Beautiful Burleigh Heads Beach
Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast
My Kara Rosenlund’s exclusive signed copy of ‘Shelter: How Australians Live’ in a special edition box – only available from her online shop (link provided under ‘coveting’)
Mum made this for me for Christmas. Isn’t it just so cute!
It seems I told a little fib in my last post but I didn’t know I was at the time. I do have one more post for 2015 – my last Taking Stock post for 2015!
December is a busy month. Lots of ‘to do’ lists, shopping, gift buying and wrapping, cooking and organising for Christmas. It was fabulous to again this December get away for a week at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast for a little pre-Christmas holiday. The only problem was – I wanted a week more! Next year maybe.
Christmas has been and gone already and now we are bracing for the new year. My new year kicks off with seeing my daughter off at the airport in the wee hours of New Years day. She will be overseas for two months. I have never been apart from one of my children for that long, nor so far away from them, apart from the time when Twin 1, when in Year 11, participated in a World Debating and Public Speaking Championship event in Lithuania but that’s a whole other story and he wasn’t away anywhere near as long as two months!
So let’s get to it and see how things are on this very last day of December 2015.
Making: Food for New Years Eve celebrations with my siblings here at home this afternoon/evening. Won’t be staying up till midnight as we usually do though because we have to get my daughter to the airport early tomorrow morning (sob). Not that I expect to sleep anyway!
Cooking: Lots of requests for my pumpkin & cashew couscous salad & my corn and bacon cob bread dip over the Christmas period so I’m not making either of them for tonight! Cooking up a barbeque tonight with a variety of gorgeous salads, including this Quinoa Salad of Beth’s of BabyMac.
Drinking: Way too much wine and champagne (and loving it)
Reading: Yes I have actually been reading books again!
Wanting: My daughter to enjoy her time overseas and return home safely to me
Looking: Always for the positives, the lessons, and the silver linings
Playing: Adele’s 25 that I got for Christmas
Deciding: To be more vigilant in better protecting my heart
Wishing: Some things in life could be easier
Enjoying: Doing some colouring-in in my new ‘colouring for mindfulness’ book, a Xmas gift from my sister
Waiting: For the right formula to fall into place for an all round happy, chilled, fulfilled Min
Liking: That Christmas is over for another year (true – sorry!)
Wondering: What 2016 has in store for me
Loving: THIS song by Adele – ‘When We Were Young’. Gives me goosebumps. Love it!
Pondering: Oh so many things – lots of thoughts around pivoting my blog to be more photography focussed. More on this to come.
Considering: Taking to the road (more on this soon)
Buying: Coffee pods – well I will have to soon – since the kids got us a DeLonghi Nespresso Coffee Machine and Milk Frother for Xmas!
Watching: The ocean a lot when I was at Burleigh Heads. It’s so soothing and relaxing! Take me back!
Hoping: That 2016 is a much better year for a couple of friends of mine who both have had a tough 2015 for different reasons
Marvelling: At the joy I felt when a gift given to a relative was received so gratefully and with so much pleasure
Cringing: Over a photo posted to my Facebook timeline by a friend of me back in the 80’s with poodle hair, way too much eyeshadow, and a dreadful black and white polka dot dress with shoulder pads!
Needing: Hugs. I always need hugs.
Questioning: Why men’s work shirts weren’t invented to not require ironing (now that I have two working sons!)
Smelling: Yawn! Nothing as usual. (see all previous Taking Stock posts)
Wearing: My heart on my sleeve, as always
Following: A more consistent daily walking plan is my goal for 2016!!
Noticing: That it is getting very close to the day (6 Jan) when I go to the airport with my sister to collect her new puppy!
Knowing: That I will find my place and purpose eventually
Thinking: That it was a very wise move to provide a Christmas gift wish list to family members! 😉
Admiring: An absolutely gorgeous Camilla kaftan that my little sister was wearing on Christmas night!
Sorting: Through all the Christmas gifts and finding homes for them
Getting: Prepared – to farewell my daughter, to bring in a new year, to shift some goal posts, to be braver
Bookmarking: An actual book at last – yay!
Coveting: All my gifts but particularly thrilled to have received this boxed and signed book by Kara Roselund which I was coveting last month! This is the type of photography that floats my boat (so to speak). See pics above!
Disliking: That tomorrow my daughter leaves me for overseas for two whole months (sob)
Opening: Lots of presents on Christmas Day. Very lucky!
Giggling: At and with my 7 year old (nearly 8 year old!) nephew on Christmas Night. He’s a funny little fella!
Feeling: The need to get back into music and singing
Snacking: Waaay too much snacking over the festive season
Helping: My daughter prepare for her big trip (sob)
Hearing: The wind rustling through the palm trees outside
So that’s it for another month. Next one will be at the end of March next year! I’m not planning on doing monthly Taking Stock posts during 2016. I might do one each quarter so probably March, June, September, and December! If you’d like to do a little Taking Stock self evaluation pop over to Pip the creator’s blog HERE where you can copy and paste an empty list from.
The first post for 2016 will be on Tuesday 5 January! Meanwhile, think of me tomorrow morning, early on New Years Day, out at the airport waving off my daughter. Send me some virtual mother strength because I think I’m going to need it. No doubt there will be tears at the airport (me not her of course!). Oh dear!
Ciao for now,
P.S. If you’re reading this on 1 January or later … Happy New Year!! 🙂
Linking up with With Some Grace for #FYBF
6 Comments
I love these Taking Stock posts. I hope the airport goodbye wasn’t too tough, think of how joyous the airport hello is going to be, and with skype and face time the world seems a whole lot smaller! Wishing you a happy and healthy 2016 full of all good things! xx
I was fine until the actual farewell hug at the departure gate and then came the ugly cry, the inability to speak, the need to don my sunglasses, and the sobbing (or should I say trying to breathe in a way that would STOP the sobbing) all the way through the airport back to the car, the same all the way home, until eventually I seemed to get myself under control. I’ve been tracking her flight. She has landed in China – so first leg safely completed. She has 7 hrs in China airport before the next leg to Paris! Anyhoo – same back at you – wishing you a happy & healthy 2016 and oodles of all the good stuff! xoxo
Very Touched by many things here.
Very touched by Adele, as always, there is something extra about her that transcends her wonderful voice. For me she harks back to a simpler time. In Adele I am taken back to my childhood, she takes me back over forty years and in her I see Cilla Black and Pet Clarke and I am reminded of times sitting around the stereo with my parents when they bought a new record and it was played for first time.
Touched by the simple yet incredibly stunning photo of Kara’s book in its box on the timber.
Touched by you wanting to travel, to sing and to rediscover music.
May all you desire be yours in 2016.
Ciao for now.
Patrick
So glad the post struck a chord with you Patrick. Not surprised considering we have many similar interests – art, music, photography etc. Isn’t Adele amazing – the words in that song!! I really hope your 2016 is everything you’d like it to be. xo
Happy New Year Min! I hope 2016 is a good one for you.
I’m with you on feeling glad that Christmas is done — and I don’t even host it! Is there a recipe for your pumpkin and cashew couscous salad? Would love to know!
Oh and I’ve bought myself a mindfulness colouring book to try it out. Let’s see how that goes.
Happy New Year Sanch! I hope your 2016 is an awesome one. I don’t host Christmas either! Yes, there is a recipe for my Pumpkin & Cashew Couscous salad. I’ll do a recipe post of it especially for you if you like! Easy Peasy! How have you found the colouring? I did some on Boxing Day and found it very relaxing. I’ll have to have another go soon. xo