Finding joy in the everyday

After re-reading my post from yesterday I realised I had missed one fundamental point:  Why do you want to loose weight? Is it because you want to look thin and gorgeous and dress in amazing outfits or  is it for health reasons or  are you being pressured by others? The reason is very important. I lost weight for two reasons;  my health and my age. I had reached "that age" where loosing weight becomes very difficult and I didn't want to battle weight issues as I got older.  With weight gain comes additional heath problems such as diabetics, blood pressure and the like. Very important reasons for loosing weight as my doctor informed me only the other day. However, there was a negative side and one that I didn't really expect - pride and boastfulness. I was tickled pink by my weight loss and my "new look" and out of necessity I went and bought a new wardrobe of clothes.  Nothing I owned fitted me anymore.  I think

Dieting . . .  its a word people dread, especially just after Christmas. It is almost 3 years since I started "dieting". . . or more correctly, changing the way I eat to a more healthy way of life. One that I can remain on forever.  Along the way I have learnt a thing or two which I thought I would share with you ( please note, I am not a trained doctor or dietician and if you are planning on loosing weight do discuss it with your GP ): Facing disappointment will happen. The body is such a funny thing, you can sail long beautifully and then it all decides to stop . . . don't panic, because it will start up again.  Don't give up, take one day at a time. Dieting is hard work, but maintaining ones achieved weight is in fact much harder. Most people put more weight back on at the end of their diet (or within 5 years) because they don't realise how tough it is to stay "on weight".  For me CAKE = POUNDS/KILOGRAMS, therefore, stay aw

I thought I would end the year with some of my favourite photos  that I have taken this year.  I do hope you have enjoyed ART FRIDAY for 2013. Some weeks were a real struggle coming up with ideas and putting the page together, other weeks were so much easier and gave me much pleasure. Now I just need to dream up some ideas for 2014. See you in 2014 with a new collection of art.  *****

Forty-nine years ago on Christmas Eve my mother gave birth to a baby girl, her first daughter.  Her name was Elizabeth.   She died three months later.  Cot death.  I spoke to my mum on Christmas Eve and she said something very sad. Someone had said to her at the nursing home " just forget about the past, its gone, get over it " in reference to her baby daughter. How can a mother ever " forget the past " after loosing a baby, even if it was 49 years ago. Whilst time does heal the pain, it doesn't mean they ever forget their child. My mother asked another woman at the nursing home who lost a baby many many years ago and her rely was " I think of my baby every single day of the year ".  How heartless to say such a thing to a mother, to anyone who has lost someone dear.  Whilst my mother is now elderly, she is still a mother no matter how old she is.  And those precious children that are in heaven will never be forg

Look at what my son made this evening - Stollen - and it tastes gorgeous.  He raced around to our place with one of the Stollen he made and left his wife and her uncle to eat the other one!!  I have so much I have plenty to take to work with me tomorrow and share with my colleagues.  I am sure they will also love it.  My eldest son has been trying out German Christmas cooking over the weekend and so far he has done a marvellous job.  This is why you should teach boys to cook as they make excellent cooks as adults.  Yesterday he made a big batch of Pfeffernusse which were better than the bought varieties I have eaten. I just love tasting his cooking!!! Now I am off for some more Stollen with my cup of tea. 

The Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers.  And the first printed reference to a Christmas tree was in 1531 in Germany. All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts. In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ. Christmas trees have been sold in the U.S. since 1850. Houses have been decorated for centuries, with evergreen such as holly with its red berries where used.  The earliest known use of the phrase 'Christmas present' is from a 1663 entry in the diary of Samuel Pepys.  of Samuel Pepys. Robins on cards were a joke 150 years ago when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them. Hanging stockings out comes from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes packed with food for St Nicholas's donkeys. He would leave small gifts in return.Before turkey, the traditional Christmas meal

Art Friday: Caras Lonut Romanian Digital artist There is simply too many that I like to share them all with you - here are just a few of the magical surreal pieces of art work using the camera and computer. Enjoy. http://www.demilked.com/surreal-photo-manipulation-caras-ionut/ This one and the one below are so beautiful and touching.  To see more, check out this link - many more wonderful photos. http://500px.com/carasionut

A day without a friend is like a pot  without a single drop of honey left inside. Winnie the Pooh *** We have a very large Red Gum tree in our front garden and at present it is humming with the sound of hundreds and hundreds of bees all excited about the red gum flowers.  It is a lovely sight to see and hear knowing that these bees are doing ok. Did you know that honey is mentioned 56 times in the Bible.  There are 20,000 species of bees in the world. The honey bee flaps its wings 11,400 times every minute - they are hard working creatures.  And honey never go off, you don't need to be worried about the use by date on your jar of honey. Honey has been found in the Egyptian tombs and it was still edible.  Bees visit 50 too 100 flowers during their collection trip.  That is a lot of flowers they need to visit.  The main species of honey bee in Australia is the European bee which was introduced to this country in 1822.  This species of bee kills one to two

I love red . As you can see, many of my kitchen appliances are red. and   I love wearing red . Red is such a cheerful happy colour, I find it hard to feel sad when wearing red. Red is perfect on a cold winters day as it is such a warm colour. However I read that red is an intimidating colour (empowering) and when worn to meetings it can mean " I am not likely to back down easily ". Not sure if this is true as I often wear red in meetings and always wear it to interviews (I want to be remembered by the panel!). Here are a few examples of red in my wardrobe. Black always looks great with red and in either winter or summer I will match up a black skirt like these with a bright red top or cardigan. Even a red scarf can make a differences. Black and red works every time. One of my favourites, my Laura Ashley "poppy" skirt.  A bargain I picked up from a charity store for $7. Its great to wear with a cami underneath and no ironing is requ

Down by the seaside in summer Outside my window Outside my study window is a lush green garden where the birds like to play, it is one of our favourite places to sit.  (Ruby loves looking out of the window and watch them) I am thankful for Having a son who rings me during the week just to say hi.  I am wearing Demin skirt and blue t-shirt, bare feet. From the kitchen I bought some coconut sugar which I haven't tried before - it tastes like raw/brown sugar. I was impressed with the taste. I am not sure how much healthier it is compared to cane sugar, but it appears to contain more nutrients. I will give it a try in something. I am learning Learning not to panic and stress when news is bad . . . there is rarely an issue that can not be handled or resolved when one turns to the Lord. Trying to teach my son the same thing, a little harder with a 21 year old - it all looks bleak and unmanageable.  I am reading I am Malala by Malala Yousa

Art Friday: Sleeping Something we all do, not just humans but animals too - SLEEP. We can't survive without it and we don't seem to get enough of it. Here are a range of painting all about sleeping - something some mothers haven't enjoyed for a very long time. I have to admit I really do the love the animal paintings in this collection. There is something so sweet about a cat or dog curled up asleep. PS If you live to be 75-80 years old you will spend around 25 years of your life sleeping so it is worth investing in  a comfortable bed and pillow. Fact: 12% of people have black and white dreams, before the coloured television the number was 75% (??) Fact: The average person wakes up about 6 times per night. Fact: Teenagers need between 8.5 and 9.25 hours of sleep each night. Some researchers believe dreams are a meaningless byproduct of sleep and consciousness (not sure about this one?) Do cows sleep standing up? No they n