Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Sorry

My Dear Followers,

I am sorry for disappearing so abruptly last year, with the pressure of family, university life and my ongoing struggle with depression I was unable to focus on creating let alone blogging. However I have decided that instead of pressuring myself to create things and blog about them I am going to share our daily lives, our adventures and our family fun (and if I happen to create something YAY you get that too)

And I hope you will join me over at my new blog here to join in on our adventures.

Lots of love
Helen

Friday, January 6, 2012

Vow Renewal

Soooo I know its been a while but I was lying in bed tonight thinking and pinning and planning and thought I might share with you what I am working on.


At the end of this year 21st of December to be precise my amazing husband and I will have been married for 10 years. Which half of me thinks "OMG I'm old now" and the other half of me thinks "When did that happen" but to celebrate this momentous occasion and lets face it, its huge in this day and age for a couple to get married and last 10 years especially if like us one of us (me) was 18 years of age at the time, we are having a party to celebrate and are renewing our vow to one another as a couple who have grown and changed in the past 10 years but are still committed to one other.


So I am kind of extremely excited about it and have been tossing ideas around seriously for about a month and have managed to decided on a few things so far:
* The date is easy, the closest Saturday to our anniversary which happens to be the day after. 
* I have chosen the colours, Sapphire (for the traditional gemstone) and silver (that's as close to Tin as I am going) 
* We decided on a cocktail function because we want people to get up and dance and have a great time plus its a little easier on the budget
* And we have decided to have it in our backyard, it big and we have the most amazing view which is made even better by the wondrous sunsets we get


Now I just have to decide:
* Whether or not to get it catered or do it myself. I'm really really fussy when it comes to food. It is actually less stressful for me to make food myself but others close to me are worried I will get too run down and not enjoy the night if I do this. And if I do it myself what food I should make
* Whether or not to have a bartender or self-service
* Get a DJ or do it ourselves.


I seem to have a real issue with getting other people in to do things I know I can do well. It's nothing to do with cost or quality. Cost is only a small issue when it comes to this function, we want it to be a great event that everyone enjoys, including us and I would only use people that come highly recommended but for some reason I still struggle with the idea of letting other people have control over something that means so much to me. 


I know its just a party but to me it's something special, its a chance for a to bring together the people in our lives that mean something to us, that have a special place in our hearts, that we are grateful for and celebrate all that they have given us in the past 10 years as well as celebrating each other and renewing the vows we made to each other on our wedding day

Monday, December 12, 2011

I'm back

So I have had a bit of an unintentional break from blogging, if for no other reason than our lives have been so incredibly busy. We had a couple of weddings (and all the parties/showers that go along with them), the reception of one was held at our home and the Christmas season is upon us with a vengeance. I am looking forward to sharing what has been going on in our lives with you over the next couple of days.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Welcome November

Half of me is baffled that it is already November and the other half of me is super excited that its almost Christmas.

***Heavy post warning***

I spent a lot of time in quiet contemplation today, well as quiet as it gets in a house of two very boisterous energetic little men, contemplating friendship and what it really means to me. I have spent a lot of time in the past putting time and effort into relationships with people who claim to be my friends but I was sitting there today watching my boys play wondering if these people would still be my 'friends' if I stopped making such an effort.

My husband has said many many times in the past that I am way too generous, he claims that its one of the thing he loves about me but that I give way too much to other people. He isn't talking about financially though I am sure he means that as well, but too much of myself. I am always the first to offer help, a meal or a shoulder to lean on and quiet often will invite people over to share a meal. But today I thought about how often this is reciprocated. Please bare with me because I don't want anyone to read this to think that the only reason I do these things is to get something back because that is the absolute last thought going through my head at the time but a part of me wonders if I am being taken advantage of, how much I would mean to people if that wasn't a part of my nature and why after years of knowing some of our 'friends' we have never been invited around for a meal, how the "we should get together" or the "we should have you around for dinner" never eventuates and the contact is always initiated by us.

Normally I don't mind, I love to give, love to help, love to feed and love to love but today as the end of the year draws nearer I can't help but find my mind wondering. It has been a rough few years for me, the constant pressure I put on myself to be there for everyone else, to appear as if all is perfect, when inside I am breaking apart, is starting to wear me down and I asked myself today if anyone actually appreciate what I do for them or do they just take it for granted that I will continually put myself out there for them, continually put myself last.

Are the offers of friendship and help just platitudes made because people feel like they have to say something? Is this just a sign of the times, along with people neglecting to RSVP to events, is this just something I should learn to live with or do I need to evaluate my "friends"?

I am not a child or a teenager that needs to have a lot of friends to be okay with myself but the friendships I do have I would really like to feel like they are equal, ones where I am not the only one giving. I do have some very special people in my life who I know without a doubt love me for me and not what I do for or give them but I wonder about the rest. Do I continue to give in the hopes that one day they will give back or do I pull back from those relationships and let them do some work.?

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

A Garden???

Okay so if you read my blog or know me at all you will know that I do NOT garden, I kill plants! I grow weeds really really well but thats about it. So I have no idea why, when my wonderful Mother-In-Law and my children expressed a desire to create a veggie garden down the side of our house in some space we pretty much ignore, I gave in and said yes but agree I did and today after a trip to Bunnings for some plants, potting mix and a few other bits and got to work on this space

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Donning gloves

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Removing the fountain

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Clean up around it our ‘pot’

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Getting the soil ready

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Adding the potting mix

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And finally getting to plant our goodies

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Watering them in

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Organising a special spot for our tomatoes, peas and beans

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So we now have Parsley, Basil, Chives, Lettuce and Carrots in our pot

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and down along the fence

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we have tomatoes

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Peas

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and Beans

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I just have to keep it all alive :o)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Things I’m loving

Linking up with Kristy over at Paisley Jade for “Things I’m loving” who says

“I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.”

So here is the biggest thing I am thankful for at the moment

This amazing man, my husband Louis

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He is an incredible man, a wonderful father and husband and my best friend.

I am so thankful for everything he is and all that he does, the love he gives and the joy he brings.

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But mostly I am thankful that he came into my life and loved me

Tests…

I was on Pintrest the other day and saw this Pin

T78- There's no testimony without the test  12x12  vinyl wall art decals lettering words home decor sayings quote stickers

But I wonder right now after getting some unsettling news about my husband’s health whether or not I really want this test to be part of my/our/his testimony.

Until we know more its a case of “life as normal” but I have these moments where the worse case scenario hits me like a punch to the stomach.

I know that God has a plan for Louis and for our family but I want to question why this would be placed in front of us, why do we have to feel this pain and uncertainty? I know that there are people who have have had to deal with things more horrible than what has been placed in front of us right now and that we aren’t the only people who have faced things like this but part of me wants to rail against it. I want to scream and cry and question why. Why this, why us, why now, why him??? Part of me knows that God will get us through this but I want to be selfish and I want him to be 100% okay and well. I want to keep him with me for as long as I can. This is the man I love, the man who has supported and loved me, the father of my children and my very best friends and I want to stomp my feet and scream that its not fair and I don’t want this to be a part of our testimony.

I am trying to place this in God’s hand and to lean on him but sometimes I find this the hardest thing in the world to do. This test is certainly a big one, one I don’t want but I have to have faith that God will carry us though.

There are so many versus in the bible that say that His plans are for our benefit but its so easy to forget when faced with tests like this. What do you do to help yourself keep you faith in God and his plans for you/those you love when faced with tests?