2/52..

a portrait of my children..

olive : standing at every opportunity, those little legs get stronger everyday but I think your first steps are quite a while away..

james : a new found interest in filming, he has quite an eye for it..

harvey : rescuing our nectarines from broken branches that couldn't survive the strong winds we've been having this week..

eddie is away at nan and pops for a holiday, so I've missed a photo opportunity with him this time..

linking up with Jodi...

1/52

a portrait of my children..

harvey : acoustic drums for christmas, and he's getting so good! The plan is to make space out in the back garage for them, but so far we're really enjoying them in the living room..

james & eddie : always side by side and always so deep in conversation..

olive : the beach you may love, your hat you do not! watching those chunky legs splash about in the water is joyous..

linking up with Jodi..

2014 one word..and christmas snippets

my word for 2013 was 'strength'.  It's only a word, but nominating it as my one word made it something more tangible and solid in my heart and my head.  I needed a lot of it emotionally and physically, when our role as parents was challenged and our strength tested.  This word was one I needed to hold tight and would draw on during some really difficult times, and its one I will keep in the fore of my mind like a prayer always.

my word this year is actually two.. 'let go'.

I get so caught up in making sure everything is just so, routine is rarely broken, children are mostly in bed on time and things are always organised.  This is just me.  It's how I keep on top of everything and try to feel in control.  I simplify and do my best not to overcommit.  This is all good, but I feel that it might be time to relax things a bit.  I need to forget about routine sometimes and let my boys enjoy longer days, go for evening walks, hit the beach after school.. to just let go.

I want to be more spontaneous occasionally, to make more time to enjoy these beautiful babies, to live this life and to make memories from the moments.

how about you..what's your one word this new year?

link up with Bron over here...

make do..

and RE-PURPOSE!

Our old deck chairs were looking a bit worse for wear, and there was only so much re-stitching (and re-stitching) you could do to patch them up.  They're a bit larger than your average deck chair and all the standard slip covers I bought in the past would never fit right.  So, I found these navy floral thrifted pillow slips and made some new covers. Now I just need to give the timber a bit of an oil and they will be almost good as new!

They'll see us through christmas, but I can't see them staying.  I think it's the dark background...and maybe the pattern.  I always do this.  I'm just best to stick to my neutrals.  When will I learn...  

Still, at least we can sit on them now!

What have you been getting up to lately?

Share your creative space here..  

festive..

it's getting festive around here, and this year it's super exciting because we're hosting Christmas lunch for my family! It's our first time of doing it for real and the first year we've not had to travel anywhere, YAY! 

so, we're crafting and cleaning and being inspired by our surroundings.  We're keeping things simple and rugged and rustic..

and a little bit sweet!

*I just found out that Kirsty is back with My Creative Space, squeeee! How super exciting!  So I've had to pop back here after posting this today to link up.  Oh the happiness..

So firstly, let me just say I did not make that fabulous pinecone wreath, it was the first christmas decoration I ever purchased when we bought our first home and were newly married.  My creative space this week has been getting my christmas on.  We made tin lanterns, which my boys thought was the best fun.  Ice, hammers, nails and everyone was happy!

I've been hanging branches all over the place adorned with anything from fairylights, baubles to little birdies.    

How about you, are you getting your Christmas on? Are you as happy as I am to have 'My Creative Space' back?

9 months..

Time goes too fast.

It's been 9 months since this beautiful baby girl came into our world.

For just under 9 months she was growing in my belly, and after a tentative and emotional beginning, I could have lived that pregnancy over and over forever!

And now here she is, 9 months out.  Nine delightful months of getting to know this joyous little being.  My goodness she truly is all sunshine and happiness and we are so much in love with her.

How lucky we are.

learning self belief..

The last few days I've been agitated and impatient.  Its our busiest time of year from now until Christmas, so I'm madly processing shoot after shoot, between the organising of children, managing their commitments and running about here and there doing what mumma's do.

But it's not all the busyness thats making me feel like this, it's not even the sleep deprivation from our teething babe.  I've been bothered and not really knowing why...and then I realised.  It's the weekend of the very first Craft Sessions and I can't be there.  I'm grumpy, feeling sorry for myself to be missing out and I'm all woe is me.

When I received an email from Felicia inviting me to take part my heart skipped a beat.  First with excitement, then disbelief and then disappointment, knowing I'd have to decline.  To be involved in such an amazing event, surrounded by so many incredibly inspiring and talented people would have been awesome!  My heart races just thinking about it.  I'm so excited to see the pictures as they appear on Instagram and can't wait to hear all the details of each session.

I've been thinking about that email, and if I'm honest, for a brief moment upon receiving it, I thought 'thank goodness I can't go..business, baby, life, it's all too hard..and everyone would realise that I'm really not very good at my craft, that I'm a bit of a hack and make things up as I go...'

Yes, I thought this.  My husband was super supportive of me going and not at all questioning why I shouldn't.  It struck me how critical I was of myself.  Still! At 41 years old!

What I wonder, is did I hide behind excuses?  Would the family and the business have managed a couple of days without me?  Well, the reality is, it IS a crazy busy time and would not have been practical for me to go at all just now.  If it weren't for that though, based on my clear and obvious insecurities, would I have used other excuses?

I try to teach my boys self confidence, assurance, assertiveness, and hope they will have great faith in their abilities and their dreams.  I always tell them to have a go, you won't always get it right, you won't always be great, but you'll never know if you don't give it a go.

There was a significant moment in my childhood that had an enormous impact on me.  One that I remember always, and tell my children about when they feel insecure or doubt their ability.  It was a time when I used excuses because of fear and said 'no' to something wonderful.  Fear of what, I'm not sure.  If I could go back to that moment I would say 'yes', and embrace it and be proud and probably even great!

This weekend we watched our big boy take to the stage and play drums to a room full of people and he WAS great! It was a big deal for him to be involved in such an event, and so brave to play totally solo, no backing music, just him.

I feel inspired by him.  I feel like celebrating the creative side I never really believed in, and I feel good about how I do what I do, in both my craft and my work.

And so it seems, it may be them teaching me..

Do you hide behind excuses?

Or are you brave and self assured and walk the talk?

unwind..

its been a huge two weeks all round.

two weeks busy with jobs rolling in quickly, a birthday, of surf lessons, intensive swim lessons, and teething.

two weeks of great achievements and accomplishments by each of us.

a massive six month project completed and presented by the big boy (hear that huge sigh of relief from the mumma), the middle guy earned his pen license and received a star of the week award, the little guy's enthusiasm for writing kicking up a notch or two and loosing a forever wobbly tooth, the baby girl cutting yet another tooth and becoming way too adventurous in her rolling endeavours.  As for us, the busy season has begun, late nights, the juggling, the striving to maintain some kind of balance, and we are coping, mostly..for now.

so this morning we took ourselves out for a celebration breaky to acknowledge everyones successes, but we are tired, and some of us a little bit emotional, it was time to unwind.  A walk on the beach, some drawing in the sand, breathing in the sea air and basking in the warmth.  It's just what this little family needed today.

*photos by the mr.