Pinterest pics for the week .....

Imagine having your dinner out on this deck - heavenly. I bet the mosquito's would be dreadful though ;) Yes, let's pretend that the owners of this house are unable to use this deck in summer due to the horrendous mosquito's- that way I don't feel so envious :)



Loving this ottoman - is it an ottoman? Either way, love it. Love the little rocker next to it too ..



Repeat after me - Yes Kate, one day you will be the proud owner of an Aga oven..... (say this three times...) :)



Loving the whole black bathroom idea ....



I can't wait to be able to display the little man's artwork - of course he is going to be an artistic genius! ;)



And just because .... I miss cuddles like this. Sometimes I can still sneak one in but these days, the little man is too busy exploring, reading his 'Spot' books and playing with his cars to kiss his old mum :)

Have a good week lovely readers!

x

P.S. As usual click on the photos for the pinterest links ....

Monthly book review ....

It has been a while since I have reviewed a book. Out of my own personal interest and to maintain my nursing/midwifery portfolio for registration, I often find myself pouring through the most enjoyable and insightful books, discussing a multitude of parenting concerns and child development issues. Some of these books are 'heavy' and boring and others like this one, although heavy at times, have been really thought provoking. I first read about this book ‘Simplicity Parenting’ by Kim John Payne on one of my favourite ‘mummy blogs' – ‘A Cup of Jo’.

The purpose of this book is for you to think about the environment in which you are parenting and whether the way your household functions on a day to day basis, is conducive to creating family harmony and time to effectively engage with each other and our children. I know what you are thinking ‘heavy’ and let’s face it, with the stressors of everyday life, family harmony is not always possible. This book does however thanks to the author, effectively identify simple changes we can make to ‘declutter’ our homes and lifestyles, in an attempt to be more in tune with our family, relationships and the emotional needs of our children. I don’t want to give too much away but the changes suggested in this book are not only insightful and scientifically supported, but oh so easy – bring it on!

I have put in place quite a few little changes suggested in this book and am proud to say that they are making the world of difference to the functioning of our family. We have 'decluttered' our toys, tweaked our bedtime routine but my favourite change of all is this - I could get teary just thinking about it. We all have a tendency to go through the motions and to not reflect on our day and our blessings. Each evening now before I put the little man to bed, we reflect on the happy things that have happened to us that day and what we are grateful for. I love it! Such a beautiful way to end the day.

I could go on and on but I shall refrain :) Borrow this book from your library or buy it from fishpond. You wont regret it!

 

 

Christmas already?

I am not sure whether I have mentioned this to you before lovely readers but my mother, bless her little cotton socks, is fanatical about Christmas. Not quite Griswald style Christmas (well isn't that a relief I hear you say!) but I am talking Christmas baking, fairy light obsessed, Christmas carol playing, over the top present buying craziness! It is tough being subject to such festivities but I will be honest, I am very happy to do it :) - Christmas in our family rocks! But even the most enthusiastic Christmas elf has to draw the line somewhere and I draw it at seeing Christmas decorations in department stores at the end of August! Don't you think that this is crazy? 

I have had mixed reactions from friends when I have mentioned it. One of my friends from work actually squealed with excitement when I told her that I had seen Christmas decorations in department stores already - "I know. Isn't it great" she shrieked.

Anyways, I have since overcome my surprise and have started thinking a little about Christmas ideas myself. There are some great ideas popping up on pinterest and I thought that in the spirit of ridiculously early Christmas preparation, I would get in quick and start posting ideas.

I am thinking that this year I will embark on a wreath making project - how very Martha Stewart of me, I know :)

Do you have any Christmas projects planned for this year? Don't you dare say you haven't thought about it yet!

Ode to my Hills Hoist ...

When we purchased our house 4 years ago, I remember looking into the backyard seeing the Hills Hoist (yes, Hills Hoist is worthy of capital letters!) clothes line and thinking, if we are buying this house, that thing has to go! All these years later my Hills Hoist and I are positively the best of friends. Strong, sturdy, and always emotionally available (joke), I get so much satisfaction seeing a full line of freshly clean clothes spinning in the breeze, drying in the warm Queensland sun. No people, I don't care that there is a main road two blocks away blowing potentially toxic fumes into my clean washing, I love it! Did I mention the positive environmental impacts too? Let's face it, after receiving our astronomically large electricity bill yesterday (did I mention the possibility of having to sell my right kidney to fund it?) we will not be using our dryer ever, ever again!
Now, if only I was as enthusiastic about bringing the washing in, folding it and putting it away J

BFF's Birthday ....

We met in year 10 and have been the best of friends ever since. My best friend Katie is one of those people that everyone adores and yesterday she turned 35!

The little man and I busily set out to bake her a birthday cake. This was no mean feet after a nightshift, but I figured she was well worth the effort ;)

I found the cake, although it was more like a torte, on pinterest. It was seriously sweet and seriously yummy, not for the faint hearted or non-cake lover. Luckily Katie, similarly to me, is a cake lover from way back - one of the many things we have in common.

I located the recipe here (I am too lazy to type it all out) and incidentally found myself a new favourite baking blog - fancy that!

The recipe is originally from a cook by the name of David Rocco.

Loving my wrapping paper efforts for this year's birthday present too. Of course the scraps have already been framed :)

Happy Birthday old buddy. You rock!

 

Photos taken by yours truly ... with some tweaking from instagram.

Teepee's

It is not uncommon on any given day to find my 'mini human', all 17 months of him, sitting quietly in his bedroom reading his books - seriously cute! I love the idea of having a gorgeous teepee in his bedroom filled with floor cushions so we can make a nest, have a chat and pour over our favourite books. Indoor tents are cute but your own little teepee, well that's just kinda special :)
How gorgeous is this little boys room?








This is definitely something that will be added to our list of 'potential' gifts from Santa.
I can see it now... my little man, me and our teepee :)

Click on the pictures for pinterest links....

Some beachiness ....

Hello friends, I did try to publish this post last night but blogger, instagram and I were not seeing eye to eye :) Hopefully my photos will show up in the post today. Have a good day! Kate.

Well, we are back after our first family holiday with our little man. I wouldn't describe it as relaxing as such, but we had a lovely time playing at the park, looking at the beach (one of us was reluctant to be put down for a play in the sand) and going on long walks. We really enjoyed being away from home, even if it was only for three days. A change of scene was just what the doctor ordered.
 Main Beach at the Gold Coast is a great spot, far enough away from the craziness of Surfers Paradise and yet close to great take-away restaurants and coffee, which is a necessity on any good holiday with children :)
Here are some instagram pics from our mini break. I love the shot of my husband and little boy walking on the beach. My husband was desperate to take the little man down to touch the water and feel the sand, even if the little man wasn't quite as enthused.

I hope you all have enjoyed some sunshine this weekend. It sure is beginning to warm up here in Brisbane! Where are some of your favorite spots for family holiday's?

 

Precious memories ....

Yesterday I had a lovely conversation with a woman I work with, about the things in our homes that mean so very much to us. I am not talking about things of monetary value, but the things that we possess that remind us of a special day or time in our lives. I have many little things in our home, just like this. So many little treasures that evoke beautiful memories.

While I was a student nurse, I did some part-time work providing in home care for a three year old little boy called Angus, who had Mitochondrial Disease. Angus brought so much joy to those around him with his very sweet nature and at times, wicked sense of humour. I absolutely loved caring for Angus and the time that we spent playing with his toys and giggling, while lounging on the verandah of his family's beautiful Queenslander, are memories that I will cherish forever. Often while I was at his home, his father would paint. On my last day of working for them, Angus' father gave me this beautiful painting (below) of their family home. Their house had so much character and contained the most beautiful pieces of art, but was almost haunted with a mixture of extreme sadness but yet happiness, that it was desperately trying to hold onto - I can't quite describe it. I have taken this painting with me everywhere. It has lived in share houses, in my bedroom, in living rooms, has been with me as l lived on my own and more recently, is on the wall of our study, in the home that I now share with my own family. I will forever love this painting.

Angus died in 2001. When I look at this painting, I think of him giggling when he used to watch his Wallace and Gromit video's and the way he used to snuggle on my lap and say -  ' Katie, wead me a stor-wee'. When my little boy is older, I fully intend on telling him about why this painting is so very precious and of a beautiful boy I used to know called Angus.

 

What things do you have in your home that are so very precious to you? I would love to hear about them.......