Our adventures

I feel like every time I sit down to post... 

I go to type the same post title - it has been so long! 

I don't feel guilty about not posting though and try not to put pressure on myself these days unnecessarily. Just living in the flow... Posting when it feels right..

 I knew it was coming....

So the last couple of months put into more pictures than words is in order.. 

I am such a visual person and always appreciate less words and more images to look at when reading other bloggies... Well that's my story for tonight and my excuse for catching you up on the awesome stuff that has been happening around here in pictures instead of words... Enjoy..

 Last month I spent a week in Phoneix, Arizona lapping up this stunning, spiritual and peaceful resort with the most amazing group of inspirational women...

 The weather was hot and balmy, which called for night swims & late night feet dipping in the spa.. It was so lovely to be able to sit outside and enjoy the weather, water and each others company after enduring such a long, wet and freezing Victorian winter..

 All whilst surrounded by beauty.... Beautiful women and such naturally beautiful surroundings

 A couple of days after my return, I went straight from one desert in the USA to our very own in central outback Australia. We set off with our two little cowgirls, a tent, a loaded up car, a few friends and the camera.

 The "adventure" was so many things...

endurance for me...not necessarily a camper at heart..

 An opportunity to go places and meet people that are "off the beaten track"

 The opportunity to see THE.MOST.AMAZING - sunsets, sunrises and night skies... and take waaaaaay too many photos of them..

 Self discovery - 3 days in the Simpson Desert at 45 degrees......

need i say more people...

This first sand dune was simply stunning though, the other 1099 I could have taken or left.. well i would have rathered leave if you want the truth

 The joy of watching my girls engage in self guided learning and discovery about their country and this land and completely immerse themselves in what they chose to learn more about, writing their journals when they felt the need to record something that resonated with them, collecting treasures along the way...

 The memories captured in the 1000's of images we have come home with, treasured...

Mostly keen to pose and have a record in pictures to keep and reflect on...

 All Australian sights, red dirt, vast countryside, our Australian animals, and the dry hot sun...

 being dirty and it being ok, collecting treasures

 up close and personal with desert dwellers

 Meeting friendly locals only too willing to chat with us about traditional wood crafts, how to best cook a kangaroo tail & catch a blue tongue for a tasty treat....

 good ol' fashioned water fun....

 spending time with old friends

 and finding new ones

 being amazed at the natural wonders of this gorgeous place we live

 Quietly taking in the sights, being close to nature, feeling her calm

 watching memory making in action

 enjoying family time, the quiet moments, no t.v, back to basics, back to nature

 their awe at mother nature

their joy

 and of course the love....

Melissa x

Sydney trip

 We decided to visit some friends in Newcastle for the long weekend..

and they suggested we head to Sydney to check out Viv.d - light and music show

It was the kids and my first time in Sydney and we were mesmerized by her beauty..

Miss Sydney put on a spectacular sunny day as we strolled, enjoyed a ferry ride and waited until dark for the lights to begin..

The lights of the city were gorgeous in their own right... taken from the deck of the Sea Shepherd.. We enjoyed a tour and learnt more about their mission to save the whales..

Our littlest is now planning when she will join the crew of the Shepherd to join them when they return to Antarctica to save the whales being illegally hunted..

The photos of the lights just don't go near doing them any justice...They were just amazing...I'm sure we walked around for hours with our jaws dropped and constantly saying...WOW..

I took 350 pics...But thought I'd spare you just share a few..

We spent the whole day and half the night at Circular Quay and the Rocks

and honestly could have stayed for longer...

Highly recommend it for big and small peeps

This year it runs from end of May to mid June - we will be definitely looking up the dates for next year..

Hope you all had a safe and warm long weekend and did something that lit you up!

Melissa x

big girl room

some snippets of my big girls, new big girl room...

mmm unironed pillow case and all.. please forgive me, nope, not even going to pretend that i would normally iron pillow cases...don't.

She specifically wanted no other color than white (mamma's girl) in her room but we decided that we would incorporate her love of the good old doily into the theme for a little contrast

Her collection of pretties on her bed side table..

 the rock she made and wrote on without guidance, her own words, her own ideas..

and the fake flowers that she made me buy for her years ago.. 

I think she was 6 years of age...and begged me to buy her white fake flowers... 

The lamp she already had, we just hot glued a doily to it and made a sweet little doily flower and pinned it to the lamp..
The pearls - her addition after mumma had finished, only just noticed they were there when writing this post..

Glass jars from the op shop with doily's hot glued on..

mumma's rushed attempt at a little pillow for her bed... Don't look too closely.. I can sew but I am not careful, not patient and like a speed demon on that machine, eager to cross the finish line... I am learning to slow it down...

 my beautiful "big girl"

finding her groove, knowing what she wants..

I have also painted her buffet in her room and when styled I'll post it...

It was a little disastrous actually... I decided to mix my own hue for the cabinet...
I had to paint it twice, the first color was hideous.
She was not overly impressed with the second color either,  I coined the color - "The White Verandah greige blend"  she coined it "yukky greeny grey color"...
 I wooed her with a gorgeous floral curtain to break it up.. She is sold for now.

Now I have you intrigued.. promise I wont take too long to post it..

Melissa x

Day 19 - Jan photo a day

Combining the photo for today - summer + someone that i love..mmm both of them - bless x

The grass is ready for slashing and mowing but the yellow daisies are just so pretty....

Thanks for stopping in - more house and progress shots coming soon...

Melissa xx