Thankful this week.....
Our wild seeded pumpkins have produced the early signs of first fruits
Roast lamb dinners cooked an extra delicious way...thanks to my clever master chef.
Awesome performance opportunities for our dancing girl with rave reviews
Finding out the neighbors dog is not all that ferocious after the most inquisitive of our three chooks headed over the fence to say hello
Spending our last work free day together at our favorite eating hangout
Work for us both...after months of time off..the same week we both landed work, a total blessing.
Homemade scones with jam and cream to share with friends
Eggs arriving regularly now from our little inquisitive brood
Pizza night shared with family
With the now regular help of glasses enjoying some slow time to read
#1200 A smooth transition back into the classroom...
Well another week ticked off...it was a busy one...readjusting ourselves after many months off to breathe in the space....suddenly we are now all in the kitchen making lunches , eating breakfast and giving instructions to the smallest of us all to lock the door behind him on his way to school....
Thankful list
So Proud of our girl......great night last night...
You can check her out here
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Luckily both our kids like fruit.....but I have struggled a little getting Fraser to eat it while at school. He does have a "crunch and sip" time but his 1 piece of fruit would bounce back home in the lunch box each day.
He would then eat it right before bedtime...
So in an effort to create some more interesting lunchboxes and get the piece of fruit eaten during the day, I had a light bulb moment.
Take two pieces of fruit (most days it is 2 pieces of fruit and 1 vegetable).
Cut into random bite size pieces.
Place in a zip lock bag......or fancy little bento container.
Add to the lunch box.
......and just like that 2 pieces of fruit and 1 vegetable eaten a day. ( and still the piece of fruit before bed eaten too!!)
The psychology of cutting up bite size easy to eat pieces of food.
We are trying the more "bento" way of packing our lunchboxes...we just haven't quite managed to get the true lunch containers yet but none the less our lunch boxes are looking way more exciting this year.
Here is a great local to us company selling all things "Bento" if you are interested.
Today I packed up my lunch box and headed out the door right before my kids.....
for my first day back in the classroom ...in a very long time.
I found the office, got my directions and was shown to my class for the day.
Any worries I may have had about whether I still could do it...dissipated as soon as I stood before a room full of Year 3's who were looking at me with anticipation of what lie ahead for the day.
Once a teacher always a teacher I have been told by my husband many times...usually when I use a certain tone in my voice!
Well it was just like getting back on the bike....I remembered how to do it.....and really enjoyed it.
I am excited by exploring this new little journey, who knows what each day or every other day.....or maybe just a day here and there will bring....
Woohoo for my parents insisting that I get that piece of paper at university all those years ago.....it really has come in handy right over the years...and even if it is a bit dusty it is still valid and worth brushing up on.
Big week as my man packs his lunch box too in a days time for his next adventure.....
Tomorrow is hang out day!
Making progress with the driving...tried new routes and tested the night time driving too.
Saw my man all dressed up and somewhere to go....haven't seen a tie around these parts for a while
The chickens tasted a piece of freedom this week...and they liked what they got.
All that hand feeding and treating them kind is paying off...they know who loves them.
Love the smell of a frangipani
Nearly 11...oh we have fun days ahead of us with the battle between wanting to be a little guy and needing to be a big guy.
I have loved so so so much hanging out with this guy for the last 8 months...at our leisure....I think it is all about to change...sob sob
It also helps having so many gorgeous coffee haunts to try with spectacular views
Love finding sneaky pics of ordinary tasks...Saturday lunch making captured by my techno son
A night out in the city when there was so much to see
#1190 An excited dancer preparing to perform next week.
So much to be thankful for so adding to my growing lists.
Have you ever spent any time thinking about what people would say about you when you are gone?
I know a strange question for me to ask......It's just that my sister gave me a box this afternoon. It contained cards and letters all associated with my mum, at the time she was unwell and then passed away.
This was almost 18 years ago and this box has been tucked away with no one knowing what to do with it.
So apparently although being the eldest of three girls I lie somewhere in the middle on the sentimental scale.
One of my sisters couldn't part with it...the other had little sentiments around keeping it all.
So I took it and spent time looking through all the cards and letters. What I enjoyed the most was reading all the thoughts and words that described my mum. The words came from friends, family and those who she impacted through her work place. They described her as gentle, caring, godly and someone who left all who knew her feeling like they mattered.
That was my mum and more.....and I am sure she knew how people felt.
As I read through the box it made me think about how I want people to remember me....Am I moving through this life leaving an impact on those who I meet. Am I being generous with my time and abilities to better my community? Do I leave people feeling like they matter and are valued?
Some things to ponder ....and yes I did get rid of most of the contents...not something my mum was very good at but I know she would understand and I would hope that long after I was gone, I remained in peoples hearts and minds rather than in a dusty old box of papers.
It's not just the cool breeze blowing through the house tonight that makes things feel different...
Have you ever been in a place where you are longing to find out what the "next" is but also know that with that "next" will come change?
We knew this year was going to be different for us....that it would bring change (or more change). We have spent many hours over coffee dates in discussion as to what we wanted that change to look like....or trying to prepare ourselves for what it may feel like.
All the time really enjoying the place that we have found ourselves in. (Yay for the slow days, coffee shop exploring and lack of places to be)
It feels like now we are on the edge of the next wave of change.....I know it is what we have been preparing for ...but I can't help already feeling the loss of all the perks of life for the last 7 months.
We have been blessed to have had the time to de-stress, untangle ourselves from those things that had us in knots and to now be ready for the next part of this journey of life.
So as I sit tonight with the blinds billowing with the cool breeze....I am excited that the "next" will bring with it newness, provisions and opportunities....
You arrived in this world....to our family at a time that was tough....
You just missed meeting your grandma ( she would have loved you to pieces)
You arrived a little time after your big sister had the most life altering event
We were hurting a lot, reeling from the blows of life.....but full of expectancy that you were coming to join our little family.
17 years ago we became a family of four
You were tiny, petite and had the rubiest of red lips
and now here you are.....finishing your last year of school....making plans for the coming next stage....dancing your way so beautifully through life.
You are no push over, are determined, focused and ready for an adventure......
Embrace this year.....take every opportunity that comes and lets see where this all goes...
We love ya heaps.
This week I am thankful for.....
Living close enough to the ocean to break the heatwave with a cooling late afternoon swim.
A boy who is very confident in the ocean
The relaxed schedules we have right now to enjoy this family time
Afternoon tea baking treats
Seeing my boy embrace being a "graduate"
Birthday celebrations for our 17 year old
Seeing her beauty grow every day
Morning routines that are seeing us organised and ready early for school
Cousins who played super well with each other.
A break in the hot days for our celebrations to be held in the garden...the gentle breeze was perfect
The garden being a place that the birds love even when we are entertaining
A little valentine gesture
#1180 Woohoo...the girls gave their first offerings tonight...small but as precious as gold
Adding to my growing thankful list.
Four days of around 40 C may have been enough for me to put on my bathers and head to the beach with my guys early this evening.
A slightly cooler change expected tomorrow...finally
The house is open tonight in hopes that a cool fresh breeze might move through...still waiting.
