Thanks for all the beautiful memories....

You left us in the early hours of the morning ten years ago today.... I feel thankful each day for everything you gave us...For planting so many seeds of love in all our hearts...For teaching us to love with an open heart and to not judge...For working hard and for loving each child and to always make them feel special... Mum had 5 children but she was the mother and nanna to so many others in the community.. She never got to travel and do what she would call "anything special" with her life but what she didn't realise was she had touched the lives of so many with her warmth and grace.... As the tears gently roll down my cheeks....thank you so much mum for etching my heart with so many sweet memories, I love you .......

the beautiful story continues .....

The blue eyed boy that lived next door  had come back from the mines where he had spent many years after his mother passed away when he was only 15...  He still wanted to live the dream of marrying the girl he had loved all these years but another young man had the same idea.... A proposal of marriage from both the young men but the blue eyed boy had won her heart a very long time ago and as they say in the classics the rest is history...A tiny dairy farm near their families, five beautiful children, 8 grandchildren and 49 incredibly happy years of marriage.....

My mum - 29th of May 1928.....

In a tiny little  3 bedroom cottage (the original school house of the area) in the little township of tregeagle a beautiful little blue eyed girl was born to Mabel and Albert... She had 4 older brothers and she was a little miracle because her older sister had passed away at a week old.... She was raised on a tiny dairy farm...  When she was only 2 years old a farm boy from a neighbouring property had told her mamma that he was going to marry her one day... Two more little boys came along to fill this little farm house with a lot of love but as this was depression years they lived an extremely simple life...  She loved helping her mum in the kitchen and taking care of her brothers but she was extremely shy... Sadness hit the family as they received a terrible telegram from the war department to say her brother Ron had passed away...  She blossomed into a gorgeous young lady...... the story continues ......

My mum....so many beautiful memories...

As the tears gently roll down my cheeks this morning.... it is 10 years today since I talked to my mum for the very last time....  We were holidaying in Victoria and we had a flat tyre in our rental car so I picked up the mobile phone as we were waiting, to tell mum about our adventures... She was always so excited to hear my voice but that day she was in a hurry because a friend was driving her to stay with my sister who had broken her arm and shoulder in an accident... She kept apologising that she had to go and couldn't talk for long....  Her last words to me were I am so sorry darlin,  I have to go I love you ... She talked to all five of her children that day.... A few hours later life changed for us forever... so suddenly without warning mum had a cerebral hemorrhage which would take her life 3 days later... She was only 74 years young and one of the fittest people I knew....I am going to tell you a little about this incredible lady over the next couple of days...I was just a twinkle in her eye in the photo above but children were her life.... and the story continues....

My hazel eyed boys 16th birthday

He had the best time on camp... and the whole 150 students sang him Happy Birthday on his special day... It is so lovely to have him home.... Pavlova for his birthday cake with his favourite strawberries on top.  Off to bowling tonight with some of his friends...so glad it is spring school holidays.... 

He turns 16 tomorrow :)

My little (6 ft 2 in) hazel eyed boy turns 16 tomorrow...Feeling a little sad because he is away on camp and I won't even get to speak to him :(....Since he was born he was such a loving little boy, always loads of cuddles and kisses.... Breakfast is our time with so many D & M's I have lost count...  I love that time with him... He loves to run for fitness, plays basketball and if you give him a maths problem he is the happiest boy alive... Kirstie and I will pick him up from the bus on Friday and take him to a new gelato shop....He has a great love for gelato (since our trip to europe).... Lots of celebrations this weekend...I can't wait :)

Finally a little clean up ....in my Atelier.....

Very quiet here in my little studio room, all my family are away and I am trying to get to the bottom of a large pile of paper work while watching re-runs of one of my favourite shows Everwood.... Was so excited today because I received some postcards and little tags for my packaging that I produced using some of my own photography and they come up oh so pretty...Still a dream of mine to produce my own stationary line....journals, cards, papers etc....one day...  These photos are of my studio room today, reasonably clean and organised.... I love this space :)

Kirstie's wedding venue take two......

Poor Kirstie got the news this morning that she couldn't have the little hall she really hoped for.  She had everything planned but just before we sent the invitations to the printer she thought she had better double check and the answer was no but luckily we had this sweet little hall as the backup plan....  The photo in the middle was actually taken from another wedding last year.....It will look a lot different so I wanted to show you some before photos....  This one is about 45 minutes from home but I am sure we can make it lovely.....

her new home......

I think it is in her blood to love things with history and meaning...This will be my hazel eyed girls new home after her wedding.... She is very arty and has a love for decorating, just like her mamma... Her favourite colours at the moment are white, yellow and grey with a touch of light blue.....When she arrived home from prac the other day I had started her a inspire journal to put clippings in ..... and yesterday she painted her first little white chair for her new home... 

“Home is the nicest word there is.” 

- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Sunday fun and family dynamics :)

Always feel so blessed when going back and editing photos and smiling to myself if only people knew the shenanigans...and strong little personalities that are beyond all these photos... I am biased but my kids are both pretty easy, they love with passion and are very independent (and can be extremely stubborn in there convictions) and really always have been but still like to know we are there, ready to listen or to acknowledge what they have done.... and fortunately if one is a little off the other one is pretty happy so it weighs itself out.... So remember when you look at these photos we are a very normal family, a little bit naughty but also a little bit nice....