Hunger Games

I'm not sure if I've been living under a rock... but it seems I have somehow managed to miss the phenomenon that is 'Hunger Games'. Usually I'm the first to jump on the bandwagon of popular books, but this one managed to pass me by.

Has anyone read it? I'm considering reading the book before I watch the movie... I like it that way. So.. I guess I'll add that to my already growing list on Kindle of books I need to read! I have a feeling this Kindle is going to come in very handy on my flight to and from America!

In all my tiredness/excitement this weekend, I forgot to tell you my good news. I had my 3 month review at work (yes it's been 3 months already!) and I got a pay rise :P Woohoo!

My boys are now back home after a great night with Nanna & Pop. I think I spent majority of the time while the boys were away, sleeping.. I must have needed it! A delicious sleep in, followed by coffee in bed, watching TV. Heaven.

We are all refreshed for the new week ahead.

Silence is Bliss

Thank God for grandparents :X After a crazy week, a break was needed. My boys are enjoying a sleep over with Nanna and Pop. The silence is bliss. Although I can't wait to hear their little voices when I pick them up tomorrow :)

I woke up early this morning and stayed in bed thinking about the day ahead. With our bedroom door open, I could see the mirror in the hall which was reflecting a stunning red light from the window at the front door. I had to get up and check out this sky... I'm so glad I did. Isn't it stunning? I wonder what the view was like from the plane in the sky?
 

After a lovely long nap in the afternoon, I took a drive to the DVD store. Guess how much we have in overdues? You won't believe it - it's ridiculous. $44... I know. 

My movie choice. And it.was.good. I cried... it was thought provoking, it was sad, it was hopeful. I recommend it if you like movies that are a little different, a little deep. (Points for who can spot the puppy)

I interrupt this blog to let you all know that as I'm typing this, our next door neighbours are having a party .. complete with Karaoke. I wonder if they would welcome me in and let me have a go?! :P Seriously, though they are taking this karaoke pretty seriously and the tunes they are belting out is impressive. Currently, someone is singing a heartfelt ballad ... awwww :P

Right, check out these mini prawn quiches... courtesy of my Mum. Sorry Marley, there is no way you are getting your little paws on these babies! Heaven... these mini quiches are heaven!

Often, when I'm being my normal self and feeling anxious about something, a bible verse will come to mind to calm me down. This week - these verses ran through my heart and mind like a song pressed on Repeat. It was beautiful.

Psalms 23: 1-4

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

Tomorrow... we sleep in. SLEEP IN. As in we get up when WE want to! Not because little people are awake and want us to get up! Oh be still my heart.... I will enjoy it! There will be no early morning outside sky photo from me tomorrow... yeeha! It's the small things in life right?!

Good night and sweet dreams.

This Week

In the midst of craziness, we have tried to take a few moments to enjoy each other's company.

Like Wednesday night, we all (Marley included) picked up some pizzas after work/daycare and headed to the river to eat our dinner.

We've read new library books that Sam has bought home from school, and sung songs together on the way to daycare. Hugged a little longer, and said twice as many 'I Love You's'.

It's been a big week... with some exciting things to look forward to over the weekend. I cannot wait!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think I may have found a new church :D I got in touch with a local church and found out they run kids clubs on Friday nights... Sam was in the 'Sparks' group, and we went for the first time tonight. It ran for 1 hour and jam packed full of games, bible lesson, snacks and fun. Sam loved it! I met some lovely people in the meantime and I think it's safe to say we've found a new church home. :) It feels good.

I'm tired... I need to go to sleep :P Good night my friends!

Revenge

Tuesday nights are now officially my favourite. It's my reserved night to have a glass of wine, relax and watch my taped show 'Revenge'. 

At about 2pm today at work, while my To Do pile was still sitting high, all I could think about was getting home, putting my feet up, pressing Play, and sipping my wine. :P And yes... I'm sitting here now, and my expectations are being met. There's nothing like rewarding yourself after a hard days work.

When I picked up my boys from daycare, I was greeted with this cute face. All the kids were painted up as 'Big Bird'.... too cute. 'Big Bird' is now added to Jacob's vocabulary. I can't get enough of his sweet sweet voice.

Proof that my evening is perfection... wine, blogging, Revenge on TV... ahhhhh and it was good :P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have sent off the beyondblue donations from Project 30 Days Without. It feels good to close the door (for now :P) knowing that we did the best we could. And as my fundraiser supporter from the organisation said "Don’t worry about how much you raised, it’s the awareness you raised in your community that’s more important." My hope is just that.... that our combined efforts help at least one person, or made a difference in a small way. I can't thank you all enough for your support and participation. We're an awesome team right?!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


"There is nothing so important in your day, that it comes before being kind, thoughtful and caring to all those around you".  

This is my truth. This is what I think about when I drive to work. No task, no to do list, no deadline is more important than treating those around me, clients on the phone and anyone I come into contact with -  with respect, thoughtfulness, love and care. It's easy to forget, but worth remembering. I try... I try!

Sweet dreams my friends,

Beauty

Ain't this the truth...x

Going Out

Boy it feels good to get dressed up and go out! It feels like it's been ages.

We went to a function held by Lewys' work. I really like the people Lewy works with, so I enjoy these catch ups a lot. Actually, what I mean is - I really like the girlfriends/fiancée's/wives of the people Lewy works with! Not that the guys are bad either, they are actually really lovely.. but they are tradies and give them a beer or two and..  well, chatting with the girls is a lot better for my sensitive innocent ears :P

Oh I loved my dress! I bought it especially for the event.. and I felt pretty :P Seriously I did! That doesn't happen often! I spoilt myself a little by splashing out and buying $3 earrings and a ring to compliment the dress. ;) I'm a big spender.

Bad photo... this was the end of the night... I can be forgiven for looking a little tired and drained!

Kiddies were invited to the party and we had planned on taking Sam, but due to our babysitter being unwell, we took both boys with us. Sam had a fantastic time, he spent most of the time in the pool with the other kids, while Jacob spent his time running around, grabbing big blocks of cheese off the platters (oops) and generally trying to get into everything he could :P Thankfully, he fell asleep and we could relax a bit!

The function was catered for by none other than the same caterers who did our wedding and who I had used recently at work. A gorgeous dinner, and some mouth watering desserts to follow.

I really enjoyed meeting some new people and ended up engrossed in some fascinating conversations. One lady in particular was a lawyer for Human Rights, and I could have chatted with her all night. Me being a total party animal was starting to slow down by around 9pm ... go me!... and by 10pm I decided it was time for me to take the boys home, while I left Lewy to party on.

Overall, a fantastic night!

Today's plans include drinking coffee, watching Breaking Dawn while Jacob naps... and staying in my trackies all day. Perfection!

Perspective

If you ever feel like your problems are too big to handle, or your life is too overwhelming... check this out... http://htwins.net/scale2/

Our life? We got it covered easy, my friends... piece of cake :)

Life is good...

I had these cool plans for tonight. Wine, a bit of chocolate, 'Breaking Dawn' DVD (I know.. I'm either really sad or really cool.. I'm gunning for the second option), even a magazine to read should I need to catch up on what the celebrities were doing ... it was set to be the total chill out 'girly' night.

Guess what I did instead? Snuggled on the couch with Sam and watched kids movies...and I loved every second of it. We started watching Aliens in the Attic... you know, the one with Ashley Tisdale and other people I don't know? Sam said they were being naughty and wanted to watch Toy Story instead... which was fine, except I really wanted to see how the kids overcame the aliens. *sigh* guess I will have to catch the ending when Sam's in bed :P

Most likely, in a few weeks I won't even remember what Breaking Dawn was about when I end up watching it.. but I'll sure as heck remember snuggling on the couch with Sam, giggling together, watching movies. :)

Life is good...

New Space

I now have my own little 'office'. Usually I sit at the dining table or on the couch with my laptop.. but I decided the other night I wanted my own little area where my laptop can stay and it can be my 'quiet area' to write, work and look at Pinterest :P Lewy has the study, and while it's a pretty cool place, it's closed in and well.. it's decorated for a boy. And I want pretty. ;)

So here it is! Now my favourite room is also my quiet time/office area.. perfect. 

Hands up who wants the update on my sore ear? Hands up who can't believe I'm still blogging about my sore ear? :P Hands down friends... what else am I going to blog about?!

Turns out I not only have an inner ear infection... I've also got an outer ear infection too! I don't do things half way, ya know.. if I'm going to have an ear infection at all, I'm darn well going to excel at it. Ha! Sooo... all good, prescription got and I'm on the mend. :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Days,

Pleeeease...:P

Could somebody pleeeease put me out of my misery and buy me a new camera?!

Just joking :P

(I'm not joking)

Oh how much I miss having a good camera in my hands!

Moving right along... I'm back at work and it was good. Apart from my ear ache, which I'm sure the doctor will sort out for me tomorrow, we are back to good health.

GET.OUT (Not literally, I want you guys to hang around a bit longer :P) .... Does this not look AMAZING?! Roasted Eggplant Salad with Smoked Almonds and Goats Cheese. 

I want to eat the screen. Check out the recipe here: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-roasted-eggplant-salad-with-smoked-almonds-goat-cheese-164756

OR you can come over to my house and I'll make it for you. :) And we can have wine... :P


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I've totally choked in my March Photo Challenge... I didn't even make it to Day 5. Oops! And I certainly haven't been successful in taking a photo from my front door every morning. I blame..... anything else apart from my lack of commitment :P

Sweet dreams,

When It Rains Look For Rainbows

We had some rain yesterday...(not literally of course, yesterday was a stinkin' 41 degrees ha!)... we all had another bout of sickness. But wouldn't ya know it.. there were indeed rainbows through the rain. For the boys, the sickness left as quickly as it came, and they handled it like the little troopers they are. I got quite the knock which meant I had to take the day off work and visit the doctors... the rainbow here was that I could sleep and recover in the peace and quiet. I don't get that often. I enjoyed it even though I felt like my head was going to explode :P

A cup of tea and looking at Pinterest to end the day....

The new Kindle... I think this might be the most favourite gift I've ever received (second to the camera of course). I happily downloaded my first book today for a huge $6.00 and it kept me occupied while I waited for the nurse at the Doctors Surgery to syringe out my ear.. gross... I apologise. Ear infections are gross and they really really hurt!

Found these earrings on Pinterest, aren't they beautiful?

On that note... it's 8.12pm and I'm off to bed. Need some 'health' sleep.

Take care, my friends!

Mum

My mind is a whirlwind today and I've been busy planning and thinking about things that need to be done. Okay, okay really I mean I've been busy getting overwhelmed :P

I love that I can call my Mum and get this reaction:

Me (calling her mobile): Are you home or at church?
Mum: At church but we'll be home soon.
Me: Can you call me back when you get home?
Mum: Of course, is everything okay?
Me: Yes, I just need you to sort out my life for me.
Mum: No problems, will call you back as soon as we get home.

Love my Mum. :D

The List

This is my list for tomorrow :P I can't wait!

Life Is What You Make It

Oh my goodness... we made it to Friday night. Phew! WHAT A WEEK!

First of all, I have to talk about Jacob. I love this kid so much I can't stand it! He is unbelievably cute and funny. In some ways, Sam and Jacob are SO alike.. they are very cheeky with a great sense of humour. They are going to get up to lots of mischief together I just know it!

The way that Jacob is different, is that he is a very big Mummy's boy... and I love it! :P Sam is a Daddy's boy through and through, although Sam and I do have a very special relationship and when Sam is feeling fragile, in his Mum's arms is where he wants to be :X Jacob has always had a strong attachment to me and I treasure it so much.

I often wonder if my boys were born with a gene that means that don't feel pain. I'm serious! These boys can be so rough and tumble and have spills where I brace myself for some serious crying.. and they pick themselves up, laugh and carry on! I love this about them.

Jacob has a big appetite.. BIG! He finishes his meals, and then finishes off anything that Sam has left behind. Sam had great taste and likes to try lots of new food. He will happily eat olives, pickles.. you name it. He has quite the matured taste buds.. he takes after Lewy with that. We may have to take out a loan to feed them when they are teenagers :P

They both have a very gentle caring side. Sam is very intuitive with how people are feeling and will ask quietly if you are okay and if you are happy if he feels you might be upset. He is very curious about people and very sociable. Jacob has a gift of making people smile when he grins at them.

Jacob LOVES dancing and singing, he's got the music in him and the kid has the cool moves :P Sam is hungry for knowledge and is very smart. He remembers everything. He is definitely like Lewy in that. Unlike his mother, whose brain is like a sieve ha! (It's totally true)

I love my boys.... they make me so happy :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, okay, enough gushing. :P

Life is what you make it. 

I love this saying, because it's so true. There are two choices in life. Let our situation get us down... OR make the decision to fight, to strive, to pray, to grow regardless of what happens. The second option is awesome :P

It's been a really big growth week for me. It's been quite a crazy week actually. Not bad crazy.. just .. full of growth and learning. I've learnt a lot from people around me, I've learnt a lot from taking quiet moments to pray and by being proactive.

I feel really lucky to work with some very special girls in the office. Often when you get a group of girls working together, there is gossip, moodiness etc etc. I find myself in a group where we don't gossip about each other, we support. We don't get annoyed with each other, we encourage. This week has been quite stressful for a lot of people in the office. There have been some big changes. I love that through all of this the bond has formed even stronger, and we have all pitched in to ensure no one is left to do it on their own. I've learnt a lot from these girls.

Okay, big week.. I need sleep :)
Till tomorrow friends!

Milk

Doesn't it just?

This morning, you know, when I woke up crazy early ... I did an equally crazy thing and sat out the front on the pavement with my nail polish remover and tissues so I could remove my lovely manicure that had started chipping already. It was 5.15am... and there was the most beautiful cool breeze, Marley was pottering around the garden, there was silence .. there was a very slight glimmer of light starting to show over the tip of the roof across the road, not to forget the extra bright lamp post shining and I was so happy.

I LOVE those moments. My whole day is different when I get that small window of alone time in the morning.

The last few days I haven't been able to take my usual morning photos as it's been a whirlwind of busy... and I was relieved to get back into the habit today.

Life really is busy at the moment.. but I can't say I'm not enjoying it. I really am. Yeah, the house could be cleaner blah blah blah, (I know... Who AM I?!) but I find that being stretched is good for me. It helps me to zone in on what's really truly important.

Things will get out of balance, of course.. I will not spend as much time communicating with my friends as I would like to (please forgive me friends!).. I'm constantly thinking about making sure I let my friends know I love them still even if I can't be in touch as much as I used to.
There will be times when I have to spend more time getting the house in order, than with my kids.. and then I'll switch and spend more time with the kids while the house is falling apart.

But life is a constant balancing act isn't it.. ... sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we get it wrong. But that's the journey right?

I'm happy.

And I'm drinking milk while I type this... had a craving. Weird. :P

..and now my milk is finished and I'm ready for bed... sweet dreams my friends!

Time Out

I'm doing something I never usually do. I came back home after dropping the boys off at daycare, to have a few moments to gather my thoughts, sit down and have a cuppa before heading to work.  I needed a little bit of time out after the busy day yesterday. From the moment I woke up, to the moment the boys went to sleep it was a non-stop buzz of work. A good buzz... but a buzz nonetheless.

In no particular order:

• I MUST find a new church!
• I got a lovely opportunity to help one of the staff at my boys daycare with computer work.. this makes me very happy :) 
• We have a new Manager at work, good changes are coming I can feel it, but before that happens, work is going to get very very busy!
• Did I mention I need to find a new church?
• I'm so happy to have information about our new sponsor child.. he is in my thoughts. 
• Working my job at night is very tiring... very very very tiring. 
• I miss having a camera so much. 
• Jacob is really starting to talk ... it's a beautiful thing to hear :)
• I now have to go to work :P

Have a wonderful, beautiful day my friends!

Musings...

I was supposed to come back the other day on the blog and update with my recent musings... but I didn't. Obviously. :P

I switched off the light, went to bed, put my head on the pillow.. all the while thinking about the plans for the next day... and had one of those amazing moments of clarity. A growth moment. I was so taken with it, that I quickly got out the phone to write it all down before it slipped my mind.

Love those moments. Prayers are always answered one way or another.

So I will share it soon with you guys (don't groan... I can hear you.. :P) I just need time to let it sit for a few days. My mind works to a process you know :P

``````````````````

In the mail today, I received the information about the child that I (we!) are sponsoring through The Smith Family ... I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I read the brief. My child... a boy - I mean seriously, how appropriate! His name is Jarren, and he enjoys art and football, is hoping to improve in maths and reading..and when he grows up he wants to join the army as a chef...  my (our) sponsorship helps in purchasing his uniform/shoes, books and being able to participate in sports and music activities. Jarren has 3 brothers and I'm so happy that I (we) can help in a small way to his education and ease at school with activities and necessary items for school.  I hope to share with my boys that it's important to help others anyway we can... whether it's with our time, finances or with our skill in certain areas.

``````````````````

Sam went to the library at school today.. and basically in his world, it was the best thing ever. So excited, he could barely contain himself!

His choice of book to borrow?

I loved these books when I was a child! I told Sam that when I was a little girl I used to read the Clifford books as well..and he thought it was pretty fantastic :)

Night all and sweet dreams :)

Sleep Overs

Sam's little friend Emily came to stay with us yesterday and have a sleep over. What a whirlwind adventure! We were busy, we had great fun and managed to fit in lots of things.... and when the kids went to sleep last night... I sat on the couch in the front room and soaked up the peace and quiet!

The kids had so.much.fun. Movies, McDonalds, trip to the lake, dress ups, cartoons in the bedroom with popcorn.. you name it, we did it.

Little chickens were exhausted at the end of the day. Not a peep out of them all night... they slept great and I slept uncomfortably in the middle of them (at their request!), and woke up through the night with little feet and hands sticking out everywhere. :P Pretty cute things to wake up to though:)

When Kirsty came to pick up Emily, she very kindly bought me some magazines and chocolate to enjoy in my quiet time. It was a fantastic way to spend the morning. Overall, a pleasure to spend time with Miss Emily and the boys thought it was pretty fantastic having their friend stay over :P

Jacob went down for a nap this morning.. and I toddled off to lie down in bed "not to sleep, Lewy, just to lie down for a few moments"....and woke up 2 hours later :-o :P

So a gorgeous lazy rest of the weekend for us, with the added bonus of a public holiday tomorrow - woohoo!

````````````````

I will probably be back later as I've got a post brewing .... it is likely to be a 'grab a coffee and settle in post'. :P Stay tuned!