Ive moved....

Come visit me over here

Week 10...

Progress has been slow. I rolled my ankle 2 weeks ago which meant 5 days without exercise and only walking since (and for another week). On a positive note, I have stuck with the eating program and still managed to lose a little. Gotta be happy with that.

Ive also had great breakthroughs with Elli over the last couple of weeks and we are looking forward to our week long riding camp in a few weeks.

We are off to Melbourne today to spend the night with dear friends.....its been a while.

Ciao for now

12wbt - 7 weeks on....

..and nearly 7 kgs down.!



Having tried nearly everything to lose the post ciggy weight, I was ready for this to be another failure, but having committed to the program, the proof is in the pudding (or the low fat salmon stirfry!)

Biggest Lessons to date
1. I can enjoy exercise (even 6 days a week)
2. Its ok to go to bed feeling hungry
3. I dont need a glass of red (or white) every night
4. Low fat doesnt mean low taste - honestly the food is super yummy.
5. Portion sizes dont have to be supersized.

So with 5 weeks to go, I thought it timely that I review my original pre-program goal. My original goal was to lose 8 kg's during the 12 week program.

Having (almost) hit 7 kg at the end of the 7 week mark, Im upping the ante and going for 11kg at the end of the program. That will put me only 2kg off my goal weight.
Stay Tuned....

12wbt....

Im scared,....very, very scared.

You see Ive decided to embark on Michelle Bridges 12wbt. Ive had enough of edging closer and closer to the 90Kg mark (cant quite believe Im admitting here).

Ive also had enough of saying "Yeah I know Ive put on weight - but Im much healthier because Ive given up smoking" - that was almost two years ago!!

And my excuses for not exercising, well Im queen of them all, its/I'm...too early, too late, too cold, too hot, too tired, too sore, too happy, too sad, too busy, or my personal favourite... "just be kind to yourself, relax, have a sleep in".

Well I have to say Im now officially killing myself with kindness!
Its time to be the best I can be, for me and my three. I'll be tracking my progress with this little tracker...

So feel free to come on the ride. Its not too late, official start is Monday 23rd - two more sleeps!

On other fronts, heres a quick catch up...
We recently had a quick day trip to one of our favorite places nearby that we have affectionately termed "Echo Lake". Its only a 20 min drive and is a beautiful spot just to sit and contemplate.

the space always seems to lend itself to capturing special moments..

And speaking of special moments, I love it when the opportunity presents to capture the girls together in a world of their own.

In horsey news, Ive been having some trouble riding Ellie lately. She has been pigrooting and trying to get me off her back in all sorts of ways. I initially thought she was picking up on my lack of confidence, but I had the vet come out and check and it seems she has a problem with her back. Shes on strong horsey pain killers for a week, so fingers crossed she comes good and its not a more serious, chronic condition.

Until next time

Ciao for now xx

March catch up

Meet Ellie...

...my new horse. She is a 15 year old Appaloosa and sooooo much easier for me to handle than young Millie (who, btw is also going nicely at her new home). Even though Ive only had Ellie for a few weeks, I love her to bits already. She has such a lovely nature and has been there, done that with pretty much everything. Absolutely nothing phases her.


Ive been so looking forward to riding with Zoe and this weekend we finally got the chance. There's something very special about horse riding with ones daughter.


Ive also managed to do a dressage clinic and a trail ride through the Otways with the local Adult Riding Club. This week I was lucky enough to attend a two day jumping clinic with Alan Mitchell. The combination of horse and rider were pretty ordinary the first day...

But we well and truly got the hang of it on day two!


In other news. Whilst I'm still looking for my crafting mojo the promise of cooler weather seems to have stirred the creative juices somewhat and so I have started planning for some winter crafting. In the meantime though, I thought I'd post a couple of projects I didn't get around to blogging last year.

These were my school fete contributions. Thank you card stationary sets originally found here. These guys have been on my to do list in my side bar forever! Time to move them to my completed projects. I also made some home made wheat / heat packs.


Finally, I decided to move my craft room from the old shack outside, to the spare room. Whilst it was kinda romantic to have my own little craft shack, it wasn't overly practical battling the cold, the damp and the spiders! So here's a snippet of the new set up, ready and waiting for some crafting action.

Ciao for now

The honeymoon is over baby......

Thought I'd better give you an update before the craziness of normality strikes again in only a few short days. This has been our 2010/2011 summer....

New Years Eve on the back deck with friends...


Visits from family...


A gorgeous girls 7th Birthday...



We took this baby out on her maiden voyage....


She worked a treat. Pity the weather was not so good, but we still had a great time. A bit of creek play...


A bit of bushwalking...

An introduction to surfing for the girls. Footage of Zoe...

and Meg (not so lucky 2nd time round)

There was also plenty of kicking back....

What can I say...have Ipod will travel!

In horsey news, Zoe is going well with her lessons. She starts Pony Club next month. Millie and I, on the other hand aren't really working out too well. Unfortunately she is far too much horse for my beginner status. As much as I'd love to keep her, its not the right thing for either of us. So onwards and upwards we both must go.


Ciao for now

Final 2010 post

The tree is set and Santa is not too far away...


Zoe is ecstatic that she is in Grade 4/5 next year. Tears of joy when we told her (her words not mine)


Millie is settling in and getting used to both the girls (and I).


Were looking forward to our first family Barongarook Christmas and welcoming in the New Year with dear friends.
Oh and by the way have you checked out Retromummy's give away? Fat quarters from this range (below) are up for grabs.


Merry Christmas All

Santa came early in Barongarook

Well its only taken about 30 years but it was well worth the wait...
After traveling across the Tasman last night, Millie made it to her new home and our's this morning.


I tentatively introduced her to China.....


...so far so good.

I'm so looking forward to getting to know her.


May your Christmas be just as merry
Ciao for now
xx

Catch Up

Yet again its been a while since Ive posted, so while cleaning up my photos today (in this miserable weather were having) here's what Ive been up to...

Remember our caravan? We've been busy trying to get it ready for our first family trip this summer. The old cushion covers were a little dated....


So I thought I'd have a go at recovering them....


I'm really happy how they turned out. I used this free pattern I found. Its very easy to follow. I just omitted the piping. Otherwise good to go!

A while ago, a trusty fellow blogger recommended this great place. On this particular voyage I managed to pick up some great summer shoes....


Whilst hubby purchased this rather interesting computer chair.


If you haven't had the chance to get to the Mill Market,I suggest you do. But be warned...leave yourself at least a day to get through all the bargains!

In other crafty news, I also had a go at some cushion covers for the bed...


I found a similar one to the circled felt one in Target and thought it couldn't be too hard to make. I was right!

In horsey news, the girls are really enjoying China. Here's a snippet of each of them having a little canter..

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying getting my confidence back on a friends horse, also called China, and now affectionately known as Big China..


She's a beautiful big (17hh+) Clyde cross and I'm really loving my time back in the saddle. Its my form of meditation.


Have a happy weekend

Meet China...

Meggy's brand new pony came to live us last week. Whilst she "officially" belongs to Meg, everyone in the family has come to love her already.


We were lucky enough to take her on trial for a couple of weeks and she is fitting in just beautifully.

The farrier came out last week to check out her feet and gave us the thumbs up. The only hurdle we have to go, is with the vet check which is happening tomorrow. Fingers crossed all will be fine.


Once we have secured her, Meggy will start having lessons (and who knows - Zoe may decide to join in too). For now theyre just being led around with the lead rope with Mum by their side whilst trying very hard to wipe their smiles from their face!

Ciao for now

Is this our new pony?

We are trialling a new pony for Meggy Moo. I'll introduce her properly when we know whether we are keeping her or not. Hopefully, I can get a farrier and vet out this week to give her the once over. Anyway, will keep you posted!

Election 2010

With the election announcement looming I find myself considering how to cast my vote. So...? Whats different this time round?
1. This is the first election Ive participated in whilst living in our new community.
2. This is the first time Ive personally met both the sitting member and the opposition's candidate.
So for the first time in my voting life, I find myself with this quandary.
Im absolutely discouraged by the sitting member, but how could I not vote for Julia? I am much more inspired by the opposition candidate, but knowing a vote for her is a vote for Tony doesnt sit with me well either.
I guess this is where the old addage about voting for politicians or policy comes in.
How do you determine how to cast your vote?

Makin Stuff....

A modified version of a spoon full of sugar's knitting bag.

I'm not a big fan of the normal range of fabrics at Spotlight, but I was pleasantly surprised with this find.

Lisa's version has a lot more detail than mine (a sign of a very time poor crafter!), but I'm particularly happy with the velcro closure.
In other news weve been busy at home installing new double glazed windows.

The photo's dont do it justice, but they look great. We had the triangle ones put in especially to let in the morning sun. The house is starting to have a real ski lodge feel. Its great.

Were thinking we may have to replace the traditional leadlight window now to match the contemporary feel of the new windows.

Thats it for now....

ps, I'm trying out a new design template, which Im really liking. Problem is, in the change, Ive lost the links to the pics in my sidebar. When I go into edit, the links are there but when I try to click on the pics from the blog it doesnt work. I'd be grateful for any suggestions!