Celebrate the Sweet Details and Call it Home.

"Have nothing in your house 

that you do not know to be useful, 

nor believe to be beautiful"
~ William Morris

Our house is a Queenslander and almost a hundred years old.

It needs love - like any old timber house of a busy young family typically needs. Here, there is always something that needs painting or fixing or finishing. The bathroom tap has been dripping for longer than I care to admit and there's mud trampled up the front stairs. There is an unidentified creature (a possum?) who scratches around in the wall by my desk every night. 

There are things that drive me crazy about living here! 

But I just love this house. 

I love its heart, its honesty, its bones. This house has integrity. So I choose to celebrate the sweet details, live simply, make it as comfortable as I can... and call it Home. 

Life is in the Living | Taking Stock

Today, picking up Pip's lead at (the uber-cool) Meet Me at Mikes I am taking stock...

Making: Slime. True story. My husband is going to get slimed in about 4 hours!
Cooking: Vege soup with homemade chicken stock (a feat for this just-turned-non-vegetarian)
Drinking: I was drinking a nice G&T earlier :)
Reading: Intentional Parenting, A Moveable Feast (letting Hemingway get me in the mood for Paris) &  the Lonely Planet Guide to Switzerland.
Wanting: Peace
Looking: for a new camera bag to take travelling
Playing: All the Little Lights by Passenger
Wasting: my time on facebook ;)
Sewing: Eeeeek nothing (though I hope to finish embroidering a gift for my niece)
Wishing: that parenting wasn't so complicated
Enjoying: my 12 year old Lab Boston. #bestdogever
Waiting: for September 16. The day we leave on our trip. I.can.not.wait to be on that plane.
Liking: My husband. He really is a good one.
Wondering: how I'm going to possibly get everything done before we leave.
Loving: the winter sunshine!

Hoping: that I am making the best decisions for my family.
Marvelling: at other people's beautiful babies
Needing: Wisdom.
Smelling: like Wild Roses.
Wearing: My grandmother's necklace
Following: my instincts.
Noticing: my cold toes.
Knowing: that LOVE is always the answer.
Thinking: about friendship.
Feeling: Introspective
Bookmarking: This blog.
Opening: my heart.
Giggling: Ummmm... I think someone needs to show me to show me something funny!


Would you like to play? 


If you do I'd love to read it so please add a link in the comments below (& don't forget to pop over to Pip's blog too). XO

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Here is a blank list for you to copy and paste.


Making :
Cooking :
Drinking :
Reading:
Wanting:
Looking:
Playing:
Wasting:
Sewing:
Wishing:
Enjoying:
Waiting:
Liking:
Wondering:
Loving:

Hoping:
Marvelling:
Needing:
Smelling:
Wearing:
Following:
Noticing:
Knowing:
Thinking:
Bookmarking:
Opening:
Giggling:
Feeling:

Wild Rose | Weleda Wonder & the Kindness of Strangers

When I was twelve I won a life-size plush Care Bear in an IcyPole competition. Aaaaaand, I'm pretty sure I haven't won anything since. 

That is - until now! 

It appears that my good luck has finally returned in the form of this gorgeous Weleda prize from Katie at Musings of a Chic Mama. Lucky much? ;)

Thank you Katie! Katie's blog is lovely so I shouldn't have been surprised by the extra touches of sweet wrapping and uber-cute card but I did appreciate them. Everyone likes unwrapping a present :)

Katie is the mama of 2 beautiful kids and a self-confessed lover of tea, travel, books, Montessori, Steiner and alternative education, interior design and architecture! Hello! This perfect stranger sounds just like the makings of a perfect friend.

I think you'll love her blog so please take a look (and tell her I sent you ;) I'm off to take a shower! XO

Design | UNE Writers & Illustrators in Residence

My latest design baby! 

I'm thrilled to finally be able to show you what I have been working on recently >> a website for the Writers and Illustrators in Residence program coming out of the University of New England (UNE).

Funded by a grant from the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, in association with the School of Arts at the University of New England, Writers and Illustrators in Residence brings three creators of children’s literature or media to Armidale, each for a two-week residency. 

During their residencies, each Writer or Illustrator conducts his or her own work, as well as conducting a number of workshops for members of the Armidale and New England community. 

The goal of the program is to support new and established creators of children’s literature and media, and to bring their expertise to the region to inspire and encourage budding local talent, through a series of workshops, lectures, talks, and classes, open to a range of audiences. 

It's a very cool initiative that supports the Arts here in Australia and I am proud to be involved (plus I discovered that I like drawing pigeons - who knew? ;) 

Please take a look! XO

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A quick gluten-free lasagne | Recipe

This is what we were eating for dinner last night. Lasagne! 

If you're feeling inspired here is my simple weeknight recipe:

1 pack of frozen chopped spinach (or fresh of course! but I like to have a stash of this in the freezer)
1 packet of feta cheese (I use sheep or goat's feta because one of my boys doesn't tolerate A1 milk protein which is the predominate protein in typical dairy products)
500 grams of organic beef mince (ground beef)
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 jar of tomato pasta sauce (I used a yummy one with lots of herbs and garlic)
1 packet of gluten-free pasta sheets (how cute are these mini frilly ones!)
1 fresh tomato
200 grams of cheese (for my Australian readers: Nimbin Natural is our cheese of choice)

1. Combine spinach and feta
2. Cook mince with tomato paste & sauce (and a little water so it doesn't dry out)
3. Start layering: lasagna sheets / spinach / mince & repeat
4. I like to add some fresh tomato on the final layer
5. Smoother with grated cheese (or don't. You can see in my photos than a quarter of my lasagne was left cheese-free, not counting the sheep's feta, because it doesn't suit L).
6. Wrap in tin foil. Bake at 200 C for about half an hour before removing foil and then keep cooking until layers are soft and top is brown.
7. That's it :) Eat. Yum.

What are your favourite weeknight meals? A. x