31 Things

Cruising around the blogosphere again this afternoon and I happened upon this blog The Nester.  I read the 'meet the nester' and was hooked.  She is one talented lady with a beautiful home to boot!  The rooms look just like the ones you see pictures of on pinterest but can only dream of living in yourself.  But.. read on and her goal is to show you how to embrace the imperfection that it is around you and make your home into the haven you want it to be.  Her mantra: beauty isn't found in perfection!  Ahh, music to the ears.  You must check it out.

Anyway, that isn't what I wanted to write about.  Instead it is this:  The Nester has a special linky every year in October where for 31 days you write about a topic and then link back to her site.  Check out the info here.  It's another way to get into writing, and again stirs the scrapper in me.  I love writing, and always have, so any reason to get writing is a good one!



http://www.thenester.com/



So, its nearly the end of the month but I still want to join in so I am going to cheat and use my '31 things about me' class that I took with Ali Edwards earlier this year. You can flick on over to here either to join or to read some really amazing blogs, but I must warn you - someone commented that it would take over 94? years to read all of them!  Still, you can have fun trying aye?  And I hope you will join me and find that 'inner writer' hiding inside each of us!

Just a note: I haven't got my album up on the blog yet, so watch this space. 
And if you want to join Ali and do the '31 things about me' class then click on the '31' in my sidebar.  Have fun!

 

 

Look

Since starting this blog I haven't stopped looking.  Looking at others blogs.  Looking at other mums.  I've started to wonder whether this is what I really want to do.  Already I look to see if anyone notices I am here.  Already I look to see if there is a comment.  Already I look for validation.

Is that what I want this blog to do to me? 

Every where I look there are super-mums.  They seem to have it all and be able to do it all.  I look at perfectly formed blogs with buttons and pages and graphics that I can only dream of.  I look at the photos of their families and friends, and the latest adventure in their lives that they have shared with us all and I wonder where do I fit?  Where is my place in this blog world?

I want to stop looking.  I want to look at the one who created me and find that I am ok as I am.  I don't want to look like anything or anyone other than who I am.  I want to share my story with the world but know that it is ok to look like I do - not perfectly turned out, not all together.  But it is ok. 

I am made in the image of God.  When you look at me, what do you see?

Lisa-Jo Baker {tales from a Gypsy mama} started a writing linky to help people get into the habit of writing.  She offers up a prompt that you go for gold writing about for 5 minutes.  As a scrapbooker, I think this is a great idea because so often we concentrate on the photo in a layout and leave the story behind them out.  If you're interested in joining in on the linky just click the button below.  Easy Peasy.

Pinkalicious Party

We recently celebrated Blossoms first birthday, and what kind of party do you have for a one year old girl?  A pink one of course.  I told everyone, "It will be pink, pink, pink with a little bit more pink; and when you think you've had enough pink there will be more"!  And true to form, it was. 

I scoured the net (and pinterest in particular) for all things birthday/pink for a couple of months leading up to the day and Voila! Pinkalicious party no.1 was served up for all to enjoy.  I hope you like the photos. 

Things that inspired me are on my pinterest birthday board, so flick on over there if you want to replicate a pink party for your little princess.  Anything you see here that is not on my boards is my own idea (just thought I'd point that out!).

Here is the table in progress.  I had so much fun putting this together.  Seeing all the pieces come together that I had worked all week on was so cool.  And it didn't cost a bomb either!  You can see out the window that I have balloons dangling from the magnolia tree (that was a Pinterest idea)!

 

These tissue pom poms seem to be a really popular thing at parties now.  They are so easy to make, and they don't cost a lot.  I found out how to make them by typing 'tissue paper balls' into YouTube and watching a video that a sweet young girl had made. I've since found out that Martha Stewart has instructions on her site too.  You can find them here.

My only advice would be to use good quality tissue because it doesnt tear quite so easily.  It is only $4 so it is worth it.  Have a play with the number of sheets you use too.  I used six for mine.

 

 

 

I'm big on food, especially birthday food!  I save recipes and ideas in a special 'celebration' folder, all in anticipation of an event.  We don't have big birthday parties every year in our clan.  The kids get to have a big bash every five years (1, 5, 10.. you get the picture) so I go all out for it.  The rest of the time we have family celebrations and just a friend or two.  I just find it easier with four children to organise it this way.

 

 

I started making the food about three days before the big day arrived because there was soooo much I wanted to do.  I also wanted to make sure everything was pink so a lot of planning had to go into it.  Blossoms cake was the red velvet cake that I wrote about here.  The meringues are Pink Rosewater Meringues - a recipe that Jo Seagar shared on an entertaining show hosted by the lovely Sarah Bradley.  The show ran for about six weeks a few months ago.  I also made pink sweetheart biscuits, pink marshmallow rice bubble slice, pink rosewater coconut ice, pink strawberry macarons and flavoured waters from Jamie Oliver.  One was flavoured with strawberries, raspberries & blueberries, and the other was lemon, mint & cucumber.  On top of that was every pink lolly/treat I could find - jellybeans, pink licorice all-sorts, eskimos, berry marshmallows, pinky bars, lamingtons and pink 100 & 1000's mini biscuits - all washed down with pink lemonade!  My sister made pink and white cupcakes and everyone else bought something pink also.  You can imagine the food overload!

I actually started to feel bad about the amount of 'treat' food so I threw in waffles, fruit (the healthy bit), icecream and chocolate fudge sauce too.  Ok, thats treat food too!  But, what the hang, it's a party right?!

I don't have a photo of the table when it was completely laden, but I do have a photo of the birthday girl tasting the culinary delights..

and here is one trying out her new bike.. (good colour choice Nana P)!

and of course two of the siblings helping to open the presents ...

And finally, the centrepiece I made that didn't fit on the table once all the food was on it!  Little B and I had to sort through three large bags of jellybeans just to get the pink and white ones!  Why, oh why, can't you buy single coloured jellybeans?  It would make life so much easier... but then we wouldn't get to chomp through all the 'surplus to needs' ones would we? 

The card on the right is from Colleen. One of my most favourite scrappers and a lovely friend.  Thanks Colleen.

Thats it folks.  Roll on November and the next big birthday!

Taking stock of Christmas

I had all these ideas for a post today but they all flew out the window when I made a little side trip over to Simones blog (here).  The talk has turned to Christmas!

It makes sense really.  Every year it gets a little closer, the expectations get a little higher, the pressure a little more suffocating.  So why not start a little early and take stock of what Christmas is really about?

I'm going to join in with a couple of 'on to it' ladies that are on a mission to help us all bring Christ back in to Christmas and kick the stress to the curb!  It's fitting really that just the other day I read this quote..  "The key to organisation is managing chaos"; and who doesnt feel a little chaos when the jingle bells start to ring?  I think visiting this blog may be a good place to start when putting it all into perspective.

Here in my clan we have already sat down with the kids and discussed Christmas presents, and we decided as a family to have a holiday instead.  It was pretty easy really.  The choice was present or trip, and we didnt need to twist any arms!  We are all super excited and already I can feel a burden has lifted.

Next step.. let the extended family know.  Now that may be a hard one.

(Watch this space - I think Christmas is going to be a bit different this year!)

Lovin' Stampin'

This month we had a challenge to create a card using a fabric heart.  I was so stoked because I had only just received the new Stampin' Up 'flawless fabric' - (Floral District).  Yippee, a reason to delve in and use it rather than hoard and save it for that perfect (and mostly elusive) purpose!

I don't know why but I seem to churn out a card better when I am under pressure to do so.  And I always find myself surprised because I am really happy with it! 

I have learnt that when I have time to create something I second guess my own creativity.  I cruise around others' blogs and sites looking for inspiration, and sad as it sounds, I actually find that slowly my own ideas fade, and in my mind, even start to pale in comparison.  I lose a little bit of confidence in my love of craft and the ability that God has put in to me.  Time to get my focus right, and my head straight I think.

So anyway, it was really good for my soul to hear positive comments about this card.  It reignited that fire in the belly I have for papercraft.

My point in saying this is this: your creations are an extension of who you are.  No one else can create quite what you do, when you do it (or indeed why you do it).  Whatever hobby you have, it is a salve to the soul - given to you by one who is greater - to show you the joy there is in life.

"Don't be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father.."
                                                                          James1:16-17

Don't let anyone, or even yourself, stand in the way of creating something beautiful and showing a little snippet of yourself to the world!

When two worlds collide

Today I had the most cathartic experience.  My past came hurtling full force into my present!

Heres a little snippet about me that may help explain.  A lot of people love to catch up with people from their past right?  Well, I am not one of them.  I am quite different now than what I was 10 years ago, let alone 20 years ago and I have had 'stuff' in my past.  My teen years were not full of fun and games.  Traumatic would be one word I would use to describe them. It was more a case of hold on and pray to make it through each day.  So I don't particularly like being reminded of them.  A bit of a sore point you see?  I'd rather forget those years - and for the most part I have.  I have actually blocked so much from my memory that whole chunks of time (and people) have been erased from my memory.  So.. hearing the words "I recognise you.." stirs up dread in me like nothing else ever has.  'Oh no' is the first thought that implodes through my brain, generally followed at an amazing pace with 'what do you remember about me'? (Which I don't particularly want the answer to).

So how did this..


Thats me on the left

meet this?



A super embarrassed Steph!

Well, a simple trip to the mechanics of course!  I had to check on the progress of some work on a car.  I had never been to this workshop before.  I wasn't my usual lovely self (cough cough) when I confronted the man in the office as after a few phone calls and several weeks the work still hadn't been done and frustration was starting to reign in my emotions.  So imagine my surprise (read.. horror) when he looked at me a little queerly and said those three little (yet horrific) words.  I. Recognise. You.  Talk about flooring me!

A flurry of questions followed, "where did you go to school"?  "how old are you"?  "whats your last name?" (odd that one, but anyway).  Then the big one, "Stephanie?"

At this point my hands are on the sides of my head and I've started to perspire a little.  I can feel the heat flush my face.

Then he hits me with it.  "I'm (insert first name), (first name, last name)"; 
"We 'went out' for a while, remember"?

How do you type a sound where you suck in your breath?  Because that is what I did!  Can you feel my pain right now?

In that moment I was thinking how did I not recognise him, and how do I cover up my complete lack of a memory/brain when it is quite obviously out there for all and sundry to see?  He was so gracious though, and what followed was a very enlightening conversation. 

You know how when you bump into an ex at the worst possible time  ie. wearing your sloppy jeans and totally unflattering top with your hair so not done and carrying what is probably 20 extra kilos, how you wish you could go back in time and put some effort into how you look that morning? 

Well, that didnt even enter my head straight away because he was so disarming, and nice!  He totally taught me something.  He saw I was mortified yet he put me at ease and we talked like old friends.  He's had quite a life.. not the least having 'done time' by the time he was 21 which according to him either makes you or breaks you etc etc.  For him it put him straight.  Phew! What really got me was this comment he made, quite candidly...

You may not get this, but for me it was a wow moment coming from the most unlikeliest of sources.

Fast forward a little.. driving home I was squealing (yes, squealing) "I'm sooo embarrassed" over and over.  By now my state of dress had caught up with me, and how rude I must have sounded when I first saw him.  Shame.  Little Harri-Hedgehog is sitting in the back asking why I am so embarrassed and giggling at how silly his mother is. 

Here comes the clincher...  I watched a Joyce Meyer programme about an hour later.  Dave and Joyce were being interviewed by Andy Stanley about their marriage and how her past had affected so much of her life.  Dave simply stated a some point in the conversation, "Its the journey, not the destination that makes life great".

Now I had a God moment!  A little shift in my thinking.  A little clarity breaking through the fog.  I dont need to deny my past.  That is denying a part of what makes me Me.  Running or hiding from it wont get me anywhere.  My journey is and has been chock full of challenges, and that is nothing to be ashamed of.  Joyce has often said "Im not where I should be, but thank God that I'm not where I used to be, I'm okay and I'm on my way".  And now thanks to a chance encounter I can have faith that people can see you for who you are today, not judge you on what may have happened yesterday.  The power those three little words had to instill fear in me are no longer so powerful!  And the next time my two worlds collide I may just embrace it!

By the way, Congrats go out to (insert his name) and his fiance who are getting married in a couple of weeks.  Enjoy the ride.  Its one journey you will want to remember!

Red Velvet Wonder

Have you heard the buzz about Red Velvet Cake?  I may be a bit behind the times and the craze may have passed, but not in my family!  We just celebrated Blossoms first birthday and because I was going for a Pinkalicious theme I knew I had to try out this luscious looking, and by all accounts, delicious cake.  So thanks to this site I found this gorgeous recipe and voila! the perfect first birthday cake.  Not one person partaking in this sweet treat was left wanting.  It is everything, and more, than you would expect.

I used Queens pillar box red colouring for the colour; white ganache for the crumb coat and icing between the layers and basic butter icing for the piping.  I took inspiration from Jamielyn at iheartnaptime for the design of the cake and I'm so glad I did.  It was a real hit.

The next time I make this I will definitely give the cream cheese icing a go.  I hope I've inspired you to give this cake a go.  It was a no-mess, no-fuss, no-flop winner!