Day 279 Perfection

Today was pretty much perfect. 

After trying to shake this cold for what feels like a lifetime, I made myself have a very very quiet morning and do nothing but rest. Which I must say was extremely hard. I came so close to making lots of plans and had to keep reminding myself that my body was begging for a rest. My boys went to daycare (and in case you are wondering if it seems like they are there a lot lately, it's just because the centre offered them some free days on Fridays - cool huh!) .. so after I dropped them off I had the day to help my body recover.

As soon as I got home, I jumped into bed and put on a movie. An older movie called - "Somewhere in Time" with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve. Have you seen it? It's about love, time travel (yes, time travel) and more love = perfect Friday morning viewing :) ... then I fell asleep and didn't wake until after 12.30pm. I guess my body was in dire need of sleep!

Once I woke up, I was so unbelievably relaxed and rested that I decided to do what I love doing the most... go for a drive, take my camera to see where we end up. After such a fantastic outing in Caversham the other day, I headed out that way again and found a new piece of bushland to explore.

Uh-oh....

I feel lucky.  To be able to drive 2 minutes up the road and before I know it I'm surrounded by bush land, listening to the birds, the noises in the bushes (which made me squeal even MORE than last time thanks to the news of the snakes), the peace and quiet.

I even had a moment where I stopped, mid dirt track, closed my eyes and said a thank you prayer to God for such beautiful surroundings and the opportunity for precious quiet time.

For the short time I was out, it felt like I was in another world. Taking in the scenery, the smells, the sound of rushing water with the nearby stream, the dirt track.... it was bliss. It really is my preferred world. Have I mentioned before I want to move to the country?!

You know what I heard on a certain show that I like to watch?... (Seventh Heaven)... insights galore - "Gratitude is the key the Happiness". That's so true right? Being grateful for what we DO HAVE rather than striving for what we don't have. That is happiness right there. And with that in mind - I am happy, so grateful and so blessed.

I want to bring my boys to this place...they would love it.

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Recipe time. I didn't take many photos tonight because my boys were all hanging around the kitchen, bellies grumbling, waiting for dinner.. so I had to be quick!

Chicken Piccata with Garlicky Green Beans and Corn on the Cob


I got the recipe for the Chicken Piccata from here: http://www.grouprecipes.com/65835/pamelas-low-fat-chicken-piccata.html

Garlicky Green Beans, seriously these are fantastic! Lewy and I couldn't stop picking at them while they were cooking so a smaller number made it to the plate!

All it takes is some green beans, one teaspoon of olive oil, one teaspoon of garlic, and one teaspoon of Herbamare (or else you can use whatever seasoning you prefer). Stir together in hot saucepan with the beans. Oh boy, delish!

Boil corn on the cob, cook some brown rice.. and your meal is done!

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For ages now I've had on my 'to buy list' a chair and table set for the boys... I found this gorgeous set from KMart for only $25.. it's gorgeous and the boys love it :)

Hehe love this look on Sam's face!

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An overall, gorgeous, perfect day.... and because I'm in such a good mood... another giveaway is coming up soon! Keep your eye out :)

Happy Friday xx

Day 278 A bit of this, a bit of that

The other day Lewy said "you've got to listen to this, I think it's your kind of song".... so he showed me the clip on youtube and after 5 seconds I said "nope, don't like it".. he told me to give it a chance, I said "nope, I really don't like it".... well turns out after hearing it a second time on the radio the next day, Lewy was right. I love it! Can't get enough of listening to it right now... so enjoy. And if you haven't heard it before, don't be stubborn like me ... give it a chance! :)

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Today was .... pleasant. Very pleasant. This sunshine is so uplifting, every chance I got I would sneak outside by myself before my boys could figure out what I was doing and grab a few seconds each time to let the sun warm my back, close my eyes and have a quick time out. I must admit I had a little smile on my face when little legs realised I wasn't around and would run outside to enjoy the sunshine with me.

Sam and I enjoyed a very mature morning tea together of tea and apple pieces with tahini...

and we picked flowers and stuck them behind our ears. It was lovely.

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Very, very long story short.... for the time being I've added seafood back into my diet. So... that's it. I have. Lots of reasons and a decision not at all made lightly but.... there it is.

So moving right along... one of the meals on our new eating plan is Herb Salmon with Creamed Style Spinach and Quinoa, which I made tonight.

You will need:
2 pieces of Salmon
1 tablespoon of Herbamare (picture below..one of the products from the Organic store)
1 teaspoon of Tarragon
I teaspoons of Coriander Crushed Seeds
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons of butter

For the creamed spinach:
1 spinach bunch
3/4 cup of natural yoghurt
Herbed goats cheese (add to taste)

For the Quinoa dish:
1 cup of Quinoa
3/4 cup of peas
1 carrot, sliced

1. First of all, mix the Herbamare, Tarragon, Coriander and lemon juice together and marinate the Salmon. Leave this to sit while you are preparing the rest of the meal.

2. Next, cook the Quinoa (1 cup Quinoa = 3 cups of water), and boil the carrots and peas at the same time.

3. Drain the Quinoa if necessary, and mix with peas/carrots...one part done!

4. Roughly chop the spinach, add to a saucepan with the yoghurt and as much goat's cheese as you prefer to taste (this creates a sauce for the salmon)

Herbed Goat's Cheese... so tasty. 

5. Time to cook the Salmon. Melt the butter on high heat and then fry Salmon until cooked (pour the remainder of the marinate sauce over the Salmon while it's cooking).

6. Top the Salmon with the Creamed Spinach Sauce.... and you are good to go!

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I got this recipe from here:
http://www.biblicalhealthinstitute.com/Resources/JordanRubinsRecipes/tabid/80/itemid/176/Default.aspx but altered it a bit to suit our cooking style and the ingredients that I had.

If anyone is interested in some fantastic healthy, wholesome but very tasty meals there is a whole stack here:
http://www.biblicalhealthinstitute.com/Resources/JordanRubinsRecipes/tabid/80/Default.aspx

The ingredients on this site are all organic, but you can use non-organic ingredients if you don't want to buy 100% whole foods, as it can certainly get a bit pricey. The beauty of these recipes is that are very easy, normal, realistic healthy foods that taste great no matter what ingredients you use. This is the 3rd night that I've cooked something from this site and I can already feel the difference and to top it off Lewy is very impressed with the meals so far and has given it a big thumbs up. Win. 


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Happy Thursday xx

Day 277 Run down

The beauty of my little guys having a day in daycare, is that I actually get to have some peace and quiet for more than 5 seconds to process things that have happened during the week/s, think about areas that need improving both in myself and with our family, house etc etc, and spend some much needed time to put some action plans in place.

On my continuous journey to better health, as I sat in my new reading room yesterday (hehe I promise I'll stop going on about the room soon, it's still a novelty for me :) I thought about how run down I am and have been for quite some time. So out came the cook books, the health books, and the laptop so I could do some extra research... and found a fantastically healthy, organic, realistic, perfect-for-the-whole-family, eating plan.

For a meal to be successful in our home, it needs to be tasty, filling and healthy. So I was pleasantly surprised to find some gorgeous, tasty recipes that will assist with giving my body the energy and healing it desperately needs as well as satisfying the hungry boys of the household - win/win!

After writing out my shopping list, I knew I needed to source out a store where I could buy some organic products. I was in luck that this shop was only a few streets away!

I took this photo while driving (I know), but this is probably one of my favourite streets because of the trees down the middle of the road.... love. 

Photography at its best.... ha! This place is fantastic! So cheap, gorgeous fresh fruit and vege... I came out with a massive box full of healthy goodness.

We're also going to be making the most of the grill on the BBQ to add that extra special healthier touch to our meals.

I'll share some recipes soon, watch this space!

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My Boys

Sam said to me yesterday  "I love you Mummy, you are warm" :)

Nothing makes me smile more than seeing these two little guys together.... Sam took Jacob for a ride in the trailer and they both loved it. And I loved watching them.

We were having races today - bike races, running races, horse/bike races (you had to be there) and at one point in one of the 100's of races we had, Sam and I had started at break record speed leaving poor little Jakey lagging behind. Sam stopped half way and said "Let's go back and get Jakey".... melt. That's my boy. 

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Good night my friends and sweet dreams xxx

Day 276 And the winner is.....

It's cold, wet, and windy outside today... I even spotted hail stones this morning. Perfect day to put on the trackies and slippers and make use of my new room!

Before I could do that though, I had one heck of a job ahead of me this morning after dropping my little chickens off to daycare. Like it always happens when you renovate, you clean and tidy the new room/s and the rest of your house becomes a big mess as you move everything into them in order to clear the renovated spaces. So when I got back home, I had a crazy mess of a house to tidy. Music on and I didn't stop until every last bit of it was done. (See this is why it takes me so long to recover from sickness...I can't help myself!). But it's all done and now I can sit in my new space, happy and content :)

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Now for the FUN part - I've been excited about this giveaway! I decided that I would show 2 necklaces that the winner can choose from (as silver isn't everyone's style):

Cute little starfish necklace...

and this adorable bronze bow!

Da-da-da-dum.....

And the winner is: Comment #1 Ok The first to comment.....I had a great week catching up with friends and doing the gardening!!! which was very productive,we have a verge pick up so getting it all out! :)

Congratulations LISA! Let me know which necklace you like the best and it's all yours!

I've decided I like Giveaways so much that I'll do it more often! Stay tuned! 

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The weather has taken a turn again... hail stones galore! 

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Tonight was one of those evenings I love, where the side door was wide open, I was cutting up veggies to make the salad in the kitchen, Lewy and the boys were grilling the chicken outside, the sweet potato chips were baking in the oven.. everyone was happy, and our lovely healthy meal was coming together nicely. Love. 

Notice the door frame to the left of the photo? Almost finished the painting, so our door can soon be fitted. The study is coming along in leaps and bounds now!

 Happy Tuesday xxx

Day 275 Renovations COMPLETE!

4 months since we started and I can finally say the renovations are basically complete! Let me walk you through the new room, come right this way.... 

I took this photo yesterday morning....

And this photo this afternoon... what a difference right? It looks like I still have some dusting to do...

I'm extremely pleased with the outcome, it has such a wonderful warm and cosy feel to the room and I can't wait to grab a book, curl up on the couch and relax! Who wants to come over for a cuppa?

My new frames! After falling in love with the idea of using string and pegs to create a photo frame, I decided to give it a go. My mum had given me these 3 frames, which were actually mirrors. So I removed the mirrors and secured the string.

I got the photos laminated so that they wouldn't curl and bought these little pegs from Officeworks. Although I do have some green wooden pegs on order that should arrive any day, so I'll be interested to see if they look better than the yellow ones.

I was worried that the frames would look tacky, but I'm actually quite happy with the result. The photos provide a really nice splash of colour.

My mum gave me the two cream paintings, and I bought the middle picture about 2 years ago for $2.50 from Red Dot! Who would have thought it would be the perfect addition to my reading room!

A splash of blue for the couch...

I'm in love with the new lamp. Target had a deal going, buy the lamp base and get the shade for free. Woohoo!

Some new candles....Target had 30% off, another woohoo!

I'm in love...

The study yesterday....(oh my OCD is having a heart attack...)

and the study today!

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If you haven't commented on the post for the Giveaway yet, make sure you do!!! I'll be announcing the lucky winner tomorrow :)

My body is mad at me at the moment for not giving it time to rest much over the last few days...therefore it feels even worse today and decided to share germs with Lewy who is now sick, poor guy :( No more crazy house work, time to put my feet up!

Happy days! x