New opportunities

A lot can happen in 365 days. A lot can happen in a week, and even more can happen in a day.
For the last 20 years, I have been a lot of things to a lot of people. Wife, mother, friend, student, volunteer.......busy, busy. A lot of the time I have forgotten about me, my needs and my sense of self has fallen by the wayside. I tended to be so busy worrying about everyone else and making sure they were ok, that in the end I WASN'T.
        2012 saw me in need of some professional help, so I took myself off to see an amazing psychologist. Well, she told me some things about myself that I didn't want to hear, stripped me of the guilts I have been carrying, and laid my soul bare in her office.
                                           Time to start again.......
                                            So I have........
         You know the quote 'you only live once', everyone has heard that right? Well I read something recently that put the lot on its ear for me.
         'You only live once..............not true. You only die once, but you get to live everyday'.
Aha moment for me! This had rattled around in my head for a week or two and I have decided that it's time to start afresh and get back to the things that are important to me. Things like......
- being more present in my loved ones lives, really listening instead of glazing over
- sustainable living.....I want that
- buying a drop dead sexy outfit that isn't from the op-shop
- finding my inner child again....haven't seen HER for years
- finding joy in the littlest of things
- returning to my faith......thank goodness God gets me
- board games with my family...love em, but when time is short it doesn't happen
- making the men in my life turn off the stinking tv....enough already!
- having a proper foot massage and facial...heck, full body massage and the works, thanks
- playing in a sprinkler
- spending more time with my husband.....just the two of us
- having the courage to make new friends in my new town
- craft more often...and I don't mean mending
- picking up my camera again just because I love it so much, not because I'm great at photography
- learn proper barista skills and get the bit of paper that says I'm awesome

So, the list goes on and on. I want to make one conscious decision a day to do something for myself, something, I WANT to do. I want to be more present in my own life..........REALLY live it, because you only die once, but get to live every day. What have you done for yourself today?
      Stay beautiful,
K xxx

On a happier note

I have been doing a little craft.....I know *gasp* she does more than write........LOL.

My girlfriends from Tamworth and I have decided to try a card challenge this year. We have called ourselves the Crafty Bitches.

Each month there is a new challenge. Here's this months, and please feel free to play along.

Dates – 16/01/12 – 14/02/12

Theme – Valentines and Pink

Rules – You must incorporate the colour pink into either of the following valentines

1. Card

2. Scrap page

3. Off the page

You can use other colours, you are not restricted to just pink.

You may email your creations and you will see them posted to http://www.craftypaperbitches.blogspot.com.au/

In the mean time, here is my offering.

Stay beautiful,

K xxx

What now?

It would seem that February spells disaster for QLD. One year to the day after cyclone Yasi decimated Cardwell and Tully in North QLD and battered the tropics, the South East corner had it's turn with crippling floods reaching record levels.

My Dad was one in the town of Mitchell to be affected. The whole town was affected in some way large or small. The RSL Club evacuation centre was evacuated to the council depot as the water exceeded the expected peak. Dad got out of his house with his little dog Millie, a few changes of clothing and his mobile phone.........that's it. It would appear at this early stage his home was inundated to ceiling level, but we are quietly praying for much lower.

I think of all Mum and Dad's special things, photographs, family history research and memorabilia of Mum and Dad's life together and I am sad. Not as sad I thought I would be as I realise that the most important things are not in fact things. I am so grateful Dad and his little mate are safe and sound, although a little uncomfortable in a crowded area. I will mourn the loss of the 100+ year old family bible, but we can start another one. Photos and slides of my childhood will be ruined and special things of mine I still had stored at Mum and Dad's place. The more I seem to think about them, the less important they seem. Perhaps I have finally grown up, or perhaps I have moved so much I am becoming less sentimental, I have realised material things are just that......things. I can't replace my father or his little mate Millie and together they will be fine and deal with whatever happens.

The floodwaters are receding a little now and it is Charleville, Roma, St George and Moree's turn to face the challenges of the biggest floods on record.

Spare a thought for the people doing it tough and please support where you can with whatever you can. Every little bit counts......

Stay beautiful,

K xxx

2012.....BRING IT!!!

Hello to you all and welcome to 2012. A little on the late side, but better late than never right?

Our family had a lovely Christmas break with a visit home to the in-laws for Christmas. 17 in a house for a week makes for loads of fun and tons of laughs. Thanks guys, we always have such a great time don't we?

Second leg of the trip was New Year camping with some old and very dear friends as well as a few days with an absolute treasure of a friend-love you Russ an thanks for letting us invade your home. I got to catch up with my fabulous girlfriends as well. We all met through scrapbooking and we all need to stay friends forever because we know way too much about each other!!! It was a riot as always and I think the staff at The Pub wondered what we were 'on'. You girls are awesome and I love every single one of you.

Next a visit to my dear Dad. 82 years young and still going strong. He misses Mum every day, but he still gets himself up and organised and has made a lovely life for himself. He says he's going great anyway.......

Home again-which brings me to my point. What is home? Is it really where you hang your hat? Is it with your husband and children or is it your parents home? I'm not sure where I feel my home is-certainly where my husband and children are, but is it a place or a town? I'm not too sure on that one actually as I have spent most of my married life travelling around Australia with my husbands job. Perhaps home is more a feeling than a place.............in that case, I have strong feelings for certain places.LOL Tamworth......if ever we had cause to move back could I? Of course I could. I always said you can never go back....it's never the same, but after being back, it WAS the same.

All our friends always make it hard to leave, this time especially so but I'm not sure why. It seems like it calls me back stronger each time we go there. Interesting..............

Anyhoo, have dedicated a song (how cheesy) to how I feel about the people and the "Big Sky Country'.

Stay beautiful

K xxxx

Variety Club Youth Choir Flash Mob 'I am Australian'

Mum.( Long post )

HI all. I haven't blogged lately. I wasn't sure where to start, but here goes.

WARNING.

Don't read this if you are on your way out or only have 5 minutes. It's a little LONG.

On Friday the 17th of September, I lost the most influential and wonderful woman in my life-my Mum.

I started this blog just for her to keep up on our lives when we lived so far away.

I wondered whether to continue, but I think I will as I find it helpful to get my thoughts out of my head and onto "something".

Mum was a lovely lady and although she could really frustrate me like all Mother's, I loved her with every fibre of my being.

Mum had a brain tumour that was benign, but large and in a not so great place. It affected balance and memory just to name a few things. Mum was receiving treatment and was looking at an operation to remove it (of which she was terrified). Sadly, the operation wasn't to be and after a fall where she hit her head on the car, the trauma to her head (unbeknown to her ) had started the tumour bleeding, and in the end caused a massive stroke which ended her life.

I spoke to her every 2nd day as she was struggling with her health as a direct result to the tumour, and asked her if she was sure that thing wasn't leaking......... It was.

Early Friday morning at 6.45am, my beautiful Mum left us for her heavenly home. That day-that moment, I felt the gears of my life change.

I am now an adult.

We (I have a brother and a sister) wanted Mum's funeral to be a celebration of her life as she lived a life worth celebrating, so we set to work uncovering "Mum" and the things that made her, 'her'. We have been so richly blessed by what we found, and what we already knew.

Some people go through their lives wondering if they were loved. Mum told us all the time and going through her computer, she had written the "memoirs" of her life. What a huge gift to us.

Mum was much loved by all who met her-she had a way with people. I have never known a person to be such an accurate judge of character and to have the capacity to love everyone.

I miss her immensely, and can't imagine a life without her.

My darling Dad has to start again as well after 57 years of marriage. THAT is the kicker for me. Dad on his own. I can't imagine how you would do that after so many years with the love of your life. He hasn't thrown the towel in by a long shot and is learning to cook and has had lessons in the washing machine previously in the year by Mum. Almost like she was training him for this time.

I wonder if she knew, or made a conscious decision not to seek medical treatment. I will never know, and in the long run, it won't matter. Her life had become quite difficult and she was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Mum's faith in God never faltered, and I know this by a couple of conversations I had with her. I was brought up in a Christian family, and I know what happens when you die. I am not afraid, nor an I concerned as to where Mum has 'gone', and I know she will be waiting for me when it is my turn. Her 'interim mode of transport'might be in the earth, but her soul is long gone to a far better place than this one.

To those that have supported us, whether with prayers, loving thoughts, cards, phone calls, food and presence, we THANK YOU.

Mum is in heaven now, free of all the burdens that weighed her down in her earthly life, but she left us with this poem she wrote, and I would like to share it here.

WITH LOVE FROM ME TO YOU

MY THANKS TO YOU ALL FROM MY HEART

MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY LIKE NO OTHER

MY LOVING AND SUPPORTIVE FRIENDS

MY SIBLINGS PLUS ALL OTHERS WHO HAVE TOUCHED MY LIFE'S’ JOURNEY IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER.

AS I SIFT THROUGH LEAVES OF MY MEMORIES,

ALL YELLOWED AND SCATTERED AROUND,

THESE DAYS, THERE’S SO LITTLE OF YESTERDAY,

FURTHER BACK IS WHERE MEMORIES ARE FOUND.

WE CANNOT PLAN OUR LENGTH OF LIFE,

BUT FAMILY CAN BE SURE,

THAT WE LOVED THEM ALL SO DEARLY,

AND THEIR LOVE FOR US MEANS MORE.

Clara Allen April 2010

Thank you,

Stay Beautiful

K XX

Creative Share...............finally

Hi,

I have been working lots, so the blogging is not coming back into swing like I hoped it would.

Here's a really quick share of a card I made a few days ago (last weekend) using Tim Holtz distress inks and a permanent mask technique I found on

http://jennifermcguireink.com/

Do yourself a favour and check her out.

She deals in simple and elegant.

Two things I have in bucket-loads, so I can relate!!!!!

Any questions?? No?? Sweet. Have a fabulous day

Stay Beautiful,

K xx

The Family that plays together.....................

I love it that my two older men in the family do something together.

They play baseball.

A lot of the time the older one pitches and the younger one catches (the older one feels too "old" some days)

They encourage each other and there's a bit of banter going on most of the time. Bottom line is, they can count on each other when a play is being made. They don't need to look where the other one is - they just know they will be there.

I love watching them play, and I have a million pics of them. This one, however was taken 2 weeks ago., and it would be one of my faves.

I love the look on their faces.

They both love the game, and love each other.

They felt the need to play in their old Tamworth uniforms to make it an "All Stars" team.

I don't know, but there was a lot of "glory slides" done by the old one that day. He said it was the uniform. "LIKE A COUGAR"!!!!

I LOVE IT

Stay beautiful,

K xx

Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's out there. Hope your day is great!

Special shout out goes to my own Darling Dad. Love ya Pickle!! And to my husband. You're a wonderful Dad babe, and I love you!!! Mwahhhh

I also had a spurt of creativity starting with breakfast. Eggs Benedict on Turkish Bread.

I forgot the spinach leaves.

And the ham.

And also the cream.

Oh, and I forgot to fry up the mushrooms I had saved for the occasion.

BUT, my hubby was just stoked it wasn't toast!!! Tasted divine, and didn't need the extra fat of the cream after all.

I didn't mention the baby spinach leaves, so he didn't know they were missing.

Substituted the ham with bacon. And the mushrooms, well just forgot them and they stayed forgotten until about mid morning. D'OH!!

Never mind.

Spent an unexpected afternoon with our other fave family and did chip sangas for dinner.

Managed to make a few cards too. Will share that tomorrow.

Until then,

Stay Beautiful

K xx

Deliciously Decadent

Hi All,

Have spent the day in the kitchen (and laundry) and was experimenting with yeast cooking. So far this week, we have made our own pasta, naan bread, pizza bases, ham and cheese scrolls and these little beauties. YAY for Cinnamon Scrolls!!!!!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/

Click on the above link for the recipe.

It makes bulk rolls, so put a few trays in the freezer....if they last that long~

It took all day, with the million other things I had on the go as well, but they are SO worth it. Hopefully the link works, and you can experience these gems for yourself.

They are taken from a blog I follow called The Pioneer Woman.

She cooks, home schools her 4 children and lives on a "ranch" miles from anywhere in Oaklahoma USA. Ree Drummond is her name and she has a wicked wit and take on life. I enjoy her blog daily, and it's worth a read. She also a self taught photographer, and her pics and tutorials have improved my own photography a lot. Not that you'd know from these pics.

Until next time,

Stay beautiful,

K xx

Beloved

My Beloved is away for 2 weeks.

I really miss him.

I want my feet tickled and my back rubbed. I want to lay on his lap on the lounge while he pretends I'm not there.

I NEED to sleep. I have even conned one of the kids (the smallest one) to sleep with me so my bed isn't so big and lonely.

I want someone to annoy when the adds are on TV, and someone to make me the best cup of tea ever when I'm not annoying him in the adds.

Hurry home babe, it's not the same without you.

You have only been gone 1 day........

Stay Beautiful,

K xx

P.s I thought it might be timely to remember all the families missing loved ones serving in the military overseas. I know lots of these families, and the ones left behind show incredible strength and resilience and quite frankly, you all should be called "Home Heroes".

Embossed card

I thought I should publish something crafty.......it has been a while.

This is a card I made up quickly for a birthday.

It uses a resist technique.

I stamped the image on white card with versamark ink and embossed with white ink.

I took my Tim Holtz distress inks and applicator and smooshed all over the card in a colour combo I liked.

In this case I have used Perfect Pearls mixed with water in a magic mister and spritzed over the card for a pearly finish.

Then you take a bit of damp rag and carefully wipe the ink off the embossed image to make it shiny. Voila!

One card.

Stay beautiful

Sneaky

It was Andrew's birthday last week, he was 39.

It has hit me that we are nearly 40.

When did this happen?

I feel the same as I did in my 20's, so I am not sure when the time was so sneaky that I looked up and it was almost time for me to be 40.

I remember when I thought 30 year olds were.......OLD.

I revealed my thoughts to Andrew when we went to bed and lamented that I have got almost to 40 and have done nothing.

"I'm a wife and a Mum and all that, but remember when we were young ( and naive ) and we swore we were going to make a difference in the world? I wanted to make a difference to lives and change things I hated about the world, and I would polish my rose coloured glasses daily."

To this my husband said in his quiet manner, "Kell, you have changed MY world, made a difference, and made it so much better." Cue my self indulgent tears. Sometimes, he can be so............so..............sensitive?

Never underestimate the difference you can make in someone's life. I think sometimes the smallest acts are the most powerful. And for the record, he changed MY world and made it so much better.

I have a sneaking suspicion, that 40 will be my mid-life crisis. Watch here for the memo.

Stay Beautiful,

K xx

Butterflies

Amanda had her braces put on 2 weeks ago now.

There was very little drama and very little pain or ulcers in her mouth.

She is a trouper for sure.

I don't think the braces look too bad, but MAN, does she have some hardware in her mouth at the moment!!!! In the pic where her mouth is open, look carefully and see the expander across the top of her mouth. She has had that in for 2 months and will get it out just before Christmas. It looks a little like a horses bit. It has caused her more issues than the actual braces, with food and drink flying out at uncontrolled intervals. Combine that with all the wire and brackets, and there is sure a mouthful. It affects her speech a little and the kids at school are giving her a little grief, but nothing she can't handle.

We have 21 months to go before they come off and quite a few monthly payments! I SO should have been an orthodontist!!!!!

We still think she is beautiful.

Remember,

If there was no change, there would be no butterflies.

Stay Beautiful,

K xx

Just for Russ

After a few less than complimentary phone calls (from an anonymous source), re my blogging frequency, I thought I would post a few photo montages to update you on our life.

Is anyone there?

Anyone?

*crickets chirping*

Is this thing on?

*tap tap*

The first is a series of pics from a fundraiser the kids high school so every year. It's theatre restaurant. You buy tickets, you go and get a meal and a show.

Josh was on the catering team to cook the meal, Amanda was in the show. They rely on audience participation, so Ethan and I were in the show too.

It was a hoot and Amanda is playing a character called Dr Who?

Enjoy,

Stay beautiful,

K xx

I never thought I'd say it, but....................

Wow, another camping weekend has come and gone all too quickly. We are SO lucky to live in such a breathtakingly beautiful country and it really is a privilege to be able to get out into it.

We camped with the usual crowd, with another family adding to the fun. We also had a few ring-ins with the big girls bringing friend that had never camped before. After the initial shock of a chemical toilet "with a view", and a makeshift shower, they coped great and they said they had a good time. I think they would like to come again.

Just a few stills of Keelbottom Creek up in the Herveys Ranges and a few happy snaps of various things. There was a rise above the creek and we camped there.

Some Army snipers wandered in for a bath and there were a few bare bums, much to the girls' amusement.

Fishing was SUCCESSFUL with a few sooty grunters straying onto lines. Nothing big enough to eat, but the kids loved the thrill of reeling something in........so did my husband (he rarely catches anything).

The kids all took off up the creek and built a fabulous bridge out of old logs and bark. We all trooped up there after our messenger and all had a turn at crossing it. They all worked together and were amused for a good few hours. Sure beats computers and televisions. I don't think there was 1 fight between all the kids for the entire weekend, and that's good going in my book. The 3 dogs we took were great as well.

I never thought I'd say it while living here, but MAN was it COLD the first night and morning. I think 6 degrees was the temp and to us it felt like -6!! I think we have acclimatised.

Enjoy the pics and I will try to blog more often (sorry Russ).

Stay Beautiful,

K xx

t

Roger that, Mojo

I think I felt a rush of wings and air on my face. Don't panic though, I just think my mojo is returning to land after being in a holding pattern.

Finally a share of something creative instead of "waffling".

I love this pic of my Mum, Me and my Sister. It was taken last month and I LOVE it. (Did I say that already?)

I am so blessed to have them in my life. They are my sounding boards, my light and shade, my sometimes critics, my perspective givers and my greatest cheer squad. They have been there for me when I haven't been able to be there for myself, and this is a little tribute to the 2 I love the most.

I love you both more than you know and I can't imagine life without you.

This LO is far more 'tizzy' than I usually do. I wanted to celebrate womanhood and girliness in all it's glory. I also wanted it to look a little vintage, cause we are all gettin' on in years!! LOL

Later,

Stay Beautiful,

K xx

Maybe Creative

See this?

This is my desk.

It is covered in 'stuff'.

I am almost sure that it is creative 'stuff" and I will make it into 'something' today..................maybe.

Stay Beautiful,

K xx

Happy Mothers Day

Hi all.

Happy Mother's Day, and I hope you get to do something REALLY special today (and tomorrow too), you deserve it.

My day started at 5.50am. Yes, you heard right. My little man was so excited about Mothers Day he could barely contain himself. For those that know me, to say I am NOT a morning person is a gross understatement. The sun wasn't even up, and the moon was exhausted. I sent him back to bed for an hour. He appeared exactly an hour later and I was ok with that. I had had an hour to leave dreamland and crawl to the surface and rub the sleep from my eyes.

He was just so excited, and it was all I could do to make him NOT give me the gifts he had bought at the mothers day stall at school last week. He had hidden them 3 times in different spots so I wouldn't find them.

The best thing, for me, about Mother's Day is the little things. I LOVE the fact that Ethan has agonised over the table of gifts and selected the ones that he thought I would REALLY love. With $4 (I gave him $5 and he bought me change, would you believe) he bought me a little trinket box that smells like perfume (ie someones Nanna donated it), a lollipop with an attachment that can be a flower AND a butterfly if you spin it round, AND a candle so that when "you get romantic with Dad you can light it"!! How funny is that? I love it. I also received a beautiful wooden box that my girl had created at school. It is 2 types of wood and she has done a superb job.I was hoping she would give that to me, and you all know I love handmade gifts.

Also received was a pottery planter to put herbs in and matching bag of potting mix.

Breakfast in bed was served by my husband (even though I'm not HIS mother) and was helped to be eaten by Ethan. It's ok though, all the crumbs went on Andrew's side.......LOL

Enjoy the day, stay beautiful

K xx

More Pics of God's Country

Just a few more pics relating to the previous post. I especially love the one of the kids asleep on the way home, but who doesn't love kids asleep????

Stay Beautiful,

xx