:: Happiness ::

What is happiness? 

Where does it come from?

Are we ever completely happy? 

Is it possible?

As I get older I think I am starting to see what happy is. It would never have been possible to see when I was young. I am getting close to 40 now (......oh crap) surely some of that wiseness that comes with age should come soon, yeh?

I think there are different levels of happiness, different sorts go into different categories. 

The instant happiness...for example.... ohhhh chocolate YUMMY!! or OMGosh check out those shoes and I can afford them! Oh what a beautiful flower in my garden!

The medium happiness - the kind that comes from when your days go smoothly, no cars breakdown or washing machines flood the laundry. Your plans are slowing working their way to fruition.

And the the large happiness that comes from having great relationships with your husband, children, family and friends. A home that safe and warm. 

But, just because you have one type of happiness in your life doesn't mean you really feel it?

I am starting to see you need a blend of all 3 varieties. 

I think this is how people become envious of others and their happinesses (I might have made that word up!)...She has a great house and a drop dead sexy husband so she has the life, but not necessarily so. Her days may be agonisingly boring and she is miserable. 

But to make it even more complicated I think we have to make the choice to be happy. That's not as easy as it sounds.

I have been contemplating the last few years of my life. They have been rough. Could I have made them easier if I had chosen happiness over sadness?

Instead of mourning the loss of a dear man I only got to love for a short time, could I have rejoiced that I had the chance to be his daughter even if it wasn't for long?

When my new husband had a stroke, could I have felt happiness that he survived rather than the sorrow I did feel?

There are so many pieces of the happiness life puzzle, an edge piece here that fits well, a turn of this piece, moving another piece...is the picture of the puzzle right for you?

So I think that life is all about choosing how we see things, how we react. Tweaking the pieces that don't quite fit, finding little bits of all the types of happiness that can be found in our lives, being patience and calm while your figuring out your picture.....

I had a very happiness day today with all the variety of happinesses...

A visit to the Echuca winter blues festival

A visit to the Holden Museum to look at some beautiful cars

This one was my favourite, I used to drive a red HJ panelvan....pre kids of course!

The new and the old

yummies at Beechworth Bakery in Echuca

All with one of my biggest happinesses! 

We did also visit the market of my friend Cath   Little Birdy Markets but of course I was so busy looking at all the handmade goodness I forgot to take pictures.....!!

So I declare today a happiness success!

What are your thoughts? What makes you happy?

Jacq :)

(BTW I have purposely left out any reference to children and their affect on our happiness, thats just way to complicated!!)

 

Thursday Garden Journal

Vegie Garden Update! 

Well the man with the digger came and dug. He left us with a wonderful clean slate AND we found nice soil underneath all that crappyness!

Avalon and I worked really hard digging post holes together.

 I was so proud of her, she was a great help and it was so very lovely to spend some time with her without the other 2 cherubs ( One nicked off to a friends place and the other moaned about it all so much he went inside to read!)

So the posts are nearly all done, just a couple more to do this weekend. Then we will use wire between them in an effort to keep the dog out ( I am sure he would love to sleep in there!) 

Our rock wall is starting to fall apart which is a shame, I rather like it, so we will have to do something to try and repair it, or rather, Rob will! We did have to replace one whole spot with a board because it wasn't repairable, so we decided to hang our 'used to be a bedhead' gate up there hoping to make it look less patchwork.

So my plan now is to finish the fence and gate this weekend (but I think its meant to rain the whole 2 days!!) then we can bring the new soil in the weekend after that then hopefully some planting sometime after that!! Of course, we need to move in Mr Gnome who is waiting patiently for his garden to be finished!

The kids think we should only plant tomatos, cucumber and lettuce......no beans! ever! 

I say no silverbeet YUCK!!

What do you/would you plant??

I am joining in with Squiggly Rainbow and her Thursday Garden Journal. Thanks Rach!

Jacq :)

I have made a few etsy updates today too, one in particular is the Advent Calendar we have talked about in the past  xo

A weekends worth

Well Saturday was nice,  strolled about our local market chatting to all the people etc, would have taken some spectacular photos except.. yes, no memory card in the camera AGAIN! I was pretty peeved, those cameras are heavy to carry around along with all your vegies and other yummy goodies!!

That leaves us with Sunday

mmm pancakes for breakfast/lunch!

Working on that garden all day!.....
I love my fence posts...
.not so much the digging of the holes! 

How was your weekend??

Jacq :)

Thursday Garden Journal

I am joining in with Squiggly Rainbow this Thursday for my Garden Journal....its very cool timing actually. I can start this journal with the very beginning of my vegie patch!

Here is the bed, it has a lovely stone wall around it which you can't quite see.....All the crap will be dug out of it tomorrow, ready for some nice soil to go in!

Exciting!!

Happy Friday!

cleaning your sewing table is classed as housework....right??

Have a great weekend!

No rain here!

This holidays the days have been all clear and blue skys so far, although they have been a bit chilly!

So, we crafted :) 

Avalon looked through all the Alphabet Glue e-mags and chose the tiny box with the accordion book.  We made....heaps!

We used scrapbook paper from my stash....

Used the 'chopper' but you could easily do it with scissors

A little snip here and there.....

Reading those instructions.....

Finished!

A hidey place for secrets....

I made a few too ;)

..... the mess!

I love going to crafty blogs, but they can be intimidating in the way that everything looks perfect and magical and effortless, which can make us mere mortals feel less than awesome!....so I hope to remember to post a 'reality' type photo with anything we make...this is what it all looked like when we were done!

 But I can happily type that no tantrums were chucked during the making of these boxes even after I measured a couple heap in a row wrongly, you can see them all in a pile in the last photo

  (they WERE pretty easy actually! I was just being daft!)

Next Zara wants to make bug keeper boxes ...stay tuned!

If you're interested in getting Alphabet Glue for your family just click on the little picture on the side bar >>   it will take you to the website!

What kind of stuff do you do in the holidays?

Jacq :)

School Holidays and my secret weapon

So, did you survive Day 1?

The weather enabled us to get outdoors today and after seeing the forecast for the week (rain, rain and more rain) I made sure we got outside for some fresh air and a run about, that cabin fever sets in pretty quick around here!

I am actually looking forward to a rainy week. Yes, that sounds very odd I realise. School holidays, 3 busy children and rainy days aren't something you normally put together and enjoy. Quite the contrary really.

But I have a plan, a secret plan! For a while now I have seen about the traps in internet land, an e-magazine for kids (and their mums and dads!) called Alphabet Glue. I had never really given it much of a look until the other day. 

Its damn awesome! 

Its not a glossy, loud commercial orientated publication, nothing like what you find on a supermarket shelf.

Its all about books and writing and story telling and doing stuff. Lots of printables for things to get busy with. The kind of fun that includes learning with out them knowing it, thats very best kind of learning.

Visually lovely too, simple with lovely cheery colors, easy to read and understand.....can you tell I like it?? 

Its cheap as chips too at only US$4 an issue, I chose to buy all 7 issues for $26. Thats alot of fun for $26. Heres whats in the current issue....

They come in a pdf file, which is great for our lovely earth, you just print what you need, and you can do that as many time as you like! It was super easy to pay for too, I just used paypal and it was done.

If you want to check it out further, and I REALLY think you should, you can click the picture I have put on the right hand side of the blog, it will take you right there. Easy peasy.

I look forward to sharing the activities we do together with you! 

Jacq :)

Something for me! or A new baby! (not that sort!!)

You know what? I bought myself a present. I am generally not an 'over consumer'. I like op shops. 

But when I feel the need for something, I like to have it! (of course!) 

A couple of years ago I bought myself a professional Kitchen Aid, I make bread in it and
I love it. It replaced poor old Ken ( Robs Mums old Kenwood Chef ) I consider it to be child # 7..

Numbers 1,2 and 3 are my own children, then there's Jade and Rach (#'s 4 and 5) my faux daughters and Clancy (Griffins best mate) is # 6, Kitchen Aid is #7...just to clarify!

And so, I have a new baby, child #8. A Canon 550. Oh my     a w e s o m e     !

I have also started an ecourse (never done anything like that before!) 

with Erin from http://bluebirdbaby.typepad.com/. Its a 6 week photography course.

 I have switched my camera to manual and I am loving it!

Something for me, no one needs to share it with me. 

.mine.

Heres a couple of photos for you :)

 

That look is a  'Mum......thats like the 20th picture.....can you stop now?'

Oh so much fun! 

Mums and Dads are such good sharers......

but what is something you keep for yourself? 

We all need a little something of our own don't you think?



and....I have been working so hard on a big secret project! (can't share yet though!) I have done my part now, so its up to the universe now to make it happen.  I hope to get back to blogging more regularly now I have a weeny bit less on my plate! 



:) Jacq