Category Archives: grateful

Book Review: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine

Posted in books, grateful, growing, me by
  • Subtitle: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life
  • Publisher: Nelson Books
  • Subject: 248.843 – women, conduct of life, stress + time management
  • Recommended by: library find
  • Author blog/website: www.moneysavingmom.com/

Moments for me: Comparison is the thief of Joy.

Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are – Marianne Williamson.

While a lot of the financial tips are United States-centric there’s more to be found in this book from the main blogger at www.moneysavingmom.com

wpid-20150913_080916.jpgThese are the things I took from this book. Yours will be utterly personal to you (as it’s that sort of book) but hopefully you’ll be encouraged to pick this title up from your local library. It’s available on most e formats too.

  • Changing attitudes – it’s OK to let routines go when I need to bc I can always impose them later
  • Give, give give – time effort or money, the recipient will be blessed.
  • Involve others in running the home
  • Budget to bring down your big monthly household spends
  • Plan to use my wardrobe (this is working out well, I’ve given away 4 tops already)
  • Get up 30 min earlier to get peace, time to myself, complete my devotional without interruption

On Sunday Si & I talked about the visa (which is linked to his account so I can’t see the balances). We agreed to take this more seriously and a/p $100 a week to it regardless of the balance (our bank pays interest on positive balances). Load lifted by such a simple action!

Blurb: Calling the super busy, the stressed out, the overtired.

You know you’re made for a more fulfilling life. With this book, you’ll know where to start.

You wake up tired. Your to-do list is too long. The commitments—and the laundry—are piling up, but your energy keeps dwindling. You feel like you’re simply making it through the days, not living or enjoying any part of them.

In Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, you’ll find both practical ideas and big-picture perspective that will inspire you to live life on purpose. As a wife, mother of three, and founder of the wildly successful blog MoneySavingMom.com, Crystal Paine has walked the road from barely surviving to living with intention. With the warmth and candor of a dear friend, she shares what she’s learned along the way, helping you:

  • feel healthier and more energetic by setting priorities and boundaries
  • eliminate stress with savvy management of your time, money, and home
  • get more done by setting realistic goals and embracing discipline
  • rediscover your passions—and the confidence to pursue them

Packed with straightforward solutions you’ll use today and inspirational stories you’ll remember for years, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode is a must for any woman who’s ever longed for the freedom to enjoy life, not just survive it.

High 5 4 Friday!

Posted in cross stitch, family, grateful, High Five For Friday, me by

Hello! I hope everyone reading has had some great moments this week!
As it’s Thanksgiving period for my State-side friends, I thought this month’s High 5’s would be things I’m grateful for.

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COURAGEOUS great movie, better book. Reminds me of what’s important, being a role model to my family.
STITCHING TIME I’m grateful that my family supports this addiction and understands is my creative outlet. I’m grateful too for the relationships gained and sometimes lessons learnt.
BEING CHILDISH this is me, and Monty, the Westfield kids mascot. Sarah & I chased him thru part off St Lukes mall. Grateful we took the time to embrace our inner child!
PODCAST ADDICTION an android app that links to thousands of RSS or iTunes feeds so you can have podcasts on your phone. So handy, I’m grateful that it helps me thru the mundane stuff like weeding or washing dishes.
And lastly I’m grateful for the happy moments I can give my children. I used my cleaning and sewing skills to breathe new life into Tiggr. Mase was so pleased to get him back.

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You Can Quote Me

Posted in DIY home, family, grateful, House, house - gardens, me, OLW, You Can Quote ME by

YCQM is a semi – regular post based on my One Little Word for 2015, Serenity.

It’s school holidays (yay, said no working parent ever). I’ve taken some time off this week and next (Thursday’s wardrobe choice is your first clue) and there are a number of things I want to achieve.

So, list. I love checking things off. And most of these will take 30 min or less. That’s a lot of achievement buzz and I’ll still have a lot of playtime.

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Also achieved: merit team manager. Hoping this opens more doors in 2016.

High 5 4 Friday!

Posted in books, cross stitch, DIY home, family, grateful, growing, High Five For Friday, me by

LISTENING: I got a couple of recs from Caroline TeSelle this week, so I’ll be downloading podcasts from Tsh Oxenreider & Annie F Downs on Sunday when I refresh my iPod. Caroline blogs HERE

rock redemption coverREADING: Not really reading this week. It’s been full on at work and home so my nightly wind-down read is anything that doesn’t involve thinking. However the new ARC from Nalini Singh has downloaded to my account so there goes housework on Sunday!

persephone after 2 TV episodes and the AB's v Namibia

persephone after 2 TV episodes and the AB’s v Namibia

CRAFTING:  Working away on Persephone this week – more progress since Wednesday.

ANTICIPATING: new herbs as I plant more seeds. Summer salads are best from your own garden.

CELEBRATING: Not only did the rep team win game two, we clinched the series. I’ve made some new contacts and one I would consider a good friend.

Also – while I missed the club prize giving the Under 6’s took out a club award for Team Dedication (yay! Such a reflection on the awesome attitudes) MASON won the Sportsmanship award for the team. That’s now all three kids winning what I consider to be the highest award. And doesn’t he look so cute! This is his version of the Rugby World Cup, as made in class yesterday…

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Don’t forget to enter my giveaway! I’d love to have so many comments that I would need to open up to more winners 🙂

https://sewscrapmuse.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/wowzers-be-in-to-win/

Wowzers! Be in to win!

Posted in cross stitch, embroidery, freebies, friends, grateful, High Five For Friday, me, Smalls SAL, WIPocalypse by

UPDATE 29/10/15: This competition is now closed.

When I started blogging I didn’t think that anyone other than family would notice. I’ve been blessed by your feedback and comments, and now I’d like to pay it on!

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The prizes are:
A Lizzie*Kate snippet, Cross Stitcher in Residence plus goodies
OR another snippet,  Stitching Forever plus goodies
OR if you follow me because I read & you read, I’ll custom make you a book mark. It could be the design pictured here, or something else that depicts you or what you read (let’s keep it pg tho!).

So to enter, you need to be a blog follower and comment below with “snippet” or “bookmark”. If you comment with bookmark, let me know what genres/authors interest you, or a cross stitch designer or theme of you prefer. I’ll post wherever so this contest is open internationally.

Three winners will be announced on October 27th, two WIPocalypses away from today.

Good luck!

WIP Wednesday

Posted in cross stitch, family, grateful, me, Mirabilia, round robin by

Today’s WIP are brought to you with a bit of bitterness on my tongue. I won’t go into this too much, as I am not out here for sympathy, but I am choosing to walk away (click away?) from a FB group. I will miss some aspects of the community but it’s healthier for me (& less drama for others) if I just leave. So that’s what I’ve done. This way I can forgive & then forget without the constant reminder that someone let me down then broke my trust in them.

Keely's choice; Angels from XS Crazy 2012

Keely’s choice; Angels from XS Crazy 2012

Anyways, let’s get onto the good stuff. This is where I left Keely’s piece at last week. Since then I have completed most of the Angel’s skirt, her wings (blah to DMC metallic) and some of the presents that are on the bottom left. I forgot to take a more up-to-date shot (even on Instagram) so next week’s will look much more complete. I won’t be posting it this week tho, which gives Kathryn a bit more breathing space.

I’m waiting on the international Mira RR to get to me still but I had to get back into something that was my own for a little bit.

progress as at 9th Sept

progress as at 9th Sept

The rugby world cup has started and so I pulled out Persephone while the AB’s played Argentina (very) early Monday morning. I got two cranes done then, and a half plus the ribbon done while supervising homework later than day. I love working with the silks of the Waterlillies – this is the first piece I’ve used them in, as they are quite expensive down here and previously I’ve always subbed them with the DMC. I’ve now got the frame around the top done so it will be all about filling in this last section of “wallpaper” this week. I can’t wait to start back-stitching to define her face but that beading should wait until the end. It’s heavy already given that I stitch “in hand” & I don’t think I should add to that weight yet!

Let’s see if that thought lasts until Christmas, hmm?!

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progress as at 22nd Sept

Hi Five for Friday!

Posted in books, conversion details, cross stitch, grateful, High Five For Friday, steptember 2015 by

High FiveLISTENING: Picked up an audio book that I can’t remember reading in print – JD Robb’s Indulgence in Death. Great for drowning out the routine crap at work.

READING: Planning on getting into The Fringe Hours this weekend as I’m just about finished Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. This week was potentially not the week to think about ditching survival! Since I started one change (setting the alarm half-an-hour earlier) I’ve been woken by family at least two hours earlier…sorry peeps, but there won’t be a review tomorrow.

CRAFTING: Working on Keely’s RR still (no stitching since Tuesday!) and waiting for the next Mira one to hit me. I also brought Summer Queen of someone who was destashing. I want to convert her colours from the blue to rich, adult-y pinks, kind-of like Debra Foxx did. Which leads me nicely into…

ANTICIPATING: I signed up to “16 in 16” – a facebook group based on encouragement to finish 16 WIPs in 2016. The only problem is that I don’t have 16 WIPs! But I have an excuse to start some more pieces!

CELEBRATING: 6 days in a row of little sleep but still getting to my Steptember goal. So far, that’s 117.3km walked. Pretty happy with that!

Debra Foxx Fuschia Summer Queen

Debra Foxx Fuschia Summer Queen

Conversion:

changed 939 to 154
changed 924 to 902
changed color 3810 to 915
changed color 597 to 718
changed color 598 to 3608
symbol circle with dot in center 3608 & white
changed color 902 to 550
changed 915 to 552

No bead changes were made.
changed color 718 to 553
changed color 3608 to 554

summer queen blue

Original colours

You Can Quote Me

Posted in books, grateful, me, OLW, work, You Can Quote ME by

YCQM is linked to my One Little Word for 2015, Serenity.

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I’m not sure how much I’ll pick up out of this book but I’ve got one thing already. 15 minutes work can eliminate a lot of stress.

Sunday morning I grabbed a Project Life card that I’m not likely to use in my album and plotted out what I’ll wear this working week. I added in that Monday is a board meeting (I have to be a grown up, & hence the necklace reminder) and Wednesday is rep training (extra layer) and Friday is casual so I get to wear my Chucks.

You might notice that I write down leggings. Here’s a confession for you; I cannot keep a pair of stockings or hose unladdered for more than five minutes. I’m hopeless there.

This card is up inside my vanity door for a daily reminder. I’m feeling less pressure already!

What’s your top tip for getting ready for the working week?

Book Review: Anchored by Kayla Aimee

Posted in books, grateful by

Subtitle: Finding Hope in the Unexpected

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Subject: 234.2 Christianity, grace

Recommended by: Jessica Turner @  www.themomcollective.com

Author blog/website: www.anchoredhopebook.com/

I love this book. Love love love. Not only is KA informative, sarcastic, clever & so obviously real, she’s funny too.

Blurb: Poignant and humorous, Anchored recounts Kayla’s gripping story of learning to navigate her newfound motherhood in the most unexpected of ways. With vulnerability and plenty of wit, Kayla lays bare her struggle to redefine her faith, her marriage, and herself in her search for hope.

For anyone who has felt their faith in God falter, Anchored extends a gentle invitation to join her as she uncovers a hope that holds.

ForParty

There isn’t any hiding of the pain – and with any premature birth there is always going to be pain and uncertainty – but a 25 week birth? I can’t imagine the terror. I have been lucky to have relatively easy pregnancies and births – and even luckier to be able to take my children home soon after. Not 100+ days after.

A good lesson that I took from this was that having FAITH doesn’t protect you from pain (I know, should have paid more attention to Paul’s journey, right?). That FAITH is holding onto God even through the pain – or most especially during the pain.

A keeper – 4 stars. You can start it now by going to KA’s blog and downloading the first chapter.

Non-affiliate links are used in this blog post.

High 5 4 Friday!

Posted in family, grateful, High Five For Friday, me, steptember 2015 by

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My list is a little late today but that’s because I have so much to be grateful for!

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A day off. It meant walking to school with Mase ( in my new Puma Ignite shoes, I love them already). Talking. Taking time to smell the flowers (he’s hamming it up for y’all. I told him I’d post it on the blog). Unexpected time with my daughter and watching then play. Getting to 10000 steps for Steptember.

It’s been a really good day.