Grateful for..... a chance to be creative

With harvest dragging on so slowly, we have spent a lot of this week at home, giving hubby lots of moral support and cooking up delicious batches of whoopie pies, cakes and slices. And instead of busy nights sewing custom Miss Goodie Two Shoes, I have had the chance this week to leisurely create some new designs and sew some pretties for my friends. 

Tonight while perusing my fabric stash it occured to me how grateful I am for this chance to relax and recuperate from such an insanely hectic 2011. In sewing I have found my new love, my little niche in life. I get immense joy from crafting and creating for little girls (and big girls alike!). It is with great excitement that I plan the release of Miss Goodie's new collections and new designs.

But for now, I am so very grateful for the chance to sew at whim and for the special little people in my life. To catch my breath and prepare for another incredible year of Miss Goodie Two Shoes.

I hope you too are having a week to be grateful for, I'm playing along with Maxabella Loves. Why don't you pop on over and join in too.

This week I am grateful for.... a healthy living challenge

Earlier this week, I blogged about an exciting offer from Soup Marketing to take part in a new program hosted by the Heart Foundation. Mums United is encouraging Mums across Australia to unite in their quest to raise a healthy, active family. This project couldn't have come at a better time and for that I am very grateful! I have been ummmming and aaaaaahing for months now about returning to a healthier and happier lifestyle. With a burgeouning business and two little cherubs I just haven't been able to set a date and commit. Oh how simple in form motivation can sometimes be!

When my Soup pack arrived I excitedly set a number of healthy living challenges for myself and my family for the month of November. Starting with me, and my dream for months now: getting off the couch and into running 5kms. The C25K program is very simple in premise, and amazingly simple in execution. Start with 20 minutes, three times a week and alternate 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking. The program follows the concept of interval training and promises to have you running 5 km in just nine weeks. 

If you're like me and feel a little allergic to running, I guarantee you will be surprised! I downloaded the C25K iPhone app (there's many, I chose the one from Bluefin software) and it gives me handy prompts while pumping out my favourite tunes. Early Monday morning I pulled on my trusty joggers and set out for my first run in........ erm five years....? By Wednesday I was already addicted to the rush of early morning exercise. Ahhhhh adrenalin, how I have missed thee! Week 2 of C25K is much the same as Week 1 and I'm secretly hoping that this fresh burst of exercise will help me in my ultimate goal of shedding some unwanted kilos just in time for summer.

I hope you too are having a week to be grateful for. Why not pop on over to Maxabella Loves and share in the fun xx

Today I am grateful for... watching the sun rise

Most people hate winter because it's cold and often inclement, but that's exactly why I love it. I love to rug up in front of the fire and eat lots of yummy comfort food. I love that when I get up in the morning, my view is of fog rolling across the paddocks and a winter sun rising. I love getting dressed in soft wool jumpers and oversized coats. Most of all, I love snuggling under the doona with my warm as toast little man and giving him eskimo and butterfly kisses.

This morning, I love that we got a little visit from our neighbours, and despite the freezing cold underfoot I creeped out to say hello.

I hope you too are having a day to be grateful for. I am playing along with Maxabella Loves, come along and join in the fun!

This week I am grateful for.... two very special friends

With my fourth wedding anniversary only days away, I have been reflecting all week on two very special people in my life. They are my best friends; two amazing and inspirational girls with a heart of gold. I am truly blessed to have grown alongside them, had their wisdom to learn from and their friendship to gain strength from. 

This week I am so very grateful for my best friends, my confidants, my strength when I need it, the two people whose laughter never ceases to make me smile.

I hope you too had a week to be grateful for xxxxx

This week I am grateful for. . . . my new sewing machine!

After researching a baffling number of different brands and models, I finally have a new sewing machine! My only regret is that it has taken me this long to buy one and learn how to sew!

My Janome is so quiet and easy to use, and I have been in heaven playing with all my gorgeous new fabrics. My first (finally completed!) sewing project is a sweet little doll for Tilly. I had a bit of trouble with embroidering her eyes (perhaps I should have practised first!) so I decided to cover my sins with some big brown buttons. Next time I'm hoping for some pretty eyelashes and a button nose.


I'm so in love with this doll design from Bit of Whimsy Dolls, and I have several more patterns waiting to be sewn together. Now I just need a day of peace!

I hope you too are having a day to be grateful for. I am playing along with Maxabella Loves, come along and join in the fun!


 

Morning glory

I have so much to be grateful for this week; not least my beautiful mum, my gorgeous babies, and the time I have spent relaxing and re-energising. When I return home to the comfort of my Mac I will recount all my blessings and tend to my neglected blog, but in the meantime I wanted to share a snippet of my joy. Something that guaranteed a smile every morning this week.

There is finally a chill in the air! It's crisp and fresh, smelling of dewy grass and an early morning sun. Blink and you will miss it, but for those sublime few moments each morning, Oscar and I have been able to dream of winter. And pretend it's nearly upon us.


I hope you've had a delightful week too xx

Today I am grateful for. . . . . a trip to mum's

It's been such a long time since I visited my mum. We see a lot of each other, but it's usually mum coming to the farm and filling our freezer and tummies with scrumptious food. I treasure her regular visits, they enable me to catch my breath and some lost sleep.

It's not the same as visiting my haven though. There's nothing like a week away from all the hustle and bustle and responsibilities. A whole week to relax, read books, cook, shop and, this time, start a new hobby.

My mum is a brilliant seamstress, and one of my greatest regrets is failing to learn her craft before I left home. My desire to sew has become very strong since I joined the blogging world. I realise that I miss the enjoyment of making beautiful things by hand, which used to be a big part of my life growing up.

Mum and I have been excitedly planning our week, which will include purchasing a new sewing machine, some gorgeous fabrics and bringing out all the old patterns that have become mum's treasures.

I'm so very excited, and can't wait for the moment I finish my very first sewing project. I wonder what it will be?


I hope that you too had a week to be grateful for. I am playing along with Maxabella Loves, come along and join in the fun!



Blogged on the go using Blogpress for iPhone


My image of the beautiful antique sewing machine is from here 

This week I am grateful for.... a blast from the past

Today I donned my flouro pink leg warmers, sprayed a can of hairspray in my hair and painted my eyelids blue. For I was celebrating the return of a true icon of the 1980's.... the SodaStream! 

My sisters and I were lucky enough to have a SodaStream machine when we were kids. I can fondly recall those warm summer nights spent drinking as much icky sickly lemonade as our stomachs could tolerate. And if we were lucky, we could dunk a great big scoop of ice cream into our glasses and make a spider. 


Since discovering the SodaStream was back, hubby and I couldn't resist getting busy with the fizzy all over again. Our machine finally arrived this week and in giddy excitement we tested out all the fancy new flavours. Not a lot has changed, the machine still makes that unmistakable 'farting' noise as it fizzes your water, the livid green creamy soda is still on the menu, and the recommended syrup to water ratio makes a drink strong enough to curl your hair! 

But with just a bit of tweaking to the recommended carbonation and a more modest dash of syrup, I was happily quaffing on a sparkling peach iced tea while hubby enjoyed an ice cold ginger beer. Today, after a long day in the sun, our little SodaStream machine fizzed out the perfect sundowner drinks. We decided that unlike stone wash jeans, this was a welcome return from the 80's!

I hope that you too had a week to be grateful for. I am playing along with Maxabella Loves, come along and join in the fun!



   

Today I am grateful for. . . . diversion

I call it diversion because it's by no means procrastination. And its shamelessly enjoyable, the perfect deflection to a pile of unfolded washing and a floor that needs mopping.

Today I am grateful for the chance to try Mathilda on a new food, a nice bright coloured one this time.... pumpkin!

Pumpkin is one of my favourite foods. It's super delicious in everything from scones and bread to pizza and risotto. It serves perfectly as a side of mash to grilled chicken, or roasted with a moroccan lamb salad.

Needless to say I'm quite excited about bringing this delicious vegetable onto the solids menu. I'm not quite sure what Mathilda made of her new food though..... for now I think the juries out!

I hope you too are having a day to be grateful for. I am playing along with Maxabella Loves, come along and join in the fun! For anyone who shares my love of Tilly's little headband, you can find it at Cheeki Babi xx

This week I am grateful for... an understanding husband

Long before my life became a blur of broken sleep, two hourly feeds and endless hours spent trying to settle an insecure toddler in his own bed, I liked to keep a very clean and orderly house. Everything had a place, dishes were always washed and floors were swept and vacuumed every second day. I showered every morning, walked the dogs every day, cooked delicious meals every night, held pleasant conversation and never hid in the toilet so I could get 5 minute peace.

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I simply adore my life as a mum, but I'm no longer the domestic goddess nor the stepford wife I used to be. A tornado sweeps through my house each day, and I just don't have the energy to deal with the aftermath. I do my best to tackle the tower of dishes and baskets full of washing, but I prefer to sit and play with puzzles, create masterpieces with playdoh and indulge in two hour afternoon snoozes. 

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I'm so very grateful that my husband understands what I need to stay sane, and to continue loving every moment of being a mum. The housework will eventually get done, I won't always spend my day dressed in pyjamas, beans on toast won't be a permanent fixture on the dinner menu and my witty conversation skills will return.

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In the meantime, thank goodness for my Nespresso machine and a packet of chocolate biscuits, courtesy of my gorgeous husband xx

I am playing along with Maxabella Loves, come along and join in the fun!