flowers, flowers everywhere!

Today brought back many memories of flower show day's of years past. Every year my school would make us endure a day of flower arranging to be judged. I hated the scrutiny, but today found me wishing better memories for the girls as they faced their first one. Briahna got a highly commended for her little seed owl! Hope's all looked great, and if I was the judge she would have won a prize for her fantasy tray!

Here are the pic's:

Briahna and Hope had their hair done to go with the theme... [flowers from our garden!]


Bree's Winning Bird!


Bree's Table Arrangement;


Bree's Pressed Flower Candle;


Bree's Pressed Flower Frame;


Bree's Grassapillar;


Hope's Unusual Container;


Hope's Pressed Flower Frame;


Hope's Fantasy Tray;


Hope's Grasshead;



Well done to both of them!

softies; ugli monsta #1

If you've known me a while - you know that I get really intense about what interests me. I find something I like and go go go for it for the next week or two, then the interest dies off and I don't pick it up for months. I love projects that are quick and easy, otherwise they end up in the unfinished basket...

On Monday I began a new adventure making soft toys! I have no idea what I will eventually do with them, prolly give them away... Like the one pictured which was my first attempt at a monsta!

Since then, I have made 4 different soft toys and the girls have made a whole load too! I will try and take photo's of our attempts and post them soon! The blue monsta has a new home at Jonathan's work...

Because of you

"Because Of You" - Kelly Clarkson

I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did,
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid

Because of you
Because of you

i've been thinking: parenting

yep! I've been at it again ... thinking, pondering, wondering, supposing.

It all comes from having my parents to stay last month.

I don't really want to go into what kind of parents they were to me, but they weren't great.

It all made me think about what kind of parent I want to be, and also what is really required of us to be the best parent we can be.

I came up with two words that I think encompass what it means to be a parent.

What is required of us?

nurture & protection

At least, that's what I think anyhow. These two words encompass everything good and everything my parents didn't do for me. I don't mean (by nurture & protection) that you stunt your children by not allowing them to become independent. You allow your children to become independant by being relevant to appropriate age and development. By simplifying my parenting style, I feel like it's not such a hard thing to be a good parent. It has empowered me to love my children for who they are where they are. They are not some label to be worked out by reading a book. I get to read them myself, as individuals. They really are gorgeous girls, who have so much neatness about them!

I think that the biggest mistake my parents made with me was that they never really wanted to KNOW me. They didn't bother to find out who I was, to unravel the real me.

hmmmmm!

protect

pro·tect /prəˈtɛkt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pruh-tekt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–verb (used with object)

1.	to defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, insult, etc.; cover or shield from injury or danger.

2.	Economics. to guard (the industry or an industry of a nation) from foreign competition by imposing import duties.

3.	to provide funds for the payment of (a draft, note, etc.).

–verb (used without object)

4.	to provide, or be capable of providing, protection: a floor wax that protects as well as shines.

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[Origin: 1520–30; <>prōtéctus, ptp. of prōtegere to cover in front, equiv. to prō- pro-¹ + teg-, s. of tegere to cover (akin to toga, thatch) + -tus ptp. suffix]

nurture

nur·ture /ˈnɜrtʃər/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[nur-cher] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -tured, -tur·ing, noun

–verb (used with object)

1.	to feed and protect: to nurture one's offspring.

2.	to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development; foster: to nurture promising musicians.

3.	to bring up; train; educate.

–noun

4.	rearing, upbringing, training, education, or the like.

5.	development: the nurture of young artists.

6.	something that nourishes; nourishment; food.

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[Origin: 1300–50; (n.) ME norture <>nourriture <>nūtrītūra a nourishing, equiv. to L nūtrīt(us) (ptp. of nūtrīre to feed, nourish) + -ūra -ure; (v.) deriv. of the n.]