Day in the Life : June 2013

Reflections on Day in the Life : June 2013

 

# I lead a pretty ordinary life with a fair amount of routine and sameness on most days

 

# I have to build in lots of extra time to allow for distractions by my beloved Ruby, especially in the mornings when she steals my make-up brushes!

 

# it's offical - I am now high maintenance!  I need lots of vitamins, lotions and potions to keep me going

 

# despite my best intentions, at the end of a looong day in the corporate machinery, I am just too exhausted to exercise, especially now that it's dark by 5.30pm

 

# I need to pay attention to my life, instead of being on autopilot

 

# I need to make time for what's really important to me

 

# Go on over and check out Ali Edwards' blog posts on Day in the Life

Finding Comfort

Right now, I'm finding comfort in...

# steaming hot coffee

# slippers and warm fleecy pyjamas

# having this little girl snuggled up on my lap in the warm winter sunshine

# soft warm scarves

# over the knee socks

# soft fleecy blankets and books

# creamy butternut soup from Woolworths

# the knowledge that the winter solstice has passed, so we're technically heading towards summer

Weekend in review

I got to spend most of the weekend at home, which was really great.  I've been away a lot lately, so things back up at home - piles of books and things to be put away build up everywhere, and I get frazzled at the clutter in every corner. 

 

I just did some 'jobs' on Saturday morning - a bit of shopping and running errands, and then I hosted a late lunch for friends.  This was a belated Thank you to my friends who helped me pack up my home over a year ago, and move to my current home.

 

Lunch was a tasty mexican feast

Fiery hot birds eye chillies for Andy

Richard and I - Lynn and Richard helped me unpack in my new home and installed new plug points, lights and they did a ton of other "settling-in" jobs - thank you!

Lynn, Lynette and Andy.  Lynette and Andy helped me pack up the kitchen and scrapbook room in my old home.  Andy said that he packed 2 boxes of kitchen supplies and 30 boxes of scrapbooking supplies - hilarious!

 

Lynn and Richard brought these beautiful roses for me - thank you!

 

 

Layout to share

I've been doing a lot of 1-page layouts recently.  I'm doing what feels right for the photos, instead of being tied to double page layouts.  I scrapbook in no particular order, and prefer to work on what inspires me at the time.  I pull it all together later in chronological albums for each year, and I also have a seperate album each for Elizabeth and Katy. 

Layout to share

A few more layouts that I completed last weekend.  It feels so good to be scrapbooking again.

 

Scrapbooking Retreat

The Scrap Addicts group spent the June long weekend at the Good Shepherd Retreat, and we scrapbooked non-stop - it was bliss.  We always tell people that we are 'hard-core' scrapbookers, meaning that we scrap all the time when we are together, breaking only for meals, sleep and the occasional stretch and stroll.

I've had a bit of a challenge with my photos (I'm hoping it's a computer problem and not a camera problem!), but here are a few photos from the weekend...

The Scrap Addicts enjoying the gorgeous sunset over Hartebeespoort dam - Lynette, Leonie, Alison, Linda and Lynn

I completed 16 scrapbook pages this weekend; this is

my favourite layout from the weekend...

 

Books

I received 2 new books in the mail from Loot, my favourite online book shop.  Can't wait to doodle and play...

 

5 Things that drag you down

This recent article by Mandy Walker really resonated with me; I need to work on stopping 4 of the 5 'drag me downs'...

1. Constant body battles

Stop the constant negative head talk - "am I fatter than her?  Are my hips bigger than hers?  Do I look fat in this?"  Get comfortable in your skin.  Instead of zeroing in on your flaws, focus on your best features.

2. Negativity

It's much easier to be positive when we're enjoying an event like a holiday.  We're much less inclined to notice and hold onto everyday pleasures.  Learn to savour the good by placing your attention on pleasure as it occurs.  Stop multi-tasking, and be in the moment.

3. Working long hours, too much TV and 'same old, same old'

Routine habits make us feel safe and comfortable, but too much of these can make us feel stuck and sluggish instead of energised and inspired.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Shake things up a bit.  Plan to tackle something challenging (even scary!) once a year.

4. That second glass of wine

Drinking one glass of red wine makes your heart relax and your red blood vessels dilate (all good), but these heart-protecting benefits disappear when you drink a second glass.

5. Sugar

This is a tough habit to break.  Sugar can add up to 20 years to your age and make you look old. Too much sugar makes your skin look thinner, wrinkle easier and prone to sun damage; sugar also dries out your skin.  Our bodies tolerate sugar better when we exercise more regularly, as this metabolises it faster.  A balanced eating plan is the obvious answer rather than a crash diet, which only makes you want to reach for the sugary treats faster.

Weekend in review

My friend Lynn helped me with a little bit of home decorating on Saturday.  I've had some of the walls in my home painted a rich terracotta colour, and Lynn stencilled some flowers onto the freshly painted walls.  I love the look of the guest bedroom...

 

 Before...

During... 

After... 

while Lynn stencilled, I painted the econo-heater in my bedroom,

and touched up paint on the ceiling and walls

A year after moving in, all the new curtains are up in my home - big yay!  This is what my bedroom looked like before with the awful yellow office blinds left by the previous owners, and now with the new curtains.  I call it 'bollywood meets french country lane', but I love the soft feminine look

I love circles, so I'm delighted with these curtains in my craft room

I spent some time packing for a 4 day scrapbooking retreat next weekend.  If I'm organised with pre-packed layouts, I can get sooo much done.

 

Stay warm and have a great week!

Turning 6

This sweet baby girl turns 6 today.

 

Love you to the moon and back my Ruby!

Farmyard

Just sharing some photos from our family roadtrip last weekend...