However I am thrilled to announce the money cuff winners are
Leonie
and Meghan
who both write blogs I love and clearly random.org loves them too.
If you want to enter this months giveaway for a divine yoghurt voucher you still can
Friday, September 14, 2012
Money Cuff Winners
Ahem, I am a little later drawing this than I said!
However I am thrilled to announce the money cuff winners are
Leonie
and Meghan
who both write blogs I love and clearly random.org loves them too.
If you want to enter this months giveaway for a divine yoghurt voucher you still can
However I am thrilled to announce the money cuff winners are
Leonie
and Meghan
who both write blogs I love and clearly random.org loves them too.
If you want to enter this months giveaway for a divine yoghurt voucher you still can
Friday
This week's happy memories:
exciting parcels in the mail (more about that next week)
and PR people who happily address your review parcel to your children, especially happy-making to a little one who has been asking for post a lot lately 'and I only wanted a letter but I got a whole parcel'.
exciting arrivals at the airport - home at last! and straight into reading tin tin, presents and playing the teddy game
exciting fashion shows attended with bloggers
and a very beautiful collection by our lovely friend Nin (feeling famous by association)
I would so recommend going and having a browse in her online shop - so lovely.
cute notes written by a six-year-old for his fish (who was turning 102!) and displayed in front of the fish tank so he could read it (he is actually the fish who looks like he is reading it!!)
cute enquiries from a 3-year-old who wondered what to give a fish and if we could put the presents in the tank and would they get wet?
a bloggers get together on Monday night to do a swap - and the treats I got - thanks Treena
sunshine, hail, sleet, thunder and lightning storms all in the space of a week or so
and a delicious giveaway for this month as well
What things have you loved this week?
exciting parcels in the mail (more about that next week)
and PR people who happily address your review parcel to your children, especially happy-making to a little one who has been asking for post a lot lately 'and I only wanted a letter but I got a whole parcel'.
exciting arrivals at the airport - home at last! and straight into reading tin tin, presents and playing the teddy game
exciting fashion shows attended with bloggers
and a very beautiful collection by our lovely friend Nin (feeling famous by association)
I would so recommend going and having a browse in her online shop - so lovely.
cute notes written by a six-year-old for his fish (who was turning 102!) and displayed in front of the fish tank so he could read it (he is actually the fish who looks like he is reading it!!)
cute enquiries from a 3-year-old who wondered what to give a fish and if we could put the presents in the tank and would they get wet?
a bloggers get together on Monday night to do a swap - and the treats I got - thanks Treena
sunshine, hail, sleet, thunder and lightning storms all in the space of a week or so
and a delicious giveaway for this month as well
What things have you loved this week?
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Make My Week #37 - Wonder and Discover
In July I made some embroidered brooches and did and giveaway and the winners could choose the words.
The winners words were Wonder and Discover
these are the parcels that flew away in the post
I particularly like wonder. You can see the winners post about it here.- so sweet it's going to school for show and tell.
Check out other creative spaces by clicking on the button on the right.
The winners words were Wonder and Discover
these are the parcels that flew away in the post
I particularly like wonder. You can see the winners post about it here.- so sweet it's going to school for show and tell.
Check out other creative spaces by clicking on the button on the right.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Wardrobe Wednesday - The Numbers Game
Hello lovely players and visitors! It is a pleasure to have your company today!
This week I have been thinking a lot about ladies and their numbers.
As an adult I've been about 10kg lighter than I am now and I've been about 6kg heavier than I am now. I'd be lying if I said there weren't a couple of kilos I'd be happy to wave goodbye to but for the most part I am happy. Intentionally happy with my body - I try to focus on the bits I like and I am very, very grateful for all the functionality of my body. My body (and yours!) are miraculous, wonderful things that help us enjoy, sustain and even carry life.... that blows me away.
That's not to say I don't hold all this in tension - there are photos I choose not to post and angles of my chin/s and the tops of my arms I edit out. As much as there are women who profess to love their stretch marks because they are the 'marks of motherhood' I'd be happy with my 2 boys and rock-hard abs! There are days I feel dissatisfied with myself but I am learning.
Then there are the crazy size numbers - depending on the shop I can be anything between a size small and a size large??? or any number from 10-14. And yet often women feel so embarrassed of even sharing our numbers when shopping with a friend - have you ever paused before asking your shopping partner or a shop assistant to grab you a larger size? - ever felt like you need to apologise for your size or that you chose the wrong one going into the changing room??
How do you feel about your numbers? Do they stop you enjoying the amazing, miraculous, life-giving body you occupy? Has dissatisfaction with your body stopped you from dressing up for life?
I know kind of a heavy post but I really, really want to create an environment here where we all acknowledge we don't have air-brushed bodies, we don't have stylists, we don't have unlimited time and money to spend on ourselves - but we are beautiful, interesting, unique women and we bring beauty to the world.
(These posts won't always be so serious and wordy I promise!)
I'd love you to leave me a comment about your own feelings about your 'numbers', and if it resonates with you, consider talking about it in a ww post sometime.
This week I am rocking out my new dress. I am trying to make a garment of clothing each month - this is my Spring September Dress - you can read more about it here.
Dress - free, made last week - fabric I was given for a birthday 4 years ago, zip free, pattern already had
Shoes - bought about 5 years ago from No.1 shoes - cheapies
Accessories - rings - wedding, engagement and one I designed and The Atlas had made for me for our 2nd anniversary (when we both had jobs and no mortgage and no kids!)
Every Wednesday, Every Wardrobe Welcome.
So what is Wardrobe Wednesday?
- It's a chance to take some time once a week to peel off the polar fleece trackies (I have a pair too!!) and put on something that makes yourself feel worthwhile and good about life!
- It's a time to celebrate and hopefully to embrace your body however you find it - post baby, young or old your body is lovely and functional and precious and I want this place to be a place for you to see other women (ordinary, beautiful women) who don't live in designer homes on designer budgets with designer bodies.
How to play?
1. Link in your specific blog post not just your general blog
2. Link to a post about clothes - that's what we're here for
3. Please add a link back here so other people can come over and see people's clothing posts too - the old fashioned way or grab a button
4. Be encouraging and visit people - leave a comment now and again too everyone loves to get encouragement
Here's the button copy and paste away
Here's the button copy and paste away
Kiwi players are welcome to enter my delish September giveaway here
Thanks so much for joining in - I look forward to visiting your post.
Miriam x
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
B.M.W.B #37 - Encouraging Words
This Sunday afternoon we spent a beautiful time with our friends cycling from Birdlings Flat through to Little River.
Wee Bounce had a very long way to bike given his size and the size of his little legs. Keeping in mind he's not even 4 yet.
A 7km bike along a gravel trail with some big winds and a few midge swarms.
He worked so hard, he came off a few times, he kept cycling - pump, pump, pump went his little legs. He arrived a while after everyone else on the first leg, even though he started with the leaders, and I stood up (we were having a break by the lake) and cheered him in - his wee face lit up and he zoomed in with a burst of renewed energy.
On the 2nd leg he and I rode together and we told jokes and chatted - side by side taking all the time in the world. No 'hurry ups' just side by side - together.
Later I heard The Atlas whispering his approval to Bounce as well and I watched as he glowed. Those words are fuel to his love tank and he grows inside every time he's given them.
I love that as a mama I have the privilege giving these life-giving words to my little men and I know those words mean the world to them.
Did you enter my delicious September giveaway yet?
Wee Bounce had a very long way to bike given his size and the size of his little legs. Keeping in mind he's not even 4 yet.
A 7km bike along a gravel trail with some big winds and a few midge swarms.
He worked so hard, he came off a few times, he kept cycling - pump, pump, pump went his little legs. He arrived a while after everyone else on the first leg, even though he started with the leaders, and I stood up (we were having a break by the lake) and cheered him in - his wee face lit up and he zoomed in with a burst of renewed energy.
On the 2nd leg he and I rode together and we told jokes and chatted - side by side taking all the time in the world. No 'hurry ups' just side by side - together.
Later I heard The Atlas whispering his approval to Bounce as well and I watched as he glowed. Those words are fuel to his love tank and he grows inside every time he's given them.
I love that as a mama I have the privilege giving these life-giving words to my little men and I know those words mean the world to them.
Did you enter my delicious September giveaway yet?
This year I am making more of a conscious effort to have quality moments with my boys. B.M.W.B (becoming the mama I want to be) is my way of recording and hopefully inspiring other mama’s too. Please inspire me with the little moments you are snatching with your little people OR with ideas I could do with mine. If you have blogged about it please leave a comment so we can all visit and encourage each other.
Simple. Achievable. Intentional: becoming the mama I want to be.
Monday, September 10, 2012
A Trip To Yoghurt Heaven (and a giveaway)
I'm not really a dairy lover (putting chocolate aside!). I don't like milk and cheese much and would easily give either or both up. But as a woman I have this niggling thing about the fact that I should be consuming calcium so I don't end up all bent in half like a paper clip as an older woman.
So I decided I would do the yoghurt thing - I put yoghurt through my cereal and that way I feel like I can give myself a calcium tick. The other day I decided to treat myself and instead of buying a cheap tub of 'whatever is on special' (and is probably full of fake everything) I grabbed a tub of Bliss - Berry Happy gourmet yoghurt. And I was indeed Berry Happy. Oh.so.good - so thick and so creamy (almost like a velvety smooth mousse) and full of a berry 'compote'.
It literally was so good that I emailed the company to congratulate them (I always ring a company if their product is defective so I try to balance it out with praise if I find something genuinely above and beyond).
Long story short I discovered the yoghurt is made by a proudly Canterbury company!! and they are lovely to deal with. I received a personal reply to my email from the company CEO Jim Small, who himself started Cyclops Yoghurt in 1988. Well impressed. Then last week I made the trip out to their factory in Hornby and came home with all sorts of things to try.
For Christchurch dwellers they run a factory shop on a Wednesday for you to be able to buy yourself some treats at below the RRP. 10am-4pm and worth a trip! If Victoria helps you out tell her I sent you because I'm sure she'll be thrilled about that!
Just for a bit of background the company produces the following:
Cyclops - these are the original products and all the ingredients are certified organic, the yoghurt is fermented for a minimum of 12 hours in comparison to the 5 hours of most other brands and it contains a much higher concentration of milk solids which gives it an acidity and pro-biotic bacteria levels that are much higher than standard yoghurt's.
The Bliss range - the one I bought. This is a gourmet brand and has the most wonderful selection of flavours. (even the titles make me happy - Apricot Enthusiasm anyone?). These yoghurts are made in the same factory using the same products and although they contain organic ingredients are not currently certified organic. These yoghurts are more dessert like, to me they remind me of eating the slightly soft ice-cream from around the edges of the tub (you mean you don't do that?? must just be me!) and certainly satisfy the after-dinner sweet craving. They are higher in fat than some of the others and I find for me that means I eat less and feel more full and satisfied.
(Does this make anyone else think of the Seinfeld episode when they spent the whole time eating frozen yoghurt??)
The company also produces 3 flavours of organic frozen yoghurt - Mango, Strawberry and Coffee(which a lot of my friends swear by). And tubs of sour cream.
I love that they as a company they are ardently committed to being an adult based brand - not that children wouldn't enjoy them but with flavours like Ginger and Pear (with definite ginger flavours) and Mango and Cardamom and a strong focus on organic and pro-biotic qualities - they are not aiming to be a 'lolly brand'. Certainly my Flip was more than happy to try the frozen yoghurt and described it as 'all of that' and has been asking for it for dessert every night since.
They are also genuinely committed to doing their best by the environment as well - there are awards like this all over the wall at the factory shop
It makes me really pleased to see artisan products being produced locally in New Zealand that refuse to compromise the standard of their products to take a stake of world domination. I also find it really impressive that for over 20 years (before it was trendy) they have been producing organic products.
As I say, I approached the company (Serra foods) after trying the yoghurt because I found it SO good. They kindly gave me some more products to sample and were very generous when I asked them for some vouchers to give away.
SO... to my September giveaway. If you would like to win a voucher (let's call it a ticket to yoghurt heaven!) to get your own taste of happiness leave me a comment here.
For further entries be a follower of this blog - please leave another comment
and if you really want one of these vouchers pop over and like their fb page and leave me another comment.
3 chances to win!
** currently Cyclops is available at all your local supermarkets but the Bliss range is not stocked in Countdown supermarkets. If like me you're a cheap and cheerful PnS shopper or a more refined New World shopper you are in luck for both products. **
Entries close on 20th of September and winners will be posted their vouchers within a week. Sorry to my international readers this is a NZ giveaway only. Please ensure I have a way of contacting you should you be a winner.
It literally was so good that I emailed the company to congratulate them (I always ring a company if their product is defective so I try to balance it out with praise if I find something genuinely above and beyond).
Long story short I discovered the yoghurt is made by a proudly Canterbury company!! and they are lovely to deal with. I received a personal reply to my email from the company CEO Jim Small, who himself started Cyclops Yoghurt in 1988. Well impressed. Then last week I made the trip out to their factory in Hornby and came home with all sorts of things to try.
For Christchurch dwellers they run a factory shop on a Wednesday for you to be able to buy yourself some treats at below the RRP. 10am-4pm and worth a trip! If Victoria helps you out tell her I sent you because I'm sure she'll be thrilled about that!
Just for a bit of background the company produces the following:
Cyclops - these are the original products and all the ingredients are certified organic, the yoghurt is fermented for a minimum of 12 hours in comparison to the 5 hours of most other brands and it contains a much higher concentration of milk solids which gives it an acidity and pro-biotic bacteria levels that are much higher than standard yoghurt's.
The Bliss range - the one I bought. This is a gourmet brand and has the most wonderful selection of flavours. (even the titles make me happy - Apricot Enthusiasm anyone?). These yoghurts are made in the same factory using the same products and although they contain organic ingredients are not currently certified organic. These yoghurts are more dessert like, to me they remind me of eating the slightly soft ice-cream from around the edges of the tub (you mean you don't do that?? must just be me!) and certainly satisfy the after-dinner sweet craving. They are higher in fat than some of the others and I find for me that means I eat less and feel more full and satisfied.
(Does this make anyone else think of the Seinfeld episode when they spent the whole time eating frozen yoghurt??)
The company also produces 3 flavours of organic frozen yoghurt - Mango, Strawberry and Coffee(which a lot of my friends swear by). And tubs of sour cream.
I love that they as a company they are ardently committed to being an adult based brand - not that children wouldn't enjoy them but with flavours like Ginger and Pear (with definite ginger flavours) and Mango and Cardamom and a strong focus on organic and pro-biotic qualities - they are not aiming to be a 'lolly brand'. Certainly my Flip was more than happy to try the frozen yoghurt and described it as 'all of that' and has been asking for it for dessert every night since.
They are also genuinely committed to doing their best by the environment as well - there are awards like this all over the wall at the factory shop
It makes me really pleased to see artisan products being produced locally in New Zealand that refuse to compromise the standard of their products to take a stake of world domination. I also find it really impressive that for over 20 years (before it was trendy) they have been producing organic products.
As I say, I approached the company (Serra foods) after trying the yoghurt because I found it SO good. They kindly gave me some more products to sample and were very generous when I asked them for some vouchers to give away.
SO... to my September giveaway. If you would like to win a voucher (let's call it a ticket to yoghurt heaven!) to get your own taste of happiness leave me a comment here.
For further entries be a follower of this blog - please leave another comment
and if you really want one of these vouchers pop over and like their fb page and leave me another comment.
3 chances to win!
** currently Cyclops is available at all your local supermarkets but the Bliss range is not stocked in Countdown supermarkets. If like me you're a cheap and cheerful PnS shopper or a more refined New World shopper you are in luck for both products. **
Entries close on 20th of September and winners will be posted their vouchers within a week. Sorry to my international readers this is a NZ giveaway only. Please ensure I have a way of contacting you should you be a winner.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Submit or Resist?
I was driving from one side of Christchurch to another the other day and I was diverted several times.
Christchurch is awash with roadworks, pot-holes, detours, new roads under construction....it's relentless. At one point I was driving along unfamiliar roads and being diverted and I had one of those moments where I thought about how like life this can be.
I head off feeling sure of my direction, confident in my ability and along the way I hit pot-holes and suddenly I am driving very slowly, with great caution, quite uncertain of the direction I am being headed in.
At this point I have a choice - feel panicked and try to get back to where I think I should be heading or to trust that these diversions are taking me a safe way, the right way, that the diversions and signs are there for my protection and not to trick me or throw me off course
I can patiently negotiate these new paths taking time to think and be while the pace is slower or I can curse that I will be late, that I am diverted again, I can start to worry about having to do a right turn across a busy road because of this new route I have to take.
Maybe my life would be more fulfilling and I would learn more if I would take these diversions, detours, and road blocks as a gentle reminder to take time along the journey. Perhaps diversions are in fact an invitation into wildly trusting that Someone else knows better than me. An opportunity to understand that full speed ahead and trusting my own instincts might not actually get me anywhere good fast.
Do you resist diversions and 30km signs in your life or do you trust and relax? Do you submit or do you resist?
Christchurch is awash with roadworks, pot-holes, detours, new roads under construction....it's relentless. At one point I was driving along unfamiliar roads and being diverted and I had one of those moments where I thought about how like life this can be.
I head off feeling sure of my direction, confident in my ability and along the way I hit pot-holes and suddenly I am driving very slowly, with great caution, quite uncertain of the direction I am being headed in.
At this point I have a choice - feel panicked and try to get back to where I think I should be heading or to trust that these diversions are taking me a safe way, the right way, that the diversions and signs are there for my protection and not to trick me or throw me off course
I can patiently negotiate these new paths taking time to think and be while the pace is slower or I can curse that I will be late, that I am diverted again, I can start to worry about having to do a right turn across a busy road because of this new route I have to take.
Maybe my life would be more fulfilling and I would learn more if I would take these diversions, detours, and road blocks as a gentle reminder to take time along the journey. Perhaps diversions are in fact an invitation into wildly trusting that Someone else knows better than me. An opportunity to understand that full speed ahead and trusting my own instincts might not actually get me anywhere good fast.
Do you resist diversions and 30km signs in your life or do you trust and relax? Do you submit or do you resist?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)