A Christmas tradition....

Each year we gather in my Mum's kitchen to

"STIR THE PUD"

It's part of our family's Christmas Tradition

( Even if you aren't able to be there physically -

you "stir the pud" by proxy - usually over the phone )

My Mum makes her family's recipe for her boiled ( in calico)

Christmas Pudding

~ complete with 7 threepences and 2 sixpences ~

which, when found you must return in exchange for modern

currency so that the tradition can continue next year!

( I should also add at this point - that one of the steps in the recipe

calls for a couple of tablespoons of Guinness.... now, my Mum is

a HUGE fan of Guinness 

 [ and not solely for medicinal purposes either!!]

This year, she [proudly] declared that you can't just buy

a four pack of cans of Guinness any more -

so she HAD to buy a six pack!!!!!

Maybe that's her secret for looking so good at nearly 80!)

 

We each take a turn of making a wish

as we stir the coins into the pudding mixture

I was first this year

It was great to see Finn so actively involved and excited

- he was keen to learn the little verse that MUST be recited

as we stir....

Nanny helped him

 "I wish, I wish,my wish comes true....

I wish, I wish the same to you!"

I can't wait to continue this tradition

and hope that it will continue through the generations

What are your family traditions

at Christmas time ?

Danni xx



Vintage revival

Some of you may remember a post I did

click here 

back in April about our Vintage Visits...

Well I am ashamed to say that it is now November

 and we have only just made our first visit back since

Finn asked me if we could go - so we did.

The night before, he packed his "packpack"

( as it's affectionately known as around here)

 with "instruments" ( his harmonica, tambourine, keyboard, guitar)

- so that if they wanted him to -

he'd play to them while Lilly danced!

How could I resist?

It was just so great going back - good to see some familiar faces

 and meet some new ones.

When we weren't greeted by "Stan" in his wheelchair as we entered the building - I feared the worst.

I worried how Finn would take it... so I checked with one of the nurses so that I was prepared in case he asked about him.

 Sure enough after about 3/4 hour Finn tugged on my shirt and said, "But Mum - where's Stan today - do you think he's grumpy?"

I explained that Stan was in heaven now,  that heaven was such a beautiful happy place full of love - that it was impossible for Stan to be grumpy any more...

Finn thought that was awesome and even told the Big Cheese that night at the dinner table. He said " Guess what Dad - Stan will never have to worry about being grumpy ever again cause he's in "heathen" now with Kramer and Molly" ( 2 pets)

While so many of the vintages have confused thought patterns and memory losses, some are stricken by cruel physical ailments that take over their once healthy bodies.

 "Milly" suffers from Parkinson's but her mind seems unaffected.

Her opening words to me were "I thought you'd forgotten us - where is Ruby and Finn?"

I joked a response but it was like a knife through my heart.

We were sitting having a chat with "Dolly" 

 - one of our favourites

- and she was stringing random words together in sentences that made perfect sense to her in her poor muddled mind.

Finn waited til she finished

 - nodding all the time as she was talking - like he "got it" -

then told Dolly that he was now 4 -

and held up 4 fingers.

 In a moment of complete lucidity, Dolly held up her hand,

all fingers outstretched

and said

 "5 soon?"

 and Finn put his little hand up to hers - his palm facing towards hers!

 Oh My!!! It was SUCH a precious and wonderful moment between 2 beautiful souls -

 it touched me so!

It inspired me .

I asked some of the staff what the residents gave their families for Christmas...

after confirmation that they struggle with new ideas

I put forward my suggestion.

An idea was born.

I was so exited and inspired I couldn't wait.

Two days later I went back for another visit -

 this time sans kids

( "Lillian" did ask where they were - quite concerned that I forgot them and left them somewhere all by themselves!)

 I took photo "portraits" of the residents

(who had  or gave permission to do so ) to give their families for Christmas.

 I had such a fun morning - chatting, joking and laughing with the Vintages -

 trying to get the essence of who they are or once had been in a snapshot.

I'd love to be able to share some of them with you -

 however I can't due to privacy

( but have included one of "Dinga's" hands)

Their eyes and hands tell a thousand stories

and I hope I managed to capture that and do them justice.

I am looking forward to our next visit. Ruby wants to wear her "ballerina" outfit to show them - and I can't wait to see their faces

Danni xx

Shining

I heard this quote recently and it gave me food for thought.
Hope it does for you too

...when you let your own light shine,

 you unconsciously give others permission to do the same

Shine on

Danni xx

Stuff that I've Loved this week....

It's been an interesting week this week - full of highs and lows...

but I've chosen to focus on the highs and share the things

that have brought me joy this week ~ hope some of these

make you smile too!

Colour in my otherwise tired and overdue-for-a-makeover bathroom

These beautiful blossoms that I pass on the way to preschool

- a sign that Spring is on it's way!

The beautiful countryside surrounding us

Watching my kids have afternoon tea together after a day at preschool

( can you see Ruby's "ballerina" skirt that HAS to be worn AT.ALL.TIMES!!!??)

 

Kisses from my boy.... and cuddles from my girl

I love that it takes a special kinda guy to get away with

wearing his sister's sunnies.... and Finn does it so well!

 

The kids taking turns pushing each other on swings...

A day trip to the "seaside"

 

Experimenting with my camera!

Hope

I'm sure there's plenty of good stuff surrounding you too...

Sometimes we just have to look a little harder to see it...

but it's definitely there

Danni xx

There's a hole in my bucket...

Part of why I started this Blog in the first place... (besides being so completely inspired by Meredith at Count It All Joy was because I was feeling a little "blah" and negative. So I thought that maybe by putting my thoughts "out there" and by making a conscious effort to be more positive and to try to see the good/happy/colourful/positive things in my life and concentrate on those as opposed to dwelling on the negatives that it would help.

And it definitely has.

But I also think I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to constantly be "up" and positive about EVERYTHING - at least on a surface level and how I presented myself to the outside world.

Truth is, I took this so much to an extreme ( a tendency of mine) that it actually became a bit of a facade. Not in the kind of "fake it til you make it" way - which was my intention... but more of a " no, you're not allowed to have a down day... you can't feel like that .... you have nothing to be sad about... you just can NOT feel blah anymore in any way about any thing..."

I realise that this put added pressure on me. Correction - I put added pressure on me.

I'm only human, right?

While of course I was actually seeing the Colour in my world and being thankful for all the blessings in my life... I too felt that my bucket was near empty.

 I remember years ago our wonderful [now retired] family GP told me that it was a wonderful thing that I gave so much to others and that I cared blah blah.... but that if I was constantly watering others from my bucket... and mine wasn't getting replenished in the way that it needed to be... then my bucket was going to run dry! It was one of those "ah-hah" moments for me. Might sound simple and logical but at the time it was the only thing that struck a chord.. .and I set about filling that bucket up again... or finding the way to let others do that too

I realised the other day that the red light was flashing on my bucket gauge and I needed to do something about it. I needed to acknowledge that I have needs to ( they are actually quite simple I think) and to take responsibility regarding them.

I had a conversation with a family member that perhaps put things into perspective for me. I think I've said it before that it's funny how it takes someone else to reinforce what you already know yourself. I was on a little bit of a "poor me" rant and she gently reminded me of a few home truths. Not nasty ones, but ones that made me realise that I'm feeling sorry for myself about the things that actually make me who I am and that make me the happiest.

I remembered also, the words from a couple of addresses at Church over that last few weeks about : Truths ~Your own truths and what they mean to you and Healing ~ That I can still help and heal others (pain) and remain doing what I love but must remember to draw strength from other places so as not to "sap" my energy and take on board others issues. That's where I was going wrong...

Maybe my bucket wasn't nearly empty... I think there was just a hole... but I fixed it Dear Reader, Dear reader.... fixed it!

 

Danni xx

Hope...

I heard this quote on an episode of "Criminal Minds" the other day, and it struck a chord with me. Funny where our inspirations come from isn't it?

      "Hope is the thing with feathers,

 that perches in the soul,

and sings the tune without the words,

and never stops at all."

~Emily Dickinson

When I was Google-ing (!) to find  the exact quote, I came across Nietzche's thoughts on Hope too:

  "Hope in reality is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torment of man"

What a sad way to view the world.

 I think I much prefer Emily's

What is Hope?

What does it mean to you?

Hope gives me something to cling to , to aspire to , to encourage me to achieve I guess.

It helps give inspiration and is a driving force in collaboration with

other foundations like faith, love and determination.

I was thinking about this during the week - without Hope, I may not have been

a mother to this day.

Without Hope, I would have given up on so many opportunities and

situations in my life that have lead me to where I am in my life

right now.

Without Hope, I may not get to where I want to be in the future ~ as

unknown as that is for me

Without Hope I wouldn't have anything to
Close my Eyes Make a Wish and Blow on!

 

Without Hope I wouldn't hold onto my dream of wanting to

make a difference in other children's lives by

attempting to be a Foster Parent.

Without Hope - I'll never reach the end of my ironing basket!!!!

Pink Bird of Hope by Middleburg Folk Art Studio

Off to primp my feathers

Danni xx