Happy New Year 2019!!

Hello to everyone who might stop by this little space of mine, welcome.  I really wanted to have this written up last night but I writers block and things took a bit longer to come to me.  It is really nice to be back here in this space, I have missed writing. It always felt good being here and expressing how I was feeling or what was happening in my life.  These days I don't write about my girls as they are much more grown up and I want to respect their privacy so posts will probably be a bit more about me and my interests. As I haven't been in this space I feel like I wasn't as focussed on my goals for 2018 but I really wanted to evaluate them like I always do.

1. I continued with my regular exercise until my daughter started school holidays.  I also maintained a yoga practice but only at home, I still haven't found a yoga teacher.  I continued loving my self help books and read many over the year, this year I will keep a track of what I have read and share at the end of the year.  I feel like I had better resilience in many areas of my life but found it difficult to bounce back with my feelings after having a car accident in my new car.

2. I was more attentive in my relationships with friends and family.  I rekindled a lovely friendship in which I had some wonderful catch ups and beautiful conversations.  As my girls are growing, my hubby and I have ended up having many more unplanned dates which has been a lovely change.

3. I did this goal of healthy eating well but the area I could improve would be at lunch to have prepared more and have a better selection of healthy, tasty options.

4. So I started well with my 365 project and got to September and lost my mojo which was a little sad and disappointing.  I did not buy a computer or rectify my storage or print photos.  I also did not do any courses.  I will rectify this, this year as I am keen to learn and get out a little more by myself and meet new people.

5. I was good with my computer/social media free Sunday.  I did find I was going into instagram for a minute during the day and looking on my phone so I will improve on this again in 2019.  I didn't however limit my computer time to one hour each night, some nights I didn't get it out but I will try and stick to the hour each day.

I was looking through some of my old blog posts for the new year to see what my chosen words for the year were.  Here are the words I have used in the past:

- Learn (2011)

- Strive (2012)

- Enjoy (2013)

- Achieve (2014)

- No word was chosen (2015)

- Focus (2016)

- Nurture (2017)

- Thrive (2018)

and the word I have chosen for 2019.... Abundance.  Abundance in health, personal development, education and in the home.  These are the goals I have set for each of these areas of my life for 2019.

HEALTH

* Establish a morning and evening routine.  Getting back into the habit of meditation outside of my room in a created space just for meditating.  Setting a specific time for bed in the evening allowing for one hour screen free before bed and reading time.

* Eat more greens.  Make smoothies and continue to eat nutritious foods that make me feel full of abundance.

* Exercise three times every week including yoga.  Go to a new yoga class and interact with new like minded people.

PERSONAL

* Do something creative every day, crochet, cook, garden or photography.

* Set time aside weekly to pamper myself like a face mask etc.  Also this can include going to get a massage.

* To just do more and do less procrastinating.  Be organised and not worry about the time and effort required to get the job done, JUST DO IT.

EDUCATION

* Read books on health, happiness and personal development.

* Do one course on photography and one course on sustainability.

* Enrol in a first aid and CPR course.

HOME

* Develop a routine for keeping my garden neat and tidy.  Allocate 30 minutes each day to water, weed or trim.

* Declutter each area of our home.

* Organise the pantry, removing the plastic and replacing it with glass.

Thank you for taking the time to come by and read my lengthy post.  Have you had a good start to the new year so far?  Have you written any new year's resolutions for yourself this year?

216/365 Computer Free

Like most of us I really love my computer and probably spend too much time on it if I am being honest.  I never used to spend a lot of time on my computer I think once I discovered blogging and then when internet access started to become more affordable then being on the computer weaved it's way into my everyday life.  I don't like the amount of time I spend on the computer and would rather spend more time with my family and being creative and giving my mind some space.  So I have recently, say in the last few months, implemented a computer free day every week.  At first I was just reserving it to instagram but the last couple of weeks I have also added the computer to it.  I still find it a little hard, it's like an itching feeling that you really want to check your phone to see what exciting things have been happening but you can't.  When I do log on Monday morning quite often there isn't anything in particular that has happened that I have missed out on which I knew would happen.  Isn't it interesting these feelings that you have, that technology is designed to make you want to keep looking for the next thing to interest you.  I think in time I will try and reduce the amount of time each day I spend on my computer and still keep the Sunday free, it seems to be working for me.  Do you have a computer/technology free day each week?

215/365 Creating

Another area in my life that I believe contributes to my well being, health and happiness is being creative each day.  It doesn't have to require lots of time set aside, a little each day seems to be enough to give me time to relax and a sense of accomplishment.  I used to find it hard to only do a little bit at a time and could get a little frustrated with how long a project would take to complete.  But I try to remember that a little time on a project each day does add up quickly.  The things that I like to create involve crochet; sometimes sewing; my photography; card making; baking; making home made cleaning products for our home and gardening.  I feel that in each of these areas I am being creative in some form.  Do you carve some time out each day to be creative?

212/365 Books and my favourite reading material

When I was young I loved to read.  I remember getting book club at school and the excitement of choosing a book from the catalogue which was a bit of a treat.  As I went through my teenage years I don't recall my love of reading fiction continuing only my love of teen magazines.  As I grew older I continued to read magazines and lacked the commitment to reading a novel.  I'm not sure what started my love of non-fiction books but I am hooked.  It's funny to purposely choose a book to learn from but I feel empowered by what I read.  I love to learn about my physical health and mental health.  I have contemplated doing another degree relating to health but the assignments.... With this new knowledge I share and apply it to my family which they mostly love... As a nice calming routine each evening, 30 minutes before bed, I like to read and sip on a night time herbal tea.  It helps to wind me down and even though I am learning I still feel relaxed.  Do you have a reading routine?  Are you predominately a fiction or non-fiction reader?

211/365 Hydration

As part of my morning routine, I kick start the day with a glass of lemon water.  I just squeeze half a lemon into some warm water and enjoy.  It is important to either drink this with a straw (metal, glass or paper) or swish some water in your mouth so as not to damage your teeth enamel.  A few of the benefits of lemon water first thing in the morning are:
* aides digestion and get the bowel moving
* supports the immune system
* repairs the skin
* balances ph levels
* promotes healing
* detoxifies the liver

Lemon water is a great way to start the day but it is also important to hydrate throughout the day.  And adult body compromises of 60% water so drinking sufficient amounts ensures our body functions efficiently. Delivering oxygen to the body, lubricating joints, regulating body temperature, and preventing headaches are just a few of the health benefits of water.  If you don't like the taste of water on it's own flavour it with pieces of fruit like blueberries, orange and even cucumber.  You can also try herbal teas which provide all kinds of health benefits too and there are many different flavours to choose from. If you choose herbal teas, look at the ingredients list, I do notice that they often contain sugar which you probably would prefer to avoid if you are doing a good thing like drinking herbal tea. Do you drink enough water?

149,150/365 Back to the gym and the wooly dog

This is only the second time that I have been to the gym in the past 5 weeks.  I really enjoy my exercising and can really notice the difference in how happy I am when I do it regularly.  As I had two moles removed I was unable to go to the gym as I had stitches in.  I am very grateful that all is well and my stitches are now gone, and things are healing.  So this week I am back to my usual gym schedule which is fantastic although my muscles don't quite agree.

This cute, furry Molly is long overdue for her regular clipping.  I must get to it very soon but both the girls think she looks rather cute scruffy.

117/365 Tea Galore

The other day when my hubby and I went out for morning tea at my favourite organic shop, Wray Organic, I saw a new delicious tea.  Each morning I have my usual white tea, a peppermint tea after dinner and then a bedtime tea in the evening. Throughout the day I like to enjoy all types of herbal teas.  Here is my selection of teas, do you think I have too many?

108/365 Reading Material

One of my favourite reading materials and pretty much anything self help related.  I love learning all things about health and wellbeing.  Do you have a favourite magazine you enjoy reading?

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.

33/365 Inspirational Reading

The last time I went to Biome, which is pretty often, I came across their new magazine.  I am always looking for inspiration when it comes to natural living and this magazine has some great recipes and products  to help you on your journey to a waste free, natural life. I think the next recipe I'd like to try might be the bath bombs, perfect for self care Sunday.

29/365 Breakfast

As the weather has been warm for a couple of months now, I would have usually made myself some toasted muesli but I haven't.  I'm still eating porridge for breakfast.  Each afternoon I prepare my oats for the following day.  Why do I prepare my oats?  To increase the digestibility so that the oats are better able to be absorbed into my body.  Oats also contain phytic acid which can inhibit the absorption of minerals.  I quite like soaking my oats for breakfast, other than the health benefits of oats and the soaking process, soaking the oats also makes it much quicker to cook too.  This is my recipe that I use for one person. I usually double the mixture if someone else in the family would like porridge too.

1/2 cup of oats

1 pinch of salk

1 tablespoon of acid (apple cider vinegar, yoghurt or lemon juice)

1/2 cup of water

Mix all of the ingredients together in a container and place in the fridge overnight. Rinse the oats in some fresh water and place in a saucepan with 1/2 of water or milk of your choice and cook.  Serve with your choice of toppings.  I like to add cinnamon, chia seeds, coconut, nut butter and some berries. Enjoy.

7/365 Pretty in pink

It was a warm Summer day today and I was craving something cold in the form of a smoothie.  My hubby obliged and brought home this 'pink forest' for me, yummo.  I have to confess,  I really love a good smoothie and probably spend a little bit too much on this habit! My other confession is that I am not too great at creating my own.  I do have a standard flavour I stick to and do well with but deviating from that I don't do too well.  Maybe I need to work on this, which won't be too hard and I'm sure my family won't mind either.

207-215/365 'The Week That Was'

 After I finished my two knitting projects I was determined to finish my crochet blanket, so far I have been going pretty good.  It's lucky it's still cool at night because it is one very heavy blanket to crochet.  I have just 14 rows left of crochet to go and then a lot of sewing in the ends but there is an end insight.

Miss Molly...she does not like my camera one little bit.

After all the Commonwealth Games watching Miss 10 was setting up a pretend hurdle run.  I do wish we would get some rain to green up our yard, it's almost dirt now sadly.

I have been doing a bit of meditating lately, using this recording.

Lots and lots of kettle boiling for cups of tea.

Yummy eggs for lunch my favourite at the moment.

Hot chocolate on a cold afternoon.

Strawberry picking and catching up with friends who need some care and attention. Here's our strawberry picking adventures from last year.

How has your week been?

135/365

Lunch for me is one of those meals that I have to have but I'm not always very inventive so usually end up have a sandwich which is pretty boring to have most days.  Yesterday I decided I would make a tin of white beans into a dip using this recipe.  I spread it onto some corn thins, topped with some tomato and a glass of grape juice (it's got wonderful health benefits), you have a not so boring lunch.

Do you have any yummy lunch box recipes you enjoy instead of the sandwich option?

120/365 Green is good!

It was a tiring morning this morning. I had a long drive home and after missing out on lunch needed something to give me a boost so I stopped off at my favourite shop and got myself a green smoothie.  I do love my smoothies. If you enjoy eating your greens I tried this new recipe tonight.  I really enjoyed it although a little bit of sauce might have made it a little easier to eat as it was a bit dry but still tasty.

I just wanted to say a very big thank you for the kindness in your heart,

for the words of thoughtfulness they mean a lot and it's that reassurance that I needed too because 

it was a decision that was never easy to do.

My blog is a place to share all that is happy in my world but at the moment

there is much going on, my little family is alright

but there are some unknowns that need to be dealt with concerning the health of my Mum.
I am confident things will turn out fine, it's the not knowing that is hard especially for her.

I hope that soon I will be back into the groove of things coming around to visit all of you

because keeping busy helps to keep ones mind busy and not thinking too much about things out of your control.

So this weekend I'm going to get my camera out some more,

I've taken my big girl shopping to spend her birthday money which she had a great time doing and  I will try and finish off the crochet blanket for my baby niece. 

Have a wonderful weekend my friends and thank you for your understanding and kindness.

♥

Today

the big girl and little girl had to get their eyes tested.  Lucky for the little girl I made a mistake when organising the appointment, she had a day off school to go but the big girl is on holidays already.  Just one week to go and I have them both at home and I can't wait.

When we came home we had fresh orange juice using some of the oranges picked by my Dad, trying to keep us healthy in this cold weather.

We made a bit of jelly using a vegetarian packet I found at an organic shop, just because.

And a bit of fun in the kitchen, the little miss and I made some play dough. I love making play dough and seeing what she creates.


What did you do today?♥

Iron Booster Bikkies

First came iron booster balls then iron booster bikkies.  Yet another healthy recipe out of Feeding Fussy Kids book I've made to try out on my family. I am hoping to hit the jackpot with my little girl one day with a recipe that doesn't have too much sugar and  although they are not her favourite she is eating them.  I know that doesn't sound like a good rap but my little one is a bit fussy. These bikkies are really tasty, the big girl loves them and they are very healthy.  With this cooler weather around and lots of snuffles around I really want to give them an extra boost to help them stay healthy so I think these are worth a try.

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons sunflower oil or vegetable oil

⅓ cup room temperature butter or nuttelex

½ cup raw sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup wholemeal self raising flour

⅔ cup white self raising flour

½ teaspoon orange rind, finely grated

50 grams dried apricots, finely chopped

50 grams dried peaches, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.  Dry fry the sesame seeds and the sunflower seeds in a non-stick frying pan until golden.

Cool slightly, then grind in a coffee or herb grinder.  Combine the seeds with the sunflower oil to make a paste, alternatively grind them in a mortar and pestle with the oil to make the paste.  Set aside.

Using electric beaters, cream the butter and the sugar in a mixing bowl.  Beat in the egg.

Add the flours, seed paste, orange rind, dried apricots and peaches and bring together to form a soft dough.

Roll teaspoons full of the mixture into balls and place onto the prepared trays.

Bake for 15minutes, then turn the biscuits over and bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Leave on the trays for 5 minutes to become firm, before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

I hope you enjoy these bikkies too.  Happy Wednesday♥

Winter Woolly

not of the jumper kind but of the drink kind.  Last night lying in bed I was flicking through cookbooks figuring out what to cook for the girls lunch box treats, when I came across this recipe perfect to give you a boost during the cold and flu season.  The temperature has dropped dramatically and I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try and the bonus was that it didn't use lots of expensive fruit.  Miss 7 enjoyed her juice as well as happily drinking Miss 11's and my hubby, well he drank it but felt it tasted more like carrots than anything else so maybe you could add another orange so the carrot flavour isn't so overpowering. 


1 apple, peeled and cored
1 orange, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
¼ cup pumpkin, peeled


Put all the ingredients through a juicer.  Serve immediately. (Makes 2 cups)


Enjoy your Monday, I hope all of you had a beautiful Sunday.♥

Self Care

I came across this lovely blog via Meagan at ecoMILF and was reading a recent post, one of a series on homeschooling. This particular post I really enjoyed entitled Home school Mama - Self Care for the Teacher. Although I am not a home school mother, I felt that the post applied to all mum's out there caring for their family. Life is often very busy and sometimes we don't take the time to care for ourselves, to remember that we are individuals too with dreams and hopes for ourselves that we need to nurture.

This week has been one of lots of thinking and not too much creating. The year of schooling is almost near and I have been wondering whether to continue their education where they currently attend. It is a hard decision with lots of factors to consider and I really don't know what to do yet. After a chat with the principal I felt better in some ways, I feel that in time things may improve but I don't know whether or not to keeping going with what I know or go somewhere I don't know. It has been weighing heavily on me this week when I remembered that I need to take just 5 minutes to self care. I made a cup of tea, lit some candles and scratched off my scratchie my hubby bought for me. It was nice to just enjoy a snippet of time for me. What do you do to self care? Do you regularly take time out for yourself?

Enjoy your Friday lovelies:)