anita meade - simple.creative.life

Around my garden

It is fair to say that due to the severe drought, and my health challenges over the last few of years, our garden has been very neglected. Since we put in a water tank this winter I have found a renewed enthusiasm for making our garden beautiful again. It is extremely slow going - most projects in my life are as I continue to live within the constraints of my fibromyalgia - however I am enjoying a few small victories in the garden. Each one inspires to do a little more work and make more improvements.

Here's some pics of our new vegie patch - these were taken 2 weeks ago so things have grown quite a bit since then.

We have planted tomatoes, corn, beans, snow peas, lettuce, capsicum, broccoli and cauliflower, cucumber, parsley, basil, chives, oregano and rosemary. We're already enjoying the herbs and hopefully there will be a lot more to sample by Christmas.

The strawberries are protected from the birdies :)

 

That's the newly planted snow peas (above). The kids love eating these so it will be great to have them home grown. 

Thought I'd share a couple of other pics from the garden. This is the glorious bottle-brush out the front of our home. It really is at its peak at the moment.

 

 

 

 

I planted my very first roses in the colder months this year (see them along the front of the garage there?)

 

I'm happy to report that the very first flower has appeared and I am super excited. I can see how people get so obsessed with roses. This variety is called "Paul Bocuse" and it has delicate apricot coloured blooms.

 

Since I took this photo (above) the flower has opened up considerably and it is just as divine as I hoped it would be when I ordered my bare-rooted roses from the Treloar website. I'll take some more pics when I get a few more blooms.

The English lavenders are about to bloom and engulf us with their heavenly scent.

 

And I'm already enjoying the fragrance of the neighbours jasmine wafting over the fence.

 

 

There really is such joy to be found in the creation and care of a garden. It's a simple pleasure I'm rediscovering. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. Call in and visit again soon. Love Anita. xxx

Birthday Boy!

                         

                       Look who's six today!

 

     

 

   

         Happy Birthday Corey! We love you to bits. xxx

My creative space

I've scrapped a few layouts in the last week or so, and I've really enjoyed getting back to pairing photos and memories.  This page is of my littlest boy Corey having a snooze in my sisters car......the photo was taken a couple of years ago while the kids were on holidays at Jindera where my sis and her family live. Too precious!

I have been promising pics of my awesome new craft room desk for a while now, so I thought I'd share them today. I was planning on taking some pics with the new drafting stools that arrived on Monday, but I haven't gotten around to it. You'll just have to imagine the two new "higher" desk chairs that now live in here. We needed to get higher chairs because the desk is much higher than the old one. We designed it this way so that I can comfortably create standing up if I want to (which I often do). Isn't my hubby just too clever? I can't tell you how much I appreciate his handy-man skills - I am one lucky wifey.

 

 

Do you see the shiny, white plastic square between the sewing machine and the printer???.........

 

Well it is my built in light-box! Designed and built by my incredible electrician husband! It is 400mm square, and it will be fantastic for tracing stitchery designs on. How completely cool!

 

 

That's my creative space today. You can find more wonderful spaces over at Kootoyoo. Thanks Kirsty :)

Thanks for stopping by. See you soon, Love Anita. xxx

Making Merry Monday #18

I have just managed to squeeze this one in while it is still Monday ;)

Here's what I've used:

Cardstock: Mellow Moss and Very Vanilla

Stamps: Christmas Classics, Winter Post (and the sentiment stamp which is not SU!)

Ink: Mellow Moss and Bravo Burgundy

Ribbon: Mellow Moss Taffeta

Other: Burgundy button, Nestabilities labels dies

    It is school holidays here and the weather today was absolutely gorgeous. We spent as much time as possible outside. I enjoyed my morning tea on the front verandah watching my boys ride their bikes and scooters up and down the street. (Watching them flying down the hill took years off my life! Perhaps I shouldn't have watched!) I chatted on the phone to my best buddy Erica and did a little dishcloth knitting.  The boys washed down the outdoor table, which was very dusty, and then we made pancakes for lunch and enjoyed them outside under the pergola. In the afternoon, our new drafting stools were delivered so we muddled our way  through the instructions and put them together (will post some new pics of the craft room on Thursday). We enjoyed a visit from Tom and Will (Erica's boys) in the afternoon while their Mummy did some last minute shopping for Tom's birthday party tomorrow - the boys can hardly wait! In amongst all this there was 3 loads of washing to hang out and bring in, dinner to prepare and just a little bit of fluffing around in my craft room. I think I'll sleep well tonight!

    I hear the weather is supposed to deteriorate as the week goes on, so I'm glad to have enjoyed the sunshine (and gotten the boys outside for a play) today. Off to the movies to see "Up!" tomorrow for Tom's birthday. Looking forward to it :)

    Thanks for visiting today - I'm glad I finally got this card up here for you. Hope you like it.

                     See you again soon. Love Anita. xxx

Pottering around at home....and loving it!

I am enjoying a new peace after finally accepting that home is where I am supposed to be right now. I am staying on top of the little chores, which is making life more enjoyable for all of us. We know what we are eating for dinner every night according to the menu plan. No ducking out to the supermarket every afternoon to get something for that night, or - worse still - resorting to Macca's because I'm too tired to shop and cook. Pre-planning and pre-shopping has made a huge difference to our stress levels and, dare I say, our general health.

Danny says he is loving the new "domestic goddess" that seems to have taken over my body. He loves having socks and jocks in his drawer, clean clothes in the wardrobe, dinner on the go when he gets home, less general mess around the place, but most of all he loves having a happier, more contented wife. Happy wife, happy life! You know, all along I felt guilty for leaving my nursing job because I thought that Dan was thinking I was just being a lazy slacker. It turns out that he wasn't thinking that at all and that, if it is financially possible, he is more than happy for me to be at home taking care of the house and the family. Communication is a wonderful thing! It has really made such a massive difference to our life for both of us to be comfortable with the current plan and to feel like we are a team, working on the same project - a happy, healthy family.

So as I potter around, going about my daily tasks, I thought I'd take some pictures to share....

Chairs up, waiting for me to vacuum and mop the polished floorboards......

 

First load of washing on the line, soaking up the sun (the second load is in the machine now).....

 

Wandering around the backyard, enjoying this stunning day (it is almost spring!). I've been daydreaming of bringing new life to our garden. It has suffered terribly from the long drought and a long period of neglect as my health took precedence over everything else in our lives. Here is what has survived against the odds......

Beautiful hellebore's:

 

 

and resilient poly-galas (sp?). We have three of these bushes, all thriving......

 

and apparently I can grow daphne! (please excuse the poor quality photo) The flowers aren't huge but I have three daphne bushes, all healthy and loaded with gloriously scented blooms..........

 

And finally, this is the "before" photo of our soon to be created vegie patch. Initially we were going to turn the kid's sandpit into a vegie patch, but then they rediscovered it and have been playing in it to their hearts content lately! So we (by we I mean Danny!lol!) started digging up the "lawn" (read "weeds") next to the sandpit yesterday. We will make it a raised garden bed. One day when the kids really are  over the sandpit, we will take it over and extend the vegie garden, but for now, a small plot will be fine. Notice the lovely big water tank tucked in behind the cubbyhouse? It is FULL to the top! 10,000 glorious litres of water to help our new garden to grow. No doubt I'll have more photos to share as this project progresses......

 

Enjoying this time and this change in perspective. What a truly blessed life I have - not perfect, not always easy, but most definitely blessed.

                   Thanks for stopping by. Love Anita. xxx

Seeking simplicity and all its rewards......

    I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately about the things that will make our life more peaceful, less stressful and more fulfilling. I guess it comes from my reluctant realisation that, at this stage, I am not really up to considering a taking job outside of the home or even studying. I am a renowned overachiever in lots of ways. I have always had high expectations of myself. At school I was taught that I could be anything, and "have it all". Sounds wonderful doesn't it. However the years have shown me that it is not possible to "have it all" - the high flying career, the happy family, the fulfilling marriage, a perfect home.....I tried to do it and let me tell you, something had to give. In my case it was my health. After three years of struggling with my health I think that I have finally let go of my need to prove myself as a super woman.

    I have had to be really honest with myself about the things that really matter to me and focus my (limited) energy on those things. The things that matter to me, when all is said and done, are my marriage to Danny and raising our children. My main focus in life has to be those things. This realisation has lead me to the conclusion that my job right now, and for the forseeable future, is to be a "homemaker". I guess it's a more holistic term than "housewife", which implies a sort of trapped domestic servant. A homemaker, on the other hand is someone who takes responsibility for the running of the home, both the domestic duties and the nurturing role.

    Now I don't have a history of being particularly organised. No-one has ever labelled me a "Domestic Goddess", but as I said above, I have been considering the things that would make our life more peaceful, less stressful and more fulfilling. I have been greatly inspired by the blog of Michelle Snape, A Vision Splendid. I've taken on board some of Michelle's tips for bringing harmony to the home. Some of the things I've been doing for the last little while include, meal planning, regular grocery shopping from my meal plan, keeping on top of little daily chores so they don't grow into huge jobs.  I can't tell you what a difference it has made just having the little things done every day, like beds made, bathrooms wiped over, sink cleared, floor swept, and washing and folding up to date. I know, I know.....my Mum has tried to drill this stuff into me for years (sorry for not recognising your wisdom Mum), but it has taken a "light-bulb" moment from someone out there in blogland (thanks Michelle) for me to realise that all this stuff is still relevant to todays' homemaker.

    I've also been following an evening routine to make the mornings less stressful. This includes organising lunches and drinkbottles, putting out our clothes for the next day, pre-packing readers in school bags etc. This has been a huge help in the mornings. I've been getting up a little earlier so that I can have my shower and enjoy quiet cuppa in front of the  computer before the kids get up. All these little things have meant a less stressed Mummy, less yelling in the mornings and happier kids! What a pay-off!

    The areas I am working on next are working out a new budget to manage our money (which has significantly decreased since I stopped working 10 months ago) and decluttering our home of some of the unnecessary "stuff" we have accumulated. I'm also excited to be planning a vegetable garden so that we can produce some of our own food. Now that we have a water tank, this is finally possible.

    So that's where I am at right now. Simplifying our life in order to regain peace, order and fulfillment. So far I feel really empowered and positive about the changes I've made. While I realise that I can't change everything overnight, I need to just chip away at little changes, and in time our lifestyle will have dramatically changed for the better. It has already improved so much.

     (Listening to school readers in the evening with my precious boys)

         Thanks so much for visiting. See you soon, love Anita. xxx

A frosty morn.

I stepped outside briefly this morning at about 7.15am to capture some photos of a frosty, lovely morning. It was -2.0 degrees here at that time. Brrrrr......

 

The frost and fog were just beautiful here in our neighbourhood on the suburban/rural border. This view looks out towards Christmas Hills and Yarra Glen. What a change from the scenario 6 months ago!

      

Frost coated the grass and gardens......

 

This was the moon in the western sky this morning.......it looked amazing in real life but my photography skills aren't quite up to capturing it accurately!

We were blessed with truly glorious weather today - perfect for running around at Auskick. The sun soon thawed everything out. Hope your Saturday was great. Love Anita. xxx

Scenes from our home today.

     A couple of little things caught my eye in our home this morning that say a lot about our life and so I picked up my camera to capture them. When I got home from school drop off I thought I'd go down to the boys bedroom to see if they had made their beds.

 You see, bed making has never been one of my must-do chores in the mornings, but I am making some changes around here with regards to the state of our home (more on this in a later post), and I made a deal with the boys that we would all make our beds every morning. I thought that this simple task would be something they could manage, and reminding them to do it would also mean that I toed-the-line and made my bed each day too. Anyway, long story short, this is how Corey's bed looks this morning - yes, the bed is made (as best a 5 1/2 year old can) but I also wanted to share the cute way he has hung up all his teddies etc from the bunk above. Also, notice how he loves his motor racing posters - Holden of course! His bed really is his cosy little place in our home. Very cute.....

 

Whilst in the boys room I noticed a couple of other things. The boys have small set of drawers each and one big tallboy to share. This was how their drawers looked this morning.......

These are Corey's:

 

and these are Jayden's:

 

Above their drawers I noticed this scene:

 

On top of the tallboy are a few treasures; a photo of Jayden and his basketball team, a certificate for winning the Heritage Holden colouring competition last year, a container holding pretty beads from Aunty Jodie, and boxes with other treasures. Behind the photo there is the chocolate Holden racing car which Jayden got for Easter - apparently better to look at than to eat!

On the right hand shelf are the boys cricket, football and basketball trophies, a couple of prize winning artworks and another certificate from Holden. The left shelf simply holds Daddy's trophies, mostly for indoor cricket. The boys are in awe of all Dad's trophies. I think they like to display them in their bedroom and secretly pretend they are their own! One day I'm sure they will have just as many!

And just for the record, this is what my bed looks like this morning.

         

Please note the bedside tables are not in the frame of this picture......they need a bit of a tidy up! Don't want to peak too early in the day! Thanks for stopping by.

Have a happy Wednesday, Love Anita. xxx

Sick kids, and finding the value of being a SAHM.

    Well the dreaded lurgy (or a combination of a couple of them) has hit our household. On Sunday poor Corey spent the day vomiting. It was so hard to watch him suffering. Fortunately it was a 24 hour sickness and he is now back to his normal cheerful self.

    This morning my big boy, Jayden, woke up saying he felt sick. I wasn't sure if I was being conned - he just didn't look as pastey white as he usually does when he is sick. I suggested that some breakfast might help him feel better. He only managed a tiny nibble of his Vegemite toast and then retired to the couch. Right now he is cuddled up under a blanket resting. He doesn't even have the TV on - which is a sure sign he's not well.

    I had planned on having two of my girlfriends over for lunch today, but I have just cancelled those plans. We will have to reschedule our "ladies lunch" for another day.

    Any you know what? I am completely fine with that. I was just pondering the fact that I am blessed to be able to be at home with my sick child when he needs me. I don't have to worry about missing work. I don't have to send him to school and hope he'll make it through the day OK. I don't have the guilt of not being here for him when the only person he wants is his Mum. This is an important job.

    I have struggled with letting go of my work-life. Being a nurse was the only thing I had ever done. My health challenges of the last couple of years have forced me to slow down and change my life. One of the changes I have struggled with most of all this year is in finding my value as a housewife and Mum. Don't get me wrong, I knew that this was an important part of my life, I just didn't expect it to be my ONLY job. But to do it well, it IS actually a full-time job. I'm still working on the balance. I have lots of things I need to work on to get this home-keeping job under control. But I have realised that being available to my kids when they need me most is absolutely priceless. It is worth more than any pay-cheque.

    I'm off to check on my boy now. Thanks for stopping by. Love Anita. xxx

Grateful

I have been spending a lot of time at home lately and I have been feeling very thankful for the lovely place we have to call our own. With me not working the purse strings have been pulled fairly tightly. Whilst we have been dipping into our savings for a while, they are fast running dry, so I am having to think more carefully about how we spend our money (like many families are at the moment). I have been focusing on appreciating what we have and not needing more and more "stuff" to make me feel good. It has been an enlightening exercise.

Today I am grateful for the changing seasons which we enjoy here in Melbourne. Take a look at the difference a couple of weeks make.

  

I am grateful for the autumn leaves collected by my kids which are on display in our home. I am glad they appreciate the beauty and wonder of the seasons.

 

 

                 

I am grateful for my creative abilities. I am teaching myself to knit and crochet with the help of some books from the library, online resources and my local woolcraft shop. At the moment I am in the middle of knitting a beanie to keep Danny's head warm at work, and crocheting a scarf - just for me! Here's the beanie in progress...

 

Whilst I am not a big fan of the colder weather, I am trying to appreciate the opportunities it presents; like knitting and wearing warm woolies, staying home and enjoying just being together on the weekends, watching my kids enjoy getting fit and filthy at Auskick, and not having to shave me legs very often :)

I have also recently made a pretty fabric cover for my Nikon camera strap. I adapted this tutorial, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I can see I'm going to be making several versions in different fabrics to suit the seasons.

 

 

I also wanted to share this part of my home which I enjoy seeing every day. It is the photo gallery wall in our entrance hallway and it is filled with snapshots of some of the very special people in our lives. Friends and family all gather together in this spot. Even though I walk past these photos many times a day, I still enjoy just stopping and looking every now and then - being thankful for all these people who are so important to us.

Here's the view of the gallery wall from our lounge room.

 

And here are some other things in my home making me happy today...birthday flowers! Gerbera's from Christine,

 

...... a cyclamen from Joylene,

           

..............and yellow roses from Jo and Nicole.

 

 Thanks so much girls. Your friendship is priceless.

The last thing I want to share is also priceless. Notes from Corey (who is in Grade Prep and is super excited about learning to read and write). These are post-it notes stuck to the back of Danny's dressing gown. Now that is what I call ADORABLE.   :)

 

So there you have it.....I certainly have a lot to be grateful for. Hope your day is going beautifully. Remember to look around you and appreciate the gifts in your life, no matter how big or small. 

                                        Love Anita. xxx