It's a new year (but things are still the same)

Now that the silly season is over, and with three weeks of school holidays left, I am so looking forward to what this year has in store for me.

I am looking forward to both girls being at school. Finally, time for me. 

Everyone keeps asking what I'm going to do with myself. I don't have a clue. Have a clean house for more than five minutes. Time for my brain to uncrazy itself. After that, who knows.

Yesterday Izzy had the pleasure of helping me wax my toes (riveting school holiday fun). I know my toes! Only the big toe and the one next to it.

I was sitting on the back steps, pondering life with a cup of tea, when I noticed how black and coarse the hairs were. Do they get worse when you get a bit older? They seemed worse. 

Usually I reserve my wax strips for my chin, upper lip and my threatening mono brow. 

It doesn't seem so bad, until I actually look at the hairs on the wax strip. How can I have so many stray hairs like that growing on my face! I am totally going to be the old lady, asleep in my chair at the old folks home, with a ripper white goatee. I dread. 

The girls are loving the pool they got for Christmas. So have the kids next door! Pool party time at number 8. They are eating me out of house and home too, hungry buggers! They're all having a ball though.

I got a new camera lens for Christmas, not that I have used it a hell of a lot, but I couldn't help but pull over and take some photos of hay cutting season along the road as I drove to Pelican Point the other day.

I love country scenes like these. If I pulled the car over every time I wanted to, I would never get anywhere. I have found a lot lately, that when I'm driving, I am looking out the window and seeing things as photographic scenes, waiting to be captured. I need to pay more attention to the road!

I am still undecided about a mantra or word for 2017. I do know that I need to take better care of me, instead of putting everyone else first. It's been that way for too long, and it is taking a huge toll. 

I know I need to practice gratitude more often. I find it really helps to remember at least one good thing that happened during my day, to turn around negative talk and feelings.

I need to be patient, and present when it comes to the kids. I think it comes back to the fact that I need some time for me. I have been a snappy McChappy lately and I hate it. 

We've been as busy as shit too, I am reeling most of the time. It was soooo good to have some quiet days at home last week, even though it was kid city in the pool for some of it.

Maybe I need to change some things. Maybe that needs to be my word. Hmmm.



Tell me. What's your focus for the year? 

I'd love to know what you got for Christmas too!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Garden inspiration

After going to look at open gardens I came home and had the urge to put rusty junk in my garden. To paint old chairs, do some rearranging and making.

Here's some of what I've been up to and what's flowering. Sorry in advance for the photo overload.

Sweet peas will be flowering soon. I rescued the 'speak no evil' frogs that had been buried under weeds
for ages and plonked them behind the cubby house were not much grows. There is a pond near here, so they
fit in.

This used to be our fruit bowl. Repurposed.

Cheap shop heart hanging in the plum tree

I got this little fella half price because he had a broken ear.

There used to be a stone bench here. 

I went and scrounged around my dads shed(junk yard), made this with some wire and a $3.50 heart from the
garden centre

No grass wants to grow here, so I plonked the stone bench there.

Another home madey from Dads junk yard

The chook house, all 'blinged' up