Jikana Damaru

Memories, Dreams & Reflections 2011

I will warn you that 90% of these prompts will be Addison. and then most of them are from the day she was born :)

My proudest moment of 2011? This, by far.

I Love You -

so much.

Winter Wonderland
Last January 2011, No snow yet so far this season!

Birthday

maybe misleading. this was me on MY birthday :) best gift ever!

Friends
My nephews (transformers) and their friend!

I Was Inspired...

by Pinterest to make this.

Spring Fever

one of my favorite flower shots I've done. Maybe I'll get around to taking photos of other things besides Addison one day, maybe not :)

Travel or Vacation

my nephew last March in Cancun

Summer Days

My brother in law and nephew last summer at the beach!

A Day In My Life

baby, chores, errands, and part-time work

All Smiles

one day old, she gave the camera a big smile. I always smile at this photo.

Autumn Harvest
Thanksgiving Day

Family or Home

Celebrate!
right after I had Addison family swarmed in to celebrate her arrival!

Let's Do It Again...

Hubby's family in Myrtle Beach over the summer, it was a fun time!

I Miss You

Cancun, not my nephew- I get to see him all the time ;) we will be back soon though!

& I miss being pregnant!
31 weeks

Beautiful
there is really nothing more beautiful to me.

Dress Up

my cute niece Olivia!

Macro
love the simplicity and bokeh in this shot

Holidays

My Favorite

I debated publishing this one, due to it being slightly graphic. but it could possibly be my favorite picture. and it's definitely my favorite memory. ever. So thankful my BFF was there to capture so many awesome moments of this day.

and this one is also a favorite..

Don't Ever Change
I just like this one of my nieces!

Just Because...So There!

Such a special time in our life, I loved being pregnant.

Hopes and Dreams

My number one hope and dream is that this little girl has a wonderful year full of firsts, that she grows big (even if it kills me), and stays happy and healthy!

You will find that last year's 2010 Memories, Dreams & Reflections had many more variety of subjects- Pre-Addison :)

yesterday & today

yesterday i made a cous cous salad for the first time {i know - behind the times!}

it actually tasted pretty good & was full of yummy flavours
lemon
garlic
cucumber
toasted sunflower & sesame seeds
olive oil
& onion

I will definitely make it again

& then we took the cous cous salad to a NYE bbq to celebrate with friends

& today

i am thinking about all i would like to achieve in this new year

filling our 8 seater dining table with more that just the four of us more often

a healthier mind, body & soul

reading more books & watching more movies

a load of washing a day {boring but keeps the chaos away & is not my fav part of housekeeping!}

spending less & saving more

actually opening my daily emails from here & not just deleting them un read

take more photographs of families & love & places & spaces

as you embark on this fresh new year of 2012 i hope you enjoy many happy days doing what you love

Goodbye 2011

Another year done and dusted... so without sounding like a broken record, it really is scary how fast they are flying. 2011, was an extremlly busy one for us with the arrival of Little Miss Evie (or shescreamsalot - as I like to call her) but it was also a great one. I feel fortunate to have such a wonderfully supportive hubby (most of the time) and that we are all happy and healthy.

Louise starts Kinder in 2012 so its a big year for her and somehow I managed to sign myself up as the President for Kinder parent committee ~ so both of us will be stepping into unfamiliar territory. I will need to remember how to chair meetings and speak to adults professionally again

~ this has me slightly worried.

Evie will turn 1 in April, so I really do want to soak up as much baby as she has left and I also look forward to spending time with just her when Lou is at Kindy.

Its quite possible the hubby has a job move this year so I really want to remember to be there for him. Its so easy to forget that when your busy chasing kids around.

We meet an number of special little babies early in the year and I really want to wish their safe arrival and can't wait to soak up a bit of newborn again.

I so want to step up the exercise routine in 2012 - being fit and healthy for my family is a priorty this year!!! Do. not. slack. off. Linda....!! You know how good it makes you feel and is an excellent example for your girls (a bit of creche did wonders for Lou ~ Evie will eventually like it too). I may even become accountable to it via this blog - if I can get the courage.

On that note, naptime for the girls is just about over and I need to add a heap if whipped cream goodness to the most awesome Mocha Cheescake Slice for our little get together we are having tonight. So, whatever you are doing or wherever you are tonight, I hope its a good one.

Thank you for visiting my somewhat negleted blog this year and have loved and appreciated all the comments that were made throughout the year.

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this weeks iphone favorites

We visited the doc's today because she has been really fighting her bottles lately. Fussing and turning away at every feeding-it was becoming a nightmare to feed her! Basically all that was said though is she's congested. And of course she took her bottle straight down without a problem at the doctors! And since then has done well with them. Oh well it was nice to know everything else looks healthy because they speculated maybe an ear infection. Ears, eyes, lungs checked out good! Seems like everyone is getting sick or has been sick this past week. My poor sweet 14 month old niece was in the hospital all day- dehydrated from bronchitis and laryngitis! I believe every one of my 6 nieces and nephews have been sick lately! So I was that much happier to hear that Addison is just congested. A vaporizer and saline drops should help. Hope you and your family are well!

(my Christmas gift from the Vintage Pearl!)

Have a Happy & Safe New Year!

Beaded Garland

Catching up.....

Today I am sharing with you another quick and easy Christmas craft idea: a beaded garland made of miracle beads in colours to match my Winter Wonderland Christmas.

What are "miracle beads"? They are plastic lucite beads where the core is finished in a mirrored silver plate which is then coated in multiple layers of vibrant lacquer. Light passes through the multiple layers of lacquer and is then reflected back through the lacquer due to the mirror-like properties of the plating. The reflected light radiates a glowing illusion of shimmery depth. I just love them so!

Beaded Garland
Tools and Materials

Miracle beads
Duck egg blue thick thread

Have a sweet day!

Christmas Day 2011

So as 2011 draws to a close a few pictures to share of Christmas Day at our house. Santa was very generous, the food at Christmas lunch with an Italian family seemed never ending but the smiles said it all.

I hope your Christmas Day was as wonderful as ours.

I love hearing those magical words on Christmas morning - "Santa has been!"

Have a wonderful New Year - I can't wait to share more and continue the journey in 2012.

The Boxing Day Sales... thoughts?

The boxing day sales.

Ladies, let's go there.

We all like a good sale, don't we? And on-the-whole I rather enjoy a frivolous romp about the shops; I can cope with crowds; I have no problem double-parking in a loading zone to avoid circling the carpark 47 times stalking those holding carkeys and bags in hand...

But the boxing Day sales?

I dunno.

In the good-ole-days (ie. three years ago bc (before children) I used to save my pennies weeks before the BD sales. On Boxing Day, I would burst through the yawning early-morning doors of Myer with fists ready to box anyone who would dare snatch that half-price pair of designer jeans before I laid eyes on them; and come home hours later sated but with bags and bags of bargainous joy to happily last me until the next Boxing Day sale madness.

Yes, the good ole days.

Then, I fell pregnant with Fern. And that Boxing Day I was 39 weeks pregnant with feet like boats. No Boxing Day shopping adventures to be had that year. Then last year, Elliott was just four months old and would not be parted from my boobs for longer than an hour at a time and - having already established that my son had zero tolerance for shopping even by four months, I had to skip another Boxing Day sale.

This year was my year, folks. And I was NOT going to miss out!

Nursing a slight hangover and feeling slightly dog-of-the-bone I nonetheless fronted up at the shops at dawn along with my sister. Sensible shoes. Loose, comfortable clothing that could be slipped easily in and out of. Folks, I went prepared!

But sadly, it all turned out to be a little fizzle. Sale? Is anything really on sale on Boxing Day? Anything worth lining up for and grappling through crowds to part with hard-earned cash for, that is??? Most of the department stores had sales on before Christmas and to be honest, I saw nothing that excited me at Myer on Boxing Day. Despite circumnavigating the mall brandishing my credit card for a couple of hours that morning, I came home with a couple of measly little bags and a large amount of disappointment! Has it always been this way? Am I just a little more prudent about my purchases? Or has the concept of Boxing Day 'sale' as defunct as a shop selling CD's next to the I-store?

Ok, I did get a few little trinkets. And one great bargain -- a $100 bikini from Country Road for just $30. Oh, and some half price and seriously delishy body wash from Lush called "snow fairy" that I would like to drink straight from the bottle. A couple of stationery items from Kikki K. A pair of jammies for Elliott. Some invitations to the 3rd birthday party Fern does not yet realise her mother does not have time to plan for her next week (?!). But I wanted shoes! Clothes! An unnecessary but too-great-not-to-grab handbag! And I found none of it on Boxing Day..... oh well. There's always next year.

And you? How did you fare? Did you 'do' the Boxing Day sales? Am I just having a whinge or are they really a little overrated? Do share! I want to see what YOU snared!!

My Boxing Day 'loot'.