So much has happened......

Home safe and sound after the biggest and most amazing time of our lives but I thought I would show you some photos taken at Kirstie's formal in November, 2 days before we left on our trip. She had an incredible night and I still can't believe school is over for her and in 2 months she will be starting uni...It is nearly 10.30 here New Years eve and I am just having a quiet night at home trying to catch up on a few things...I am going to blog about our many adventures in London, France and Italy really soon.... Happy New Year to all....xx

In Paris

Here I am sitting in the apartment as seen the last post and what an amazing trip we are having filled with everything you could imagine.....Snow falling as we walked the Christmas markets on the the champs elysee in Paris...Seeing Wicked at a beautiful Theatre in London!!! Eating warm bagettes and scrumptous pastries oh and the list just goes on and on and it is only day 9. Still just feels like a dream.... Climbing the Eiffel Tower tomorrow on our last day in Paris!!!! Can't wait :) Loads of photos to share with you all when I get home in 21 days !!!!!

Only 13 days to go!!!!!!!!

Plans are the proof a dream can come true!

Well I can't believe it has been so long since I have blogged....So many things happening I must say I really miss being here and chatting!!!! Since my darling daughter was about 10 her and I have been chatting about our imaginary trip to Paris...well in a few weeks we will be staying in this gorgeous apartment in Paris, I just can't believe it.... It still isn't real to me and I don't think it will feel real until we hop off the train in central Paris...We have 7 nights and I just can't wait...My little girl finished her last real day in the classroom yesterday...A week of exam block (she has 5 assessment pieces) and then her formal and graduation and then at 11.45 pm graduation day we will be on the plane to London :)...

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

This has surely been a year of change...A new shop, a business partner, trying to sell our family farm, my little 14 year boy reaching 6 ft, Kirstie's last year of school and so on and trying to know where I fit into all this has been a bit of a struggle for me I must say...It has all been a little bit too fast for my liking :) Even though my kids are bigger now I still see being a good and stable mum as the greatest job I will ever have...I feel privileged and blessed to watch them achieve and more importantly smile their way through there days...

When we lose one blessing, another is often, most unexpectedly, given in its place. - CS Lewis

A big few weeks - sigh!!!!!!!

Well I have had the flu for a couple of weeks and I so hope it is finally rounding the corner and I can enjoy the school break with my beautiful kids.....These photos are little clippings of my studio room, my little place in the world .....So many things happening at the moment...Finally booked our trip to europe which is beyond exciting...My beautiful family property (owned with my 4 siblings, my gorgeous parents left it to us) is on the market and it makes my heart very sad but it is just one of those things that needs to be done.... As a mum my heart strings are playing because my little girl is into her last 7 weeks of school...She is so ready for a new adventure but at the same time it is all just flying by too fast and my little boy turns 14 tomorrow...He is my little confidant, my amazing cook, has the best cuddles in the world and he is growing into such a lovely young man :)

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections.

Joy is not in things; it is in us.

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

---

My daughter - her art!!!!!!!!

Well Kirstie is in her last 10 weeks of school..Quiet unbelievable really!!!!! As we speak she is sitting the second day of the biggest exam of her school life!!! So I just thought I would share something that I think is just beautiful of her final art work...The subject is personal......The title generation....The top image is of kirstie is a little petticoat that I wore when I was about 5 that my mum made for me and these are the words she wrote on it ......you are my universe, my shining light my blue butterfly flying through the sky, my romeo my millions of words with beautiful covers and my every breath. When I think of you my mind wonders to the delicate wings of a butterfly. When I think of you my mind wonders to my one and only confidant that is always there. You are the smell of freshly made bread, you are the star that kisses the moon, you are each stitch of a dress and you are the flowers that sway in the breeze. When I think of you I think of the beautiful sky above. When I think of you I know I'm home............ She has used the dress that my mum made me for my wedding and the butterflies are a symbol of us all......I hope you like it :)

A Little help PLEASE!!!!!!!!

Well my friends I am pretty sure most of you know in just over 3 months my beautiful girl will finish high school and we are heading off to Europe to celebrate. I know I am biased but she is a truly amazing girl and her and I have been planning this in our heads since she was about 7 and she turns 17 this week... We haven't been overseas before (well my hubby has been to the US and NZ with work and I have been to Singapore but many, many moons ago) so it is a huge adventure. So I am hoping that all my well traveled blogging friends may share some of their wisdom especially if they have a favourite place to stay etc as looking for accommodation on the other side of the world a little intimidating....but at this stage this is our sort of itinerary.

There will be 5 of us traveling...
3 nights London
5 - 7 nights Paris
7 days driving around the French countryside
1 night Nice
1 night Verona
2 nights Venice
3 days car hire through Maggiore
3 nights Rome........
If anyone has any suggestions I would so appreciate it :)

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
-Christopher Reeve

Monday post!!!!!!!!!!

"We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true......"Woodrow Wilson

Oh this is so, so true. I must say since being in the shop environment I have seen a lot more of the world and how worried people are about everything. Some days I so wish that people realised at the end of the day it isn't about what we are in the world or how many things we have but it is about how you treat people, happiness, smiling and really just loving the journey... That is definitely the only lessons really I want my children to have and then to be themselves and let their lives unfold. Some people would call this naive but I call it LOVE!!!!! Have a simply magical week!!!!!

WOW!!! where did that month go!!!!

Well I can't believe it is over a month since I did my last post but the weeks of this year are just flying by..... The last day of winter break today and Andrew went to a friends house and Kirstie and I went and had a latte and looked at formal dresses. She will start her last Semester at school tomorrow, just incredible...When out looking at dresses we ran into our dear friends that we have known since we were both pregnant with our girls and they have grown up together, went to kindy, primary school and high school together.... They both went into change rooms with gorgeous black dresses and I just couldn't believe where the years had gone...I remember the girls doing a fashion parade for a children's wear shop when they were just walking and seriously that feels like just yesterday....Such different girls now but I think they will always be friends...and I love them both for that.... I wanted to show you a photo of my big boy...He is over 6 ft now and was looking pretty handsome in this photo I think.... he loves his sister to pieces... A little inspiration for this week...I hope everyone is smiling today, I know I sure am......

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.

- Helen Keller

200th Post (SMILE)

Well my friends I was just doing a post for my shoppe blog and noticed I was sitting on 199 posts for my home blog....I couldn't believe it!!!!!!! I thought I would share with you the saying I have above my work bench at the shop...It really does say it all for me....and I do realise I was one of the lucky ones.... I had a bit of a cynical customer in the shop the other day asking me lots and lots of WHY questions and basically in the end I said to him....I am a dreamer and I still believe in the world and that it is a beautiful place and really we are all blessed to wake each morning to whatever the new day has in store for us and I think if you treat people well life will give you what you need and that smiles are so, so easy to put on your face they don't cost you anything...Like today for instance, it is a beautiful sunny winters day... The sun was warm and energising as I put 3 loads of washing on the line...I got to take my beautiful kids to school and get kisses as they got out of the car...I came home and emailed my business partner and dearest friend.....and then played with photos for my blog....Simple but joyous !!!!!!!! Well my one in a million mother instilled that in me and I thank her for that each day and I am hopeful that I have instilled a little of that in my children... Thank you all for being out there and making me smile.... May happiness, joy and simplicity to detail fill your hearts today and always .......

my favourite things

Well what a busy, busy time we are having...Our little shop was featured in the June edition of Australian Country Style...A 2 page feature which was beautifully written and photographed...I feel extremely blessed to be part of it. So for all my friends out there I thought I would give away 3 free copies and for those of you that already have it I will send a surprise if you win :). All you have to do is tell me some of your favourite things....Some of my favourite things are snuggling under the covers with Kirstie on a winters night and watching movies, making hot pancakes when the kids come home from school and chatting about their day, going to work with one of my dearest friends and giggling like teenagers all day and talking about anything and everything, reading inspirational blogs and magazines and rearranging furniture.... and the list would go on and on........now its your turn......

A little bit of me

Like all the other busy woman of the world....Lately I am struggling to stay organised....and I must say I am not enjoying it... I am really a home body, not a neat freak by any means but I like to have a little order in my life...so once again I have changed my little studio room around...I have moved my desk back to where I used to have my big work bench and I must say I am liking it there better... I really thought about painting my old green chair chalk board paint but at this it is staying green....I love having fresh flowers in my room and these photos are of my mother's day flowers my family gave me....

Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow. ~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. ~Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts. ~Charles Dickens

Have a great week xxxxx

Happy Mother's Day for Sunday

I can't believe it is May already and its Mother's day in a couple of days.... It is nearly 8 years since I lost my gorgeous mum and every Mother's Day I always try and bake something she loved to make like her favourite banana cake recipe...So that is what I will be doing before heading off to the shop on Sunday....I thought I would share with you a couple of photos of Kirstie and I taken last weekend before heading off to the Empire Theatre to watch a local production of High School Musical that one of Kirstie's childhood friends were performing in....It was a lovely night and Kimberly was truly amazing!!!!!

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. ~Jewish Proverb

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~Marcel Proust

a little sad today !!!!

Well my friends I have some photos of my kitchen to show you but whilst getting them ready my computer froze and I lost them so here is an inspiration board we have at the shop...painted with chalkboard paint really cool!!!! We lost our beautiful little goat Caramel today so we are all feeling a little sad....She had such a gorgeous nature and was so loving.....We will miss her :(

If we opened our minds to enjoyment, we might find tranquil pleasures spread about us on every side. We might live with the angels that visit us on every sunbeam, and sit with the fairies who wait on every flower - Samuel Smiles

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over,
it became a butterfly

Each fairy breath of summer, as it blows with loveliness, inspires the blushing rose - unknown author....

a little inspiration

Oh I love roses.... Always have gorgeous bunches in the shop and in my home...Snapped this photo this afternoon as I thought it had been so long since I blogged people might forget who I am. The shop is such a happy and joyous place, I am enjoying every minute there much more then I ever could have imagined... Looking for inspirations for charms this afternoon and came across a couple of lovely quotes....

"To those who can dream, there is no such place as faraway" from Rachel Ashwells book



"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak"- Hans Hofmann.....



and as it is getting close to Mother's day....

"Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

But only one mother the wide world over" - George Cooper

Still no computer

Well my computer is still away getting fixed. He is hopeful that he has recovered about 95 percent of my hard drive so it could be worse but I must say I miss it. The shop has been pretty quiet these last couple of weeks but our wholesale orders are keeping us rather busy...A new shop in Germany and Austria which is very exciting. My other wonderful news is that my favourite magazine Australian Country Style are coming to photograph our shop at the end of this month so very exciting and I get to chat with the wonderful writer and photographer that were responsible for the lovely article on my house last March. My beautiful kids are so busy at school with loads of accessment due before their small break at Easter.

so sorry

Well my hard drive on my main computer ceased to exist this week....So I am a bit lost without it and I am not sure how much I have lost yet which is pretty sad...This is photo of my gorgeous boy at the swimming carnival this week...His sister snapped this happy shot...

a little change

Just a couple of images of my lounge room....Gave it a good clean and change around on Monday and it looks so much nicer....Valentines roses just adds the finishing touch.... :)

Trying to get back into a good habit

Well this is what my studio room looks like now.....I had to basically start from scratch as most of my furniture is in the shop as props....It isn't exactly how I want it yet but it will get there...So need to be more organised.....Week 4 of a very busy term at school for both my cherubs ... School captain duties, basketball and debating but we will get there.... Here is some nice quotes to start your week...

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home. ~Author Unknown

Life is slippery here, take my hand....jacksom brown jnr

The beginning of a new week!!!

One of my favourite people in the world.... Having fun taking some photos on the weekend!!!


Well I just wanted to show you a couple of photos of Kirstie's room....I love it so much and she has basically decorated it herself with a little help from her mummy!!!!!!!!! As I have told you before it is an extremely dark room so my photography could be better but I think you will get the idea....and her new bed is so nice....