Loving *Lots* of Stuff

"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" .... linking in with the lovely Paisley Jade with things I am loving this week. Actually because I missed last week's link I am loving lots of stuff this week because I have been adding to this post for a fortnight now!



Tacos: We are living on them at the moment! Seriously, minimum of once a week and now I have worked out there are chicken kits as well often twice a week! They are easy, the girls eat a tonne of salad with them, I can make a lot of it in advance so they only take five minutes to get ready and with the Vegetarian One (aka Aimee) it is easy to do an option for her too!
2 minute  noodles: I haven't had these in forever and suddenly I have rediscovered them. Yummy and easy (are you sensing a theme). Although I would like to know if anyone actually adds in the vegetable sachets?
Mobility: After spending so much time lying with my sore back I am massively appreciating being able to move.

Walking barefoot through the grass: Because this is just awesome. And it is perfect weather for it now the ground is not so hot after you walk off the path. I do love Autumn.

My nieces and nephews: Did I tell you I am getting another one? My sister has fostered a second little boy. He arrives today :) They live too far away for me to see him, but this is not the point! I am so excited about this!

Rainbows and leprechauns and other green stuff for St Patrick's Day: Enough said!

Any random celebration: Pi Day! St Patrick's Day! Harmony Day! Celebrations are awesome! Not only are they fun, they are great ways to discuss different things with the girls. And eat and drink nice stuff. ie lemon meringue pie for Pi day, Irish cider for St Patrick's Day (obviously not the girls!) and the girls had all sorts of international stuff at school for Harmony Day!

Googling random things that I could study if I won lotto and could spend the rest of my life learning things instead of working: So I might have issues, but this is what I would do!

What are you loving this week? Click here to join in!

What's on your shelf?

Chalk & Talk recently asked the following questions to find out what is on your bookshelf at the moment:

1. What have you just read?


2. What are you reading right now?

3. What are you dying to read next?

As I am unable to restrict myself to a three line answer, because I have serious issues about (a) talking too much (even via blog posts); and (b) only reading on thing thing at a time I thought I would just do a post of my own. It also saves me from thinking of anything else to write about today, plus books really are my favourite things! (After the children).

So the books I have just finishend are:

1.1 'Does my head look big in this?' - Really was a great read. Reanna is enjoying it too.
1.2 'I've Got Your Number' - It felt like I was waiting for this book forever and it was definitely worth the wait!
1.3 'Enemy of God'  - A different look at the King Arthur saga.


At the moment I am reading:

2.1  'The Universe Parallel' (Traci Harding). The second in her Triad of Being Trilogy. I think Traci Harding is the only author I really read that is science fiction (and only because I love her historical fantasy stuff so very much I am just hooked. I don't even read Marion Zimmer Bradley's science fiction books. Admittedly she has written a lot more).
2.2 'Vampire Academy' (Richelle Mead). This is part of number 16 on the 100ish books in 1001 days that I am doing.
2.3 'Eclipse' (Stephenie Meyer). I started re-reading the series when I was sick, but haven't got around to finishing it yet. But this one is on my bedside table with a bookmark in it so I think it makes this list!


What I am planning on reading next:

3.1 'The Light-Field' (Traci Harding). After waiting for years to start reading this trilogy I am greedy and want it all now.
3.2 'The Help'. It is our book club book for this month. Co-incidentially, someone gave it to me to read just after Christmas but I have done the right thing and waited for it to be the same month as everyone else.
3.3 'Mercy Falls' (Marian Keyes). Ok this one isn't actually going to on my "next to read" list as it isn't due out until September, but I am so very excited about this that I just had to include it!

What is on your shelf at the moment?

Love! Love! Love!

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.

Joining in with Paisley Jade and reflecting on all the things I am loving this week.

And I do love this post. It makes me smile all week.

I am loving my tap dancing classes. It is something I have always thought would be fun. I love the clip-clopping-tapping noises (especially when I get it right). I even loved this noise when the girls were doing tap!

I love my purple handbag. One of my friends sent it to me last year from Melbourne when I was going to a mutual friends wedding. Not only did it match my outfit perfectly, it is purple! And it was sent to me with love.

I love facebook Scrabble! I love boardgames and I love that I can play this one virtually with people all over the place. I also love that you can learn new words and that you can't cheat. I also love that 'Quidditch' is an acceptable word and 'Muggle' isn't. Or it might be the other way around, but it makes me laugh.

I love chick lit. I just finished the new Sophie Kinsella book (stay tuned for a review).**

I love crossing things off my to do list no matter how small. The list is never ending so I really feel you have to make the most of the little things!

I love going out for breakfast. Even though I think this has made an appearance on  another list recently. Perhaps even last weeks? Regardless I still love it. It is one of my most favourite ever things to do.

I love time with my sisters and one-on-one time with my daughters. My youngest sister said our day out on Monday was the best shopping trip she has ever had. She is almost 12. I love her, but we fight a lot. So I value even more the time we get to spend together and have fun.

What are you loving this week?!

(I know, no pictures again. I really do need to remember to work on this).

**update** for anyone who cares, my review of 'I've Got Your Number' can be read here.

Loving it ...... and my 100th post!

Just to clarify, this not my 100th 'Loving It' post, but rather my 100th published blog post! Wow. This definitely feels like some sort of milestone and what better way to celebrate then by joining in with this week's 'Loving It'

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.


Joining in with Paisley Jade and reflecting on all the things I am loving particularly this week


... blogging (this has to get a mention in honour of the big 1-0-0).

... 'Harry Potter' and 'Twilight'. Not just because I enjoy them myself, but I love that it is something I share with the girls. And particularly loving them at the moment as we marathoned away our being sick time.

....caramel fudge - especially when it is bought for me by someone who loves me.

... Autumn! It is my absolute favourite season.

... countdowns. I love the anticipation that something big is happening!

... spiders! The kind that are soft drink and icecream. Not the kind with eight legs. And have I mentioned before how much fun it is to add 100s & 1000s to the mix?



What are you loving this week?

Loving it .....

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.

Joining into with Paisley Jade and reflecting on all the things I am loving particularly this week

I love this link! All week it randomly pops into my head when I am particularly liking something. And it is just lovely. Much nicer then other random thoughts. Like jobs that need doing or bills that need paying.

So this week I am loving .....

*Cold pizza. As much as I love it hot, left overs the next day for breakfast is awesome.

*My bug mug. I have one here ... and one lives with a friend in Melbourne. I love that we can have coffee even though there is a continent between us!

*Mini-holidays. It was so good to get away. Writing in the sand, collecting treasures from the beach, reading, relaxing, time with family.

And some extra stuff I am loving while we are sick ....

*My couch aka the day bed. Filled with cushions and pillows and cuddles.

*Old T.V. shows. 'I Dream of Jeannie', 'The Smurfs' and '7th Heaven'. I love '7th Heaven'. When Reanna was a baby I used to make sure I was home every day at 1pm to watch it!

What are you loving this week?

Loving It ......

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.

 
Joining into with Paisley Jade and reflecting on all the things I am loving particularly this week ....
 

• Cooler weather! Snuggles under the doona for me. I am so not a summer person and the weather at the moment is just making me happy.
• My babies. They are just funny.  End of story*.

• Celebrations and taking the time out to make people feel special.
• Cooked breakfast/brunch (especially when it is made for me and served to me in bed by my gorgeous girls - have I mentioned them? and celebrations?).

• My nieces and nephews. I have got to see (or at least talk to) all of them this week!
• Old photos.
• Muffins (especially this week because I need to give them up!).

Click here if you want to join in! It is a lovely link to join in with. What can be nicer then the things you are loving? The button above might take you there too, but I am not so convinced my technological skills are that good!

* for those of you who read my post earlier this week, here is the '32 on Tuesday' balloon! It is still making me laugh!

Loving life

"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 have done several of these types of posts recently, but this is a lovely linky that is too nice to not participate in (and I haven't for a while).

So this week I am loving:
1. Puggles! (aka baby echidnas) Because the name is beyond cute and because I have had friends remember this and tag me into facebook posts about them.

2. Toadstool stools. They make me smile every time I see them.

3. Audio books. They have made our travelling so much nicer.

4. My beautiful girls and how gracefully they are embracing all the changes that this year is giving them.

5. Making positive changes to my life (in case you have missed all my dancing posts!) and the wonderful people who are supporting me.

6. Drowning in so many new books that I don't know which one to read first.

7. Blogging. I missed it and I am so glad I am back.

What are you loving this week? You should check out the link and join in!

PS Argh! I still can't get the button to work, but you can join in here
PPS I really need to get better at the photo thing. It is on my list of things to do!
PPPS I have just realised that the new blogger has changed how I thought things were being formatted! Apologies for my last few posts being paragraphless. I will go back and fix this!

The day after Sunday ... and our holidays

Click the button to join in with blogs tea & me for 'The day after Sunday' linky. If you don't like Mondays what better way to start then by sharing the special moments from your weekend? And if you do like Mondays this can only make them better!

I feel like a bit of a fraud joining in this week. The weekend just gone was the end of my holidays, so it has felt like 10 days of weekend! I do love this linky though, so I am going to join in regardless.

We started the weekend with Elmo cupcakes on Friday night for my cousin's birthday. Followed by a cousin sleepover. Saturday was some cruisey shopping and then the girls slept over at Daddy's Saturday night. Mummy's night out! Christmas in July with a few good friends (*disclaimer* I don't like shops using Christmas in July as a way of selling things, but I do think it is fun as a social thing or a fundraiser). Sunday morning we went out for the biggest brunch ever followed by a loooooong nap. We watched the Western Derby even though sadly I do not feel it was worth the effort. Not because our team lost, but just because I don't think either team deserved to win! (I don't follow the football. The girls do though so I try and watch if it is a Derby or a Grand Final. Only one Grand Final per year though. I don't believe in repeats! So if the game is disappointing I do seem to take it personally. When I have made such an effort. Yes, I might be a little egocentric). Finally, we finished our holidays with Harry Potter at the drive in. (And yes I know I said no more Harry Potter, but we did go! The girls were so excited!!! It was definitely a good compromise on the should they be allowed to see it at the movies issue).

So lovely, lovely weekend with family, friends and way, way, way too much food!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Loving It!

I am joining in the link up from Paisley Jade again. Remembering that no matter how bad things are there is always something in life to be thankful for. If you want to join in just click here or the button below!

This week I am loving ....

Baking with my girls cupcakes with bright yellow icing and clown (aka Nemo) fish with apricots and white chocolate.

Painting my house. It is amazing how much better it all looks every time I paint another little bit. The passage is now the sandy yellow of the main living area. It makes me smile every time I work through there.

The bright yellow wattle always reminds me of the station and my childhood and 'home'.

Our frangipani and banana trees growing so bravely. I am so excited they are still alive (all credit goes to the children, but I am still excited).

And finally my beautiful Erin! Who I think of every time I see something yellow :) (and of course my other beautiful babies ... but today's post is dedicated especially to Erin).

The Day after Sunday .... and our Harry Potter weekend

Click the button to join in with blogs tea & me for 'The day after Sunday' linky. If you don't like Mondays what better way to start then by sharing the special moments from your weekend? And if you do like Mondays this can only make them better!

I have to admit that on this 'day after Sunday' I am on holidays so I definitely have all sorts of rose-coloured glasses on at the moment! Even more then normal ;)

So our weekend consisted of:

Friday: getting all my children back under one roof, nacho picnic in the lounge and Harry Potter 1.


Saturday:Sleep in followed by Saturday morning "cartoons" (what is with there being real life things on these days instead of cartoons?) Harry Potter 2, making the clown fish out of dried apricots and white chocolate that we saw on Saturday Disney (totally awesome by the way) Harry Potter 3. Breakfast-for-dinner with a couple of friends. Harry Potter 4 (are you sensing a theme). Emergency trip to pick up my nephew! It was great to have him, but the reason for the surprise visit was my niece breaking her wrist quite badly and needing to stay in hospital over night which was less good :(

Sunday: I dragged myself out of bed early to go to the park for a circuit class. Harry Potter 5. The kids played schools and my sister came to collect her son and so my niece could show off her cast. Harry Potter 6. I ordered "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in Latin for a different sister's 30th and Jo returned for Harry Potter 7!

Weekend over!!! Soooooo lazy, but just exactly what I needed. I read and napped through lots of the movies. I cuddled my babies and chatted with friends. Other then the broken niece it was a fabulous weekend. Although my final day-after-Sunday comment .... I should have stretched last night .... I am soooooo stiff today!

Loving it! HP style ....

I am joining in the link up from Paisley Jade again. Remembering that no matter how bad things are there is always something in life to be thankful for. If you want to join in just click here or the button below!



This week I am loving ....

Harry Potter books, Harry Potter movies, my Harry Potter wand .... and just generally all things Harry Potter. Re-reading and re-watching in progress as we speak.

$1 coins well a few in particular. The Scouts turned 100 in 2008 and the Girl Guides in 2010. To celebrate the Australian government declared 2008 to be the Year of the Scout and 2010 to be the Year of the Girl Guide and released commemorative coins for each association in the respective years. (I hope I have the years right now!) I have been a Guide for 23 years and counting and have been involved with Scouts on and off for 16 years. Getting a Guide or Scout dollar (or a William and Catherine 20c coin) in my change always makes my day!

Mummy-Daughter Date Nights It doesn't happen very often I get a one-on-one night with just one of my gorgeous girls, but when I do they are awesome!

Rain I grew up in the middle of the desert, need I say more?! Plus with rain ... comes Rainbows

Dreaming and putting the steps in place to make my dreams a reality.

Family the ones I am related to blood, by marriage and the ones who are my family just by choice. "Friends are the family you chose for yourself". I love this quote.

Staycation I looooove this phrase! I read it on a blog recently and it is my new favourite! Most of my holidays are simply spending time at home, and they totally rock!

What are you loving this week?! Join in and tell the world!

The day after Sunday

Click the button to join in with blogs tea & me for the very first 'The day after Sunday' linky. If you don't like Mondays what better way to start then by sharing the special moments from your weekend? And if you do like Mondays this can only make them better! I am excited about it anyway :)

Friday night: No Reanna, so takeaway and a couple of hours quiet reading for Mama, while the little two were at (Girl) Guides .... home and snuggles on the couch in front of a new dvd (Aimee got a new one at the Christmas in July they had at Guides that night) ... we slept all curled up on the couch. This is something I can't do when they are all home. Naps yes, all night sleeping no. They are just too big now!

Saturday morning: ... sleeping in ... stopped past Bunnings for a sausage sizzle (fundraiser for an awesome cause) on the way to the city ... I had to go into the office for a few hours (long story, doesn't happy very often). The girls were legends! Hot milo and Saturday morning cartoons for them. Zipping around the office like a maniac photocopying for me. Picture this: kitchen one corner (where the children were located), my desk opposite corner, two photocopiers in the remaining two corners. Now picture me running around madly between all four! Yes we were the only people there!! I am also pretty sure this classifies as exercise. We were there for almost two hours! Aimee dressed in "work" clothes (pictures to come) and very kindly tested all the stamps in sight. You will be pleased to know they all worked. And, this morning, I found a lovely note on my computer screen from Erin. She'd left it there on the weekend to give me a perfect start to the week!

Saturday night: Drive in. Bit spur of the moment, which is always exciting, and definitely inspired by how good the girls had been in the morning. Clinker game (are we the only people who play this?!) and then hangman while we waited for the movie to start. Plus the ever favourite "I am thinking of an animal". Picnic dinner in the car. TWO movies plus I got to catch up with a friend who came with us! Awesome night out and sooooo cheap! Especially compared to going to the cinemas.

Sunday: I got my Reanna home:) We had every intention of going to church until we found out there was no Sunday school and no pastor. Instead we had the perfect morning catching up with my co-Two Mummy Duck-er including getting some amazing snuggles from my (very tired) 5-year-old God-daughter. We had all seven kids there and they were all so good! Must have been the weekend for well behaved children. Maybe because it was so cold and their blood all slowed down. Like lizards ... or something ....

Sunday night: "Camping". Toasted marshmellows. Potatoes in jackets cooked in the fire. Chocolate bananas. S'mores. A shared beer (clearly not with the children). Wood smoke .... mmmmm ....soooo many memories!

Written down it sounds busy! But in reality, it was lovely and relaxed. We started the weekend with literally no plans and this is what it ended up like. Full of cuddles and coffee catch ups and shared times and creating happy memories.

Loving It!

Hello peoples. This is another link up from Paisley Jade. If you want to join in just click here or the button below!



So many great link-ups are making not knowing what to write about impossible.

So things I am loving today ....

1. My stripey purple witch socks. They make me smile every time I wear them. Whether it is under boots when I am out trying to look pretty or at work trying to look grown up or when I am at home just being comfy. I originally bought them for part of a witch costume for a show I was in and that makes me smile too! (Please ignore my rolled up jeans, funny looking knees and the mess on the bookshelf in the background!)





2. My couch. I love my couch. It was the first thing for our new home when be signed up to build the house. You have to take your shoes up and curl up on it. It is pretty much compulsory. Now it is winter it is perfect snuggle weather complete with cushions and a our "furry" blanket. We all fit on there and can nap and watch dvds. Bliss.




3. Girl-time. Now Reanna has just turned 12 I am valuing even more the time I get to spend just hanging out with the girls. It won't be long before their lives are too busy to want to include much us time for a while. (Picture is of us getting ready for the wedding we went to last weekend).



4. My fridge. I love my fridge. It was the first time I have ever had a fridge that has looked brand new (even though I bought it from ebay it was only a few months old). It was also the first ever big thing I bought on my own. I love that it is stainless steel. I had wanted one for ages and I was so excited that I was able to get one when my old fridge died. I keep the front of the fridge for special things and it makes me smile every time I look at baby announcements, engagement/wedding/21st/18th invitations and magnets showing my favourite quotes. And inside is white and clean and shiny and I have it beautifully organised in tupperware (that I got free from hosting a party last year!). Can you tell my last one was old? (over 25 years old by the time it died!)and it is one of the few places in my house that is organised. Although I am working very hard on changing this!




5. The Entourage. Always. Forever. Even when they are driving me nuts!




What are you loving today?! The link is open until Sunday :)

Fill the blank Friday!

I am joining in this link by Lauren at the little things we do.

I think I am getting the hang of this blogging and linking stuff now ;)

1. The last movie I saw was 'Hall Pass' at the movies (and I had a free ticket! Yay!) and 'The Bounty Hunter' on dvd. I hadn't seen it before.


2. I want to hurry up and finish work so I can go home to my babies! We have a rare evening with nothing planned. So I have a possibility of something we have been wanting to do forever but haven't got around to doing it yet.


3. Surprises are awesome! Especially when they are for no reason.


4. The best accessory is fun shoes or fun jewellery. Especially when it means I can get away with wearing jeans and basic top.



5. My favorite warm drink is choc-mint hot chocolate stirred with a dark chocolate spoon. I discovered these last weekend. My life will never be the same.

6. My favorite cold drink is sort of hard to pick. I drink way, way too many V's (although I am cutting back). I love chamapange (or sparkling wine to be technically correct) and coke and cider ... and clearly it depends on where I am and what I am doing.


7. Currently loving blogging! Bet you didn't guess ;) and I am loving feeling I am getting the hang of it and I am loving that I have real followers now! (hello!)

What I love about me!

Welcome to Week 2 of "What I Love About Me!" hosted by Twins Plus One, Three Times the Fun and Twingle Mommy!

Here's how it works -

Write a post about what you love about yourself this week and then add it to the linky list below. This is intended to be a time and place for each of us to stop criticizing ourselves for a few minutes and actually remind ourselves of the characteristics we are proud to own. So go ahead, look in the mirror, and see yourself through your loved one's eyes. Notice the beauty first. Here's your place to shine!

A few simple guidelines -
•Please follow the two hostesses. If you are a new follower, please comment so we can follow you too! :)
•We'd love it if you posted the button and the linky list, but it is not mandatory.
•Feel free to link to your homepage or your specific "What I Love About Me!" post. We want this to be a fun, relaxing hop so we'll accept all links as long as they are family-friendly. Thanks!
•The linky will be open all week so feel free to link-up on your own time.




Ok clearly the above bit is cut and posted from the blogs of the lovely hostesses. I really am working very hard on learning the 'tricks' of making the technical bits of blogging work! I managed the button and have finally worked out how to post a link (I think), but the list down the bottom was a bit too hard for me. I am very proud of myself for getting this far though! Check out Twins Plus One, Three Times the Fun and Twingle Mommy for more blogland people who have joined in.

What I love about me!

1. I love that I love my life. I may not have always made the right choices and there are things I wish I had done differently/could do differently now, but over all I love my life. I am slowly learning not to beat myself up over things I have done that I now regret.

2. I love that I can nap pretty much anywhere anytime. This is very useful. Especially when I am so super busy that the only thing that gets me from 5:30am to 11pm is the 10 minute power nap. It is slightly less useful if it makes me snoozey somewhere important like in a meeting. It is also slightly less useful if I nap for too long and then can't sleep at night. But over all it is a fabulous habit and one I have spent many years perfecting ;)

3. I love that I am never bored. Except in times I have totally no control over the situation but this pretty much never happens. I can usually find something to do or someone to talk to or something to think about .... or I nap. I do love to nap. My mum told me when I was about 8 only boring people get bored. I believed her. Going by this theory I might be the most exciting person in the world! Sadly, when I used this same expression on the girls, Aimee cried for 20 minutes that I said she was boring. This wasn't actually what I meant. I don't think she ever quite believed me. The girls are amazingly good at entertaining themselves though so maybe it did work.

Hmmm ... that was a lot harder then I thought! Definitely worth giving a go though :) And can I mention again I am very proud of myself for working out how to put links in at last?!