...{Blessed are the Meek}...

love bugs

2012-02-13T13:37:00.002+08:00

tomorrow is valentines day

so in honour of the day of love the little guy and i

{well more me then him}

made some little valentines gifts for his teachers at school

little love bugs

i came across this sweet idea on pinterest and thought it was easy enough for us to do.

all it took was a couple of lolly pops, some googly eyes and some pretty scrapbook paper, all items i had around the house.

william gave them out this morning and they were a hit, they loved them.

he really loves his teachers and he just loves going to school.

happy valentines day everybody

xoxo

photo a day ::: for the month of feb

2012-02-12T10:54:00.001+08:00

day nine

{front door}

our door to our little cottage by the sea

day ten

{self portrait}

i spent the day at home with this little guy because he was sick

but he still cracks a smile and brightens my day

day eleven

{what makes me happy}

passing my eye exam

today i had my eyes checked

something i have to do regularly as i have terrible eyesight

i always panic when i get them tested

i panic about them getting worse

any worse and i would be blind!

so when the optometrist told me there was no change

and my eyes were looking good {get it? looking good, haha}

i was very happy

day twelve

{in my closet}

vintage, vintage and more vintage

i have gathered quite a collection of lovely vintage treasures now

the only thing missing from my collection is vintage shoes

but i just can not bring myself to wear second hand shoes!

things i am loving

2012-02-10T08:44:00.000+08:00

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is

i am loving owning an ice cream store big time now that it is summer!

my new favorite flavor is mango, yum yum

i am loving taking the little guy for a ride on his bike

we have lovely quiet tree lined streets around our house

it is a nice and safe place for him to learn to ride his bike

i am loving pastor ryan at church

each week i am filled to overflowing with the word of God

the holy spirit is definitely at work in this man

and it is spilling out and into the congregation

i am loving the little guys imagination
i went looking for him the other day
and i found him playing puppies
he had made a house for his stuffed dogs
and found them some sticks and balls to play with

he is such a little cutie!

join in on things i'm loving
over at paisley jade

the little guy woke up this morning and he is too sick to go to school today
poor little guy
he has a fever, runny nose and a nasty cough
so i have had to cancel two appointments today
and we are staying home
my hubby has been sick for a few weeks now too
so fingers crossed that i remain healthy
somebody has to play nurse and look after these sick boys!

photo a day ::: february

2012-02-08T13:38:00.000+08:00

day six

{dinner}

my wonderful pappa-in-law made us some delish relish

so for dinner we had chicken and salad wraps topped off with yummy relish

day seven

{button}

this is my button collection

it used to me my mothers button collection

as a little girl i would play with these buttons

i remember playing with them in my mothers sewing room

as she sat and whirred away at her sewing machine

day eight

{sun}

shadows are very fascinating to my little boy right now

we went out to the car this morning to go to school

and the sun was shining in our bright blue sky

and will noticed our shadows on the driveway

so of course we had to do a little shadow dancing!

a grey day today

2012-02-07T21:37:00.000+08:00

today was not such a great day for me in the blessed house
too much discipline and not enough praise was going on
the little guy is usually pretty well behaved
i must admit has been a pretty cruisey kind of kid
except for today

it seemed to be one naughty thing after another
no to him meant yes
and he was pushing my buttons big time

but i took a deep breath
i remembered that i love him
i remembered that he is only three
and i remembered that we are not all perfect

and bless his little heart
before bed he said "mummy, i lub you"
{yes he has a speech issue and yes we are working on it}
and i said i love you too, tomorrow is another day and i cant wait to see you in the morning

being a parent is a big learning experience {for me anyway}
and i am learning that we are not perfect
and that i should stop trying so hard to be perfect

will starting school has been interesting
you see usually i am the teacher and not the parent
and the shoe is totally on the other foot
now it is his teacher approaching me about his speech issues, and his nose picking
{so embarrassing, he cant keep his fingers out of it!}
and he is still not 100% potty trained {which is totally stressing me out}
and he wont put his face under water at swimming lessons, arrhh!

but i need to remember
not every child progresses at the same rate
he will reach these milestones
just keep praying, instructing, encouraging and rewarding and we will get there
{i just wish he would get there really quickly}

so as i said tomorrow is another day
and it will be a better day...

your heavenly Father knows your needs
he will always give you all you need from day to day
luke 12: 30-31

photo a day ::: february

2012-02-05T14:32:00.001+08:00

i have started a new photo a day challenge for the month of february
{check out the list here}
i love this challenge because i love to take photos

day one

{my view today}

today my little boy started kindy

this is going to be my view every morning two days a week

from now on

usually it is me walking through those gates to go to work

now it is williams turn to go through them to his school

day two

{words}

these words are very powerful

and they pull me through the day

day three

{hands}

oh how these little hands have grown over the past three years
it is hard to imagine that one day they will be bigger then my own hands

day four

{a stranger}

some strangers enjoying the best ice cream round town
from my ice cream shop of course!

day five

{10am}

putting on the finishing touches before heading out to church
i love sundays!

things i'm loving

2012-02-03T09:54:00.001+08:00

it has been a loooong while since i joined in with things i'm loving
i am glad to be back on the lovin wagon!

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.

this week i am loving...

{my new stash of nail polish}

it is the simple things that make my heart sing

and my toes dance

{my FREE tote bag}

i love it when you receive something for free

especially when that something is stripey and yellow and is a bag

thank you natio... you made my day when you gifted me this bag

{jewelery making}

it has been a long time since i made any jewelery

i headed out to buy some beads and quickly whipped up this cutie bracelet

{my big kindy boy}

i was so proud of this little guy when he went off to kindy on wednesday

he is such a good little boy and i am proud to be his mumma

head on over to paisley jade to join in on things i'm loving or to check out the other lovely blogs who have posted their loves this week

hope you have a fabulous weekend!

the little guy is off to school for the first time

2012-02-01T14:13:00.000+08:00

today was william's first day at kindy
he is all grown up now
when i dressed him in his school uniform this morning it nearly bought a tear to my eye
he looked like such a big boy

he was very excited to be going to school
he was now going to be going to mummy's school {as he calls it}
when we arrived in the classroom
i helped him to put his things away
reminded him where everything was
{i was reminding him not showing him because he spent a lot of time in his classroom last year when i was working there}
and then we sat down to read a story together
he then turned to me and said that is was his classroom and it was time for me and daddy to leave now!
no first day jitters for this little man
he was eager to start playing and learning

so our first day at school was a very easy transition for this little family
no tears from the little guy
or from the big guys!
i know his school and his teachers well and they are excellent
i leave him there with the confidence that he is going to have a wonderful time

yes i am going to miss him
but it is a new and exciting stage in his life that we get to enjoy together
i just do not want this year to go too fast
so i can savour and enjoy every little minute of his first year at school

photo a day challenge ::: february

2012-02-01T00:30:00.000+08:00

hello february!

you are going to be a super busy month for us here in the blessed household...

school starts... the little guy is off to kindy
i will be back doing what i love, relief teaching

swimming lessons have started, once a week for ten weeks

we have six members of our family with birthdays this month including me, eek!

i do not want to get another year older

i don't mind being another year wiser but definitely not another year older!

and there are lots of other big changes on the horizon for us as well

{you should be used to that by now, we are always up to crazy stuff}

and i have joined in on another photo a day challenge

i am now on instagram {just look for meeklake}

and i love it

im hooked

you should be on it too
{and when you are let me know so i can follow you}

follow me on my challenge and join in too

it is lots of fun

{january photo a day} wrap up...

2012-01-31T09:09:00.000+08:00

january has come to an end for another year

here are my last few photos to finish up the photo a day challenge for the month of january

day twenty seven

{lunch}

green means good

and i am trying to be a good girl when it comes to eating

so far so good

except for the the fish and chips the other night ;-)

day twenty eight

{light}

the sunset was beautiful down at the foreshore

the air was warm and so was the sea

the clouds had rolled in and that made for a glorious colour sky

as the sun dipped down into the ocean

day twenty nine

{inside my fridge}

nothing exciting

just the basics

fruit, veges, milk, butter and of course left overs!

day thirty

{nature}

today we enjoyed the scenery in the african savannah

at perth zoo

day thirty one

{me}

last day of school holidays today, boo

swimming and relaxing are on the agenda for today

thanks fatmumslim for hosting the photo a day challenge for january

if you would like to join in there is a challenge starting tomorrow for the month of january

head on over here to check it out and sign up

Australia day twenty twelve

2012-01-27T16:12:00.002+08:00

January the twenty sixth

is Australia day

is the national day of Australia where we celebrate the arrival of the first fleet which arrived in Sydney in 1788

it is where we get to celebrate this great nation in which we live

the land of hot summers and beautiful beaches

the land of the long weekend

{and of course lots of other great things!}

so to celebrate we headed to the beach

it was far too hot to go out during the day so we waited until late in the afternoon to venture out of the air conditioning

we took the boat out for some sea biscuiting

we relaxed on the sand

and swam in the ocean until the sun went down and the thunder and lightning show began

it was a beautiful evening

the heat wave is continuing here in western Australia
another day of forty degree temperatures today
the clouds have rolled in so it is very steamy
just like being back in Cambodia!

{photo a day}

2012-01-27T15:53:00.004+08:00

day twenty four

{guilty pleasure}

one of many guilty pleasures is taking some time out and watch sitcoms

today's choice was scrubs

my other favs are seinfeld and friends

day twenty five

{something i made}

i love jewellery and a few years back i made all of my own jewellery

and these bracelets would have to be my favorite

day twenty six

{colour}

red whit and blue

the colours on our Australian flag

today is Australia day

happy Australia day everybody

i love this country that we call home

{photo a day} jan 2012

2012-01-24T10:49:00.003+08:00

day twenty

{someone i love}

i love this little guy

he will always be my baby boy

we had our first dip in the ocean for 2012

it was lovely except i got a little nip on the toe from a cheeky crab!

day twenty one

{reflection}

his eyes are a reflection of my fathers eyes and mine

blue like the sky on a clear summers day

whenever i look into these eyes i am reminded of my dad and how much i miss him

but also how he lives on in this little face

day twenty two

{shoes}

gladiator sandals and pretty painted toes

are some of the things i love in summer time

day twenty three

{something old}

i have a whole house full of lovely old treasures

my favorites would have to be my collection of vintage suitcases

doing this challenge is making me see how fast january is going

and before i know it, it is going to be february

and then things will really start to get busy for us

the litte guy will start school

and swimming lessons

i will be back doing relief teaching

ladies bible study starts

there are lots of birthdays for us in feb including mine

and another photo a day challenge!

blessed baby boy

2012-01-24T10:32:00.002+08:00

i would like you to meet...

joseph terence holland

my brand new nephew

he belongs to my big sis

and he is just adorable

he was born early on sunday morning

{a freaky thing is all my sisters children were born on a sunday!}

he is big, blonde and beautiful

my prayer is that he continues to grow big, strong and healthy

that he enjoys life and all it has to offer

and that he will know God and walk in his ways

welcome to the family little joseph

we love you

xoxo

back to school time

2012-01-19T12:47:00.002+08:00

we are getting ready for the new school year here in the blessed house

and for the first time it is not me getting ready but the little guy!

Will is starting kindy this year

usually about now i would be preparing for the new school year by writing programs, making class posters, arranging my classroom etc etc

but instead i am preparing for my little boy

washing school uniforms, labeling clothes and belongings and most importantly preparing HIM for starting school.

luckily for me i am getting to share this new experience with a good friend of mine Christie

her little munchkin Immy is starting kindy too and she will be in Will's class, yeah!

and she has some great advice on her website for me

{and other mummas going through this experience too}

there is a great post about preparing for the practicalities of starting school which i found very helpful

and another one about litter less lunches {which includes a giveaway if your are interested}

this week i am working with Will to get his toileting down

{he is nearly there and is getting better by the day}

and to recognise his own name

everything else we pretty much have sorted

he is so excited about going to school and i am too

he is going to learn so much and have a great time doing it

i know his teachers very well and they are wonderful

and just secretly, i am looking forward to a little time off!

{photo a day}

2012-01-19T12:08:00.001+08:00

day fifteen

{happiness}

Transform Cambodia has brought so much happiness to the people of Cambodia

for the staff they employ

the children that they love and educate

and for their beautiful families

day sixteen

{morning}

i spent the morning with these adorable little children at their transform center

one of the best mornings i have had here

day seventeen

{water}

flying into Perth this morning was magical

seeing my little city and our lovely beaches cant wait to take a dip in the ocean

it is great to be home

day eighteen

{something i bought}

i bought this sweet little bag from a sweet little lady in Cambodia

the proceeds go to helping young women in Cambodia

day nineteen

{sweet}

i have a sweet tooth

i love sugar in my tea and a sweet treat to eat too

we are back home in the land of aus

it is great to be back home

you can read about our last few days in Cambodia

here and here

{a photo a day}

2012-01-15T15:36:00.000+08:00

day eleven

{where i sleep}

at the moment we are living in a hotel room

this one is pretty comfy but i do miss my own bed

day twelve

{close up}

this picture was taken in a market here in Phnom Penh

the market has several levels and it is packed with people and products

and i was squished in there with all those people and products

so everything and everybody was up close to me today!

the things i go through to shop for a bargain!

day thirteen

{in my bag}

this is my little travel bag, something i carry with me everywhere i go at the moment

it holds all my essentials...

american dollars, hand sanitizer, tissues, lip gloss etc etc

but the most important thing is the piece of paper with my hotel details and phone numbers just in case i get lost!

day fourteen

{something i am reading}

i love lonely planet guides and i have quiet a few now

i never go to a country i have not been to before without one.

you can read about what i have been doing for the last few days here in Cambodia
here and here

{a photo a day} childhood

2012-01-10T15:21:00.000+08:00

{childhood}

these children that i meet were delightful

sure their childhood is a lot different to what my childhood was

and very different to that of my little boy who is three

but...

they are loved by their mummas just as much

their daddy's work hard for them just as much as my daddy did

their nanny gives the best hugs, just like Will's nanny

and God loves them too

my prayer is that their childhood gets better

that they keep smiling

keep loving and helping one another

and that His blessing would rain down upon them

{photo a day} daily routine

2012-01-09T15:46:00.000+08:00

{daily routine}

this picture was taken today while i was visiting a slum area in phnom penh

a families washing hanging to dry

admits the dirt, dust and rubbish

i thank God that my daily routine of hanging the washing out to dry is not like this picture

but that this is happening

and to a family just like mine

it breaks my heart

i am praying for this nation like i have never prayed before

my prayer is that they are delivered from their poverty

and quickly

you can read all about my journey to the slum here

{photo a day challenge} January 2012

2012-01-08T12:48:00.001+08:00

for those of you who travel around the blogosphere and instagram you would have heard of the

photo a day challenge for january 2012

{if you do not know what i am talking about, you can check it our here}

when all my lovely world wide web friends started doing the challenge i thought it a great idea

but i thought twice about joining up because i am on my trip in cambodia

but actually it is the perfect place for me to do it

i am already taking millions of photos anyway

so i am starting a little late... 8 days late in fact

so here are my photos to catch me up to speed

{me}

{breakfast}

hotel room style

the breakfast provided by the hotel in not very nice

so we have some of our own food in our room

this has to be the best mango juice i have ever tasted

{something i adore}

of course it is my two boys

{letter box}

the only letterbox i am checking at the moment is my inbox!

{something i wore}

there are no fancy outfits at the moment

just shorts, t-shirts and gladiators

the weather is warm and the air is dusty so nothing too glamorous

i did manage to wear a little something lovely

my ring from venice

it always makes me feel exotic when i wear something i picked up in a distant land

and now that i have visited quite a few distant lands i have acquired a lot of lovely exotic treasures :)

{makes me smile}

how could this not make you smile?

this little guy is my sunshine on a cloudy day

{favorite}

the book of matthew is my favorite book to read in the bibe at the momnent

just look at all that advice and wisdom

and look at all those red words, they are words straight from Jesus mouth

how can you go wrong

{my sky}

this is the view out of my hotel room in phnom penh

there is a little haze but beautiful blue sky is above in the heavens

i can feel Gods presence in this city

and he is raising up a new generation

powerful stuff to be a part of

i am now on instagram

and you can find me by searching for meeklake

happy sunday to you

xoxo

it is time to transform cambodia

2012-01-04T22:03:00.003+08:00

today i went shopping at the russian market in phnom penh

the market is fantastic as you all know i love a good market

but today i was shopping for art and school supplies to donate to transform cambodia

we managed to fill up our tuk tuk with stuff

it was awesome

you can read all about my adventure shopping in the market here

i am having such a great time on my mission trip

the Cambodian people are so warm and welcoming

and they love having us hear to help out

i am meeting so many people that i just cant remember all of their names!

we have arrived...

2012-01-02T17:18:00.002+08:00

we arrived safe and sound in Cambodia

the next leg of our lake world tour has begun.

We are here with my hubby's parents, they have been here before helping out transform cambodia so they are being our tour guides

head on over to our blog

lake world tour

{here, here and here}

to read all about the fun we are having

im leaving on a jet plane...

2011-12-30T15:50:00.000+08:00

tomorrow is the last day of 2011

it has been a fantastic year for us here in the blessed house

we started the year off in Canada on the ski slopes

and we are going to end the year in Cambodia in the searing heat!

this year i returned to work, teaching pre primary

will went to 'school' three days a week

and the hubby launched himself back into business

we bought an ice cream store and {new to us} boat which has made our summers more exciting

we have camped, took short holidays and spent lots of fun times with family and friends

next year i look forward to working less {much, much less}

the little guy is off to kindy

and who knows what the hubby is going to do in his business!

open a burger bar, hire more staff, start something new i am sure

i plan to spend more time with my girlfriends

more play dates

much much more crafting and learning how to do some new crafty things

more dates with my hubby

more camping with my little family

swimming lessons and maybe even tae kwon do lessons for the little guy

lots of fun times ahead...

tomorrow we are leaving on a jet plane

we are all packed and ready to go

you can keep up with our adventures over at our blog

lake world tour

there will not be much posting going on here for the next two and a half weeks as i will be posting over at lake world tour so make sure you head on over to catch up on our adventures

happy new year everybody

love the blessed family

xoxo

{Christmas Day}

2011-12-26T11:27:00.001+08:00

our christmas day started with a sleep in!

can you believe it?

the little guy was so tiered he slept through until nearly 8am

he climbed out of bead and peeped into the living room

then he came quietly into our bedroom and whispered to us

"there are some presents under the tree"

he is so mellow and easy going, just like his daddy

we unwrapped our presents

and the little guy got all the things on his christmas list {plus a few more}

a gun {yes i gave in and got him a mini nerf gun}

buzz lightyear and woody dolls

and a skateboard

he was a very happy little boy

we had an easy morning around the house

getting ready for the big day while will played with his new treasures

then we headed to lunch at my mamma's house with my family

it is always a noisy even when my family gets together because there are so many of us

but i wouldn't have it any other way

the kids run around and have fun together and they even rope the adults in to play with them

there was lots and LOTS of delicious food {my family are wonderful cooks}

great company, lots of gifts, fun, laughter and joy...

in the afternoon we headed home to pick up the next round of food and gifts and then we headed to my hubby's parents house for christmas dinner with his family

once again there was lots of gifts and delicious food

we sat and watched will and his cutie cousin halle play

we nibbled on yummy treats, watched uncle matt fly his new kite and chatted away into the evening

and the end of the evening we were exhausted and it was straight home to sleep of all the christmas cheer

i love christmas

i love my family

and i love that jesus was born

after all he is the reason for the season

i hope you and your family had a wonderful christmas

loved the blessed family

xoxo

twas the night before christmas...

2011-12-26T09:13:00.000+08:00

and all through the house

not a creature was stirring

not even a mouse

the stockings were hung by the chimney with care

in hopes that Saint Nicolas would soon be there

Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

cruising the canals

2011-12-24T15:05:00.001+08:00

last night we put the boat in the water and cruised up and down the canals in mandurah looking at all the fancy houses decorated with chrissy lights

we pulled up at the marina to grab some delicious fish and chips from cicerellos

undoubtedly the best fish and chips around town

and then we continued to cruise around, listening to christmas tunes and admiring the sights

it was such a fantastic evening

now it is christmas eve and we are spending the day relaxing in preperation fro our busy day tomorrow

we are heaading to church tonight for the christmas eve church service and then home to bed to wait for santa claus to arrive

i am so very looking forward to tomorrow morning

to see the little guys excitement opening all his wonderful presents

merry christmas to you and your family

we hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with your family and friends

hand made chrissy cards

2011-12-23T13:39:00.001+08:00

i do not usually hand out christmas cards, but this year i decided to make some cards with will for him to give to his grandparents

we got the paints out yesterday and made some cute hand made chrissy cards

i came across this cute idea while i was cruising around pinterest

a hand print reindeer and we added some glitter glue for his red nose and the bells around his neck

i also stole this idea from pinterest too...

a hand print santa

i painted the fingers with white paint and the bottom of his hand and thumb with red paint

then we added some glitter to his hat to give him a little sparkle

and glitter glue for his eyes and smile

i finally got will to hold hid pen correctly

now we just need to teach him how to start writing his name

the days are slipping by very quickly in the lead up to christmas day

but i think i am ready now...

all the christmas gift buying is done

and all the gifts are wrapped and ready to be placed under the tree

the food is all sorted and bought and taking up all the space in my fridge

camera is charged and ready for me to be snap happy and capture all the fun

our new clothes are all washed and ironed ready for us the wear

the house is clean and tidy

the christmas tunes have been put onto my iphone and the dock is charged ready to blast christmas carols all day long...

hope i have not forgot anything!

{christmas time traditions}

2011-12-23T13:22:00.000+08:00

the little guy and i started a tradition last year of making a gingerbread house together

last year was the first time i ever decorated a house

i was able to purchase an already made and pieced together gingerbread house from the supermarket

all we had to do was pipe on the icing and decorate with lollies

but that was when we were in canada

i could not find one like it this year so i just went with the kit from ikea

all the pieces are already made and cut to shape for you

you just have to construct the house and decorate it

i had an extraordinarily difficult time putting ours together

just when i would have it all pieced together

i would step back to admire my handy work and then it would fall in a heap!

somebody gave me some great advice after i had already done it of course

but they suggested you hold it together with pins

you just have to remember where the pins are and remove them before eating the house

i will defiantly try this trick next year.

i eventually got the houses finished,

they did look a little more like the leaning tower of pisa then a cute little house in the snow!

will helped me to pour on the icing and cover the houses {we made two} with yummy candy

they are not fancy but i let will have creative license over them so i think they look pretty good for being completed by a three year old.

just look how perfectly he lined everything up

he is a little perfectionist, just like his daddy!

one house was for us and the other house {the better looking one!} we were going to take to his nanny and poppys house on christmas day

but when i got up this morning, will had already started nibbling away at one,

the one for nanny and poppy of course!

holiday preperations

2011-12-20T14:56:00.000+08:00

we are slowly {the emphasis is on SLOWLY}

getting ready for our trip to Cambodia

{you can read more about our trip here}

so far we have dragged the backpacks out of storage

located our passports

had our injections and stocked up on some medication to take with us in case we get ill, and

bought some appropriate travel clothing {long pants and long sleeve light weight shirts}

the accommodation and flights are booked

now we just need to...

organise a first aid kit

keep reading our lonely planet guide and workout any sight seeing we want to fit in

buy travel size everything {toiletries etc etc}

work out all the clothes we want to take with us

and then cut the pile in half coz i always pack waaay to much

work out what technology to take with us... laptop or ipad or iphone ?

{me and my first world problems}

and then jam everything into two very large, but hopefully not too heavy backpacks

eek, this list is just way too long

and we have Christmas to get through yet!

a little bit at a time and it shall all get done... hopefully

holidays are here

2011-12-20T09:48:00.002+08:00

it is day two of my freedom and i am loving it!

school is over for the year and i don't have any school work to think about

i am going back to work next year but only as a relief teacher

and only two days a week

{the days will is at kindy}

these past few days have been all about relaxing, just a little

a bit more Christmas preparation

and play time, lots and lots of mummy and son playing

will is in to colouring and he is always asking me to draw him pictures to colour

i am not the best drawer in the whole world so the other day i found some easy how to draw books

he puled them out this morning and asked me to whip up a cement truck for him

so i followed the instructions and was pretty pleased with my efforts

now if only i could get my son to hold his crayon correctly!

every time we sit down to draw i show him how to do it properly but he says no mummy you do it like this and grabs the crayon with his fist

my son, the son of a pre primary teacher will be going to school and not be able to hold his pencil properly!

oh well, that's what i pay the school big bucks for right? to teach him those skills

we have a few months yet to get him ready

the one big thing i am STILL woking on is his toileting

he is too lazy to go to the toilet when he is busy playing and so wets himself

it is driving me cray!

i tell you it is easier to toilet train a dog then it is to toilet train my three year old son!

{abbey turns five}

2011-12-17T14:56:00.002+08:00

today is my sweet nieces birthday

she turned five

we went along and had a fun time at her birthday party

playing games

eating food

and enjoying the little kiddies

i really love watching all the cousins together having fun

my sis is very pregnant at the moment so we have another little cousin on the way

i hope it is a girl

it will even up the boy girl ratio in our family a little!

Christmas light gazing

2011-12-17T14:19:00.000+08:00

we have been touring around our community looking at all the houses that have been decorated for Christmas

each year there are more and more houses being decorated and it is lovely to see

the little guy loves hoping out of the car and running around looking at all the lights hanging on the houses

he loves it when there is a hoho {santa} on the roof

that is his favorite :)

most houses are taking donations for the childrens hospital

you will know if they are as they will have a small sign so if you are going Christmas light gazing make sure you take some money to make a donation to help the little kiddies out

shining stars

2011-12-15T08:42:00.001+08:00

i had a request for the recipe for those super cute shortbread biscuits we baked the other day

the are called shining stars

they are shortbread cookies with boiled lollies melted into the middle

such a brilliant idea!

you can find the recipe here

happy cooking to you

xoxo

{santa mail}

2011-12-14T08:19:00.001+08:00

there was an exciting moment in our household last night...

Will received a letter in the mail box from Santa!

he was so cute

running to the mail box and peering inside to find his postcard

jumping up and down and waving the card around

priceless...

thanks Santa, you made my little guys day :)

p.s... i have finished teaching for the year!

it was my last teaching day yesterday

i said farewell to my gorgeous kiddies and said hello to my new found freedom

i have one more day to go into work and clean everything up and then we have a fancy staff christmas lunch to wind the year up

i have enjoyed the year with my class, they have been so much fun to be around but i am looking forward to being a full time mummy again

Chrissy cooking

2011-12-12T16:40:00.001+08:00

every year a week or two before Christmas i get together with my mumsy-in-law and my sister-in-law for a big baking session

we cook all sorts of yummy treats for Christmas day and any other special events we go to around holiday time

this year i made rocky-road and chocolate rum balls {minus the rum!}

i am hoping we can hold of eating them until Chrissy day, not sure if we have the discipline so i may be making some more!

it is such a lovely and special tradition and this year the little guy got in on the action and helped us to bake some yummy shortbread biscuits

i love holiday traditions

i think we need to start a few more!

curry in a hurry

2011-12-09T08:43:00.000+08:00

i am totally in love with indian food at the moment

when we are not in the mood for cooking our first choice for takeaway is indian

for the locals spices on ocean is yummy and of course chutney marys

we have a new indian restaurant that has just opened up around the corner from my place so we will have to check that one out next

i cooked a delicious butter chicken up the other night and i my hubby exclaimed that it is the best he has ever tasted!

i must confess that i did not cook it from scratch

it came from a packet mix but it was absolutely delish...

if you shop at an iga check out the passage to india range of indian simmer sauces

that are super yummy

softies for the kiddies

2011-12-07T16:02:00.001+08:00

only 23 sleeps until we fly out for cambodia

{two overseas trips in one year, yikes!}

a lovely friend of my mumma made these softies for us to take for the kiddies in cambodia

what a sweet lady


i love these little guys, check out their ties!

it is only a little thing

but the children are going to love and cherish them i am sure

lets hope i can squeeze them into my backpack...

jingle all the way

2011-12-07T12:46:00.001+08:00

i have finished my Christmas gift shopping!

i braved the busy crowd and got everything i needed all in the one go

i love sunday trading, the shops are a little quieter on a sunday so i recommend going then

i love buying toys for my little guy and all my nieces and nephews

now all i have to do is wrap them!

we have began watching Christmas movies

a muppet christmas carol, elf, the chipmunk movie

next is going to be miracle on 34th street and the polar express

we might have to crank out the home alone movies as well, we haven't watched them in many many years, i wonder if i still find them as funny....

sailing along in the deep blue sea

2011-12-05T17:57:00.001+08:00

on sunday we went for a leisurely sail around our local coastline

our first boating trip for the summer season

the first of many to come

my little man with his nanny and poppy along for the ride

the two men in my life driving me around in the boat

we have lots of little islands of our beach one of which is called seal island

it is a tiny little island that you are not allowed to go ashore on

it's only inhabitants are seals of course

can you see mr seal? he is on the left hand side of the picture on the shore line :)

another island is penguin island which you are allowed to go on

and of course its inhabitants are penguins!

we did not go ashore today, we just cruised around enjoying the sights

we were lucky enough to see dolphins, seals, pelicans and lots of birds on our little adventure

we live in a really lovely part of the world

and we need to get out and enjoy it more

busy busy busy

2011-12-04T19:01:00.001+08:00

today i...
went to an awesome church service
had a delicious lunch from our local bakery
did all my Christmas shopping
{i saw santa at the shops and i showed him my receipt and asked to be reimbursed for my purchases but he declined, i will have to check my stocking on christmas morning and see if he leaves me some money! }
went for a sail around our coast line, visiting the little islands off shore
did a little tidying at home and
prepared for the coming week at school

and now i am exhausted, ready to put my feet up and have a cup of tea and watch something interesting on tv {white collar... i love that show}

hope you had a fabulos weekend
only two more weeks and school is out, yipee!

tis the season to be jolly...

2011-12-01T13:54:00.001+08:00

it is the first of december today...

the christmas season has started... it actually started a few weeks ago in our house

the tree is already up

we have lights hanging in our windows

the stockings are hung and ready to be filled

and the christmas carols have been playing around the clock

the house is looking festive

now we just need to shift in to festive mood...

it is so hard when you are rushed off your feet with work, home, children and life in general

but it is all about to settle a little and then this house will be full to overflowing with christmas cheer!

books in the mail

2011-11-29T16:49:00.001+08:00

i have been able to tick another thing off my to do list.
last night we had our presentation night at school. it went fantastically, without a hitch. the children sang beautifully and the parents had a great time. i am very glad that it is all over and done with. it took a lot of organising, rehearsing and stress so that is why i am glad it is over.

this wonderful little book arrived in the mail yesterday...

now that school is winding down and i have done most of the important things associated with the end of the school year i can afford a little time to start thinking of our trip to Cambodia at the end of december.

i wish i had kept all my lonely planet books but as we traveled we got rid of them to make our bags lighter. we would have had a very good collection by now!

my hubby wanted me to get the ipad version but i wanted a hard copy. we had an ipad version for when we were in the states but i found that all three of us would fight over using the ipad so i think it will just be easier for me to read a book then negotiate with my two boys to use the ipad.

i am starting to get a wee bit excited and then i remember all the things i have to do to get ready for an overseas trip and then i start to freak a little. especially the little thing of having my little boy properly toilet trained. lots of prayer, persistence and patients needed there.

i am going to go and make myself a chai latte, curl up in my rocker and read my book
happy tuesday to you
xoxo

hello there...

2011-11-24T15:59:00.001+08:00

summer is well and truly here, the past couple of days here in the west have been steaming.
my little house is like a sauna. i escaped to the shopping center today to take advantage of the air conditioning but it was a little too crowded so we headed home after picking up all the little things we needed.

we have been enjoying spending the hot afternoons at the beach and eating ice-cream of course. i cant wait to get the boat and kayaks out on the ocean again.

life has been busy as usual. things are starting to wind down at school so i am a busy little squirrel doing school reports, planning Christmas activities, organising for end of year awards night and so on and so on...
only two and a half weeks and the little guy and i will be finished with school and be on summer holidays!
i have had a great time being back at work but i am so looking to getting a little of my free time back.

We are the middle of organising our Christmas plans - where we will be eating lunch and dinner, what gifts to buy, what food we need...

i do love this time of year, being so busy makes it go too fast. just think this time last year we were living in the snow!

well now it is time to get up and go and do all the things around the house i was supposed to do today but put off because it was too hot (we have no air conditioning in our little cottage)
happy thursday to you
xoxo

a sneak peek into my home...

2011-11-22T17:00:00.000+08:00

my humble little kitchen...

filled with vintage treasures...

it is a lovely place to be when the kettle is boiling and there is the smell of tasty treats on the oven...

i love this pace we call home

run baby run

2011-11-20T07:35:00.001+08:00

as you may know i am a bit of a gym junkie, it is my second home.

i am usually there 4 or 5 times a week, and when you work and have a family to look after that is a lot to fit in.

even though i work out a lot i have yet to master going for a run on the treadmill. the cross trainer - no problem but the treadmill has always got the best of me.

i would always find weak excuses - i have bad knees to the impact of running would be too much for my joints, i could never figure out my breathing so i would puff out easily and generally i would give up ufter a few minutes.

well not anymore my friends!

i have conquered the treadmill - i own that bad boy!

i found this great blog - itty bits of balance and on there i came across a great interval running program

there were three options for the program - beginners, intermediate and challenging. i started on the challenging one and after two goes i had mastered it - no giving up, no slowing down and no quitting before the twenty minutes. after two weeks i am now running for twenty five minutes - yay me!
if you would like to give it a go i recommend that you pop over to the blog and check out the programs.
i have also found now that i have changed up my gym program i am starting to lose weight again. i had reached a bit of a plateau stage so now adding a run into my gym sessions i am back on the weight loss track again - just in time for summer.

dear santa...

2011-11-19T13:13:00.001+08:00

today the little guy posted his very first letter to santa

he told santa he had been a good guy

that he ate all his breakfast

and played nicely with his friends

he is such a little cutie

you can write to the big guy in red at

the north pole

9999

make sure you leave your reply address on the back of the envelope so he can send you a letter

you can find out all about posting santa mail here

we went a got our christmas tree today

we all piled in the car and headed on down to....

kmart!

yes kmart, no real chrissy trees here

we found the cheapest biggest tree we could find

15 dollars!

not to bad for a 6 foot tree

so now we are going to decorate that bad boy and get ourselves some holiday cheer!

happy saturday to you

xoxo

{pretty little letters}

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000+08:00

i love letters

i have a little collection of them around the house these days

one for the little guy ....

one for the big guy ....

and now one for me ....

materials ....

paper mache letter

{mine was purchased at spotlight}

pretty paper

pva glue {one that dries glue}

scissors

pencil

trace around the letter onto your pretty paper and cut it out

cover the letter in the glue and attach your paper on top

then cover the pretty paper with the glue to seal it

{this is why you must use a glue that dries clear}

and ta da...

now you have a pretty letter

weekend getaway...

2011-11-13T17:44:00.001+08:00

this weekend we escaped the hustle and bustle of life and headed on a little getaway

we escaped down south with my sis-in-law and her little family

we stayed at evedon park bush resort

it was so beautiful, peaceful and relaxing

we ate, drank, played games, explored our bush resort and enjoyed each others company

i just love taking a little time out to enjoy life and my little family

we visited the ferguson valley while we were there and it was so beautiful

very picturesque, rolling green hills, sun setting out over the ocean in the distance, cows and horses, vineyards and brewerys...

i think i may just move there... someday

happy weekend to you

xoxo

furniture facelift

2011-11-09T07:59:00.001+08:00

i decided to be brave and start tackling some of the d.i.y projects i had in mind

{and had pinned on my pinterest board}

i have a lot of furniture that i have purchased from secondhand stores

with the intent of prettying them up

well i finally prettied up something!

remember this lovely 70s bookshelf?

she got a facelift!

and i love her so much more now!

the painting face lift was really easy to do

and i followed the tips on how to paint wood furniture that i found here

my tips when it comes to painting furniture are...

apply a white undercoat using a spray can

it goes on real easy and it makes painting in your final colour a lot easier

i only had to do two coats of paint to make it look fab

do you painting on a nice warm sunny day

i painted two coats and it was dry and back in the house in a few hours

paint is not cheap

if your furniture is small enough i recommend using spray paint

it is a lot cheaper but unfortunately not as many colour choices

and, use water based paint for easy cleanup

happy wednesday to you
xoxo

{kindy garden}

2011-11-08T17:02:00.001+08:00

as you know recently it was my gorgeous little niece halle's first birthday

i wanted to buy her something cute for her birthday so i searched the wonderful world wide web and stumbled accross the cutest etsy seller

kindy garden on etsy

she sells the most delightful artwork for children

and i just couldnt resist her sweet little prints and i ordered some for my niece

i ordered a set of pictures that spell out her name

they arrived in a sweet little envelope and it even came with a free little gift

{yay, i love free gifts}

i purchased some white frames and placed the prints inside

and they look super cute!

thank-you to megan at kindy garden

your prints are a delight

happy tuesday to you
xoxo

lake world tour... part three

2011-11-06T16:28:00.001+08:00

i am so excited to tell you that we are planning our next little adventure!

at the end of the year me and my little family are heading over to cambodia with my hubby's parents

we are going to help out the organisation transform cambodia

On any one day there are over 15,000 young children working or living on the streets of Cambodia, scraping a living from scavenging, begging or selling.  They have no education or hope for the future. Transform Cambodia gives them not just hope, but a guaranteed bright future. 

At Transform we feed and educate them, and train them to become leaders of Cambodia's future.  We currently operate eleven Life Centres which transform the lives of 100 children each - all staffed by Khmer nationals, and are on target to add 500 children 
every year.  We are passionate about this 
country, and the opportunity 
we have to make such 
a huge difference. 

transformcambodia.com

i am so excited to be apart of this amazing movement to help the next generation of young people in cambodia make a better life for themselves and their families.

we will be helping out in the centers where we are needed.
we will help to train the leaders in the center... helping with their english, their teaching skills and providing additional skills and resources
for example last time my mumsy in law was there she was teaching the leaders art skills - like mixing colours, drawing skills, the use of imagination things that seem so simple to us but have been lost along the way

my in-laws have already made several trips to cambodia and have been helping out over the past year
and i am really looking forward to sharing this experience with them

i will keep you updated and let you know how you can be involved in helping to raise up the next generation of khmer people
so that they can make their country a better place to live

happy sunday to you
xoxo

summer love

2011-11-04T08:17:00.001+08:00

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.

the weather is warming up here in our little city by the sea

and summer is well and truly on its way

i am getting just a wee bit excited for summer

{mainly because it will be holidays time}

here is what i am loving about summer time...

there will be lots of ice-cream eating at our store

mmmmm...... forerro rocher and nougat are my all time favorites

i love having dinner

{usually fish and chips}

down the beach front on a warm summer evening

boating, boating and more boating

the hubby is keen to get the boat out again

there will be lots of fishing, wake boarding and boat trips out to penguin island this summer

swimming in the cool ocean

{hopefully no more shark attacks of our coast, there was been a few too many of late for my liking}

swimming lessons with my little guy and his best friend

they are cheeky little monkeys together so it should be an interesting experience!

Christmas time!

my most favorite summer thing of all

i cant wait!

happy friday to you

xoxo

i am linking up here

jar jackets

2011-11-02T06:24:00.000+08:00

after being inspired by these lovely little handy dandy jars in their cute little coats

i made my own little coats for some little jars

the jars that inspired me were covered in vintage material

but since i do not have any lovely vintage material at my disposal i used

scrap-booking paper

yarn

lace

and

a vintage doily

{thanks nanna!}

a quick little pop of colour to spruce up my kitchen

im off to visit the queen...

2011-10-31T16:51:00.000+08:00

the queen came to visit us here in sunny western australia this week, she popped in briefly to say hello and held a massively big bbq at the perth foreshore, so very nice of her

but alas i had to decline her offer as i was off to visit another queen

{well a little princess really}

princess halle

{my adorable little niece}

had her first birthday party in the park

my sis-in-law went all out and the party was absolutely gorgeous

there was food galore, all sorts of yummy delicious home baked treats

the children were well entertained playing with bubbles, chalk drawing and swinging in the tree

little halle is truly a little blessing in our lives

she is like a ray of sunshine

reminding us that life is sweet and beautiful

i am blessed to be apart of her life story

love you princess halle

xoxo

dear dad....

2011-10-30T13:19:00.002+08:00

happy birthday!!!

yesterday we all got together at your beach to celebrate your birthday

the weather was sunny and warm

the water looked brilliant blue and reminded me of you.

we all miss you so very much and wish that you could still be here with us.

if you were here today we would have taken you out on our boat and enjoyed the sun and the sea.

you would tell us about the good old times you used to have out on the water in your boats.

we would shout you to an ice cream at our shop

and you would tell us how much you loved it and how great the store is going to be.

we probably would have gone with you to visit the queen

to wave hello and eat a sausage, and you would tell us all about her and the last time she visited your fine state.

if you were here i would hug and kiss you and tell you how much i love you...

happy birthday dad

xoxo

things i'm loving

2011-10-28T08:08:00.000+08:00

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is. 

this week i have been at home all week with the little guy who has been really sick

i am loving the wonderful ladies at work who have been praying for him to feel better

and have sent me get well messages

i LOVE those ladies

i am loving my wonderful mumma who came and looked after the little guy so i could go into work for a few hours

it is hard being a working mummy sometimes but life is a little easier when you have somebody help you out

i am loving our free health care system

we are the lucky country

i am loving having the gym to escape to in the evenings

it is hard work being a nurse!

i am loving that the queen decided to come and visit our humble little city

and because she is here we have a public holiday on a friday!

thanks queenie!

i wish i could go and see her but we have a packed out saturday tomorrow and we just couldn't squeeze her in

i am linking up with the super lovely kristy over at

paisley jade

happy friday to you

xoxo

twiddle diddle

2011-10-26T14:28:00.001+08:00

having the past few days at home have been lovely

the boy is on the mend

almost back to his cheeky self

i have been doing some twiddling

i have twiddled myself some lovely yarn wrapped letters

the idea of course came from pinterest

somebody else came accros the idea

i repinned it to my board

and then i made it

simple as

i used paper mache letters that i got at spotlight

cheap as

light weight

and easy to work with

just tie the yarn on, you could glue it if you like and then just wrap away.

i wasn't to fussy with my wrapping as long as all the letter was covered.

now i am of to redo some furniture

wish me luck

it is my first ever go and repainting something, eek!

happy middle of the woring week to you

xoxo

nurse meek

2011-10-25T09:48:00.000+08:00

this week i am taking time away from my regular job as a teacher and i am working as a nurse

the little guy is sick

he has a really high temperature

cough

runny nose...

= not good

i tried everything i could to get his temp down but couldnt

we could not get in to see a dr

so i made the excecutive decision to go to the emergency room in the afternoon

{instead of having to do a mad dash there in the middle of the night if it got any worse}

we were in and out pretty quickly

he has a virus

he should be back to normal in a few days

so i get to stay home and look after the little munchkin

we have been having a lovely time resting together

watching movies

reading

snuggling

and playing quietly...

if only he didn't have to be so ill...

he did have a very cute moment though

when we returned from the hospital he said that he wanted to play drs

so we got out his medical kit and he looked after his patient owl

::: i think he would make a very good dr :::

:::a sneak peek into my home:::

2011-10-24T13:58:00.000+08:00

i just love having a little peek into peoples houses

{on blogs of course, never through windows}

and one of my favorite houses to look at is mossy shed

where the super lovely tif {dottie angel} resides.

you can have a little looksy into her home here...

she inspires me to get busy in my home

fussing, decorating, creating, shifting furniture and trinkets around

here is a little look into our boudoir...

i am slowly making my way through the numerous crafty ideas i have pinned on my

{make it} board on pinterest

i am so loving pinterest right now!

i have copious amounts of jewellery and i am always looking for great ideas to store it all.

i came across this super idea of keeping my bracelet collection on vintage glass bottles

well that is our little cozy space we call a bedroom

happy monday to you

xoxo

{vintage update}

2011-10-23T19:38:00.000+08:00

as you know i love all things vintage and have lots of little vintage treasures in my home.

i have a few sweet little trinkets that i have found in op shops and they were in need of a little loving.

yesterday i had a little time to myself, the day was gloomy and it was raining all day as i sat inside and twiddled my thumbs a wondering what to do with my new found alone time.

i spent a little time {or shall i say wasted a little time} browsing pinterest and all the lovely little crafty ideas i had pinned on my {make it} board and i found me something to do on a wet rainy day.

remember the little vintage trinkets i told you about? well i showed them some love yesterday and doused them in spray paint!

{i promise you no trinkets were hurt or harmed in anyway during the spray painting episode}

originally i was just going to spray my eiffel tower {that i picked up in paris} and stop there

but when i got started i found it hard to stop and i hunted down more trinkets to ~~attack~~ spruce up

they still have their lovely vintage vibe but are a little less daggy and a little more trendy

happy sunday to you
xoxo

love to love you

2011-10-21T07:37:00.003+08:00

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is. 

this week i am loving things that make my life easier...

i am loving bakers delight...

and their fresh pizza bases.

you just roll them out and add your fav toppings and wallah, a quick and easy and very tasty meal.

i am loving pintrest...

i am also loving all the fun creative ideas that are out there on the world wide web

and i am particularly loving step by step easy to follow instructions to make crafty goodies.

i am loving my mumma...

she now comes once a week and cleans my house for me.

now that i am back teaching i have very little time and patience to clean our little cottage.

it was so wonderful to come home after a long day at work to my perfectly clean house.

i am loving my wonderful hubby...
 
he cooks dinner
{or when he forgets brings home takeaway}
he baths the little guy and puts him to bed while i am at the gym in the evening
he gets my favorite tv shows for me so that we can watch them together while i wind down after my workout
he is super!


i am linking up here


hope you have a happy friday
xoxo

{creative space}

2011-10-19T13:41:00.000+08:00

i have been pinning all sorts of lovely little crafty ideas on pinterest and i decided to give one a go on the weekend.

i tried my hand at this sweet little flower garland...

fabric flower garland ::: oncewed

it was very easy to make as it had really simple step by step instructions. since i am not a sewer i had very little fabrics around the house, i decided to make the garland out of tissue paper.

i followed the same process and even stitched them, it had the same effect but i think material would still look a lot better.

happy wednesday to you xoxo

the day after sunday...

2011-10-17T17:31:00.000+08:00

two special ladies in our family had their birthdays this weekend...

one little lady...

and one lovely lady...

my wonderful mumma celebrated her 60th birthday this year and my darling little niece turned one.

on sunday my little family had two birthday parties to go to. the first one was for my mumma and we headed down to the beach to have a BBQ lunch and enjoy the beautiful hot {not warm, it was HOT} weather that rolled into town.

in the afternoon we headed to another beach in our little city by the sea. we went down to the foreshore across from our ice cream store to celebrate halle's first birthday.

there was lots of presents, ice cream and waffles and more lovely sunshine. the afternoon tea turned into a long afternoon at the beach and we stayed until the sun went down while we ate a delicious dinner of fish and chips {i loved fish and chips at the beach, so very summery}

it was a great end to the school holidays and this morning everybody in this little household returned to work and to school.

only eight and a half weeks to go and we will be on our summer holidays, woohoo!

hope you had a fabulous weekend too, and if you are in my part of the word i hope you got the chance to get out yesterday and enjoy the summery weather.

2011-10-15T09:15:00.001+08:00

hello my lovely friends and hello saturday!

well i finally did it, i registered for pinterest
{i know, i am a little slow at keeping up with what is cool at the moment but any hoo i joined... finally} and i have been pinning away and let me tell you it is addictive! i stayed up way too late last night on it and i am regretting it this morning {so very tiered}

for those of you who have never heard of pinterest before, it is basically a virtual pin up board for all those lovely ideas, pages, websites articles anything you fancy really that you come across on the world wide web. instead of bookmarking the page you can pin it to your pinterest page and they store them all nicely together for you in cute neat little boxes.

you can find my pinterest page here {mrsblessed}
head on over and check it out and maybe even sign up yourself.
it is fun, addictive yes but a great idea.
happy saturday!

things i'm lovin

2011-10-14T08:04:00.002+08:00

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is. 

here are my simple loves for this week... 

i love my freshly cut grass

not so good for the allergies but easy on the eye

my place was starting to look like a jungle

the lawn mower man was on an overseas holiday

but he is back at work and now my yard looks wonderful

i love my crazy hubby and the crazy things he does 

like putting three legged giraffes in our chicken coop

like i said he is crazy!

crazy hubby = crazy son

the little guy follows in his daddy's footsteps... alot

i am always finding little crazy things that he has done

like re arranging my little ballet girls on my bedside table

cheeky little monkey!

i have loved hanging out with our wonderful friends this school holidays

over the past two weeks the little guy and i have been spending lots of time playing {him} and drinking tea {me} with our friends who we usually 

don't get to see too often when school is in

i cant wait until is school is over for the year and then we get to hang with them all the time!

and lastly i am loving
sleeping in on school holidays 
{even the little guy has been sleeping in till 8.30}
shopping for birthday gifts with my little family
waiting for packages to arrive in the mail
{i am so excited i keep checking the mail box everyday!}
and lastly the anticipation you feel when you are on the eve of a fantastic weekend
i can not wait for it to arrive!

i am linking up here
head on over to paisley jade and check out her super cool blog and all the other super cool blogs who are joining in with their loves for the week. 

twiddle {my fun new word}

2011-10-13T15:51:00.000+08:00

ahhh, finally a day at home all to myself, well not completely to myself as i have a wee young man following me around but this is pretty much as close as i can get to having a day by myself.

any hoo as i was saying, ahhh finally a day at home.

so today there was a fair bit of twiddling going on. what is twiddling you may ask? well i picked up the phrase from the lovely tiff at dottie angel who in my opinion is the master twiddler. she is superb at fussing around her house and arranging her lovely vintage treasures and crafty bits and pieces on display in her home mossy shed. you can see some pictures of her delightful shed on her flicker page. some of my favorites you can see here, here and here. and her biggest of all twiddles here {a cute display for her book launch}.

so back to me and my twiddling...

i have one of those rooms in my house where the door is always closed and nobody and i mean nobody is allowed in there, not even the little guy.

nobody is allowed in there because simply there is no room for anybody in there. it is the designated junk room, you can open the door and take one step in and that is about as far as you can go! it kind of reminds me of the room of requirement in the harry potter movies. all the junk that nobody wants or is trying to hide is all stacked up in teetering piles, one breath of wind and the whole lot will come tumbling down.

eventually we would like to clear this mess out and have this as the little guys room, so today i started sorting through things and moving them to new spots around the house.

i found some more little vintage treasures hidden away in there so then my sorting and cleaning turned into twiddling {remember the master twiddler and her lovely little displays?}

this little shrine is a tribute to my dutch and french heritage

i made a little dent on the teetering piles of junk in the spare room, i probably should have twiddled less and cleaned said junk room more but overall a fairly productive day at home for me.

boys just wanna have fun

2011-10-11T16:40:00.000+08:00

remember how the little guy and i were having a wonderful time together the other day in our little cubby house that we built in the play room?

{if not you can read about it here}

well i came home the other day from working out at the gym to find the boys {the big guy and the little guy} playing in a castle!

they had taken down the cubby house and built a much better one.

i was really impressed with my hubby's efforts. the castle was complete with a draw bridge and a peep hole {to spot dragons who may be sneaking up on them in the castle}

can you see a little face peeking through the peep hole?

there has been endless amounts of play happening in the castle, it is just wonderful to see the two boys playing constructively together, even if it does involve scary dragons!

blessed to be a blessing

2011-10-10T15:42:00.001+08:00

have you ever heard of Operation Christmas Child?

Operation Christmas Child is a unique project of Samaritan’s Purse that brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes, It provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in a simple but hands-on project that has the power to transform children’s lives.

In 2010, our teams in Australia and New Zealand delivered 305,976 gift-filled shoe boxes to South East Asia and the South Pacific. Over 8 million children around the world received shoe boxes last year. Over 130 countries have received shoe boxes since 1993. As each shoe box gift is delivered, it is treasured by the child that receives it, and is a lasting reminder that he or she is precious to God.
quoted from Samaritans purse website

i love being involved in operation Christmas child, God has blessed me in so many different ways and now i need to be a blessing to others even if it is just something as simple as sending a small gift to a child in need.

every year i have filled a shoebox with love and gifts and sent them off to little boys and girls all over the world and now i get to share that heart warming experience with my little boy.

i think that it is really important to teach our little ones about the spiritual gift of giving. it is no use storing up all of our earthly treasures, you can not take them to heaven with you. God has blessed us and we should share what we have.

so the little guy and i went to the shops and picked out all the toys and school supplies {will made one for a little boy and i made one for a little girl} and then we came home and packed them up into the little boxes that we were provided from our church, i just wish the boxes could be bigger so that we could give them more!

will is at a good age now where he understands that the gift is not for him and that it is for another little boy in another country who is not as blessed financially as he is. i think this little guy is going to be great at gift giving :)

we packed up the boxes, added a letter, photo of our family and a drawing from will and now we will give them to our church who will pass them on to Samaritan’s Purse and they will distribute them around the world.

if you would like to get involved and open up a whole new life through the power of a simple gift you can get in contact with your local church or go to the operation Christmas child website for more information.

a tourist in my own town

2011-10-09T17:47:00.000+08:00

we live in a little city by the sea and we are surrounded by many beautiful beaches.

i have lived here all of my life and have visited every beach possible in the area but the little guy only being three has not visited every beach yet so it is time we start taking him everywhere the hubby i used to go as children.

we picked up an early dinner from the fish and chip shop and we headed down to tern island together.

tern island used to be an island years ago but with the ever changing tides and sand being moved this way and that it is now joined to the mainland. when we were little we used to have to swim over to the island but now you can walk out.

usually it is a great spot for wind surfing and kite surfing but this evening there was no wind. instead the fishermen were out there and the water was very still and warm.

we sat on the sand and ate our dinner and then we explored the beach, wading in the warm water and finding all sorts of treasures along the way.

this summer will be one of exploring and becoming a tourist in our own town. we have millions of good spots for swimming, fishing, snorkeling and boating and we are going to try them all out, cant wait for the endless sunshine to come our way!

a last minute change of plans... but that is ok cos it is school holidays

2011-10-07T14:25:00.002+08:00

i had great plans for today... the little guy was going to school (he calls his day care school and it is usually a work day for me so he is booked in to go to care for the whole day) and i was going to do a massive worout at the gym and then home to write my programs for next term.

but all that got changed at about 11pm last night. the little guy was up in the night and he was not very well.

so instead we have had a day at home.

he is not that sick that i need to drag him off to the doctors, just not well enough to be able to go to school so doctor mumma has prescribed cough medicine, nurophen, fluids and lots of cuddles.

will has stayed in his pjs and we have spent the morning lounging around, watching tv, laying in our handmade cubby house in the playroom reading stories and playing card games.

he has now crashed out for a sleep so i have got a little of my programming done but as for the gym work out i think that may be completely off the cards. i smacked my foot this morning and one of my toes is still in a lot of pain. i am hoping that i have not dislocated it. as you may know i hate feet and i really hate people touching my feet so the thought of having to go and see a doctor about my toe is making me feel ill.

fingers crossed that this little piggie (toe) will be alright.

so other then having a sore toe and a sick little boy today has been kind of nice. just the two of us hanging out. lets hope daddy decides to come home from work at three when he knocks off instead of hanging around and playing computer games with the boys at work.

loving

2011-10-07T08:11:00.003+08:00

i found my motivation!

it came to me at about 8pm on thursday night, a little late but still enough time to crack the whip and get the hubby to do the kitchen and i vacuumed and sorted the washing. the hubster even got his shirts out and did some ironing!

thank you to all of my readers who made some very helpful suggestions, i am definitely going to put some of those tips into action.

i actually have a wee small little cottage so it did not take too long to straighten it up, if only it would stay that way but the little cyclone is up and running {william} and fun = mess around here.

oh well, we would rather have fun then keep the house clean right?

as it is school holidays i have had time to stop and enjoy life around me. here are my list of loves for this week...

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.

i am loving getting up in the morning and the first thing we do is play. usually we are running around madly getting ready for school and we are out the door before 8am. but on holidays we sleep in until 8 and then hang around in our pjs all morning playing in the sunshine.

i am loving having fresh eggs for breakfast every morning, i am trying to stay away from too many carbs at the moment. you can read all about my cheeky chickens here and here {i have heaps of funny chicken stories to tell} so not only are bob and wendy {the chickens} highly entertaining they are also very useful at keeping me well feed.

i am loving teaching the little guy how to ride his big bike. he thinks it is a crack up to ride his bike into things along the way, things like the curb, the grass, hedges and me! it is lovely to hear his little laughter as we trail along the footpaths around our neighborhood.

i am loving the spring weather we are having at the moment. everyday we have had beautiful warm days filled with sunshine. it is just glorious. i love it when the sun is out but it is not to hot to go out and enjoy the day. we have been making the most of the sun and our free time by eating lunch outside, playing at the park, walking, riding bikes it is just loevly.

i am linking up here with the lovely kristy from paisly jade.

hope the sun is shining in your part of the world and that you have a lovely weekend
blessed
xoxo

one of those days

2011-10-06T07:44:00.000+08:00

have you ever said to your self, you know what i so can not be bothered to tidy up or do any house work.

well i am having one of those days.

in fact i have been having one of those days for about three days in a row now so pretty much everything has got out of control around my little cottage.

i have been sitting here at the computer for far too long, finding all sorts of things to waste my time on.

i have a pile of dishes on my sink which is spilling out over onto my kitchen benches and if you have been in my kitchen you know there is not a lot of bench space in there, so pretty much i am going to have to do the dishes pretty soon just to free up some bench space so i can prepare some food.

or maybe i will just order takeaway tonight!

i have piles of washing in the basket, on the table and on my bedroom floor, it is all clean it is just laying around waiting for somebody to put it away, any volunteers?

the leaves are piling up at the back door waiting to be swept, the toys are littering the floor from one end of the house to the other, my stinky little boy desperately needs a bath, the chickens need some company and my bathroom is a disaster zone.

sound familiar {i hope i am not the only one}.

motivation where are you? please come back home soon!

what do you do to keep on top of your housework? any helpful ideas?

enlist the hubby and the little guy to help maybe? that almost seems like an impossible task in its self. i think i live with the two most messiest individuals in the world {ok maybe i am just exaggerating just a teensy bit}

hire a cleaner? yep that is on the cards for when i go back to work after the school holidays {thanks mumma, she is gonna be my cleaner}

until then i am on a look out for my motivation to return home soon, until then i think we will be having play dates at other peoples houses and eating out, a lot!

a day at the show

2011-10-05T09:36:00.001+08:00

the october school holidays are here {YAY} and october holidays means it is perth royal show time!

the show was originally an agricultural show so there are lots of animals to see, horse shows, dog shows and farming equipment on display. there are art, cooking and craft displays and competitions. the famous dairy pavilion and IGA {food} pavilion where you can go and sample lots of yummy treats. and of course now the main reason people young and old flock to the show each year, side show alley {rides} and show-bags, lots and lots of {expensive} show-bags.

we don't go to the show every year, we find it is much to hectic and much to expensive but now that the little guy can really enjoy it we decided to take him for the first time this year.

we hopped on the train and met up with the little jones family {sis in law} and headed for a day at the show. we arrived about lunch time and stayed until the fireworks in the evening.

we strolled around and looked at the animals and tasted ALL of the yummy stuff in the food pavilions. the little guy went on a couple of rides and got a show bag. we ate delicious food like stuffed spuds, hot donuts and sweet chai lattes and all sorts of yummy stuff you can eat on a stick.

by the time we got home late in the evening we were all exhausted and we fell straight into bed. i think i need a recovery day today however when the little guy woke up and his daddy asked him what he was going to do today his reply was "i am going to go back to the royal show". i don't think so little man this mumma is way too tiered!

i am glad i chose yesterday to have a family day out and go to the show as yesterday was the two year anniversary of my dad passing away. he used to love the show and he went to the show two days before he died. so yesterday i chose to have a great day in his memory.

love you dad and miss you more and more

milk mo's

2011-10-04T09:46:00.000+08:00

last friday we had the official opening of our new ice-cream store milk mo's.

we celebrated with a few of our family and friends, they could come down and have all the free ice-cream they could eat and boy could they eat a lot!

the little guy had so much ice-cream he was running around in circles!

we have added some new things to the menu. we now serve waffles, yum, and ice-cream sandwiches, double yum!

i love the mustaches on the little characters!

my all time favorite flavor is the ferrero rocher ice-cream and i love the ice-cream sandwich with the vanilla bean ice-cream. the waffles are just divine the best i have ever tasted.

the boys had spent the past week renovating the store and it looked great, very funky.

it is open every day now and we can't wait for summer time to hit and then the foreshore will be packed with customers, show me the money!!

the hubby and his boys aka - the business partners

so if you are even down my way stop in to milk mo's and pick up a yummy treat and take a good look around you may just find me eating ice-cream and lounging around on the grass under the trees at the beach, my knew favorite place to be for the summer.

deerly beloved

2011-09-29T15:07:00.001+08:00

i finally found a little snippet of time to get a little crafty.

a week or so ago i saw these sweet little blue deer over at dottie angels flicker page.

immediately i thought of my little family of deers that i found hiding in a cabinet at the sweetest little op shop around the corner from my home a few months ago.

they needed a little cheering up so i gave them one in the form of a new coat of paint.

the little guy was fascinated by the process, when i put everything out on the grass ready to begin he raced off back into the house and grabbed his tool box and came and sat and watched me work.
obviously it was not the type of work that daddy usually does that requires lots of tools but the screw driver did come in handy to open up the lid on the spray can!

now look at the little sweeties after a little time sunbathing in the garden, they look a lot more cherry.

thank you to the ever so lovely and ever so crafty dottie angel for the inspiration,
i just love my new little family of deer

i am linking up here.

i will never understand boys

2011-09-27T18:30:00.000+08:00

i grew up in a house full of girls. i am one of three girls and my dad worked away a lot when i was younger so pretty much we were in an all female house.

now i live with two boys, my hubby and our little boy of three. now i am exposed to the whole world of boys and the crazy things they do, say and think which is a lot different to the way girls do things.

i am constantly picking up after both of them, clothes left in the living room and even on the floor in the kitchen, books and newspapers being left on the toilet floor - why they have to read in there i don't know.

they prefer to play rough and tumble games and throw things around and make all sorts of loud noises from all parts of their bodies. they eat cake and lollies for breakfast when i am not watching and when i leave the house they run a muck from one end to the other, all in the name of having fun of course.

i have found myself uttering the phrases "you do not pee on the coffee table", "do not play out on the road" and "do not shoot your friends with sticks". i never in a million years thought i would have to say some of these things, it is a whole new world.

i have tried to keep william away from play that involves armies shooting each other, anything involving guns even water guns and all form of good guy bad guy games. but despite my effort he is drawn to these types of games. anything becomes a weapon. he uses the shovels from the sandpit as a gun, he plays good guys and bad guys with his little friends and he is usually the bad guy and he even steals the garden stakes that hold up the tomato plants as a weapon and he stands down the end of our driveway and shoots at the passing cars with it.

crazy boys. why do they do these types of things?

i have tried to open will up to all sorts of play and play equipment. we have lots of planes, trains and automobiles but we also have dolls, prams, mini kitchen and shopping toys. he has a great imagination and he loves to sit quietly and play drs with his little doll buddie. he checks his temperature and listens to his heart beat. he gives him medicine to help him feel better and then he stuffs him in the back of his car and goes tearing around the backyard with him while he makes police car noises!

i guess the saying boys will be boys still rings true.

do you have any advice for me about surviving with boys?

weeks end hangover

2011-09-25T17:17:00.001+08:00

it is sunday afternoon and i am wrecked.

i am so tiered i think i may need two little toothpicks to prop open my eyelids to get me through the evening until bedtime.

i usually feel like this on a sunday afternoon. tiered from working to much and partying too hard.

when i say party too hard it is not in the sense that i am going out late and drinking too much, i dont party like that. my partying is enjoying the simple things in life eating, enjoying the sunshine, chatting with friends, watching the football, working out at the gym, shopping... the list may well be endless.

saturday started with an early morning workout at the gym and then some much needed play time with the little guy and a little housework.

we had visitors and enjoyed a delicious lunch. then we watched our football team lose, unfortunately by a lot and now they are out of the finals chase. but lucky the day ended well, it was roller derby night!

the big guy stayed home to look after the little guy and i headed out with friends to watch the girls on wheels. it was great and this time the team that i support won, yeah!

sunday is church day, then home for play, housework and afternoon naps in the fading afternoon sunshine. then it is time to get ready for the week ahead - clothes to be ironed, lunches to be packed and school books to be gathered up.

the hubby has taken over the kitchen today experimenting with cooking cookies for the new store - a minute on the lips a life time on the hips. unfortunately i am too tiered to hit the gym so i need to lay off the taste testing. it is a hard life living with an entrepreneur some times :)

there is only one more week of school and then it is school holidays. pause for me to do my happy dance...

i am so thrilled that it is holiday time again and now that it is spring hopefully we will have some lovely weather. i can not wait to enjoy the beautiful outdoors with the little guy and our little friends. i think there will be zoo trips and beach trips, a family day out to the perth royal show and even some shopping trips for the mummas. i can not wait.

happy weeks end everybody
xoxo

attack of the flying chicken

2011-09-24T10:13:00.002+08:00

this morning i was attacked by my own chicken!

i was letting the girls out of the pen so that they could have a run around the yard. i opened the door, she flew at me, i squealed and ran away.

now i am locked up in the house and they have taken over the back yard.

i think she was just showing her displeasure at being locked up all week.

so my lesson is too spend more time with the chickens!

who would have thought that they would need a little company and a little play time.

it was supposed to be the hubby's job to look after the girls, but i have a sneaking suspicion that he has forgot to feed them the last few days, naughty boy! he will definitely be in trouble when he gets home, and from more then one grumpy lady!

so i better go and make peace with bob and wendy, give them a bucket load of food, a pat and a good talking too, maybe an apology and then they might stop scaring me.

things i am loving

2011-09-23T19:31:00.004+08:00

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.

i am loving that we finally got a new oven.

my old oven was probably older then me and the temperature was all out of whack. the lowest temperature was 210 degrees, not ideal for baking only ideal for burning.

so the first thing i did in it was bake a cake...

the second thing i did was to cook a roast. the hubby and the little guy are loving the fact that we have a new oven too!

i am loving finding the perfect gift. i love giving gifts. i love taking the time to think about a special person and what they would love to receive. i also loving hitting the shops to buy it too!

i found this lovely angels wings necklace and it was just perfect for a friend of mine who i work with. she is definitely an angel sent straight from heaven to brighten up this old world.

i love that my little guy is such a good little boy.

he comes to work with me on a wednesday while i do a little prep work (getting activities ready for the kiddies, photo journalling, programming and general teacher stuff) and he is so good at playing with the kids and looking after himself while i get my work done.

the kids just love having him in the classroom as well which is so sweet.

i also love that the ladies that i work with are so wonderful with william when he is at school. they chat with him, watch him play when they are on duty outside, sneak him treats and just shower a little love on him.

and my big loving this week is spring...

this time of year we get all sorts of lovely weather.

beautiful sunshine, warm clear days, thunderstorms and rainy days which are just perfect for cuddling up on the couch and reading stories.

i am linking up here with the lovely kristy from paisley jade.

hope you have a fabulos weekend

love blessed

xoxo

2011-09-22T10:24:00.000+08:00

have you heard of madeit?

it is an australian online store which sells lots of handmade goodies.

i guess it is kind of like etsy, you can have your own little online store to sell your crafty things.

i love it as i love handmade things but do not have the time (or sometimes skills) to make lovey little things.

i just received these adorable prints in the mail which i ordered from sweet william (found through made it)...

they are prints of lovely drawings from artist paula mills.

i just adore the little love birds and the balloons make me want to fly away and explore more of the world.

life is busy

2011-09-21T15:47:00.002+08:00

life is very busy in the blessed house as of late... hence the lack of blog posts.

the hubby has been working his butt off at the office as usual, and now he has the ice-cream store to think about as well.

i have been doing the usual, working, mothering, housewifeing and trying to fit other fun stuff in like going to the gym and catching up with my friends who i miss very much.

i can not wait for the next 12 weeks to roll on by and then i will be done with work, it will be summer and Christmas will be just around the corner, my favorite part of the year.

i know that i should not be wishing my life away, but it is hard to do that when you are in the trenches working hard and looking up and out for a bit of peace and calm.

yesterday afternoon and evening i was struck down with a migrane. Gods little way of saying stop and slow down just little.

so on my half day off today and my free day tomorrow i am going to slow down and take it easy. spend some time with the little guy and some time just with me.

we are going to sleep in, play, eat, drink tea, read, listen to music, watch the box (well i guess now that tvs are flat screen the saying 'watching the box' is really null and void), walk in the sunshine (if we get any) and maybe fit in a little shopping... just maybe.

and of course i am going to try and get through my long lit of blogs i love to read...

here are just a few of my faves, go check them out too...

blogs, tea and me

childhood 101

dottie angel

paisley jade

wow that is a lot to cram into one day

maybe we wont get to doing it all just as long as we do some of them then i will be a happy gal.

weekend fun

2011-09-13T17:33:00.001+08:00

another weekend has come and gone and what a glorious weekend it was!

the beautiful sun was shinning here in wa and the temperature was a lovely warm twenty five degrees.

saturdays around here are usually reserved for catching up on sleep, shopping, reading, housework and work outs. this weekend was no exception except it also included watching a finals footy match.

my football team is in the playoffs and game one was this weekend so we all snuggled up on the couch to watch the game. unfortunately we lost but we get another shot at it next week. we have a do or die match next weekend to get to the grand-final. fingers cross we win.

sunday is church day and family fun day. after church we headed down to the foreshore to enjoy the beautiful weather.

we dined on fish and chips and then us big guys layed out in the sun while the little guy paddled in the surf...

the foreshore was packed with people enjoying the lovely spring weather. we stopped off at the ice-cream shop to see how they were going and business was booming! the hubby was even called into help out they were that busy.

the weekend finished with some telly watching (the amazing race, love that show) and a delicious sunday roast.

hope you had a lovely weekend
and that you have a great week ahead
xoxo

roller derby

2011-09-11T16:13:00.004+08:00

for all my local perth readers, this one is for you!

there is another roller derby coming up on saturday the 24th of september, i just booked my ticket and so should you!

i love watching the derby girls battle it out. check out the last time i went here and here.

it is a great family event and the tickets are pretty cheap.

if you would like to go and see it for yourself you can book tickets online at the perth roller derby website.

see you there!
love blessed
xoxo

i am grateful for...

2011-09-11T08:51:00.001+08:00

spending time in the sunshine with my special little guy.

as you know i have gone back to work for three and a half days a week (just until the end of the school year) and even though i love my job and it is a breeze i am really missing spending every day with my little boy.

so after we finished school on wednesday morning, will and i grabbed some lunch, his choice so it was red rooster, and we headed down to the foreshore.

we ate, talked, chased sea gulls, played, walked, searched for fish and just had a great time in each others company.

next year he will be going to kindy, he is growing up way too fast. at the moment we are still going through toilet training with him. he is still having accidents, i tell you it is worse then having a new puppy in the house! i can not wait until we are through this milestone and then he can slow down on the growing up!

if you are at home with your children full time i know sometimes it can be hard and you just want to get away from the little ones for a little while. but please stop, slow down and enjoy the moment while you have it because there will come a day like me where you will wish you could have that time back again.

so for now, seeing as though i can not travel back in time or stop working, i will enjoy spending every minute i have at home with my little guy before he is off to full time school in a few years.

i love finding new blogs and new linky parties to join in with so i am linking up here.
please go and check it out and discover some wonderful new blogs for yourself.

i got a new job...

2011-09-11T08:20:00.002+08:00

my new job is an ice-cream taste tester!

i am not usually an ice-cream lover but since the hubby got his new ice-cream store he has been bringing home lots of delicious new ice-cream flavors for me to taste. so far my favorite is forrero rocher flavor, it is the bomb!

on the weekend he was trying out some new ideas for the store. he spent friday afternoon with his sister (who is a baking queen) cooking lots of cookies to try out ice-cream sandwiches.

and i have one word to describe them, YUM!

i was lucky enough to have the very first ice-cream sandwich....

lets just say that the choc chip cookies need a little more tweaking! all my ice-cream came out the sides of the cookie, but it was absolutely delicious.

my favorite so far has been a cinnamon cookie with vanilla bean ice-cream. i am going to need to go more then 4 times a week to the gym to keep up with our new indulgence!

i love you daddy...

2011-09-04T18:03:00.002+08:00

today was the day when we stopped to say i love you and thank you to all the wonderful fathers in our lives... today was fathers day

my dad left this world two years ago to go and be with his heavenly father

i miss him terribly and i miss him even more on weekends like this
i love you dad
xoxo

even though my dad is no longer here i still have a number of wonderful men in my life to celebrate fathers day with... husband, father-in-law, poppy's, step-dads, uncles and friends

in our house this morning we let daddy have a sleep in, then we woke him up with handmade gifts and breakfast in bed.
then we dragged daddy out of bed and made him get ready for church.
we had an awesome church service, there was even free bbq hotdogs for all the men.
after church we went back to the in-laws place for a delicious lunch.
we spent the afternoon lazing around in the sunshine eating and drinking tea.
in the evening daddy went out with the boys from work to go and see bear grills live at challenge stadium.
he is the best daddy in the whole world and we love him to bits!

i hope everybody had a wonderful weekend
happy fathers day
xoxo

summer sun and ice-cream... lots and lots of ice-cream

2011-09-01T14:35:00.002+08:00

i am now the proud (part) owner of an ice-cream store!

my crazy hubby and his equally crazy business partners bought a little gelato store.

it is down at our local beach (the locals around here call it the foreshore)

it is a cute little shop that sells gelato ice-cream and coffee.

there are a few tables an chairs in the shop and some out on the boardwalk.

the boys plan on revamping it.

they will still sell gelato and they will add other delicious treats and drinks to the menu.

it is an exciting new venture for us

my fingers are crossed that i will not have to do any shifts in the shop

only taste testing for me!

for all my local readers i am totally expecting all of you to come and visit this summer and enjoy our delicious treats!

i will keep you updated on the stores progress

i heart pre loved

2011-08-30T17:30:00.000+08:00

i am taking great pride in the fact that nearly all of the furniture in my home is pre loved.

my vintage obsession is proving to be very good for the environment and very good for my bank balance.

here are some of the recent pre loved furniture i have added to my little cottage by the sea...

{my lovely bedside table}

i found two of them at my favorite op shop a month or so ago

i have been searching for some pre loved bedside tables for about two years now and i was so happy to find these two beauties

{wooden shelf}

i love this shelf

it sits by my dinning table and now display lots of my lovely vintage treasures

{wooden bookcase}

it is not fancy, just a little place to keep all of my crafting bits and pieces

it is also a one stop junk spot

i think every house has one of those spots

{vintage lounge suite}

this has to be my favorite recent find

it is green {love}

it is velvet {love}

it is vintage {love}

it was free {LOVE}

my friend gave me this sofa and two arm chairs which now takes pride of place in my lounge room.

they were cluttering up a room at the campsite she manages and she had no use for them.

she could not believe that i would want them

(she did not know about my obsession with all things vintage)

i feel in love with them instantly and they look perfect in my little home.

{the day after sunday}

2011-08-29T17:05:00.000+08:00

monday has rolled around again, it is now only five weeks until the october school holidays. now that i am back teaching my life is organised in to ten week blocks. this past week my little boy has been missing me and it has been awfully hard to leave him in care while i go to work. it seems a little silly to have somebody else look after my little boy while i go and teach other children.

this weekend has been jammed packed once again. we even had to turn down two social engagements we were that busy.

my two cheeky chickens, bob and wendy took another little jaunt around the neighborhood on saturday morning. we found them down near the beach. they are taking the phrase free range chickens very seriously! however it was totally all my hubby's fault they got out. he let them out on friday afternoon and forgot to put them back into their pen so they were out all night!

my beautiful little niece halle had her baby dedication on saturday night. it is so wonderful that we can bring our precious little children to God, they are after all a gift from him. we kept will in for the church service and he loved it. he even broke out a few of his super cute dance moves during the worship songs.

i cleaned my house from top to bottom. we have a rent inspection on tuesday, i hate rent inspection but at least my little cottage is now super clean and tidy.

i dragged my hubby out of the house on saturday morning to help me pick up some more furniture. yes more furniture, my little place is over flowing but i could not resist, the furniture was vintage, in great condition and it was free. did you hear me? FREE! i will tell you more about it later.

i spoke the phrase "you don not pee on the coffee table!" this weekend. mothers of small boys will totally understand this. i spoke it very calmly, there was no shouting. there was however a lot of giggling. my little boy is still getting the hang of potty training, and i guess you can say he likes to experiment!

i found some great clothes at my favorite store crossroads. of course i did not really need them but they were just too good to pass up. at the moment crossroads have some great 70s inspired clothing in-store - flares, maxi dresses, crochet tops and silk wraps they all made my heart skip a beat when i saw it all.

i can not wait for life to slow down a little, to not be so busy or too tiered to enjoy the weekend.
bring on school holidays!

i am linking up here

hope you all have a wonderful week
xoxo