Pausing

Today I am pausing. (It's Monday, not Sunday like the date on Blogger says?!)

E & C are under the weather so we didn't go to school. I knew this was a good idea when the blessed woman who sorts out relievers (at 6 in the morning) found a lovely reliever for my class. The sun is shining, and small jobs from the 'Important but not urgent' category are getting done.

Like a housewarming card for a dear friend.. I've included a copy of the recipe for her favourite cake which I have to take each time I go to visit; like a phone call to the washing machine man to service our washing machine.. you know those jobs.

I remembered I promised photos of the Sliding Patch. That was fun!

There is an action shot of Em. And, I had a go, after much enticing!

Remember those mad kittens? They have made themselves quite at home, and are providing lots of cuddles and laughs!

Off to do some more bits and bobs.. waiting in anticipation for my Magical Decluttering to begin!

Hope all is sunny and well with you today!

C.

Delicious!

Oh how delicious to be back here.. funny how I schedule time to come and blog and it doesn't happen, but if I go with the flow, well, I find myself here!
This morning I was perusing Kelly Rae Robert's blog, as I tend to do, and I clicked on a colourful link to Goddess Leonie
www.decluttergoddesses.com

I have looked at her site before but this time, the link was to invite me (I'm sure it was there especially for ME!) to be part of her decluttering course. I was in the middle of de-cluttering my bedroom floor (again!) and Wayne was in the middle of decluttering his bedroom drawers (again!).. can you see where I'm going with this?

We need help to make our home as delicious as we are .. our dreams and goals are noble and humble - yet we keep going round in circles. No more! I have elected to do Leonie's course, and am thrilled to also find something I can do as a distraction from teaching, and will move us further in the direction of our dreams. The teaching is delicious too, but I'm finding that I am either planning, teaching, tidying my class, or recovering from doing all of the aforementioned. Plus running my delicious home. I want to get some things in place to do the living bit.. and the saving for home renovations.

Any other wisdom to share?? Hmm, yes, just a word to remember to look for the sacred in the ordinary.. I practiced that yesterday and found some magic in a small co-op craft shop in Johnsonville that Em and I happened upon. I met a woman who invited me to a craft group that meets on the 4th Sunday of each month at the Johnsonville RSA - from 12pm. Free, community-based, for crafters only (no children!) and pure kindness that Linda wanted to share this with me! Thank you Linda!

bye for now.. C

Yes!

Yes! I have practiced the antidote to frustration and it worked: I took action and.. amazingly enough, my home is more organised and spacious!WOW! That is a great feeling - and more spaces are looking calm and orderly. Things have places, and things that didn't have places have found the bin, or the Trash Palace bag.

(Another little-known fact about me is that I love going to Trash Palace, and immediately after I've been, I am scheming about when I get to go again! Hence the bag: if I have stuff to take there, then I have to go, don't I!)

Well, that's all really. Just wanted to share some 'virtual sunshine' about everything having a place, and being in it!

My son Ciaran is reading over my shoulder and he thinks I should write about what we did today! Here goes: first we had to go looking for Wayne's mobile phone on the side of the road coz he thought he might have lost it there (he didn't. It is lost altogether) (an excuse to get another fancier one, methinks!); then we organised Ciaran's room: he bravely let go of some of his belongings to order his room and make it easier to tidy..

while this was going on, Emma played on her DS and played with the kittens, and Ciaran helped and practiced his cartoon-drawing, and played with kittens!

Emma made us lunch! That was a delicious act of kindness as Ciaran and I were nearly done with the tidying and got most starving: both at the same time. We had bread rolls, muesli bars, and chocolate buttons .. Yum!

After that (and several loads of washing) (and tidying the plastic container cupboard in the kitchen)(and playing with kittens), we went to get C a haircut, plus did a spot of shopping. C got the Monster vs Aliens blobby thing he wanted, and E collected yet another Bakugan (this time, using money from her US-Aunty Shelly). After that we, hmmmm, had hot chocolate, did some more cartooning and, hmmmm, had hamburgers, and, well, got our jammies on. What a great day!

Tomorrow has us doing numerous chores and.. having an exciting trip to the Sliding Patch! Will reveal tomorrow - with photos.

How are you?
Cheryl

today..

Well, today had me pondering in one of my favourite spots... It's the school holidays so that is GREAT - I welcome the break, and am giving myself this first week off from thinking about school. I am sooo pleased I made it to the end of the first term. I have grown a lot! (funny how 'a lot' is merely the tip of the iceberg! So many growing moments in 10 short weeks of Term 1). And in my breathing space, I have such great plans for our home and our savings account and my wardrobe.. and our home, and the kids' wardrobes...

Yeah, that's why I'm pondering really

(This was the image in front of me as I pondered... arghhh! Good work to get all that washing dry eh! Who is going to put it all away???)

I've created my reality with the full-time job and lovely second income, and we've even gone so far as to decide it's time to get serious with house renovations (we've dreamed of this moment since living in the UK many moons ago) ... what's missing is the vision. I love, really LOVE, pouring (pawing?) through those Your Home and Garden mags; Life&Leisure is another favourite, and I so want to have a nurturing home environment that soothes the soul, and mirrors the souls of those who live here. On one level, I reckon our chaos in this house does mirror our souls - but are we that chaotic!? We've toyed with the idea of moving home, but this place is where it's at for now. Golly.. such ramblings! Is having a lovely home environ more about 'allowing oneself to have it' than affording it, making choices/indecision, etc? I wonder...

PS: We have two new members of our household. Meet sweet Evee (top photo) and Neo:

OK, I'm inspired now!

I picked this bloom at my friend's house today - it was growing wild up the side of her house (and she says she can't keep any plants alive!) Isn't it beautiful? My Granny used to grow dahlias so I've always loved them - their colours. I've put this one on the wee bookcase beside my bed. It's in a vase my Nana gave me, on a coaster with Snifters on (a minty New Zealand sweet), and you can see my current bedtime reading. Well, I don't actually get to read coz I'm getting to bed so late, but I like to think I could! It's the lastest Your Home & Garden, and Stephanie Dowrick's Choosing Happiness. I just bought this book from Borders yesterday with some vouchers my sister gave me for my birthday. Delicious!

The small yellow thing with black on is an owl token Wayne brought me back from Canada last year. Have I mentioned I love owls? This one gives me strength when I want to feel wise.

Ka kite!

OMG - where does time go?!

Well, 2009 is well and truly with us.. what a whirlwind life has been so far.. I have begun my teaching career! All is fabulous about this as I gained my dream job teaching juniors at my local school - where my children go, and where I have been teacher aiding for the last 2.5 years. That is GREAT news!!
However, as is often the case, just when you reach the summit of a dream, there are new dreams and more footsteps to take, in an onward direction. That has been the exhausting bit!

Hence, I have planned posts, and visited my favourite blogs during this time, but this is the first time in months that I've made it here. Thank you to my friend, ahiparagirl, who encouraged me to post anyway - without photos, without even anything momentous to say. And here I am! I plan to arrive here more regularly now I am attempting to keep boundaries on teaching, and reclaiming the rest of my life! I look forward to sharing the journey.

How have you been? Is 2009 a year of dreams coming true for you??
:o) Cheryl

Merry Christmas?

Well, I had intended to make it here more often now that I have finished my teaching diploma, and before I get sucked in to the void of setting up my classroom and making resources, etc (a drearm coming true.. yipeee!) .. however, I forgot about one seemingly-minor thing : CHRISTMAS!

I thought I had it all sussed: assuming that the perfect way to wind down from studying was make gifts for all! Crafting is another of my favourite things so here was a perfect excuse to sit, and create. Hmmm, after trips to craft shops for various requirements (once a day at least), then having my beautiful children home one day each to craft for their sibling's Christmas gift - not only was I exhausted, I was crafted out!

Thankfully TradeAid came to my rescue. E, C & I tottered in there yesterday afternoon and managed to find 14 gifts in one swop, all for under $90. YES!

And I feel good about our purchases - they will be acceptable to recipients who may not appreciate fully-Cheryl-handmade style, and we have contributed to a supportive consumer network. And, that is enough for now. I have come a huge leap from not consciously choosing gifts, to this. Next year, the family might be ready for us to give their present money to help those in more need than us (EG: via tear fund and unicef), and be content just to be together... or that might take a couple more years to work on??!

Anyway, I am feeling calmer, and looking forward to a soul-filling time with my precious family, in the South Island (one of my favourite places!). May you experience some soul-filling of your own.. do let me know your plans!

Meet you back here shortly.. x C

PS: The Christmas trees above were the effort to go in with the cards this year - crafted from an old Girl Guides' blanket found at the local Salvation Army op shop for $5, and checkered ribbon I have had in my stash for ages.. I did enjoy putting these together. I'll put up the images for the other creations after Xmas, in case a recipient looks here first!