{oh so grateful..} for life's roller coaster..

The last few weeks have been pretty amazing... I made the decision to start applying for markets in hopes to get into one before Christmas and in the end, I was accepted to two and incited to one.. My head has been buzzing with excitement and I'm having a ball organizing everything for my stall set-up. If you are in Adelaide.. Here are the dates..


Business is going great and kasiabear designs is being featured in treasuries, on shopping guides and magazines.. its just lovely to see my little idea flourish and be embraced by everyone.. Thank You!! 
I've got my 'sew-jo' back and am sewing again which really makes me smile.


So this week I'd like to thank the universe for listening to my dream and allowing it to happen. I'm grateful for my wonderful customers. I'm grateful for super supportive friends and my kiddos which are loving all the fabric and vinyl scraps they get to play with. 


I've been a little neglectful of my gorgeous blog.. but I'll try and pop in more often.. 


Overall.. I'm just happy... busy busy.. but so super happy!!
{image from }here


Joining in with Maxabella Loves grateful linkup.. 

{oh so grateful..} for the power of me

A couple of years back we had a few quotes done on getting our roof restored, and if you've had a roof restoration done, you'll know its quite a hefty cost. There was one company that we weren't able to get a quote from, simply because my husband was not available to be at the appointment. Their reasoning for not quoting a roof restoration to just me was that they needed the man of the house to be present so a decision could be made. Hmm.. thanks for that!!

Last week that very company knocked on our door, asking if they again could quote on a roof restoration. I was blunt and honest and said "Yes, of-course you can, but my husband will not be present at the appointment. Is that alright?" The salesman stuttered all over the place, made the appointment for me. The morning of the appointment, I received a phonecall to say that a few people have called in sick and there won't be anyone available to come out today. Mind you, I was not offered another appointment time.

I really was amazed at the whole situation, and kind of peeved. I mean, far out!! I am the decision maker when it comes to stuff like this and it wouldn't have mattered if hubby was here or not. Hubby and I had a chat about putting in a solar system a couple of days later and decided that the roof DOES need to get done so we can move on the solar.

Then next day I booked a home consultation from the company that gave us the best quote last time and with the solar people so I could book it all in. I'm happy to say that the sales people came, quoted and I (that ME solo) booked the jobs in and next week, we are getting a new roof.

So, this week I'm grateful for:

{1} a hubby that trusts in my decisions and treats me as an equal..
{2} trust in myself to make the right decision being a woman and all..
{3} companies that are not sexist in who they quote big jobs to..
{4} the opportunity to paint the eaves (I kind of LOVE painting)
{5} my life.. it really is swell!!

Joining in with the ever so wonderful link up of the week over at Maxabella Loves..

{image from here via pinterest}

{this week i'm grateful for..} my little guy..

We had another trip to the hospital this week with my little bear. He needed a new set of grommets so no big dramas, but I still hate the whole anaesthetic bit. I hate holding him while he dozes off and then leaving him. He was in and out in less than 10minutes and within 10minutes of getting out of theatre, he grabs his balloon and the teddy he got from a nurse and stands up and goes "Let's go ma".

He truly is a trooper and makes this mothering gig so sweet. He takes whatever comes his way and goes with it. He doesn't whinge for no reason. He just is. He's my little rock when the big rock isn't around and reassures me that I'm doing alright as a mum. He lets me know he trusts me and makes me feel like a queen.

So this week I am so incredibly grateful for my little guy and his ability to make a potential icky situation into just another thing that needed to be done. I'm grateful that this little guy rather than whining, managed to entertain all the kids in the waiting room, make the nurses smile and laugh and made me feel brave.

I love you my sweet!!


joining in with maxabella loves.. you should too!!

{this week i'm grateful for..} my lifestyle..

{image source}

We've had a crazy couple of months of birthdays and birthday parties.. the big boy got man-flu (and we all know how that goes), but its calming down and getting back to norm.. our norm. This week has been all about getting us back on track as far as paperwork, reorganising the house, making plans for the big overhaul of the back room and back shed. So it was head down, bum up for me.

This week I'm so grateful for my lifestyle.. it's different but a nice kind of different.. 

{1} I'm grateful for having a varied lifestyle that I can choose my own path in..  

{2} I'm grateful for not having to work for someone else.. 

{3} I'm grateful for being able to be there for my kids when they need me.. 

{4} I'm grateful for having friends who are studying massage and want to clock up their practical hours on me.. omg.. I needed that massage this week. 

{5} I'm grateful for having a space I can work on turning into a little studio so that I can work from home.. I love this little space above.. cuuute!!

{6} I'm grateful that although the big boy has man flu.. the kiddos give me a super amount of cuddles to make me feel loved.. they've even both been sleeping in our bed with me the last few nights.. It's like having two little wheat bags on either side of me.. 

What are you grateful for.. hop over to Maxabella Loves and join in..

{this week i'm grateful for..} local resources..

{image from here}

I've been making a point of late to try and shop local and utilise some of the local resources available and be a part of my local community in some way. It wasn't a planned thing initially, it kind of just happened when Ella started kindergarten and I found myself wanting to put one of those cheesy 'mum's taxi' signs on my car. All of a sudden the driving, the drop offs and getting in and out of the car was getting a little much. 

I promptly cancelled a few appointments and got the diary out. I needed a plan of attack!! I decided that my regular travel time needed to be reduced and that we needed to do all the necessities locally. It's amazing what's around you when you open your eyes.. and I'm glad I did. Our regular travel time has now been streamlined and we now take longer trips to do cool things like visiting the zoo, botanic gardens and the museum. Soon, I think we might even start incorporating the public transport.. 

So this week I'm grateful for:

{1} our itty bitty local pizza shop.. 

I've made friends with the owner.. he makes a damn good pizza and even caramelises pumpkin and adds it to my veggo pizza.. 

{2} our local gift shop cafe..

such a lovely place to hang out.. coffee and food is great and its filled to the brim with little goodies.. 

{3} our local council.. 

one of the many services our council provides is an unlimited hard rubbish pick up.. you just call them, book in a date, pile up all the junk out the front of your place and they come the next morning and take it away.. thanks guys.. it was nice to see the pile go today!!

{4} ella's kindergarten..

its local.. it's a 3minute drive.. and its super lovely, the staff are fab and they now have a little incubator with eggs in it to watch baby chickens hatch.. 

{5} sunsets.. 

we've had some gorgeous ones of late, and now that they are a little earlier, they don't interfere with bath time.. and the kids go to bed a little easier.. 

what are you grateful for this week?? i'm joining in with maxabella loves.. you should too..

{snippets} from the weekend.. a ton of sand..

 Finally.. a weekend where we didn't have to go anywhere, be anywhere and we could just get on with our stuff. The weather is cooling down, flies are dying off and I love being outdoors more than any other time during the year. The grass is getting green, the almond tree is dropping its leaves to let in more sun into our backyard and in general.. I just love autumn.

The big boy took off early on Saturday morning to get a couple of little jobs done and came back with a trailer load of sand.. yep.. a ton of sand.. literally. It took almost the rest of the day to get it moved to the backyard and a heap of belly laughs too. The kids were just having a ball. They played in the trailer, they had wheelbarrow rides and just loved the whole process of filling their little pit with sand. And mumma is overjoyed as its in direct view of the kitchen window so I can get on with things as the kids run a muck.

Today we continued on the backyard blitz and just hung out together as a family. I've been trying to clear out a heap of orders and move forward with a few projects I've been working on both at home and kasiabear wise so my online presence has been a little limited. It's amazing how much one can get done when the computer is off..



So although running a little late, this week I'm grateful..
{1} for the empty days in the diary just to enjoy everyday life..
{2} for gloriously sunny days that are not too hot..
{3} for the lack of flies..
{4} for belly laughs that i get from watching my monkeys..
{5} for my hubby who spontaneously buys a ton of sand for the kids..
{6} for fairy dresses,cowboy boots & Ella wearing them simultaneously..
{7} for the gorgeous girls who i've collaborated with this week..
{8} for maxabella loves for grateful saturdays..




joining in with {week-a-boo} & {point + shoot}

{this week i'm grateful for..} digital cameras..

I so love the fact that wherever an adult goes, they pretty much have access to a digital camera of some sort. This is something that has changed in my day, and its so super-cool (omg i'm picking up sayings from my 4yo). I remember the days where all that was readily available were film cameras. I was lucky enough to own a super tiny handbag size one which, together with a spare film, travelled with me everywhere. 

So this week I am grateful for the access that each person has to a digital camera, whether it be an in-phone camera or a digital SLR. 

The above photo was snapped last night with my iPhone.. seriously.. how amazing are happy snaps these days??

Joining in with Maxabella Love's grateful blog hop which is being hosted over at and then there were four this week..  and also reasons to be cheerful over at Mummy from the Heart..

Have a fab weekend everyone!!

{this week i'm grateful for..} hand picked flowers..

It's been a crazy week here, mostly self-inflicted as I decided to do another household blitz on top of all the orders I have to do (why do I do these things??) Bags and bags of toys, books and clothes the kids no longer use have left the house. I'm not done yet but getting there slowly and the house feels so much less crowded and cluttered already.

Among all the running around like a headless chook, the kids have helped out and slept somewhat better than normal and let us enjoy a bit of adult conversation in the evenings with hubby, and coming home to a gorgeous freshly picked bunch of roses completely made my week..

So this week I'm grateful for:
{1} hand picked flowers - so much more meaningful than those elaborate arrangements
{2} family time - I got a super amount of cuddles this week
{3} salvo bins - makes me feel ok about getting rid of perfectly good stuff
{4} cooler weather - makes wearing enclosed shoes not as horrid
{5} birthday parties - we've got a super special one tomorrow..


joining in with maxabella loves..

{this week i'm grateful for..} being a mumma..

{image from here}

We've had a massive two weeks full of fun, laughter, celebrations, sicknesses, hospital stays and it all involved us as a family. I seem to always reflect during the first two weeks of March, as its the time of year I married my mate, my favourite season begins and the month became a mother. I'm feeling incredibly lucky right now.

Becoming parents was kind of a big joke for us. We had the 'knock-up plan' in place for 4 years, down to the day we would start stop trying not to get pregnant, to the star sign we wanted our first child to be and we even had the name picked out. I fell pregnant on our first attempt, felt sick 2 days later, bought a home pregnancy test, checked it 7 times just to make sure and sure enough.. our little Ella was born 9 months later, on her due date.

We did a little calculation for our second child and the scenario was pretty much the same. Pregnant on the first go, I pretty much chose the date Zac was going to be born as it was convenient. We had no family in Australia and the friends that were going to look after Ella were going to be at a party we were also invited to. There was going to be a jumpy castle and birthday cake and overall a nice place to leave Ella to go off and give birth.

Well.. that was us. As ho-hum as it all seems, and as incredibly well it all worked out, we were scared before we started trying. The 'knock-up plan' was just a big joke. I wasn't sure whether I would be able to have kids. You see, when I was 17, I had an ovarian cyst and had one of my ovaries removed, so we really weren't sure. We discussed other options and had a bit of a plan just in case.

Motherhood is one of those funny things... it's exhausting, such hard work, stressful, confusing, unpredictable but so incredibly rewarding. I get that crazy warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy each and every day with my kiddos. They crack me up, they make me laugh and smile, they blow raspberries on my tummy, they make me cups of dirt coffee, they give me slimy pre-chewed crackers... They just rock my world.

Since becoming a mumma, I've watched a few close friends struggling to fall pregnant. Some have taken the path of IVF and some other natural methods, some have managed to fall pregnant but have experienced multiple losses... watching each of their struggles is just as heartbreaking when the result is not what they were hoping for.

I was recently emailed a media release about a study which shows that one in two women could be trying to conceive at the wrong time and that Clearblue Digital Ovulation Tests take out the guesswork. I was instantly interested in reading further as if there was a way I could help one of my friends succeed in falling pregnant then hey.. I'm there. I used Clearblue home pregnancy tests to find out I was going to be a mumma, so the brand was quite well known to me.

The Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test is available nationally from major supermarkets and pharmacies in a pack of seven tests (RRP $69.99). For more information on the Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test and other products in the range, visit www.clearblue.com/au  or call Clearblue’s Careline on 1800 125 021.


If you are trying to conceive and would like to try out one of the Clearblue Digital Ovulation Tests, just drop me and email, as I have been given 3 packs to share with my readers. I'd love to hear how you go with them. 

So this week I am grateful for:
{1} lady luck for allowing me to bypass all the stress of getting pregnant..
{2} my amazing children.. they are the icing on my life..
{3} opportunities to share something with my readers that may help them..
{4} still grateful for our health system..
{5} rain for making my backyard look slightly more green than brown..

joining in with maxabella loves..

{this week i'm grateful for..} health insurance..

{image from here}

We've spent a lot of time at various appointments this week, some of which were specialist appointments and some just at our local doctors.

My foot has been playing up since before christmas and I've chosen to ignore it till now (yep.. i'm a bit like a man in that way), but after visits to the chiro, the physio, having chinese massages on my back as this was the consensus.. no relief. So off to the GP, who promptly sent me off for x-rays, ultrasound and to the podiatrist.. yippee!! Really I would be skipping if I could. The diagnosis is.. that I have seriously torn a ligament in my foot, so I'm all taped up, wedge in my shoe and have to wear enclosed shoes for 12 weeks, (currently tossing up which one is worse.. the pain in my foot or enclosed shoes).


Crap, as the above scenario might be.. this week I am super grateful for:




{1} having health insurance - I think this year we may have already got our money's worth..
{2} the health service in Australia - even without the private insurance it really is fab..
{3} being so incredibly blessed with two gorgeous kids.. one of which turned 4 this week.. 
{4} the adelaide zoo.. such simple and clean family fun..
{5} gorgeous local playgrounds.. one of which we'll be using tomorrow for our little girls party..

What are you grateful for this week? Pop on over to maxabella loves and share or simply read some other inspirational blogs..

{this week i'm grateful for..} our childcare centre..

{image: studio jarrah}

Soon after my daughter was born, my hubby and I checked out a childcare centre I'd been eyeing off for a while. It was new, colourful and everywhere I seemed to go, I'd drive right past it. I wasn't sure how my work schedule would be or anything really, but at that stage everyone talked about how hard it was to get into a good childcare centre.. So I thought I'd get a spot for when our little one was one, just in case.

When the time came, we needed that spot more than ever. I went back to work and with the only family member in Australia, packing to move to the UK, there was no other choice really. Four years on, both my children now go to the centre and the place is just as warm, welcoming and wonderful as it was when we took our first tour.

So this week I'm grateful for:
{1} The wonderful environment that our kids spend time in while not at home with me..
{2} The gorgeous, fun, bubbly, well trained, super helpful and caring staff that look after my babies..
{3} The lovely mum's I've met through the centre..
{4} Sometimes taking way too long at drop off and pick up as mumma gets chatting..
{5} The things my kids have learned through attending the centre..
{6} The 100+ people that read my blog.. and I'm celebrating with a little giveaway.. 
{7} Super snuggly cuddles at 2am from my little man who is almost two and still wakes for a feed..

joining in with the gorgeous Maxabella Loves..
+
mummy from the heart's.. reasons to be cheerful..

{this week i'm grateful for..} friends and the www..

Another little week of reflection and re-evaluation for this mumma. I started the week of with a horrible head cold so I tried to do the 'relax and take care of yourself' thing that everyone talks about. I even got a box of Lemsip and religiously took it along with my echinacea, zinc and vitamin C tablets..

I spent a lot of time on the computer as I am not entirely capable of doing nothing at all. I joined in with a group on Aussie Mummy Bloggers to improve my blog. I wrote a pitch for my blog and business. I found a number of amazing sites written by amazingly inspiring mums and I stumbled upon this gorgeous clip which a friend of mine had emailed me a while ago and I completely forgot about.



I read this incredibly amazing post about post natal depression and got re-inspired to work on a project that I have been working on for a few months, that has taken a back seat of late. I will share soon.. I promise, its just not quite in its sharing state yet.

What advice would you give to a new mum?

As far as PND goes I'm great, we have a happy groove happening in our little family and life is fantastic. Whenever I read posts or watch clips like the ones above though, reality hits. I realise how incredibly lucky I was to have such a amazing set of friends to help me identify PND and get it under control as quickly as I did and I am so grateful that they didn't make me feel like a bad mum because I went through PND.

So this week I am grateful for..
my amazing friends.. you guys know who you are..

the www..
{1} i get inspired by other people
{2} i love reading what real mums have to say
{3} i am so incredibly grateful for people that are able to share about post natal depression
{4} i love the community feeling that is in blog land
{5} i love access to information

joining in with {maxabella loves} i'm grateful for..

{this week i'm grateful for..} my mother's group..

all but one.. 

A close friend of mine recently had her first baby and yesterday we had a pretty in-depth conversation about the ups and downs of the first few weeks at home with a new bubba. I gave her all the advice I could but made sure I highlighted the fact that this is just advice and that she is the mumma and to only go with what I said if it feels right in her heart. One of the bits of advice I gave her is to attend the mums group session that Child Youth Health organises as it provides a wealth of real information about looking after a bub.

As one does, I then thought back to those 6 weeks when I myself was a new mumma and attended the sessions with Ella. The time spent there was a time in my life I will never forget and I time I will cherish for the rest of my life. It was an eclectic collection of first time mums doing their best to try and figure out all the ins and outs of this new journey they have just started. It was fun, funny, informative, entertaining and a time where I made some incredible friends.

Almost 4 years on my eclectic collection of mums from my mums group still keep in touch. One of our gang has moved to the US and another to Sydney but the ones left behind in lil old Adelaide still get together when we can and we all make sure we keep in touch with the ones that have left. Some of us are onto our second child and some still on their first. Some of the things our first little one missed out on as far as illnesses etc, the second one has had {such as zaccy with his grommets} and its so nice to get the first hand info from the mums I know about the procedure etc.

All the kids go to each others bithday parties, we do a mum's group christmas party each year and soon.. I think we might just do a 'solo' mum catch up too. I look forward to each and every catchup and feel so comfortable around these girls.. after all, they were there when all our kids cried, vomited and pooed in unison. To top it all off one of the little boys from the first generation has not only known my little Ella from day dot, but has gone to the same childcare centre.. is now going to her kindergarten and will also be going to school with her.. I always wanted twins and although I was blessed with two non-twins.. this is as good as it gets..

So this week, I am so incredibly grateful for..

{1} Child Youth Health - for sending a nurse to my house who recommended and signed me up for a mums group.
{2} Fate - for bringing us girls together.
{3} The girls - each one different and each one so incredibly genuine and supportive
{4} The kids - for making me smile and laugh and go 'aaaaawwwwwww!!! you're so cuuuuute' in such an incredibly clucky way..

I really could write a novel on how fabulous my mums group is, but in reality I don't have the time right now. But to each and every one of you 'mum's group' girls.. You Rock!!

joining in with maxabella loves.. 

{this week i'm grateful for..} the world of medicine..

image from here.. 

A very broad thing to be grateful for yes.. but it just has such a huge impact on our lives. Its a job for many people whether it be a nurse, chiropractor, physiotherapist, surgeon, midwife, paediatrician, and so, so many more. Then there is the alternative medicine such as naturopaths, acupuncturists, kinesiologists.. again the list can go on here too.

This week my little man went back into hospital to have another grommet inserted in his ear as he managed to lose his old one already. It was a much smoother session for us than last time. Still not a nice thing to go through but hey.. in years gone by kids used to suffer with fluid in their ears, chronic ear infections and hearing problems and it all went unnoticed. They were often labelled as problem children for the simple reason of being grumpy.. and why.. because they were in pain and discomfort for most of their little lives.

I'm just so very grateful for modern medicine and so grateful to all the people on this little world of ours who have chosen to do this as a job.. to go to university and study these areas.. to get into debt so they can attain their diplomas, certificates, degrees and doctorates. It takes a certain type of person and a big heart to do this job and you guys just do it so well!! Thank You!!

There is also the alternative medicine.. when the modern medicine doesn't seem to work people often try out these alternatives.. and my.. have I been surprised when I did..

Thank you to all you medical types.. yes there is that ranking system and hierarchy but to me, you're all a part of a big team and I think you all rock!

joining in with Maxabella Loves.. 

ps.. hunky is a super dooper trooper.. apart from showing his real aries/ox personality he seems like nothing ever happened.. 

{this week i'm grateful for..} my life..

live the life you love...

... love the life you live

Ten years ago my then fiance and I decided to leave the States and head to Australia. We weren't quite sure whether it was going to be for a little while or a lifetime, but on this day 10 years ago we arrived and since made this place our home. 

We started off from scratch as I had sold almost everything I owned to move to the States and he came here with only two suitcases. Since then we have bought a house, got a car each, he has started and developed his business to now be the most sought after fish guy in the state. I finished off my degree and we now have two absolutely amazing little cherubs. 

So in a nutshell.. I'm just so incredibly grateful for the move we made and the life we now have. There are always things to do and to move forward towards.. but hey.. that's just life. 

joining in with maxabella loves.. i'm grateful for blog hop

{this week i'm grateful for..} my car..

It was a bit of an up and down week and thankfully it ended on a good note, good contented feeling of knowing which direction to head, which door to open and which path to follow for the time being. This little day trip I took {which I've already well and truly covered here, here and here..} was what made the difference and without my little buzz box, it quite simply would not have been possible.

So this week, I'm grateful for

♥ my little car... I quite seriously could not function without it. It gets me where I want to go and it gives me my freedom and independence.


♥ my beautiful friend G... who takes time out of her incredibly busy life to be there for me whenever I need her, to be there for my kiddos and to be there for my hubby. I cant imagine my life without her in it and I'm so, so glad I took that Spanish class at uni over a decade ago..


♥ nature.. it just has such an incredible de-stressing effect on me..

joining in with maxabella loves.. 

{this week i'm grateful for..} my family..

What a horrible week all round really.. so much tragedy, loss and sadness. The floods in QLD have given a little shock to the system and reading Lori's blog this week has put a lot in perspective yet again. I write this with an awful knot in my stomach but also with such thankfulness to the bloke upstairs for what I have.

This week I'm grateful and thankful for:

{1} having my family all under one roof, safe, happy and dry
{2} my husband and my rock,who i would be totally lost without
{3} the community spirit all around australia in helping out those whose lives have been affected by the floods in qld

here are a few links to how you can help.. 

join mon petit poppet in making a softie 

to put a smile on a child's face

i'm joining in with this one..

anything you can think of that 

helps you feel like a woman and take care of yourself to 

Project Shine or QLD

goods can be posted to: 

PROJECT SHINE 

via Sunny Mummy  

PO BOX 488  

Burleigh Heads QLD 4220

Things to remember: 

all items, with the exception of books, must be brand new and sealed or with tags,  for hygiene and transportation purposes. No donation is too small, so if you can pick up a little something extra for a Flood Mummy in your groceries this week, it would be GREATLY appreciated! 

i've sent my little care package on friday.. 

Premier's Flood Relief Appeal

donate funds directly to the appeal

follow the above link for full details

thank you maxabella for hosting this amazing blog hop!!

keep safe everyone!!

{this week i'm grateful for..} paint..

Those that know me would know my slight obsession with painting.. and although I use paint in my screen printing and lino printing, this week it's about the good old household paint..
The painting isles in bunnings are my buddies.. I rarely have to ask for assistance to find what i need.. I've painted on almost any surface possible. I just love how a couple coats of paint refresh and revive..

This week I took a stance.. After donating our office to our little man so he could have a room of his own a couple of years ago.. as far as paperwork goes we have been lost and all over the place. We needed a spot and needed it now!!


I decided that until both hubby's and my workspaces are complete, we would dedicate a corner of our bedroom to an office area.. So out came the paint..


I didn't want to purchase any furniture for a temporary space but I am somewhat anal about things matching.. So I attacked an old wood desk with white paint to match our bedroom furniture and TaDa!! We HAVE an office!!!


Oh paint how I love you!!
PS.. A bunnings visit was not necessary as I have a good amount of paint stock for various projects already premixed in my all time favourite paint colour.. Dulux - Whisper White


Check out some other grateful saturday's here..

this week i'm grateful for.. my neighbours

This week was one of those mad ones that dashes past, a lot is achieved and you can see the results (thank goodness) but it just went and now there is only one little week left till the fat man comes and pays us a visit (i hope). On Thursday I did a post on "What I would like an infinite amount of..", which kinda helped me out when in the afternoon I was about to head out the door to pick Ella up from kindy. I did the norm of checking that I had my purse, phone and keys.. hold on.. where are my KEYS??? I choose to look at this moment in time as something to tell the kids when they get older and laugh about.. yea it was frustrating but hey.. it was funny too..

After an hour and a half of searching the house and going out of my mind, it was crunch time... I needed to leave NOW or kindy would be closing and Ella would start freaking out. The big boy was on the other side of town and couldn't get to her either. I then wondered over to our next door neighbours and asked if there was any way they could go and get Ella for me... and of course they did. The mum and the girls hopped into the car and came back shortly with a very excited little Ella.

Oh.. our beautiful neighbours!! We truly are fortunate to have such lovely people living right next door to us! And I don't just mean just one family... we are literally surrounded by amazing neighbours. We live on a 1200sqm kite shaped block and know all our neighbours, regularly chat, share produce, look after each others pets when holidays come around. I will write an entry just about all the amazing people one days (soon).. but for today, I'm truly grateful they are all here!!

our neighbours
i love them all!!

eggs
i was lucky last week to enjoy a cooked breakfast (while it was still hot).. today i tried to have one.. what was I thinking?? a small flock of seagulls attacked it a millisecond after it hit the table.. but i'm glad my little attackers actually ate bits of the egg rather than just demolishing it..

watermelon
oh how i love you.. i don't know any kid that doesn't like watermelon.. and its just hilarious watching them eat it!!

ps.. ella found my keys the next morning in her sock drawer.. 

joining in with maxabella loves blog.. 

{week-a-boo} a sneak peak into our weekend..

OK.. this week I'm really quite sad that the weekend is over.. It was a perfectly balanced weekend of work, rest and play..

Saturday we all got up early and with a big teamwork effort the housework was done and dusted by 8am. We then headed off as a family to the kids childcare centre for our annual family photo session.. The photographer was a bit odd to say the least but hopefully he managed to capture some of our family essence in a photograph. I will most certainly be hunting down the lovely girl that did our photos last year. Never the less it was fun and a big tick off the to-do list.

Daddy-O headed off to do a little bit of work and I took the kids down to our local shopping centre to visit Santa.. No tears, only minor tantrum from Master Zac when having to go back into the pram and a gorgeous photo with Santa.. We then had some lunch.. mumma got to eat sushi.. and then back home so the little man could have a rest.

a pic from my iPhone.. 

Miss Ella and I decorated the two little trees we have on our front verandah with solar fairy lights, built a shoe stand (from ikea of course) for the back door and tidied the verandah.. Then it was good old hang out time with the kiddo's. No fighting just playing, which was lovely for a change.

Sunday morning we headed off to one of my favourite playgrounds to have a teeny tiny thanksgiving celebration with some friends..

i think zaccy is carving his first 'i heart' message in a tree.. 

Master Zaccy had a looong nap when we got home, so we all just chilled out and relaxed.. both mumma and daddy-o got to sneak in a cat-nap too. 

We then tackled the beast that lived in the front yard as a family.. I kind of grew to like if not love our little weed forest as it provided me with an endless supply of photo opportunities, but it really had to go. We have amazing neighbours but I'm sure even they would have been a little, if not a lot, grumpy if we had left it as it was over the holiday season.. We managed to finish the job with a lot of laughs in between.. super bonus!!

zaccy and ella did a little bit of face painting
while mum and dad weren't looking.. 

camo hunky.. 

mud painting..
and painted the house.. 

Still sad that the weekend is over as it was such a lovely family weekend.. productive and fun with a hint of rest.. but I am so incredibly grateful that we had it.. and look forward to having many more like this. I really could write lots and lots more but I think the warm fuzzy feeling in my heart is good enough for me on this Monday morning.. 

see what others are grateful for over at Maxabella's blog.. 

have a sneak peak into other weekends at Scissors Paper Rock's blog.. 

and have a look at some other point + shoot at the Fat Mum Slim blog.. 

some stories don't 

have a clear beginning, 

middle, and end. 

life is about not knowing, 

having to change, 

taking the moment and 

making the best of it, 

without knowing what's 

going to happen next.

delicious ambiguity

~ gilda radner ~

have a wonderful week 

and 

Happy Monday!!