Now 4!

Our little one is now four!

I can hardly believe how much she has grown.

We spent part of our day celebrating with little friends in the back yard.... playing traditional games and enjoying the summer with a swim...

And we ate the (back up) cake after the icecream cake had a bit of a landslide the night before.

But all was a success.... along with the mushroom house.... her birthday gift from Mama.



complete with dolls of course...

We shared the evening with extended family...for more celebrating.... and somehow we managed to fit in some reminiscing...looking back over photos and little video snippets of her life so far. It was a lovely day... albeit a tad tiring for us all so close to Christmas.

Now I can take a breather!.... and smile widely over the (many) photos and the memories.

Celebrating

Isn't the best thing about Christmas that brilliant sleepy eyed smile at ten past five in the morning??!!!

....and the relief you feel when all those hours making turn out to be rewarded in the best possible way!

And just so you aren't in suspense about dolly's name..... it just so happens to be....(drum roll)

Snow White Katelyn Honey-Bun

(at least for now anyway...)

Retreating in the Glasshouse Mountains

I have just returned from an absolutely beautiful yoga retreat in the Glasshouse Mountains.
Once again I feel so blessed to have been in the presence of like minded and inspiring women and in such a gorgeous natural setting!
In the MYSHA session I ran, we meditated on our roles in life
Self at work, Self at home, Self at leisure or Self in Spirit
We created action self portraits and later wrote our own Ode to Self.
It was a creative unfolding journey inward.... and a process coloured with flow and some obstacles too.... and in all of our experiencing we cultivated mindful awareness and gentleness with our Selves.

We honoured our Selves in sacred ceremony, sharing our inner work and play, we sang our hearts wide open and we basked in the collective glow of auras building their brilliance.
And best of all, we grew the living flame of the sacred feminine for all women, everywhere!

Here are some photos for you...

Ego and Soul

After our last women's circle, I am left in awe once again of the experience and of the company I am blessed with ..........the beautiful watery theme of our evening, the impeccably told story, the accompaniment of soulful songs and candlelight, creative exploration through silk painting and the shared sacredness of brave, beautiful women bearing their Inner Truths....together.

Without going into detail of the night's events, I would just like to honour one moment, one experience which stays with me still. It resonates with me. It holds significance to me. Gratitude fills my soul as I allow one of our beloved women's sharing to penetrate my human Being. I'd like to share with you my reflection...

The ego depicted...

striking painted lines of direction

like driven arrows,

ascending way up,

as high as a mountain.

Reminding me

of all my little struggles.

How tired I am !

of climbing

the ladder towards perfection.

Can I for a moment

find a new perspective?

Allow the warmth,

the sun of my soul

to shine on me

....wherever I am?

Celebrating Our Way

It's a bit of a tradition in our home.... when we celebrate a special day, to make this decadent chocolate cheesecake! This time it's the special man in our family who is turning a year older and wiser and our little one was very eager to "help". She did a great job of breaking the chocolate (yes a whole block in this recipe) into squares for melting.... and we only lost half a cup of brown rice flour on the kitchen floor this time! So good was the mix that the beaters didn't even make it off the mix master this time!

Want the recipe? Here it is. But first please let me warn you, depite the gluten free bit, there is nothing healthy about this one!... except how good it makes you feel eating it!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cheesecake

Base is a chocolate slice recipe:

1 cup all purpose plain gluten free flour (I used Orgram's brand from the health food section)

1/2 cup brown rice flour

3 tspns gluten free baking powder

1-2 tblspns cocoa

1/4 cup coconut

1/2 cup castor (Less is fine)

6 good tblspns butter (melted)

1 egg

Throw the whole lot into a bowl and mix well. Press into a springform tin, lining the base and sides. Bake at 165-170 degrees (fanforced) until it starts to crisp at the edges. Set aside to cool.

(This makes a great choc slice on it's own if pressed into a regular biscuit tray. Keep it thin if you like it crunchy or thick for a softer texture. You might also have a bit of mix left over for a couple of little cookies - delicious with the whipped cream we'll be preparing too!)

Cheesecake filling:

2 x 250g blocks of Phily cheese

1/2 cup castor sugar (again less is fine)

about 200g of melted chocolate (more is fine)

11/2 cups thickened cream

Beat cream cheese. Add sugar and melted chocolate. Whip the cream and stir in til mixed through well. Pour over cooled base. Refrigerate.

Insert celebration candles, sing, shout hooray, clap and enjoy! Serve with extra whipped cream.

[Variation: If you're not worried about the gluten free bit, you can make your crust the traditional and easier way by crushing a packet of choc biscuits and adding enough melted butter to hold the mix together when pressed into your springform tin. Refrigerate.]

Hope your family loves this one as much as ours does!

xx

A Brilliant Sewer!

My little one sat beside me as I finished off a dress project I started for her a few weeks ago now. It was one of those projects that sat, draped over my machine between spurts of progress. I started out with this cute print that I got for a bargain - $3 per metre I think it was.... And I only bought a metre of each colour. I tried hunting for a pattern but that's another story...and another day with my little companion.

So now finally, a patternless project is complete.... but I must share the whisperings of my fellow little sewer as she worked....

"I'm a brilliant sewer Mummy..... I'm a brilliant cook AND a brilliant sewer!
...You just put this pin in here and then poke it through there....see Mummy!
.....I'm a bit fussy with putting on things with pins though.... cos I don't like it how they spike you.... that hurts!"

And I have to say, this clumsy Mama sewer needs lots of pins.... and my handy work leaves much room for improvement... =) But it still looks cute on the brilliant sewer! Don't you think?

A New Circle

The next MYSHA Women's Circle will be held monthly in Nerang.

Commencing Monday 12th October.

Leading this new circle with me, from Lavendilly House is

Jennifer McCormack.

Jen is an extremely gifted mama, teacher, artist, and celebrant! Jen will bring her passion for storytelling, sacred ceremony and ritual pampering expertise which will meld with our Meditation Yoga and Self Healing Arts magnificently!

At her new blog http://www.lavendilly.wordpress.com/ Jennifer writes:

I am very excited about our circle – there will be singing, ritual pampering, storytelling and an exploration of a variety of artistic modes through which we will process our experience of the story.
There will be peace, healing, shared wisdoms and creativity to take back home with us into our daily lives until the next circle.

If you'd like one of the candles in the circle to be yours this time, email us to reserve your spot!

MYSHA Women's Circle

For the past nine weeks now we have been leaving behind our busy lives, just for one blissful night in the week..... to join together in circle, celebrating our very nature, our sacred feminine, our lives, ....and each other.

Around our cermonial circle of muslin white and silky blue, adorned in blossoms, we have lit our candles and brought light to the sacred within ourselves and between ourselves. We arranged our yoga mats around the circle so that our energy balled like a sphere of feminine light and shade... and we have gently woven a scaffold together... working toward balance. We warmed, soothed and stretched our spirits and our bodies with the beautiful art of Yoga, enriched and nurtured our hearts and souls with creative expression through clay, pastels, charcoal, paint, movement, collage, body sculpture and more.... And we shared.

We have shared with eachother some of our deep feelings and sensings as we described our experience with the artful materials. We have dipped our toes into this multimodal world of creative possibilities and been invited to go deeper through our Inner Wisdom...

....to flesh out and to make sense of our daily lives through the arts, while massaging our ability to be present to the emergent tellings from within and between ourselves.

I only wish I had taken more photos of the beautiful and inspiring work of these beautiful MYSHA women!

And soon it will be time to close our circle and put out invitation to those who will form the next.

Om Shanti

Birdlife Presence

In my quest to be more present in my everyday life, I have been noticing more. One of the blessings about living where we do is that we are descended upon each day with a colourful spectrum of birds in the dozens... or more. I scarely know their names nor can I match them to all the songful calls that fill our skies here. I have taken to pointing them out to our little one and while we're admiring, I've been photographing them....
Look at these noisy crazies...

and this little cutie made itself quite at home....

on the edge of my yoga mat...

This is one of many kookaburras that fill the area with cheer each day...

and this little cutie is one of a pair who have been dancing together and

drinking sweet nectar from the pom pom flowers...

There are so many more.... lorikeets, magpies, doves, pee wees (is that really what they're called?)

I am really enjoying connecting with nature in this way. Such lovely visitors.

Back in the land of the living!

Well we were hit by a terrible virus this past week.

Seems our trip to Sydney wasn't without souvenirs.... of the worst kind.

Shivers, chills, high fevers, aches and pains, all the usual horribles of winter flu.

Our little one took it hardest. For a whole week she has been doing little more than sleeping and being miserable. It has been a struggle for all of us.

It's so hard watching the light of your life suffering as she has been. For the first couple of days I handled it as her Mummy with such grace and patience.... Then I have to admit it wore me down. It was by far one of my worst experiences as a mother.

Today was the first day she has bounced around home again. I have to say the relief and the joy are so welcome. We celebrated with family cuddles and painting!

Oh that smile.....

Visiting Grandma

There’s a place we go in the Hills,
Where there’s room to run and fly
To stir and mould and bake
And watch the clouds go by

It’s filled with trees and flowers
Leaves the colour of sun
Lace on the windows
And so much time for fun!

View Full Album

We feed the chooks that lay no eggs
We run with the dogs that don’t nip!
We pick citrus fruit from the orchard
And from rosy tea cups we sip.

There’s so much to love in this pretty place
And there’s one thing that’s best by far
It’s being close and having hugs
With ‘specially wonderful Grandma. xx

Bud Babies

Lately, we have had a few special little friends celebrate their winter birthdays. It has been a chance for my little one to delight in treats, laughter, games, and all things magical.

It has also been a chance for me to treat my inner child.

I have carved time out for myself to take my own inner child to the rainforest and even to buy her a garnet ring (my birthstone). In the forest I was blessed with wondrous synchronicities one of which was the materialising of my most recent children's story.

It is a story set in a mountainside forest about a small shrub who feels scared and alone in the winter storm. An ancient tree falls in the storm leaving a vast hole in the canopy. This affects all the trees in the forest, and particularly the small shrub. When the storm passes the new dawn of spring casts her light on shrub's tender green leaves, warming her through in a way she has not known before. She notices herself changing and that she is adorned with sleeping buds. Eventually with some help of the water fairies, she blossoms.



Hear the whisper of the leaves
While softly and still you lie
Tiny buds in your cosy beds
Blossoming time is nigh...

I had written the story some days before seeing the exact scenario before me in the forest... A giant tree had fallen in a storm and left a huge hole in the canopy where the sun was now streaming through, gleamily dancing on the young leaves of many budding shrubs on the forest floor. It was one of those feelings you get that make me feel oh so affirmed and connected to our beloved Earth Mother.

Pictured are the little needle felted bud babies we made as gifts which accompany the story.


Love and Blessings to all our winter birthday friends!

Backyard kangaroos

Recently we had a visit from some great friends, one of whom lives in Alaska. Hi Tim and Karen!

When they were here, our backyard kangas popped in to say hello which was so nice for them.

This afternoon, I was sitting here checking my emails and they came at dusk for a munch. I just had to share this with you.

We really are so blessed living here...

Definitely need that fence around the vege garden though... before we do any major planting.
We'll keep their access open for the grassed area though... How could we deprive the bulge in Mama Roo's pouch that succulent green cooch?

Baby Dragons for Silkwood

The Hearts and Hands craft group at Silkwood are making these gorgeous little baby dragons.  The original design is by Robyn Stickland, Melbourne.  We each find our own embellishments and creativity to make each little critter unique and of course they are all made with much love…

View Full Album

Been busy making

I've been busy the past couple of days.

Found this gorgeous fabric in three of my favourite colours and heavy enough to make the bag I've had in mind for a little while...

The motif in the bottom right corner features prominently in my paintings. I call it my waterwheel design. I appliqued it on with the good old zig zag technique I learnt in high school sewing class. Waterwheels is also a song I wrote many years ago... Yes, I am a singer songwriter too. One day I'll get around to posting some of my songs on here. And make this blogspot a little more multimodal (as we creative arts therapists say). Waterwheels is a beautiful flowing metaphor in the song for how I transport myself (physically or in meditation/visualisation) to places that nourish my soul,... places I love, like the ocean!

Garden of Vegan

The time has finally come
To forge our own little plot

To plug in to Mother Nature

And create our home grown tasty spot

We picked, purchased and pressed on for home
With trailor packed full in tow
Reversing, traversing over the lawn
And finally we're ready to go

I stand in awe of my man
His strength, sweat and toil
As he guided, wielded, swung and dug
In a tussle with sleepers and soil

And by time the sun had set
Our tools we had laid down
Proudly pondering potential
Of this new and fertile ground!

Being in one of my favourite nature spots

It's a feeling that comes as you drive
Winding along that road
Where city meets country so suddenly
Where my soul begins to download

A connection occurs without my knowing
A peacefulness sets in
And further into the bliss we go
Relaxation brimming to my limbs

Into the green, the dripping deep green
The rainforest calls me to dive
I answer her with two willing feet
And nowhere else do I feel this hive

A swarm of energy rising
From sodden, brown earth to canopy green
My eyes are drawn so many ways
Filled with beauty pristine

Awareness here is gratitude
For being in such a Lifely place
For all the times I have been here
And for this moment here in grace.