Guest post : Marriage through the years

I recently wrote a guest post for a friend's blog on marriage:

you can check out my post here

or click to read more posts of marriages from year one to year 45
or check more of Bretts thoughts at Irresistibly Fish

Word of the year 2014

I Know, I know its late but better late than never. Trying to get back into a routine with a little one in the mix presents a unique set of challenges and blogging was an extra one that could afford to take a back seat to little smiles and giggles :)

Following on from last years Theme its time to pick a new word for the year. There is one that specifically keeps running round and round in my head

Source

This year is only 13 days old and has already called for some major moments for Bravery. I have a feeling its going to continue and I am choosing to take on the challenges. 

Source

For those looking to join me in this you can download a free printable to remind yourself over at Nicole Joelle

Prayers appreciated

<3

Things we couldn't live without: Newborn Edition

I loved reading these posts before I had a little one but now having lived through 3.5 weeks of my own newborn  I feel some important things were left off of a lot a lists. So in the interests of preparing the multitude of people in my life expecting there own blessing here are some things we couldn't have done without ...

1) Nipple Cream: Get the good stuff ( i.e. Lanisonah) , this is not a place to try and save money ! trust me on this one.

2) Nursing tank tops: again, these don't come cheap but they are SO worth it especially when you don't want to be completely house bound while  breast feeding. They allow you to lift your shirt without exposing your post-baby-belly to the world .

3) Swaddle Blanket: We have a 'Baby Sense' one that rocks!

source

 Its amazing how they help to settle Isla down and stops her little baby 'flailing arms' reflex from waking her up. Receiving Blankets work well too!We have a shaped one too (with velcro) but trying to slide her into it is quite hard, the baby sense one is cut into a triangle shape which you just wrap which is much easier.

4) Baby Grows (Onsies) : we got some very cute outfits that we've enjoyed dressing our little blessing in but there's a reason these simple things have stood the test of time. They are the quickest and easiest thing to dress a baby in (especially if you haven't quite mastered how to slip a vest over a floppy new-born's head)

5) Boppy/Nursing Pillow

Source

this not only helps for feeding (especially after a c-section) but it serves as a nice place to prop up the baby and also help them to feel a little more Snug if you can't spend every moment holding them:)

6) Help: Hubby took leave from work and My mom was here for the first 3 weeks of Isla's life and it was amazing. Today's actually the first day I've been completely home alone with her since she was born and I'm missing the company and extra set of hands to hold her so I can take a shower ;)

7) Newborn Pictures: do them !! they change so fast its absolutely precious to have a memory of when they are tiny

please forgive me

please forgive my lack of posting.... things got a little crazy round here :) 

introducing:

styling...

So this post is as far from my usual content as can be... But seeing as the whole point of this blog is my random musings on life I guess that's OK right?

 

 

I'm wouldn't exactly call myself a fashion guru. I can match things and usually (in my opinion) don't look to bad but I don't have the knack to take something ordinary and make it look fantastic or to accessorise things well. I also am cheap . So buying 'grown-up' clothes is a challenge for me as everything seems SUPER expensive.

 

So when I started on Pinterest I started looking at some idea's for updating my wardrobe to try and find a style that works for me. While browsing my Good Looks Board I started noticing a trend.

 

Source

 

Source

 

Source

 

 

Source

 

 

Source

 

Apparently I am more predictable than I thought ;) If only everything you pinned magically jumped into your cupboard!!;)

 

Its a ....

Copyright Blaw Photography

 

Baby Sprinkle is a Girl :)

 

We can't wait to meet her !!!

Copyright Blaw Photography

Cuteness

For those who are not my face book friends let me introduce you to the cuteness overload I mentioned in my previous puppy post that joined our house this last week :)

 

 

 

Her name is Violet and she's a Pug. She is the epitome of cute and cuddly and we unofficially call her squishy or madam fluff :)

 

 

 

She's such a cutie pie but has a habit a crying (loudly) when left alone and is unfortunately an early riser ( 4am wake-ups for the past two day's eish!)

 

I'm sorry for the lack of updates (especially on the house and all the things happening there) but work has been crazy and with trying to potty train to stubborn puppy's, 106 progress reports I have to finsh for work by friday and life in general I'm to exhausted to do anything . I promise after our holiday I'll share some more details (including Baby's sex and Nursury plans :) )

 

 

 

Hey baby :)

Well the cats officially out of the bag (facebook official makes it official right ?) . We are expecting our rainbow baby in August (3 August is the official date :) ).

 

We hesitated telling people until we felt it was very safe but after going for a twelve week scan yesterday and with baby 'Sprinkle' measuring right on target at 12w 2 days , we decided it was safe to start shouting from the roof tops (or through the Internet as the case may be).

 

I made the photo below my cover picture and waited for people to put two and two together (pun intended ;) )

 

 

almost immediately the comments started pouring in :)

 

we are very excited (as are the Grandparents ).

Here's our little ones first beauty shot ;)

 

 

he/she can also be blamed for the lack of posting around here. this first trimester has kicked my butt!! I've been exhausted and sick but thankfully things are starting to look up:)

Please keep us in your prayers

 

Love

the 3 of us :)

 

 

Word for the year :)

First off Happy new year :) I know I kind of fell of the wagon over the past few weeks but the combination of year end/holidays/building drama/exhaustion kicked my butt !!

 

I haven't made any New years resolutions this year, because honestly I'm really bad at following through with them. Instead I decided to pick a 'theme' for the year and to run with it.

 

This years theme is :

 

source

 

2012 was a difficult year in many ways. Lots of changes and challenges reared their heads and sometimes it felt like I was just pushing through from bed-time to bed-time. In 2013 I want to fill my life up with things that matter and do more than just exist.

 

 

The Mirriam-Webster online dictionary defines thriving as

Definition of THRIVE

1

: to grow vigorously : flourish

2

: to gain in wealth or possessions : prosper

3

: to progress toward or realise a goal despite or because of circumstances —often used with on <thrives on conflict>

 

All three of the above sound pretty good (although growing in wealth/possessions is not necessarily what I'm aiming for it would be nice ;) ).

 

Whats your theme /word for 2013?

 

Brain Dump

I keep starting posts and then not getting around to finishing them, mainly cos they require some kind of effort on my part (researching facts/finding pictures). So today you a going to be Privy to one of the laziest post's I'll probably ever write, because its all I can drag out of my brain at the moment

 

1) Can this year end already!!! I know it's flown by but this last little bit seems to be flying but crawling along at the same time! It probably doesn't help that I'm not going on leave either

 

2) Today we need to bake a wedding cake for my brother and sister in laws reception Saturday.... PRESSURE!!! I really hope it works first time other wise its going to be a long late night of baking :)

 

3) I miss my friends and Family that are far away TONS right now ! COME VISIT PEOPLE!!!

 

4) Pinterest is awesome !!

 

5) This house building thing feels like we've hit a wall ! I just want things to start moving again ! plus we need to pick paint colours and I keep second guessing my choices! any one with Interior design Experience want to help?

 

6) Why can't people just be nice to each other for heavens sake!!!

 

THE END

 

Guest Guru: Lessons from a Life Coach

 

It been a while since I posted a Guest Guru post.Even so these are the posts that consistently get the most hits on here :)

 

Today's Guest Guru is Nabukenya Muwonge.

 

 I met Nabukenya through work last year and she took the very brave step of resigning and starting her own business doing life Coaching and training.

 

She's here today to give us some tips for self care ,which in the busy would we live in is something that seems to get neglected more often than not!

 

        ___________________________________________________________

What is the last thing you did for yourself? Your first instinct will tell you that you prioritise your well being everyday by keeping busy; nourishing your body, sleeping or whatever else it is that you do to look after yourself.  For some the answer will be nothing, I have not had time to look after myself. I have other responsibilities like my family. If this is you like most of us, perhaps your best option is to make a commitment to do just one thing for yourself.
  

Let's look at what self care really means. In this case I am not talking about only eating or sleeping. I am talk about looking after yourself from the inside in by nourishing your spirit. Eating enough food to fuel the day comes naturally. Sleep comes naturally for most of us at the end of an exhausting day. But when is the last time you made it a point to look after your spiritual self?
 

 

Looking after your spiritual self entails taking time to sit in quiet reflection, pray and thank our source for our blessing, reflecting on what we really need and what we do to help ourselves to attract the life that we want.  We are all different and do different things to really get in touch with ourselves and nurture our souls. But what is the use, surely food, fun and sleep is enough?
 

Well technically to keep functioning, adequate nutrition and rest is enough. But the amazing thing about human beings is that we have a mind and soul that needs to be nourished too, and food and sleep are not going to suffice. Feeding yourself spiritually means you are more in tune with yourself, you nurture and fortify yourself and of course you get in touch with the outside world and get to connect with your surroundings in a way that is not possible unless you take time to sit and be still. Here is a challenge for you, try one of the below suggestions out for 21 days, and see whether or not it has a positive impact on your life. I dare you! 
 

Here are some suggestions of different things you could try that you can do to get in touch with yourself and nurture your spiritual self: 
 

1. Find your path to God - for some people they find this through religion, or joining a group that practises their spiritual beliefs.  For others, it is reading to enhance their knowledge, meditation, pray or simply spending some quiet time in nature.
2. Identify a cause that is close to your heart and volunteer some of your time - this is an excellent way to get perspective. These are tough economic times, and often times because we are human, we are inclined to believe nobody is as bad off as ourselves. In most cases this is a mis-perception. What cause could possibly be close to your heart? Are you especially concerned about the elderly? Is there a centre or facility nearby where you could volunteer your time and learn more about those less fortunate? For every gift and privilege that God has given us, we have a responsibility. What could your responsibility to society be? Volunteer your time and open your mind. 
3. Identify an outlet to express yourself, your innermost desires and the aspects of yourself that you need to work on. E g. writing in a journal, talking to someone whom you trust, exercise in nature - and spend some time getting to know yourself and the awesome person you are evolving into becoming.

These are simply a few suggestions, but there are so many things we can do to nurture our spirits and get in touch with our own humanity. Try it and feel free to write and let me know of the impact in your life on info@petitecoach.com
 

 

I look forward to hearing from you! Onwards and upwards!
 

Your Lifecoach

 _____________________________________________________

 

Thanks Nabu! Definitely and important reminder to keep things in Focus!

 

You can contact Nabukenya through the email listed in the post or through her website or Facebook page. If you are In Namibia and would like to have some sessions with her please contact her!

 

Thanks for stopping by !

100 posts

 

I've been mentally rewriting this post in my head for the last week and I really hesitated publishing it ,which is completely ridiculous! It's my 100th post on my little space of the Internet and somehow it felt like it should be profound and amazing and yet all I have are update on how life is going... thats profound and amazing right ;) Anyway! I've enjoyed this little blog so much over the year and a bit I've been able to be here and learned SO much about the background of a website (still not an expert but I try). It's a creative outlet and a way to keep family and friends up to date with what we were up to and I love that. I've also met so many new virtual 'friends' and I'm glad you joined in for the ride:) Here's hoping there's lots more blogging fun and projects to be had!!

 

So moving away from the sappiness here's some updates:)

 

I wrapped all our Christmas presents over the weekend (we went shopping last week as it was W's weekend off and we wanted to try and get a head start on Christmas as we're both working right through this year)

 

 

I'm feeling super proud to be so organised (believe me it doesn't happen often) and it almost makes up for the fact that I couldn't find the gift's I'd been stocking up on through the year which are in a box .... somewhere.... all the gifts are now sitting pretty under the Christmas tree which we put up yesterday (and I forgot to take a picture of )

 

Secondly I've been on the look out for thing's for the new house to dress it up a bit. I found these amazing paper place mats from Ishish designs at our local arts and crafts shop, Jenny's place. unfortunately it looks like IshIsh only sells to retailers so you won't be able to get their stuff off their website but the designs are great! (the also had some beautiful Christmas ones!!)

I'm planning on framing them for the HUGE wall in our dining-room/lounge

 

 

Lastly remember a while back when I got the broken mirror's I said I wanted to try my hand at some mosaic? I finally got my act together and bought the supplies I needed :)

I still haven't done the grout(and to honest I have no idea how to do that!) but it was a quick and easy project which looks like a million bucks!

Here's a sneak peak:)

 

 

So that's pretty much what's going on!

 The house is looking amazing but I forgot to take photo's (bad blogger!). They've put the roof trusses up on the sides (IE over the bedrooms/kitchen/garage) and are still waiting for the ones for the *HUGE* living/dining section. Its looking amazing but we really didn't realise it would be so tall ! today they hoping to get the roof sheets on (hold thumbs !) and hopeful start finishing up the boundary wall between us and the neighbour.

 

 

 

Things I'm learning

Its been a rough few weeks full of learning opportunities . I thought I'd share some :)

1)My husband is awesome ( I always knew that but I wanted everyone else to know it too)

2) No matter how old you are when things go wrong you still need your parents

3) The size on the tag of the clothes doesn't matter its how you feel in them that counts!  (anyone else battling to find to find things that fit? If the fashion industry out there is listening taller people need clothes too!)

4) When moving house in a hurry don't leave everything to the last minute and throw things into boxes without labels... especially if you will not be unpacking those boxes for a while!! it makes finding things hard!

5) life doesn't go according to plan ! but God knows!!

                                                   

friday thought

While Driving to work this morning I stopped behind a car with a number of bumper stickers on the back. One in particular jumped out at me and I thought I would share the sentiments with you today

 

source

 

 I made up a free printable for those who would like to be reminded of this

click Here to download

 

We need a bit more of this in the world we live in

Have a wonderful weekend

 

IT"S HERE!!! Guest Guru post 1

I've had so much Fun trying to gather a mix of people to give us their advice to hopefully benefit some-one out there. 

Today Post is aimed at all of you out there who ever dreamed of writing a book :)

My dear friend Jacky who blogs at As the Voices Speak is our guest guru for today... I've known Jacky since I was 4 years old... hows that for a long time :) she is a very talented and funny writer and is sharing today with us how she plans and plots her stories :)

Thats Jacky :)

Hope you Enjoy

______________________________________________________

Novel writing is something I’m slowly teaching myself and learning from my mistakes, challenges and feedback from friends. I haven’t taken any writing lessons or anything, this is just a passion, a hobby. I have written three novels, none published…yet. My “first” novel I attempted to write years ago is not finished as I wrote out of boredom during quiet days in my first job. 

Almost four years ago a friend challenged me to write a 50 000 word novel in a month for a ‘competition’ called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). My unfinished novel was sitting nicely on 48 000 odd words after over four years of writing and I thought, ‘no ways, that’s impossible’ but I took up the challenge and I reached my 50 000 words in under a month…and so my novel “Hidden Evidence” became my first complete novel.

Because this NaNoWriMo takes place over November, one is only allowed to write/type in that month but you can plot in advance. My first novel in 2009 was a quick plot novel as I agreed to do it a month or two before November. 2010 was a better plotted novel, and last year was a novel with no plot as I was studying and wrote my exam on the last day in October…which is why the third is a disaster.

So because of the way I write (starting my novels in November), I’ve had to learn to plot in a certain way, knowing that it will change a few times before I begin writing. 

So in plotting, these are some of the things I’ve learnt over the few years is:

• Know you main character. I never understood this until I found myself ‘thinking’ the way my character would….it can be scary sometimes when you’re typing and can ‘hear and see’ you’re your character play out in your mind. If you’re artistic, a simple sketch of how you would picture your character can help; also know his attitude and personality. One thing an author told me once is that you should know what is in your characters pockets/bag.
• If you are writing about a fictional world/country, again, having a basic drawing of what it looks like can help in creating that world.

• Keep a note book on you, if possible, at all times. I go for small ones that I can keep in my back pocket. People say things or act ways and it’s always good to write it down before you forget. Also at times you’ll get an idea for your novel.

•      One I’ve learnt recently is use an old calendar to keep track of days, weeks, months and years in your characters life, specially if your novel is going to be a series. I’m finding myself having to go back to past novels to work out what month of the year I’m plotting in, and it can be frustrating when you’ve plotted for a specific season and yet the time of the year is wrong.

• ·       Work on having a good beginning and a good end and the in-between bit can fall into place naturally. Also, try having a twist. If you’re getting bored plotting, then scrap that idea and work something else.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->

When it comes to November and you decide to get writing:

• ·        Don’t stress if you decide to go slightly off your ‘plotted ideas’. Sometimes spontaneous ideas while writing can be good.
• ·     Don’t be scared to write ahead if you hit a “road block” in your novel. Continue writing from a point later in the novel and come back….at some point you’ll think of something to bridge the gap.
•        I’ve found it helpful having a friend read a page or two after I have written them, specially if it’s off the plotted track or if it’s a part you didn’t plot. Sometimes their thoughts help or their anticipation of what they think is going to happen can make you rethink you storyline and write it differently. Also be open to criticism.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->

     So that’s a few things I’ve learnt over the years. I’ve recently bought another book to try and help me…don’t be scared to use the resources out there to help you.

_____________________________________________________________

Thanks Jacky for Sharing your knowledge with us ! hope it gives some aspiring writers out there some confidence to start :) NaNoWriMo is just around the corner

Jax feel free to grab a guest Guru button from the side bar:)

come back next week when we have another exciting guest to share:)