Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts

Thursday, January 16, 2014

My vintage 40th

This post is twelve months in the making!  Last January I turned 40. It's taken this long to a) get the photos off my phone and b) to admit that I have indeed turned 40 (but that's another story).
 
I decided early on I wanted a vintage look to the party.  I spent many hours visiting you-know-where for ideas.
 
The theme start with the invitation which was simple and I think gave a glimpse of what was to come.
 
Next was the cake.  I had an idea of what it was to look like but it was a combination of two cakes.  I put together a mock up and sent it to a gorgeous cake decorator, describing colours etc to her and she did an outstanding job of creating my vision.
 
 
 
I had a wishing well and the group of birdcages that made up the wishing well looked fabulous as you walked in.

 
 
I knew a lolly/dessert buffet was to be on offer and it was to all be old fashioned lollies and cakes.

 
 









Flowers were everywhere in vases and vessels sourced from our recycling shop.  Cleaned up and wrapped in lace they fitted in perfectly.





Adding a personal touch were photos of me as a child with my family. 
 
 
 

 
I'm so happy with how it all looked.  I made the most of what I had, the small budget and a room I couldn't do much to.  So many people stopped by and commented and some even asking if it was a wedding reception.  Love it.
 
 

 
 


 
 
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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas traditions

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse....
 
I love those words, because they mark a family tradition that is 20 years old.  Every year on Christmas Eve I would read The Night Before Christmas to my boy, who is almost 21.  Now I read the exact same copy to my girl, nearly 5.
 
Traditions that are super special and something we look forward to.  Ones I hope my children continue in years to come.
 
This one remembers those who have passed, we have an angel on the tree for everyone of our special people who are no longer with us.
 
 
 
Each year we buy a new decoration for the tree, this is last year's from Bali.  Where I can, I add the year and where I got the decoration from.
 

 
 
A few more traditions, leaving out the Santa Key, a snack and drink for Santa and his Reindeer and watching Santa's message to Matilda via the Portable North Pole.
 
 

and my final tradition is wrapping the presents on Christmas Eve.  I've done this for years and I love it.  A nice snack, some good TV and I'm set. 
 
Ok, I'm off to finish this job right now.
 
Thanks again to Larissa from LMR Photography for photographing my tree. 
 
 
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A handmade Christmas

We love a handmade Christmas.  I enjoy the feeling of giving and especially knowing I've made the gift.  I also love surrounding myself with handmade goodies for our home.
 
 
This year we made Christmas bark, rocky road and rosemary salt as gifts. 
 
 
 
For Miss Matilda's teachers I made ring bowls and personalised tree decorations.
 


A few clay decorations

 
 
A thumbprint Reindeer
 
 
 
I decided to make a wreath rather than buy one, using more of my clay decorations
 
 
 
and Santa hats
 
 



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Christmas around our home

I love Christmas. I love decorating, baking, gift giving and of course spending time with friends and family.   Here's a little decorating around our home.  No room goes undecorated including the bathroom.   This year I decided to gather all of my glittery decorations and I love how the light makes them sparkle at night. 


Miss Matilda's room, and this year she had a great time decorating her tree.  Our Christmas book basket is getting a little full.


 
and our tree
 
 
Thanks so much to Larissa from LMR Photography for photographing our tree and buffet so beautifully.

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Saturday, December 21, 2013

Our "Elf" on the shelf ~ Twinkle

Our 'Elf" Twinkle has found her way from the North Pole and joins us nice and close to the big day.  Last Christmas she made her appearance a lot earlier but I just didn't have the time nor energy to plan and do anything with her sooner.
 
Yes, she's not the official Elf on the Shelf.  She is a 'Barbie' style doll who is a friend of Tinkerbell, she came complete with the boots and I just made a little Elf hat.  Last year I gave a few people a good laugh because she's not the official Elf, but that's ok. Matilda loved her and every morning would seek her out to see what Twinkle had been up to.  I think she's pretty cute.
 
Now to check out Pinterest and find some ideas of what to do with her over the next few days.
 
If you have an Elf Pinterest board please feel free to leave a link.
 
 
 
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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Holiday (yes, just like the Madonna song)

Recently on my page we were talking holidays.  We talked about where we spent our last holiday, where our next one is to and our dream holiday.

The answers given were so varied and I loved that, it showed me just how varied my readers are.  That we all come from different backgrounds, we have experienced different things.

My hubby is a seasoned traveller.  He spent most of his early adult life travelling the world and has the memories and amazing photos to share with Miss Matilda when she asks.  I, on the other hand had a child in my early adult life and didn't really travel until my boy was 9. 

I remember my first major holiday.  I was 29 and it was my first time out of the state.  I remember crossing the border and saying to my boy that this is the first step for him.  It didn't need to be a grand overseas adventure.  But boy it was an adventure.  It was just the two of us, we travelled on the Indian Pacific to Melbourne, stayed a few days in Melbourne and then headed up to Mt Buller for a snow holiday.  We didn't stay in a sleeper carriage but rather in a carriage full of people.  We were surrounded by people of all ages, ethnicities.  Couples, singles, travellers and backpackers and it was amazing.  My son exchanged money with people from countries that I hope he gets to travel to one day.  He played chess with a 4 year old German boy.  My boy is now 20 and he remembers those experiences vividly.  I love that.

My first overseas trip was to somewhere I'd only dreamt about and while there I was in absolute awe.  We went to Egypt.  To stand in front of icons in Egyptian history had me in tears and goose bumps.  Tutankhamen's mask was probably the most significant.  Eye to eye with something I had thought I'd only ever see in books and National Geographic magazine was chilling.  It's something I'll remember forever.  Learning a little Arabic heightened the experience.  I could converse basically with the Egyptians I met along the way.  And they appreciated the little effort it took for me to learn their language.  I was 'rewarded' with gifts from them but the reward for me was the connection.

Now we have Miss Matilda, our backgrounds in life and in travel are something we are now sharing with her.  Most of our holidays are spent 'up the beach' to a spot that is now special to all of us.  It's really quite basic and we are creating memories with her.  She often says to us 'remember that time we watched the sunset up on the hill?' Or 'remember when the Easter Bunny found us at the beach'

These experiences just show that a holiday can be grand or it can be simple.  To me a holiday is a break from the every day.  It doesn't need to cost a small fortune.  I quite often have a holiday without leaving home!  Time I take for myself is a mini holiday and one that I can afford. 

And this is where Pinterest comes into it.  Having something to look forward to, a goal to work toward can keep us going when we get bogged down in the everyday.  When getting up to go to work feels like a chore.  I have a few boards on Pinterest, one is my Dream Holidays board which is a bit of a bucket list board but with a few pins of Egypt just to remind me of how amazing it was.


Our next holiday?  This year we've decided to take Matilda to the snow.  We'll be spending a week at Mt Buller which I'm so excited about for a few reasons.  I can't wait to see her reaction to snow, just as I remember my boy's reaction to first seeing it.  This is somewhere I have been and hubby hasn't and we're creating new memories as a family.  Priceless.

I hope you're planning a holiday soon, grand, small, local, a one day adventure. 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Rainy days..special moments

All this rain reminds me of a post a friend of mine wrote on her blog last year about letting kids be kids...not to worry so much about getting on with the endless jobs or rushing the kids to the next thing we have to do but to enjoy a moment.

"My dare for you this week... Let the kids splash in a puddle!!
No, not when you have planned it and they are in their play clothes and gumboots ... but in a spontaneous moment!... You may even join them... I wish I had!

Have a blessed day...and mums...its just a little mud and water!!"

The very next time it rained I let Matilda do just that (though I did put a raincoat & gumboots on her) and these are the beautiful photos I captured.  She had a fantastic time! She got muddy, she got wet, she was wrapped up in the moment and so was I.


Thank you Jess x