Every night here in my home is pretty ordinary and routine.

It is filled with bathing, cooking tea, eating tea, washing dishes, organising the kitchen so it's tidy, reading books to the kids, bedtime (which is not always met with approval), and I usually try and get my blogging or other computer stuff done. And I might get a chance to sit and relax with hubby and watch some TV and do some crafting - but that is VERY rare these days.

So instead of highlighting every little thing about my night time routine, I thought I would tell you about one thing that was a part of our every night but is no longer.

A couple of months back, hubby brought home a lamb for us. It was a ram and hubby had named him Bruce! (Apparently, it was HIS turn to name one of our pets. Hehe. And he was probably right!)

Bruce started off with 3 or 4 milk feeds a day for a few weeks. Then the feeds were tapered down to one of an evening and we had just started feeding him milk every second night. He was eating grass and grain and he was starting to fill out and look really good. A cute little thing too of course.

{Bruce at about 10-14 days old }

The girls loved having a little lamb.



You would all be aware of the doozy of a day I had yesterday.

Well, I figured that I deserved to bring abit of happiness home with me.

So I bought some flowers.

And a nice vase for $5 at the discount store (something good did come out of visiting that store!)

I placed them proudly and happily on one end of my mantelpiece.

And today...

Although much better (only a few mishaps and misdemeanours on the kid front), this has been my happy place.

Whenever I needed a pick-me-up, I just looked over at this bunch of flowers and their cheeriness and smiled.

Flowers are pretty. Flowers are cheery. Flowers bring freshness and life to a place.

I love flowers.





Today.

In Black & White.

Well, the pictures are. But the events...pretty much all blotched with black!!

Man! It has been a huge, harrowing day! Sure, there are some moments I can salvage from it that tweak a smile but the rest...oh dear!

Please let me explain.

Today was town day. Everything started off ok. Abit slow but that is not too out of the norm, cos it takes me ages to get out the door for anything these days!

{Sprout with her hot chocolate for breakfast }

She seems so angelic here doesn't she!?!

We ended up leaving for town late morning.



This was me today.

I felt tired but happy and positive.

Tired because I have been going to bed too late but happy cos I have lots of good things on the go at the moment. Last night I headed out with the boss' wife to book club. It was a great night out for me without the kids. Something I will look forward to each month for sure!

Yesterday, I also joined an online course by Ali Edwards called '31 Things'! I was abit nervous to do it as I have never done an online course and I wasn't sure I would be able to keep up. But after signing up and checking out all the info, I am really pumped and eager to get started.

Activities today included:

*baking some banana muffins

*hanging out washing

*sorting photos on computer

*we had our lights and fan replaced in the bathroom today so now we have our fan back after it being broken for about 3 weeks.

*Cleaned

But a real highlight for the day was that bubba turned 11 months old and she took 5 steps toward me today. She was playing with a kitchen drawer, saw me across the way, let go and took a few steps like she had been doing it forever. The rest of the day she has reverted back to crawling everywhere, I think it's the quickest and preferred method of travel for her at the moment. But bit by bit, she is progressing. My little bubba is growing up to fast.

But don't they all.

Any way that is my Self Portrait for today.

How was your day? Anything exciting happen?

With Sprinkles of Sunshine...

Anna

Here in Australia, it definitely isn't Spring.

When I think of the season Spring, I think of new growth, sunshine and flowers!

And there are definitely some things around here where I live that remind me of Spring.

And so I will share...

The lavender outside my bedroom window has freshened up and looks pretty.

And last week, a beautiful orange flower bloomed out the front of our verandah.

Considering that it is nearing the end of Autumn here and we are about to head into Winter, these are lovely sights to take in and soak up.

I thought, since we are about to enter the colder (and, for some, doldrumy) days, I thought that I would create a small list of things that could perk me (and you) up and put a spring in our step during winter:

1. A hot shower and snuggly pyjamas.

2. A night in watching movies whilst sipping hot chocolate with my family

3. Soups and hot casseroles

4. Fluffy slippers

5. Jumping and splashing around in puddles (I added that one for Sprout - she loves doing this!)

6. Knitting and crocheting in front of the warm fire

7. Snuggling up on the couch or in bed with a good book

These are just a few things that I am grateful for and puts a spring in my step in the colder months.

What puts a spring in your step?

And today there is two things that have really put a spring in my step...



Well, the title says it all.

Today was Mothers Day!

I wish I could say it has been one of the best days, like alot of people have been saying, but in all honesty - for me it wasn't. I could lie but that would not be me. It has just been an ordinary run-of-the-mill kinda day for me.

But that is not what I want to focus on. There were good things. I DID get a present...

I was hoping to get a sleep-in (like most mothers do) but as you can see from this photo, it's still a little bit dark when it was taken...6:21am is when I heard Sprout's excited voice echo through my ears "Mum, here's your present, here's your present". So I wearily sat up, got a hug and with hubby looking on, I opened my present. Which was...

A very colourful set of steak knives!

But there is another good thing...

I looked up and saw hubby scoffing something down off his plate and said "What are you eating?" to which he replied with a smile, "Bacon and Eggs. Yours is in the oven. Did you want it now or later?"

I decided to have it right then and there.

So he brought it in, kissed me goodbye and headed off to work.

Trying to shake off the feelings of lonely and sad cos hubby had to work, I smiled at Sprout and I began to eat. She chattered away while pinching bits of bacon off my plate. It was quite cute and amusing really.

{Breakfast in Bed}

{Leftover Lasagna from last night for lunch}

{My Chicken Parmigana with chips and coleslaw for dinner}

Hubby got home at 5:30pm and I cooked my chicken parmigana for our tea, whipped up a coleslaw and baked some chips. Of course, it was delicious as usual. HeHe.

Then, I had some play time with the girls in the lounge room.

 Today, both girls had runny noses and were coughing and sneezing everywhere so that didn't add to the day very well, plus I was also very tired and not 100% either. But here, I managed to get Sprout laughing but little Sparkle was much more interested in my mouth, or wanting to play with my necklace or her sister's hair! Ahh, that's my kids!

In reality, I did have a good day. I managed to bake a batch of cookies and do some cleaning. I just had this nagging yucky feeling that I just couldn't kick. I'm blaming sickness. Not feeling well really plays with your emotions!!

There was also probably the fact that, again, I was away from MY mum. When we lived in Tassie, we would always get together on occasions such as this and celebrate. I guess it's why I have such high expectations and hopes for a day like Mothers Day. In the end, the events of today didn't match up to my ideals of Mothers Day which put a dampner on my mood I guess. It's kinda like when a new movie comes out and they pump it up so much that you have such a high expectation that it's going to be the movie of ALL movies - only when you DO watch it, your waiting, waiting, Waiting for the amazingness to blow you away...and it just doesn't.

Oh yes, there are highlights but it just doesn't hit the mark like it should have.

That kinda sums up my day. Lotsa things to be grateful for but not a STAND-OUT day.

Probably the highlight of my day, was to be able to Skype my precious Mum and family back in Tassie. Which leads me to how I want to end this post...

A Tribute to my Mum.

This is my Mumma.

An energetic, bright & bubbly woman with a servant heart. She does sooo much for our family. She is always just go, go, go!

She loves to cook fresh & healthy meals for her family, keeps her house clean and organised, and is usually always smiling or just has a happy expression. Oh don't worry, when she's grumpy, we know it!

My Mum is a crafter. She sews. She knits. She has done scrapbooking and cardmaking, applique, stitching, cross-stitch - the list goes on.

When we were younger, Mum made alot of our clothes. So, in looking at some of the photos of my sisters and I as kids, you will find us in matching floral overalls OR same-print-different-colour flannelette pyjamas, OR polar-fleece jumpers in the same colour with all matchy matchy applique on them. LOL. I don't dislike this, I am just teasing. I like that Mum made do with what she had and used her talents in the process.

Some of my favourite moments with Mum are when we sit down with our knitting needles or whatever craft we are doing and just make a day of it. Knit, chat, drink coffee, knit (or craft) some more, eat yummy snacks. I love how on a cold, wintery night, we would pull out the Rice Bubbles and sit down to a bowl full with warm milk! Mmmm.

I love how excited Mum was when she found out I was going to make her a Gran. And there was no-one else I would have wanted in the delivery room with me (other than my hubby of course) than my Mum. She was such a great support person for both hubby and myself. Hubby was doing this for the first time too and he had no idea what he was doing either. So it was nice. And only natural for me to have her there. She saw ME become a Mum.

I admire Mum's strength. Days like today would be hard on people like my Mum, who have lost their Mum's. I know that Nan is missed and always in our thoughts. I know their are moments where Mum wishes her Mum was still around. But there were many Mothers Days we did have with Nan which we cherish. And she will continue to be remembered and celebrated.

I am so grateful for my Mum. And I miss her and my Dad and sisters so much. We are a very close knit family and enjoy each others company. It's hard to be apart on days like today.

Mum...

Today I honour you.

You bore me,

You helped raise me,

You nurtered me into the woman I am today.

I love you forever.

Your eldest.

xx

With Sprinkles of Sunshine...

Anna 

This is what my kitchen looks like today:

Hallelujah!

Progress.

Now it's just gotta stay that way!!

With Sprinkles of Sunshine...

Anna