One month down

Well its the end of January already, all major celebrations are over, the school holidays are ending & most new years resolutions will have been forgotten...

OR HAVE THEY!!!!

Not for me, Im still powering on...full steam ahead I say....

Look I will show you!

Here we are at Week 4 over at

Family volley

& the challenge this week was "Daily Routine" & although this isn't exactly my daily routine, it is my goal to make it just that.

How often do you exercise?

I have done some form of exercise 3 x a week for the month of January, but I plan to step it up to 4-5 x a week in Feb.

Just gotta improve my diet & i will be a "yummy mummy" before I know it!!

I am really pleased that I have stuck with it so far...remember one of my goals was to exercise consistently...so....one month down....eleven to go!!!

One of my other goals was to get more creative & of course skillful with my camera.

These photo challenges have been very motivating. Having a theme to prompt you each week really does get you thinking & I have to say, I am really enjoying it so far....it's not to late to join in if its something you have been thinking about. You don't have to have a fancy camera or any great skills, some even just use their iPhone.

I find I have really taken a lot more notice of what goes on around me & how we live as a family because of these challenges & I think that's the part of  I am enjoying most!!!

The theme this week over at

Life with my 3boybarians

was "Self portrait"

& seen as though we celebrated Australia Day this week I thought it would be the best time to take a mug shot of me!

We have an annual BBQ with family & friends.

 We have the same core group of people at the party, all people from our old home town, that have also relocated here to The Hunter Valley  & we try to have someone different from that group host the BBQ each year &then  they invite a few extras from their circle of friends.

This year was at my sisters house, you all know Erin from her blog

Life...Style'n 

I am hoping its my turn again next year, I do love having a good excuse for some decorating!!!

It is always a fantastic day with lots of fun food & games, like back yard cricket & of course your Aussie themed hats, glasses & any other accessories you can get your hands on...

My family  refused to pose for a photo & this is all I got from dream child no4.

I hope all of my fellow Aussies enjoyed some great Australia Day festivities.

Have a great weekend everyone!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A wonderful adventure

Today my 3 daughters & I went on an adventure!

To this place...



It is called ladies Well 



Its on the edge of  The Barrington Tops National Park, NSW Australia

&

I have to say its one of the prettiest places Ive ever been

We went on this adventure to do a bit of location scouting for Dream child No.1's major work for her Higher school certificate, art assignment

She has a pretty incredible project developing, which I will be sure to share with you all as things progress!

It was a great way to spend the day with my 3 favourite girls

Dream child No.1 drove as she is on her learners permit & she certainly got some experience today with all sorts of driving conditions

We crossed the Allyn River about 8 times on the long windy road



& each time it was either a one lane bridge or a low level crossing





she even had to drive thru water on one of the crossings

there where areas with cliff faces on one side & a steep & slippery slope on the other

there where other areas that where so serene it was hard to concentrate on the road & not just admire the country side

there where dirt roads

& dairy farms, where you had to wait for the livestock to move off the road, I could  reach out of the car window & pat the cows

We stopped & introduced ourselves to this echidna

had a chat with this kookaburra

don't you just love this gateway



this is certainly a case of using the resources available to build your stock yards

We admired the history of the townships

& the creativity of the farmers



you just don't see letterboxes like this in suburbia!

It was a great day out & a real reminder of just how beautiful Australia is.

None of my photo's have been edited & it was a cloudy, overcast day, they really don't do the scenery justice, although it was fun to have a play with my new camera.

Hope everyone else is having a tremendous weekend!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

















Fun in the sun

Hey everyone

I thought I would show you a bit of my week!



This is me with my Mum & Dad

We celebrate Australia Day every year with the same group of people, plus a few extras. Its kind of a tradition we began 2 years ago, for all of us Lithgow people who moved to the Hunter Valley.

We have a lovely time swimming in my girlfriends pool for the day, with a BBQ  lunch & dinner.

My 3yr old is a bit of a dare devil & spent her day jumping from the pool wall !!

I am so thankful for swimming lessons, she can dog paddle ALL day. She swam from 11am till 10pm & was exhausted beyond belief!!!

This is my 15 year old daughter  & I think she will hate this photo for ever, I like to call it

 "BUSTED"

 I thought she was spending a few days staying at her friends house here, going to the beach in Newcastle, but it turns out she SNUCK on the train to sydney & spent her Australia Day at Coogee, with a completely different group of friends( after I had specifically said she wasn't allowed to go)

As you can imagine she is officiall GROUNDED from here to eternity!!!

Its a sickening feeling to think your child was in a completely different city than you thought,travelling on trains by herself. "I was fine mum" was her statement when I suggested something terrible could have happened  & we would have been looking in completely the wrong place for her. She isn't old enough to drive so has NO identification what so ever! 

Don't ya just love facebook & the fact that teenagers have to show the world how cool they are, I was a little suspicious when she wasn't keen to chat to me on her mobile or share any of her experinces for the 3 days, especially when my older daughter couldn't stop raving about all of the fun things going on at Nobby's beach in Newcastle.

We also had a visit in our garage from this fabulous creature...

& look, he was only to happy to pose  for a few pics!!!

we popped him in the garden, but I had to try a few shots with the macro setting on my new camera.

Today we are off to celebrate my handsome little nephews 3rd birthday, he is a little guy with a BIG personality, so it should be a fun day.

He is my brothers first child & over the years Glenn has given my children some rather annoying wonderful gifts, so I have purchased "H" a fabulously loud wiggles keyboard. He can play his own tunes or listen to the same 4 songs, over & over & over....

Ahhhh revenge is sweet!!!

He He He

What have you got planned for your weekend?

CHEERS

Trish xxx