Place: The Shack

Poison: Long Black

Favourite Things: 42 degree days when Im on holidays and at the shack!

As I walked my beach this morning for miles upon miles all I could see was ‘beached as’ sea slugs. Man, they are U.G.L.Y…

What was God thinking? They must have some sort of purpose, maybe they are the vacum cleaners of the ocean or the mops. Maybe dishcloths or security for the little fish. Whatever their purpose is, they are very ugly. The size of a large bag of peas, dark brown with splashes of orange.

Sea Slugs got me thinking about the ugly things in each and everyone of our lives and how they can distract us from our main purpose. See I was walking a specific part of the beach because I am collecting sea urchins.

Sea urchins on the other hand, are delightfully delicate, they are striped and pale in colour. They are precious and rare, only a keen observer can find them in the midst of the sea weed (and the abundance of sea slugs!)

How is it that the delightfully delicate in our lives, gets overtaken by that which is ugly? I was so distracted by the ‘beached as Sea Slugs’ that I couldnt find one sea urchin this morning.

I am convinced that this is the same in my inner world. There are delicate thoughts and impressions that when discovered can bring deep revelation, yet they are continually bombarded by that which is ugly in my life. Why does the ugly (shame, grief, guilt, decay, pride, anger) feature so much more in the foreground of my life than that which is precious and rare (joy, peace, kindness, inspiration, love).

I am determined to excavate for the sea urchins, rather than be distracted by the sea slugs.

The sea slugs (the ugly) have their place. Keeping me humble, reliant on the higher power, grounded, earthed and real but I’m determined in 2010 to collect bucket fulls of rare inspiration and spread it around.

Watch out for sea slugs…search out the sea urchins…

A

Place: the Shack

Poison: Iced green tea

Favourite Things: my new sunhat…

I took the week of work this week to renovate my little beach shack.

Im not sure I can ever go back to work.

Late sleep ins, still covered in little specks of paint from the night before. Walks on the beach, sewing machine roaring, using my computer for research that is not work related…Why has it taken me this long to take time out to create?

I have no answers, but know that this week needs to be made an annual pilgrimage to all things reno!

It is rescuing my creative self.

I’m finding strength in the anonymity and loving every second of its freedom.

How can I make this a part of my weekly planner, so I can sustain the pace of my overscheduled career?

Material

Paint

Sanding Paper

Bunnings

Sewing machines

Mineral turpentine

Paint rollers

Wirebrushes

Tomorrow is my last day of renovation rescue by myself and then a team of friends is coming for the long weekend to help me out!

Im so excited.

Renovate with me sometime soon?

A

Place: My Office

Poison: Long Black

Favourite Things: A fresh new page

Well sorry for the delay, but I have been completely chilling out. New friends, New house, new, new, new…

With that comes a little inspiration.

I wrote this today.

Imagine if every day we thought differently.

Imagine if every day we reminded ourselves of who we are in Christ.

Imagine if every day we refused to accept the status quo.

Imagine if every day everyone worked together.

Imagine if every day we put others before ourselves.

Imagine if every day our family was more important than our job.

Imagine if every day we saw life through a child’s eyes.

Imagine if every day we loved our enemies.

Imagine if every day we never gave up.

Imagine if every day we never gave in.

Imagine if every day we each mentored someone.

Imagine if every day we loved others as much as ourselves.

Imagine if every day we played more and worked less.

Imagine if every day we listened more and talked less.

Imagine if every day we helped someone else follow their dreams.

Imagine if every day we were the change we wished to see in the world.

Imagine if every day we restored those who were broken.

Imagine if every day we empowered others.

Imagine if every day we saw others as God does.

Imagine if every day we led like Jesus

 

Imagine.

 

Love you

A 

 

Place: train

Poison: water

Favourite things: magazines

What a seachange of a few days. I am in my new apartment and I wake at the crack of dawn ready for my coffee and walk on the beach and I am positively in love!

The lonely fishermen, the old grannies swimming in the morning freshness, the friends swapping tales as they walk in step with each other, the starfish as large as a plate just waiting to be thrown back in.

The beach is not my first stop inspiration factory, but I am unlearning the art of hibernation and reveling in the great outdoors.

My skin feels cleaner, my perspective more astute, my legs must be getting thinner, what more could a woman ask for.

Find a seachange this christmas season, if you usually find inspiration inside get out, if the woods inspire you run to the city, if a book captures your heart sit at a piano. There is nothing like a seachange to bring life, perspective and insight in abundance!!

A

Place: Office

Poison: Short Black with a side of Chai…been a long day

Favourite Things: Christmas decos going up in the office

My great friend Steve Fraser has just launched his photo site, with amazing landscape photos taken from all his travels.

www.fraserviewphotography.com

Steve is an amazing business man, whom I look up to greatly and this year he has really stepped up his passion of Photography this year and taken it to such a place of excellence.

Steve and Elaine your lives, creativity, honesty, integrity inspire me.

Huge love and support on this new adventure.

This photo was taken 5 mins from my new house.

http://www.fraserviewphotography.com/images/gallery/Penguin-IslandCF001110%20copy.jpg

Enjoy!

A

Place: photo cafe

Poison: long black

Favourite things: creative days…

I’m thinking of starting my own show…amandas home made Christmas

I’m attempting to make everything home made this Christmas. I started a few weeks ago with some presents (shhh, cheese boards and home made dish cloths and face washers and soap)

Then today I got serious. Limoncello for after dinner liquering! Yumnmm. dad distills his own alcohol and I got some lemons from next door and were on our way.

Tonight we are going to make the piñata, we normally buy one but this year I’m going to make it with the kids!

Here we go!

Amandas home made Christmas!!

A

Place: Hyde park

Poison: celebratory coke zero

Favourite things: my friends

Walk: yes

Coke zero: broken fast

Water: need to get on with it.

After thirty days of restricting somethings and encouraging others I find myself in a place of amusement.

I have learnt nothing new.

I have enhanced and reminded myself that nothing happens without effort and accountability. There are many things that I want to achieve in life, however these successes are worth nothing without people to share them with.

I found a teatowel that I’m going buy from website todryfor.com called heaven.

It’s says…

Im so determined to stretch out and believe more for that which is people enriched.

To find a life worth living is one that is shared with friends, lovers, aquaintences even randoms. Pure delight found in the sharing of truth.

Summer and a life of balance you are within my reach, but not at the cost of relationship.

It is so good to stretch yourself sometime setting random little goals to bring a sense of perspective, challenge and achievement but never at the cost of the bigger picture.

Toast to you and you and you.

What adventure shall we embark upon next?

A

Place: bed

Poison: remenants of lollies

Favourite things: resting

Coke zero: nope

water: close

Walk: hmmm

I am smiling.

The residue of a day that almost actually was a day of rest are lingering.

Smile

A

Place: aunty Eileens

Poison: cab sav

Favourite things: my neices popping by just cause they have to see aunty manda

Walk: yep

Water: yep

Coke zero: noooooo

It’s the weeeekkkklkleeeeennnnndddddd.

Yay

I had such a great picnic with my friend Annette, she forced me out of my office.

We went into the park and I realized in working ten years with a park behind my work I rarely go into the park and chill.

How often is the free golden opportunities that are right under our nose we ignore out of busyness?

Find
The delightful park near by that you have been ignoring find a friend and
Soak up the weekend vibes!

Chill while we can.

Annette so good to have you back from Africa. Stay in the pocket girlfriend.

A

Place: granmas

Poison: lemon squash

Favourite things: all of granmas teddys

Walk: briefly

Water: yes

Coke zero: nope

I love chilling at my grans. She has every quirky type of Teddy bear and doll known to man.

She has a penchant like me for all things Christmas.

She made me a roast for dinner and we ate dinner on fifty year old plates with ducks flying on them from the farm. Granma proudly told me that in the fifty plus years of using those plates she has only ever broken one.

Now that’s a good innings.

How quick are we to move with fashion, whims in pursuit of the new…

I hope I have some duck plates in 50 years time that I am telling my adult granddaughter that I have kept for years and broken only one.

Longevity is a very undervalued asset in our pursual of all things crisp and new.

Find an old set of plates from your granmas cupboard and revel in the nostelgia!

Ahhhh,

Living closer to Granma definately has benefits!

A