200-202/365

Sweet flowers that captured my eye, another year around the sun for me and still more birthdays this month so another card made.  Here is a little quote that I loved and thought I would share with you,

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom that springs from the soul."

by Henry Ward Beecher

183/365 Pretty Pickings

When I look at my daughters I see how much time has passed and how grown they have become.  And then I remember their sweet young ways when my youngest picks me flowers and brings them home to me like she used to when she was little.

165,166/365 A New Do for Molly, Podcast Pick

Molly was very over due for her haircut so Thursday she was given a new do.  Molly has been given a bit of a make over with her new hair do and her teeth cleaned last week.  I'm sure she appreciates how much we love and care for her.

Friday is my housework day so lots of cleaning has been done and not much else.  But while I am cleaning I love to listen to a podcast.  And my podcast pick for this week is Lavendaire, a podcast on personal grown and lifestyle design. Have you had a good Friday?

156/365 Reconnecting

Today I caught up with a friend that I had lost contact with for a few years.  Life got busy for her and I didn't hear from her.  But a surprise card in the mail and a phone call later and we were arranging to meet up like old times again.  We went and visited this lovely nursery, I ate cake she ate slow roast brisket, drank chai tea together, chatted and chatted and wandered around the nursery.  It was so lovely to reconnect, lovely to see each other, to be thought of by another.  We are already organising our next meet up for my birthday.  

151-155/365 Life

Life lately over the past five days.  My biggest daughter had her wisdom teeth out so there has been lots of tablets, soft foods and ice packs.  A little bit of card making for my nephew that is turning double digits this week. Our little mandarin tree has produced quite a bit fruit this year.  We had to pick them as the crows were feasting on them.  Sundays are for relaxing with the newspaper and a lovely cup of tea. And as always Monday's are for baking.  Today on the menu was Honey Biscuits, Choc chip Banana Muffins  and also these yummy treats which I haven't yet made but will do soon. How have you been?

137-139/365 Flowers, Books and Food

These gorgeous flowers were given to me by my youngest for Mother's Day and they are still looking as beautiful as ever. Some simple, yet delicious pikelets for afternoon tea were a real treat to have.  And my new monthly collection of books from the library. I managed to get quite few new books which was great.  How has your weekend been so far? Have you watched the royal wedding?

131-136 A mixed bag

Well it has been a few days since I have posted.  I listened to a podcast last Friday that spoke about the importance of taking a digital detox day each week.  On Sunday as it was Mother's Day I thought it would be the perfect day not to log on. I had moments of wanting to share but then those moments passed and I really enjoyed the space it gave me.  I have still be logging on most days since then but have wanted to take a little break from posting.  Anyway here is a little visual catch up of what I have been doing since last Thursday. There has been a lot of card making, a trip to Toowoomba to celebrate Mother's Day with my girls, some seeds for planting and my favourite drink in the afternoon that makes me feel nice and relaxed ready for the afternoon. I hope you have been having a lovely week.

127/365 Baking Day

We were lucky enough to have a public holiday.  So today started nice and slow with a sleep in for all off us. Even though it was a holiday the baking still needed to get done.  On the menu this week was Cardamom Oat Slice and Date, Pecan and Ginger Cookies. They are both quite simple recipes which I love.  I did reduce the sugar in both of them as I feel that we don't quite need that much sugar.  I am hoping that over time we will get used to the reduced sugar amount.  What have you been baking lately?

126/365 My Youngest

It's hard to believe that this young woman is my youngest daughter.  It seemed to just happen over night she went from a young girl to a young woman.  The days are long but the years are short, such a true statement.

121/365 Lunch Date

My Tuesdays are usually very similar, there is always some cleaning and washing, a visit to the gym and bits and pieces needed to be done at home.  But today it got changed up a little with a catch up with a lovely friend over lunch.  I really getting in some time with my friends, I think it is so important for your mental health. How was your Tuesday?

111/365

It was a family day today, spending time together chatting, catching up and doing lots of eating too. This stunning view from my mother in laws home, I would never tire of looking at that. Have a very happy Saturday.

105/365

I haven't been much of a decorator for a few years.  A plant bought here and there for inside but otherwise not a lot else.  As the girls have grown and finances allow, I purchased this pretty rug to spruce up my little office space.  I had my eye on it for a while and when it went on special I thought why not. When I purchase something for our home in the future I only want to do it thoughtfully and ethically. 

98/365 Library Visit

Gosh I love Sundays.  I do have a bit of a routine list I need to work through on a Sunday.  I need to do the washing, usually the ironing but not today as we are still on school holidays and the menu planning.  I generally take the day slowly and with only a few things to do today we all decided it was time to revisit the library.  The library is such a wonderful place to visit and I managed to find another great selection of books to look at for the month.  Did you have a nice weekend?

97/365 Friends

I had the most wonderful day today.  My friend sent me a message the other day and said how about catching up over the holidays.  I replied back quickly by saying yes I would love that a lot.  Sometimes we to and fro a little and then we end up having the idea but never follow through.  It was funny I was only thinking of her and was going to message her to see how she was.  So when she said lets meet up I said when.  The stars aligned and we got to meet up today, it had been a while.  We had such a lovely day, just the two of us, chatting and eating and looking in a few shops.  It was so good to finally get to see each other again, I do hope we can do it again soon.

95/365 Flowers in the city

A trip to the city for lunch, a bit of shopping and a lovely wander around the botanical gardens. A love school holidays for long days and no routines.

84/365

My youngest not looking so little anymore and she is almost as tall as I am now.  The days are long but the years are short. I can't believe how grown up my girls are now.

82/365 Flower Gifts

When I picked up my girl from school she sat in the car beside me and presented me with this rose.  Such a thoughtful gift from her.  I love it how she still thinks of me like she used to when she was little.

81/365 Health

My mother in law asked me for ideas one year of what I might like for a gift.  One of my favourite magazines is Nature and Health and so she bought me a subscription.  What is lovely about this gift is each time a get an issue in the mail I think of her, it's the gift that keeps on giving.  It was interesting that this should come in the mail a day after I took myself off to see the dermatologist to get my regular skin check up.  My father had a melanoma when he was in his mid thirties and with my moley skin, it is extra important for me to get it checked.  I had two moles that my dermatologist wanted to take off, one still needs a little more attention so I will be off to my plastic surgeon specialist to get it removed.  I was very sad to have them removed as I am very careful to stay out of the sun but very happy to now have them removed.  It was a nice reminder for me to never to put off these types of appointments, my health is my wealth.

80/365 A Visit with Grandad

Today I went to visit my Grandad, my Dad's Dad, at his home.  He is always sitting in the same spot with the newspaper in front of him reading.  I feel so very grateful to be able to have him to go and visit and for those chats we have together.  I usually show him some photos on my phone and we talk about how great the technology is. I ask him questions about himself and more so places he loved to visit, just to get to know him a little better. And today after much visiting I finally got that all important photo of the two us together.

62/365 Bliss Float

Today my hubby and I had the pleasure of going to a gorgeous place called Bliss Float. A few weeks ago there was a competition on instagram to win a infrared sauna and a float as a Valentine's Day gift.  I entered and ended up being the lucky winner, I was very excited.  So today we got to share the Valentine's Day gift together which we thoroughly enjoyed.