anita meade - simple.creative.life

I am 34.

Yesterday was my 34th birthday. I am happy and comfortable with being 34....I feel that as each year passes, I am becoming a little more confident with who I am. I certainly don't have it all figured out yet......not sure I ever will! I'm incredibly happy to have made it to 34 and to have so many blessings in my life. Each and every year is a gift.

A birthday is like a concentrated day of all the most important people in your life expressing their love for you! How awesome is that?! Thankyou from the bottom of my heart, to all the people who took the time to wish me a happy birthday yesterday and to make me feel special.

I got kisses and cuddles and presents from my boys in the morning, lots of cards, phonecalls, Skype's and text messages throughout the day, afternoon tea complete with family and cakes, and I enjoyed dinner out at the pub with my beautiful uni girlfriends and our families.

I left the camera at home, so there is no documentation of the day itself (oops) but here are a couple of pics taken this morning as I reflect on yesterday.

 

(flowers from the "uni girls")

 

(lots of lovely cards)

(enjoying the perfume of lovely lavender from my friend Emma's garden, and a cup of coffee while I reflect on what a lovely birthday I had).

34 is good.....I look forward to being 34 for the next year and seeing what life brings my way. :)

Too soon to tell, but I'm optimistic

Went back for another NAET consultation yesterday. As I expected, I didn't "pass" the cold sensitivity testing (often the things you are most sensitive to take a few treatments), but I wasn't too far off. So I was retreated yesterday and I'm just about at the end of another 25 hour "avoidance" phase. So we'll see how I feel over the weekend. Hopefully better than the last few weeks. I re-test at my next appointment on Tuesday afternoon. Fingers crossed! I'll let you know how I go.

The upside of all this staying home and keeping warm is that I've had plenty of time to browse through Flickr and I'm brimming with inspiration to create. I don't know where to start.....I am so hard on myself in so many ways, including creatively. I need to constantly remind myself that I create just for me; that my work doesn't have to be perfect, that I don't need to create something that others will approve of; that I don't need to make a living from my arty/crafty work; that creating is not my job - it is my privilege in life; that the greatest reward for creativity is self-expression......all of that sort of self talk. I have always been guilty of procrastinating. I daydream about creating things constantly but I'm reluctant to actually make stuff, because I worry that it will never turn out like the pictures in my head.

Yesterday I spent a little time drawing. It was (as for many people) my first creative love right back in childhood. 

 

While this drawing of Corey is no doubt flawed, I thought I'd be brave and put it up here, not for the sake of gaining outside approval or any form of critique, but just to emphasise to myself that art doesn't have to be perfect. The healing therapy of creating is the perfect part. I enjoyed the hour or so I spent on this drawing immensely and it has reignited that love of putting pencil, (or pen, or paint, etc.) to glorious blank paper. 

What are you creating today? Do you only show others your "best work" or do you let them see the entire, glorious, messy creative process. I am going to attempt to be braver. To express that creative dreams in my head in a material way....no matter how they turn out. And as all of us know, sometimes our mistakes, in art and in life, end up leading onto bigger and better things.

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you a wonderful weekend with those you love. Anita. xxx

A few steps backwards.

Thought I'd update you on what's been happening with my fibromyalgia and my NAET treatment lately. It was going GREAT! I was out and about. I was even exercising a bit. I was clear headed, optimistic and feeling like I was on the road back. I even told some people that I felt about 40% recovered - and still improving. I was making plans to go back to work  - I've even done a couple up clinical skills update education days, rejoined the nursing agency and updated my CPR training in readiness. But then I seemed to crash......the pain and brain fog have returned with a vengeance. I'm exhausted and needing to sleep for a couple of hours each afternoon. I'm back to dragging myself through "the basics" - getting kids to and from school, sport etc. I'm become a bit of a social recluse once more.......and I just couldn't figure out why. After long hours pondering, and talking about it with Danny and with my NAET practitioner, I realised that I went downhill as soon as the really cold weather hit. I have always been extremely cold sensitive (I have suffered from Raynauds phenomenon in my extremities since I was in my teens), but these days I am completely knocked for six when a cold snap occurs. The pain in my joints and muscles is unbearable and the fog in my brain is thick and debilitating.

After discussing this relapse with my NAET practitioner I was overjoyed (even if a little cautious) to have her say that my cold sensitivity can be treated with NAET. Perhaps I won't have to move to the tropics afterall! So today I had NAET for cold sensitivity. I now have to avoid all forms of cold (environmental, food, drink, cold water) for 25 hours. I left my appointment wearing a beanie, a ski-jacket, gloves and a scarf. I have a wonderful friend helping me with school pickup and drop-off. I have the heater cranked up, and I've been keeping my hands warm by crocheting.

So please forgive my absence in the last few weeks. In truth they have been a real battle. Hopefully this treatment will make a difference. If you're so inclined, I'd appreciate a little prayer. 

Here's a little something I finished recently, because a post without photos is not much of a post after all!

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Back under the granny rug with a hot cup of tea for me now.

See you soon. Love Anita. xxx

A very happy Mother's Day.

My Mother's Day this year was the best one ever. Not because of expensive presents or fancy dinners, but because I had a fun day "adventuring" with my gorgeous kids and their lovely Daddy.

The day started with presents from the school Mother's Day stall - a  book light from Corey and some bath gel, a bath "bomb" and pretty handtowel from Jayden. Then my little guys brought me in my breakfast in bed - vegemite toast, and a cup of coffee (made by Dad). This all happened very early....but kindly they let me have a "lie-in" for an hour or so. I even indulged in a little crochet while propped up in bed. Lovely!

We decided to head up to Healesville to have lunch at the "Beechworth Bakery". As far as lunches go, this one was completely yummo. Then we went for a drive and ended up at the Maroondah Reservoir Park.

 

 

We made the trek up the stone stairs to the dam wall.

Of course we had to have a rest in this pretty little gazebo on the way up because I am so unfit I thought I might pass out!!!

The kids were so excited - they'd never seen anything like it.

 

Then we spotted the lookout on the other side of the dam wall so we climbed a little higher to check out the view. 

After catching our breaths and checking out the magnificent views, we decided to follow another path down the "mountain" - a bush track leading back down to the reserve/parkland where we started.

 

We felt like explorers, heading down the narrow bush path. The kids just loved it. Eventually we made our way down the the reserve where we stopped for a family photo.

After we worked out where we'd parked the car, we headed back into Healesville to treat ourselves with icecream cones and a wander through the park in town. We checked out a bit of local junior football and wandered back to the carpark making a very "dangerous" (aka "wet") creek crossing on the way. The kids said that it was the best day ever....and I have to agree. Seeing my boys so happy and having so much fun really made this Mother's Day my best yet.

Happy Birthday Baby.

Dan had a low key birthday dinner with the boys and I, and his sister Laura and her two grown kids, Mitch and Mel. He's proudly displaying one of his presents from the boys (ie. birthday t-shirt) and thankfully not displaying the other (birthday jocks)! He also received some cash to spend on some new runners (as his old ones have been destroyed by Molly) and clothes. We had a Skype chat with the Summers and Cartwrights in Jindera and phone calls from lots of Meade siblings too.

His special request birthday dinner was lasagne and of course there was the obligatory butter cake decorated with blue icing, freckles and smarties. There were only four candles, as we didn't have the other forty :)

Happy Birthday my spunky, awesome, amazing hubby. I love you more with every year that passes. MWAH!

Sneak peak.....

Thought it would be safe to show you the birthday card I made for Danny's birthday tomorrow....

I know it's a bit "lovey-dovey", but that's us. Hope he likes it.

Been busy with the hook.... and lots of other stuff.

I might have mentioned that I've been a bit (read "completely") obsessed by all the visual loveliness over at Flickr lately. I was so inspired that I made this pretty "Anne" scarf which I'd seen in my Flickr travels. I'm really pleased with how it has come out.

I also put together this hexagon project using the "African Flower" pattern which I also found at Flickr. I think it will become a cushion top, once I work out what to do with it next.

We've had a couple of lovely, sunny days to start May here in Melbourne. I was out on the front lawn with my boys and Molly soaking up the sunshine on Saturday. Thought I'd share these pics I snapped of the boys just goofing around with their puppy.

Hope your May is off to a great start. May is a huge month for us. On Saturday night we went to a 40th birthday party for my dear mate Jo.  Tomorrow is my darling hubby's birthday, and coming up are Mother's day, our nieces wedding, two nephews birthdays and my birthday. Phew! The pace doesn't look like slowing down around here any time soon. That's why fun times like playing on the lawn in the sunshine are so important.....you've got to make time to smell the roses.

Thanks for stopping by today. Love Anita. xxx