trying to make her interested & getting a 5 month old to look to the front isn't easy. Oh well, here's the outakes.

A journey

I'm on a journey. It's one thats been a long time coming. They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (Sun Tzu) and I have to say I'm feeling a little wobbly.

Someone mentioned to me last week that as a breastfeeding mother I am giving out alot of energy. Giving alot of myself. My nutrients, vitamins & minerals. Giving of my hydration, my time, my sleep. Giving all day - not the least of which includes the giving of my love. This person was stressing the need for me to take in extra nutrients to support my body during this stage of my life.

But it struck a chord in me on a much deeper level... I need to start taking in more so that I can meet the demands I place on myself to give to others.

So I've taken a mental look around myself. At my life. My family. My friends. Where am I being asked to give? How much does it ask of me? Are any of these things replenishing me?

And most areas measure up well. My family fills me with at least as much love, laughter and happiness as is required of me. More so in fact. My friends are havens for me to turn to when I need, they're the people I choose to share myself and my journey with.

And after looking around me, I glanced down.

There is a gaping hole before me. A hole dug over many years. Years of taking, ignoring, demanding, reprimanding. Years of giving to others without taking anything back to replenish me. All I see is years of digging. Taking. The hole is deep and completely dug out...there's not too much left to take. It's a hole I have dug by myself. At the expense of myself. All with a lack of love. Self love.

And so I'm on this journey - the destination - self love. As I said, I'm feeling a little wobbly. Bit teary. Not sure how to start or what it will involve. All I can see is the finish line. A beautiful woman on the horizon. She's standing tall and proud. She's fit and healthy. She knows she's beautiful inside and out and she has an immense well before her - full to the brim with love. Ready to be dipped into when required. Always replenished by acts of kindness to herself, for herself, so that the giving can continue.

I started today by dusting off a teacup and saucer set I bought over 3 years ago. I was about to leave work to become a mum and I envisaged myself drinking from this cup every day with my sandwich or a treat on the plate next to it. I have used it once in three years.

The tea set has been washed. The cup filled - a pot of warm tea waiting to replenish it when I want or need more. The plate washed clean. A new start. A treat sitting upon it - not to be eaten discreetly behind the pantry door, but to be enjoyed. Sitting quietly in the sun, unashamed. Filling myself with acts of kindness. One at a time. 999 to go.

And so it begins... x

FutureMe.org

You know how you start out on someone's blog - someone that's familiar to you? Then they point you in the direction of someone else, who lets you know about something you hadn't heard of before?

Well that happened to me. I found the FutureMe website. The idea is that you write an email in the present, to be received in the future. You can send it to yourself or someone else. I did it. To myself. To be received 1st January 2011. Here's hoping I won't be disappointed in myself when I read it. I allowed myself to hope. Please God don't let me be disappointed. x

Anyway. You can make your letter public, but anonymous. Below are some I found interesting/funny/thoughtful:

• Some wisdom


• This one to be received 26 years into the future. From a young man to his middle aged self


• Funny in a sad kind of way


• Very organised, no happy accidents in that household...


• Optimism


• There is some swearing in this one - so skip over it if you don't want to read it

It feels good to put something out there that is only between your Present and Future selves. Why don't you give it a go?

Oh and the pic? Thats my future self of course... ;)