Time for a catch up?

My brother got married! ( I took all the photos! argh!)

Dirt Girl turned 8!    8!!!

We took some girls camping to celebrate.....

We took an overnighter to the beach for Robs Birthday..

It rained

But it was fun and funny

Planted some a lot of beetroot, someone else is enjoying them too?

Lettuce seeds planted

Tomatos too (with a nice little cover for the nights to save them from frost)

Bird watching. One of Zaras gifts was a HUGE book called 'What bird is that?' we identified this lovely one as a red browed finch, extremely common :)

Important holiday business

The luxury of time on school holidays

I like to call this one 'The Reluctant Walker' thats the boy, not the dog :)


What a whirl wind few weeks! But the future is all relaxing and sewing, well for the most part!
We will be at The Castlemaine Artists Market on the 7th of October for our first market for the spring. How is your spring going along? Do you have a great spurt of birthdays at this time too??

I am linking in with Squiggly Rainbows garden journal this week.


Jacq :)

:: 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!!)

 

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