A New Year and a time for new beginnings...

I have always loved this time of year! Approaching a new year for me is very cathartic as I ponder over the past year and reflect on what went well and what didnt go so well in my life then I love to get out my pen and paper/computer to write out my goals for the coming year...yes I really do this! You may think it's daggy but so effective!  All of the greatest life coaches agree that when you write down your goals, something magical happens...

Gearing up to each New Years I have a long think of what habit I can leave behind as the year closes, something which doesnt suit me any more or I think its time to ditch. Usually its dietary related or some improvement in my health. For instance in the past I have been able to change quite a few things this way, no sugar in my tea or coffee, normal milk to soy milk then soy milk to no milk, this year it will be taking wheat and sugar out of my diet. I am doing this for a number of reasons but mainly to encourage our son Matt to eat healthier as he is recovering from Chronic Fatigue & the one thing we have found makes a difference more than anything else is cutting out wheat, sugar and preservatives.

As of Jan 1st I will be following Sarah Wilson's 8 week program of "I quit sugar". This Australian author has helped thousand of others become sugar free and are experiencing better health than they have felt in decades.  I too wish to feel well all the time, which is why I am going down this holistic path, for me, my changes in 2013 are all about wellbeing in lifestyle, diet and thoughts.

I plan for 2013 to show me lots of new habits I hope to last a lifetime. Our recent move to Altona has shown my husband and I the pleasure of getting back to nature by walking along the beach and really appreciating our surrounds. My daughter Mel who is studying aromatherapy has inspired me to look for remedies and oils to enhance a feeling of tranquility particularly in times of stress when I am busy at work.

I'd love to hear from others who are also contemplating a new direction in 2013, or trying new dietary habits or any other goals such as saving for a well deserved break or holiday, or perhaps trying to unclutter their lives. Don't let 2013 rush by without doing something very special for YOU! We all know that it's so easy for  the year to pass us by as we race through the days and weeks as best we can without any real direction or realisation that we are wasting precious time. It was John Lennon who said "Life is what happens when you are too busy doing other things."

 Perhaps in this coming year we can inspire each other to change direction or habits. Apparently it only takes 21 days to change a habit so if you have something you really feel is weighing you down, or its time to ditch, just keep with the change for 21 days until it becomes a habit. This is what I am doing with the sugar.  21 days, is all you need to commit to, that doesnt sound too hard does it?

For those who would like to 'attract' something special or bring some change into their lives, focus on what you want in detail in your thoughts each day for about 2 or 3 weeks - really imagine yourself already in posession of what you want and experience the feelings of it as if you had it right now! Write down what you imagine as if it is yours already and then let it go. In perfect timing the universe will bring you exactly what you have been focussing on or you'll suddenly notice someone or something appearing in your life to help you find a way or means for your dream to take shape.

An example below is written goal testimony which I am using to help me achieve my goal. The steps are to remind me of help and strategies when I am feeling its all too hard.  It's not set in concrete and can be adjusted as I go but its a great starting point:

From Jan 1st 2013

GOAL 1. - CUT SUGAR FROM MY DIET

STEPS TO HELP ME ACHIEVE THIS GOAL

 Do not put any sugary item in my mouth for 8 weeks while I go through a proven program of detoxing an eliminating sugar cravings.  I have chosen a program by Sarah Wilson called 'I Quit Sugar" program to detox my body

Increase my water intake and herbal teas. Drink more green tea each day

Bring homemade snacks to work to combat the 'chocolate table' which is right near my desk and eat my own snacks instead.  Actually better still, move that 'chocolate table' to the other side of the office!

When sugar cravings hit me, find something else to do, walk, cycle or read and eat something savoury

Get books from library or internet on how to grow organic vegetables & herbs or gain advice from those around me who grow vegetables successfully :)

Begin to try new recipes introducing spices such as cumin & tumeric to enhance my new pallet

 

So....what's something you would love to experience, complete or start and what steps can you create to overcome hurdles along the way?  If you are stuck for stepping stones to reach the end result maybe I can help? Remember that Life is beautiful and is what you make of it! Good luck to you all who have big dreams - never give them away, just keep striving little steps by little steps and they will soon become your reality - I know they will if you just keep believing xx

Happy New Year to all my friends & families and remember to MAKE 2013 YOUR BEST YEAR YET! 
I wish you all peace, love & laughter

A white pallet with a touch of blue, sand & charcoal...

I've always loved the look of blue and white or white on white for that matter. My husband, however in the recent past had a penchant for anything green.  Perhaps it comes from his Army days of camouflaged greens but his children are forever telling him 'not green again' whenever he is selecting colours of paint for a spot of renovating.

Seeing as our first house had green walls and this journey is all about changing, I have finally won him over on the colour scheme this time and as I am window shopping I am now training myself to not look at anything green but search for the 'right blues' I want in my beach retreat. That in itself is challenging as there are so many variants of hues of one colour - even white! I guess the blues which fall into my favourite list are duckegg blues, french blues and sea or charcoal greys with whites and creams. There are many other colours I can blend in with these such as sandstone, all shades of greys and browns and beiges and sandy tones.

 In fact in my mind I see lots of white and white on white which I have never decorated with before but I think it will add to the peaceful, tranquil feel of our new home. I have deliberately left behind all my dark furniture, old country style pieces and am slowly gaining a collection of more French Provincial style which I love so much. This will mean that I do include wood somewhere in the mix but it will be a lot lighter this time around. Mixing French Provincial with my new love of coastal living design might mean I make up a new style altogether! One thing I know for sure is if it takes me years I will have my beautiful shutters back for window dressings, they are the quintessential of window dressings.

So, after much thought I have decided to base my colour scheme on the blues and white pallettes you see below and will incorporate beige and wood amongst it all as well.  I am sure you will agree it is very relaxing and 'beachy. After living very practically for all of my married life I am going into the new year with a new found love of treating myself well and for me that means surrounding myself with beauty, lovely colours & furnishings with peaceful tones, beautifully decorated to lift my soul.  This is what living is all about surrounding yourself with people & things which make you smile, making sure each day you can feel good at where you are in life or where you are trying to get to.  I guess my life in many ways is moving in a different direction. My children are now adults and  I can find the time to sit here and ponder what colour I wish to decorate my house. I have a little chuckle at this as its been a long time coming but I am actually loving every minute of my life right now and cannot wait for this new year to begin.

We have placed a beautiful new sofa on layby at Freedom Furniture in a dark charcoal (The Portland) and I found some lovely blue and beige cushions recently while shopping in Yarraville a trendy little shopping strip of inner Melbourne which I think will work perfectly.

Yesterday out in amongst the Boxing Day sales, we came across a new kitchenware designer by the name of 'Claire's Kitchen' stocked in Harris Scarfe, one of Australia's oldest larger department stores.  This kitchenware was the 'perfect French blue' which I have been looking for so we stocked up on canasters, milk and cream jugs and will go back for more before the sale ends. The range was extensive including pie dishes, quiche & casserole dishes, all beautifully crafted and with 40% off full prices.  Today I also came across the most exciting furnishing website (for me) - its called 'The French Boathouse' and its Australian (cheaper shipping costs & locally supported). This online store features French and Hampton (New England) style furnishings, so perfect for the style I love - what more could a girl want to decorate her beach house? Check it out:
 http://www.thefrenchboathouse.com.au/bluecart/

Happy Birthday Bill!

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday.  He will be 54 years old.  When I first laid eyes on Bill, I was a young girl of 23 just recently out of home with a Contiki tour of Europe under my belt but not much more experience than that, I couldnt cook, that's for sure.  Bill was 29 at the time we met, fell in love and knew within 6 months we would spend the rest of our lives together.  Amongst dreams of having a family and sharing our lives, one dream of Bill's was constant, he wanted to retire near some water. We often spoke of living in Geelong and as the years went by and we bought our house in Melbourne & raised our family it appeared as if this dream of living by the sea had all but dissapeared as we began renovating our family home in Watsonia.

One thing I have learned in my 23 years of marriage is not to get caught up in planning too much ahead as I often like to do, because sometimes we think we know where we are going but suddenly for whatever reason, the goalposts change or you reasess your life and suddenly things take off in a totally different direction than the one you thought you were on. This is what happened with us as we planned what to do with our house in Medbury Ave, I realised that Bill's heart was not really in that house and that is because his inner voice was knocking loudly everytime we went down to visit Bre,  Jason, Josh & Amy who live by the sea I noticed it was hard to tear him away to return back home.

Life does indeed show you where you need to be. All we have to do is listen to our inner voices.  If you ignore this voice, it will find a way to keep nudging you towards what you are meant to be doing in life.  Its up to us to take notice and act on this feeling and you'd be surprised at how many doors open up when you are on the right path. It was Bill's inner feelings that led us to throw caution to the wind and grab the opportunity with both hands to buy our little beach retreat. 

When Bill took a chance on applying for his current job, he was relying on the belief that this was the right path for us and I truly know that we have been guided all along this journey as everything has just happened seemlessly and easily.  I have always said, if the road you are on is smooth and it feels right, then keep going, its what you are meant to be doing.

When we began this latest adventure we did not know what this year would bring, leaving our home and going to a new area to live was a huge risk, we left our beautiful daughter behind as Bill began his new job. This was a brave move for someone of Bill's age to begin again after being in the same job for 11 years, step out of his comfort zone into a job he was not sure he was going to like, but he knew this was the means to getting him where he wants to be.

So now, 4 months down the track, here we are at the end of the year most happy with our new scenery and about to face a new year, one which will entail yet another big move but this time a move away from our city of Melbourne which we have called home for all our lives and in Bill's case over half a century.

At 54 I think my husband deserves the life he has always wished for. At 54 I think he has done a wonderful job of bringing up 3 children who love him along with our two beautiful grandchildren who also love their "Dandad" Yes, I think the next few years are about to show us what life should be like when you reach out and follow your dreams and don't ever think it cant happen to you.

So..... my birthday wish this year for my husband of 23 years is this:

I hope for the rest of your life you can look back on this year and remember what it took for us to be living the dream life you have always wanted.  Walk tall knowing that you have made this happen, you took the chance and it paid off.  My life will forever be enhanced because of your dream.  My job now is to ensure that our little beach retreat is the most beautiful house on the Bellarine Peninsula and that our life moving forward is one of peace and contentment that we have both worked so hard to be rewarded with the life we imagined where we can grow old together and know that we made it happen 'for us'

Happy Birthday my love xx