Accordion Wheel Photo Frame

I've been getting my craft on again, its about time really as not only did I have writers block, which alone was frustrating enough, but to loose my craft mojo was something new !!

So here is what I have been busy creating, an Accordion Wheel Photo Frame, and I am quite delighted with how it turned out........

Begin by cutting 2 strips of scrapbook paper. I cut them 2 inches wide and the full length of the paper

Lightly score the paper down and across in 1cm squares. This helps when folding the wheel

Fold each strip of paper along the scored lines

Join the ends together, I used a hot glue gun as it has a very strong hold

Push the wheel together and hold firmly

Glue a square of paper to the back to keep the wheel together

Wheel complete

I chose a 13cm x 18cm shadow box frame 

And after arranging and hot gluing the wheels in place,
this is the finished product.

I Wish...

I know that everything happens for a reason,

but sometimes I wish I knew 

what that reason was

I wish... that I had a magic wand so I could go back to that first moment when I first found out about you.

I wish... that I could bottle that time and happiness, so I could hold on to that memory forever.

I wish... that just for a moment I had the chance to hold you in my arms. 

I wish... that I had kept you safe, done things differently. Then maybe you would still be with me.

I wish... that I could have jumped on your bed this morning and wished you a happy birthday, that I was baking your favorite cake, blowing up balloons and watching your face as you opened up your presents that were chosen with such love.

But this will not be happening today for you did not even make it into this world. I have cried a river of tears for what was not meant to be, and even though I never had the chance to hold you, to kiss you and take care of you, I have never loved you any less. Till the day that I die, in my heart I will have always been the mother to five precious children, all who mean the world to me and have made my life so extraordinarily happy.

So to you my angel baby, where ever you may be. Happy 18th birthday and may one day we meet and have that cuddle that so many years ago was denied us..........

Linking up with the gorgeous Jess for this weeks IBOT 

Happy Tuesday xxx

Flashback Friday - 1991

Glancing through our local paper this week, I saw a photograph that was taken at one of the local High Schools Debutante Balls. The girls looked beautiful in their white gowns standing along side their handsome partners, such a far cry from their usual school uniforms and pig tails.

It immediately took me back to 1991 when I, as a 16 year old grade eleven student and made my own Debut. 

I felt like a princess dressed in my flowing white dress, my handsome boyfriend (now my husband) on my arm twirling me around the dance floor along side many of our friends while our families watched from their seats. In all reality when I look back now it almost seemed like an early rehearsal for our wedding day.

I have been so lucky to have celebrated so many of the big moments in my life with the same partner, we have shared many special occasions together, and when I made my debut it was the first of many, with many more wonderful times still to come.........

Linking up with the lovely Cathy for another Flashback Friday xx

Teens And Man Flu

At what stage did your teenage sons discover man flu ?

My four seem to have discovered it at various times, one I think was born with the knowledge of man flu. It seems from the moment he got his first belly ache the world was going to end, and this has since progressed into full blown man flu like no other that I have ever known to exist.

The other three are 'victims' as well of course but with less severity, although the older they get, I am sure that they will discover the ways of the man and use it to full advantage.....I sympathise with their future wives.

I am of course such a lucky woman {insert sarcastic laugh here} with a house of five males, I am bombarded with different levels of male 'helplessness' at an alarming rate. It's no wonder that at times I feel as though I am loosing my mind.

If you find yourself in a similar position to me, and at one time or another you have been surrounded by the dreaded symptoms of man flu.  DO NOT PANIC you are not alone, and believe me, they will survive  

                           providing that you do not hit them over the head with a piece of 4 x 2

It's quite sad really being witness to such helplessness. Seeing such big strapping boys crumble at the first sign of a cold, instantly reverting back to their youth when nothing but a mothers full attention was required. Why is it that when a male is sick they expect the whole world to revolve around just them ? Why are they unable to carry on with their everyday duties ? Women have no choice, it is very rare that a woman will receive the same loving care and attention from the males in her life.

At this point in time, I am trying to survive both a husband and one of my teens going through the woes of man flu nothing I am doing for them is right. Typical really, but as I am sure that any woman is aware of, no matter how demanding the men in our lives may be, the man flu brings out a whole other side to our men and its sure not pretty.........

Do you have any tips on coping with man flu ?

Have your teenage boys discovered it yet, or are you still living in hope that they will not be cursed ?

Frankly from what I have noticed over the years, men do not sneeze or cough any different from women, it's just that men lack the coping mechanisms to keep them away from deaths door !

Strawberry-Mint Infused Water

As our weather begins to warm up, it is time to ditch the warming hot chocolates, and opt for cooler, refreshing, hydrating drinks to quench our thirst.

I am not a huge fan of drinking plain old water and would much prefer to grab an icy cold glass of diet coke bad Beck, so over the cooler months of Winter I began searching for, and trying out new refreshing, healthy recipes that would encourage me to drink a lot more water.
I came across this simple yet delicious recipe that I immediately fell in love with and know that it will have constant place in my refrigerator this coming Summer.

Strawberry-Mint Infused Water

A punnet of strawberries quartered
As many mint leaves as you like
Water
Ice

That is all !

It has a subtle flavor, its simple, cheap to make and its healthy.
Another flavor that I like is lemon, lime and thyme.
Give them a go and let me know what you think, or if you come up with any more delicious flavors :)

Liebster Award

   When I started blogging just a little over a year ago, I opened myself up to a world full of inspiration, life lessons and wonderful friendships.

The inspirational blogs that I have come to know and love have made me laugh out loud, cry rivers of tears and have helped me to over come some personal hurdles.

In comparison to these, my blog is small, sometimes insignificant, crazy, and most of all full of useless ramblings. But I enjoy writing and my small space has become a place of immense joy for me. 

So imagine my utter astonishment when the gorgeous Bec of mummatells nominated me for a Liebster Award. 

The Liebster Award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It is for the 'up and coming' bloggers, the small guys (yep that's me) who are just starting out on their bloggy journey.

There are a few teeny tiny rules that apply if you are to participate, but all in all it's just a bit of fun 

*You have to answer 11 questions of your nominator's choosing.
*Write a list of 11 things that tell others a little bit more about you.
*Write your own list of 11 questions for 11 'up and coming' bloggers of your choice.

It's that easy :)

If any character from a novel could be your best friend, who would you want it to be and why? 

Willy Wonker, so he could keep me happy with my addiction to chocolate !

Brights or pastels?

Brights, colour makes me happy :)

What is the last thing you ate?

Toast and Vegemite

It's your birthday, what's for dessert?

Has to be cheesecake :)

Which is your favourite season?

I am a Spring/Summer gal. I love sunshine.

What is your favourite social network?

I am addicted to Instagram and Pinterest

Coffee, tea or neither?

I am both a coffee and tea drinker. I am likely to have a few cups of both during the day

What is the most unusual gift you have ever received?

For my first Mothers day, I received a can opener LOL

Driver or passenger?

Driver, I like to be in control

What, if anything is under your bed?

Boxes and boxes of photos and some of my craft stuff

Look to your left, what are five things you see?

Photos of my boys, an owl, a candle, a paperweight and our home phone

A little bit more about me...

1. I became a Mum for the first time at age 18

2. I was married to my highschool sweetheart 8 months later aged 19

3. In March 2014 we will be married for 20 years

4. Next month is my birthday and I will be 39 years old :(

5. I am slightly very obsessive

6. I never have the same hair cut or colour for more then a year at a time

7. I am currently on a mission to loose weight and get fit, but I have hit a wall with my success

8. I try to avoid being in a huge crowd, but I am working on this

9. A messy, dirty house drives me nuts and I annoy my family with my obsessive cleaning

10. I am never without a book

11. I fall asleep on the couch watching movies without fail

My Liebster Nominees are...

Me, at My Journey-Am I There Yet?
Beck, at Dream Big Live Full
Marleisa, at This is who I am
Lisa, at Mum of Adult Kids
Laura, at All the Etcetera
Becci, at Birdy Num Num
Michelle, at Pinky Poinker Tales From the Mother of Teenagers
Jessica, at Trying Something New
Sim, at Mummy Chaos
Cassandra, at Cass can Sew
Robyn, at Slightly More Depth than A Teaspoon

And my 11 questions for you are...

1. What is the scariest thing you have ever done?

2. Milk, white or dark chocolate?

3. If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?

4. Two things you always keep in your handbag?

5. What is your dream holiday destination?

6. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

7. What is your one guilty pleasure that you will not give up?

8. What was the last thing that you purchased?

9. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

10. Who in your life has influenced you the most?

11. Your favorite flower?

Have fun and enjoy the process :)

                                                                          

                                                                 

Reflecting

Quite often more often then I would like Mr Crafty's job takes him away for work. Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, he got to venture back to our old stomping grounds.
Blackwater, the first town we called home in sunny QLD ...........

I was SO jealous. I have longed to go back and pay a visit to where we once lived, to show our boys around, to see if they remember anything about the time they spent there.

Blackwater is a small mining town 200km inland from Rockhampton. We moved there in 1995 with two of our sons then aged 2 and 2 weeks old, and went on to spend a fabulous 6 years of fun, love and laughter in this tiny town.

When we moved, it was at the height of one of the many mining booms in Australia. We packed up our house in NSW and headed north. We were filled with much anticipation of what was ahead of us. We were taking a giant leap out into the big wide world, a giant leap somewhere out into the unknown.

Leaving our entire family and circle of friends behind was hard and a major gamble. Not knowing if we would be able to cope on our own in a town where we knew not a single soul was worrying, but at the same time exhilarating.

This was our adventure, the beginning of a new life, our time to see if we could shine on our own.

We were welcomed with open arms from people who had never before met us. The company that my husband was now working for, greeted us with such warmth that we immediately fell in love with this tiny town and its community spirit and it very quickly became our home.

We have so many wonderful memories of living in Blackwater. First days at school, the birth of our third and fourth sons, birthday parties, sporting events, wonderful friends and so much more that I could go on forever and a day.
I miss those days, life was easy, life was simple. I often wish that it were possible to turn back the clock if only for a day just to relive that time in our lives.

I'm feeling nostalgic today, thinking of times gone by and the decisions that were made to lead us to where we are today. While hubby was in our old home town, he took the time to drive passed the houses that we turned lovingly into our homes and sent me some photos. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes as I remembered watching our boys play in the yard and learning to ride their bikes on the driveway, simple pleasures that hit so hard on my emotions that the memories even continued throughout my dreams last night.
It was a period in our lives that will always be in my heart, a time that will always be at the forefront of my mind, memories that I clutch onto for dear life. It was a happy time, a time when we really grew as a family and discovered that as long as we have each other the impossible is able to be achieved.

Today I feel the need 

to look back 

on the path that has

led me to where we are today

as a family

Linking up for this weeks FYBF with the fabulous Grace

Happy Friday everyone

xx