Monthly Archives: April 2012

old friends, new friends.

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i had lots of cuddles with this little lady … sooooo sweet.

‘utopia and confusion’

one thing i am in constant battle with is the old friends, new friends dilemma. i am only just starting to come to terms with the fact that in life friendships (seem to) constantly change. these last few weeks i have been celebrating many occasions with a lot of very special ladies.

some old friends that i rarely see these days. but girls whom i have a history with – whom i have cried in life with (mostly over our broken hearts ;) … AS – you must remember my snot and tears after one particular break up … ha !), laughed in life with, danced in life with with (esp. you BY,SR,GD,AS,EK,HS). it feels like i saw these girls ‘just the other day’ when we get together. the reality is I see them (at best) a couple of times a year. i love and i cherish these girls.

some new friends that i see all the time. with these girls i am creating history as we walk this rocky and unpredictable road of life – they are exciting, creative, challenging (because they are so darn amazing at raising kids, going through dark days & having FUN !). i feel like i am changing for the better when i hang with these girls (esp. you MS,MN,SS,EM,CF, my MG). i love and cherish these girls.

so what happens when these two worlds collide?! i am in utter utopia and confusion at the same time ! these last two weeks i have swapped from one do to the next between these two worlds. it is hard to reconcile. i think because sometimes i feel like i am not being true to me & how God created me with either group of gals … with my ‘old’ friends, i slip into my ‘old’ self, with my ‘new’ friends i slip into the ‘who i want to be’ self. i wish i could just be me 100% of the time. all i can say is, i am just so thankful that these girls love me no matter who i am trying to be. i am so glad that we are all constantly changing – that history is history, the present is the present and that the future will throw a whole host of unexpected and refining events at us.

all i can say is a big fat thank you !!!! to all you girls who have loved & supported me over the years, who currently love and support me & you girls (whom some i have not met) who will love and support me in the future. i pray that i will have a big heart and a generous soul to each of you always.

much love.

xx

always the last to know …

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ever since my school days i have always been the last person to find out anything about anything. i don’t know why, but i’m just a bit behind the eight ball when it comes to being ‘in the know’. i don’t mind – it’s just me & i don’t expect it to change.

recently i asked my source of all good things music (joanna kate) what i should be listening to. she suggested alice russell. bam ! i have hit a winner. but seriously?!?!?!?!?!? why has it taken me so long to jump on this band wagon??!!!!!

here is a little number that i have been cranking up on our stereo whenever i can.

what have you been listening to lately ? any more recommendations for me ?

xx

Lest we forget.

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 …They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them…

From ‘For the Fallen‘ – Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

Today we remember and are eternally thankful for our ANZACs. The brave men & women who fought for our freedom. This morning we ate croissants, drank fresh tea & enjoyed our children in freedom. Thank you.

We remember my Pa who fought for Australia and the Allies at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. He survived & went on to fight in France.

We also remember Mark’s Papa who fought for Australia and the Allies in Borneo. He also survived.

We are proud to have such a rich heritage of freedom fighters.

Lest we forget.

our weekend.

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we have been hit for a six by the kids’ sickness these last two weeks so we’ve been in hiding (or wearing sunglasses 24/7 to hide the bags from lack of sleep). this weekend we decided to ‘close our doors’ and just focus on getting better. on sunday the baby was diagnosed with bronchitis which explains A LOT but we now have a plan of action to get her better. yippee.

with ‘closed doors’ in mind we decided to do a few family favourites this weekend. so we:

- went into the city for a coffee adventure;

- viewed an art exhibition ‘this (in)visible place‘ at york street anglican that featured (my) brothers’-in-love and sister-in-love’s incredible art works;

- did some much needed gardening (love love love!);

- went for a bush walk to a natural bridge & saw a lizard;

- went to church;

- had a date night of home made nacho’s;

- ate strawberries and cream on pancakes for breakfast … then in a bowl for dessert – YUM!;

- watched episode 1 of season 5 of mad men … (which was given to us by a friend) – yes! we are behind, but we do live in australia ;)

wow! looking back, it was a busy weekend … strangely though it was super relaxed. we are thankful that the kids are on the mend & we are excited about getting back into life.

what was your favourite part of the weekend?

x

a morning in the city.

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we love going to the city. it is by far one of our favourite family outings. we’re lucky that we have family who live in the centre of sydney so we frequent it loads. the other morning, with sick kids in tow, we decided to go for a coffee in the city. sometimes just going for a coffee is a mission for us, so it seemed totally achievable. we wanted to coffee in miller’s point but there was not much open early in the morning so we walked down to the rocks and circular quay. it was b-e-a-utiful. such incredible architecture, gorgeous little alleyways, and of course, the spectacular side of sydney – the opera house and harbour bridge.

we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the MCA has opened it’s new wing. yippee ! of course we just had to pop in and have a look. wow ! it is awesome. the art is (as usual) inspiring, entry is free (as usual), the lift is fully glass (so as not to lose any of the view), the building is fresh & best of all they have a kids art section which provides a ‘hands on’ experience. yes ! we were winning that morning.

one of my favourite artworks in this exhibition is ‘the lover circles his own heart’, 1993, by hossein valamanesh. combined with le carnaval des animaux by french composer camille saint-saens this little video we made makes me smile.

Here are some more pics from our little (unexpected) adventure.

chai time.

art time.

kids art.

oh how i wish ‘du plessis + sons miscellaneous goods emporium’ was still open so i could get me one of these !

xx

Easter 2012.

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Easter. The best and most important time of year for us. We just love it. This year joey was struck down by a terrible virus so we have watched endless episodes of Pingu & only one episode of Octonaughts about 50 times (not kidding!). Because of the sickness we had to cancel our Easter Egg hunt at our new house, we only went to church separately (not as a family), and we made some amazing fish dishes with all that spare time at home on our hands ! here is a snapshot of our Easter celebrations …

He is risen indeed.

Easter Sunday morning. Celebrating new life with the chicks & the cross.

The chicks have escaped !!

shivers !!! a BIG bunny before 6:30 am …

Yum ! (& poor poppet looks terribly ill here … look at those eyes :(  )

joey and his ‘lollicopter’ (helicopter) easter egg from uncle mike.

celebrating my bro’s birthday too … (with the rest of the gang)

the birthday boy.

me playing Easter bunny :)

we hope you had a wonderful Easter celebrating the greatest day in history (Easter Sunday).

much love.

xx

weddings weddings and more weddings !

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there MUST be something in the water. everyone is either engaged or getting married. i love it !!! this last week i have celebrated with two gorgeous girls at a hens and at a wedding. it is SO exciting ! hens nights are fun in anticipation of the big day … the bride always looks so innocent, a bit girly, and radiant … truly radiant. the wedding day, well, let’s just say i wish i could get married every single day of my life … especially to the man i married !

but let’s not beat around the bush. it is a hard time going to hens nights and weddings either in a relationship that is going nowhere, or not even in a relationship. i remember at 23 going to over 11 of my friends’ weddings after sorely breaking up with a boy i thought i would marry. it was so incredibly hard. possibly life long scars were made during that time. i remember thinking ‘would anyone ever love me?’ and ‘will i ever get married?’. lucky for me it was only two years later that i walked down that aisle to an unexpected but incredible gift … my husband. wow, what a man!

every time i go to a wedding now i can only think of the day when my baby will get married. i pray she marries an amazing man who not only loves her to bits but also loves … well, me ;) just kidding ! i really hope i am an ok mother-in-love but i just don’t know what i will be like in 20 – 30 years’ time !! that day, i know mark will cry. his beloved baby being given to another man. i will hold his hand tight and when we go home we will hold each other. the day will come when we are empty nesters … i want to work at our marriage so much more now in the knowledge that we must be in a good space for then.

xx

we have moved !

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we have moved ! hurrah ! what a whirlwind of emotions a move brings. excitement, anticipation, stress, disappointment, unexpectedness … wow. i do not envy you people who move every couple of years. here’s to hoping we’ll be here for the next decade or so (with a few adventures in between) !

we are so pumped to have moved. it is quiet, roomy, cosy & fresh. a perfect combo. but i must say, it feels like i have done this move all by myself (with a little help from my in-love’s J&L!). before we moved i said to mark … ‘you need to work, this is my work, let me do it’. big mistake. i am emotionally, physically and spiritually exhausted. in addition, the kids are emotionally, physically and spiritually exhausted ! it takes a lot of effort to move, and man, it is massive. but i am so thankful for this move !!!!!!! now every time joey says to me “mamma, outside” i can say “YES”! we have been drawing at the kitchen table, completing puzzles, playing the piano, digging, unpacking, listening to music LOUD, having baths in a bath, having friends over to play (!!!!!!!), and just enjoying the breathing space.

i am so glad the Easter break is coming up. mark will be home & we will have a good chance to settle in. i am so excited about decorating our home. i have enlisted my friend cassie to help with the front door & i will be reigning in a few friends to help with colour schemes and furniture arrangements. (loving this post at the moment) yay !!! here’s to living in a house … that is our castle ;) .

xx