the white azalea

 

 My ode to Spring 2013. A little girl in her favourite chambray dress, golden hair askew. She softly hums a made-up tune, in her own little world. She picks the delicate, cool white petals, and makes a collection in her palms until they swell with her yield. She throws them high into the air, squeals with delight and repeats the process.

Simple pleasures. The girl in my heart, living up to her name-sake. 

My Grace.

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Grace: She has a bad habit - biting her nails - something I did as a young girl. Idiosyncrasies we pass onto our children
Tom: He loves our coffee dates, always scooping the chocolate off the top of MY coffee

We welcomed Spring this week. Enveloping us with sunshine and scents of jasmine whisping past our noses as we step outside, bare feet come out to play and the sounds of laughter in the back yard leaves me feeling happy.

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Tom: Winding down after school, he was begging me to join him and cloud gaze

Grace: My first-born; she smelt like vanilla and pomegranate after her shower - I could have eaten her up

I missed their little faces this week. Bless them x

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Playing along with Jodi - "A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2013"

hues of blue

A recent trip to Manly - the still blue sea and smell of spring in the air made me feel humbled and grateful.

I have felt overstretched as of late. Attempting to renovate our first home (doing all those tedious tasks that no one notices), navigating through the school term with birthday parties, excursions and homework in conjunction with working shift work in a demanding career. In our home, bedrooms are laden with clean clothes that haven't found their way to the drawers, there is an opshop pile that has been sitting at the front door for months.  My car is filled with crumbs, toys, goosebump books and other tiny people paraphernalia.  Food is in the fridge that should have been thrown out last week. Last week, the toilet started to constantly run. An accumulation of everyday life that has left me looking in the mirror thinking "you can do it Ali! Or can you?". 

I find it very easy to feel overwhelmed. Living 35 minutes out of town has proved to have it's benefits - my thinking, organising and planning time happens in my little fiesta. Driving home at 11.30pm last night, I thought about my home. Then I thought again. Differently. I am lucky that I have a home to go to, with children fast asleep, dreaming about those excursions. I am grateful that I have clean clothes to be able to wear. I am incredibly proud of myself for slogging my guts out as a single mum to graduation with a distinction and have the career that pays for my little home that I am renovating with my best friend.

It is easy to slip into the hues of blue. I have been there before. But changing the way I think, changing my prospective, has opened my life up to a happiness and fulfilment that only happens when you slow down, stop and re-calibrate. 

diary of a wedding cake

 

 

There are just so many people out there in this world with hidden talents. Jen is one of them. She has a love of baking and decorating, and these loves have fused together into one big strawberry-vanilla fondant wrapped piece of art. A work friend asked her if she would put together a wedding cake, and I dare say that this will be the first of many beautiful culinary delights.

We drove to North Sydney today to deliver the cake to Athol Park, which overlooks the harbour, right next to Taronga Zoo. Our first stop was to the whimsical Engadine Florist, where the beautiful Hannah helped us to pick out the blooms to decorate the cake with. Soft pinks and whites, a hint of green. Flowers = tick!

I'm so proud of you, Jen! I dont know what all those nerves where about this morning!

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Tom: Saying goodbye to Grandad, and a limetree overlay

Grace: Waiting for Tom in her mustard duffle coat; a floral overlay seemed to fit over this frame perfectly

This week I have been playing with the menu in my camera, particularly zoning in on the multiple exposure capabilities of the 5D MkIII. My first few attempts were very hit and miss, but I soon got my head around firstly over exposing my base photo, and under exposing my overlay to achieve a nice medium. I think I may do a series of these types of shots and have them framed for our house.

Playing along with Jodi -  "A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

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night light

 

 

We were on our way to bed when something caught my eye. Tom had been rummaging through the party cupboard looking for items for his mask he had been working on, and left a almost long forgotten packet of sparklers jammed in the doors. Now, normally I do not instigate this type of excitement at bed time, but my inner child wanted to play with those sparklers! And as natural progression would have it, the camera came out and we swirled and twirled and screamed and... accidently burnt the carpet. Oops.