Inner Strength & Endurance

It is a little over a week since I wrote my Giving Thanks post. As I look out of my study window this morning, my climbing rose is lush and green, shading my study window from the sun. Even those branches that I thought had no hope of recovering from my neglect are now sprouting green leaves. Two honeyeaters are busily feeding off the various insects and sipping water droplets of the leaves left from the last shower.

I know that this is a plant and not a person, but this plant did not give up, I had - I thought it was dead. But it found inner strength to thrive.

So perhaps there is another lesson this rose can teach us - even when others have given up on you, you can find your inner strength and show them what you are made of. Don't let others take away your hope.

As Christopher Reeve said after his accident

"Once you choose hope, anything is possible".

If you are feeling down and hopeless, I hope this may help, please believe that there is always hope, there is always a way forward - you just need to find your inner strength and choose to thrive.

Bird door stop

Cast iron bird door stop from Anthropologie in the craft room
The above cast iron door stop is from Anthropologie and has a really lovely weathered vintage effect to it. Sadly, they don't sell them anymore but Cast in Style sells them unpainted (see cast iron door wedge in rust effect finish below).


Cast iron bird door wedge

~ Begin Countdown ~

The countdown to arrival date has begun - 7 days and counting!  May they go fast and the 26th June be here before I know it!

Have a great weekend everyone.

~ Baby Linen ~

I have been searching websites for some lovely linen for our soon to be arrival and I came across these lovely items 

This beautiful shawl looks devine

Here are some great pram blankets

A gorgeous hooded towel 

And a snuggly cot blanket

Funny isn't that we leave it to our last child to get all the nice things and work out what we really want!!

Images courtesy of  The Nursery Window

Sequin jars

Jars of sequins in the craft room
Over the years, I've collected so many sequins that it seemed a shame to hide them away in boxes. So now they proudly sit on my window sill!

The two large jars are old bath cream jars from M&S. The small one is a spice jar from Habitat. I tied 3mm aqua ribbon around their necks to match the colour scheme in my craft room.

The butterfly clip was from Tchibo, but unfortunately they only stock items for a couple of weeks, if you're lucky!

~ Washing, Washing, Washing ~

There has been quite a bit of laundry love going on with a few of the blogs I have been watching so I thought I would get in on the act and add some of my favourites.

It is a room we all seem to spend a lot of time in and for me that is going to increase again very soon so here are a few lovely laundries.  I look forward to posting my new laundry when it arrives in a few months.





Focus

One of the blogs I follow - My Charming Kids - had a post by McMama about Focus - and I have borrowed from it as it rang true to me and I feel it is something I would like to share here. Among other things, McMama was talking about when her marriage was going through some tough times how her focus became on the faults of her husband, but how the following words inspired her to change her focus so that now by focusing on what is good, rather than what is bad, even though the bad things may still be there they don't dominate. I have paraphrased somewhat here and so If you would like to read all her post so that it is in her words not mine - here is the link

Her inspiration came from the most read book in the world, the Bible,

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." Philippians 4:8

If we are honest with ourselves, I think we would agree that it is easy to focus on the negative things that happen in our lives and if we are not careful they then dominate. My philosophy of living the 'the half full glass' life is while I don't bury my head in the sand, that even on the hardest day - maybe a day of pain from my arthritis, or feeling sad when my hubby flies off to Adelaide yet again, I acknowledge that is how I am feeling, but once it is acknowledged then I put it behind and find the good in what else is to come or what else surrounds me.

So my challenge to you for this week is to take the time to find the good and to embrace and celebrate it. I hope you will accept.
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