Life

..................it isn't easy. Its not for the weak hearted. Nobody ever said it was. But it doesn't make it any easy to accept or deal with.

Life is precious, such a gift yet so unappreciated. Taken for granted by lots, wanted by some and unfortunately taken from many far too soon.

But.. it doesn't make it any easier.

Life can throw you lemons. Do you suck on them and be sour? Or pour yourself a tequila and enjoy the slammer?

Some days are hard. Harder than others. Some days are great, better than others. You have to take the good with the bad, or so they say, but when it comes down to it, I am pretty bloody lucky. I have more good days than bad, I am alive, I am blessed with 4 amazingly gorgeous children and one very spunky, sweet and caring hubby and I have a home. Warm, safe and ours. Our home.

Money. Money is the core of all evil. Its what makes the world tick, and unfortunately the fuel for life.
Money is basis for a happy , content life? Is it not?
I wish I was the type of person to not worry, not care about what money we had, what we owed and how we were going to make it. But I do. I worry. A lot.
And you know what? I am more fortunate that a lot of people. More fortunate that some people will ever be in their lifetime.
Yet I worry.
I am fortunate to be able to stay home and care for our children. Be there for them, for everything. See them grow, develop and flourish, before my very eyes.
I am lucky. Luckier than my Mum was.
For that I am grateful. Very very grateful.


                                                        

We have been going through a small "rough patch" financially, which I am sure is minor compared to some, but for a short time, I let it consume me. It affected the way I was living, it affected my ability to smile at things. And for me that is big, huge even.
It seemed like all the bills and problems all happened at once. The garage door breaks, the dishwasher stops working and that unexpected bill pops up. All at once.
But I decided that that wasn't good enough. A very , very wise woman said to me " There is no use worrying about it, its not going to change things". She was right, she always is.
So I changed my attitude, we changed our attitude and I am proud to say we are closing in on the last few days in this fortnight before pay day again, and we have money in our bank. Its a miracle or its due to not worrying. But its ok.

Worrying doesn't change things, it never has and never will. Please remember that.

I hope that if you are having a "rough patch" or if your rough patch is feeling a bit bigger than you care to like or want, then you will find comfort and solace in this. You are not alone.
Everyone is facing difficulties, in some way or other. Financially, emotionally, with their health or family.
Its how you deal with them that counts. Chin up, carry on and don't let that smile fade, not ever.
And remember, just because someone looks as if they might be ok, not having issues, lack of funds and their life seems so perfect. This may not be the case.
Life is hard. Its a hard financial time for most. We all have to stick together.

So what am I proposing? Where am I going with this?

Well you know that I like to decorate, organise, bake etc. All the good things.
Well I am proposing we all work together.
Once a week I will do an organising post on a part of my home, a cupboard, area or room.
One per week.  A low budget way of improving areas because to me, if my house is clean, tidy and organised , I feel better. It makes everything feel better.
Once a week I will share a low budget, cost effective tip on something. Anything. A way to cut costs and make better use of our hard earned money.
These are the things we can control. We may not be able to control a lot of the things that cause us to worry, but we can control these.
This is for me. For me to be accountable.
But also for you too. Play along. Organise with me.
Share your tips and tricks.
One a week, I am sure you can handle that!!

So who is in?

First up, the kids bathroom. Stay tuned.......


For an inspirational story, written by a gorgeous, sweet lady, please check this out.

Fifty Shades of..... blushing

Mission Complete. I came , I read, I obsessed, I finished.
Mission "Read these popular books" is complete.
Remember I posted about my intent HERE
I must admit, to begin with, I think like everyone else I was a bit 'meh'.
It seemed rather boring, took a fairly long time to get into and I don't usually like that in a book. I lose interest, put the book down and don't start it again for another 12 months when we go on holidays again. 
However these were different. I knew they had to get better, or everyone was raving about some seriously boring stuff.
And boy did they get more interesting!
I finished all 3 books in 4 days. I liked them. I liked them a lot!!
Do I think there were well written? Not particularly.
Do I think that they were super interesting? Not really.
Do I think some of the content was a bit..... off? Maybe.

But you know what?! Who cares!! Seriously!
I am no writer, so who am I to judge? I find it amusing that all these critics/ bloggers/wannabe book reviewers are writing these scathing, negative reviews. Knocking the writer and her talent, the story line, the "raunchy" scenes and the "behind all the sex scenes the story line was lame" sorta attitudes.

To me a book is about entertainment. They take me to a world and place that is different to mine. Its a break from reality and a bit of fun. I think if people are taking books too seriously, then they need a bit more spice in their life!! Just sayin', a bit of Christian Grey kinda spice maybe?! Just sayin'.

Behind all the Mummy Porn stuff ( and I am NOT saying I didn't like it, hmmmm I perhaps did, and so did my husband, let me tell you! ;)) I really liked the story line. My good friend actually summed it up well, the story line is one for everyone to think about. Looks can be deceiving, and people manage to put up pretty good fronts. I think it was a great reminder that in life we are all too quick to judge people and they way they are. Because sometimes they have been dealt a pretty terrible hand, and this defines and makes them who they are. Or at least gives them a bit of an excuse for their behaviour. You just never know.
Not only that but also about change. It is possible for people to change, to improve and take a more positive step in their lives, all with a bit of love , guidance and TLC.

Without giving too much away , Christian had a terrible start to life, in the most influential years of a child , and had some terrible things done to him. Then as a teenager, there were some "complex" issues to kick start his sexual experiences and these all made him a bitter, troubled soul.
Then he found Anastasia.

Henry Cavill- British Actor and voted as the best image of Christian Grey yet, on the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy Facebook page. Who would you choose to play him in a movie?

                         
 So... all in all... I love them!! I miss the characters, I miss the gorgeous Christian Grey and I miss the love and passion they have for each other. I think you know when you genuinely enjoyed a book when you can say that about the characters.
The books have given me a new outlook on my relationship with my husband and my love for him (excuse the sappiness) but it really does make you realise just how lucky you are sometimes.

The OMG kinky moments were a tad hard to digest, but it takes all sorts of people , and they were enlightening and entertaining that is for sure!

And as a result of the books? I am sure there are plenty of husbands and partners out there that loved them just as much!!!

So if you haven't read them already, I encourage you to do so, what have you got to lose?
Laters baby....

Bright Buttons Toys Giveaway

If you are boring , over protective , caring parent like me, when you are buying toys or gifts for your children, you look at the learning and developing aspects associated with it. Toys are toys and kids are kids, but it doesn't mean that we can give them the extra bit of support and encouragement to grow and learn from their play.  Thats what I love about my fabulous sponsor.

Amanda is a Educational and Developmental Psychologist and all items stocked by Bright Buttons Toys were chosen based on quality, reputation, providing a high level of education and learning, and uniqueness.  A large majority of the toys are wooden and are going back to the more traditional toys that encourage imagination, fun and play. 

All my favourite things and all available in the one place!

To read the full story behind Bright Buttons Toys read HERE

Thanks to Amanda and Bright Buttons Toys, we have a Voila 3D Shapes and Shadows set to giveaway!

These fabulous shapes are new in at the online store and will aid children in shape recognition, then mathematics and drawing.

You can find them and read more about them HERE

                                         


Entry is easy! Simply use the the Rafflecopter below, complete both the requests-  signing up to the Bright Buttons Toys newsletter ( down the bottom of the left hand side of the homepage) and being a Liker of their Facebook Page.
The giveaway will end at 12am Tuesday 17th July and I will announce the winner later on in the day.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions

This giveaway is open to Australian Residents only. Sorry

The winner will be announced on my Facebook page and on this blog post.

If a the winner does not contact me within 3 days of the giveaway ending, I reserve the right to re-draw another winner.

Disclaimer
I have NOT been paid to run this giveaway or plug Bright Buttons Toys.
All of the opinions and views are that of my own, I genuinely LOVE their stuff.
Bright Buttons Toys have provided the prize for this giveaway, cos they are nice :)

Mid Year Appreciation

Time flies when you are having fun and our gorgeous big girl has certainly had her fair share of fun over the last semester at Kindy.
It was a big change for her, and the whole family really. Stella has grown and developed so much over the past 5 months or so, its been quite amazing to watch.
The things she is saying now (some of them not so great, not swearing or anything but the usual " you're not my friend anymore, I don't want to play with you anymore" to Max and Lacey :( ) that sort of business, but also the new words, letter recognition and writing, songs, sayings, knowledge, and the biggest change has been to her self esteem.
As hard as it is for us to think ( and all who know our gorgeous girl well) , she NEVER EVER stops talking at home, she is loud, excited and quite confident, in the comfort of her own home.
At school, she is a different girl. She is quiet, withdrawn and does not say a lot.
However her teachers have said she has started to come out of her shell, she holds conversation and is engaging in active play. Just what a mother wants to hear. (especially one that has never really had problems with being shy!!)

Stella has always loved school, she loves crafting and painting. Loves colouring in, loves playing with her little friends, and most of all, she loves her teachers.
So I wanted to show them how much we have appreciated all their hard work, over the first semester. I know that it is customary to only give thank yous at the end of the school year, however I think it is pretty safe to say that Early Childhood teachers, work their butts off and these ladies care for our precious girl 3 days a week!!
It doesn't have to be a big present, nor expensive, but just something to show your appreciation and kick start their holidays off on the right foot!

So I set to creating some simple tags using some black doilies , scrap pieces of paper and bakers twine , for the packages (just simple brown paper sand which bags)

Baked up a storm, and packed a few pieces in each bag and tied with some bakers twine and small tags, showing what they were.

I made a yummy fruit cake , sugar free and yummy! Instead of using Mangoes, I used peaches.

And also the most requested treat in our home, choc chip cookies.

The tags were stamped inside, saying the customary "thank you" and a little note to each teacher.

They were well received, Stella LOVED giving them to her teachers and felt so proud! Even better, they were so cheap but perfect to show just how much you appreciate everything they do for your little one.

Crepe Paper Spiders

I have been meaning to share this craft with you for a little while but life and sickness has got in the way of a lot of things , unfortunately! These Crepe Paper Spiders were the last creations we made for our Insect theme and the kids thought they were pretty cool!!

Easy as again, simply chop some black crepe paper into little squares, and get the kids to cover the whole back of a paper plate with glue and then the squares.

Finish with some googly eyes and staple on 8 long lanky pipe cleaner legs, bent into shape.

As part of our theme, we have also been reading ;

A Very Hungry Caterpiller

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

 and have watched;

A Bugs Life

Ants

Why not try it at home?

We have had a short break from scheduled Craft in the last week or so (but still did some at Playgroup and some free painting sessions at home), but will start with our new theme of "Under The Sea" in the next few days! I can't wait!! All the ideas are buzzing through my head!

Doily Hangings

After making these gorgeous hangings for Angus' Christening display, and sharing a before pic on my Facebook page, I have received a lot of queries about making them, and sharing the instructions.

The budget for our party was very small, but I knew I wanted to have a few things hanging. The paper lanterns are quite pricey, so there was always the crepe paper pom poms, but I was really short on time. The whole christening was organised in just a few weeks and I only started making and organising the week of, as I was sick before hand.

So if you want to try them at home, here is how I made them.

You will need a few packets of the extra large paper doilys, a stapler, double sided tape and fishing line to hang them.

 I bought my doilys from one of our cheapy shops, they were $2.50 and had about 8 -10 in each packet, I only bought one packet, however I did make a few small ones aswell.

I also had the idea, once they were made of course, that I could have used a Glimmermist Spray to change the colours and add a bit of shimmer, which I will definately try next time.

First, gently fold the doily in a consentina fashion, like you would a fan. It should look like this;

Repeat the process for another 3 doilys so you have 4 in total.

Lay the 4 doily stacks on top of each other.

Punch a few staples through the middle of the strips, 2 is enough.

Then put a strip of double sided tape about 3cm to one side of the staples.

Also put strips of tape in between the stacks of doilys. (Meaning, between the layer of one doily finishing and another starting)

Remove backing on double sided tape and stick the sides together.

You can see in the picture below where I have attached one doily to another ( in the middle) , then on the left, I will repeat the process. This is creating a cirle when stretchout out, instead of seperate doilys.

In the end , this is what it should look like, when stretch and fanned out.

For the small one I just used 3 doilys, but used the same method.

Gently thread a length of fishing line through a few top holes in the doily and tie.

We attached these to the ceiling with a few drawing pins, as they are quite light!

Enjoy them looking gorgeous.

I hope the instructions have been easy enough to follow!! I would love to see your doily hangings in use , so send me some pictures if you can!

More details- The Christening.

Firstly, thankyou so very much for all your kind words and comments about my Christening Post yesterday. The family photos we got are so beautiful and will be treasured forever, and the day was just lovely.

Now I thought I would break down a few details about the decorating, and hopefully answer some already asked questions and a few left wondering at home.

The hanging garland is made of different sized paper circles (and some scolloped ones), that I cut out of Cardstock, just purchased at Spotlight. I randomly picked patterns due to their colouring, and actually used my Cricut machine but last time used different sized punches.

I then got out the trusty sewing machine and zipped up the middle, feeding in circles that I had randomly selected. Then tied them all to a piece of dowel.

The dowel is suspended from the ceiling by fishing line and attached with drawing pins!!

I know, just drawing pins. I didn't actually think it would hold, but my husband reassured me, and this time he was right!! hmmm not good! haha

The other white doily flowers are each hung from a drawing pin too. It was a great solution, minimal impact on the ceiling but maximum impact for the party.

Later on Today I will add instructions on how to create the doily hangings.

The glass candy jars, all at the back (pictured empty here) , were purchased from Target. A few just recently (for like $6 when I gave the tip off on my Facebook page) and a few over time. Cake Stand also a Target puchase but some time ago.

The blue and white Cupcake stand, and trays in the foreground are from Target ( do you think its the only department store we have?!) a while ago now, but they have recently had a pink version that was gorgeous, and perfect for parties! 

The little bottles I used for Choc milk I bought from Sweet Style quite a long time ago. They are gorgeous and used quite often , just for a cute little vase for a single rose from our garden but perfect for entertaining and the kids LOVED them!!  You can also buy similar little glass bottles from Bed, Bath and Table, they are in a pack of 8 I think and are very reasonably priced and slightly bigger if I remember correctly?!

The straws I picked up from our local party shop as my Pink Frosting delivery did not come in time!! ( DO NOT ask, such a sore spot but needless to say I will not be buying from them again!)

The doily bunting across the front of the table I made myself. So easy and seen everywhere around the traps but it never looses its charm. Just buy yourself a pack of small paper doilies, fold in half over a piece of string or ribbon and stick with double sided tape.

Food on the day was kept simple also. It feels like every party we have, I spend the whole time in the kitchen and never get to enjoy it!!  It was nice having the party inside this time. A smaller crowd helped but it was nice to all be in the same area. The weather was too cold to be outside.

I just baked some Vanilla and Chocolate cupcakes,Cake pops, Choc chip cookies,  my Amazing Mum made yummy sandwhiches, and in the centre I used cute paper polka dot cupcake wrappers to make little individual portions of popcorn for the kids! For hot food we had Sausage rolls, Hot Mexican cheese dip and Corn Chips, Spinach and Ricotta parcels, and some little prawn pickies.

Another stress reliever was outsourcing the cake. We love the White Choc Mudcake from our local Cheesecake Haven so I bought one and took it home to decorate myself. A cute paper bunting I made ( 2 skewers, string tied inbetween and little triangles of craft paper glued on) , a cross deco (from the party shop) and a few gorgeous roses. These roses are actually from the top of our wedding cake. We have kept them in the freezer for over 7 years now, but every child has had them on their Christening cake, it feels so special to share the love that we had on our day , with the people we have created.

All our cups and plates were just basic plastic ones , bought from the local party shop. As I said, my package didn't arrive but it didn't matter in the end.

I think that is all I had to say, I did have Cupcake toppers, I made them myself on Word , had punched them and backed them, and forgot to put them out!! I also made the invitation myself in Photoshop , which I was really happy with and saved money also.

As you can see, I spent very little, used things I already had or cheap alternatives at the shop but still managed to create a beautiful display for our beautiful boy.

Any other questions, just let me know!!