I heart surprises

I still believe that the world is full of lovely surprises. They don't have to be major, expensive or extravagant.

They can be as simple as:

• a child who picks flowers for you
• a partner taking the day off so you can rest
• an upgrade to your hotel room or plane seating
• a friend who drops by for coffee (from another State)
• a stranger who compliments you while waiting at the pedestrian lights.

All of the above have happened to me and when I think carefully back, a few more. For all the times when I've wished I had a disposable income, more time, or more hands - I just have to remind myself that sometimes "Good things come to those who wait."

Here are some lovely surprises that I wouldn't mind when that day comes:

I would love to open envelopes like this.

The good witch Glinda's slippers.

Scrabble and coffee? I'm in!

For the organiser in you (and me).

Do you like your fruit and vegetables?

Snippets of our weekend

 

 

 

Danced to  We are young.
One day build a moat around my garden.
Ate a cheesymite scroll.
Date with Mad Men.
Parents beware of children's books.

Being the first Sunday of Lent, we made a plan to attend service at the Cathedral. After ten minutes being inside, Tauren decided the Cathedral was his own private Theme Park. I quietly prayed for a 'no incident' exit and got the heck out of there.

While strolling around town for half an hour, Aries said he wanted to go "see the art place" which by now was too far to walk back. As we were passing Angel Place, I wondered why there were so many 'photographers' in that laneway. As I looked up, I saw the birdcages installation. Aries was completely gobsmacked. He also couldn't believe his eyes as we:

• passed the giant outdoor chess set in Hyde Park
• lunched on the grass infront of the Cathedral
• saw a wedding shoot at the Archibald Fountain
• diagonally crossed George and Druitt Streets
• saw skateboarders in Martin Place.

We finished our walk just in time for Leo to join us for ice cream from the Mr. Whippy van, which was conveniently parked near the fountain.

Where's Wally? Tour

For the last eleven days I went on a major Where's Wally? Tour of the blogosphere. That is, I checked out almost every blog I could to find inspiration on what I envision my own blog to be. I've also found so many inspiring blogs, how-to's, tips and recommendations. I now have a pretty good list of books, films and songs to enjoy.

Admittedly, I got lost during the whole click-happy saga and I missed either lunch or dinner. I don't spend everyday on the internet as it depends on my toddler's needs and my To-Do-List. I read through my favourite links by choosing a 'theme' per day or week. It could be Food, Design/DIY, Interiors, Mum blogs, Motivational, Photography, Shop and so on.

First, I checked out links on my current blog list favourites with stand out names. Second, I Googled blogs by subjects I personally enjoy. Third, while I'm commenting on a blog I like to check out other profiles by their name and if they have a blog. I've found so many blogs from such cool/sweet/original names I wondered how I missed this tip at all. Shout out to my first reader and commenter, Heidi! I liked the way Heidi named her profile hi-d instead of just Heidi. I found her comment via Love vs Design which I found while looking for Valentine's Day ideas. See, how I got lost?

I'll be improving on my 'Links I like' by adding subjects as I like people to see where and why I travel on the blogosphere. I also spent a good time editing my favourites lists which means more time on blogs I absolutely enjoy. I'm a sucker for order so I edited all my folders and alphabetised each list. Lastly, I made a note next to each blog of their Country because that's what organising 'freaks' like me like to do. Monk would be so proud.

The moon has a face



I take photos for the sake of 'one day it will be in my blog'. Then BOOM! it happens... the photo, the words, the coincidence, serendipity. Everything just spills forward and becomes a 'post'.

The photo - I took this shot last Sunday on my point-and-shoot Canon. I swear there is a face in there! Can you see her?

The words - 'The moon has a face...' these are the first five words of a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson titled, The Moon.

The coincidence - that same poem is in a book I bought for our children, A child's garden of verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.

The serendipity - Robert Louis Stevenson is buried in my homeland, Samoa. Stevenson is a Scottish writer and my partner Leo, his Kiwi ancestors are... Scottish!

I breathe a sigh of relief and go to sleep knowing, everything has a reason after all. Maybe, just maybe, blogging wasn't such a crazy stupid idea after all.

Two Hundred

Today is Charles Dickens' 200th Anniversary. The first of Dickens' writings I ever read was A Christmas Carol, discovered in a stack of old books my Mother was given by the Salvation Army. This was followed by Great Expectations, a novel I didn't enjoy reading if it wasn't for the ever encouraging, Mrs Thompson.

In all of my school years, my English teacher Mrs Thompson, was my favourite. She always ensured we, her students, never lagged in our reading list and if it wasn't for her patience I would not have grown to love William Shakespeare. Whenever I see a TV/film production and re-production of all the novels and plays I studied under Mrs Thompson's tutelage, I quietly thank her.

I hope and pray, that our children will be blessed with at least one teacher like her, in the years to come.

Image: lunaheartslists

Mumbo Jumbo

I honestly thought writing a blog would be easy. You know - write, post, publish. I'm so lost on all the options it takes me up to an hour to finally click 'Publish' and that doesn't include the drafting/edit/photos. Still not sure what Google+ is so I'm going to ignore it for now until I am much more efficient with Blogger. In the end, I had to make a list of what I needed to learn about blogger and blogging.

If you don't know about list makers, click here:

The List Maker

10 Reasons Why We Love Making Lists

The Art of List-Making

The Number 1 reason I became a list maker was due to a personal health crisis. In October 2008 during a family reunion I suffered from a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA). Things in my life had been building up to that point - I hated my job, work/family balance, a family reunion filled with hypocrites, a family reunion packed in like a can of sardines! At the time of the attack I remember I just wanted quiet. So many people in a small space was the worst idea of the organisers. I also remember, I couldn't hear my own thoughts. Everything was mumbo jumbo in there.

After I recovered I started making lists. Since then I have never been without pen and paper. I've found tonnes of list making software online but handwriting has always been a personal pleasure, kind of like 'Me Time'. I still write letters, cards and postcards, just because I like the time to contemplate on the person it's addressed to. Our eldest son Aries loves to write letters and notes, especially after his class' weekly spelling test on Fridays. I like to think he takes after me.

As I no longer work I tend to forget the day and date. A few times during recovery I would cry when I forgot where I left something. Our toddler son Tauren keeps me quite busy so when a thought pops in it needs to be written down ASAP or I'd go nuts trying to remember something. When I forget my notebook I sometimes write lists on my calendar, back of receipts, shopping catalogues, library slips, old business cards, paper napkins, paper tissues, and once on toilet paper. I never write lists on my hands as I'm always washing them, thanks to watching my younger brother's OCD.

There is also Leo, my partner. As much as I love him, his procrastination kills me! There are only so many ways you can ask/remind/tolerate someone before the imaginary daggers come out. I've always been a do-er, motivated and organised. These attributes lead to efficiency, calm and self-satisfaction. Sadly, I am no longer most of these thanks in part to Leo and 'compromise'. I hate that word. Sounds like another list in the making, Words I Hate.

Leo's father was a painter, farmer and much loved member of our family. The painting above was part of his collection. I have always enjoyed still life florals and this is one of my favourite.

Image: lunaheartslists

Party of five

Last night, my younger brother who lives just up the road popped in to see us. Tauren, our youngest, loves having company over and followed my brother everywhere. He only does this with his favourite visitors - my brother and our stepfather. As it started to drizzle outside I asked him to stay for dinner and it was a welcome change to just the four of us. We sat down to dinner of chicken and tomato frittata, oven baked bread rolls and an impromptu leafy salad with split grapes. It's funny how an 'impromptu' dish ends up being the best of a simple meal.

My brother has OCD, epilepsy, stutter and sometimes he forgets things. I was 6 years old when I realised my brother was different. Firstly, he'd wander off meaninglessly, he used to throw himself against large objects, kicked and scribbled on the walls, stabbed me with pens, practised kung-fu on our toys, jumped off the shed repeatedly resulting in a permanent facial scar and he once set fire to our bedroom. As he didn't know what he was doing, our youngest brother and I have never held these things against him.

When I was 10 years old, my brother was diagnosed with 'a moderate intellectual disability'. When the Doctor told me, I didn't understand what that meant and I had a hard time explaining it to our Mother, a non-english speaking pacific-islander. The one rule our Mother had in the home was to never call him 'crazy'. Looking back at our childhood photos he was the cutest little boy ever, no-one would've thought him any other way. When naming our eldest son, I had no hesitation in naming him after my younger brother.

Before I moved out of the family home my brother would wake during the night and check everyone was in their room. He'd even wake someone to ask what day and time it was, even though he was wearing a watch and it had a calendar. During the day he would ask what day it was then 30 minutes later he would ask again. Our Mother became frustrated when she had to buy him his own supply of soap. With his OCD he would wash his hands three times after using the bathroom, washing dishes, coming in from outside, before and after meals etc. To this day, he's even worn out the carpet in the hallway from walking up and down checking things - taps, oven, lights, TV, doors, car sounds, people.

My brother and I love the TV series 'Monk' and even though we laugh out loud together, we do so for different reasons. I laugh because of the supporting characters trying to deal with Adrian Monk. My brother though doesn't realise he behaves in a very similar way. Still, it's something we share. Yes, he is medicated. No, he can't use the oven unsupervised. Yes, he is still forgetful. No, he can't travel on a train alone. Yes, he still goes through a bar of soap a day. However, watching him tonight in our home I realise how far he's come.

Mostly, I remember a little boy with curly long locks who just wanted to play forever.

Not another cupcake photo

I have cut out, written down, bought books of, received and listed so many recipes to try my hand at I tend to feel overwhelmed and leave them to collect dust. So after realising this rain isn't going anywhere I pulled out my collection of recipes and started with the easiest one, vanilla cupcakes.

This recipe is from the book Cupcakes by Hamlyn. It's basic, quick and not too many ingredients to source. Everything I needed were already in my cupboards. The book also includes very easy variations, I might try the ginger alternative next time. I bought the book from a local cafe where people with no experience and or limited skills are given a helping hand to be trained in hospitality. They also make the best Malibu Chicken Burger.

The cupcakes were sitting on the bench, waiting to be iced and photographed when our youngest son Tauren couldn't wait any longer.

Welcome

Hello there and welcome to my blog. I am Luna and together with my partner Leo we raise our two sons, Aries and Tauren. We are a party of four in Sydney, Australia.

Our 'blog' names are not our 'real-life' names but the stories I share with you are truthfully our own. I've waited four long years to begin this blog and, after much consideration (and debate) I have to allow my partner his right to anonymity. We have also come to believe our children (as adults) may not be as accepting of Mummy's desire to publicise the moments they had once thought private and special.

I am no expert on horoscopes and admittedly I do follow them. I met my partner because of my horoscope reading. I was as low as I could be, pregnant in my first trimester, abondoned by my ex and facing the future as an unwed single-mother. A chance reading of my horoscope said, that no matter my circumstances I had to accept a friend's invitation, as I would meet someone who would play a significant role in my life. That same week, a good friend invited to me to her daughter's first birthday and without question, I accepted.

That 'someone' is Leo, my partner of seven years and the 'significance', our children.

Leo is a native Kiwi - not the bird - and before his beloved father passed away we used to visit him on his rural property in New Zealand. This photo is my favourite view from the barn, the garden is overgrown and on the same day Leo and Aries were helping cut it back. Looking at it always inspires me to give up my urban life and live self-sufficiently, allowing nature to nurture our family. This photo was taken the last time we saw Leo's father.

Image: lunaheartslists