a little bit of magic...

Weekend before last, my wonderful Mum took my sister, Matilda and I on a little day trip - an expedition in to the countryside, to invest in some quality Christmas decorations for the upcoming festive season.

My Mum has always been big on Christmas - not only being extremely generous in the gifting department, but on all the magic and whimsy that comes with it.  For as long as I can remember, it has always the tradition to watch Carols by Candlelight together as a family on Christmas Eve - we light the candles, cosy up the couch and munch on a feast of naughty treats, enjoying each others company and the merriment of the show.  Even as a child, Christmas Eve was my favourite part - no doubt because of all those special and loving touches Mum would create, building excitement and wonder at what lay ahead the coming morning. We were spoilt rotten that is for sure...

This year, Mum is determined to ensure that sense of Christmas magic and tradition is passed on to her grandchildren - so she bustled us up in the car, and we set off to her favourite destination for all things Christmassy...Christmas Barn - located in the small, country town of Bredbo, a leisurely 45 minute drive from Canberra toward Cooma.

I must admit, I was sceptical setting out - the name Christmas Barn conjured up images of flashing neon lights, nasty spray-on snow, and gaudy decorations on mass...I was expecting racks of cheap and garish ornaments, and bargain bins of baubles - predicted I would be digging through mounds of tinsel, trying to find something unoffensive to take home and awkwardly display.

I could not have been more wrong.

What I found was nothing short of spectacular.  Truly - this place was magical, like nothing I had ever seen before...here in Australia, that is.
From the moment I entered the doors, basket in hand, I was absolutely blown away - and the expression of wonder on Matilda's face was just priceless.

The exceptionally clever people at Christmas Barn have worked wonders in that shop - displaying the ornate decorations in colour-schemed sections, or by theme - woodland creatures, lolly-land, white Christmas... Every available space was utilised - over-sized baubles dangled from the ceilings, the branches of every tree heavy with exquisitely detailed ornaments - and not a shred of tinsel in sight!

I went in desiring simple, neutral decos - nothing too bright or fancy.  I walked out with a basket of glitter - and I was tickled pink, just like a child on Christmas morning.

We spent over an hour perusing the displays, and carefully selecting pieces from the amazing collection - Matilda all the while sitting back in the pram, her eyes exploring each and every surface in amazement.

This is such a special place, it really is - and I fully intend to go back again before it gets too busy.. this time just for a peek, to see Matilda marvel at all that magic once more.

what's in a name?

When I decided to start up this little space, I must admit, picking a name really stumped me for a time...Choosing a title that not only depicts what my musings will be about, is true to me and my world, and has a cute, catchy ring to it - but also hasn't been nabbed by someone else already!!!

So I thought about it, and decided that honesty really is the best policy...

One of my dearest friends, many years ago, affectionately gave me the nickname of Bubble Girl.  This was her way of summing up the fact that I am an eternal optimist - a hopeless romantic who lives in a shiny bubble, where there are only happy endings and sunny thoughts.

At first I found this personal analysis a little insulting, as I took it to mean I was totally naive - silly even. When I was younger, my dearest friends sometimes sheltered me from controversial news, fearing I just wouldn't be able to handle it - that my perceived child-like sensitivity would be quashed.  This was hurtful at the time, frustrating that those who new me best thought I was incapable of processing some of life's more ugly obstacles.

Now that I am older, I know better... I embrace the idealist within, and feel lucky even that my natural instinct is to discard the what if worries, and skip straight to imagining those delicious possibilities.  Ignorance really is bliss most of the time.

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that I am totally unconcerned by the struggles of loved ones, or the many injustices in the World, or my own inadequacies - quite the opposite in fact.  It is more about choosing to focus on things that are going well in my life, and spending less time agonising over those inevitably frustrating bumps in the road we all have to endure from time to time.

More often than not this works for me, despite the fact that I am married to a devoted pessimist, the King of Worry Town.  Such a combination can be very challenging at times, polar opposites are we in so many ways.  No doubt we manage to happily co-exist by balancing each others reactions, reeling the other in when one gets a little too far ahead.

I do hope that my daughter inherits the positivity gene from me, as I believe that happy kids make for confident kids.  I hope she is a Dreamer, a Hopeless Romantic, an Unyielding Optimist - for even though things might not always work out like she'd hoped, at least her days will be sunnier along the way.

(photo taken in Selcuk, Turkey - the dreamiest sunset, shared with The Boy and She who calls me Bubble Girl back in 2006, on the adventure of a lifetime)

Birthday Girl x

Yesterday, surrounded by wonderful friends and our loving families, we celebrated our baby Matilda turning 1, and a magical first year of parenthood.  Despite the wicked wind, we all gathered at a sweet country Teahouse for a birthday brunch and bubbly, and an afternoon frolic in the pretty garden.

It was a lovely, casual affair, allowing us time to catch up with treasured friends and marvel at how much our Little Miss has grown over the past 12 months - all of a sudden we have a real little girl tugging at our trouser legs, with a strong will and fierce determination (this one is all her Daddy!)...

I think she knew it was Her Day - after the initial overwhelming greetings as our guests arrived, Matilda quickly relaxed and busied herself with her baby mates, before swiftly turning her attention to the mountain of gifts with their enticing ribbons and rustling papers.

The wooden 'activity cube' from Grandma proved a crowd pleaser, as the bubbas tousled for prime position - and the new Teepee, from Daddy and I, became a hot spot for play and peek-a-boos.

Despite my doubts, Matilda beamed as everyone sang her "Happy Birthday", and clapped her hands with delight as we all cheered Hooray!  She showed her appreciation of my wonky, mumma-made cake by swiftly nabbing a cheeky marshmallow off the top, her Daddy helping her blow out the candle.

My heart was full as her Daddy did his best to deliver a little speech - he was so choked up with sudden emotion, the words getting stuck in his throat and his eyes glassy with tears.  We were both taken by surprise at just how emotional the day became for us - from reminiscing about our Birth journey a year earlier, to observing this perfect little person playing happily and confidently with her pals - happy tears welled in our eyes numerous times, and we squeezed each others hands more than once in recognition of precious moments we were sharing.
Witnessing so much love in the room for our daughter from all who were there, really filled us with such immense gratitude and joy - for we know that she will be shaped by all these people in some small way, and no doubt they by her...

So again, Happy Birthday to my darling daughter, Matilda - there is no greater gift than you my angel.  Thank you for the most incredibly magical, dizzying, wondrous adventure this past 12 months - I can't wait to see what the next chapter entails, as you officially become.... a Toddler - eep!!!

PS i love you

Over the past few weeks we have been making the tricky transition from 2 day sleeps to 1 long afternoon siesta... Some days with great success, Little Miss sleeping soundly for a whole 3 glorious hours - granting me not only the luxury of eating lunch at actual lunch time, but also enough time to blast through a few neglected chores and relax a precious while...Other days, particularly after a restless night, stretching out that morning play session or outting can be tricky - on come the cranky pants, and nothing I do seems to please...

On days such as these, I have only found one tried-and-true remedy, guaranteed to calm her down and chase away that evil twin within... Play School.
Like every guilt-struck mumma, I am ever conscious of not allowing too much screen time throughout the day - but I have to admit, the wholesome, crafty, sing-song loving folks on PS really are quite alluring... Matilda just LOVES it, and both the Boy and I are actually becoming quite addicted ourselves.
When the opening tune, "There's a bear in there..." starts up, her litle arms begin flapping expectantly, head starts bopping up and down in typical happy-dance fashion - the immediate transition from shreaking banchee to joyful cherub is truly amazing, and totally priceless.

I record episodes whenever I remember, so that a stash of fresh material is at the ready when the baby blues arrise and nothing else from my bag of tricks will suffice - a 25 minute episode is often all that is needed to really turn it all around, and give us weery parents time to regroup. 

So thank you Play School for coming to our rescue many times these past few rocky weeks - in particular to Justine, who seems to posess extra magical powers in the baby-cheering department.
We love you x


*special shout out to The Boy today on Father's Day...I am so proud and grateful for the wonderful Daddy you have grown to be - it all came so naturally, and the love I witness between you and Tilly makes my heart swell beyond measure. Thank you for ALL you do for us, your girls are very lucky ladies*