Till death do us part....

It's a big deal is it not?

This crazy thing called love? This amazing journey of dilated pupils and arguments and compromise and cuddling and babies and intimacy and careers and in-laws and mortgages and loss and gain... and .... and .... and .....

I should know. I've been there. I'm still there.

I have a soul mate. 

I have a shoulder when things turn to poop

I have a hand that high fives when they turn to gold

I was very young when I made this commitment - so young and so very naive.

I remember telling someone once that marriage was for crazies.

I still think it is.

You'd have to be crazy to say "I'm going to hitch my carriage to you ... forEVER"

Good crazy. Fun crazy. Crazy filled with faith.

We have two sets of pals (dear dear pals) who have made their love official this week.

Wowsers am I happy for them.

They are the real deal. I can see lots of awesome, crazy, sexy love ahead.

My man (I get a kick out of saying that) still gives me butterflies, still makes me laugh and sill drives me crazy. We still date, we still argue, we still push and we still cry. We also laugh, cook, whisper, wink and talk.... lots and lots of talking (probably the single most effective glue for any partnership)

So to you four delicious peoples.

I wish you so much more than you can ever dream possible for your future together. And some.

I am in the midst of a marriage that I credit as my best life decision ever. 

I know yours will be too.

♥♥♥

Disclaimer

I know that marriage 'aint for everybody, I know that love is spelt with many different letters and I know that there are numerous sexy souls out there who cannot and will not walk the road of betrothal.

Just for the record I think that's cool too. 

So for all of you living your creeds... ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Cycling in the City...

We donned the ever fashionable bike helmets on Sunday, and put the bikes on the back of the car. Here in Perth we are lucky to have a very established network of bike paths that make cycling in and around our city a real treat....

... the boys obliged my need to stop and photograph every imaginable thing....

... like a crab's eye view of  the cityscape...

.... the way I see it ...

... more photos mean less words...

... and for a chatter box like me, that's a good thing methinks....

Just a few side notes....

Bike helmets are the goofiest looking things and not at all flattering but helmet hair is even funnier.
Perth is a truly TRULY special, safe, stunning, clean and friendly city.
Seagulls are not annoying, they're unique... I don't care what anyone says.
When you haven't been on a bike for a while be prepared to endure a sore botty for a day or two.

It's school vacation here! Yay! Young Prince and I are off to find fancy dress get ups at the local thrift stores - then we will most likely need sustenance in the form of chocolate and cake... happy sighs and smiles all round.

Your weekend & week thus far peoples?  Do tell.

Whoops!

There really is a first time for everything... good and bad. Well yesterday was my first encounter with the "dark side" of Blogger and even though I'd like to blame the interface, the service, the lap-top (anything but myself) I have to own up and say I pressed a button (or two) and completely lost a post.
I tried EVERYTHING I could think of (including Apple Z - my favourite function on a Mac) but alas... she is gone.

The post was all about choosing one's favourite novel and how I found it an impossible task. I was so mad I had to just shut down the lap-top, admit defeat and walk away - (often a good strategy when the only other option you feel you have is to throw something) Anyway I don't really want to try and recapture the essence of what I had written; and suffice it to say it's a topic I can return to again and again. Thank you though to the lovely people who commented (and apologies for my mishap)

Instead I'll just sum up my week with a few photos ... 

The last class of my first Floristry module was great fun -  Symmetrical Posies. Passed my exam too. Cannot wait for the next one to start.... 

I've had fun using leftover product in and around the house. Just about every room has a bloom or two sitting in recycled bottles and thrifted containers... 

Thank you to my sister for this new little trinket... it's actually silver but it reflected the colour of the sky when I took this shot...

A quick jaunt to the city with Sisters to enjoy a meal and a sweet treat afterwards...

... my first in a loooooong time - Aztec Chili Couverture Hot Chocolate from San Churro

(let's face it - chocolate should never be handled with kid gloves)

.. and finally a dear friend joined us for dinner last night and brought these roses, from her garden... Sigh... and to top it off they have the most delicious scent which greeted me this morning when I entered the kitchen. So all in all I may have a had a little technological disaster - but what are a few thorns when you get to keep the roses? 

Elderly women behind the counter in a small town....

I seem to recognize your face 
Haunting familiar yet I can't seem to place it 
Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name 
Lifetimes are catching up with me 
All these changes taking place I wish I'd seen the place 
But no one's ever taken me 
Hearts and thoughts they fade fade away

I swear I recognize your breath 
Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising 
Me you wouldn't recall, for I'm not my former 
It's hard when, your stuck upon the shelf 
I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate 
Perhaps that's what no one wants to see 
I just want to scream, hello
My god its been so long, never dreamed you'd return 
But now here you are, and here I am 
Hearts and thoughts they fade, away

Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade, away
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade

                 Words and music by Pearl Jam

Rumour has it the new album is due for release soon. 
Excitement levels rising.

In the meantime a classic that I never tire of....

The Life Changing Loaf of (not) Bread by Sarah Britton ...

... taken from the drool worthy & super inspirational food blog called "My New Roots"

Ok where do I start?

Maybe with a photo? ... Yes a photo...

This peoples is what is known as the "Life Changing Loaf of Bread" and you'll find the recipe here on Sarah's blog.  Now for those of you who couldn't care less about carbs, bread well then this post probably means very little to you... BUT if you care about putting something good for you truly yummy into your cake hole... well read on. 

♥Hubby♥ baked it for me to celebrate the breaking of my juice fast and I am so glad he did. Although I began eating simple stewed fruits I knew that to embark on the road of "normal foods" I needed to start with something that would ease protein and fibre back into my system gently. This was perfect. The seeds and nuts are all softened in the "soaking" process therefore making them much easier to digest. There is no flour, no eggs and no yeast (which also means no kneading and no rise time) so it also provided a "pure" form of protein for me to start off with ...and can I just add that Hubster did a smashing job of it... Jb... you really do rock my world babe♥

I'm not going to go into all the health benefits (and there are a TRUCKLOAD) because Sarah does a much more qualified job of that in her article and recipe post. Suffice it to say this is more of an endorsement post from my tastebuds really...

The great thing is you can swap certain ingredients to suit your preferences (see recipe for what can and can't be traded to get perfect end results) and I found the toasted hazelnut flavour so divine. It's quite filling and therefore qualifies as a meal when topped properly....

For me a killer combo is Fresh Spinach....

Cumin Roasted Butternut Pumpkin ....

.. and generous dollops of Cashew Cheese.  

Personally I think the sky is the limit here peoples. Savoury or sweet it's a winner. I am so grateful to have discovered this because not only is it healthy, tasty and easy to make but it keeps well and makes for a great school lunch, morning tea treat and late night toast crimes. Salads, Preserves, Nut Butters, Pestos and Cheese... anything goes. 

Alright I feel as though I've pushed the issue enough now and those that skim over this treasure and relent to give it a go will just have to miss out... 

Me? I'm off to toast a slice and top it with... um... not sure yet... 

Enjoy lovelies!! 

♥♥♥

More of Easter and us....

So what else did we get up to over the Easter break? Well not a whole lot actually. As much as I'd love to have gone camping we made the decision to bunk in and make it exclusive "JAm" time. I was still sans chocolate, tea and all things comforting (in exchange for super healthy, super yummy smoothies and juices mind you) so I felt especially grateful to be avoiding family celebrations laden with delicious temptations. Still we had a ball ....

... pardon the pun..

... there was a lot of walking...

... a lot of tree climbing...

... snoozing in the garden and of course ...

... Easter treats 

(thank you to my sister Naomi for organising some delicious herbal ginger tea for me♥)

I'm really glad we chose to stay home. We camped out in the lounge room one evening, we played lots of board games, including a four hour Monopoly marathon wherein my son wiped the floor with us! We watched cool movies, we slept in, we read, we talked ... we connected. I will confess that on Saturday I ducked out for a few hours to source a few much needed winter threads and stumbled upon this new Anna Gere range of kitchenware...

... cute? I think so - although do not ask me what I was doing in House when I was supposed to be shopping for woollen tights and thermal undergarments! I have a weakness.

On the floral design front - we tackled Strauss Bouquet's last night. Can I just take a moment to say "Hooley Dooley all you amazing Florists out there... you are legendary" Especially if you can produce one of these in 15 minutes or less.. with a customer watching and waiting.... phew!! 

Next week it's a symmetrical compact posy. I chose my favourite floral colour combination for the Strauss - green and white, but for the posy I'm going to challenge my eye and select colours that I would normally avoid - you know... for kicks. Here's my attempt at "spiralling"...

Turns out picking Lisianthus for this was not really the optimum choice and flowers that 

present a more passive form are better. Whilst I'm usually one to challenge the rules (I'm not a fan of formal floral arrangements) I can see the point of using flowers that make creating a natural arch easier. Something that I'll have to get used, if I'm to work in this industry, is the fact that everyone has differing tastes and even though I think certain arrangements are ghastly old fashioned, there are many who do not. The notion that customers are going to come in and ask for something that I myself would avoid at all costs is quite challenging and I guess it means you have to rethink, not only the way you work but also the stock you purchase. Anyhooo.. I'm kinda prattling out loud now. Apologies. 

I hope you all have a super duper weekend. I have arrived at Day 60 of my "healing cleanse"

The results are PHENOMENAL and whilst I am truly looking forward to embracing food again I am also mindful of all that I have learnt... You really are what you eat.

****

An Easter Hearth...

I loved reading about everything that all you fellow bloggers got up to over the Easter break.
Those with kids obviously spend it a little differently to those without. Unless you're like me and you'd participate in an egg hunt any old day. I find that having a big kid around the house changes things a little. He appreciates traditions but there's a little less "mystique" surrounding them now. Still I forge on trying to maintain a balance between "accepting the new" and "cherishing the old" ...

... having said that, here's my contribution to the festivities

around our house....

... and Easter Hearth, complete with Peter Rabbit Bunting, 

Lucerne Hay, Pussy Willow branches....

... a few little critters, a few eggs...

... even a few sheep 

(not sure where they fit into the story but I love em)

I had such fun putting it together - as I do when I'm 

taking charge helping with the Christmas Tree.

I added some string lights and chocolate eggs too.

I like it so much I doubt I'll remove it for a wee while yet.

***

How was your Easter break peoples?

Get up to much?