Welcome Hunter

Welcome to the world to a very special little man 

(maybe not that little at 3.7kg, lol) 

Born at Cairns Base Hospital on 16th August.

Brother for Dave and a first son for my boy.

Now home and sleeping 3 hours at a time.

One very proud mum!

and yep, all that hair! What a sweetie!

Aunty Melissa is very pleased, Logan is ecstatic there is another boy in the family because "Boys Rule"

and I can't wait for my first cuddle and sloppy Grandma kiss on those gorgeous cheeks

Grandkids and their breeding patterns

Well I have been off here for quite some time so here is a quick update:

The twins are happy, healthy and (although identical) very individual. 

Ivy Mae is the rough and tumble kind, while Piper Rose is "the evil one" but I find the most adorable. Miss Piper loves clothes and shoes, what more can I say!

Ivy is mobile so heaven help the new house and that resides within

Master Logan is the best big brother ever!

 And peoples, now I have another Grandson on the way. August 8th. mark that in your calendars for a trip to Cairns (ps take my Mum with you and deposit her beside the pool with a book or 3)

Sunday Photo, Chelsea

Thanks for the memories, the love and the laughter

 Run Free, and rule from above

Chelsea, the end of an era

 Rest in Peace Chelsea

 February 29th 1992 to November 1st 2011

Passed away in my arms at 3 am

19 years of love and laughter

I would like to start by saying Thank You to the best little dog  I could ever hope to meet.

let alone have the honour of owning

 

You will be very much missed and it is too soon to know how far you have stretched those little paws and your big heart, but I wish I could stay in denial forever.

Run free little one

Coffs Harbour Botanic gardens

I thought I had better get around to downloading my pickies of my holiday and sharing them with you all. Not a lot of words in this post as nature speaks volumes for itself so come walk with me through the gardens.

The Aboriginal Plant Walk was very interesting with fabulous signage

Holiday Notice

I am off on a holiday, be back in about 10 days

Be good, blog lots and see you when I return with stories to tell and photos to share.

 Staying here so if you are up this way, give me a yahoo and we can jump in the spa with a wine or your beverage of choose

This is a My Mum free zone

Trip to Coles Spring

Well it isn't Autumn now so thought  I had better update you all on what is on my walk to Coles at this time of year.

 

 The wattle is finished it's flowering for this year and now the Lady Bugs have moved in to eat any nasty bugs on it. Ants are eating a sappy bug but they would not sit still to pose a photo.

 Native Mistletoe is flowering

Sunday photo

When a shoe becomes a work of art it

deserves a home in any Gallery in the world!

Isn't that just the coolest shoe!

RU OK?

Thursday 15 September, 2011 is R U OK?Day.

It’s a national day of action which aims to prevent suicide by encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop little problems turning into big ones.

On that day we want everyone across the country, from all backgrounds and walks of life, to ask family, friends and colleagues: "Are you OK?".

Staying connected with others is crucial to our general health and wellbeing. Feeling isolated or hopeless can contribute to depression and other mental illnesses, which can ultimately result in suicide. Regular, meaningful conversations can protect those we know and love.

It's so simple. In the time it takes to have a coffee, you can start a conversation that could change a life.

What is depression and how common is it?

Everybody feels sad or 'down' from time to time. It is a normal reaction to unpleasant or upsetting events. Usually within a few days or a couple of weeks, we start to feel better and our mood returns to normal.
Clinical depression is different. People experiencing clinical depression have lost the ability to function as they normally would in their home life or at work. They often find that strategies they normally use to lift their mood don’t work. This loss of energy and low mood makes it hard to cope with day-to-day life and can also put pressure on relationships.

Clinical depression is a serious illness and will often require professional help from a doctor.

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses experienced by Australians and research tells us that one in five Australians will experience depression in their lifetime. Moreover, 4 per cent of us will experience a major depressive illness in a 12-month period.

Clinical depression is nothing to be ashamed of and it is always worthwhile to ask for help if you think you might have clinical depression.

I may not see you in person but I am asking RUOK?

I am some days and not others, but this is all about you

Some links to help, please have a look at your leisure,  you just may find out how many of you are out there! You are not alone, there are lots of us.

Beyond Blue

Sane

Black Dog Institute

Life

MHCA

Just a few of them. there is help out there, so hug someone and ask someone RUOK

The Flannel Flower, an Australian native, is a national symbol to promote awareness of mental health.

Flannel flower is commonly found growing wild in the Australian bush, which has a wonderful inherent beauty and strength and is known for its extremes of weather and landscape.

To survive the extremes of Australia's climate the Flannel Flower has had to be adaptable, in the same way all of us, regardless of our life circumstances, need to develop resilience and the ability to adapt to change, in order to strengthen and maintain our mental health.

The Flannel Flower, with its soft silky texture, encourages contact and is thought to help people express their feelings verbally and to develop sensitivity.

Being open and empathetic to a person's expression of distress can help not only the recovery of a person experiencing mental illness, but to change the negative attitudes of our society to mental illness.

Twins update August

 

Well hello kidlets!

Babies are now sitting head to toe

4D ultrasound has shown that they "look just like Big Brother, so beautiful"

and that is from a very unbiased Mum, (cough, choke and splutter)

Weights are in and so are they still, how amazing is technology!

Twin 1 860g

Twin 2 820g

ALL GOOD

 

I will let you know when they make their next move,

but hoping they remain in Mum's belly cooking for a while yet.

Knitting to finish and a nappy cake to decorate, but then that is what waiting rooms are for and the Chapel is just down the hall (spent lots there with Big Brother's birth).

But that is John Hunter, Coffs (yep checked with them )Chapel is down the hall and has a garden

Do you have DaVinci dilemma?

So, what is The DaVinci Dilemma?

(This is Part 2 of yesterdays post on Procrastination)

http://davincidilemma.com/davinci-101/

Why Da Vinci?
"The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding." - Leonardo

Too many talents. Not enough bandwidth. It’s a problem as old as human genius itself. Even the original Renaissance Man, Leonardo Da Vinci, castigated himself for his many unfinished works and called his self-judged inadequate efforts “an affront to man and to God.”
How do you get anything done when you’re  good at everything? How do you decide where to put your attention? How do you find a way to honor and pursue all your talents  without driving yourself – and everyone else—crazy?  This is the essence of the DaVinci Dilemma™.

    Quiz:  Do you have the DaVinci Dilemma?

Procrastination and Da Vinci

All this time I thought I had probs, well I do, but my happy pills help and so does a lump of 4 x 4 when all else fails.When actually, after self diagnosis, an email and an Internet squizzy,  I have da Vinci Dilemma aka too talented for my own good! How cool is that!

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The DaVinci Dilemma™! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/.
 

Well Thank You Lisa Rothstein
 Just takes these 7 Simple Solutions for multi Talented People


1. Use logic.  Convince yourself.
Write a list, as fast as you can:  “At Least Ten Reasons Why I Should Start”.  Typically, this is enough of a nudge to get unstuck and overcome procrastination.
  Oops, pen won't write, onto Number 2, still 6 more so all will be good and I will get by with a little help from my friends





2. Pick the best time to start.
Follow your natural body rhythms to optimize your chances.  If you’re a morning person, then it’s best to start first thing. If you’re a night owl, getting started is easier after dark.If your project is ongoing, establish a habit of tackling it regularly, during your best, most productive times.
 Thought a bit too hard here, needed a nap so now I need coffee to wake up, Body not exactly what I would call rhythmic!

 

3. Reduce distractions.
Take a moment to list all the things you know interfere with getting started   The goal here is to identify those things that are contributing to your procrastination. What interrupts your flow?  (The telephone?  The kids?  Your email inbox?  The siren call of the internet? The laundry?  Your noisy neighbors?  Thoughts about other projects?)
 All of the above apart from the neighbours and now pen  is working but there isn't any doodling on that list, so this is fine (apparently).
For each, ask yourself how you could combat this distraction?   For example, if you keep getting distracted by web surfing, you could disconnect your internet connection during your focused work time.   
  Is she on drugs? I got to her through an email she sent me!!!! No Internet????  Give me root canal work first

4. Promise yourself a reward.
  Give yourself a gift for getting unstuck and getting started.  A special meal, a nap, a walk, a fun outing – whatever would be real treat for you today.Here’s the tricky bit:  you MUST actually reward yourself for overcoming your procrastination.
  Chocolate, cakes, chippies, shopping, hang on will be back later




5. Prepare yourself mentally.
When you find yourself stuck or procrastinating, take a moment to clear your mind.  Close your eyes and think of nothing for five minutes.  Now think of what you want to do and why.  Now open your eyes and go do it.
 Whoops, all that shopping and rewarding myself must have tired me out, nodded off for a while. What was that last bit? Oh yea, open my eyes, better read back further coz that does not make sense reading with my eyes closed???

6. Make a public commitment to start.
You could phone or text a creative buddy.  You could email a friend or post a notice on your Facebook wall or send a tweet via Twitter. 
 Hello!!!!! Didn't she tell me earlier not to go on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs, Google reader. Apparently didn't mean ever, so be  back when I check my emails, grab a couple of pics, say Hi to my friends and tweet a couple of blogs. (Tweeted Nic's before she falls in the fireplace again or adopts out a child). Found some cool pickies to pin and put a badge on my blog. Next please
 7. Set a timer for ten minutes.
Whatever you get done during that period is ‘enough’.  It doesn’t seem like ten minutes would make a difference, but it does.  Starting is starting.  There’s something about a timer that forces most of us to take action now. 

Hmmm, what takes 10 minutes to cook, no use using the timer unless there is reward at the bell, (see 4), Googling, be back again or maybe not that soon,

 Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

Tweeted and shared on Facebook group for foodies.

This is getting ridiculous, sun was up when I started and now it is past my bed time, and I don't seem to have progressed very far. Perhaps I will wait for the next installment and see tips 8 to 14.

Thank heavens for the Art world that Da Vinci didn't use a computer

or is that what Mona Lisa is smiling about?????? hmmmm

Wattles brighten my day

 

Well I did say it had been raining! Ducks weather on one side of home

But then! Despite the wind and rain being relentless for days on end a walk out the front door (finally) and the Australian Natives prove they are far more resilient and bring Sunshine to my day

 Not a local but it does pop up all on it's own and it's leaves are fabulous for flower arranging (despite me needing to wear gloves or I get an itch from this one)

Photo nearly missed

How easily do we miss the little things when our mind is not focused on anything 

but the big picture?

I snagged this shots when photographing  something else entirely.

I am so glad I was still looking through the viewfinder.

So amazed at what was before me I thought it deserved a share.

A florist pin and scissors on my bench top

So I am going to concentrate on the little things today 

and see what other treasures are around me everyday that I am missing.

Thanks for stopping by

(Blog Challenge  No 12)

Birthday time

My Birthday 2011

I really am so spoiled!

Lovely messages, phone calls, emails and visitors all made for a delightful day.

 My first one I opened was from my children, and scrape me off the ceiling, pick me up off the floor!Struck dumb (rare occurrence), no words for over 5 seconds . 

Ticket to Captains Tour, Platinum A Reserve no less,

I get to talk to the captains afterwards!

I so love Deadliest Catch!

Thank you my wonderful children!

Just when I thought that could no be beaten: 

Phone call from daughter 

envelope was opened by them and babies are

TWIN GIRLS!

Mondayitis

Sorry i haven't been here for a while, I have been doing Blog Prompts over at another of my Blogs.

Unlock the block . 

I am working my way through a list and quite surprised at some outcomes, but hey, it is my brain that is prompting it so I shouldn't be too surprised.

No excuse, I know so I am here now to let you know I am still of this Earth, not among the noted who have traded fame for eternity, No Who's Who listing, no record book entries, no news coverage, still here and thankful for that.

I thoroughly enjoyed a BBQ with friends, and foes, where the cook had the temperament of a kitten, as usual for him, but today he had the appetite that included everything from Drop Bears to a Ford Territory, so no leftovers for the volunteers tomorrow. All in sunshine for a change here. No paradiddle of sprinkles giving way to serious drumming as has been the norm here lately!

Okay I have just re read that, Holy abecedarian!

I have become a philosophunculist! 

  Did I get a new dictionary or thesaurus and thought it appropriate to use as many big impressive words as possible? Is the 'big word' fairy holding my family hostage demanding that I use these words or else? 

I don't think so!

Bring on the Qwerty Fairy!

OKAY! 

A reality check was all that twas needed!

Now how to write a "little word" post, like I usually do,'This is not because I don't respect your smarts (intelligence = Big Word) but it means less typos by the law of averages.

I am here in Tanilba where the sun is finally shining after all our rain, Chelsea is still waddling around the place, today was a yuck day so am writing it off and starting again tomorrow.

Why yuck? Car battery flat, appointments missed, phone calls where you press this number for that and that number for this and I wanted the other that was not an option. Oh for human contact!

I was also informed that I had the same shoes on yesterday at the BBQ by someone who I don't know! How bad is that! I think I will get a giggle about it later, but not yet, still smarting and changing shoes!

Today was the day where everyone asked me "why". I don't have "Help Desk" written on my forehead (checked twice already).

Tomorrow is Ruby Tuesday

Gem of a day

Habitat and then Mum's for a couple of days

so will be waiting for tgif.

Take care and be good to those around you, and if you run into me please don't ask "why". just live with the mystery and leave me in pieces.

Thanks

Twins update

Girls or Boys remains the question

Just a short note to keep you up on their progress.

Mum was having cramps earlier in the week, but is at work (of course).

Specialist on Monday to check all out.

Twins are happy in their separate sacks at the moment. No problems with cords wrapping around each other  and they can kick each other, been seen doing that already, Bless their little booties!

BUT

they do share the one placenta.

This makes it a high risk pregnancy.

Blog Prompt

Okay so a Facebook friend started this off with the starting of a group called Blog Prompts

Got me Googling (of course) and decided I would do a blog post one the 3rd prompt.

Never been one to renege on a deal with myself (bit like dealing with the devil some days) so here goes:

You're a fly on the wall at your own funeral. What are people saying about you?

 Well supposing Mum isn't there with her fly swatter and wipes me out before I hear anything (she is a mean shot with that thing) I guess the first thing would be 

"Gee it's quiet"

Why should we tell our stories

I love to hear of people's lives and the journey that brought them to where they are today.

This Blog is my way of telling some of my life as it flows, stops, coagulates and takes me along many a road. Some of these are bumpy, some are smooth, many turns in others with a few hairpin bends thrown in. All in all I am still on that road and will continue to record and share my travels and hope someone stops me along the way to say "Hi" as I do love a chat.

This advice from Daily OM

 

"We all have a story to tell whether we publish it or keep it for just ourselves or family; allow yourself to be heard." Everyone, at one time or another, has wanted to express his or her story. Writing a memoir to read privately, share with family or friends, or publish is an emotionally satisfying way to gain perspective on your experiences while sharing your unique voice. We’ve all experienced feelings and events in our lives that we are longing to write down. Giving in to that urge can give you an outlet for purging any frustration, anxiety, or long-dormant feelings. No one else has to read it. You may even want to write your story without reading it right away. Satisfying the need to tell your story is not predicated upon your writing ability. It does, however take effort to write down the truth in detail. Your memories, captured on paper as descriptive scenes, sights, sounds, and scents, may at first seem disconnected or incomplete. But rest assured that you possess the ability to shape your recollections into stories. veryone wants to be heard. Reading your story to others can meet that need. Writing your story can also help you understand your life experiences. And when you finish writing, you may be surprised at what you have accomplished. Your story can encompass as much or as little of your life as you prefer. You may surprise yourself with new insights, or you may find yourself exploring your roots, your identity, and your future through your words. Allow your writing to guide you and write as truthfully as possible. Don’t worry about what others will think of your personal journey, your style of writing, or your words.

Research has shown that writing a personal narrative filled with feelings and perceptions can create long-term health benefits. As you write, remember to have compassion for yourself, particularly when writing about traumatic events. If you are a young person, you can add to your life story as you grow older. Your writing may help family members know you better, or they may understand themselves more through reading about your experiences. More importantly, you are expressing yourself in a permanent way, giving a gift to yourself, and letting your voice be heard. 

They have such gems and pearls of wisdom as this one above!

So pop on over and see if there is something for you too

 

Thank you for stopping by, I do appreciate it

Autumn tribute

I have only have one Autumn tree amongst the native bushland. So it is very special to me.

Now that Winter has officially begun today I decided I owed it to this one tree to show off it's beauty as it prepares to sleep until greeting me again with the buds in Spring.

The view sitting underneath

 I spent quite a bit of time crunching through the leaves as they changed colours and fell into a glorious riot of Autumn tones underneath