Love

Sunday was as lovely as I had foreseen. A trip to Mandurah to spend time with family to celebrate Dad's Birthday. 

Catching a few zzzz's before the party...

The gorgeous table set up by Mum.

Dad getting some help from Sam to blow out the candles...

Thanks for the brilliant day Mum.. and the beautiful lunch. A roast dinner for everyone and a plate of salt and pepper prawns for me, with roast vegetables. Drool.

My very cool nephew, Caleb. He's a little star :)

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I've been spending some time thinking about my next little project. I didn't want to choose something just for the sake of it, but I wanted to feel a connection with a certain charity to support. There are so so so many important and valuable charities out there that you could support.. overseas, local, national...for all sorts of issues: medical, poverty, mental health etc. For awhile I didn't know what to choose as my heart went out to all that I thought about.

Until one day a few weeks ago, I was watching TV and an advert came on about The Smith Family charity. (www.thesmithfamily.com.au). All of a sudden I felt a strong connection with the cause. The Smith Family supports children in Australia with poverty issues in relation to school, support and education.

Right now, the sad reality is 605,700¹ dependent children and young people living in jobless families. and they urgently need our help.

At school, these children don't have the basics like a school bag, complete uniform or the schoolbooks they need to make the most of their education. They are often teased or left out by other students. And because they don't fit in, they end up struggling at school, or failing altogether. For some, it can set up a pattern of underachievement that can literally last the rest of their lives.

The cost of sponsorship is tax deductible and importantly, 100% of your contribution will directly benefit your sponsored child, in three main ways:

• Financial support to pay for basics like books, shoes and a complete school uniform, as well as course materials and extra-curricular activities like school excursions and outings
• Teaming up a child with Learning for Life worker who offers encouragement and support with their schooling; links them to learning opportunities in their community, and helps them to fully participate in their education
• Building an emotional connection and providing support to your sponsored child - time and again students tell us how motivated they are by the knowledge that someone out there (whom they will never meet) cares about them and their future

It may seem like these issues are minor in comparison to starvation in Third World Countries etc, however I do believe we have to follow our heart when we feel led to support a certain cause. When I saw the advert on underprivileged Australian children going to the same schools etc that my children do and will be going to, it hit home hard.

If I couldn't provide for my children, it would sadden me to no end. The thought that I could support a child who is just like Sam or Jacob, and give them an extra boost for their education and general well being in these important developing years... then yes, that means a lot to me.

So this is what I plan to do - sponsor a child for 12 months at $39 a month. Money well spent.

So ... are you wondering how I'm going to bug you guys to get involved?!

Don't fret! This is my personal commitment of sponsorship. This time I have decided to 'give back' for anyone who wants to be involved.

My idea is to use my photography to create calendars, mugs, canvas prints, cards etc etc for anyone who is interested and any profit made will go directly towards the monthly sponsorship. This is a win/win. If anyone is looking for merchandise and wants to buy something.. perfect! If not, no problems! No pressure, no commitment, no challenge! You can all breathe a sigh of relief :P

It'll take me awhile to set up the goods so watch this space :)

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Valentine's Day

My day started early. Like I actually set my alarm for 5am, just so I could make a coffee and have some time to myself to think and process and enjoy the peace. Crazy? Maybe. Necessary? Definitely :)

Those peaceful minutes spent looking out the window at the sun rising, thinking about my boys, our life, our days, processing the last few weeks.. it was just what I needed. The day started off on the right foot.

Work was fun today. I feel like I spent most of the day laughing. I think everyone got caught up a little in the fun, cheesy vibe of Valentines Day and we were all in a giddy, excitable mood.... chatting about our plans for the evening and the little cute things we were planning our loved ones.

I wanted to surprise Lewy with a platter of cheeses/dips and crackers, for us to enjoy over a glass of red. After picking up the goodies, I headed to our local bottle shop to buy the red. Upon arrival, our buddy at the store said "Hey, your husband has just been in here and bought you a bottle of red.. it's Yellow Tail Shiraz, you'll love it"! There were a few customers backed up, and the store joined in the fun of teasing him about potentially ruining a valentine's day surprise. Love it!

Time spent outside with the family...

I downloaded the Jamie Oliver app where there is a whole range of recipe packs you can buy for a huge .99c ... I couldn't sleep last night so I downloaded some Vege recipes... I highly recommend this app, it's so easy, so convenient! Especially if you are at the shops and searching for an easy meal, you can go straight to the ingredient tab and off you go.

The final package arrived today for Sam's party... so close :)

Pizza and garlic bread for dinner....Valentine's Day hugs and kisses for dessert.

Happy Valentines Day lovely friends!