Quietude...

As the year end approaches,

I find myself in a quiet place...

a state of rumination,
reflecting and letting go.

Gosh, what a year.

2011 has been the hardest year of my life.

Hands down, the hardest.

Hope and heartbreak has been the recurring theme,

with December bringing more heartbreak than I thought I could possibly bear.

But if there is anything I have learnt this year,

it is that no matter how tattered your soul may feel,

there is always a chance to heal...

if you allow this of yourself.

~*~

This week Anthony and I clocked up six years of wedded bliss...
(and I can say, without an ounce of doubt, that we will still be blissfully married in 60 years time...the health Gods willing!)

Despite the turmoil around us this past year

(and really, just about every year of our marriage)

we are stronger,

more in love,

more devoted

than ever.

When you marry the man who has a heart as expansive as the sky,

and as warm as the sun...

the man who knows just what to say,

just when you need to hear it...

(or when to just be silent)

the man who worships you for all your shortcomings,
yet never makes you feel as though you are anything less than perfect...

the man who takes the heart you have entrusted him with,

and cradles it away in his own stronghold of flesh and blood...
(where you know it will be safe, cherished, always...)

the man who tells you that you are beautiful,

when you are feeling anything but...

the man who makes you feel like a queen,

every day,

yet who you would still be utterly content to spend the rest of your days with should you ever become paupers...

...then you will never, ever spend a day unhappy in your married life.

If you know a man like this, ladies,

grab him and never let him go!

But sorry, this one is already taken ;-)

(Of all the anniversary gifts I received this year, I cherish this one the most...)

~*~


In other news,


India is still a princess...





and Jett still loves dirt...








*le sigh*


Such a girl.


Such a boy.





Oh, and let me introduce you to Bruce...





He is our resident water dragon...


he hangs around in the yard (or the pool),
and jumps up on the window sill outside the lounge room when he wants some dinner...





I love his armour...





And if you ask India, Bruce would make the best pet *ever*...


~*~


And finally, in studio news...


My Etsy shop has been closed for a few weeks,


though I hope to re-open sometime in January.


I won't be accepting any custom orders,
at least not in the immediate future.


I just don't have the heart for custom work.
(Nurturing my family and caring for the terminally ill is just about all my heart can bear right now)


Though these two hands of mine cannot remain idle,


so there will be new work...


...soon.





~*~


Good bye, 2011...


...see you on the other side, my friends!


Much love,

A new chapter

This book of life certainly makes for an interesting read...


sometimes it is a mystery,


sometimes a romance ;-)


but always an adventure.


I think, if you can view life as a book,


know that the hard times are merely another chapter,


and that they WILL come to an end,


you can deal with whatever life throws at you.


It's just another chapter...


After a month-long absence, I am SO happy to be back with you.


I have missed you.


Thank you for every beautiful word you sent my way...


...you were a shining light during some very dark days,


and for that, I am forever grateful.


-xxx- 


~*~


So, where I am now?


I am 1,000 kilometres away,


beginning a new chapter :-)


Caring for two men who are near and dear while they battle a relentless beast
(cancer...chemotherapy...'nuff said)


The beat of life is finding a new rhythm, 


and I have begun to create once more.


It is a joy, a therapy and a release all rolled into one joyous bundle.

My new space is abundant with light...

I love that Mother Nature is just outside my window...

When life is turned on its head, you tend to slow down,


take notice of the little details around you...

...and take great pleasure in the simple things...

My apprentice approves of the new space...

And hopefully one day soon he will tire of hiding my tools out the window :-)

~*~

My Etsy shop is now re-open for business.

I have decided to give my Muse free reign for now,

to create whatever her heart desires

rather than focusing on a new collection.

It's only fair,

I've kept her under lock and key for a whole month :-)

~*~

Thank you for still being here,

you are SO wonderful!

With love,

P.S.  What do you think of my new blog design?

I decided to go all minimalist...

simple is good :-)

A new beginning...or two

Tomorrow is a new beginning.  

Well, the same can be said for every day.  

Each day is a new beginning, full of possibility, and chances to learn and grow and make your mark on the world at large...or even just your own immediate little world.

At the moment, my own mark on the world involves such serious issues as how to remove poo stains from baby clothes...or how to deal with a toddler going through every parents worst nightmare, the 'terrible twos'.  (And on that issue, I feel ripped off...India isn't even two yet! *doh*)

Welcoming our gorgeous little boy, Jett, into our world just under 10 weeks ago is about as major as any new beginning gets. Whilst our daughter, India, has always been abuzz with more energy than a Mexican jumping bean, Jett is very much the chilled out, sit-back-and-take-it-all-in-my-stride kinda dude. He is as cool as a cucumber :) The smiling and cooing has started, and it is just about the best thing in the world!

So a new baby is a BIG new beginning.  But tomorrow heralds yet another BIG new beginning for us.

We're moving interstate. And I don't just mean a hop-skip-and-jump across the state border. I mean we're moving across the country. Literally.  

Yikes.

Yes, our newly expanded family is moving from Sydney to Perth, east coast to west coast. A mere, oooh, 4300kms...give or take. No mean feat, let me tell you!

So while most of my time over the last few months has been preoccupied with looking after our two little darlings, I've also been packing up our belongings and organsing our big move. You can understand why my beading has, sadly, been pushed way down the list of priorities.  And oh, how I miss my beads!  Boo. Hoo.

Packing my beads away was a sad task. I dragged it out as long as possible. I couldn't bear to put them all away at once. Not that I've had time to bead lately, but it's nice to look at them, to touch them, to let them inspire more ideas to add to the many already swirling around in my sleep-deprived brain...

*sigh*

Alas, my beloved beads will have to wait. For now.

So our new life in Western Australia begins tomorrow. Exciting? Yes! Despite the chaos and stresses of the last few months, I am so very, very excited about our new life. New ideas, new inspirations, new opportunities, new beginnings...

My darling husband and sympathetic brother have spent the last four days driving across the country, towing the biggest U-Haul trailer you've ever seen, which contains all of our worldly belongings.  And I get to fly across with our most treasured possessions, India and Jett.  

So please spare a thought for me tomorrow as I board a plane for the six-hour plane trip across the country.  You did read that I have two kids under two, right?  God help me.