Jikana Damaru: 01/03/11

Blogliciousness: Little and lovely

There are so many smashingly good blogs around the blogiverse that sometimes it makes your head spin. How on earth are people consistently so creative, so articulate, so beautiful and so darn green-inducingly clever?! No wonder these amazing blogs have a zillion followers and witty commenters.

But then.

Then you find a couple of really delightful blogs that you just love reading. They're like carefully wrapped little package that is full of lovely treats for sharing.You're one of their first followers and you settle in, excited to watch them grow and grow and grow.

Only they don't.

People don't seem to find them! And they are missing out on their share of the treat! Here are three of my favourites.

The author of Dancing in the Rain is charming. Her posts are sweet and simple reflections on life with her three girls aged 5 and under. She's creative, compassionate and lively. She has a simple, clever way about her - for instance she is a plastic Christmas tree girl (like me) but read about the delightful way she brought a little smell of Christmas into her home... I immediately went out and copied her, of course I did.

I've been a follower of This Growing Life for ages. I like her so much that she's in my blog roll to remind me to visit her regularly. I like her gardening tips, her musings on her two boys, her political outbursts, but most of all I love her intelligence. I was in hysterics at her extensive muesli testing... and I love that she's okay when I have a bit of a laugh at her diligence. She's a good chick.

I'm new to Joy and Wonder, but I love the way Maree writes. Very thoughtful and clean. She seems to hark back to a time with more presence, more meaning than most of the world around us today. I loved this post she wrote on Curiosity.

Other 'little in followers only' blogs that I love are:
Crepe Expectations
Select All + Delete
The Hills are Alive
Keep Cate Busy (not so little, but still)
A Baby A Buggy and A Boat
Jarrah Jungle
Messy Freckle
1000 Homes of Happiness (stop press, found just now via Nic at Planning with Kids. I liked it so much I edited my post to include it...)

And many more.

There you have it! Super blogs, little only in followers. What's your favourite 'little' blog? Please share a link to your favourite post with us all!

[Image by Natasha]

I Heart Faces: Best Face of 2010

I'm entering this photo into I Heart Faces challenge: Best Face Photo of 2010. I love this picture of my sweet two week old niece, Bailey, sleeping peacefully. She's so beautiful.

(Her face really looked that porcelain-like in real life!)

Down in the holiday trenches

I'm 10 days into being at home every day with the Tsunamis and I'm a quivering wreck.

Oh, okay then. Maybe not a wreck, but I'm quivering.

What on earth do I do with these fireballs of energy all day? Activities, I can do. We've done beach, lagoon, pool, beach, zoo, putt-putt golf (dear god, we did putt-putt golf) and parks. It's this 'at home' business I can't get my head around. I mean, we all have to be at home sometimes, right? Right?

They won't watch much tv (believe me, I've tried) and they are really, really fast painters. In fact, they do everything at speed so activities I think will be good for an hour or more are over in 5 minutes flat. I feel like my days are permanently stuck on fast forward while they break the land-speed for playdohing and then they hit the pause button and just watch me.

"What are you doing, Cappers?"

"I'm watching you, Mummy."

"Wouldn't you rather play with your dolls?"

"No."

I've tried booting them out the back door and telling them to come in when it starts to get dark. But even I know that I'm pushing my luck when it's 7am and they're, you know, 2 years old. Maybe if it wasn't daylight savings?

Do tell me. Pretty please with vodka on top. What do you do with your children all day?

[Image via weheartit - please let me know if you know where it came from]

2010, My Summer Months

Afternoon sweets!

I thought I would share with you some of my highlights of 2010 here on Torie Jayne. Here are my favourites from the Summer of 2010:

May was spent researching ideas for my new kitchen, which I promise I will be sharing here soon!

I joined Pinterest in June. I adore it as it is such an easy way to share, store and categorize all the gorgeous images you find on the internet. I hope to share more of my pins with you in 2011 with my new "Inspirational Pins" mood boards.

July was spent poring over gorgeous garden pictures in my Scrapbook dreams and visiting the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

In August we celebrated my adorable niece Molly's birthday. I hand painted a jungle bench for her and made a matching jungle birthday cake.

I also fell in love with Vintage at Goodwood and the best bit is it returns this year on August 12, 13, and 14th. My top must for 2011!

Thank you my friends for reading and commenting, this blog wouldn't be anything without you!

Have a sweet day!

it's been hot

& this has been the best way to cool down!!