A B C...

... According to me.

A. Age: my fingers don't want to type this... surely that's not my age.. its my mothers age.. or even my grandmothers... can't be mine.. surely not!

B. Bed size: Queen. but I sleep on the very edge of the right hand side - close enough to the edge to dangle one foot out of bed... its sort of a thermometer..do you know what I mean?

C. Chore that you hate: Making beds.. running from one side to the other... but then they look so lovely all made up... I love that look of cosiness.

D. Dogs: I had a Maltese named Daisy :) sooo beautiful.. but now I have a c-a-t.

E. Essential start to your day" My shower... the day just doesn't flow if this doesn't happen...

F. Favorite colour: Well, it was lavender, however, I am turning to pink ..and of course white... and I love the pale blue and red combination..ohhhhh do I really have to choose...??? I can't help but wonder how bloggers pick a color and stick to a theme... I am sure I have it worked out.. then I see mint green..or pale blue... sigh.....

G. Gold or silver: Gold

H. Height: 5'8and a half"... I love being tall :)

I. Instruments you play: Piano... and I sing... this is a huge family interest.

J. Job title: Counsellor. I love my job!

K. Kids: 3 daughters... then the next layer... one granddaughter and two grandsons.

L. Live: Australia! Between the ocean and the mountains. On the beautiful eastern coastline. Golden beaches...the Pacific ocean... lush green mountains... the Australian bush... rustic old farm houses.. modern beach mansions... shopping plazas... its all here!

M. Mother's name: Dorothy Lillian. Beautiful name. Beautiful lady.

N. Nicknames: Never had a nickname till later years... (if you don't count the family pet name). One sister couldn't pronounce Marilyn so called me Mayma..or Mame (still does)... but nicknames... came later... Maz... Mazza.... Mazzabindi :)

O. Overnight hospital stays: In November for one week. At Port Macquarie.

P. Pet peeve: People that use the term 'whatever' grrrrrrrr!

Q. Quote from a movie: You had me at 'hello

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings. 6 sisters.

T. Time you wake up: Between 5 or 6 am.

U. Underwear: Not ready to change from pink and frilly to Hestia yet :)

V. Vegetable you hate: Unwillingness to try legumes.

W. What makes you run late: Daughters applying layer after layer of makeup :)

X. X-Rays you have had: Knee (when I slipped) Kidney stone...ughh!

Y. Yummy food that you make: A lovely Dianne sauce... or my Beef Strog served with macaroni cheese!

Z. Zoo animal. Giraffe.

Simple Womans Daybook.

For Today...Outside my window... I can see the evening drawing in! The air is crisp with winter settling in. The trees and foliage still green, but the leaves are sparse.. and they look cold.

I am thinking... of new found friends! Of like-minded people that come into your life for a reason or a season. They will play a role.. leave an imprint.

I am thankful for.. The warmth of my bed. The hot water in my shower. The throw rugs that I use constantly, winter foods. My fire place.
From the kitchen.. I want to get back into cooking.. I love to cook.. I love the aromas that fill my kitchen, the warmth of creating foods to share.. I have been an empty nester for too long.

I am wearing... Black pants, black jumper, black and white shirt... dreary!... but I am warm.

I am creating... ideas... plans for winter... plans to knit, cook, create a potted garden, read, my hibernation can be a simple, but fun time.

I am going... to go back to where I have just holidayed, a spot at a beach, a cabin, with beach views.. set high on a hill.

I am reading... some Jodi Picoult books loaned to me by my daughter. Just finished one on the trials of Aspergers (House Rules) and could not put it down. As a counsellor, interested in mental health, I have a profound interest in Aspergers and read as much as I can find about it. I found this book more informative than many resource books on the subject

.I am hearing.. Silence! I love it.

Around the house.. I am content that I am up to date with my housework and in a comfortable place with it. I will start to rearrange soon as I tend to tire of things staying the same for too long.

That's all for my first attempt!

Have a wonderful Wednesday

Thanks to the Simple Woman's Daybook for inviting us to join in

Pay- it- forward giveaway!

I am still getting used to this blogging world after all this time :) I predid my last post... and posted it 2 weeks later... but didn't realise it was still dated as an older post... so I think some might have missed it. Will give this another go. One more week and then the giveaway finishes.

Pay it forward giveaway!

Recently I won a giveaway! A beautiful bounty of gifts! I could not have been more excited! One of the first blogs I signed up to follow when I became a blogger was with the lovely Kathryn from Our Shabby Cottage. I have always been in awe of her talents. She has an etsy shop which she stocks with her beautfully shabby decor, which is of a really high standard. If you love Cath Kidston you will just love the fabrics she uses. Her handmade throws are just so beautiful, I just drool looking at them. Kathryn has a busy family life, I have followed with interest as her new house was being built and felt excited along with her when she moved into it. How she fits into one day all that she does leaves me gobsmacked.

Anyhow...... Kathryn had a pay it forward giveaway. Pay it forward has a special interest for me also. I just knew I had to enter. A while back, my number 1 daughter and I became very interested in the pay it forward concept. So much so that we were once invited to speak at a large gathering to explain and promote the concept. My daughter and I had so much fun paying it forward to people that never knew we did. Secret gifts, small favors, and the thing was I think the pleasure was mostly ours :) My daughter and I sharing these moments made it all so special. So you see why I just had to join in with Kathryn, don't you?

Sooooo... in my next post I will show you the gorgeous gifts that Kathryn sent (trying to get my camera to co operate). I will be having my little giveaway, and I am having so much fun getting it together. I love to do cardmaking. I am making 4 sets of cards to give as my giveaway. I hope you like them as much as I like making them.

Here we go, I will randomly select 4 bloggers to recieve a pay-it-forward gift from me. All you need do is leave a comment on this post for me. The conditions are, that you must have a blog, and you must be prepared to share the love and pay-it-forward on your blog and then link back here when you post about your pay-it-forward. Pretty simple :)

Variety Club Youth Choir Flash Mob 'I am Australian'

Proud Mum

I wanted to share with you a videoclip of my daughter in her band. I am so proud of her talents and of the wonderfull daughter that she is.

This is the utube address I hope that you enjoy this. http://www.ebetalent.com/dreamtime-dance-band

To make it easier to pick her out I am adding a current picture of her too. She is on the left, she and her friend from Australia were shopping in NY, I think it is, when her friend visited her recently.

Add-on: Mariette (from Marriette's Back to Basics) tells me this s the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. If you havn't visited Mariette please do... I love her blogs, I am a constant visitor. Thank you Mariette. http://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/

Merry Christmas

A very Merry Christmas to all of my blogging friends. I hope you have a happy and Holy day and that Santa is good to you all.
Marilyn