238-247/365 Food, Friends, Celebrations and Spring

The days seem to get away from me lately.  At this time in my life getting through daily life moments is taking more mental energy from me right now.  Being a mother to my teen daughters and helping them navigate life as well as me working through this new season has brought with it times of change.  Nothing that many other parents haven't faced I am sure but new to me to work through.  For now that seems to be consuming my mind which I am learning to let go off a little each day.  When you are so used to being your child's primary source of many things and then things change, as they should, it takes a period of adjusting.  They seem little for so long but really they aren't and before you know it they are grown with their own opinions and purpose and personality and boy can these new times be fun to watch them explore.  Anyway that's where I have been for a while now, I suppose that may explain my more haphazard blogging.  I know that seasons come and go, and I admit I miss my sweet little ones but life must change and so must they and so must I.  I hope all is well with you.

225-237/365 I think I have caught up??

I am sure that by now anyone that still stops by to catch up on my photos probably doesn't want to, or needs to hear my usual reason for not posting regularly.  My habit of being on the computer each evening has changed and I tend to try and wind down by reading.  I do really like how Foxs Lane posts regularly each week so I am going to give that a go.  I feel like that is probably a better fit for where I am with my routine of life at the moment.  So here is a snapshot of the last couple of weeks around here.  Chat with you again soon in a week, fingers crossed.  May you have a wonderful week. 

 

217-224/365 The week that was

I had all the thoughts about continuing my Well being series but I didn't quite get there.  I actually had a few that I wanted to share with you including the first two photos I took. Firstly my bed and a big bowl of delicious strawberries.  I think that they are both pretty self explanatory but I think they are a big factor in maintaining over all well being.  Sleep is something that I am constantly working on and I don't seem to be very disciplined with.  I really should be getting to sleep much earlier than the 11 pm that I do.  I don't know why I don't get to bed earlier, is it the rebellious me that sees it as a great chance to have some more me time, probably and it's also a bit of a bad habit.  The other big key to well being is also an abundance of fresh food.  Food that is as close to nature that means organic and try to eat a rainbow each day.  You will feel better for it and your body will love you for giving it life force.  The rest of the photos are how my days have looked over the past week.  I hope that you enjoy them and that you have all been keeping well.  Thank you all for stopping by and for those who take the time to comment.  I have been trying to reply to each comment so if you have any questions I am happy to answer them there if you like.

213/365 Skincare

I have a very basic skincare routine that I perform each day. Using products with simple, minimal ingredients that are as close to nature as possible.  For me it is important to use organic ingredients, I am very passionate about this. Our skin is our largest organ and I only want organic/natural ingredients being absorbed into my body. So what does my routine look like? In the morning I simply splash my face with cold water, pat it dry, spray some rose water on and add a drop of rosehip oil to my hands and massage into my face.  At night time I use my homemade oil cleanser and a bamboo cloth to wipe my face clean.  It does take some time getting used to an oil cleanser as your face doesn't feel squeaky clean but it does feel lovely and soft.  I again use my rose water as a toner, a drop of rosehip oil and dab it under my eyes and use the other oil to moisturise my face and neck. As a body moisturiser I will often use coconut oil, jojoba oil or a lovely body butter I make. As far as face masks I am not as routine with them but do have a lovely one by Mokosh that I try and use once a month.  Have you tried to make your own face or body products before? Do you have a skincare routine you follow?

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?

203-209/365 Just like that another week

has flown by and my hopes for blogging everyday have gone by the wayside.  I really did want to pop in here each day but the photo taking and the uploading and the writing and the can't be bothered when the time rolls around each evening got the better of me.  A new routine for blog writing really needs to be set I think, change it up and blog in the morning rather than the evening when I don't feel it might help this lack of daily posts.  This past week has been a little busy with my birthday and another family member celebrating their birthday, as well as a friend meant for lots of card making and birthday present buying.  Next month is a quiet month for birthdays which will be nice.  I did do the usual baking; we have had a little visitor belonging to our neighbours roaming our backyard which has escaped and is proving difficult to catch; pretty flowers; my little visitor painting and a lovely time spent with my friend.

What I was thinking of was maybe doing a series of posts that relate to some topics that I am passionate about like maybe cooking, organics, health, making, organisation etc.  What do you think? Is there anything that you would like to ask me or curious to know about any of those topics?  

Thanks so much for popping in to visit.

180-182 Weekend Jobs, Weekday Jobs

I was really in the mood to do a bit of yard work.  I actually really enjoy raking and with Autumn behind us I thought I would do a bit of tidying in the yard.  There were sooo many leaves to rake I ended up filling up the trailer and hardly touched much of the yard at all.  The area I did rake looks a lot better and now when my little visitor comes it will be much nicer for her to play in that space.  The garden is a little slow growing but we have some new flowers.  And today was my baking day.  I made some chocolate macaroons, a recipe by Lola Berry and some simple chocolate cupcakes. How has your weekend been?

177-179/365 Creating

This post is all about being creative it would seem. The other day my youngest asked if I would make something for her teacher who is having a baby.  I suggested a blanket so I headed off to the shops with her to choose some yarn, also I bought some cardstock for some birthday cards and some of this gorgeous pink felt for a little coin purse I am going to make for my neighbours little girl who turns 6 soon.  Have you got any creative projects on the go?

163,164/365 Sunset and cloudy days

I have been treating myself a little the last couple of days.  I have been using essential oils for diffusing, in body products I make and in my cleaning products also.  I have done this for a little while now and had wanted to have Vetiver in my collection.  When I saw that Perfect Potion had a limited addition Vetiver I decided to buy it and a bonus was that I got a discount with the points I collected.

And today's lunch time smoothie.  The last couple of days I have felt like having something fresh and decided to go with a smoothie. It's a bit of a concoction which includes banana, pitaya, a date, some spinach, hemp seeds, coconut, ABC nut butter and maca powder.  Do you like to have smoothies for lunch?