My Creative Space

From this

To This

Such a simple pattern but as a sewing beginner, I really love my finished product!

Hit the road, Jack

Picture courtesy of www.keyposters.com

Hooray, we’re off on an intergenerational road trip. Granny B, Little B and I are off to visit my grandparents, Great Grammy & Great Grampy.

In our trusty little car, we’re off to a seaside locale in South Australia, with a few side stops along the way.

Travelling with Little B and his allergies is no mean feat but our holiday house has a kitchen and is not off the beaten track so we’re hoping for the best :-)

Here’s hoping for some sunshine!!

ABC

Little B received this book from his beloved auntie recently and we both love it.

It’s an ABC book from the National Gallery of Victoria and uses different art works and types of art to show the letters in the alphabet. It’s been great as it shows things Little B loves like utes, dogs and turtles in such a variety of ways. Photos, oil paintings and weaving to name a few.

I love that it doesn’t dumb down or babify the alphabet and also that in doing so it allows your little to investigate art.

Definitely a great addition to your library :-)

Healing my body with my mind

The hardest thing about being sick and physically weak is the way it has prevented me from doing normal everyday things. I hate being limited in my gardening, prevented from my dancing (which is like telling me to stop breathing) and the way it has inhibited my day to day relationship with Little B.

I hate not being able to play soccer with him, or pick him up, or even having to lie down because I literally cant physically stand anymore that day. But I refuse to be defeated or brow beaten by this.

So how do I keep my spirits up? With friendship, love and positivity.

Friends have been amazingly supportive. One friend gave me all of her boy’s old size 3 & 4 clothes. Another lent me her small sized clothing till I could get a few things together. My closest friend has just let me talk and talk until I felt calm again as our boys played together.

Granny B has been a dream – letting us move in, being a sounding board and an amazing emotional support. Mr B has been my rock - he has loved, supported and cared for me through the start of getting sick until this diagnosis. Then when we moved house, he did all the back breaking physical labour so I could still have a vegie garden to tend.

I am surrounded by love, friendship and support. This allows me to charge on and stay positive. To fight the good fight even when I’d rather scream than see another doctor or have another blood test.

I focus on and enjoy the little things everyday – being out in the sunshine, reading a good book, learning to sew, cuddles with Little B, chatting with friends and listening to great tunes. I will get better. I simply refuse to contemplate any other option!!

Lazy Sundays

Artwork by Art Harrison

Planted

- mixed lettuce, baby spinach, roma tomatoes

- yet another round of Lebanese cucumbers (that’s 12 seedlings that have been eaten so far by snails / slugs…grrrr)

Cooked

- Banana & Date Muesli Slice

- Grilled fish & roasted vegetable salad

- and we started a bake-a-thon preparing for a long week ahead – a few loaves of bread, 2 batches of muffins and gallons of chicken stock

Reading

- The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule

Project

- sewing, sewing, sewing…making a few carry bags and racing madly to finish the backing on Little B’s advent calendar.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Inspired by soulemama

Healing my body with exercise

Picture courtesy of http://www.pilatesforum.org

Exercise was always going to be part of the healing process after my mold exposure. Mainly because all the weight loss has caused massive muscle wastage and made me weak.

I am lucky though that I continued with my belly dancing for as long as I could. When I could no longer do the cardio, I still went along and did the warm up, cool down and focussed on technique. It has left me with a great core of abdominal muscles to work with as well as some upper body strength. Mind you, I think lifting a 16.5 kg 3.5 year old was the main contributor there :-)

My rehab guru, Dr Paul created an exercise program for me to halt the muscle wastage without burning calories. I do this religiously to keep my body awake and also to try and fix the holes that have been left behind. The majority of my muscle wastage has been in my legs, hips and buttocks.

I’ve also taken up Pilates again. It is great at stabilizing your core and strengthening your muscles. This builds on the muscles I still have from dancing, stops any further degeneration of other muscles and rebuilds the others. Interspersed with gentle water exercise, I hope that I will be fit enough to get back to dancing early next year.

And with consistent work, I should hopefully mend a lot of damage by Christmas time next year!!