This Week...

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.

Ever Wondered??

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.

The "next"

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....

17

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

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.


 

Heatwave

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.
 

Fulfillment and Generousity

Wow watched this today......highly recommend you do too.

What would our community and our own life look like if we were fulfilled and generous? 

This or That ?

Life requires us to be making choices and decisions every day.....

Some days there are more to make than other days...

Some are huge and life changing and some will not make that much of a difference in the big scheme of things

Some decisions need to be made a as family and some need to be made on our own

Some need lots of outward dialogue and some just need to be mulled over in our head space

Some we welcome with open arms and others we dread them coming


Some of the decisions being made in our house right now are...

What colour should the ball gown be?

What would be the best 17th birthday present to ask for?

Should a job that would require a big move be applied for

Which days are good for volunteering?

To head to the pool for that training swim or stay on the couch?

How long to hold off in the day before we succumb to the heat and put on the AC?

Whether to contact someone you haven't seen in a while and take a risk?

Which soccer club would be the right one for our soccer boy?

Where to spend our Sunday mornings?

To take the easy way out or not with dinner?

How much technology time is enough?

What would we do with our home if we moved?

Shall we plan for that Birthday BBQ and hope that it cools down before then?

Who's turn is it to accompany the learner driver?

How much to stress about what tomorrow will bring?

Should I really stay up and watch that reality TV?

Where is the best place to get a good spray tan to go with the ball gown once I choose it?

What is going to go into tomorrows lunch boxes?

What would I have to clear from the schedule tomorrow if I get an early morning work call?

Some of these we have answers for.....others we have no clue.

Not for a very long time have I felt we have so many things to consider.....but maybe that is a good thing...having choices....even if they are hard ones.

This Week

This week was  busy....

First week done of the school year.

Both kids seem off to a good start

Dance in the city resumed with the teen being totally independent this year. 

Coffee dates and morning tea with some of my lovely mums from playgroup that I already miss terribly.

Lunchbox  baked treats
 
Catchup cuppa teas with friends

Busy making the all important connections and getting all the necessary paperwork together for some new work this year.

Precious time spent with my sisters....we all now have child free days to share.

The best time spent volunteering for a worthwhile organisation

Friends over for hangout time

Youth group time back on

Fresh produce gifts grown by my youngest sister

Early morning triathalon race

#1167  A cool cool house to hibernate in from the heat

Adding to my Thankful list
 

Enterprising buisness

So we are nearly at the end of the first week of school for the year.

We have enjoyed the fresh routines and are trying a few different ones to last year....one of them is preparing lunch boxes the night before so that we have a better perspective on what goes in the lunchbox...instead of the rush to throw one together as they are running late.

Now my guys have always been lunch box takers.....we have not been big canteen patrons at all. They both have really been happy with taking thier lunches so who am I to complain?

This year both the Primary school and High school have made the decsion to close thier canteens. I think the number one reason is they are not finacially viable or maybe it was the lack of volunteers to run them.....either way they are closed.
Now this doesnt  affect us at all as we dont do canteen lunches...but Meg came home today with a story....

Some enterprising young men at the high school decided to take matters into their own hands and begin a little pop up lunch supply buisness. Apparently they used live social media to promote there whereabouts on the campus and they were swamped....
Sold out of many items. Even Meg said she thought it was cool and promised to buy a juice box tomorrow if they had them.

I am sure the "powers to be" will intervene but really, kids taking iniattive and moving in where there  is a market is pretty ingenius. They are obviously well priced as they had no problems selling their stock.

Maybe they will rethink the canteen concept and find a way to make it work for the many kids that do rely on it for sustenance. 

 

Clearing the Jungle

I took advantage of a few hours at home and some cooler weather this afternoon to tackle our Jungle garden.

After giving you a little tour of our special garden I was prompted to venture out and snap some pics of the hidden treasures that lie within.....many of the treasures are original to the garden and I never tire in finding them, sometimes hidden underneath the ever changing growth.
It really is a fun space to work in as our three neighboring fences are completely protected by trees which creates our own little world away from the outside....often the garden is filled with a myriad of birds, bees and sometimes butterflies.

It is a beautiful space but does require a lot of work...although we love the feel of the wildness of it all.....so some more cool weather and I will make some more of the paths clear and keeping bringing to life the nooks and hidden spaces in our "Fairy Garden"

First of the lasts

These two nutters set off today....both for the first of thier lasts

Last year of high school and last year of primary school

....and neither of them needed me today!

Oh well...they know where to find me if they do..

Hope your first days of school are smooth sailing and you get better photos of the occasion than I did!