Recyle, Recycle, Recylce

After a really wonderful Christmas and nice new year (no we did not see in 2010, and were happily asleep in our comfy beds) it is back to work. With a new enthusiasm Shimi will be back this year, focusing mainly on our organics range, and all things good for the earth.

Unfortunately it is still quite costly to buy organic in any form, although we will be stocking our lovely and comforting organic range in both t-shirts and t-towels, we believe it is time to think outside the box. These thoughts took me back to my student years where the small amount of money I had was not sufficient to buy lovely NEW clothing, so I spent my free time trawling though op-shops. But 15 years ago when I was buying op-shop clothing, the stores were full of rare finds from the 70's and 80's and the price tag was never more then a few dollars. Now op-shops are predominately one brand - "Millers" and the price tags are in the double figures now for anything with a brand on it and/or any type of style.

I must admit, due to my figure (short, small with bum, hips and boobs) I have never had a whole lot of luck finding things off the rack that fit me perfectly - so with my op-shop finds back in the 90's - I spent a lot of time altering. It was a bit of fun, and I got myself an original outfit. Then "real-life" set in and I went to work in a corporate environment where it was all about the suits, and I lost that fun individual style. But it is time to bring it back.

Keep a look out for our new offerings at shimi. Not only will we have the style of 2009 but we will be recycling the old and tying in with the new. And we hope in the meantime doing our little bit by reducing our carbon footprint !!!!!!!!!!

www.shimi.com.au

Kids and Work

• Isn't life funny. You work and work and work in order to be financially ready to bring children into the work, then children come along, and life just gets more expensive and you have to work harder. My dream, like millions of other mothers I am sure, is to have a career that I can establish from my own home, so I am available to my children whenever they need me. I can do the school drop off and pick up. I can go to sports days. I can spend mornings and afternoons and evenings with my kids and have a career that fits into my free (what little I have) time. Is it possible???

I hope so. I am working mighty hard to make it that way, but as with all business, this is not something that will happen overnight and it is a 5-10 year plan, but there are many many days where I am so discouraged. And it pains me that I have to worry about this instead of enjoying my children to the fullest. But now is the time that young families need money - to plan for the future and give our children the best chances in life.

I think this is a common problem with most families, and I don't think I will be surprising anybody by voicing this. What is the solution? I have had so many "offers" to join companies like Amway with the promises of wealth, but I am not interested in selling people promises. I love the work I do, and I am proud that we support ethical Australian made, organic products and I have come to the solution that no matter how hard I feel it is to invite success I have to stay true to my beliefs. And they are that family come first - what is the point of having a successful business if I haven't enjoyed my kids formative years, and to follow my heart. It would be very easy for Rowena and I to go the route of importing cheap t-shirts and homewares from China, etc. Not only would we be supporting the sweat shop industry, but we would be increasing our carbon footprint. By buying Australian made organic products we are lowing our carbon footprint, supporting ethical work standards, and supporting our Australian industry.

For the days that I am feeling not so positive, I still can feel very proud of Rowena and myself for the choices we have made.

If you would like to support these ideas, I encourage you to shop and www.shimi.com.au and visit our links to find like minded traders.

Happy shopping!!!

Make your own Necklace.

We girls at Shimi have been offline for a few months now. The end of the year is so busy for everyone, especially mums, and we are no exception. With children in kindergarten, the year seems to get even busy, if that is possible.

But as the year winds down (yes I am for once reasonably organised when it comes to Christmas presents), we are able to deliver on our blog site once again.

We wanted to show you an easy necklace to make. This will take you about 30 minutes....

All you need is :

1 metre x 15cm piece of fabric (silk is best but I have used a textured satin)
Large wooden beads (in different sizes and colours, depending on your taste)

First fold your length of fabric in half with the right side of the fabric together. Iron.
Sew the length of fabric together, leaving your ends open.
Turn the length inside out.
Then simply start by putting one bead inside your tube of fabric and position in the middle.
Take two beads of the same colour and same size and thread your fabric through the whole on each side of the bead in the fabric tube.
This will create a fabric covered bead.
Repeat the process over until you have created a necklace you are happy with.
(make sure you finish with a bead that have fabric threaded through it's hole on either side)
To finish the end of the material, turn the raw edge inside the tube, iron flat and straight stitch.

Use a fabric with your favourite colours and beads to match.

Happy creating.

Organic Cotton

A Change Has begun at Shimi. Our love of all things organic and eco have taken over and thus we have become a bit more picky about the stock we sell.

We have done away with our current stock apart from our beautiful maternity wear, yoga wear, skincare and leather wear, and we are now stocking all Organic girls, boys and women's t-shirts.

These shirts are made from organic cotton which is cool, breathes well and oh so comfortable. So why choose organic cotton? It's natural as opposed to conventional fabrics which often rely on chemical treatments, some highly toxic.

Not only is organic cotton much nicer to wear but by buying organic cotton you are assisting in preserving this beautiful world we live in, and the world we are passing on to our children. Good for us, good for the earth!!!!

All our t-shirts (accept Plus size unfortunately, but we are working on that) are organic and made in Australian Sweat-Shop FREE factories.

Look out for our range on homeware soon available.

Sweet Innocence

Our fabulous designer Rebecca Nash has just presented us with her latest collection. My daughters eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw them, and was immediately smitten. You can see why with Rebecca's designs embracing bright cheerful colours and images.

I love letting my children pick their own clothing as they come up with some interesting outfits. My daughter often comes out looking like a Harajuki girl from Japan. Very cute. My son on the other hand is all of 2 and a half, and is quite conservative. My only real issue with him is that I will iron his clothes to wear and without fail a minute before we are due to walk out the door he demands to change. So he always looks slightly messy, which is a shame as I try my hardest to look ironed and crisp (although I rarely iron for myself).

The challanges.... however if that is my greatest challange........

New Shimi

Well, Shimi is close to a year old now, and has evolved what seems like daily. Get ready for another revolution, as Shimi is heading for a change.

We (Jen and Row) have decided that we really want to dedicate our site to Australian Designers. We have always had that as a goal, but have been a little hesitant to put all our eggs in one basket. But now we feel it is the right time to put our all into our goal of having an Australian Designer ONLY site, and doing our part to support industries in Australia.

Over the next month we will be having a huge sale on our current stock and come August it will be all new stock. So if there is anything you have wanted and keep putting off - now is the time to buy.

Here is a little sneak peak of what will be on the racks.

An apple a day!

I know we've all heard the saying 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away". However, I didn't realise just how true that saying was until I was reading an article the other day about the goodness an apple contains. I drink a fair bit of tea (black and green) and always thought that that was a great source of antioxidants, however an apple contains twice the amount of a cup of tea! Three times the amount of an orange and more than half a punnet of blueberries or a cup of strawberries. So, next time you are at the green grocer, grab a few extra apples.. They are good value - price and health wise (not to mention delicious!).

My beauty routine with Jewell

Tonight I gave myself a much needed mini facial with the Jewell products I love so much. I started with the cleanser, then compressed my face with a washer soaked with a few drops of pure lavender oil in warm water. I then used the facial scrub and mask. I finished off with the toner, moisturiser and eye balm. Yes, I didn't leave anything out! My skin felt so nicely cleansed and soft. While I was applying the mask with the brush, my 4yr old son came into the bathroom. He said 'Mum, what are you doing that for?'. I said, 'well, when you are my age (ok, I agree that makes me sound old), you need to look after your skin and make sure its nicely cleansed'. To which he replied, 'but I'm not old and I am not a girl'. He really had taken the 'YOU' literally... I had to laugh, kids say the funniest things...

Master Chefs!

I had the pleasure of my cousin visiting for a few nights this week. We were talking about how talented the last few contenders of master chef are. So, over a few champaynes we decided to do some master chef cooking of our own. I have never quite mastered the art of getting the timing right between the meat and vegies in a roast. I have been wanting to try a receipe of a roast beef which was cooked in an oven bag with a marinade over it. So, we got that prepared and in the oven just fine. When it came to the vegies, we debated over how long they needed to go into the oven for. So, to make the whole process quicker, we cut the vegies into medium style cubes, mixed them with fresh rosemary and popped them into the oven. Mmm, if we were being judged on the overall result, it would have been 10 points for the roast and 1 point for the vegies. I reckon we were about 45mins out regarding allowing enough cooking time! Agh.. We ended up eating them pretty much raw. (The rosemary smelt good though, another half a point for that?!). Anyone got some good tips on how to get the vegies to cook? Practise makes perfect... Bring on the next visitor...

Talent

My beautiful friend recently posted these photos to me, which I adore, and will be blowing up to wall hanging size. Such talent.....

T-shirts

After nights of sitting up embroidering my goods by hand I am pleased to say I have or had should I say a small range of t-shirts based around my "bird" theme, with a small range of sizes. Unfortunately now I am down to only size 12 as my beautiful children took to some of the shirts with scissors. Oh well, a couple of friends have benefited from this misfortune, as while the shirts are not to my standard to sell, they are still wearable, with only the sleeves missing.

My fault though, who leaves their work out with young kids who like to snip and paste? This idiot. In the end I am still happy with the designs and I like to be generous with my friends so I am happy the shirts will still see the light of day.

This is not the first time this has happened to me though. Years ago when we went through the "21St's" party stage I was making my outfits as the parties came up. I worked all night on a lovely shirt and only had to put in the zip the next day after work in order to make it to the party on time. My lovely (and extremely good sewer) mother offered to help by putting in the zip. I reiterated several times that she needed to sew off the base of the zip so the zipper foot didn't come off all together making the shirt a throw-away disaster. Yes, Yes, Yes I heard. But - you guessed it, she didn't do it....... Needless to say the inevitable happened and I went out to a flash party in my nice new pants and .... a plan white t-shirt.

Perfect Winter Day

What a glorious day it was in sunny Brisvegas today. Cool enough to wear a cardi (one of my great loves) but still lovely and sunny. My day was spent fishing believe it or not and sitting in the sunshine eating fish and chips.

Although I don't love "killing" fish I do find fishing relaxing and quite therapeutic. I think it is more the water rather then the fishing, but me being me I have to actually be doing "something" to feel it is okay for me to relax. I am not one to just sit and contemplate, although I wish I could.

It was a fun day nevertheless and apart from G's pants falling down regularly (she is nearly 5 and still can't keep a size 3 pair of jeans up) we have no incidents. I did want to use today to debut my newest T-shirt design, but though better of it with the mud and whatnot. Although it probably wouldn't have matter as I have decided I now don't LOVE it, and to make and sell you must LOVE. It is cute, but looks messy and not the standard I would sell to the public, although let me tell you it did take some time - not that you could see that!! I opted for a very square shape with embroidery the same colour as the material. All that has eventuated is an out of shape square, with embroidery you can't see. Oh well. I would love your comments, but I can't even bring myself to put a photo of it upl!!!!!

Lanolips - New Lip Gloss

Do you remember Gemma from the first Australian Big Brother? She was known as the Lip Gloss Queen as she spent most of her time applying Lip Gloss. Well, I must admit, I am starting to think I am not far behind her obsession, I don't feel 'complete' without it on! ha.
Just like all women these days, our mornings are very busy - I have a million little things to do before rushing out the door to run errands, kinder drop etc. So, I have found myself the simplest beauty routine imaginable. Tinted moisturiser, mascara and last but not least - Lip Gloss! "Lanolips' Lip Gloss was released into stores a few weeks ago. It is made from Lanolin, a natural oil produced from sheep. It has been used in a number of products over the years for its healing and soothing properties. Check it out, its in priceline and department stores. There are a number of colours available such as Rose, Dark Honey, Sunshine and Apples (I picked that one!). Till next time... sweet lips.

Art work for Children

If you are a regular follower of our blog you will know that I am on the move. I find out today whether I am the proud owner of a new house. Fingers crossed. The possibility of not getting the OK on the house aside, I am getting very excited about decorating. The first thing I am going to do is decorate my children's bedrooms. Living in rentals for the past three years our kids have not had a room that we have made to be quintessentially "theirs".

My daughter being nearly 5 has first dibs as my son couldn't really care less about his room. I have always loved to see art hanging on walls, but keeping in mind that I now have a mortgage to pay, I am DIYing it. This is the first of many wall hangings I have made for my house, and will be making for Shimi. I love beautiful fabric and embroidery, so it is a match made in heaven. Look out for more in the coming months at www.shimi.com.au

Card Holders

I have just come across these great card holders. Very unique, and feminine, I love them. Nice to have something a bit different then the silver cases we normally see, although probably not quite as sturdy, but I think we normally take beauty of practicality.

Kitchen Fever

I think I must have Kitchen Fever, and no, that doesn't mean I am whipping up delicious goodies. I am just currently obsessed with kitchen wear. I have finally discovered (taken me a while) that it is the little things that really make a house - and the kitchen is the perfect place for those little things. I like my kitchen to be totally free from clutter - doesn't mean it is, I would just like it to be that way. My ideal kitchen is clean benches, clear fridge (I am not one for vouchers and bills to be pinned to the front of fridges) with maybe a nice bowl with fresh fruit in it and that is about it.

However I have come across these cute t-towels. Of course I don't think you would want to wipe your dishes with them, but they look great. But they are linen so if you did want to use them for practical purposes the would absorb beautifully, although for $49 I wouldn't be going near a dish with them. Available from http://www.nicolacerini.com/products/t_towels

Bring back the egg and spoon race!

On the weekend, we went to a children's party which reminded me so much of the 'good old days'. There wasn't a Macdonalds burger in site. We were in a fantastic park where games were held such as the egg and spoon race, 3 legged, sack etc.. The kids were loving it! I said to a friend recently that kids parties can be really stressful to organise. Does any other parent think that? What happened to just being able to invite one or two best mates over, singing happy birthday and eating cake. Now its jumping castles, clowns, face painting etc. I also acknowledge though, that we get so many invites to birthday parties, that it would be unfair to invite just one or two! We need to return the favour to a whole stack of kids! ha.. Its all good fun.. Just interesting to see how times (and expectations) have changed! I'm not complaining (I promise), we are very very lucky to have so many wonderful friends!

China Tea Cups

My Gran (who is no longer with us) was a great tea drinker and had various types of beautiful china tea cups that were used daily, rather then stored away for a special occasion. I loved the ritual of the afternoon cup of tea with Gran, and was appreciative as a child that I was allowed to use the fine bone China Cups that are normally reserved only for adults. Yes I broke a couple, but Gran didn't bat an eyelid. She had the philosophy that you might as well use it now as you can't take it with you. A theory she passed onto me - although being a clothes horse I usually take it on when it comes to dressing. I wear what I want regardless if it is"for good" and when my daughter is not at Kindy she can herself wear what she likes - by the time she wears it somewhere nice she would have grown out of it.

Anyway... although my Gran was a big believer in using her delicate tea-cups daily she did require a certain type of tea-cup. They had to be very fine, none of these chunky edged cups. Fine and delicate or not at all. She had some beautiful ones, some of which she passed down to me, that I am sorry to say I haven't got on display (cats and small children don't mix well with China), but will have and will use just like Gran one day. I found a cute cup that reminded me of my Grandma at http://www.whittard.com.au/store/product_info.php?cPath=26_154&products_id=899.

Share with us your stories - we would love to hear them.

Girly Stuff

My daughter is the ultimate girl. It is shorts or jeans to kindy, but then that is the end of that and it is dresses or skirts for the rest of the week (even if we have to put tracky daks underneath). She is always adorned in plastic jewellery and her main loves are princesses and mermaids.

So when I saw these adorable crayons on Etsy, I immediately thought of my girl. A prolific "artist" needs the right tools and these will do just the job (and they are made from recycled crayons so good for the environment - waste not want not). I especially like the colours intertwined. We have some similar pencils (boring old straight ones) that have the colours mixed, and it is the most fun when colouring. It is a great way to teach them about mixing hues and discovering what colour is made from mixing. Find these crayons at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5429966

I find it quite a challenging job to always think of something new and exciting to do with my kids, but I do find the simplest things are always a hit, like drawing or playdoh or a personal favourite for my kids, pretend games. Currently we are on a round of Peter Pan. I am hoping that a new obsessions rears it's ugly head soon as I am all Captain Hooked out, but that is the joy of motherhood.

Mineral Makeup

Here's a million dollar question for you: Which brand of Mineral Makeup is the best? (including price range too).... I am just about due to buy a new cover up/foundation. I never buy heavy ones, usually anything that says minimal (or tinted moisturiser) is more my style. I like to have a bit of a glow, but am not worried about every spot and speck. I think its beautiful to look natural. I have been thinking about getting a mimeral makeup, but it is confusing choosing which to buy when there are soooo many on the market! Share your secrets girls.. Have you tried and tested any which you highly recommend??!

New House

Ever since I have been with my Husband (going on a decade now, oh my) we have been renovating, moving, renovating, moving, and since my beautiful children have come along - renting. We choose to rent for a number of reasons, but one of them was because we wanted a house with character that we would feel at home in - and that is not something you find readily.

Well, we think we have finally found it and all going well we will be moving in very soon. I am very excited but due to years of moving constantly our furniture and home ware is a jumble of styles and nothing matches. I have lived like this for at least 5 years now (I know, the problems I face, how do I go on!!!) and the thing that has bugged me the most about living in these temporary houses is not being able to make my children's rooms in particular home. I want to make it a haven where they can go when they are feeling cross, tired, happy, etc. So this time (and this house is for at least the next 20 years) my house is going to be my haven. Room by room I am determined to get it just like my type of display house - comfy, practical, full of great art and a happy warm environment.

It will be years in the making but I will get there. I think I will be doing a lot of shopping on Etsy which is a shopping site devoted to handmade items. MissyMooDesign is a favourite and I just love this cat print (we are a cat family)http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7137957 .

Hmmm, the fun I will have.

Branjelina

Oh my goodness - who really cares anymore (or ever). I was doing my Monday morning grocery shop today, and of course flicked through a few mags at the check out line. Three cover stories were about Brad and Ange. The first was "They're faking it", the second "He'll never leave me" and the third "Still hollywoods hottest couple". I was tired of them before they even declared they were a couple.

I find it funny how three magazines can have such different stories, especially as though I am positive all their sources are reliable, lol. I guess we all do it though - people watch and make up a little scene in our head about what is really going on, not unlike looking at a photo of some celebrity couple and fabricating a story from it. It is a bit of fun I guess, for the public. Can't imagine it is that much fun for the celebrities involved. Imagine having a heated discussion with your partner over what to have for dinner and the local supermarket and it being spread all over the media that "Jane and Bob on the Rocks". Simply because you wanted green beans with dinner and he didn't......

Receipe for Chocolate Balls

It's that time of year when we are looking for comfort food. Here is a quick and easy receipe that everyone will love! I have to hide these when I make them as my kids do not want to stop at one! They also freeze well, so I often make a batch, pop them in the freezer and pull them out as needed. Great for unexpected visitors, they thaw in 10 mins!

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons drinking chocolate
12 tablespoons dessicated coconut
1 tin condensed milk (I use the low fat option)
1 pkt chocolate ripple biscuits (crushed)
3 oz melted margarine/butter

Mix all together
Leave 1/4 hour in the fridge for the mixture to set a little
Roll into balls, cover with extra coconut.
Store in fridge.

Tip: Use the food handling disposable gloves for rolling the balls.

Kids and Kindy

My daughter's lovely Kindy put on a Mother's Day morning last week, and it was a beautiful day. We had mother/child arts and craft to do, all the mums had to wear tiaras that the kids had made for us, we were presented by the children a lovely morning tea, and ended the morning with a coffee and a chat with the other mums while the kids played. All in all, very nice morning was had by all.

Another project that the kids had down in the weeks preceding the Mothers Day Morning was to paint a picture of their mums (I am green with a red nose and wild yellow hair, but their is a resemblance there), and write a little biography of their mums to hang in the class room. I think all the mums were slightly scared about what may come to light with these bios. I am sure we are all great mums, but we all raise our voices at our kids from time to time, or forgets to clean their teeth in the morning when we are running late. There were many funny ones like My mum is 3 and I can't remember the other number, or My mum is old and brushes her hair a lot. Or my bio, which started with "I love my mum because she feeds me lollies! " and ended with "I love my mum because she gives me chocolate after dinner". There was some other nice stuff thrown in about giving her lots of kisses and cuddles, but my willingness to throw sugar down my child's throat seem to dominate. I was highly embarrassed until I noticed most of the other mums had something like that on their bio, and a teacher patted me on the back and said, "you do it once and it is what they remember for ever".

I must admit I am not a sugar Nazi, but I do limit my kids to two chocolate bullets after dinner IF they eat their dinner, and they get the occasionally lolly here and their. Have I defended myself enough yet???

Cooking Class - completed!

I mentioned about a month ago that my lovely sister had given me a a cooking class voucher as a Christmas gift. I attended the Authentic Italian class over the weekend. We learned dishes such as Osso Bucco, how to make Passata (very easy) and best of all, how to make Pasta, in this case, Agnolotti from scratch. It was actually very relaxing to take the time to kneed the flour, egg and water until it made a silky dough. I can't wait to give it a go by myself at home. All I need now is a Pasta maker! (Another item for my Wish List). hee hee.

Overall, it was a great experience to meet 6 women whom, like myself, all share a love of cooking. After about 3 hours of non stop cooking, we got to sit and enjoy a wine over a delicious 4 course meal! What a fabulous way to enjoy an Autumn saturday... It's such a great feeling to learn something new!

Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I was lucky (?) enough to have breaky in bed this morning thanks to a great husband who made pancakes, and my 4 and 2 year old who presented me with my breakfast. I received three pancakes (one of which the kids promptly devoured) with butter and golden syrup. Yes, golden syrup, bedsheets and two small children - a recipe for disaster. But we made it through without an spillage. 10 years ago when my husband and I were without children, syrup in bed would have bought up very different images, but these days - it is just fear.

Anyway, it was lovely and my children were very excited about making me feel extra special on my big day, and that was the best present of all. Seeing their little faces with big smiles as they bought in the pancakes brought a tear to my eye. My present (a facial) is on hold until next weekend as most of the Beautician's in my area are closed on a Sunday, so I will have a double helping of Mother's Day.

Off to have Sushi (yum) for lunch!! Hope all the mums out there have a really wonderful day.

Kid's Stuff

At Shimi we have been lucky enough to have a couple of great designers with us. One is Rebecca Nash, who makes the cutest little t-shirts and sets for boys and girls. There are creative, out of the ordinary and bring a smile to your face. My personal favourite is the giant cupcake. Everytime I look at it and I feel like cake (not a huge stretch on any given day, but nevertheless....).

This week we also received some cute new apron's from "Mine Too" designer, Leanne Boyd. So retro and bold, but also very practical. I usually make my children stripe off to their underwear when we cook (we are Queenslanders and live in pleasant temperatures most of the year round - let it be known I am not making my children cook for me near naked in the middle of winter at freezing temperatures), and I am sick of trying and failing to wash chocolate out of their clothes. These aprons have a plastic side that wipes clean so you can last a few cooking sessions without having to wash these babies continually. Great idea.

Lastly we are pleased to say that Shimi has jumped on the designing band wagon and have a few select t-shirts to add to our collection. The designs are simple but cute and again, a little bit different what you see in the shops every season.

Sleepy Head

In my yoga class a few nights ago, my wonderful yoga teacher was talking about the ways in which the change in season can affect how we feel. Such as in Summer, the extra daylight hours and sunlight streaming into our rooms, encourages us to jump out of the bed that little bit earlier and make the most of the day. And so, it makes sense with Winter, that our bodies naturally go into some sort of hibernation. We all of a sudden feel like sleeping more, and moving less. I always vow to myself that I will stay just as energetic during Winter as I am in Summer. But, as my instructor explained, it isn't really what our bodies are looking for. They need more sleep in Winter! And, to help with making that happen, we could all start with going to bed just that little bit earlier.. It will do us the world of good... Speaking of getting to bed, its very very late. So, I best be going.. Sweet Dreams..

Lost and Found!

Following yesterday's post regarding my misplaced sunglasses, I am very very
happy tonight to let you know that my sunglasses safely spent the weekend at my son's kinder.. They were sitting on the kitchen bench, just where I had obviously left them! My diligence at looking after them carefully will now be stepped up a notch! ha.

Lost Property

One of the things I find most frustrating is misplacing or losing items. Especially ones that have sentimental value behind them. Well, this week has been one of those weeks. Amongst other things, I have misplaced - (can't bear to say 'lost' at this stage), my sunglasses. Now, I know it may not seem that dramatic in the scheme of things that can happen in life. However these sunglasses were a christmas present from my husband and they were the best fitting glasses I have ever owned. They were also more expensive than I would usually buy as I find with two young kids they can easily be dropped, scratched and broken in a fairly short space of time. Given this, I have treated these glasses with extra love and care and have always made a conscious effort to put them safely in their case, so how could this happen! I am devasted. I have two more places to check tomorrow - the local skating rink or the kinder.. Wish me luck. I will keep you posted... Agh! I was trying to think of what lesson I have learned from this.. And it made me think about how important it is for us to always hand in items we find which are not ours. It could make a huge difference to someone's day..

Winter Fashion

I really love winter fashion. I like my jeans and a great top and cardi, this is what I live in. Cardigans are my weakness, and I must admit with some guilt that I have a cardi in most colours you could imagine. However in saying that, some date back to being 15 years old, but they are a simple addition to the wardrobe that is classic in style. We are getting in some great new stock in the coming weeks including cardigans and a beautiful cream trench, so I can't wait to get my hands on them. The jumper or cardigan is an easy buy too. If you own one that suits your style you know from then on what will be the best buy, therefore you can buy online without the anxiety that it may not fit or suit (although that is half the fun of buying online isn't it?). Although we own an online boutique and love people to buy online with us, one things I would not buy or sell online is jeans. They have to fit perfectly and unless you have the body of a supermodel, it is a trickly one. I love to shop, but shopping for jeans can be the most depressing outing. Oh well, we can't have everything our own way.

However, with all these positives the jeans, top, cardi look (when worn as a constant) can look a little boring. That is when it is time to grab some jewellery and express yourself. Of course diamonds never date, but beaded jewellery can be very effective. It gives a lot of colour and can draw attention if worn distinctively. Look out for the next big craze in jewellery - glass art. It is very individual, with most peices being unique in that every button or bead made is slightly different, and although it can be quite chunky, it is divine. Keep your eye open - Shimi will have some soon.

Hobbies

My husband and I went away for a night recently without the kids, for the first time in many year My lovely Mum and Dad took over for the night and we left the building ready to be waited on. Turns out in the town that we booked our night away in everything closes down on a Sunday night. For a town that has a lot of lovely restaurants - we had one to choose from. Lovely wait staff, but the ambiance left a little to be desired (possums had destroyed most of the chairs), and the food was reheated frozen dinners. Oh well, at least I didn't have to wash up.

The next day we headed into town to have a shop. Some of the shops were lovely and filled with the most glorious items. But it soon became apparant to us that this was a town full of Hobbiest. There were quite a few shops that you could see the owners had thought - Hmmm, everyone loves chocolate (for e.g), and I can make them - I'll open a shop. One particular shop had combined candles and bottles filled with different coloured sand. Not my cup of tea, but I must say the chocolate shops (there were many) were good.

All the power to them, and good on them for following their dream!!!!

Rope Yoga

Ever heard of Rope Yoga? It is the new fitness craze in America. No mats or blocks, just fabric hammock or ropes that suspend you above the ground where you practice yoga poses. Apparently it gives a deeper stretch and can provide extra support for positions. Of course there are the normal celebrities that "love" it like Sienna Miller and Pink, but it does sound like a bit of fun, and any sort of exercise that is fun it the way to go for me.
The most fun I have had exercising was in a Latin American aerobics class. I thought I was reasonable co-ordinated. Not the case. I could not get any of the steps and spent most of the time laughing at myself, however I still walked out of the class feeling like I had really spent some energy.
Rope Yoga is not in Australia yet, but I'm sure it won't take too long to make it's way here.

The unusual

I don't know if it is just me, but of late I have been hearing in the media a lot of negativity towards Rumer Willis, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. Yep, she is definately unusual looking in comparison to the normal hollywood starlet, but God lets give her a break. Do we all have to fit that pre-determined mould of what movie executives deem attractive to be attractive? I personally find people with unusual feature much more attractive then your dime a dozen pin up model. For example, I have never understood the obsession with Elle McPherson. Yes, very good looking, and amazing body, but to me she just looks ordinary. There is nothing extraordinary about her feature - she is just another attractive person. People like Owen Wilson with his broken nose, and Jennifer Aniston with her longer jaw line look much more interesting to me.
Maybe I feel this way because I am past the age of comparing myself to models or actresses. There are lots of things I don't like about my body, looks, hair, teeth, etc, but I am at the age where I own those things. I may not love everything about myself, but I am comfortable in my own skin. I don't mind that "beauty spot" above my lip. I like that my breasts don't sit quite as high as they used to (mind you, I don't want them to decend anymore). I like the quirky details on other people, and I guess I am learning to like the quirky details of myself.

Skater Mum & Sons!

It never ceases to astound me how resilient and clever kids are! My two sons are 2 and 4 years old. Earlier this year we took up Roller Skating/Blading. We go to a class with toddlers/pre-school age children who are learning to skate/blade.
My 4 year old is quite shy and often unsure of himself. So, watching him emerge from not wanting to get onto the skates at all to seeing him now asking me to take him skating any spare minute we get - is fantastic. He started off on skates and this week is moving into blades. My 2 year old also gets on the skates. they just tighten the wheels and away he goes.
I see 3-4yr old children absolutely flying on their blades, its incredible. Over the easter school break, we went as family to the local skating rink. I got on blades after many years of not doing so (and I didn't fall over once, it was simply out of fear of being run over by the kids hooning around me on the rink! ha). I had the best time holding hands and skating around with my 4yr old to 80's pop songs.. Took me back quite a few years. Looking for good old fashioned fun (and fitness), go visit your local rink (or find a very smooth path)!

PJ's

I love my PJ's but I am not one to pop them on after my shower at 6pm at night. We don't often get visitors, but you never know when someone might knock on our door to tell us we have won a house!! (doesn't hurt to dream). So I have my staples that I pop on after my shower that I am comfortable in, but don't feel to daggy in. My pilates pants or yoga pants are always on rotation, along with singlets, t-shirts and a few well worn cardigans. They don't need ironing, they still look respectable and most of all they are comfortable to lounge about in.

I am a subscriber to the notion that clothes can enhance a woman's mood, so I tend to pick my "lounge" items carefully, following my rules of - no ironing, comfortable and flattering. Sticking to black, grey and white also helps (you can always through on a bright singlet or cardie if you need some colour in your life). Sometimes I have spent only $10 on an item, but most of the time I tend to spend a reasonable amount on these items, because I want the quality and I want it to last. These are items that I would wear 3-4 times a week on a regular rotation. It is funny how we women can spend hundreds of dollars on a dress that we might wear on a special occasion maybe once or twice, but we will head down to the cheapest chain store we can find when we want our staples that we will wear hundreds of times in a year? Go figure.

Mmm, lemon tart!

A few nights ago, I went out with a group of wonderful, vibrant women who also happen to be my fellow playgroup mums.. The food was great, but the service was very poor to say the least.. It took quite a while for the waitress to take our order. Once the food was served, we did not see the waitress again. We were not offered drinks, dessert, tea/coffee. The funniest part however, was when we asked to order the 'special' dessert for the night. It was homemade lemon tart - yum! The waitress replied that she would have to 'try to find the tart in the fridge' and given that the chefs had gone home for the night (it was 9:30pm), she would have to see if she could cut the tart herself.. We were in hysterics.. We are a group of mums, give us the damn tart and we can cut it ourselves! ha. I want to open the discussion on this one.. Share your funny restaurant stories...

Sheath Dress

Over the past few months I have gained a few unwanted kilos, which I am currently looking into different diets to lose. Weight Watchers is always a good fall back, but reasonable time consuming compared to the many diets around that use weight loss shakes to substitute meals. For me with two kids that is the easy way I think, but at the same time, I don't just want to lose weight, I want to change the way I eat for good, and I just don't think that is achievable when following a meal substitute diet. Either way, I am going to have to go back to my good habits of exercising regularly and eating lots of fruit and veges. I used to..... what happened?

In the meantime I am loving my sheath dress. It hids everything and is obscenly comfortable. With a pair of tights and high heals shoes it even does the impossible (for me at 5"2) and makes me look a little taller. I;m all about comfort these days, but comfort and style can still go hand in hand!!

Renovation Rescue

I have been looking through home decorator stores for quite a long time trying to find something for the centre of my dining table. I have looked everything - vases, bowls (filled with all sorts of fruit, balls, ornaments), runners etc and have been totally unable to make a decision on what would be right. Nothing seemed to fit. So, I started assessing my current home decorations and what I could swap around (and donate to charity stores). I have a hutch filled with all sorts of beautiful and sentimental pieces collected over the years. I came across a lovely set of candelabras which we were given as an engagement present. I moved them to my dining table and they are perfect! Simple style and even the candle colour is right! It just goes to show that a mini home makeover can be done just by re-arranging pieces! Something which can look awful in one room, can look awesome in another!

Easter Eggs

Having two kids in the house aged 4 and 2, Easter is a big deal for our family. Yes, I am one of those mums that allows the kids to have a chocolate egg with their breakfast for that one special day a year. Of course the kids were awake at some ungodly hour, and were looking for signs of the Easter Bunny at every corner. My daughter went outside immediately and was very disappointed to tell me that the Easter Bunny had NOT left them any eggs for an Easter hunt. My reply to that was that the Easter Bunny makes the eggs invisible until he sees that children have eaten their breakfast, brushed their teeth and made their beds (I love the innocence of youth). I then managed to hold off on the Easter egg hunt until after we had taken a walk and gotten the kids out into the fresh air. Whilst my husband made sure the children were strapped into their car sets to take us to our walking destination, I ducked out the back door and "hid" the eggs for the Easter egg hunt.

We had a lovely walk along the water front, and came home to find................ Easter egg wrappers everywhere around the yard. Our friendly crows (that I must confess devour our sandwich scraps most days) had decided that they would get in on the fun and have some chocolate on Easter Sunday. So, although less chocolate is a blessing in disguise, my kids were NOT impressed. The crows are currently in time out!

Happy Easter

Wishing you all a relaxing and peaceful Easter.
Whether you have gone to your favourite Easter holiday spot, or are enjoying a few days pottering about your home.. Enjoy the break.
Our Easter is one spent at home this year. A few days will be spent catching up with family with a few treasure hunts thrown in the mix for sure! Mmn.. chocolate. It takes me months to wean myself off the 'need' for chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner! ha. Our garden will also receive a little love and care this long weekend. Our neighbours are doing the same, so the street will be filled with the children running around 'helping' the Dads.. Good luck on that one!

Life's memories stored in photos..

It's a time consuming task to keep track of all those photos we take in life. If we keep up to date with filing and dating them, its all good. But lookout when it all gets out of hand! It can take hours of sorting and collating what goes where. I must admit, I love nothing better than pouring through albums, especially of the kids. They are only 2 & 4 years old and yet they have already changed so much since birth. The one thing that has made my life so much easier are places like Harvey Norman who print photos with great quality and price (and fast too!). Now we can select options such as printing passport size, as well as a range of template options. Perfect for updating the baby record books and scrapbooking pages... Check it out if you haven't already. There are great gift ideas there too, perfect for easter, new arrival notices, birthdays and christmas cards just to name a few!

Sadie the cleaning lady

Today's blog is a short and funny story.... A few days ago, I did the fun task of cleaning my bathrooms/toilets while my two young sons slept. I must admit, I have mastered cleaning my house from top to bottom in such a short time these days. I scoot from one room to another telling myself that at the end of this cleaning session, I will reward myself with a cup of black tea and some chocolate! ha. (gets me motivated everytime).
My 4yr old woke from his sleep and as we all do, went straight to the toilet. Next minute he yells out 'mum, can I use the toilet?'. I answered, 'of course', why wouldn't you be able to?'. He replied 'its so clean, I wasn't sure if you would mind me using it!'. ha. (Now, I didn't think my toilets were that bad to begin with?!) Very funny..
And my cleaning tip for the day is - ENJO.. It cleans and shines bathroom benches and shiny chrome taps with ease. The marble paste is excellent for cleaning the tiles and glass in showers. Check it out if you haven't already!

Skin Care

Well, I am blessed in many, many ways, but not in the ways of the skin. At 32 I still have reasonably bad skin, yet I look after my skin better then anyone I know.

I cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day, always wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water, yet I still have blackheads, and a bit of acne. I know, everyone has their cure, and I have tried just about everyone of them, from rubbing fresh tomato over my face to smothering my skin with calamine lotion every night. Didn't work for me!

But I early last year we introduced an organic skincare line to our boutique, and (as you would expect after 20 years of bad skin), I was skeptical, but willing to give it a go. Jewell skincare is organic and natural (and not a bad price either), and whilst it has taken a few months, I am noticing a difference to my skin. I can't say why, maybe because it is gentle and am I not sucking every bit of oil out of my skin, and I finally have a little bit of balance. Whatever the reason, I am happy!!

http://shimi.com.au/store/index.php?cPath=7&osCsid=hs24re73kqsqasmp00vq4a3hv0

Winter Wears

I am soooo sick of the hot weather.  I am from the tropics originally, so when I moved down South, it was a whole new wardrobe I had to find for the beautiful crisp air (hard job, but someones got to do it).   I remember waiting at the train station with my knees hurting I was so cold.  And the beautiful feeling of coming home after a hard days work, having a HOT shower, and putting on the flanny pj's, slippers, bed socks, dressing gown, and then curling up under a blanket.  Ah bliss!!

Now, it seems winter is in hiding.  Maybe I am more acclimatizes, or maybe it is global warming, but autumn (what autumn, it seems Summer has moved in on Autumns turf) and winter last for about a month, and then the hot weather starts again.  Well I have a cupboard full of jumper, cardigans, coats, scarves and boots that I want to wear.  Being a full time mum now, they seem to get an outing about once a year.  I must admit it is a bit easier to look lets say...... less polished in winter, but I haven't yet gone the all day tracksuit look.  Even though at times it would be blissful, I will not go down that road yet.  Jeans and a nice cardie for me, and maybe when I am in my retirement village knitting my great grand kids booties (who I am kidding, I will be buying them), I might relent and go the tracksuit.  Maybe.

Anyway, for those of you who do get to celebrate winter, the Trench is the biggest item this year.  Very versatile jacket it is to.  Pop a bold belt with it for a great look.  It also looks great with jeans, fine for work with tailored trousers or a pencil skirt, or team it with the winters other big look - ski-pants.  Yes they are back.  I believe they are a lot like the skinny jeans, you really need to embrace the lollipop look (all head, no body - a look I will never understand) to get away with it, but if you are comfortable, do it!

Womens' Beauty Rituals

I have a wedding to attend tomorrow. And, as I painstakingly painted my nails tonight (yes, attempted french polish), it got me thinking about the beauty rituals women do. In some ways, it doesn't matter what part of the world we live in, we all do some sort of beauty ritual for special occasions. It starts a week before the event - the waxing, hair, tanning, nails, a little extra moisture into the feet for those open toe shoes.. and the list goes on.
Preparing for such events prompts us to take a little more time out for ourselves - I love it!
Which leads me to this funny story.. I wanted a light tan so had put a great loreal lotion on over the past few days to build it up to a nice shade. I was quite pleased with how even and natural looking I had applied it. However, today my 2 yr old boy and I were lying on the couch watching Thomas and he looked at my feet and said 'Mum, your feet dirty'.. I said 'No they are not!' but had to laugh to myself. Maybe the tan wasn't so neat on the feet! ha. I had the dirt look going on.. Oh well..

Noosa Holiday and Australia Zoo

Well I am back today from a great holiday at Noosa with the family and some great friends.  And a wonderful, relaxing time was had by all.  I didn't take a computer which I was nervous about, running an on-line business and all, but it was the best thing I could have done.  Row did a fantastic job (as I knew she would) of keeping everything running smoothly, and I didn't work at all (accept for designing a few sneeky kids shirts - Noosa got the creative juices flowing).

On our last day of holiday's we packed the car up, said goodbye to our friends, and headed off to Australia Zoo.  It was a really great day, although the kids were scatty they were so tired from the week of swimming and sun.  In hind-sight, we should have gone at the start of the holiday, but regardless it was great.  We saw every animal in the zoo, and my 4 year old, who is normally quite timid around animals, insisted on getting her photo taken with an ENORMOUS python.  So we said yes, and nervously watched as the trainers wrapped with 5 metre snake around her.  She was unfazed.....  the most she had to say about it was that the snake felt heavy and slimy.

I would love to post some photos of our experience, but in our true style we forgot our camera and had to resort to using...... a disposable.  How quickly we forget the old.

Kid's name labels make light work!

Once children reach the age for kinder/school, parents soon realise that name labels come in very handy! There are a number of companies out there who make labels, therefore it can sometimes feel a bit confusing knowing if one is any better than others. I don't know if they really do vary that much in quality. However, one company that I have used and have proven to do the job well is - that's mine - www.thatsmine.com.au - The iron on and stick on work very well, I have never had problems with them peeling off. There are also funky colours and designs to choose from for both boys and girls. It makes the garment/item look very neat with a professional name label stuck on.
I love them! Please feel free to share your favourite label providers too!

Enhance your assets!

Today I am skipping the bit where we talk about clothes and going straight to what is underneath them - underwear! I am guessing most of us have seen Trinny and Suzanna in action with their funny, helpful and sometimes rather un-tactful tips (that are true!). The one thing I can definately relate to though, is their constant advise to get GOOD underwear. It can totally transform your look. My favourite - the organic underwear range, it is so soft and so comfortable (Target sells it, others stores may also sell it) Share your best underwear finds, I am sure we could all use the advice!

Cooking Classes are a great gift idea!

Yesterday I shared a favourite salad of mine for you all to enjoy. It got me thinking about a great gift I was given at christmas by my lovely sister. She gave me a voucher for a cooking class at Pips Cooking School - www.pipscookingschool.com.au - I absolutely love Italian food and have therefore booked into the Authentic Italian class. I am going in May, so will keep you posted on how I go! Can't wait. Stuck on a gift idea for someone special? This is such a great idea, its something that we don't always think to buy ourselves and we are getting our creative juices flowing! Or, do you know someone who doesn't get much time to themself? This will encourage them to take time out and enjoy food and wine with the class after.. Sounds pretty good to me!

Roast Potato and Feta Salad

I just love sharing and receiving tried and tested receipes. Here is one that whenever I make it, I will always be asked for the receipe. It's a fantastic salad to accompany with a BBQ, quiche or for a light lunch. Enjoy!

Roast potato and feta salad

1/3 cup flaked almonds

1kg orange sweet potato, peeled, cut into 3cm pieces

Olive oil spray

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

150g baby rocket, washed, dried

150g Persian feta, drained. (I also use Greek)

Balsamic dressing

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat over to 220C. While oven is heating, put almonds on a tray. Put in oven and cook for 4 - 6 minutes or until toasted. Set aside to cool.

2. Line a large roasting dish with non-stick baking paper. Put sweet potato in dish, spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 - 50 minutes or until tender and golden. Leave to cool.

3. To make balsamic dressing: Combine all ingredients in a screw top jar. Shake to combine. Remove lid. Microwave on HIGH for 10 seconds or until honey is melted. Shake to combine.

4. Arrange rocket on a platter. Scatter over the sweet potato. Crumble over the feta and sprinkle with almonds. Pour on dressing and serve.

Make ahead: The almonds can be toasted up to 2 days ahead. The dressing can be make up to 2 days ahead. Store both in airtight containers in the fridge.

Wardrobe Clean Out Time?

It goes without saying that I love clothes, but more importantly, finding just the right pieces to suit my style! But, isn't it amazing how much our style and taste can change so much as the years go by! Today, i had the urge to clean out my wardrobe - and it felt great! I can go to my shelves and hangers now and pretty find everything that 1. fits me or 2. that I still wear. It also creates room for some new pieces to be added back in! So, my question is, when was the last time you had a clean out of your wardrobe?? You might even find a few items you can re-vitalise with a scarf, funky belt etc!

Cute Cards

I have come across this great on-line store call Mondo Cherry - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5194125

They make the cutest cards (among other things), and the reason really struck a cord with me.  I have a house FULL of books, and come from a house with every wall adorned with bookshelf full of books, of all different genre.   Both of my parents are huge readers, and apart from a brief spell of rebellious ignorance, I LOVE to read (although with two little ones, I am more prolific with under 5 year old books, then anything else).  Thankfully my two little ones also love to read (and I am trying to encourage my husband, who is more in touch with pop culture then I would like, to become ONE OF US).  My smallest usually wakes quite early and instead of waking us up (bless him), with plop himself before the bookshelf and read (aloud) until we are all awake.

However with little ones, and life in general, books don't always remain in immaculate condition.  Although this is life, it also saddens me to see this, and the girls from Mondo Cherry obviously feel the same as they have made these little cards from books that are a little more then worse for ware.  

It is lovely to see this sort of creativity in such a disposable world.  

Fashion Problems

I am the first to admit I am a bit of a slave to fashion.  It really makes me feel good to put something nice on, and I think every women has the right to feel lovely in what they wear.  However, sometimes that comes at a cost.  

I had not long ago bought myself a beautiful but very long floral skirt.  And me being a shorty (5.2"), I really had to take the skirt up.  But as is normal for me, I couldn't wait to wear it and decided that I could deal with a dragging hemline for a night. - nice pair of heels and no one will be the wiser.  So we had a dinner party and our lovely guests arrived.  Night was going well - most of the kids had passed out in front of the tv  watching "Ice Age" and the finally the adults had had a chance to talk at a normal level and enjoy their dinner and wine without endless requests for milk.

The night was drawing to an end and I had decided to carry my little 2 year old up stairs to bed, so the other kids didn't wake him when they left.  So both arms were cradling my little one as I proceeded upstairs (shoeless), but with every step I took I stepped on my skirt, making it creep down my hips a little more each time.  I could do nothing but keep going, and hope no one was looking, but unfortunately by the top step all that was covering my bum was my pink knickers.  And my guest were now all looking at me from the bottom of the stairs - all to stunned to turn the other way.

You live and learn!!  Tell us your embarrassing fashion statement.

Children's Craft

I have two very active children, and when a daytime sleep is just not an option, the next best thing to do is to sit them down with craft.  Generally it is a very pleasant experience, lots of sharing, and compliments flying left right and centre, but today was a little different.  My oldest has just started Kindy and as such is learning lots of new things - one of her favourite things to do cutting and glueing, which she is very good at for a four year old.  However, now the 2 year old wants to do the same thing.  I am a pretty relaxed mum and like my children to experience things rather then wrap them up in cotton wool, but the use of scissors is a little more of an anxiety builder - especially when combined with fighting.  However all in all it went well, until I found that my 2 year old had decided to do a little creative cutting on his clothing.... and his sisters.  Don't ask me how I missed this little slip up when I was sitting right next to him, but it happened.  Ah well.

Regardless of these little incidents I think craft can be one of the most gratifying projects a child and parent can do together.  It is fun, they kids are using their fine motor skills and problem solving skills, and they are using their imagination.  Another great project is planting seeds and/or plants.  Although you have to be careful with the combination of potting mix and children (potting mix is toxic), it is a great way to get kids interested in the environment and they are absolutely chuffed when they see seeds growing into seedlings, flowers emerging, and plants growing.  (It is a great gift idea for little ones too.  Instead of buying endless presents that I'm sure most kids don't even give a second look to, try giving a potplant holder and a packet of seeds, or seedlings ready to be planted).  Check out this site for some more great info on kids and gardening: http://www.global-garden.com.au/gardenkids_grow1.htm

We would love to hear more craft ideas of kids - let us know your favourites.

Kids and Food

Being the mum of two under four I fill my life with my beautiful friends and their wonderful kids.  It saves my sanity and give the kids a different focus from drawing on the carpet or making new and improved colours from my make-up.  So today was lovely, with 8 mums and double the amount of children running around.

One lovely mum thoughtfully brought a delicious chocolate cake, which the kids swooped on.  Being from 1-5 years of age, cleanliness is never a major issue is their lives, and therefore there was chocolate from top of the head to the feet.  Not only was it all over them, but all over me, the walls, the floor and the carpet.  (anyone know how to get chocolate out of the carpet??).  Nevertheless, as the ad goes, life is meant to be messy, and there is nothing sweeter then seeing the kids having a wonderful time together.  Ah motherhood.

The Power of Gratitude

The saying 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' rings so true. Have you ever kept a 'Gratitude Diary?'. All you need is a notebook, and taking a few moments before sleep each night to jot down the thing/moment that you were most grateful for that day. It can be as simple the enjoyment you felt cooking with your child, sitting quietly reading with them, talking with your neighbour, having a cup of tea with your best friend!
(To get you started, why don't you cover your notebook in pictures of your top 5-10 favourite 'things' in life!).
I found from keeping one, I started to appreciate all of the wonderful little moments I have each day. I had more to be grateful for than I realised!

Beautiful Things

We are in our first week of blogging! It is a whole new world out there for us in the bloggging community. We are mums of two (each) small children, which we find incredibly rewarding, although we do each have a strong addiction to chocolate and coffee! However being a mum, you do tend to lose your identity somewhat, which is why we decided to inject a bit of creativity into our lives and start our online store www.shimi.com.au. It has proven to be a great labour of love - and our sanity.

Our theme at the moment is "things of beauty". I have a funny story to share which I am sure we can all relate to doing at one time or another. My family and I spent last sunday with friends who have been impacted by the Victorian Bushfires. We spent the morning pulling wire from burnt fences on their property to prepare it for re-wiring. While we were working away, we had a conversation about how it's sad that we need to lock our houses up like fort-knox these days - even when just going down the paddock..
After a good day's work and being away from my home (in town) from 9am - 4pm, we pulled up at our front door. To my horror, as I walked up to it, I found my screen and front door wide open! No, I hadn't been broken into - I had left it open! Just walked out the door that morning and completely forgotten to close it. Ha! What a relief to see that all of our goods were just as we had left them. But even better, the realisation that our quiet little street in the suburbs is fairly safe as well! It was quite liberating to think of what could have been, but didn't happen! Phew!
Have you ever done that? Share your similar stories..