things i'm loving . . . 'yoga'

Greetings all,

Oh Yoga, why did i ever stop worshipping you??  Ok, i was extremely dedicated to Yoga in my early 20s & only stopped when lowering-my-head-during-pregnancy did not bode well with my 24/7 morning sickness x 9 months.  Between pregnancies though, Yoga was my best friend (remember i don't drink alcohol, tea or coffee - i had have a treat while the babies slept).  Of course having lots of little babies, zero babysitters & unaffordable gym creche, i did Yoga at home with DVDs, it was great, often in my knickers & bra, on my way from the laundry to the shower - such is the life of the stay at home breastfeeding mother.  I could do anything, i'm flexible & headstands kept me level headed, chasing 4 children under 4.5 years, in fairness the baby was easy to pin down, the girls, they were runners!!

Yoga totally rebuilt my body after twins, still in my mid 20s & i lost all the weight & blubber, rocking size 9 Lee Riders . . . but my hips were held together with a brace!!  Then i had another baby, dropped the Yoga & um, well, didn't pick it up again.  I hit 30 & pretending i couldn't remember what was top of my personal To Do List each day . . . i let it slide, along with my core body strength, tone & my clothes were shrinking.  Slacko!!
More recently, i've been suffering from stress & exhaustion, i've left Shop Handmade & shut down my on line shop, pretty much my entire business - for a break to focus on my mind, body & soul.  It's amazing how pushing the responsibility of raising 4 children with a long distance husband, managing the addition of high school to the mix, worrying about elderly parents & that handsome soldier who keeps heading to war zones . . . along with my ailments of carpal tunnel, irritable bowel syndrome (sorry to talk bottoms), bad insomnia & a surprise middle ear infection . . . guess what, i'm wrecked & my balance = terrible!! 
So to slowly rebuild myself back up to the high energy, capable & positive bundle of creativity i normally am/ have to be . . . i've been going to the gym to focus on Yoga/ Body Balance/ Pilates daily & . . . 2 weeks in, i am feeling better.  Tension in my neck is the cause of my migraines these days (mid 30s) & tonight at my Body Balance class . . . i could feel all the tension leaving me + i haven't had a headache in 2 weeks!!  So rather than beat myself up for letting myself go, i'm just proud i've resumed my dedication & will continue, it's a true gift to yourself, especially as a mother & on a Friday night. 
For more Things I'm Loving this Friday, check out Paisley Jade.  If there was something you used to do/ love/ keep meaning to make time for, DO IT, NOW!!  Have gorgeous weekends everyone, no more excuses!!  Love Posie

PS image is from 'typesofyoga.net' & i'm hotter than her!!
PPS like Lego - i have the new Lego Hero Factory to giveaway, it's scary good!!

a cold, wet & sleepy weekend - preparing for the crazy that will be Monday

Greetings all,

What better way to spend a cold, wet & sleepy weekend without any sport, parties or shopping to do, than in your jammies & knitted booties, baking & playing with fabric.  I did go to Pilates, there was also sunshine in spurts, then took a bath, slide into new pyjamas & put fresh linen on my bed, which i shall enjoy tonight (after the finale of The Block).   

After the success of the chocolate self saucing pudding, we gave a butterscotch one a whirl.

For authenticity i thought i'd add this next image - the moment after shooting the pudding, which had already been attacked by it's maker (middle daughter) . . . a sword fight broke out between her spoon & her little brother's fork. 

 I have a few giveaways coming up with Lego & books, i thought i might play around with my Scrabble magnets to make a fun image for the giveaway posts??

 It's not the neatest of fabric stacks but i'm trying to turn from fabric stockist & return to sewing as a hobby, reducing this to a personal stash.  At least i'm no longer a lazy fabric librarian.  I'm using up all my bolts on sewing & selling FQ at the next Handmade Market.

 Yay, i have a studio floor again.  All the vintage Tshirts on the rack will be on my website for sale in a few weeks, huge discounts, stay tuned for when i next open my on line shop.

 Look what i unearthed . . . my Marimekko remnants.

 The prints are so large & bold, i've made bags & cushions from them before, maybe now i'll make some simple retro cot quilts??

 We had lamb on Friday night, i NEVER cook lamb without my husband, like EVER.  I used a gourmet lamb rub, i think it's a New Zealand brand, it was fabulous!! 

 The children made a waffle batter & used the Penguin machine thingy, which we hadn't touched in years - it was a slow weekend indeed.

So feeling well rested, a bit zen & thoroughly organised in my studio.
Wish me luck getting the children to school tomorrow (we live 20km north of the city) as . . . Canberra is expecting over 10 000 cars, trucks & caravans to descend on our nation's capital city at 9a.m. for a dozen different no confidence protests - most coming from our direction.  To say it's going to put our little city into grid lock, is an understatement.  I'm talking road trains - no idea how they are going to get through the roundabouts??  This is going to be crazy.  Most of we mummies were chatting on Friday afternoon at the school gate, we don't plan to attempt to head to school before 10a.m.  Eeekkk, there goes my Spin class, bummer.  The schools are expecting children all day, it's that HUGE & insane. Wishing you gorgeous weeks, spare a thought for me stuck in a protest convoy for 2-3 days, i'm just trying to get the children to school, love Posie