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There Is Always So Much To Be Thankful For.

25 Apr

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Ko wareware tātou – Lest we forget.

E kore rātou e kaumātuatia 

Pēnei i a tātou kua mahue nei

E kore hoki rātou e ngoikore

Ahakoa pehea i ngā āhuatanga o te wā

I te hekenga atu o te rā

Tae noa ki te aranga mai i te ata

Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,

We will remember them.

 

To everyone that gathered in their bubbles at the end of their driveways at dawn, to remember, reflect and honour past and present servicemen and women, this too shall not be forgotten. Continue reading →

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Just Ride it Out.

13 Apr

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When the waves of life crash down on you, pick yourself up, get ready for the next one, and ride it like you own it!

 

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Hold on to Hope.

12 Apr

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It’s an Easter Sunday like no other. We’re on Day 18 of lockdown, and our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern gave a great message of hope to the nation, granting the Easter Bunny (along with the Tooth Fairy) essential worker status. It was a moment of light hearted loveliness which made the chocolate loving children of New Zealand squeal with delight.

Hope allows us to believe there’s an illuminated pathway leading to a more desirable outcome.

Hope is a magic dispeller of despair.

Hope cheers us on somewhat, encouraging us to go the distance.

Don’t be surprised if it feels a little tough coming into the third week. The mundaneness and lack of pick me ups can make it a bit boring and lacking in the joy department. Rather than critically overly examining or picking our lives to pieces, it’s more spirit lifting to mix things up a bit, add pops of fun, and look to add Continue reading →

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Have a Good, Good Friday.

10 Apr

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Tis the Season. Will it Be Sensational or Stink?

7 Dec

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Many Christmas’s in my life and yours too I imagine, have been so amazing, filled with love and tinsel, a sparkly stream of fabulous family, amazing food, children’s squeals, handmade goodies, laden Christmas trees, thoughtful presents, shared stories, goofy games and loud laughter.

Some are sensational and some are far from it. Some are just stink.

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Brooches from SewEmSew

There are many reasons why some homes, some years, overflow with seasonal joy, and others not so much. Life can occasionally just fall apart at the seams. Illness, loss, geographical distance, natural disasters, conflicted family, depression, dementia, stress, divorce, addiction, lack of finances, not having a home, you name it, some Continue reading →

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50 Reflective End of Year Family Questions.

3 Dec

How about introducing a new self reflective ritual into your family? As the year winds down it’s the perfect time to choose an evening or afternoon to gather together and consider things like: How was the past year? What worked and what did not work so well? What do I want to create in the year to come? 

Set the scene, make some popcorn, pour your drinks, ditch all interruptions and distractions and choose one person to ask the questions. Each one of you gets to answer one question as best as you can, without discussion, feedback, justification or defence, and then you move onto the next question. The rules are to listen and speak with Continue reading →

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5 Things You Should Never Do On Valentine’s Day.

14 Feb

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1. Be a sour cynic.

But it’s so commercial, so American, so expensive, so stressful, so lame, so overdone you might say? People, it’s just for one day. Grinches don’t like Christmas, Cinderella might not like Mother’s Day but you know what? At the stroke of midnight whatever day it is, it’s over with a poof of magic dust and then it’s another calendar day.

2. Think it’s only a day for loved-up couples.

Love is universal. Love is for singles, pets, children, the environment and couples. If you are looking for love and you feel it overly highlights your singledom, then read unique love stories to renew your hope, then go out and kick up your heels and be open to sinful desserts and guilty pleasures.

If you are single and happy, Valentine’s Day is an awesome excuse to treat and spoil yourself.

  • Book yourself in for a massage.
  • Eat your favourite food.
  • Unwrap your best, high cacao content chocolate.
  • Order a book you’ve had on your wish list for ages. (It’s easy online at Book Depository.)
  • Catch a movie.
  • Or implement a random act of kindness like giving muesli bars to a homeless person.

Continue reading →

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Gruesome Twosome.

1 Nov

Zombie nephews. Photo by Hayley French at feijoadesigns.

Zombie nephews. Photo by Hayley French at feijoadesigns.

These two little treasures look iron depleted and could perhaps do with a good feed of spinach from our lush garden, but it’s Halloween and what they are really after is zombie brains and sweets galore.

Luckily their mother doesn’t belong to the fun police and nor is she a religious fanatic, both of which seem to push harder in the media every year to sanitize the darkness of Halloween. Why people continue to say it’s an Continue reading →

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Less Of The Big Bad Wolf.

21 Dec

With Christmas nearly upon us, I am mindful that extra stress, added pressures and a lot of time spent in each others company (often in confined quarters), can sometimes turn those already struggling to restrain their snappy selves, into snarling Big Bad Wolves.

Incredible art from Soju Shots

Incredible art from Soju Shots

Here’s my wisdom for you wrapped up in a big red bow:  If we continue to concentrate on the things that other people do to annoy, irritate or aggravate us, and if we highlight and chew over it long enough, it magnifies a problem and leads to more Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving.

19 Nov

I give thanks for having a beloved who never fails to surprise and delight me in the way he shows his love. Last birthday he gave me this cute “100 ways why I love you” card. It is just the kind of heart warming gift every Princess loves to treasure.

What one thing do you give thanks for in your relationship?

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