Turning 45

It's my birthday today!

I'm 45.

Middle middle aged! Where did THAT come from?

It doesn't help when Miss D said last week, while explaining someones age to me "I think she was middle aged....around 30!". I guess I'm screwed then.... I've been thinking alot today about what it means to turn 45.
 
Mid forties. 

Middle aged.

At times, I can't believe I'm this age, but my body is telling me that I am.

I'm tired. My back aches. I need reading glasses. My flexibility is not good. My hair needs colouring more often. I have lines on my face.

I've had 45 birthdays.

The Hubbster gave me a six month membership at the gym. I can't wait to get started.

To do something for me.

To get this body (and mind) back into gear.

I suppose it would be easy to feel sorry for myself because I'm getting older, and to worry about all of the little things in my life that bother me. But I really thought about it today..about how lucky I really am.

To have my family, and to have been blessed with my three little birds.

So my birthday resolution is to appreciate the little things, the things that are free and easy, that sometimes we don't acknowledge.

That is what I did today. And I wanted to share with you..the little things...

I've had such a fabulous day! I was determined to have a good one, after last years shitty, non event birthday.

I started planning my good birthday, two days ago, by pumping my body full of sudafed and vitamin C, to ward off the raging headcold I was getting. #Iwillnotbesickonmybirthday.

And I wasn't!

My children woke me with big smiles and gave me various gifts, and random objects that were already mine.

Miss T gave me a rock from the garden. I have no idea why, but I love it already.

I'm going to keep it.

They sang and talked in funny voices in the car on the way to school, which made me happy.

I drove into town to the movies, to see The Avengers. I'm so in love with Marvel Comics and I was excited to see Thor. I was hoping he'd take his shirt off again, but alas he didn't.




After the movie, I went through the drive through for lunch and there was only ONE care in front of me!

The girl behind the counter farewelled me by saying "have a lovely day".

Why thank you, I certainly will!

There were good songs on the radio in the car on the drive to AND from town. I sang along and didn't care who saw me.

The sun was shining, something this guy was oblivious too, as he talked on his mobile phone while driving.



I tried to get his attention with the universal hand/phone sign, but when that didn't work, I took his picture instead. If I see him doing the same thing again, I'll post his number plate.

See, happy happy happy!

I visited my daughter at school in the afternoon for her art show, and we sat and coloured in and drew pictures together.

Her face lit up when I walked in. 

And I got a good carpark at school!

All of these little things, making my birthday so special.

We went out to dinner, and the kids drank lemonade and behaved in the car all the way home!

A fine, fine ending to a happy happy day x

What Inspires You?

I am really so excited to welcome Melissa from Suger Coat It for this weeks What Inspires You feature.

Suger Coat It was one of the first blogs I loved when I entered the big bad world of blogging. I had a bloggy crush because she just seemed to have it!!!

Read on and you'll see why. Both beautiful inside and out, I'm sure you will adore her as much as I do....

I thought I had this post planned out. My Dad inspires me, my Mother always has. My
siblings and their lives inspire me. My husband, who has the kindness and generosity of a
saint, inspires me. It’s my family, I thought. They are the wanky clichéd wind beneath my
wings. Seriously. But it didn’t quite sit right as the bones of this post.

And it occurred to me that while they inspire me to do what I do in relationships, in having joy
and being a partner and wife, they don’t inspire everything in my life. So I left this post to sit
and thought about it a little more.

And this one morning I woke up with the inspiration I needed to write it. I had dreamt of a
beautiful day, of taking photographs, of laughing on a hillside. It inspired my day to be filled
with the things that inspire me and in doing that inspired this post about inspiration.

Are you still with me?

I think, and this is the point I’m getting to, that inspiration is all around you. If you take the
time to see it, accept it and use it. A lot like a muscle, being inspired by things take practice.
I’ve noticed since beginning my blog that I look at everyday life as an inspiration because I
have to, because it’s what I have available to me.

I might not have access to the large fashion houses of the world, but I do have Vogue. I
might not have access to the foremost relationship expert but I do have my husband and a
real life love. And I might not have the skills of a world class chef, but I do have a kitchen,
some pans and a love of trying to cook.

Too often I got caught up in living day to day and inspiration was nowhere to be found. I
know, if I sit down to write {because that’s my outlet for creativity} and there’s no inspiration
there, I’m switched off from what’s around me. I have forgotten to live life. I have gotten busy
and nothing else matters.

So I take what time I have. Go and be around people and watch. People are such beautiful,
strange, funny, amazing things. Soon, my inspiration comes back. If all else fails I just ask
my husband about his day and find some inspiration there. That man is a calamity waiting to
happen. Seriously.

Melissa blogs at Suger Coat It; a blog about living the sweet life. She started her blog because she wanted one place to put all the cool things she found online and to write a little.

Now it revolves around trying to stay married, her getting a life and their mission to create a life. Mostly. But Melissa pretty much does what she wants. But that’s the upside of being a grown up, right?

Right now Melissa’s goals in life are to run 5km, to find somewhere sensible to hide all the crap that accumulates on the kitchen bench, to kill her 8 year old pc so she can get a Mac and to broker world
peace.

HOUSE UPDATE

So after my last woe is me post, I've controlled the meltdown and it's back to business!

Here is some more inspiration.....our shiny brand new bathroom accessories!

The kids have been warned not to swing on the towel rails because if they do, they might find themselves living in the shed for a while longer.

And don't even get me started on the sticky fingers and walls...

 

Oh To Live In A House Again.

Frustration.

Impatience.

Perfectly describing my character and my mood at the moment.

We are so close to finishing the house, but being so close feels like I am still a lifetime away.

Does that make sense?

I can only describe it as a scene in a horror movie (and we've had a few of those while owner building) - the main character is trying to get to a destination, a door to freedom perhaps, or a safe passage.

The more they fight and claw their way there, the more the glistening prize moves back. It literally moves away. The more they fight, the harder it is.

This is how I feel at the moment.

I'm in waist deep thick black sludge, fighting and pushing to get to my goal, and the more I push, the further away it goes.

A tad dramatic maybe, but after nearly 4 years of waiting.....I seriously want my house!

We are finishing off now, the electricial, the plumbing and the floors. The Hubbster has been working very hard on his days off. 

He has a job as well as the farm to take care of. There are only so many hours in the day. And dollars in the bank!

I feel very unorganised right now. 

I want things in their place.

I want to decorate my home and cook delicious meals in our new kitchen for my patient family.

I can't believe how little the children were when we moved here. They were 3, 5 and 7.

They are ready for their own rooms, their own space. 

The 5 of us sleep in the same room and they are over it as much as I am.

We haven't had a Christmas Tree in 4 years...I refused to put one in the shed because it was never meant to be permanent.

The kids have toys in storage they have forgotten about.

I have no idea where my slow cooker is.

We eat in the same shed as our paint tins and our tractor.

I don't even jump anymore when I see a snake.

THIS is my reality.

I have surprised myself how well I have coped with all of this, and we have had some memorable times in the shed, that has brought us closer together as a family.

But enough is enough.

The bedroom air conditioner has stopped working. 

There is a hole in the floor of the shower. We can see the water running onto the grass on the outside.

I don't want to take an umbrella to the toilet when it rains.

Reality, people, reality.

The hard yards are done....

Last night, The Hubbster turned on all of the verandah lights. The house looked so beautiful bathed in the soft, creamy light.

It gave us inspiration to keep going...to keep pushing forward to reach our goal.

Stay with me..there's not long to go now x

 

Beef Australia 2012

Innovation, collaboration, inspiration and celebration collide for one great week every three years in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.

Last week, The Hubbster and I had the pleasure of attending Beef Australia 2012.

Just us and about 75 000 of our closest friends!

This 3 yearly event is Australias premier beef cattle expo, attracting not only local and interstate visitors, but worldwide guests, coming to see just how it is done! I'd love you to read all about it here.

Cattle competitions and displays, a genetics conference, a huge trade fair, fashion parades, cooking demonstrations showing the right way to cook beef and so much more keeps everyone busy during this week long event.

Kids

If you are a serious contender, I'd suggest leaving them at home.

We did.

Although children were very well catered for with various areas "just for kids" and a fun train that threatened to run me down several times, we decided not to take them and it was the best decision ever.

The Hubbster and I had hours to peruse the various cattle varieties without a "where's the jumping castle" or an "I'm hungry/bored/tired/hot" comment.


Cattle Crush

We had a running gag all day because everywhere we looked there was a Cattle Crush.

I'm happy to present a various selection of these from the basic to the amazing.

Food

Hamburgers, Beefburgers, Steakburgers.  Too bad if you were a vegetarian.

Babies

Ahh the babies.  The little calves.  My favourite of course!

Fashion

The fashion of the day was blue jeans and a hat.  I wore my Akubra and I looked awesome!

Cattle

As soon as The Money Pit is finished and we are living in our house, we are going to buy some cattle.

Just so we feel like real farmers.

We are interested in the Low Line Breed, and there was plenty to be seen at Beef Australia.

Here's a selection of various moo cows we made friends with!

A Night In Paris

Last night our dance school presented "A Night In Paris".

The room was transformed into the Parisian Moulin Rouge!

It was a fantastic evening! 

Everyone dressed up with plenty of lace and feathers and red and black!

We were very lucky to have the amazing Dale Pengelly perform centre stage! He sang and danced, in between very entertaining dance routines by our girls!

What superstars we have in the making!

The girls took along their sleeping bags and pillows and relaxed backstage after their performance, while we partied on and felt tres chic!

And credit to our dance committee for their amazing work!

What Inspires You?

I'm so happy to welcome Kate from Kate's Fab Four with her fabulous post in my series What Inspires You?

Image

This song came when I was a teenager, I didn't remember it as anything more than a funny cute song.

Nothing more.

A few months ago my hubby and I were talking about it, he put it on in the car and by the end there was tears streaming down my face. Its funny how things influence you differently at different times of your life.

I'm a worrier by nature, I worry about everything and anything, when I'm having a 'fat' day or feeling over worked, under paid and under appreciated I stick this on youtube and play it loud.

It inspires me to cheer up, stop worrying about what can't be fixed because whats the point really? It inspires me to embrace life, dance, do stupid ridiculous things, play silly games with my boys have a little cry, dream about our 75th wedding anniversary and all that life that we will live between now and then, the birthdays the milestones our boys will achieve, the grand babies we'll have (with four boys I expect at least 8 grand babies!) and of course...to wear sunscreen.