Heart happy days

Aaaaahhhh, look at that glorious, colourful wool. I'm intending to make a blanket for Little Miss R once I've finished her brothers so I've already purchased the wool and can make a start on it whenever I wish. I did think of trying to do a ripple pattern but I've found a gorgeous granny square pattern that has flowers on the inside. As Miss R insisted on having pink and purple in her blanket then I think she'll love having a blanket full of flowery centres as well. It's all so exciting I just can't wait to start and who wouldn't when they've got those lovely colours to play around.



I've had the loveliest day driving around the Sunshine Coast. It's such a beautiful area and I know I'm so lucky to have grown up and still live here although I am finding the summers a bit too hot and humid these days. That's why I love days like today as I'm reminded just how much I love this place.

I had to take N (my mum-in-law) to various appointments around the Coast and as waiting around in Doctors and specialist surgeries didn't really appeal to me, I kept toddling off to explore and shop etc on my own. I bought the above fantastic picnic basket at one of the Op shops for only $4! Bargain!!! I had a lovely browse through some other shops, bought some wool then decided that it was too beautiful a day to be anywhere near shops and traffic so I found a spot near the beach and just sat and contemplated while looking at this.........

Australia Zoo

I just love living so close to Australia Zoo (3km in fact) as it's the perfect few hours our with the kids when we're in some real need of stimulation. We've certainly needed some stimulation lately as the days just seem to be blending into each other and the kids (and mum) have all been getting a trifle bored.



So at the mention of going to the zoo there was a great deal of squealing and excitement and constant asking whether it was time to go yet! With morning tea and a flask of coffee packed it was off for a lovely jaunt looking at the animals (Master M was pretty excited about the big croc croc's), and then our usual stop for morning tea at the playground. The kids swing, slide and climb while mum sits sipping her coffee, keeping an eye on things and just enjoying a lovely moment watching her two little ones having such fun and playing nicely together (rare).



We never spend the whole day at the zoo as there's just too much to do and see and it is a big day for little ones. We usually pick an area (today was crocs, dingoes, tortoises, tassy devils,elephants, more crocs and alligators), then play in the playground before going home. Aaahh, the convenience of having an annual pass and living so close, it means that we can see a few things and then head home for Master M's nap time BEFORE the kids get overtired and grumpy.



Little Miss M is quite upset that she didn't see the emu, ride the horse or look at the spikey things (echidna's), so it looks like we'll be heading out again next week for a morning. Quite hard to take I'm sure.

Normal days

It's amazing how many days we have that seem just so 'normal'. Now every day is relatively different in certain aspects but we seem to do so many ordinary things in our lives that the days pass by without too much drama. That's what I love about doing this blog as it's helping me to see some of the really special moments in all that normal and ordinariness!

The weather has been much better lately, not raining and cooler so I'm not sweltering as much. It's been lovely to get back outside and it gives the kids a chance to run, play and ride around the yard. Our neighbours have been doing the same and Little Miss R asked a zillion questions as they tidied up their yard and pruned trees. I was surprised at their patience and how well they dealt with a constantly questioning 4 1/2 year old, and then the excitement of being given some yellow leaves that they'd cut off the tree. This kept her entertained for ages sorting them into different piles (until her brother decided to jump on them and war started).


(Bob and Cinderella waiting for a bus)

Inside play hasn't been too exciting, more reading and driving trucks while Mum's doing some rare reading and having a bit of hooky crochet time.



Aunty's is much more fun at the moment with all the crafty things to do. We LOVE going to Aunty's as there's always something exciting to do: playing with the dogs, crafty stuff, helping cook, playing on the playground or in the sandpit and helping in the garden.




And of course there's time for cooking. I made the yummiest bacon and roast pumpking risotto the other day. So easy and tasty and a hit with all!!

Caloundra

One of my favourite places in the world is Caloundra and I'm fortunate enough to live only a 15 to 20 minute drive away. I love walking along the boardwalk, looking at the ocean and of course, stopping for a coffee. It's a place that I've been going for as long as I can remember for fish and chips and any of those other beachy activities due to the numerous beaches throughout the area.



I had the chance to go out and spend some time to myself and on such a gorgeous day I couldn't not go down to the water. It draws me to it in any weather really but on a day like today there's just something magical about the ocean.

I spent quite awhile in a cafe at Bulcock Beach before the wind got up a bit and the kite surfers came out. You can always tell when it gets a bit windy when you start to see their sails in the air.



It was just such a lovely morning drinking coffee, having brunch of haloumi, mushrooms and pesto on toast and then wandering the boardwalk and haunting my favourite shop in Caloundra. It's a bookstore of course and a second hand one at that so there's plenty in the large, musty space to keep me occupied.



We even went back down in the afternoon with the kids because we decided that with the wind about it would be perfect kite flying weather. We found a spot near a park when the tide was out to give us some extra room but unfortunately the fun didn't last too long. The kite got broken but the kids had lost interest in that long before that moment and were busy exploring the puddles and ripply, bubbly sand looking for shells and crabs.



Thank goodness for organised mums because Master M face planted in a puddle and was completely soaked so he had to get changed. Rather than risk another splashy episode (no more changes of clothes!), we decided that coming home to play in the backyard was a pretty good option. The kids are happy with that and now with the wine bottle opened, so are we!

ANZAC Day

Today is ANZAC Day, one of the most important days of the year in Australia and New Zealand. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by the Australian and New Zealand troups during the First World War. This action took place at Gallipoli (Turkey) where many thousands of troops fought and died.




The above photo of my Grandfather was taken when he signed up for the war in 1918 before his 18th birthday. By the time he turned 18 and was then old enough to serve his country, the war had ended however he did go on to fight during the Second World War.






Each year there are ANZAC Day marches around the county and our town is no exception. There is also a flyover by old planes used in the war and the above photos of the old Wirraway plane were taken from this morning's run and the kids were pretty excited to see this fly low.

ANZAC Day is now a day of commemoration of all those who have died and served in Military operation. To all those brave men and women, I salute you.

Lest we forget

Graduation!!

(The beauty graduates)

Last night was my Graduation and what a lovely night it was. It was different to see everyone dressed in their best and not our school uniforms but it was our night to celebrate so dressed in our best is to be expected.

Unfortunately I've also been suffering from a bit of the flu this week so I wasn't feeling my best and am still not thinking through the fog properly so I probably won't be writing much today. (Thank goodness you say! No waffling!)


(Here I am with my hard earned Diploma)

The above photo is of me with my Diploma which was earned with much hard work and sacrifice on behalf of me and my family. It hasn't been an easy year even though I'm sure some people might think it has been, but it's finally over and I'm fully qualified in a profession which I love and feel passionate about.


(My awards)

An exciting part of my evening was earning 3 awards. The first was the Student Choice award which was determined by the votes of my fellow students so I thank the girls I studied with this past year for their consideration. It means so much to me to know that some amazing and talented women put my name forward as the person they thought would excel in the industry. Thank you my friends!

I also received the Thalgo Clinic award which is a wonderful boost to my confidence and an honour to achieve as I know they are one of the leading Professional brands.

However receiving the award for Dux of the Year was the highest honour and a lot of hard work went the marks behind this award. So it was a very special night for me and confirmation that I am definately on the right track in my life.


(Don't you just love the sparkly bag!)

Of course I couldn't go past going out for a special night and not buying another handbag! Don't you love the sparkles!!!!!!!!


(My honey and me)

Thank you to my husband who for the past year has taken the brunt in the child rearing department over the past year when I've been locked in my study over the weekends. Love ya :)

The simple things

It's amazing how we can come crashing back to earth and reality by spending just a few moment with children. We seem to spend so much time in our heads these days thinking about the future and what we can do to achieve our goals and the best for our families. Then all of a sudden, our kids give us something or show us something that's important and special in THEIR lives and it makes us realise that sometimes we only need to change our perspective in looking at things in our own lives.

Being given a dandelion by a child just because they thought it was pretty and they think that you're pretty has to be one of the loveliest moments that I've ever had.




Another dandelion and a special rock found in the yard is a gift to treasure.




Of course seeing the potential in everything is another great look at life. Just like putting holes and wool in cardboard to make a sewing card for a few moments entertainment can end up creating a good hour of entertainment by turning into a 'kite'. Gotta love a kids imagination!!!

Family days

It's rare these days that we do much as a family on the weekend which is mainly my fault because weekends for the past year has been my study time. That's changing now and I have more time to devote to the family and have great intentions of doing lots more things together. I think it's important to create that bonding for us and it also creates wonderful memories for the kids.



It was off to Scarborough this weekend, not a place we go to often but the weather was quite nice. The kids had a play in the park, fish and chips were eaten for lunch, little miss R talked our heads off and a lovely day was had by all.


(The obligitory seagulls when having fish and chips!)

I think more picnics and other days will be on the cards for the future.

Enjoy your week!
xxx Susan

Saturday

It's Saturday and for most people it's the first day of their weekend but for me it happens to be one of my busiest days at work. A day when I'm on my feet and don't usually get much of a break so I really look forward to late afternoon when I can open a bottle of Chardy and have some snacks while the kids run around in the backyard. Cheers!! I hope you all have a lovely weekend. xxxx

Shopping

After a brief day at work I then realised that I had some rare hours to myself. Now normally I'd go home to spend that rare time alone doing things that I wouldn't have to feel guilty doing if the kids were home, but I decided to go shopping instead!

I had an ulterior motive for this as I wanted to buy a nice outfit for my graduation. I do have one thing that I can wear the would be reasonably nice and that fits me since having the children (I've got plenty of 'before children' dresses that would be perfect), but I decided that I deserved something nice and new. The purple dress in the above image is what I ended up buying and I know that hanging behind a door might not do it too much justice but I'll see if I can get a nice photo of me in it on my graduation night. Lets hope I can do it more justice than the hanger does!! I love it and feel comfortable in it so that's all that really matters I suppose isn't it? Agree with me please!!




I also bought a few books while I was out and anyone that really knows me won't be too surprised about that as I LOVE books. I bought a new crochet book which has lots of clothing patterns that aren't the old 1970's crochet clothing that I grew up with thank goodness. I also bought a new diary which I'm in desperate need of because I'm completely unorganised and forgetful if everything's not written in my diary. My old one finishes soon so I needed a new one to fit July appointments in it. Can't believe I'm making appointments for July already, where on earth has the time gone so far!!!! We've only just celebrated New Years for goodness sakes!

The third book is the one that I'm really stopping myself from opening is Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier. She's one of my favourite authors and I've been looking for this book for awhile and I finally have it. I just have to try to contain myself and not open it this evening as I'll probably end up reading it all night. Not good when I have work tomorrow but I can feel its pull and it seems to be calling to me. Maybe I'll have to give it to S (hubby) to hide it from me until tomorrow. He might not give it back though so I'd better try some self control. I can do it, I know I can!!!

How ordinary

I've had a very ordinary sort of day at home but that's been the joy of it I suppose. It all started very excitedly with my four and a half year old bursting into my bedroom before 6 am (she was excited, I was less so!) but we managed to get through the rest of the day on friendly terms.

I had the most delicious egg on toast for breaky which is a very ordinary sort of breakfast to be sure but I honestly don't know when I had it last. It was thoroughly enjoyable and always more special because I cook it in my Grandmother's frying pan which is the perfect size for cooking one lovely egg that sits perfectly round on a piece of toast. I always think of my Grandma when I have an egg cooked in this pan and also when I drink a cup of tea in a tea cup which was something special we always did together.



The rest of my day has been spent tidying, decluttering, crocheting and spending time with my little ones. I now seem to have some time to tidy after all my free time has been taken up studying for the past year. I attacked my bedroom and desk of course and couldn't believe how much had accumulated in my desk drawer. The above photo is when it was tidy with A LOT LESS than was originally in there. I have a thing about stationary so I won't be showing you any of the paper, notepads, pens etc that I have as it would take too many photos but I have been good and culled quite a bit today.



I did get some quiet time for a cuppa and some homemade biscuits that Mum N (my mother in law) made while she took the kids outside into the beautiful sunshine for a play (bless her).

So my ordinary day is pretty well at an end and I'm off to my ordinary (but comfy) bed for hopefully a not so ordinary deep and uninterrupted sleep. Wish me luck!

xxx Susan

I'm finally finished!

No I haven't finished crocheting Master M's blanket yet but I have finished my Diploma in Beauty Therapy. I've been studying for the past year and not only LOVE my new career but love the fact that's it's given me a new lease on life after over a decade of office work then 4 years at home as a mummy.

A change was necessary for my mental health and I can now say that I have successfully completed my course (graduation next week). The above photo was taken of my room at the school this morning for my final practical exam then I went out for a very late lunch with the lovely Sallyanne who had her exam at the same time as me.

Thank goodness I don't have to worry about looking for a job now as I've been working part time for a short while in a salon while finishing my diploma and now I get to go back into the 'real' world a bit more that's full of adult conversations and less plastic toys to fall over. Admittedly I can't give up the home time with the little ones completely so I'll only be going to work a few days but it's nice to have something else to do that I love.

To all my friends and family, now that I'm not stretching most of my time between hubby, children and studying, hopefully I'll have a bit more time to fit some special you moments in. Indulge and remind me though (you know how I am at contacting people!)

Until next time, keep smiling and finding those sunshine moments in your day!

xxx Susan.

Stolen moments and delicious dinners

I woke today to the sound of steady rain on our roof which is one of my favourite sounds in the world. Now we live in a place known as the Sunshine State yet of late have had plently of wet weather to make the ground boggy and the mosquitos breed in droves. Not very pleasant especially when that rain is teamed with humidity to make the days really steamy. Not the type of weather that I love these days which is probably why I'm reading plenty of northern hemishphere blogs with people lamenting about the cold, blustery and snowy weather and wishing I could trade places.




I did have a blissful moment to myself this morning and the fact that it was a bit of a stolen moment makes it all the more delicious. I had to go out for a brief shopping outing this morning which really shouldn't have taken me long at all but while I was out I ended up sitting in a coffee shop, drinking a delicious latte and writing in my journal while watching the rain pour down on the passers by. That's one of my favourite passtimes and one I seem to rarely indulge in these days but thanks to the addition of N, my mother in law, to my household in the last couple of months, a passtime that's now looking much more possible.

I also had quite a few cuddly moments with my kids but as the day wore on those cuddly moments turned into more tired, fighting, whinging moments so the sweet moments were interspersed with driving me nuts moments.

At least dinner turned out beautifully with a nice sort of chicken chutney curry sort of thing that was quite DELICIOUS and the sort of meal I had to stop myself (I mean really stop myself!) having more of.




Not much too it as you can see by the picture but very yummy.

Hope you all have some sort of indulgence to enjoy that you don't feel guilty about indulging in. I've yet to find the balance but I do keep looking!

Until the next time we meet, I hope you all really enjoy your indulgent moments!!

xxx Susan

A mish mash sort of day

Today has been a very higgeldy piggeldy sort of day with not a lot happening except being interrupted by my little ones. They've haven't been very independent today and have needed help with nearly absolutely EVERYTHING they've done almost every minute of the day. Keep in mind that they are four and a half and just over two but there are some days when they're more independent than others. It's been a bit of a trial actually.

At least yesterday ended with a half hearted attempt at a storm (see above photo). Normally we have some pretty spectacular storms over summer here (which I just LOVE) but summer is well and truly over by the calendar (although it is still very hot and steamy), and I think yesterday was a kind of wishy washy harrah to the season. We did hear a couple of peals of thunder but that was about it.



Back to my mish mash day. I did get some things done and cooking dinner was one of them. As I was home all day I was able to take a bit more time and make a nice pie with homemade pastry. It's the first time I've made this particular one and it was very nice with it's potato, hamsteak, egg and sour cream filling but next time I think I'll layer it with sweet potato (kumara), pumkin, potato and maybe some bacon and other yummy things I can think of. Served with some steamed broccoli and carrots it was delicious!!



I also got to finally get the chance to make some phone calls to organise some handy men to come and do some things around the house. I've been intending to for awhile but always found other things to do instead (crochet, work, crochet, play with kids, crochet, cook, crochet). It's finally done now and I feel much better for it.

I've also contacted the school and filled out the application form from the prospectus for Little Miss R to begin next year. How quickly the time goes from them being new borns to toddlers then the next one comes along and then all of a sudden your first born is about to be off to school. Where does all that time go?

Somedays everything goes too quickly but I can't say today was one of them. My beautiful little ones didn't have their listening ears on today so it seemed to be a very long and drawn out day. However, once their in bed the time just seems to pass too quickly and I find myself longing for my own pillow which I can hear calling to me as I type.

I suppose I'd better listen as pillows do know best. Until next time....

I hope you have plenty of sunshine, smiles and happiness in your days.

xxx Susan

Welcome

Welcome to my world! I'm a married mother of two small children and we live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia. It's the middle of Autumn here and still very hot and muggy, in fact a storm is building up as I look out the window!

As this is my first blog entry, I'll try not to go too far overboard so I'll just post some pictures of a little project I'm working on.

I love crochet although I'm not that brilliant at it yet as I've only been doing it since just before Christmas. That's not to deter me as you never learn if you don't practice!

In my basket at the moment is a little project I'm doing for my son, Master M aged 2. I'm making him a blanket of granny squares in some lovely earthy colours and I'm about halfway there so far.





I have to say that I love sitting out the back of my house crocheting while my children play. At least the weather's great for outside play but I'm really looking forward to some cooler days. I am a bit sick of the heat and humidity but we live in Queensland so it's to be expected.

Until next time. I hope your days are filled with Sunshine and happiness!

xx Susan