Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 4

Week Four: Nature's Gifts

 

 

Show day holiday trip to the beautiful Crows Nest Falls after the devastating Queensland floods, some damage and uprooted trees but still beautiful to be surrounded by nature...

You can check out Sarah Hernon Photography here

Must...stop...impulse...buying...!!!

So today little Ives and I ventured out to Kmart in search of a broom (as the handle of our old one snapped in two the other day) and some new crayons and sketch pad...

 

I'm also on the lookout for a book called "There's a House Inside My Mummy" as it was recommended to me by a few people at the wedding on the weekend...

 

And that, my friends, is where I stumbled across this book...

 

Something about the front cover just drew me in immediately...

 

Possibly the delicious looking strawberry tart you may be thinking???

 

Um no...

 

It was the colour of the rustic looking table upon which the strawberry tart was placed...

 

The exact accent colour I want to use when our kitchen / family room renovations are complete...

 

Don't you think it would be just perfect perched on the kitchen bench???

 

Anyway after umming and ahhing and justifying it by saying it can be hubby's birthday present for me this year (as it's just around the corner and he never goes shopping!!) I put it in my trolley and parted with my $35...

 

Tonight I've just been flicking through it and although everything looks delicious, I can honestly say there are maybe a handful of recepies that I would be game to attempt and probably even less that my hubby would actually eat (he's a pretty standard meat and three veg kinda guy!)...

 

Oops...

 

Regretting the impulse buy???

 

Maybe...

 

But will it look the part on display in my new kitchen???

 

Definitely!!!

 

Oh, and I made it all the way to the counter with our stuff and then remembered I didn't even have the broom and had to go back!!!  Yet another moment to blame the baby brain...

Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 3

Week Three: Happiness is...

 

At the in-laws farm - Ivy 12 months old

 

...carefree family outdoor fun!

You can check out Sarah Hernon Photography here and play along!

Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 2

So it turns out I'm enjoying taking a walk down memory lane and finding little gems or out-takes of life since Ivy has arrived that I can use in this challenge.  I would love to share these pictures on this blog as otherwise they would just sit here on my computer and get lost in the thousands of pictures that I am going to go through "one day"...

Week Two: Children of the Fur

Ruby with Ivy approx. 4 months old

This is our dog "Ruby".  When we had Ivy our midwife told us to have a blanket that we could wrap her in while in hospital and then take it home and place in the Ruby's bed so that she would be used to and comforted by the smell of our new Ivy when we bought her home.  We did this and these two have been firm friends since the first moment they met.  We have since had to move Ruby's kennel to underneath Ivy's bedroom window as that's where she would sleep and quite often you would hear and quite and comforting little growl from Ruby during late night and early morning feeds.

Pop on over to Sarah Hernon Photography and join in the challenge!

Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 1

As mentioned in my previous post "Stick with it" I mentioned that I was going to partake in a photography challenge with Sarah Hernon Photography (previously Forever in time Photography)...

 

Well, I'm gonna have to do a bit of a catch up but here goes...

 

Look out for a few posts over the next couple of days.  I'm not going to pressure myself to take brand new photos but all photos will have been taken by me and have some special meaning to me...

 

Week One: Windows to the Soul

Ivy - approx 3-4 months old

 

There's a twinkle in these young eyes that shows an innocent but inquisitive soul with a yearning for light and laughter and a cheeky sense of fun.



LOVE...is friendship set on fire!

On the weekend just gone I had the absolute pleasure of attending the wedding of my brother and his now wife in sunny Brisbane...

 

It was honestly one of the most beautiful weddings I have attended and I firmly believe that this didn't have all that much to do with the location/outfits/flowers/meal/etc. (although all that stuff was really lovely and couldn't be faulted)...

 

But mainly just because of the glowing smiles that did not stop beaming from their faces...

 

The way they treated each other with respect and love and enjoy each other with a genuine friendship...

 

Little Ivy scored a gig as flower girl and she couldn't have done a better job if we'd trained her for weeks before hand...

 

Somehow she just knew when her moments were and just shone...one proud Mummy right here!!

 

 

Walked up the aisle carrying her flowers...check

 

Danced in the aisle when the music was playing...check

 

Clapped loudly and shouted yay when the song finished, when they kissed, when they walked out and at pretty much any other moment her excitement of the occcasion felt like overflowing...check!!

 

She was so adorable and had many kind comments directed her way...

 

I just LOVE weddings and catching up with my crazy family...

 

I grew up with three younger brothers and now that they are all bigger than me they think it's funny to pick on me...

 

Lucky I married my hubby who's bigger than all of them!!

 

but it's that cheeky fun temperament that I love about them....

 

 

Just a special day with special people!!

 

I spent most of the reception chasing Ivy around as all she wanted to do was explore but had time for a little dance before hubby to her off to bed just after 10pm... (one of the benefits of staying in a room at the same place the reception was being held and having a hubby who didn't want a late night as he wanted to go fishing the next day)...

 

 

Love these special times!!

 

Why are there so many different colours of paint?!?

Still trying to decide what colour to paint the majority of walls in our house... today I am thinking possibly Solver Smoke Pearl - got my inspiration from here

Our house looks to be of a similar era with the arches and as we have decided to leave them a nice grey would probably modernise the place...

Paint colours, baby names...so many big decisions to be made around here!!

Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet Ivy...

10 weeks pregnant (catch up)...

My lovely friend has started her journey to becoming a photographer and I am so lucky that she is using me and my pregnancy as part of her learning process!!

 

These shots were taken a couple of weeks ago, when I was 10 weeks pregnants and I LOVE them!!

 

 

I am excited to be sharing this special time with her and to be documenting this pregnancy as it progresses...

 

 

She has some great creative ideas and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you...

 

 

You can read more about her photography journey here.

 

 

 



A good thought...

Stick with it...

So, I will be the first one to say that I am very bad at sticking with things...

 

I get very excited and enthusiastic to start projects and after a while my enthusiasm wanes and it falls by the wayside...  You have probably already realised this by reading this blog!!

 

Well, once again I am starting a new photo challenge started by my friend on her blog 'Forever in Time Photography' - you can read her blog HERE.

 

My goal is to start taking more photos to post on my blog as I have been a bit lax of late...

 

so lets do it!!

Today I am feeling peaceful...

This morning I attended my very first yoga class...

 

and absolutely LOVED it!!!

 

I think this may be my new obsession...

 

I feel lighter...

 

happier...

 

more relaxed...

 

looser...

 

healthier in both mind and body...

 

Doing yoga just made me feel like I could just float away...

 

I am feeling peaceful :-)

 

Ready to take on another week...

 



What's in a name?

So today I reached the magical 12 week mark of pregnancy...

 

So around 6 months to come up with the perfect name for the little human being growing inside of me...

 

This is one of my favourite things, I really love researching and coming up with names, nothing too unusual or out there but meaningful and (in my mind) fit for this new special little being to walk around with for all of his/her days...

 

Our first child, we called Ivy Jewel.  For a long time we were going to name her Eilley but changed our minds a couple of weeks before she was born as Ivy sounds similar, would not need to be constantly repeated and spelled when people asked her name and also is in memory of my late grandfather, Ivan.  Jewel is because I bought an album of lullabys by Jewel Kilcher that I listened to continually towards the end of my pregnancy and continue to listen to it now.  It is just so beautiful and relaxing... I also have loved Jewel's songs for a long time and think the name is lovely...

 

So we don't know if bub #2 is a boy or girl yet but one idea is to look at names relating to Autumn  (as the baby will be born in May) examples are...

Autumn

Scarlet

Hazel

Ash (Ashton/Asher)

Hue (Hugh)

Hunter

 

I have loved Scarlet for the longest time and it is definitely on top of my girls list at the moment, I also like Lola at the moment as well.  For some reason I find it a lot easier to come up with girl names than boy names...maybe this is a sign that bub#2 is another girl??  I don't mind either way but secretly I wouldn't mind another girl as I didn't have a sister (I did have three brothers though!!) and I would love for Ivy to have a sister to grow up with...

 

This post is just the start of the naming journey I'm interested and excited to see where it takes us and how many mind changes happen along the way!!