friday favourites

Well how good is Glee?!

What a show. Me loves it.

Between Masterchef and Glee, my nights are pretty well booked between now and the end of the season. What a couch potato. I love to wear skirts and dresses. I used to be a pants girl, but I like my frocks, so today I am trying to find this look at the second hand stores. Wish me luck.

From polyvore.

This circus girl print by Monjojo is the sweetest and reminds me of Enid from Ghost World. She has lovely, lovely things in her store.

image here

My cousin Michelle is marrying Roger tomorrow in Perth. A lifetime of well wishes to you and your man M. Have a wonderful day.

We have a ham hock defrosting for pea soup, we have the wood chopped for the fire, we have Big Bang Theory and Glee to watch and a Camberwell Market walk with our friend Craig on Sunday.

Happy weekend to you. I hope you have a lovely time.

xxx

ps - attempting Eggs Benedict from Julie's Cookbook for Ben tomorrow. Recipe 1. Fingers crossed it doesn't turn into Eggs Inthebinadict.

weighty wednesdays the video

toni and julie

Delving deeper into finding out why I have a big bottom, I have decided to start my own Julie and Julia project....only without the movie, Meryl and a time line.

I love baking and my skills are ok, but I stick to the same foods when it comes to meals.

I love this book by Julie Goodwin - Our Family Table. Julie won the first season of Masterchef Australia.

Turning the pages of her book, I felt so taken with her beautiful and simple recipes and home style cooking. It's exactly the way I would like to cook for my family.

Jamie is still my love, but Julie is more me.

So I am going to cook all the recipes in her book and come out the other end with better skills and with many more recipes that I can go to when I get stuck.

I am also going to turn her book into a journal - adding in my own notes and entries and date all the pages as I go.

If I want to be thinner...then I have to understand the very basics of food and how they come together.

I think.

smiling at shadows

Last night I went to Irabina for a talk by Junee Waites.

Junee wrote a book called Smiling At Shadows which is the story about how her and her husband Rod raised their son Dane who is Autistic.

My oldest friend Marie-Claire put me onto this book. She said "there are hundreds of books about Autism but this one is my favourite."

It is a wonderful book and Dane also went to Irabina just like Elton. Dane is the volunteer gardener every second Thursday and he is very tall and fit with a big smile.

Junee spoke beautifully and I was hanging from her every word. Her story gives lots of parents with a child with a disability hope.

Junee and Rod made it over the hurdles with Dane, only for Rod to have cancer and Junee suffers with Parkinsons Diseases. I don't know why so many people have battles after battles in life. It doesn't seem fair.

I took away so many great pieces of advice and inspiration from her talk. It was also nice to know that Ben and I have thought along the same track as Junee and Rod with regards to looking at big pictures and the future.

They always knew they wouldn't raise a rhodes scholar but instead opted to give Dane 'life experiences' - through learning a musical instrument, camping, kyacking and being involved in sport and travelling.

Dane can do so many things and is living a full life because he and his family accepted very early on that there is no need to place pressure on an outcome but to simply open doors to experience and encourage learning and living at your own pace.

This is the life we want for our son.

Many times I felt so close to tears. Junee was speaking my thoughts outloud, only it was like looking in a crystal ball. I hope I can speak as well as her when Elton is a grown man.

I waited in the line after the talk and I got to meet Rod, Junee and Dane and they signed my book which I asked them to dedicate to Marie-Claire. Living in Perth in a remote part of the country, she won't get to meet them, so I will send this book to her at the postie tomorrow. I still can't believe that my oldest friend (about 34 years we have known each other) and I and our sons have Autism. Must of been all those lolly bananas we used to eat.

Today at Irabina in OT I had a teary moment which doesn't happen often I think from the talk last night and that by Friday we are all feeling a bit tired, but tonight is Masterchef with Matt Preston's pink pants and cowboy boots which makes me feel better just by looking at his legs and........

this morning - a good hair day.

It's not all bad.

Happy Weekend to you.

x

a journal about my weight

Thank you so much for the inspiring comments on yesterday's post about my weight loss goals.

Half of the comments were also from ladies who had struggles with weight just like mine.

Well you are not alone. We can all help each other and spur one another on.

I started a journal to keep myself inspired and if I feel like I am reaching for a biscuit, I can flip through this to get me over the craving.

It's a journal for me. I plan to fill it with inspiring quotes, funny stories. Clothes I wish I could wear and I WILL wear. Emails and comments filled with good words.

Weight loss shouldn't be a drag or a bad thing. It's a change and it has to come from a good place or already it's a failure. But this time I am doing what I have never down before. Keep this journal and keep myself accountable 24/7.

I want to feel proud of these pages and proud of myself.

tuesday is weigh day

This is a picture of me.

This is also a picture of me.

And this is a picture of me.

See the link here?

I have no torso, arms or legs. Just a head with feet with the occasional childhood shot throw in before puberty hit.

Now a little back story about my weight battles.

I was a normal kid like everyone else. I loved reading Dolly magazine and wished I had long hair and looked like the girls on the pages.

My first real diet started in Malaysia at high school. I sat next to a girl on the bus and she made a joke about me taking up more room on the seat. I was mortified and the next day drunk lots of tea, ate an orchard of apples and rode my bike around the RAAF air field almost everyday. We were posted back to Australia and when I hit the shores, I resembled a plucked chicken. I was this huge head on a skinny frame. Like a lolly pop.

Then I was a yo-yo. Going from skinny to chunky until now. I know why it happens. I lose weight and I start to feel confident and then I think that because I have done so well I can eat a piece of cake. Then it's back on again. Plus, I fill up when I worry. I worry nearly everyday. Not a good combination happening here.

After I had Audrey I weighed 50 kilos more than I do today. Which is pretty good when I think of the weight I came from, but today, is still not enough.

I have spoken before about feeling good in your clothes and loving yourself, but you also have to love what you see in the mirror, and I don't love what I see. It makes me sad. Sad in a way that when I get captured on film, people are only going to see a chunky lady, not someone who feels happy, loves her children, can be funny, is neat and keeps a nice home. Just a fatty.

Well, I am sick of being labelled and I am not letting that happen anymore. The 50 kilos I have already lost are going to be joined by a whole heap more and the rest is coming off!

I did a little spreadsheet on my computer and every week I will pop in my weight for the week. I threw left over easter junk in the bin and have my water bottle filled and ready to go.

My goal is our visit to Perth for Christmas/New Years and to have full length photos taken of me where I look good just on the outside. The insides count the most, but the outsides have to as well because that shows your health.

So I am going to try and take a full length photo......and this can document the "before" stage. I might be a little too shy to post it here.......

It's time to change. I want a torso and arms and legs I can be proud to show off.

monday

Monday today.

A new week.

It's a little cloudy.

The forecast for the weekend is chilly.

Better order some wood.

Also tackle the ironing from the weekend.

I made a pudding for Ben.

Hope he likes it.

I feel like making something.

Could this be the long lost craft itch returning?

At least it's a good itch.

Not one that requires cream.

Best go and have a coffee.

Yes.

Good idea.

happy birthday

Today it is our little girl's birthday and Audrey is 3 years old. I still can't believe it. Where does the time go?

For our present to Audrey we got her some new things for her birthday. Granny and Pa (Mummsie and Pa) gave her the bed which is so beautiful. We got Audrey her new mattress, bed things and a new mat.

I made Audrey her quilt cover in her favourite colours - purple and pink. I also made pillows for her bed, did some embroideries for her wall, made a garland, painted frames and filled them with the left over material from her quilt. I love that I can make her things and she truly loves them.

Also the special finishing touch was finding a brown suitcase exactly like the one I had as a girl, that lives under her bed filled with her barbies. Her own little suitcase just like what Mummy had. I found it at a secondhand store for $10.

Presents from Granny and Pa. Thank you so much.

Presents from Uncle Matt and Aunty Anae.

A book.

And her beloved dancing shoes. Thank you so much.

Cuddles for mummy.

Party time.

Waiting for Dad's homemade sausage rolls.

We love you Auds. xxx

you're my sun, my moon, my guiding star

For our Audrey. A little video of your past year.

Just like Barry White said...."I know there's only, only one like you. There's no way, they could have made two. You're all I'm living for. Your love I'll keep for ever more. You're the first, you're the last, my everything"

Happy 3rd Birthday on Sunday Audsie. We love you.

Mummy, Daddy and Elton. xxx

(Happy Weekend to you. We are working on Audrey's room over the weekend for her special day. Pictures on Monday. x)

me

I am playing along with my own 10 things from Rachel's beautiful blog. Talented and has lovely curly hair.

1. When do you feel happiest?

When I get to spend my time with my 3 favourite people. I don't know what I did before they came along.

2. How do you take care of yourself?

Talking to Ben. He is my medicine. There is some saying about a problem shared...can't quite remember how it goes, but it's so much better to get things out. Don't keep them in.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated?

I surprise myself rarely, so my motivation definitely comes from others. I am constantly amazed by everything around me.

4. What do you do for fun?

Fun for me is just being happy not fun back in the day which meant dancing at Rumours Nightclub and eating a hotdog from Dan-Dan The Hotdog Man at 3am.

It's listening to music or crafting. Watching a movie. Laughing. Sharing a meal.

5. What intimidates you?

Clothes stores and when you walk in and the shop assistant doesn't ask you if you need help or acknowledge you. I always feel like they are thinking "what on earth is she doing in this shop?"

6. What is something you're proud of?

My family. I can't believe I made people and pushed them out into the world.

7. Finish this sentence. I never _____________.

let my nails grow.

8. Favorite vacation spot.

Paris. The most magical place on earth.

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).

10. I am still happy from my Elton comment. See a few posts below.

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know _____________.

I don't like carrots.

5 faves from 1971

Pippy over at MMAM is one clever lady. She has inspired two posts rolled into one today - the weekly 5 favs combined with put-a-random-year-into-flickr-and-see-what-pops-out.

I do like that Pip. Yes I do.

So 1971 it is. The year I was born. Just don't tell anybody. I am trying to get by on 1977.

Colleen and Seth.

I love this photo. What a stylish lady rocking those bell bottoms and working her Charlie's Angels hair. You go girl!
Tim, Dave and The Combi van.

Phew! A lot to take in here. The man pose, the waistcoat, the Welcome Back Kotter hair.
Very rugged indeed.
Garth.

I say bring back the man oversized bow and cane.

The wingback chair is fantastic!

hhmmmmm.

Something not quite right in this photo. Can't put my finger on it. It'll come to me.....

This photo are definitely The Cullens circa 1971.