SIMPLIFY | Are you ready to Ban Busy?

I started this blog a few years ago as vehicle to share my craft projects. 

This blog has since evolved into a personal blog where in addition to sharing my craft projects, I also share my thoughts on life, living, mothering and the random recipe from my kitchen.

I have not posted a craft project for a few weeks. I have not had any craft time. In between work, family, and life, I found myself overwhelmed by my growing to-do list(s). Both physical and mental lists. 

I have made the decision to do less. And to take on less.

I was inspired by the Abundant Mama blog. My heart filled with happiness and excitement that I found a treasure trove of practical tips and information about everything I have been thinking about. 

On the Abundant Mama blog, you learn ways to be a "peaceful mum, raising peaceful, thriving children."

By learning how to be a better me, I can become a calmer and more present mother. That to me is more important than anything right now. 

I immediately subscribed to receive newsletters and could not wait to learn more. 

It was in the newsletters I discovered the BAN BUSY Movement. Wow. This  resonated with me like you wouldn't believe! 

"The Abundant Mama Project is gearing up to slow down. We're going to ban busy. Savour slow. And start a challenge to be present, peaceful and playful in a slow, intentional way." ~ from The Abundant Mama blog 

It has become the norm to be crazy busy, frantic, hectic, and going at super speeds to get everything done. This old way of existing hasn't worked for me. It's time to make changes. 

This article here was the one that made think, "I must learn more from this amazing lady!". If you have young children, this post is a must-read. It's written beautifully and with truth and insight. 

I'm taking on the Ban Busy mini challenge. How about you? Ready to savour slow?

IN MY KITCHEN | Low Allergy banana pikelets

The boys and I do not have gluten, dairy or egg in our diets, but we can still have yummy treats. Banana pikelets being one of them.

I make these pikelets when we have over ripe bananas and nothing for breakfast. (usually the day before food shopping day)

This recipe I have adapted from a normal pikelet recipe and replaced the egg with bananas.  

INGREDIENTS:

- two very ripe medium sized bananas

- 2 level cups of brown rice flour

- 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda

- rice milk

- pinch of pure vanilla powder  

- a couple of tablespoons of honey 

- dollop of coconut oil for mixture

- coconut oil for cooking

STEP 1: Sift dry ingredients and set aside.

STEP 2: In a separate mixing bowl, mash bananas with a masher or a fork.

STEP 3: Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to mashed bananas.

STEP 4: Melt a dollop of coconut oil in the fry pan (if the oil is solid...depends on the weather) and add to wet mixure

 

STEP 5: Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to banana mixture and alternate with rice milk. I do not have a specific measurement for the rice milk because depending on the size and ripeness of the bananas, I adjust quantity of rice milk accordingly. It is a matter of testing it out and seeing what you like.

The photo below shows the consistency I like (it's a bit hard to describe...). You can add more milk if you prefer a lighter pikelet, or use less milk if you prefer a denser pikelet.

STEP 6: Melt some coconut oil in a fry pan on a medium heat and spoon mixture into fry pan. Once the edges look cooked (browning and drying out), use a spatular to gently lift the pikelet to avoid it sticking too much when it comes time to flip. Flip when you see bubbles (as with normal pikelets).

STEP 6: Serve with butter (if you can have dairy) or dairy free butter, and your choice of toppings. ie. syrup, jam, peanut butter, honey. Peanut butter AND jam is a yummy combo. ENJOY!

ON MY MIND | It's the good old "mum-guilt" trick.

I am kind. I am considerate. I am thoughtful. I am loving. I know I am all these things yet after I tucked my eldest into bed tonight, I retreated into the bathroom, closed the door, sat down on the side of the bathtub and had a little cry. Mum-guilt had reared it's ugly head again.

I had a trying night where my eldest was testing my patience. Don't get me wrong, he's a really good kid, but he is head strong and stubborn, much like me. 

Everyday I go through the motions of a being a "good mother". 

I make school lunches. I drive them to appointments before and after school. I spend my weekends cooking and baking. I do the laundry, clean the house and I vacuum the car. I fold the clothes and cook homemade dinners every night. I tuck them in every night and tell them how much I love them.

I know I am a good mother in what I do for my children.

And yet I feel like an inadequate mother every day. 

My eldest boy torments (in the nicest brotherly way possible) his younger brother incessantly, as older siblings often do. It drives me batty. 

His defence is "I was just having fun with him" or "I was just playing with him..." or "I was just trying to make him laugh.." 

What do I say to that? I honestly don't know. We have the same conversation every other day, and I am no closer to finding a solution to what to say to him, or what to do. I see where he is coming from, he's just being a kid.

I rouse at them. Neither pays me any attention until I get cranky. Then I separate them and send them to their rooms because it gives me space to calm down and process my thoughts. 

This is when the feelings of the inadequacy of my parenting skills kicks in. I am feeling the mum-guilt. Self doubt. Wondering "Am I a good enough mother?" 

I try to explain how their actions are wrong. Inconsiderate. Disrespectful. In doing so, I am making them feel guilty. I tell them I I am disappointed with their actions. And that what they are doing is not acceptable behaviour. 

I realised that I was unknowingly instilling in my children the negative thoughts I have about myself. All the things I personally struggle with. Which is why I was so upset tonight. 

I know how terrible it feels to feel like you have disappointed someone you love. How guilt eats you up from inside. And how hard it is to shake that feeling that you are not good enough as a person.

I told my eldest tonight that sometimes I don't know if I am doing a good job being a mother. And that I don't have instructions on what to do. To which he replied, "Does Daddy have some instructions?" Bless his little cotton socks, I wish he did. It would make things a lot easier. 

I don't have any answers. But I do know I don't want my children to think they are not good enough. I just have to keep working at it. 

MINI ALBUM | Baby Taiyo

My brother-in-law and his wife welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world last month, and I was lucky enough to meet him when he was only a few days old. 

I had my camera with me on the day (Mother's Day) and snapped a few photos of baby Taiyo (means Sun in Japanese) while I was there.

With the photos I captured on the day, I put together a mini album with a my favourite captures from the day. I wanted to keep it very simple so aside from using stamps, I haven't embellished much.

Here's a sneak at the cover and inside of the mini album.

Alphabet stickers from Polka Dot Creative

Stamp from Kellie Stamps

Ali Edwards Stamp

I also made a Photomovie using iMovie with the photos I took. I love how adding music to photos brings out a new dimension to how we connect with the images we see.

If you would like to try making the mini album, I have included the instructions below.

I hope you give the mini album a go. They are very quick and easy and make great gifts for friends and family. 

Hope you all have a great week! xx

PROJECT LIFE | TL comes to visit

My bestie Tanyalee, author of the The Drawing Board, came to visit earlier in March this year. We had not seen each other for almost 10 years, even though we now text EVERY DAY!

I met TL about 16 years ago when we worked together at TAFE. Although it was only for a few short months, we became instant friends.

I loved going to work everyday because we got to hang out, and our most critical decision each day was where to have lunch! 

With family commitments, work changes and relocations, our conversations became less frequent and eventually, we went years without contact. Thanks to social media, we reconnected a few years ago and discovered our mutual love for crafting, memory keeping and Project Life.

On TL's visit, she met my youngest boy for the first time, and saw my eldest for the first time since he was born 10 years ago. We shopped, we ate, we talked..and we talked...and we even did some scrapping!  

Which brings me to the Project Life Challenge we set for ourselves. We decided to scrap exactly the same photos from her visit, but with NO CONSULTATION with each other during the entire creative process until our pages were finished.

This is a bit different from how we usually craft as I am used to sending progress photos to TL and vice versa. We normally know what the other is working on at any given point in time.

So here is my page from TL’s recent visit in March this year.

Yesterday, my husband calls me 10 minutes after he left for work to say he accidentally took my phone to work with him. No big deal if I wasn't having one of those days where i needed moral support. Sometimes you just need a friend who understands your illogical craziness.   

I consider TL part of my family - the sister I never had. She inspires and motivates me everyday. 

Friends are a treasure. Go on, tell a friend you love them!

GUEST POST | Tanyalee from The Drawing Board

Today I am welcoming my first guest Tanyalee (TL), the lovely author of The Drawing Board. 

We have known each other for over 15 years and she is one of my bestest friends on the planet. TL is a busy mother of three, works full-time, is studying AND finds time to craft in-between responding to my text messages all day lol.

I love TL's crafting style - clean and fresh with the focus on her photos, and always gorgeous. I am in awe of how she picks the most perfect filler cards to highlight the  beautiful tones in her photos, every single time.  

I'll let TL introduce herself further and tell you about the Project Life Challenge we set for ourselves.  

"Well this is a new experience for me. I have only been blogging for five months so making a guest post is a little daunting. But when the idea came up that Sue and I guest post on each other's blog I couldn't pass it up. Thank you my gorgeous friend for having me. 

The idea of this post came up after I took a trip to Queensland in March to visit Sue and her family (and some other friends and family). You see Sue and I have been friends since we worked together at TAFE many years ago. Our friendship developed quickly, but when my family moved to regional Queensland and then Tasmania, and both of our lives became busy with work and family, things changed. 

But thanks to the wonders of the digital age and social media we connected again and have rediscovered all of the things we have in common. We 'talk' to each other every day - numerous times a day. Sue is like the sister I never had - and I love her to bits. To be honest, sometimes I don't know what I would do without her. 

So more about our challenge. Before I even made it to Queensland we came up with the idea of creating a layout using photos that we took during the visit. The catch was that we couldn't share our progress with each as the end result had to be a surprise. 

I totally underestimated how hard that would be. You see we share progress shots with everything we work on. We help each other with card choices and photo placements and colour matching. I guess you could say we cyber-scrap. 

Well enough about that. Let's get down to the business end of this post. The reveal of my Queensland visit Project Life page. 

We both have very similar styles with our Project Life so I was very excited to see Sue's layout. If you want to check it out too, it's over on my blog The Drawing Board now. 

This was such a fun challenge. I can't wait till our next adventure - and our next crafting challenge. Stay tuned. 

Thanks for letting me hijack your blog today Sue. Love you long time girlfriend. Xx"

Thank you my beautiful friend for popping in and sharing your amazing page. So much fun and can't wait for our next catch up so we can do it all again xx

To see more of Tanyalee's work, visit her blog The Drawing Board.

IN MY KITCHEN | My Obsession with Chicken Bone Broth.

I am obsessed with Homemade Chicken Bone Broth. I love it! 

During the past couple of months, I have started a weekly ritual of making my own chicken bone broth every weekend. Aside from it tasting amazing, it is unbelievably healing and full of nutrients that is easier absorbed by the body than taking a supplement.

The large stock pot of bone broth I make does not last long in our house. My youngest asked me if it was "chinese healing soup like what Jackie Chan drinks after a fight". Put it this way - my little man needs time to deliberate when given a choice between soup and chocolate. 


WHY THE BONE BROTH OBSESSION?

I have allergies which present as eczema. Fifteen years ago, the allergies hit me like a tonne of bricks and Dermatologists said they could not help me. Not one to be disheartened, I went on a quest for answers which lead me to an Environmental Medicine doctor who was awesome. Dr Barry (not his real name) told me I had leaky gut syndrome -- also known as gut hyper-permeability. This is essentially what causes food allergies. (Google it to read more)

The most difficult phases of my condition were after the birth of each of my babies. My doctor wanted to hospitalise me. I likened the pain to being severely sunburnt with chickenpox itch. 

Through self nurture, soul searching, commitment and the guidance of a wonderful acupuncturist/mentor/nutritionist/friend, I have my life back! I have the occasional mild flare up, but grateful to feel "almost normal". 

I appreciate the ordinary and "mundane" of my every day more than ever, having experienced the physical inability to do these ordinary every day things when I was unwell. Showering without the water stinging my raw skin is one such ordinary thing I appreciate greatly. 

So here's the thing. Bone Broth HEALS leaky gut! It is all the rage at the moment and for good reason. 

Check out these links to read out more of the amazingness of what I call "liquid gold".

Top 5 Reasons why Bone Broth is the Bomb

Bone Broth - One of Your Most Healing Diet Staples


MY CHICKEN BONE BROTH RECIPE.

The supplies and ingredients I use:

- large stock pot
- enough filtered water to cover the ingredients in the pot
- 1 x large leek* washed and chopped in half
- 2 x onions* quartered
- 4-5 cloves of garlic* peeled
- half bunch of shallots* washed and chopped in half
- 4 organic chicken frames 
- juice of 1 lemon
- sea salt
- Coconut oil

*use organic where possible

Heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil in a stock pot. Add leek, onions, garlic and shallots and fry until lightly browned and fragrant. Add chicken frames and filtered water to cover the ingredients in the pot. Add lemon juice*** and sea salt (I use himalayan sea salt). Increase the heat to high and bring to boil. Skim off the scum (the frothy stuff) that comes to the surface and discard. Turn the heat to low and pop the lid back on the pot. Simmer for 6-8 hours. Strain (I use a sieve) and store in fridge or freezer**. Enjoy!

**please follow food safety precautions regarding the amount of time it is safe to store the broth in the fridge and freezer.
***I use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar due to my sensitivity to fermented foods. The lemon juice/vinegar helps draw out the minerals from the bones.


HOW I USE THE BROTH.

I portion and freeze the broth for use in soups, and in general cooking (risottos, stews, gravy etc) where the recipe calls for stock. The glass jars I keep in the fridge as I know I will use them within a few days.

Mostly, we love to drink it straight. I bring it to the boil in a saucepan, season with sea salt to taste and drink it from my favourite soup mug. It's the one pictured above. My eldest son bought it for me at the school Mother's Day Stall a few years ago. I love it.

Homemade Bone Broth is how I am boosting the vitamin/mineral intake for my family. And hopefully healing my gut. 

I am sure there there are plenty of ways to boost our vitamin and mineral intake, but bone broth feels right to me. It is affordable. Easy to make. And it tastes so good!

Let me know if you try it out, would love to hear how you go! 

Making cards with the boys

I've always followed the Chinese calendar for mum's birthday and that of my Grandparent's birthdays.

I cannot read or write Chinese, so working out their birthdays required a little guess work. I know the symbol for moon (month) and the numbers which was just enough to get me through.

This year, mum didn't have a spare Chinese calendar for me. Knowing that most years mum's birthday is in May, I phoned my brother early last week to ask what day mum's birthday falls on this year. He said matter-of-factly "Yeah...she's already had it. It was on Anzac Day." Nobody bothered to tell me! I was disappointed, as this is the first time I've missed mum's birthday. 

Thankfully, mum's birthday based the Gregorian calendar was Friday so I could still do something for her. 

The boys and I got busy and each made her a birthday card.

Here's the card I made using the diamond stamp from the Shapes stamp set by Kellie Stamps. I stamped it to create a flower shape, cut around it, and added a gem to the centre. 

The boys woke up early on Friday morning and got their craft on before school.

They go a little nuts with my old Stampin' Up! punches. Here's my eldest creating "raining gumballs".

I had the day off work so I spent the morning baking muffins (after I burnt the sushi rice, but that's another story) to take to mum's house. It was nice to just sit and talk with her, and just catch up. We rarely have the opportunity when we have little people with us busily making their own noisy fun.

The boys didn't finish their cards before school so they added the finishing touches when they came home from school.

This is the result of their card making efforts. I helped with the stamping, and they did the rest themselves. 

Stamps: Birthday stamp set by Kellie Stamps

There's something really special about watching the boys create. Although they start off unsure, once they let go of their own expectations of themselves, they always create something unique and beautiful. 

ON MY MIND | Babies. Do we ever stop wanting another?

My cousin gave birth to a beautiful baby boy almost two weeks ago.

And any day now, my brother-in-law and his wife will be having their first baby! 

The truth is, I get a little jealous when someone has a baby, because it makes me want another one.

I am too scared to have another baby. I was unwell for many years following the birth of each of my babies, and there are no guarantees it won’t happen again. I am very grateful for my two little boys. 

I love watching the boys' unique personalities develop as they grow. And I am in awe of the amazing little people they are becoming. I just wish there was a way to bottle all those little moments when I catch myself thinking, “Wow, I want to remember this moment forever".

My eldest was almost 3 when we were expecting baby #2. I wanted a little girl. So very much. I knew how silly this was because every child is a blessing.

The ultrasound scans showed we were having another little boy. I was disappointed for my own selfish reasons. 

I dreamed of having a daughter. I wanted to put her hair into piggy tails with pretty ribbons, buy her cute little outfits, have magical princess/fairy birthday parties for her, and go on mother-daughter outings together. I wanted us to be best friends.

More than that, I wanted to have a daughter so that I had a chance to give her what I didn’t have when I was a girl. A father who stayed.

When I was 5, my father dropped me off at school and never returned to pick me up. I never saw him again until I was 18, and have never seen him since that day. 

I thought time would heal that sad feeling. We went to my old primary school when looking at options for our eldest's prep year. I stood frozen as I looked at the old grade one block and the memories came flooding back. I felt like I had just stepped back in time 30 years. We decided against sending him to my old primary school, lol.   

When baby #2 was born, I fell in love instantly with my littlest man. My now almost 7 year old “baby” lights up my day with his sunny smile and he thinks nothing of random public displays of affection. My eldest prefers to give cuddles and exchange his "i-love-you's" with us when we tuck him into bed at night. I love their individual quirks and eccentricities. 

My old feelings of wanting a daughter have been stirred once again. My reasons are a little different now. 

I worry that when my boys are married and have babies, I will be pushed aside because their wife/partner will prefer their own mother by their side. I fear being cast aside as the interfering mother-in-law who doesn’t get to see her grand babies often. I don't want to lose my connection with my boys when they become men. Although I can see this as a possibility as they approach their teens. 

Perhaps it's the fear of one day not being needed anymore. Maybe that's what it really comes down to. When our children are babies, we are their everything. They rely on us, they adore us, and we are responsible for their every happiness. When they grow up, our contribution to their happiness lessens. We aren't needed as much.

Well, back to the NOW. The only thing I can do in the meantime is continue to nurture the relationship I have with my boys. To be open, and open-minded. Listen and love without judgment, and speak my truth without expectations. Tell them how proud I am of them everyday. And tell them how much I love them everyday. That much I know I can do. 

PROJECT LIFE | Boys' October 2013 pages

A quick post tonight to share the boys' monthly page.

As you may know, I have a family album where I have all the photos for the family, and then each month, the boys have a single page in their album where I include photos, stories and quotes pertaining to them.

So, back to the boys' individual albums. This is where I include photos of their drawings from school, or a screen shot of their favourite computer game, or their favourite food or toy.

Here's the page for my eldest.

I have used the Jade kit and the Favourite Mini Stamp Set from Kellie Stamps was perfect for this page. I can see this set being well used in the boys' individual pages.

I like being able to include the screen shot of my son's Club Penguin character in his album. It's a good memory to capture because it is one of his favourite games right now.

Here's a few close up photos.

Kellie Stamps: Favourite Mini

Kellie Stamps: Favourite Mini, Monday-Friday

This calendar card from Paislee Press features in every monthly page for the boys so far. I love it. However, I have altered it again by replacing the "O" with the OCT stamp from the Monday-Friday stamp set.

That's it from me this evening. And that completes my October 2013 pages! 

I am working backwards from the end of 2013 and am now half way through August so I really feel like I am getting somewhere! 

Enjoy the rest of your week. We have a short working week so only 2 more days until the long weekend! xx

ON MY MIND | Bad Day?

Having a bad day? Bad week? Could a different perspective and change of attitude help put new light on a situation? 

What started me thinking about this was when I had a few set backs that were seemingly out of my control over the past few weeks. And then a few more set backs rolled in. And I got a little bit cranky lol...but I wasn't that keen to put it down to just bad luck.  

Let's face it. Sh*t happens. Illness, financial difficulties, grief, disappointment, career challenges, unrequited love....you know what I'm talking about. 

I want to share a little about how my little boys react when they think their entire world is crashing down. And as adults, we react similarly, but in a more grown up way of course!

As an example, my youngest comes to me, stomps his feet with tears welling in those big brown eyes and says "Mummy, today is the worst day ever! It really really is!!" 

I tell him, "Today is not the worst day ever. Today ***insert a 6 year old's idea of disaster here*** happened. Anything happen today that was really really good?"

My little man had just experienced disappointment. Someone or something has built a wall between him and his dream. 

When he comes to me in utter devastation, I ask him:

- do you have mummy and daddy for cuddles?
- do you have food to eat? 

- do you have a house to live in?

- do you have a bed to sleep in?

- do you have toys to play with and books to read?

- are you healthy and well?

- do you have clothes to wear?

- so...is it really that bad?

I do my best to put things into perspective for him and highlight the things he has to be grateful for. More often than not, he snaps out of it quickly. 

When someone or something stands between us and our dreams, or stops us from our ideal way of living or being, it is a normal reaction to blame it on that mysterious thing known as "bad luck". But isn't it disempowering to leave our happiness up to chance?

We have a choice. Every single time. We have the CHOICE to accept a situation and be at peace with it, OR we have the CHOICE to look for ways to change the situation. And sometimes, we need to do both. How awesome to be in control of our own happiness again!?!

My eldest son took a different approach when he was younger. 

He would throw monster tantrums. I'm not talking about "terrible two's" tantrums. These were major 5 year old tantrums. In between tears and screaming, he would say, "Arghhhh! It's all your fault! You made me **insert any of the following: angry...smudge my drawing...break my toy...drop my apple..etc etc**!!!"

Not good, right? We wanted him to learn not to give his power away so easily. What I mean is, when he says it's our fault he is angry, he has given away his ability to control his own emotions to someone else...to us. 

Not only that, he renounced responsibility for his own actions and feelings i.e. blame.

When we take responsibility for our lives, we reclaim the power to make our lives what we want it to be. We reclaim the power to make dreams into reality. We reclaim the power to be at peace and happy!   

From an outsiders point of view, other people's lives may "appear" better or easier than our own. But what we don't know is the people whom we work with, walk with, wait with, may have just lost a loved one, is fighting for wellness, is desperate to conceive a child, left an abusive relationship, or has just been turned down for yet another job.

We all have our own unique story and our future is yet to be written. We cannot compare hardships. Nor can we compare successes. 

Perhaps the way we perceive a situation, our attitude towards it, and how we choose to react and feel is the key to how much we enjoy the life we have been gifted with. 

Here are two of my favourite quotes that I have made into 3x4 printables, free for you to download. Enjoy. xx

Download.

Download.

Download.

Download.

The Liebster Award: And the nominees are...

In a recent post, I shared that I was very chuffed to be one of the 10 blogs nominated by Kellie from Give a Girl a Blog for a Liebster Award.

I was curious about how the Liebster Award began. From what I could find, in the early days of the Liebster Award, the idea was to nominate blogs with less than 3000 readers, and nominees would share 11 random facts about themselves, and then nominate 3-5 other blogs to do the same.

The Liebster Award is an Honorary Award which means it is symbolic and once nominated, you do not have to pass it on. It is completely up to you!

I love the idea of sharing 10 blogs I follow, so you can appreciate them as well.

Without further ado, here are the 10 blogs I am nominating..in no particular order. 

The Drawing Board - by Tanyalee 

Chantelle's Creative Space - by Chantelle

Through the Eyes of Moonie - by Lisa

atelier B - by Jina

Simply Bella - by Kylie

Tealily Photography - by Trish

Geekgalz - by Evelyn Py

Karyn's Crafting Obsession - by Karyn

A Place in my Dreams - by Agnus

This and That - by Annette

If you choose to play along, here's what to do:

1. Answer the 11 questions below
2. Nominate 10 bloggers with less than 200 bloglovin' followers, and provide them with a new set of 11 questions
3. Contact your nominees and let them of how it works

Here are my 11 questions to the bloggers I have nominated:

1. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

2. What is your favourite breakfast?

3. Describe your dream garden, if time, space, climate and money were not an issue.

4. Who is your dream celebrity to have dinner with? (past or present)

5. Name something you wished you had learnt but haven't yet.

6. Name one of your all-time favourite movies that you have watched so many times you know all the lines?

7. What is your favourite fruit?

8. If you could holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

9. Lipstick, lip gloss or lip balm?

10. Describe what "you-time" means to you?

11. If you could choose 2 super powers, what would they be and why? (ie. invisibility, self healing, speed, strength etc)

Question #11 was "borrowed" from my boys. They are always asking us and vice versa. I love hearing their answers which change every time we play. 

Even if you choose not to nominate any further blogs, i would still love to read your answers to my questions!! xx

Discover new blogs with the Liebstar Award.

I am very honoured and happy to have been one of the 10 blogs nominated by Kellie from Give a Girl a Blog for The Liebster Award.

I was curious about where the Liebster Award originated from. I have learnt that "liebster" means dearest in German and the idea behind the award is to nominate blogs that you hold dear (i.e. love reading!) and give them with the recognition they deserve by links to them with your own readers.

Once nominated, the nominee may choose to play along by answering 11 questions provided by the nominating blogger, and then nominate and notify another 10 bloggers and provide them with a new set of questions to answer.

I loved Kellie's questions! The last one I found to be the trickiest. Here are my answers: 

1. Favourite flower/plant? Tulips and/or Lilies. 

Lilies from mum's garden. 

2. If you could have one thing, that you don't have right now, what would it be (can be person/object etc)? 

My Grandparents. My Grandma did not meet my boys and I know that she would have adored them. Grandma and Grandad are a package deal so I would like both of them.

3. Favourite day of the week? I have Fridays off work, so my favourite day is Thursday!

4. Something you cherish? My family and friends. I would be lost without them. 

5. A food you couldn't live without?

Rice! haha, sounds boring but I am gluten intolerant so i need something to fill my hungry belly! I went grain free last year but I was too hungry to stick with it. 

6. Song that gets you moving?

Right now, Happy by Pharrell Williams. My 6 year old LOOOOVES this song so we put it on repeat and we get to dance around like a couple of crazy kids.

7. When you are not blogging you are...? a crafting-snap-happy working mum and household "manager".

8. Drink of choice? I love a hot cup of tea, anytime of day. 

9. Reason you started your blog?

I started my blog after I joined Stampin' Up as a hobby demonstrator to showcase products in use. But I soon gave that up to focus on memory keeping and discovered the wonderful world of Project Life. Now I blog about that :) 

10. Favourite craft? Paper crafting. Specifically, pocket page scrapbooking. 

11. Person you most admire?

I admire different qualities in many people, including family, friends, my children, and friends I have never met in person.

If I had to choose only one, I would say my mother. She was a young single mother, abandoned by my father whilst pregnant with my brother, she sacrifices for us, and lives with an open heart and loves unconditionally. She's amazing.

Thanks Kellie for nominating my humble little blog.

I'll be back soon to share my nominees for the Liebster Award, along with my 11 questions.