Wordless Wednesday 5 January

Relaxing....no more to be said

Monday Menu 3 January

Welcome to the New Year.

Monday  Hamburger and salad  ( meat patties homemade)

Tuesday  chicken skewers and couscous salad

Wednesday  Roasted vegetable quiche with salad

Thursday  Spanakopita

Friday  Fajitas

Saturday  chicken roasted, potato and salad

Sunday  left overs

I will try and find some more links for these

Have a great week

Essence - My word for 2011

This year I thought that I would start off with this topic with a group of definition to help me focus on why I have chosen this word...Essence.

• the basic, ral and invaiable nature of a thing or its significant individual feature or features
• the most significant element, quality or aspect of a thing or person
• the curcial element
• the inward nature, true substance or constituatin of anthing as opposed to what is accidental, phenomenal, illusory
• something that exists especially a spiritual or immaterial entity

Sumonyms for essence....substance, spirity, lifeblood, heart, principle, soul, core.

I bought this little book Essence.  Inspiration for a life of abundance and happiness.  Published by Affirmations Publishing House to help keep the focus.

For me I have chosen essence so I can define who I am more clearly.  I don't mean a wife, mother, daughter, etc I mean who I really am deep inside.

Now to reflect a little and get to it.

A New Year and a Fresh Start

So with the first day of the New Year almost over I am prompted to post my challenges I will participate in.  They hopefully will help me achieve my goals and help me stay focused.  So without any drum rolls here they are......

• challenge my self each week to do something new.  This is a life project.  Read more about it here
• as for reading more I thought that I would find an easy to achieve challenge to start with.  I am yet to find one but am happy to have someone recommend one to me
• to add to my Monday Menu planning I am going to regularly add a new recipe to my list comment on it and add to a post "My family loves this recipe'

I  think that is enough of a start and as today is the first of the month here I am picking up the first book I have read for 11 months.  I know nothing heavy but I love escapism in reading so here it is.

Happy New Year

From my family to you all I wish you the very best for a wonderful and fullfilling New Year.

PS We have all just been enjoying an afternoon of swimming and thus the attire.

Nothing like setting myself a few goals

With 2010 almost over I thought that I would set myself some goals, hopefully achievable.  So without saying here is my list for 2011.  (They are in no particular order)

• definitely go on regular date nights
• maintain and fine tune fitness, health and wellbeing
• increase the number of everyday recipes I can make that the whole family enjoys
• make a recipe book
• put the finishing rouches to the last two years of P365 so I can print them out into a hard bound book.
• Essence is my word for the year.  I fully intend to investige this for me. (Watch for a blog post to come)
• I know this one is a bit odd but with the challenges our disabled son brings our life we need to work out how to socialise more.  So that is it socialise more
• read more. 
• put the fun back in life by creating fun family moments
• take a trip to oz
• organise work for 2012...yes I know that is 12 months away but it will take that long to train someone to help with Hayden and then to find a place to work in town.

That it.  What more could I fit in really?

Wordless Wednesday 29 December 2010

The last Wordless Wednesday of the Year.  Can you believe it?

I am linking to My Little Drummer Boys

Monday Menu 27 December

My last menu for 2010.  I just dont know where the year has gone.

Monday  pot roast meat cooked in the slow cooker with salad

Tuesday  beef wrap

Wednesday  easy vegetable curry

Thursday  korma vegetable curry  (this recipe with a korma curry paste)

Friday  Macaroni and vegetable soup

Saturday  lamb chops (on the bbq) with baked potato and salad

Sunday  chicken kebab with salad on egg noodles

I think I might just do it.

I  am always setting myself goals at the beginning of the year.  Yes I am goal driven but hopefully it also keeps me focussed.  For me food, fitness and motivation are always on the list, usually under the same bullet point.

This year though I am very proud of myself because I think I might just achieve a good level of fitness (well for me anyway) and consequently my thin wardrobe is going to get a work out this summer.

I know that I fluctuate and at times my thinking persuades me that it is ok not to exercise, not to plan my menus ahead but deep down I know that I need to do both of these things.  I have got past the fact that I think I cant run while push the 33kg (buggy and DS2) but guess what I can and I am doing it.

I even scrapped booked about excersizing while the children where at school.

Credits can be found here.

 That was way back in March 2010.  It has taken me all this time to accept that I have no easy solution and enough with the excuses.

Now to add a few more new recipes to my list of can do and all like list and next year I will be looking at maintaining things at my happy level.

Naturally there will be challenges as I know I am an emotional eater but I am determined that I can over come this.  Perhaps I can just make sure I cook in advance when I am working and DH is away.

So here three of us are,  DD did not want to be take part in our photo moment, DS2 in the buggy still with medication to finish, DS3 with his bike ready to go and ofcouse me all ready.

My Favourites for 2011

This year has had some great finds I thought that I would share just five of my favourites



My favourite music find

Cold Play - Left Right Left Right album not only is it live but you can officially download it for free.


My favourite new find restaurant

Secret Thai Garden


My favourite christmas site find

The White Envelope


My favourite quote

You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when.  You can only decide how you're going to live.  Now.  by Joan Baez

My favourite discovery about me

I can stand in front of the camera and not just behind.  This now means that my image and not only my words is being recorded for properity.

Just take a look.  This photo was taken in October

My favourite exercise

Running.  Can you believe it.  I am doing the C5K plan and really enjoying it.  Have my shoes and ipod and off I go.  I use this music not because I like it but because I can run to it.