Bathtime fun

Where has the time gone? This month my little princess is turning one, and a few days later my little prince will be three. 

Three of the most amazing years of my life.

There isn't a moment I don't reflect on how truly blessed I am (and yes, even when I'm up at 2 am, or spending two hours convincing a toddler to go to sleep!).

Oscar's Law

There are times in your life when you see and hear something that affects you so profoundly you can't breath. You carry a knot in your throat and a feeling of sickness in your stomach. You cannot escape the overwhelming feeling of sadness, hopelessness and rage.

I saw and heard that something this morning, and I am still haunted by the images and sounds. If you don't have the strength to watch this video, I don't blame you. I'm not entirely certain why I chose to watch it myself. I normally shy away from ANY depiction of animal cruelty because I quite simply do not cope. Animals are like children, they are loyal, kind hearted and innocent. I passionately believe that ownership of an animal is an honour, not a basic right. I was raised to believe that animals are an integral and important part of a family. They deserve love, respect and protection; protection from people who harm and more importantly, protection from people who exploit. Sadly, the laws and regulations developed to protect companion animals in Australia are grossly inadequate.



As much as I am regretful for watching this horrifying video, I am heartened to learn there is a campaign attempting to abolish the factory breeding of dogs.

 Oscar's Law is a very simple campaign: it enables everyone to make a stand and tell the Government that "we do not want companion animals factory farmed anymore” and "we no longer want the pet industry to mislead us about what is acceptable for our animals”.

Oscar's Law aims to abolish the factory farming of dogs, ban the sale of animals from pet shops and online, and insist the Government run a proper campaign on responsible animal care. What I think is most important to distinguish between, is the breeding of dogs and the farming of them. It is downright unethical to treat dogs as a commodity rather then a treasured friend.

I wholeheartedly support the abolishment of pet shops. I have seen firsthand the consequence of irresponsible and callous breeding for the pet shop trade; seriously malformed dogs that have resulted from generations of inbreeding. Its frightening to now realise the environment these poor animals were bred in. If there is just one message taken home from this post, I hope it is how powerful we can be in abolishing the ill-treatment of these poor animals. Next time you, or someone you know, are looking for a new member of your family please consider adoption from a shelter. Take a stand against the farming of companion animals.

Please join me in rallying for Oscar's Law.

Collaborate for a Cause

Apologies for being so quiet here at A Country Wife. It has been calamity jane in our household the past few months. Despite my love of winter, and the delightful weather that it brings, the sudden change from balmy days to freezing nights has brought with it continual illness. Our run of bad luck began in May with a nasty virus, and has just ended with two cases of whooping cough, and a horrid flu complete with ear infection. To say I am looking forward to a few weeks of peace, quiet and happiness is an understatement!

Despite days and nights of coughing, fever and tears, I have managed to continue creating and building Miss Goodie Two Shoes. I was recently asked by the designers from two of my favourite handmade businesses; Yumminess Textiles and Giovanna to collaborate and create some special donations to a charity auction called Collaborate for a Cause. The amazing Jen from Ainslee Fox Handmade is the brainchild of C4AC, and she has done an outstanding, inspirational job of pulling this auction together. One small idea is now a charity auction featuring over 200 businesses, 114 items and an astounding $14 000 currently raised for some well deserved charities! To say Jen is a superstar is an incredible understatement!

The auction finishes tonight at 8pm EST and I'd love if you could pop over and support the generous work of my beautiful and talented friends. Amongst the gorgeous items on offer, you can find my Miss Goodie Two Shoes here

and here

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!

Celebrating 100!

Well look at that! A Country Wife has reached a very magical milestone - 100 gorgeous followers! Thank you so so much to everyone who joins me here each week to share in my life and love of the country. I can't believe how much my life has changed since joining the blogging world. Inspired by so many of you, my inner creativity has bloomed and I literally bounce out of bed each day (okay, well most days!). A Country Wife has been the start of so many special friendships and such an exciting future.

I thought as a little tribute to the number 100, I'd share some 'top 100' trivia with you.

1. The most beautiful woman of all time is Audrey Hepburn, followed by Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but you have no arguments from me.
2. According to IMBd, the most handsome man in Hollywood is Jonathan Rhys Meyers, followed by Brad Pitt and Jude Law. No surprises then that Jude Law is welcome to park his slippers under my bed any time he likes!
3. The number 1 box office film of all time is Avatar (2009), yet I won't mention that I'm actually still to see it *blush*! When adjusted for inflation, the top film of all time is Gone With the Wind (1939). Goes to show you can't beat the golden oldies.
4. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002) is the number 1 worst movie of all time. I guess it's just as well I've never heard of it!
5. The most popular dog breed of all time is the Labrador Retriever. Oh absolutely, who can resist a cuddle with a big fluffy bear?
6. The most popular girls name of all time is Mary, whilst the most popular boys name is James. Now doesn't that give new meaning to 'biblical proportions'?
7. According to Forbes Magazine, the worlds richest person is Carlos Slim who boasts a mere $74 billion fortune. He trumps Mr Gates for the second year running, of whom has a lowly $56 billion to his name. So tell me, what on earth does one do with that sort of money?
8. Perhaps they buy a few of these. At a recommend retail price of $1 700 000, the Bugatti Veyron is the worlds most expensive car. 
9. If you're looking for a career change, now is the time to become a software architect. It is the top ranking job in the US according to level of pay, growth prospects, stress levels, security, flexibility, satisfaction and benefit to society. And here I thought being a mum would have trumped the list!
10. And finally, a top 100 list dedicated to... blogging of course! With an impressive daily traffic count of 820 000, or 24 million people a month, Digg is the most successful blog of all time. So what does it mean that I've never heard of it?  Political ticker CNN and the The Huffington Post follow behind with 303 000 and 283 000 viewers each day. Blogging really is a technical revolution!

So while I doubt my life will ever reach a top 100 list, I'm just super chuffed that I've reached 100. I can't wait to see what the next 100 followers will bring xxx

I heart the handmade community

So much blogging to catch up on! Soooo many things to say, I didn't realise just how much I'd missed my little blog until I'm now starting to write again. To make it easy, I thought I'd start with a tribute to some delightful handmade businesses and the beautiful girls behind them. Some I knew before the creation of Miss Goodie Two Shoes and have been blessed with getting to know them better, others have welcomed me to the handmade community with open arms and have been an amazing inspiration and given me endless support. Most of all, each and every one of these girls creates the most divine handmade goodies!

So without any further to do.......!

In the first spot is a gorgeous girl that I have previously blogged about, but who needs another mention simply because her artwork is the most gorgeous I have seen. Jess from Art Candy creates the most beautiful canvas boards and prints, I have a twelve strong collection of her artwork, and I'm still greedy for more!

The second lovely lady I'd like to introduce you to is Alana from Yumminess textiles. She creates the most beautiful ruffles and coordinating outfits, and never ceases to make me smile with her cheeky sense of humour. I was lucky enough to snap up four pairs of her divine ruffles during her last market night, and I'm counting down the days until I can buy more!

While on the subject of ruffles, I must pay mention to the divine Lisa Lou from Little Lou Lou - Handmade children's fashion & gifts. She recently opened an online store amid a frenzy of excited ruffle fanatics and is responsible for my ruffle obsession!

A final mention for the week is my beautiful friend Kate from MISS KIKI of Cherry Blossom Lane. She gives life to the cutest little cloth dolls who are just bursting with personality. My favourite little girls are from her recent 'English Cottage' collection, and I'm pleased as punched to say we now own a little Miss of our own.

I have so many more businesses I'd like to mention, so I'll be back again next week with another sneak peek of some handmade beauties and the gorgeous girls I'm so lucky to now call my friends xxx

A Country Wife returns... with her Miss Goodie Two Shoes

My poor neglected little blog. Ever since the creation of Miss Goodie Two Shoes I haven't had a chance to relax with a cuppa and visit my friends in blogland. Now when I jump on to the computer it's to update my business page, answer queries and a long list of emails, and catch up with the goings on of all my fellow businesses. I am loving every minute of my new life and feel so blessed that I am creating treasured friends for little girls and boys.

I do miss blogging though. After all it was the gorgeous girls amongst us who inspired me to channel my creative side. I made an early decision not to post about Miss Goodie Two Shoes as I wanted to stay true to the reasons for developing A Country Wife. But sadly that has meant a complete lull in blogging! I've done some reflecting and have decided my blog should embrace this new chapter of my life, and share the excitement with you all.

Here we have the latest of my precious girls

Looking forward to catching up with you all again! xxxx