A new hobby!

This is the new overlocker I am getting this week! So excited to be starting a new hobby - thankfully mum was a seamstress and will teach me everything I will need to know and is kindly giving me her sewing machine in a cabinet as well! She tells me it's because she is sick of hemming pants for friends. I have a few things that I want to sew, but am starting simple, cloth wipes first and foremost then new cushions for my couch. Nesting Place is inspiring me to do all sorts of new things around this place to pretty it up. It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful has inspired me so much, I don't have much confidence in my own ability to decorate, but I know what I like and dislike and am going to just start putting pretty things together. I'm going to hunt down bits and pieces in Op shops as well. Very much looking forward to having something productive to do!

All things beautiful....

Why is it that for the last 10 years, I have felt that I would not be beautiful or attractive if I wasn't blonde? What is it about being blonde that made me feel more attractive than if I was a brunette? It is just the weirdest thing, but I have finally taken the step to go back to my natural colour, before my appointment I was absolutely terrified and almost backed out beforehand. In the end I was SO happy with the result and now I am wondering why I didn't do it years ago.

Stupid that I have had this hang up of being pretty based on the colour of my damn hair, and also being worried that with dark hair I would look too "wog" - funny coming from a wog!

Enough about my hair - onto the beautiful thing that is my nearly 2 year old Isabelle! She is just such a poppet right now - so inquisitive and learning so much every day. She learns new words every day, copies everything we say and do, and is into lots of role play right now. Her dolly is her favorite and she alternates between breastfeeding and bottle feeding her. She sits her next to her while having lunch and will willingly share her cheese with dolly.

James is 4 mths old today, growing so fast, has found his feet and is generally just a gorgeous happy bouncing baby boy! I miss my teeny tiny newborn but I love seeing him grow and develop and respond to his sister. He adores her and giggles at her all day long! She is a terrific big sister and shares toys with him, today I found them both in his cot, she had moved all his toys around him and was showing him the good ones I think! Such beautiful times!

Love and laughter in the sun!

Valentines Day 2009! We spent the afternoon at the beach with gorgeous friends and had a BBQ that evening. Such a nice day and Isabelle had great fun playing in the sand and with her friend "Honey" (Haydn) It was nice to get away from the smoke that has built up in Melbourne and although it is annoying and quite strong, I can't really complain when I think of all the loss and sadness associated with it. A week on and our state is still counting the toll and the stories of loss continue on, and probably will for a long time.

I have stopped crying every day but am still filled with so much saddness when I think about the thousands who are hopeless and have lost family and friends - I think I will feel like this for a long time but it has really made me take stock and realise how short life is and how absolutely blessed I am to have such a gorgeous wonderful family.

A ray of hope in a dark time.

Artwork hoarding begins......

On a somewhat more positive note, we went to Mothers Group yesterday and did some finger painting and Isabelle absolutely loved it.

I thought there would be paint all over her face, body, clothes and that there would definitely be paint consumed but she was more fascinated with having it all over her hands and mama not cutting her fun time short.

The end result of her first painting effort is just the cutest thing! I now understand hoarders like my mum who can't bear to throw out a thing we made as kids. She still has these tiny shell animals I glued together that I think should have been binned years ago but she refuses. I am starting to understand though.

I doubt this or countless other pieces of priceless artwork over the years will ever be thrown out because it represents something quite extraordinary...this tiny little being we created has CREATED something of her own and it's such a great sight to see! I just need to work out how and where to store all of this precious stuff that I am sure that on the day I give it back to her when she moves out *sob* will be binned anyway!

Feeling helpless but doing something.....

Over 100 people have died and over 700 have lost their homes this past weekend and I have spent so much time crying and feeling so sad for these people who have lost so much. I can't comprehend it and have been feeling so helpless so am going to do my little bit.

I have so many baby clothes here, surely there are bubs out there with no clothes to wear, and kids who need toys to cheer them up so I am putting together boxes of clothes and toys to take to the Salvos. It seems so insignificant when I think of what these people have lost but hopefully it might help somebody out there.

I have stopped watching the news so much and reading about the death toll that keeps rising. Right now it is at 139 and there are reports that it will continute rising. This is the worst natural disaster in Australia's history and the stories that are coming out from the news reports are incredible. What some of these people have been through no person should ever have to see or experience.

A Day in History.

Yesterday was the hottest day ever recorded in Victorian history. The temperature reached a scorching 46.4 and the implications of the heat combined with the wind made for a terrible day that will always be remembered like Black Friday and Ash Wednesday. Many hundreds of people have lost their homes and worse, their lives, in our state over the last 24 hours.

While watching the coverage, our hearts have been grieving for these people and their families as they now come to terms with the devastation that has come upon them with this historic time. I just cannot imagine the terror and horror of losing my family members in this way, and also can't imagine losing my house and life in a flash.

As one newspaper report claimed, mother nature has given our state a beating of unimagininable proportions. I don't think we will fully comprehend the devastation for a long time, and in the meantime the death toll grows.

My heart, thoughts and prayers are with all the people affected in my state tonight.

The Simple Life....

This was taken from http://www.remodelingthislife.com/ and oh my this rings so true for me. I have realised that at times I place too much value on THINGS. I have re-evaluated what truly is important in my life and have realised I want a simpler, cleaner and more organic life for my children. I want them to have land to run on, I want them to realise that there are more important things in life than the best clothes and gadgets. I think this will be a slow process for me, and I have some ingrained habits but I have already started making small baby steps towards making my life more purposeful and in tune with our environment.

It’s a process, not a destination

The single most important thing I have learned is that a simple lifestyle is just that - a lifestyle. It’s something that changes, requires adjusting as time goes on and reflects who I am at any given time. There are no steps, no requirements, so it’s an inner journey that never ends. While there are tangible things that go along with my simple life, even those will change along the way. The key for me is embracing what the simple life means and living it out in a way that is authentic to me.

It’s not a competition
And if it was, I might lose. I don’t wear one simple dress and wash it by hand each night. I don’t grow all my own food. I do what works for me and my family. The beauty of choosing a simple life has been letting go of all the cares about what others think, not competing to keep up or have the least or the most of something, and to just be happy with who I am and what I have and that I am making the life that is best for me and my family.

There are no rules
I”ve been challenged about what it is about my life that I think makes it so simple. There may be some who think you must do x,y,z to be “simple”. Or those that think that there is no way to actually live simply in this day. I have said before what simplicity is to me. For me, the most important thing has been setting priorities and living my life accordingly. I have 2 dogs, 2 kids, and a fixer upper which should be considered a third child for the time and money it takes up. But this life works for us, and although there are complex aspects to it, the choices we make have allowed for simplicity in other areas.

It isn’t deprivation
Simplicity doesn’t have to mean ridding yourself of every possession except the shirt on your back. It doesn’t mean never stepping foot in a store again. It means assigning purpose to your possessions, dollars, and time. I love lattes and designer jeans. I even like big black sunglasses. I make choices in all areas of my life that make it possible to keep true to myself and do the things that I enjoy. My life is not deprived of anything that I desire. My desires have changed. My priorities have shifted. My tastes have changed. Living a life that is authentic will never be deprived because it will always be full of what you are.

Cloth ramblings....

After much deliberation I have finally made the change to cloth nappies. I so wish I had done this with Isabelle- I toyed with the idea but I never made the jump into the world of MCN even though I was wowed by the beautiful fabrics and types of nappies!

So our little J man has a cloth bot and not only does his tiny tooshie feel so good, so does my environmental conscience. Having 2 in disposables was absolutely terrible - our bins were constantly overflowing so I feel better for doing my little bit for our poor old environment. I am also using cloth wipes and am in the process of sewing more of these now that I have bought the fabric for them! I love the bubblebubs foamy wipes wash and would buy every flavour if I could!

The nappies I have and am loving are

Itti bitti d'lish, Bubblebubs, Green Kids, Bumgenius, Happy Heiny, Hautes and Cushie Tushies!

A red magicall that I don't like - waaah but he has an Itti Bitti that same colour that I LURVE!

In his Happy Heiny Cow Print - his cousin Thomas has a matching nappy!

In a gorgeous Maz cover with big sister Izzy!

Chewing Sophie and modelling his Bubblebubs Bumblebee - too cute!

Welcome little Thomas Ronald Dube Starkey!

Our little newphew Thomas was born on the 30th December 2008! We are SO happy for Ben and Gabrielle and wish you all the joy and happiness in the world!
We can't wait to meet you little man!

The quest for finding joy and simplifying my life.

Joy can be found in so many things, the sound of my wonderful children's laughter, a clean kitchen, pushing Isabelle on the swing, seeing my cloth nappies drying on the line, watching James kick his legs in excitement, feeling the softness of my kids hair on my lips, spending time with my wonderful husband.
I am making a pact to spend more time striving to find joy in all things in my day. Being a SAHM can be really challenging alot of the time, at times I find it difficult to stay motivated to keep a clean house and entertaining a toddler has it's own challenges. I really need to realise this is what I DO now, this is my job. I have always been so committed and dedicated to what I do but have sometimes let myself and my kids down in this area. Part of the reason this happens is because I can easily waste my days away on the internet.

So I have completely cut back on forums - no more spending hours at a time on my laptop and as a result I am already feeling wonderful! Nights are an exception and my treat and even then I will do things that are productive like my blog not forum trawling.

I will bake at least 3-4 days a week! I love cooking for my family and especially love that my daughter will usually eat what I make!

I will start using more of what foods we have at home and learn to become more of an intuitive cook!

Using cloth nappies has already simplifed my life and is helping the environment as well!