Dreaming of a place like this................

How cute is this place?
I can so imagine myself sitting on that daybed with my friends, laughing together and sharing a bottle of champas!!
I would have a little boat moored right in front of it, so we could go for an afternoon sail.
Oh, one must have dreams!

Walking in a Winter wonderland

Saturday was one of those beautiful Winter's days - the sun was shining, there were blue sunny skies and the air was not too crisp.  I decided it was a great day to take my boys down to the beach for a play.

Have you ever tried to live those special moments through the eyes of a child? 

They meander along the soft sand, dip their toes in the icy water, climb over rocks, laugh and point at planes, tempt fate - that is the way our little Coops lives his life!

Following is what I witnessed through my eyes and the lens of the camera, so carefree, innocent and magical.

The BBQ makeover

We used to have just a stock standard BBQ on a wire stand. When we got our house extension, we had a whole heap of wood left over. Will is slowly using it to construct things around our home.  One thing he wanted to do, was to convert the BBQ into a built in unit, to match the house.
Take a look at the following pictures, it looks great! He constructed it, and I painted it, that's the way it works at our place!

 All constructed, waiting for me to paint it!

 Finished - Great new built in bbq to match the house!

Another angel taken too soon

Before you were conceived I wanted you

Before you were born, I loved you

Before you were here an hour, I would die for you

This is the miracle of life

Last year myself and Katrina from Make A Wish, granted a wish to a sick boy.

He was ailing with numerous brain tumours, but his spirit was courageous.

His wish in life was to go on a holiday with his family to the Great Barrier Reef.  He loved the outdoors, the water, but most of all, he loved spending time with his family.

I am so grateful that he got to spend a week away with his family in September - they even had their own catamaran for a few nights to sail the Witsundays. 

Sadly, after fighting for his life, Thomas passed away last week.

Our thoughts are with his family, as they remember the wonderful son and brother who fought so hard to stay with them.

Thank you for allowing us to meet you, to fulfil your dream - RIP Thomas xx

Inspiration - Inspiring the one's we love

My inner strength is to try and always inspire the one's that I love when they need it the most.

It does not matter how I am feeling, for me, the reward of lifting someone's spirits when they are down and out, gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. To know that you have made that person feel just a little bit better, makes me feel like a greater human being.

It really is not hard to be inspirational and send Leadership quotes, a thoughtful caring text or email, a card in the post or make a phone call when someone is struggling and all as they need is a friend.

Last Friday I received a phone call from a friend who I used to work with.  We have kept in contact since he has moved on - to him I am an inspiration, and for that, I feel as though I am worthy and needed.  I could not take his call, but he left me the most beautiful message "I was just ringing to let you know how wonderful I think you are, your little jokes and messages of encouragement are the most fantastic things.  And they seem to come through when I need them the most".

How wonderful is it when you receive a "thank you?", it lifts your spirits, brightens your inner and therefore your outer beauty and makes you smile.

I don't do these things in order to receive a "thank you", but when a "thank you" is given, WOW, I feel great!

How beautiful is this?

I came across this when reading blog posts from a favourite blogger of mine www.1000homesofhappiness.blogspot.com

One year has passed.........Uncle Richard, gone but not forgotten

Today marks one year since my beautiful cousins Lyds and Daz said goodbye to their dad. He left this earth way too young, at the ripe age of 57! A time when you are in the home stretch of your working life. A time when you are planning all of those golden things you will do in retirement. Lyds and I got together yesterday afternoon, mainly to just catch up on what is going on in each others lives- but also to remember her angel, hero, mentor, her voice when she couldn't speak, her DAD.
It was a lovely afternoon, we talked, drank some red wine (4.5 bottles by the end of the night!)and watched our kids play beautifully. Little
Kids have such innocent souls and don't have a care in the world. One of the things we talked about was the house fire in Sorrento which happened the day before. A wife/mother, lost her beautiful husband and one of her daughters. It made us realise that you never know when your time is up, to appreciate each and every moment of every day. I'm terrified of anything happening to my children or my husband, I don't think I could cope if I lost one of them.
We talked about birth and death- the beginning and the end!
I have no idea how it feels to lose a parent and I said that to Lyds. She said "it sucks, it hurts". Last night she did not want to feel anything, she wanted to be numb, she did not want today to come.
Uncle Richard, known to most as Dick- I just want to let you know that your children remember you every day, tears flow, hearts ache, dreams have been crushed. In time their hearts will heal, but one year on, the pain is still raw. Please perch yourself on their shoulder and be an angel to watch over them. Give them the strength to follow their dreams and to slowly stitch their hearts back together.
57 years of age- too young for anyone to leave this earth! Tell the important people in your life that you love them, cuddle your kids at every opportunity, don't have any regrets, forgive for wrongs that have been made- LIVE!

White, White, White!!

I have spent some time searching the net for beautiful white items / additions for our beach home.  Let me know if you have anything that you can suggest that I would like!


 I have always loved these butler trays, was going to buy some for our spare room.  However, now I have started constructing my own style (which by the way, are absolutely nothing like these!)

 I love the picture in the background, I think we could all agree with this one.
 Oh Cape Cod style, how do I love thee?!  Couldn't you imagine sitting on this and having a champas?
 Hamptons home - only a cool $15,000,000!!
 One day we will have a view like this.  Can you imagine entertaining here and listening to the lap of the waves?