The Importance of Time

Every morning starts the same. It is a moment I adore.

The rain gently kisses the tin roof, sometimes just a sprinkle of kisses. The light creeps in, wrapping itself around the curtains and spilling over onto the bed and the floor. The air is a little crisp, the tip of my nose is a little cold. A familiar dead weight in the form of a cat, wedged between Keith and I, is soaking up all of our warmth. A little hand reaches underneath the blankets searching for mummy's.

"Morning, Mama"

I gently lift the covers and usher in my beautiful four year old boy. He snuggles in tight, wrapping his little arms around my neck. We kiss and we cuddle. That is the moment that my day starts. In that moment the switch is on.

Once the switch is flipped, I am dreaming of everything that should be tackled that day. Lists are formed within my mind. Time frames. Time lines. Time this and time that.

" I've got to get this sent straight away. I've got to make sure I do this by this time. I've got to make sure I get Olivia down for a sleep by this time, otherwise......."

In that moment the bliss and joy of the new day slowly creeps out of my vision, and reality of what I need to do, creeps in.

My old mate Jody got me thinking about the need for time.

We all wish we could have more time; time to relax, time to sleep, time to explore, time to enjoy the sunshine, or time to enjoy the rain. We wish that we could have an extra hour or two in a day. The time to take stock and refocus our mind.

It really is about the quality of our time. Enjoying that moment, completley and utterly. Shutting out all of the other little things that niggle away at our minds. Being present in that very moment is a difficult thing to accept and practice. How often do we sit and stare at the clouds? How often do we take our shoes off and feel the ground beneath our feet? How often do we get down on the floor and really play with our kids - not looking at the clock and planning what we have to get done in the next fifteen minutes? How often do we really shut our brains down from the outside world?

This is the modern age. We have the possibility to do anything and the technology to match. With the awesomeness of this technology comes the difficulty to truly disconnect ourselves and recharge our own internal batteries.

The quality of work is slipping. The little joys in life are often going unnoticed. So many of us are running on little to no inspiration.
                                                                                             
I need to sit down and take stock.

Would you like to join me?

Stuff I'm Loving :: The March / April Edition

Well then, look what we have here...

It's been a very long time between 'Stuff I'm Loving' posts, time to change that!

:: Current William ::
My boy is now well and truly a little fellow. Reading, crafting, cooking, and exploring are some of his favourite activities. His speech is improving every single minute of every single day. He isn't quite at the sentence stage of things but he certainly makes sure you understand what he is talking about. He is just such an incredible little human. He is a favourite with the preschool ladies, wooing them with his cuddles and charm. Not only is he excelling at preschool, he is is just generally excelling at everything: being a big brother, being kind and gentle, being patient, understanding (super proud mother boast)! He teaches me SO much about everything. Plus this kid totally toilet trained himself in one week - I really expected it to be a long and drawn out process with him. So chuffed.

:: Current Olivia ::
Livvy has lost her baby look. She is well and truly a two year old. Trouble is her middle name, along with cheeky and sweetness. She is chatting away all.the.time. She sings her ABC's, she sings Play School songs, she sings all.the.time. It is great to see both Will and Liv at the same stage with their speech. They are two years apart but learning this important language together, holding each others hands along the way. I will often hear them saying things to each other, a favourite is "no, THAT way". Liv still wakes up during the night. I am pretty sure she just wants to hang out. She is still in love with puppy dogs 'Hairy' and 'Harry' are her favourites. She is the sweetest smelling little darling. She certainly keeps me on my toes, that's for sure.

:: Current Music ::
You know what is awesome, I have totally been getting back into music lately. It had felt like years since I had listened to an album, or had kept up with who was 'in' or who was 'out'. FINALLY I feel like I know what is the haps in the music scene, and thank goodness - so much awesomeness out there at the moment.

Albums
Bankrupt! by Phoenix
Homosapian by PVT
Indicud by Kid Cudi
Junip by Junip
The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
vs. Head vs. Heart by Emma Louise
True by Solange
Mosquito by Yeah Yeah Yeah's
Extended Play by Fleetwood Mac
I Feel Cream by Peaches

Playlist
Get Lucky by Daft Punk
I Need Answers by Asta
Home by Austra
Your Life, Your Call by Junip
Stoned and Starving by Parquet Courts
Battleships by Bernard Fanning
Everybody Dance by Chic
Riptide by Vance Joy
Demons by The National
Hey Now by London Grammar
Family by Hanni El Khatib
Is This How You Feel by The Preatures
Alive by Empire Of The Sun

:: Current Books ::
I'll I have been doing a lot of 'business' reading. Not so much for pleasure. One that I have been reading for myself and can't put down is 12 Steps To Wellness by Melissa Ambrosini - it is brilliant and easy to read.

:: Current Movies / Television  ::
Movies are another thing that I have completely abandoned since having children. It's like I have four years of cinema to catch up on. I've had the urge to relieve some old favourites of late. Maybe it's the changing of the seasons, the woollen blankets, hot chocolates and cosy knits?! I have gone and alphabetised our DVD collection (there is a lot, trust me, it needed to be done - we actually have multiple copies of some titles because we could not find one in the mass of discs - shameful really!)
The kids are getting into the classics which is nice, Saturday night is family movie night - the kids pick one then when they go to bed we pick one. It is super lovely to have a bowl of popcorn and snuggle up with the gang.

Okay some favourites that have had a dusting off include:
Moonstruck - oh Cher I love you and your hair!
Sliding Doors - wasn't a fan when it was first released, now I love it
Baby Boom - I swear I watched this all.the.time. as a little kid - Diane Keaton has my heart forever!!!
Die Hard - I actually love this movie (i know??!!)
Terminator - obviously Kdog's choice

:: Current Food / Drink ::
Cant get enough of the food lately - and it's starting to show. With all the sickness that has been floating around our place of late, not a whole lot of exercise has been done. I am well and truly running out of room in my clothes, even my wedding ring is getting too tight - shame shame shame!!
Anyway the delicious treats that have caused the winter layering include: roasts - a lot of roasts, Mexican - a lot of Mexican and salads - whilst healthy, not enough of these have been consumed.

Fresh juices have been getting a thrashing here too - you can find out my recipe here

:: Current Triumph ::
My business is going well. I am actually blown away with the small amount of success I have had. Not only have I got the pleasure of photographing six weddings at the end of this year, I have shot a whole bunch of awesome family shoots too. The beautiful Sam from Good Mum Hunting flew me over to SYDNEY to photograph her family - I actually cried happy tears. I couldn't believe I had made it - a photographer FLYING to work!!! The following weekend I spent with the gorgeous Cat from Wouldn't It Be Loverly photographing her darling brood. Keep your eyes peeled for these shots coming real soon. Also photographing various events around Adelaide, including the opening of BLOOM-SPACE at AEAF. Super awesomeness!!!!!

:: Current Lowlight ::
See above comments under Current Food and Drink section. That is all!!

:: Current Non-Mummy Activities ::
Heaps and heaps and heaps. A few that I can remember:
Seeing Neil Young with Kdog
Pub nights with the gals
Mornings at Red Door Bakery

:: Current Autumn Loves ::
Lots of blankets and the winter doona on the bed. Long Sleeves. The rain on the roof. Hot chocolates with marshmallows. The changing leaves. The warming soups

What are YOU loving right now?
Join in and link up if you like.


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The Greatest Carrot Cake on Earth!

Carrot cake is the bomb. I love all cake, but carrot cake is up there in my top three cakes - closely followed by chocolate (of any kind) and a good sponge.

I used to work in an awesome in my high school and uni days. Their carrot cake was pretty famous, the freshness, the citrusy cream cheese icing...amazeballs.

So when I moved away to another state, I needed to find a recipe that accurately replicated this cafe's mouth watering slice. I searched far and wide, high and low. Too dry, too moist, too many nuts, NO cream cheese icing!!

Then one day ... BOOOOOM.. I found it and it is amazing.

And dead easy to make.

In a big bowl mix :

: 2 eggs
: 2/3 cup of sunflower or canola oil
: 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
: 1 cup of caster sugar
: 1 1/4 cup of plain flour
: 1 teaspoon of bi-carb soda
: 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (any kind are good)
: 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple chunks
: 2 grated carrots
: 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Stir it all together with a wooden spoon and pour into a greased and lined cake tin

or a greased muffin/ friand tin

Bake at 180 degrees for 40-50 mins (large tin) or 20-30 mins (small tin)

For the Cream Cheese Icing:

: tub of cream cheese
: 1/2 - 1 cup of icing sugar
: zest and juice of 1 lemon

Whizz that all together with a mixer and spread on cooled cake.

(in the above picture my icing was rather runny - minimise orange juice...duh Amelia)

Thank me later!

The Beginnings of Autumn

Well it appears another Summer has been and gone. The days are shorter and the nights are nippy. Winter woolens are being washed and dried in preparation for the cold. Ugg boots are being dusted off and luscious warming dinners are being planned.

It is time to fuel ourselves with nourishment and protect our bodies from the wintry chill. The kiddo's have battled through some nasty summer-time flu's this year, I am hoping and praying that the winter months are not as treacherous as anticipated.

Cherish it.

In every sadness there is a blessing. I believe that to be true.

We do not really know what happens when a life ends, we do not really understand it at all. The uncertainty and uncharted waters that lie ahead in the days, weeks, months, years and decades and some of the hardest to journey through. In my eyes, grief is Australia's best kept secret...(worldwide infact). No one knows how to talk about it, no one really understands the stages, it is really the one time in ones life where anything goes, and it's okay.

When a life ends by choice, the grief can often be harder to comprehend. There is an added layer of sadness to an already bottomless pit of emotion. What could possibly be a blessing in this situation? There is one. I promise. When a life clings to life, literally clinging for days, there is a blessing. A difficult yet easy choice is to be made, with that choice, life is given - to five other people.

Life is a blessing, cherish it. Cherish each other. Cherish your individuality. Cherish the fresh air. Cherish the sunshine.  Cherish your soul. Cherish love.

If you need any help with mental illness contact Lifeline
If you would like any information about organ donation visit this website

Gratitude 2.0

Sometimes it's nice to throw a little gratitude in the mix, don't you agree?

There has been a lot to be super grateful for of late. There have been a lot of stand out moments for me, and for those around me, that have made me stop (literally in my tracks) at look at what I have, and just be so thankful that everyone is okay and healthy. Life is good.

First cab off the rank - Kdog. This guy, he just gets me and he gets it. He's just a good egg. I'll throw the kids under the 'Kdog header' too. Whilst often they shit me to tears, these past couple of weeks, things have seemed to chill a bit. They are mates, not enemies. They have little chats and it swells my heart with pride and joy. They are so much more independent, where have those needy babies gone?

Second - my girlfriends. God I love these women, more than I can actually put into words. They know who they are. I love them because they make me a better me, they make me a better mother. Why? Because they take me away from my children for a while, they make me stop and focus on myself. They tell me that I've 'still got it', that I am still an interesting person even though my life is consumed with tiny people. HAHA thank goodness!! Some of these amazing women have hit some rough patches of late, some personal crisis, some crossroads. Decisions have had to be made, tears have been wiped away and plenty of chocolate has been shared. I am so bloody grateful that these women are still able to come to me, even after all the years, kilometres and changes, we still find ourselves connecting with each other. When I stop and look at these women, as individuals, I am in awe of the people they are, you know deep inside, and the lives they have created for themselves. Power women indeed. I sometimes have visions of us all, old cat ladies, living in a big mansion by the sea - did you ever see the Practical Magic movie? It was pretty bad however, I loved it because Stevie Nicks was on the soundtrack. Anyway, there were these two aunts (witches) who lived in this old crazy mansion over looking the ocean. They would have Margarita and brownie parties at midnight, in their nighties...awesome. I can totally see us doing that one day gals. 

Last, but not least - the bloggers. You guys, you make my heart sing. When I googled 'mother bloggers' way back in 2009, I would never have predicted the impact they would have had on my life. It's funny you know, I was always privately critical of those who befriended people online, like there was something a bit strange about it. Then I had babies, man was I wrong. To have that friendship, so accessible, just there at your fingertips. Women who get it, who know the mother struggle. It's mind-blowing. I love these women with every bit of my heart. The first time I met ol' Beverly I nearly weed my pants with excitement. Beth's blog was the first one I stumbled upon. I love her honesty and her bloody humour, she is the bees knees.  I look to her for advice in so many aspects of my life; style, home decor, motherhood, and spirit. When I found Beth, I found a flock of others. I read their blogs and they lift my soul, they make a gloomy day a whole lot brighter - Sam, Jody, Bianca, Ruth, Amelia, Cat and Jodi - these women are my soul sisters. I am blessed to have them in my life. Thank you ladies. Then there are my photo taking blogger mums, Lou, Tahnee, and Belinda. I look at their photos and it motivates me to be a better me, a better photographer. I love these ladies because they have made their passion their reality, my passion too.

Woah, SO much love. (It's a bit sickening, I know)!

The Fat : Part Two

I have been completely blown away by all of your beautiful comments, emails and messages in response to Monday's post. You guys!! 

There were messages form so many of you, words of encouragement, even recipe ideas from ex-boyfriends ?!? Anyway, I am just so super grateful for the few moments you have spared to respond to my post. Thank you!

........................................................................

Well it all began this morning. I was awake before the crack of dawn (don't you hate it when you wake up 10 minutes before your alarm?). I'll be honest, I had a moment. Would I or wouldn't I? I changed into my exercise gear and looked out the back door. It was pitch black and raining. That's it, I'm going back inside. As I took off my shoes and socks, I felt that twinge - the twinge of guilt.

'C'mon O'Connor, SUCK IT UP, it's a little bit of rain for goodness sake!' 

If I gave up now, before I had even started, I would feel like a damn fool.

'Think of how it will feel to be running free in the rain, think of the sense of achievement when you've finished'.

BAM.

I was out the door. Next thing I knew, I was at the end of the road running.

There was an encounter with a freshly paved footpath but I did pick myself up - 'soul building' I said to myself.

This is soul building and I like it.