Blog sabbatical

I've been offline for a while, because Google will no longer allow me to add any photos to my blog posts without buying additional storage space.  This limitation has resulted in a re-think about blogging and my blog location. 

 

I'm not keen to give my credit card details to Google, so I've been researching some alternatives.  I'm liking what I see over at Typepad; it's not a free site but it does seem to be a whole lot more professional that blogspot.  I'll let you know what happens in the new year. 

 

Merry Christmas everyone, and all best wishes for a great 2013

It feels like home

6 months after moving house, 6 months of feeling uncomfortable and out of place and unsettled and fidgety...suddenly it feels like home. 

 

I'm learning to know the middle of the night noises and creaks and groans of the old house.  I see how she bears up against the hard rain and strong winds.

 

Yes, there's still lots of work to be done, and uncluttering, and art to be found for bare walls, but suddenly I know ... everything will be ok....

 

 

Welcome home

 

Shop with your heart

We only get a limited number of holiday seasons in one lifetime. Let's do what it takes to make them matter!

 

I started my Christmas shopping a while ago, purely because I hate crowds of people and the frenzy of full shopping malls.  I'm loving this post by Cheryl Richardson today, and as I do bits of Christmas shopping inbetween my everyday life, I'm particularly mindful of her message to "shop with your heart".

How are you doing with preparation for Christmas?
 

Summer reading list

I never have enough time to read all the books I want to, so they pile up on my bookshelf and gather dust.  With a slightly slower and gentler December heading my way, I hope to get through at least half of this pile of books, starting now.

The first book I'm reading is a thousand days in Venice.

It is a delicious mix of food (including a few recipes), great change, middle age, late (and imperfect) love, and my favourite city in all the world - Venice

and miss Ruby is the perfect book club companion

The little book of promises

This is the creative project that we did at the first Heart Retreat last Saturday...a little book full of doodles and washi tape and stamps and secret messages...

After 300 blog posts, I ran out of steam and had to rethink if blogging was still what I want to do.  A friend said that it seems like just another job on the endless to do list, and at times, it does feel like work.  But I also like the creative part of blogging, and I like sharing ideas and stories and thoughts, so for now, I'm still a blogger.

 

I've been talking for a while about my desire to live and work more creatively, and eventually move out of corporate life.  On Saturday, I took a big step forward towards my goal of hosting creative retreats for women.  I was really scared and nervous and doubtful before the retreat, the retreat content seemed so silly, and I nearly cancelled 3 times!  The devil attacks us and makes us feel incompetent and worthless when we step out in faith.  He cast doubt and fear and anxiety into my mind, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.

 

My sister Caron, and my good friends Lynn and Fiona gave up their Saturday to spend a few hours with me as my first Heart Retreat guests.  We spoke, we meditated, we journalled, we ate yummy food, and we did a beautiful creative project called "my little book of promises".

 

I am so grateful to Caron, Lynn and Fiona for their support, wise counsel and encouragement.  Love you to the moon and back!

 

 

What's inspiring me

I've been looking out for what's inspiring me, what I'm drawn to, what I'm excited about; here are some of the things on my list right now...

 

Pink : this is the new accent colour in my bedroom, a sort of plum pink.  I'm also reaching for more pink clothing, notebooks and other girly stuff

 

Red : this is another colour that is inspiring me - hot red.  These are the cushions in my lounge

Bling : this is the gorgeous chandelier in my bedroom.  I'm noticing that I like more and more bling in my home, on my clothing, on my scrap pages...

Social responsibility : I have a passion for supporting women and the education of female children.  Our team at work are helping the LE Notsi Secondary School in Deneysville with a bit of school maintenance; it's a government school but it's in very poor condition.  I am so inspired by the awesome teachers at the school - a phenomenal band of determined women.  I'm arranging 40 recognition gifts for the teachers, just to say thank you and to encourage them to keep going and doing good and inspiring the children

Cooking and baking : I'm inspired to cook and bake a bit more in my new home.  I'm looking at recipe books again.  I enjoy it when friends and family come over, we talk, we eat, we connect.  I'm digging out old school recipes and making old fashioned desserts like lemon meringue pie and peppermint crisp tart...

Paper crafting : I'm inspired to play with paper and ink and art journalling...

Patterns : I'm inspired by this gorgeous Indian Kelim rug in my bedroom.  Sometimes the crosses in the pattern call me to pray and intercede for people, sometimes the pattern makes me think of a scrapbook layout...

Hearts : and I am besotted with hearts.  I'm inspired to decorate my home with hearts, I'm inspired to reach out in love and kindness to other people, I'm encouraged to look for what's right in the world and not what's wrong, I remember that I am so very loved...

 

What's inspiring you right now?

 

Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

The Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens is one of my favourite places in Johannesburg.  Lynn and her son Connor met me there on Sunday morning for a stroll and breakfast under the trees

 

The 'big bug' expo is on until January