in my mother's eyes

i heard a song today, a song my friend shared for mothers everywhere and it moved me to tears... such a beautiful song that captures how i feel about my mum...

by any other name

so i had a particularly awful start to this week. things just seemed to go from bad to worse. i want to share what happened at the end and what it has taught me...

ten things

ten things from my head; new adventures, things that have moved me recently and some winter reflections...

to my fellow chameleons

i have always described myself as a chameleon with the ability to adapt to my environment. mixing a little wild with the quiet; that's me.

have you heard the term ambivert before? {as in intro-vert and extra-vert, now ambi-vert!}... well, something tells me if you have the same tendencies as me you might be interested...

always look at the heart

i inadvertently picked up a hitchhiker the other week and it made my whole day.

driving home from town and isaiah had fallen asleep in his carseat, it was hot and stuffy and his head fell forward while i was driving. i needed to correct that before heading around the windy roads that lead us home. i decided to pull in at {lookout hill} an area the overlooks the whangarei harbour and noticed a figure with a guitar with their thumb out on the side of the road. after fixing my son's position i decided to head back on my way.

expansion

since moving home and working part time, i dubiously began a garden to see if i could at least keep something alive and maybe feed my family healthy stuff. much to my surprise it has brought so much out of me i had lost and i have totally embraced the new found creativity it has brought me.

hubby and i were talking the other night and he said {i think your garden is a picture of you}. it took me back for a minute as i was surprised at such a revelation but in many ways it's true. i thought to share with you some personal insights on my garden journey and the metaphorical picture it is painting me.

preparing for the season

connecting

did you know that kimberley from creative chaos has organised a {send us christmas} swap this year? i have never been involved with one of these since it was kind of tricky when living in south east asia, but this year i jumped straight in. in the past my work place has done a week-long secret santa swap to get everyone geared up for christmas so i didn't want to miss out on the opportunity! entries close on november 10 so it's not too late to join!

check out the rules here

preparing

being back in nz for the wind down up to christmas is something we haven't experienced for so long

a quick look back

 today i am sharing some favourite posts i have written over the years.

this blog spot will be four years in december.... hard to believe it's been that long! what started as a way of sharing our experiences when living abroad and documenting family life has developed to a place where i can really share what's in my thoughts and heart.

i have lots of new readers and want to thank you all for coming and visiting this place. thanks for the encouragement from the comments {i read every one!}, emails and times i might see you face to face.

it means so much. so without further a do:

blogging is about connection

we are all designed for connection. it's no mistake that we social creatures constantly want to develop relationships and construct meaning around us. we each are creative in our own way, we each have something to contribute; to give to others so they can take and give further to others so that they can then continue to impact, and the connections go on and on.

for me, blogging has always been about forging connections.

a stellar day on the coast

we had an invitation to house-sit family friend's place over the week and so we took the opportunity to head to the coast and enjoy the ocean. wednesday proved to be an amazing day, feeling like summer with sun, light winds and epic waves.

 the breathtaking view;

 isaiah got to try out the trampoline in the morning, this boy is growing in confidence every day!;

waipu cove feels like a second home to me. it is a beach we have lived by and always visited. the conditions were amazing on the day and i couldn't help but stand back with gratefulness to have this at our doorstep.

An & Ria's #First flight

   

It was like a dream... An

It was the best day of my life... Ria

I head to bed tonight with a beaming face and the reminder of how we can face our fears when we surround ourselves with support and courage. 

I loved this, and hope you enjoy it too. I love Ria's outlook on life and wish to be that way in my later years... What an amazing outlook.

The Liebster Award

Day 19: Five Eleven of your favorite blogs and what you love about them.

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Tonight I have decided to merge two posts together for this prompt. On Friday I received an email from Cynthia of The Sock Zone, nominating me for the Liebster award... How about that, hey? So to join on in this bit o' fun, I am going to nominate eleven favorite blogs and pass it on.

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The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. What does Liebster mean? Liebster is German meaning dearest.

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs!

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Eleven things

1. I grew up in rural NZ, predominately on dairy farms.
2. I love camping with family and friends but the last time we did was through a thunderstorm.
3. I have been living as an expat since February 2010. 
4. In December I gave birth to my son via a water birth at home. 
5. My feet are sized between 9 - 10, just thought you should know. 
6. I am a reluctant cook/baker, it's on my to-do list for when I have a proper kitchen.
7. My favorite Korean food is 'Andong Jjimdalk' - SO good!
8. I am learning to stick to a schedule, it has taken a while.
9. I am learning to accept that my imperfect is sometimes perfect for my son, because it's me that he needs.
10. I once lined up for 11 hours overnight for a ticket to a rugby final. It.was.worth.it.
11. I am glad I have reached number 11!

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11 questions I have been given: 

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? 
I have had more travels experiences in my life so far than I would have ever hoped for but one place I would love to visit is Norway. I have Norwegian ancestry so I feel this would be so interesting to experience.
What’s your favorite color?
My favorite color is deep ocean blue.
What would be your perfect day?
A day starting with a lazy sleep-in, gathering yummy treats and driving off for a road trip to somewhere new. The day would be warm and breezy, stopping to enjoy the surrounds and finally meeting friends for a dinner BBQ and laughing late into the night. Ah, that is perfection.
If you got to choose any job you wanted what would it be?
To be honest, I love my job right now. I am still learning as this is my first year but it is a great balance of mentoring others and administration. I have much to learn but at this point, it is really right for me.
What was your favorite toy that you had as a child?
Snoopy was a favorite soft toy. He kept me safe when I was afraid of the dark until one day we had a garage sale and mom sold him. I was devastated!
If you became a star and you had to change your name what would it be?
As as university student I always joked with my friends, that if I was famous I would just be Clare ~ like Cher, Madonna, Adele etc. That would be me!
What type of books do you like to read?
I love to read biographies, they are powerful in the way they share how that person has overcome something or the attitude they had helped them. I always find them inspirational.
If you had a chance to meet your favorite movie star, who would it be?( past or present)
Hmm, I wouldn't know what to say but if had the chance I would love to have a quick coffee with Taika Waititi, he is a fascinating and talented kiwi actor, writer and director.
If you could be any animal what would you be?
I would be an otter, I love their nature ~ their amazing acrobatics in the water; they are very clever creatures.
What was your favorite TV show growing up?
I had many favorite 80s/90s shows that were my favorite but 'Quantum Leap' sure had me on the edge of my seat!
If you could change one thing in your life to make it better, what would it be?
I would love to worry less. I would love to be a little more care-free.

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My Liebster award nominations: In no particular order

1. Juanita at Neetz - stuff from my head
2. Kate at Following Moonshadows
3. Sammy at The Simple Life
4. Jackie at Jacksta B
5. Lisa at All In A Daze
6. Rachel at Curious Runner Girl
7. Liz at She Exceeds Rubies
8. Brigitte at Stay At Home Mama
9. Meghan at MNM's
10. Tracy at Inside the Scrap Heap
11. Sima at Sima J

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11 questions for my nominations:

1. What is your favorite food?
2. Where have you traveled (within or out of country) and what is a favorite memory of that trip?
3. What was your first ever blog post about?
4. When you meet someone for the first time, what do you notice first?
5. Who has been an influential person in your life and why?
6. The answer is 6, what is the question?
7. How do you relax?
8. Are you a 'morning person' or a 'night owl'?
9. Describe your favorite teacher at school.
10. What is your favorite music right now?
11. Do you like answering lots of questions about yourself? haha

Love and devotion

Day 5: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member.

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Well, I love this gal and her blog!

If you haven't visited ... 

 

Just go here right now!

Jacksta is a down-to-earth mum, who is a talented risk-taker in life!

She is always encouraging to me and keeps me motivated to connect on here with friends, family and the wider community of bloggers. 

You see, it can at times feel a little isolating watching all the fun meet-ups people do and experiences back home but Jacksta continues to post encouraging notes and comments.

She not only has become a great bloggy friend, but she is a friend in real-life. Visiting me when my son was born and giving me great advice at different times. She is a generous, caring person and I love her laugh!

So this is a shout-out to Jacksta! You rock mete... Bless ya!

More beautiful

 

This captures something so true. 

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an ode to march

march is the soft pink of new blossoms

the sound of once-silent birds spreading their tune

march tastes like sweet fruit smoothies and crispy apples

and smells like a fragrant warm breeze

march looks like the shedding of layers and bright colours escaping

it feels like celebrations and hope all wrapped into one

anticipating:

my birthday

baby hub reaching the three month milestone

spring break (eeep)

not wearing my down jacket anymore

getting my nails painted

touch rugby starting up

longer evenings of sun streaming through out apartment

going for walks in the evenings

refreshed by spring once again

i hope march is full of good things for you!

joining in with Meghan

A question of Love

What Is Love? from cvcnow on Vimeo.

 

Isn't that just beautiful love personified? 

I love when he talks of the 5km they biked to see each other when they were young and of the smell of her hair.

Let us Love one another!

It's back on

I have been stirred by a recent post by my friend, Jacksta.

Her words rung in my ears for days...

'What I have learnt from my couple years of blogging is if you want to make friendships through blogging, you connect though commenting on blog posts. Commenting shows you care and a reciprocal relationship can be built. It is silly to assume that because you comment on someones blog, that they must in turn do the same to you...it wont always happen, so don't be offended. just keep it fun people!'

Way to hit it home for me...

A great cause

A blog I read regularly is written by a very talented and awesome mother of 5, Dee.

She is hosting a giveaway of her amazing creations *tiny eyes* {see here} for the charity Heart Kids NZ.

I feel so blessed to have read about her brother, Ross and the special impact he had on their family and many.

I am posting this in hope that those reading here will get behind this great cause in raising money for Heart Kids.

Please support Dee but also visit her blog see how amazingly creative she is in all aspects of life!

Bless you and your family at this time. Peace.

A little-big word

How has your new year started? I am loving this year so far and I hope you are too!

For me, 2013 has started off with a bang, especially with the realization that I have lots to learn about being a mum and knowing I will be holding on as our next adventure unfolds. 

I see 2013 as an exciting year of new experiences and growth for us as a family but especially myself personally. 

I want to share an important word for me this year. Instead of making new year resolutions, I choose a word for my year as many others do. 

My word this year is empower. 
 ' To invest with power, to equip or supply with an ability; enable ' 

I want this little-big word to encompass my thoughts and actions on many levels. I don't want to just empower myself by own actions this year, my desire is to be empowered by my Lord and King. To seek his face earnestly and to come into a new confidence through new revelations. 

Being a family of three, is so special right now. I also want to empower my hubby to be the best leader and father he can be. I want to hold to our vows in new and fresh way.  

Lastly, my job is very people-orientated and I want this little-big word to permeate into my working life as well. I want to be a person of influence in a new and unique way ~ I don't know what this is yet but I feel it bubbling up inside me; to develop a new way of supporting people around me. I love to encourage and equip people to be successful and I want to empower people to reach new levels in themselves. This truly excites me!  

Thanks for tuning in here and I pray that 2013 is a year that opens new opportunities and joy to you.

Take Heart

A song, with words so rich. 

 

So take heart. 

He has overcome.