Jikana Damaru: 09/01/10

to see more of the photo shoot I did for Here we go Loopy Lou head over here

Ten Years

Ten wonderful years is what we celebrate today

I thank you my love for helping create our wonderful journey

and I can't wait to enjoy what is still to come.

I Love You Mr A!

At my house...

Spring really has SPRUNG...we had fun yesterday playing and exploring in the garden. Collecting beautiful flowers to display around the house in little bottles and odd jam jars. We have flowers in the kitchen, bathroom, my bedroom on the dining table ~ even in the laundry!!!

YAY for spring! oh how I am excited about spring flowers, spring recipes, mornings in the park without jumpers and jeans and evening walks with my boys.

Yep...spring has SPRUNG at our house and we have a spring in our step.

Pop on over to Buttons by Lou Lou and join in the fun.

The birth of me, every which way

I'm in the unenviable position of having experienced three types of birthing. I've done your 40 hour labour followed by an emergency cs. I've done your standard vaginal delivery. I've done your planned cs. So, without ever really wanting it, I'm really the 'go to' girl for discussing which 'method' is 'best'.

Now, before we go on, I wholeheartedly apologise if I am about to offend anyone, that's really not my intention. All I can do is speak about my own experiences and how they made me feel. That's what makes the blogging world go around, after all. We're here to speak our truth.

For me, birthing is the most primal, most all-encompassing, most living thing you ever get to do. It's bloody horrendous, really, but in the best possible way. A bit like a running a marathon (I imagine). But you can take your 'runners high' and multiply it by about 1000 and that's the high you get when you've worked and worked and worked and the agony of contractions finally goes away and you're holding your prized bubba in your arms. It's a moment that swallows you whole.

So, imagine if you never went into labour. If you went to hospital as a healthy, pregnant woman and suddenly became a patient. They wheel you in, the lights go bright, they stick a needle in your spine, you get hooked up to machines, they cut you open and pull out your bubba and... well, it's still an impossibly amazing moment but... but.

It's no secret that I prefered the draining, ripping, screeching agony of 40 hours of contractions only to be given an epidural and an emergency cs to the planned cs. The outcome was the same. Bright lights, let's open her up, here's your baby. But the labour was missing. The labour that grounds you. That makes you whole and strong and invincible and able to say "I'm ready, baby. I'm ready to take on the world for you."

And, oh, a vaginal birth. The satisfaction, the sheer relief of birthing that baby down the vaginal canal. It's like crawling for days to reach the summit of a mountain and then being given a tobaggon at the top. Sheer, blessed, outrageous joy. Every sense alive. Every nerve in your being at one with the wind.

A momentous ride and then an even bigger gift: the recovery takes days rather than weeks. You're a new mother, not a new patient. Things just work. Even with an episotomy, even with stitches, even with the inability to sit properly. Healing is easier, breastfeeding is easier, caring for your baby is easier. Things just work.

If I was given one wish for mothers everywhere, it wouldn't be for easy breastfeeding, or support for all or even for a sleeping baby - although all these things would be amazing. Instead, it would be for every mother to be given the luxury of experiencing labour followed by a vaginal birth.

[Image from Focus Pictures]

I Won!

I Won! My first giveaway I've ever entered! And I LOVE the prize.

I blogged about this giveaway here! Check it out!

Thanks freckles and fudge! and Waste Not {Recycled Art}!

The next two days I will be very busy getting ready for our trip to New York for the holiday weekend! I am so excited. But I'm REALLY hoping Hurricane Earl stays way away!

Here's the current path:

So we may be following EARL up the east coast Friday morning :/

It shouldn't be too bad, but it will probably rain most of Friday.

I'm going to have to find myself a big clear umbrella like this:

Or this...

Or THIS...

nubrella washingtonp the new umbrella Nubrella!

Haha just kidding with that one.

They sell them at Target so I'll have to stop by there.

Regardless if it's raining or not- it's going to be awesome!

Oh and Happy September!

It's going to be a crazy busy month for us!

Spring

~ I want to celebrate and live my life ~

Spring is here and I am going to use this new change of season to shape up…on the inside. Throughout winter I find that I get comfortable…too comfortable. I settle into life, I settle into my routines, I actually think I get into a little bit of a rut. I keep to myself I go where I need to and keep to myself and my computer and my couch. I think now is the time to give myself a swift kick up the but and get back into living this beautiful life I have. I found myself being a bit negative over the last few months. Yes it has been hard with my husband’s car crash and then loosing his job but I am so thankful that he is still here with me and in perfect health and that I have a wonderful job that has kept us going through this ordeal AND he has a job interview tomorrow (yay) so fingers crossed we are off to a new start.

So it’s time to snap out of it, embrace the new season, and enjoy the sunshine, the new colours, the breeze, the flowers and the smells.

This week I have been sitting back and just watching the world pass me by. I have been watching friends, strangers, loved ones and how they act, interact and deal with this crazy world we live in. I consider myself a very friendly person; I take the time to listen, to be there for people, I feel a simple smile can brighten anyone’s day. While I was in my ‘rut’ it actually gave me time to sit back, observe and think about our lives. Unfortunately by watching people I found that too many people seemed to be very busy, too busy, and are letting their worlds pass them by. People are in such a rush these days. They have meetings to be in, appointments to take, and deadlines to meet. They walk 100 miles per hour with their heads down or their phone glued to their ear. They speed in their cars, honk their horn when something doesn’t go their way and even yell abuse. In my own negativity I found that I became more aware of the negativity in our world. I guess this was my big wakeup call which showed me that life is too short to not smile and celebrate my life every day.

Thank you spring for opening my eyes and allowing me to breath!

x S.K.K x

Bloomingville Autumn/Winter 2010

This week for my 'shops i love' page I bring you another delightful Danish brand, Bloomingville.

Their new collection is full of touches of lavender, lilac and dusky rose, with handmade crochet jewellery and pillow cases, plush velvets and honeycomb textures. As always there is a romantic twist with vintage hints to the beautiful collection of home decorations, kitchen accessories, furniture and women's fashion accessories.

Have a sweet day!

Get in fast...

The

is on now....

There are over 30 items up for grabs and its FREE POSTAGE for everyone

(In OZ that is)

So be sure to check it out here...