Grateful again

After posting every day for 3 weeks, I have only posted once since the challenge finished. I open up my blogging window more often than that, but an information overload leads to a kind of impasse! Too many thoughts, so little time, or something like that ;)

Anyhow, I thought today how I am grateful for bits and pieces I observe around home. I am so often frustrated with mess - which is pretty standard - and look around my house with a critical eye. Not from perfectionism or neatness, but more of a consideration of what I can do to make things better. Where things can be placed differently or whatever. Details are usually mess! But I have enjoyed noticing details that are cool little pieces of our life.

There's a planet mobile that Ash and I made one day, very quickly cutting circles out of cardboard and colouring them in together. It was his idea, but he was becoming frustrated (which can lead to destruction) so I stepped in to move things along, and he was so thrilled with the result. It was hanging in his room for quite a few weeks, but recently fell down. I temporarily hung it in the lounge and I quite like it. It's so handmade and child-oriented. Like us.

Sienna is obsessed with Inspector Gadget at the moment. It's quite hilarious, and cute. She is really passionate about it, though. Spies get a look-in, but Inspector Gadget is the real winner ;) She made a couple of pictures today - on the theme - but I'll have to photograph them later. But a blog post needs a photo, so I'll just pick something now!

Pretty pictures

I actually had even more fun than usual with this Hambly page, using as many of their products on one page as I could! So sad that they are closing down! Even though I know Alison's designs are being made by Echo Park next, I have just adored this transparency transfer technique lately.  Anyway, I love it because it reminds me of a gift from a friend, and because it is about me for a change and about how I feel right now. And because it's pretty, with the misted colours and teal / yellow focus, two of my most frequently worn colours at the moment too.

These pages were made for Aussie Scrap Source and you can see lots of gorgeous contributions over at the blog!

 

 This page used Crate Paper and was a fun non-standard way to scrapbook a "first day of school" photo ;) Mostly I was playing with freestyle here, and playing with paint and mist and randomness with the Crate Paper stickers and paper, and tiny gilt frame!

Day 21 - Doing things

Doing things, and keeping on doing things. I am grateful for that. It's an approach to life, I think, and a bit of an attitude thing. Proactive, I guess? Persistent, perhaps. Stubborn, probably. It's kind of the opposite of a victim mentality, or a waiting attitude. Taking action. I'm not an insanely active person, or anything, but I do try to deliberately focus on what I can do, instead of what I don't like, and it's an approach I am grateful for as it is a good starting point on the days when things seem like too much.

For instance, today we had a good first session with Sienna's new psychologist. And I thought to myself, yes, I'm glad I did the research and made the appointments and got the referral and so on. Deciding that something wasn't working, and doing something about it. And then, in the spirit of this blog series, I thought I am grateful that I have that response, reasonably naturally, to pursue solutions instead of dwelling on problems. I think of the problems, they make me feel crap, I do my best to push them aside and go, "Right, what can I do about it?"

Occasionally I do spend a day reading (while parenting, of course, as with everything) in complete denial of my to-do list, true, but a delaying tactic is sometimes just some much-needed time off. And then it's back on. A couple of things I read today also reminded me of this feeling - one was the blog of my friend Lauren. She was talking about weight loss, becoming strong and healthy. Reflecting on her amazing progress in order to remind herself that she is doing something good, she is getting somewhere, and she can keep going toward her goals, dreams, ideals. It's in her power.

Another reminder was my friend Lou talking on Facebook about making progress in the scrapbooking industry. She had a friendly rant about not giving up, putting in the dedication to your goals and dreams, waiting it out, keeping on trying. Good things will come, and do. Don't give up quickly, time could be needed to see your ideas pan out. It is an approach I like, especially when feeling hopeless about something - take action, it's the only thing you can actually DO about making things better.

Edited to add: I just went and read another fave blog of mine Maxabella Loves and just had to add here one of her comments today: "From now on, every To Do list will include a To Doing component to make sure we are heading in the right direction. Life can just go on without focus if we let it." Love it.




So I remind myself, with decisions to make about which fencing quote to go with, or whether to get another, and research about other renovations which may be possible over the next however-long. Travel which may be possible depending on saving and earning. Creative satisfaction which may be possible if I take time to do the work. If I make things work. I remind myself: don't feel helpless, help yourself. Work out how you can make it work out. Make another list - even though you lose most that you write - and get things out of your head and into the real world. Commit, to yourself, to making things happen. Step by little step. And remember to feel grateful along the way.

And I am.


Images are of the K&Co Smash Journal - Eco Green - that I worked on for Aussie Scrap Source. I love this journal, and will gradually share more pages as I fill them with dreams, plans and actions.

I am blogging grateful posts for the 21 challenge, raising awareness and funds for Australia's homeless youth. This is my last day and I am at 86% of my goal - thank you! Only $40 to go until I meet my target of raising $300 for Open Family Australia :)
 

If you would like to sponsor me or donate to the challenge, please click here.

Day 20 - Helpfulness

Recently I've been doing some research into psychologists in Melbourne, in particular any who specialise in Aspergers, for Sienna. Her last psychologist went on maternity leave last Spring, and we've been feeling lately that it would be helpful for Sienna to do some more work on that aspect of managing things. Ash has been doing really quite well with having had regular psychology sessions this year.

Anyhow, I found one who sounds perfect, in East Melbourne, and made an appointment, but the earliest she could be fit in was October. So I booked that, anyway, but today they called to say there was a cancellation for tomorrow at 3pm. I accepted that, of course, and quickly went rearranging. The GP appointment I had booked for Sienna at 3:45 tomorrow was rescheduled to 3:30 today. I phoned the council respite we sometimes use and politely asked really sweetly if our carer was available to watch Cedar for me (and later was told she was available and would come). Booked Ash into after school care. Went to get the kids early from school.

Sienna did not handle being picked up from school ten minutes early at all well. By the time I had Ash as well, I was putting a kicking screaming girl in the car for the short drive to the dr. While she calmed down over the next hour, I was very grateful today for the calm helpfulness of her GP. He listened to me and spoke directly to me in his gentle manner, whether I was sitting down, standing up or being pulled by one arm to the door by my daughter.

In a small room with three noisy children, including one very emotional girl intent on interrupting us, he prepared for Sienna two referrals (psych and paediatrician), a mental health plan for her psychologist and an enhanced care plan for her speech pathologist. While I was impressed and happy that he didn't show any irritation at all, I was mostly grateful for his helpfulness. Not all drs have that patience and efficiency combined. I know he has a toddler Cedar's age, and he couldn't resist Cedar's "lolly please" at the end!

 I'm just finishing this blog post on my phone, so please excuse my lack of linking to the 21 challenge here.

 I am writing grateful posts on my blog for 21 days (and quitting sugar) to raise money for homeless youth in Australia. More specifically, for outreach officers to be able to help such young people. I have raised $250 so far and am aiming to raise $300. Thanks so much to those who have donated! If you can help even a little, please scroll down to my previous post for the fundraising link!

Day 19 - Everyday luxuries

Today I am grateful for everyday luxuries. Stuff that doesn't seem like a luxury. But when you think about it, that's a totally first world attitude. That's fine, that's where we are at, but it is good to acknowledge now and then I believe and be aware that the things we consider essentials are essentially luxuries to a large percentage of the world. Rice cooker, for instance. Coffee machine. Microwave. Vacuum cleaner. One I love, and don't consider essential but revel in it's luxuriousness, is my electric blanket!

For instance, today I went and bought a toaster. In between taking Sienna and some classmates to her school soccer game about 15 minutes away, and later returning to watch some games and take them back to school, I drove to Chadstone. On a side note, bad idea if you only want to buy one thing. Full of evil attractive temptations for our little consumerist hearts. Peter Alexander, for instance, warm and foresty window display. Love.

Oh, um, back to the story. We did have a toaster, which was all well and good and fine, but on Sunday morning it sparked and fizzed and shorted out the electrical circuit it is on. Ahem. So, a new toaster.

I got a pretty funky one, I think ;) I had a Myer gift card to use, which I'm glad I hadn't spent on a whim now on some random thing, as I applied it to buying the toaster. A shiny red toaster. Which toasts bread. How exciting! And funny, too, that toasting bread can be done in all sorts of other ways, yet we consider a toaster to be an essential appliance. Rather than, say, a fire and a stick. Or a frypan or whatever. It's essential to our daily routine. An essential everyday luxury. But it's a nice toaster, it looks vibrant on my boring kitchen bench, and I'm grateful for that too. If something is "necessary" it is nice if it is also aesthetically pleasing in some way. Ooh, pretty!

Also, pumpkin scones are really nice. I made some this afternoon, which I haven't done in a long time, and they were tasty. Everyone enjoyed them, the kids, the friends they had over playing, Ben, me, my friend. It reminded me to bake more with pumpkin, which also happily suits my no-sugar challenge :)

I am blogging grateful posts for the 21 challenge, raising awareness and funds for Australia's homeless youth. With a couple of days to go, I am at 83% of my goal - thank you! Only $50 to go until I meet my target of raising $300 for Open Family Australia :)
 

If you would like to sponsor me or donate to the challenge, please click here.