Tama 21 Months

 

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Story Chapter 12 - These are the days

 

 Artist: Kelly Rae Roberts

One of the ways that I get the greatest joys from the story that is my life is by telling the stories of our life together. 

I am blessed to have a cast in my life of many friends and family, and in particular my own 'tight five'~ the lovelies I share my home and my heart with. Through blogging, scrapbooking and a variety of notebooks in which I share tidbits and tales I am the keeper and the teller of our stories. 

It is the day to day stuff of our life, the routines and the seasons that make me happiest. Yes there's the big ticket stuff too- birthdays and first day of school and other such one off events. But it's the everyday that seems to be the most important to capture. It's like a tree- everyday it looks just like the day before. The growth and the change is so slow and imperceptible that you just don't see it. And then a year later as the first buds of spring are coming or the last leaves are falling in autumn you realise just how much it has changed. 

Life is like that too- especially with children in the mix- each day seems the same- same routines, same habits, same mess and always busy. But each day we are changing, growing and moving further from the starting point. The stuff that seems boring and everyday may not even be so a week, a month, a year from now. And the everyday is where we are investing our hearts. The everyday is the soul of our life. If we acknowledge and celebrate it in out stories. We remember and most importantly appreciate what we have now. We can more easily see what we have, see that we have enough, that we are enough- and that our life as plain as it may seem- is actually interesting and worthwhile.

"Capture your ordinary everydays, for tomorrow that may seem extraordinary."

I love the picture in the layout above. When I took it it was just on a whim- just capturing another photo for my 365. I loved it then because it said heaps about my life: what I was driving (Mother-Trucker #1) , What I was reading: (Janet Evanonvich): Where I had been (the base library): Who my travelling companion was (Will eater of the crackers and biscuits you see there)... and there are so many other stories- the handbag containing the lotto slips, the squeegee for my window, Les' sheepskin car seat covers- so many details in one basic pictures. 

When I took it I had no idea that we'd soon be: Leaving the airforce, having another travelling companion, getting Mother Trucker #2 and living in a completely different country- so many aspects of my life each with their own hoard of stories. How cool is that?! One photo of my ordinary extraordinary life- 100+ stories. 

These are stories my kids may never have had the chance to know- Will will hardly remember our life in New Zealand and Tama was two days shy of two months old when we left so he'd know nothing of so much of our family's story if it weren't for the memory keeping I do.

It's so, so cool to have the stories- told, collected and curated- tiny moments, big moments and many in between!

Single Photo Saturday

 
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Flora on Friday

 

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Out and About: Peel Zoo

Peel is about an hour south of Perth down by Mandurah. Will has been hanging out to go to Peel Zoo ever since his friend Jessa went and got to pat a snake. It didn't disappoint.

It's very much an Aussie animal zoo we got to tickle foxes.

Feed Kangaroos.

Smile at devils.

Make eyes at birds.

We were wooed by a black Cockatoo.

 

Silenced by sleepy Koalas.

Wowed by a Woylie.

We got up close

Very  close.


VERY VERY CLOSE

and personal with the locals!

And finale was exactly as Will imagined... he was in heaven!

 

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365 Week 11

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Will 63 Months

 

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Pie Day 2013

Pie day this year was a dismal failure.

It all started when I was driving back home for the school run and the radio mentioned that it was Pi Day. In other words I was totally unprepared. 

We did a quick search on the internet and came up with some options which were really part improvisation part recipe for disaster.

My assistant and I made the base for the sweet pie and I thought it looked pretty good. So I went off to quickly print the recipe we were using for the custard filling.

Turns out my assistant thought it needed a little remodel.

Frozen berries in the base.

Custard.

Fill and bake till it stops wobbling.

And bake, and bake, and bake, and bake and bake some more.

In order for the centre to be cooked the outside should be singed! I liked the filling. Will liked the base. In general I think the pie averaged 2 out of 10... not good.

The savoury pie was Pork that I'd already got out for the dinner I had originally planned. I slow cooked it with various ingredients. And then baked it in flaky pastry.

I think this pie may have scored even lower then the dessert pie.

:-(

Story Chapter 11 - The List

 The List....

1. Order: Practice habits that serve your routine. Let routine guide your days. Strive to maintain order.
2. Tranquility: Speak and act calmly and with patience not only to those around you but also to yourself.
3. Moderation: Give your attention to many things each day. But only one at a time. 

4. Silence: Speak only well of yourself and others- do not allow yourself to be pulled into gossip.

5. Communicate: Speak openly and explicitly your love to those that need most to hear it.

6. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

7.  Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. 

8. Temperance: Eat and drink only that will sustain you best.

9. Gratitude: Be mindful of your blessings. Appreciate and celebrate them.

10. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. 

11. Adventure: resolve to explore and discover your own corner of the world. 

12. Kinship: Communicate with those for whom you care and care for you.

13. Prioritise: Put that first which deserves your attention most. Let go of that which does not serve your life.

14: Generosity: Be generous with your time and effort share it with the members of your community that most deserve it.

15. Honesty: Be honest at all times with yourselves and others.

16. Be Present: Think not so much of the past except to learn from your mistakes. Dream not of the future in extremes but in real possibilities.  

     

I left in some of Benjamin Franklin's in the list as is because I liked them. Adapted others for me, left some out and added some new ones as well. I think there are too many but I'm not sure what I wanted to leave out. I've been mindful of some them for the last week since I wrote up the draft and will have to really work at some others. The trick will be not to kick myself when I don't manage to achieve some of the more important ones.

Single Photo Saturday

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Flora on Friday

 

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365 2013 Week 10

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