The life and times of Libby Withnall

We aren’t big Australia Day people, and with an overcast/rainy/humid morning and Kevin & Amy painting Amy’s bedroom, we just did a lunch with Nan & Pop.

There was damper…

BBQ steaks/veggie patties and salads…

and pavolva for dessert…

Followed by this Australian Afternoon Tea that I picked up this morning… it didn’t really taste different to any other black tea but it was nice…

with Tim Tams and lamingtons….

Definitely a very yummy way to celebrate Australia Day. Unfortunately my arthritis was VERY bad so I spent the afternoon on the couch feeling sorry for myself while more painting was done upstairs.

It was the week I revisited an old friend…..

and the week the girls and I combined our nail polish collections….

It was the week of Harry Potter games…

and the week of new Harry Potter wands….which I didn’t get the chance to photograph…

It was the week of a special package for an online class I’m doing with Stacy Jullian….

It was the week of lunch and exploration at the Nan Tien Temple…

and the week I finally took my braids out…

It was the week of friends to sleep over…. and friends to have water fights with….

It was the week of another trip to the dog beach….

where the girls all got buried…

and Rosie dug a HUGE hole….

It was the week we took a family trip to Minnamurra…

where looks can be deceving. It was a beautiful spot but you couldn’t spot the strong current until you got caught in it. Both girls were aided by a person onshore, Kevin & I, who had left after them, managed once we realized you could stand a bit further around…. but it was scary for the girls. Of course, then we had to get back to the other side… which we managed by walking further up the sand and coming back on an angle. It was certainly an eventful outing….

It was the week of visiting birds…

It was the week of Sunday afternoon games…

and pasta making….

It was the week of a minimally processed food challenge so our menu featured the like of blackbean burgers….

homemade pizza and garlic bread….

rice paper rolls by Amy….

and healthy banana muffins…

It was also week we decided that our 20th Anniversary trip in December is going to be Walt Disney World….

and a Caribbean cruise…

It been 8 years since we were there and we (well, the girls and I) are VERY excited. Let the planning begin….

I’ve been a long time admirer of Heather and her blog Beauty That Moves. I took her 30 day vegan class last year and it was fabulous. Can’t wait for the new one Whole Food Kitchen. It starts 6th February so you’ve still got time to sign up. If you want to learn more about eating whole foods definitely go check it out. This class is not vegan, or even vegetarian.

Let me know if you’re going to be my classmate – I already know Jackie is.

As a bit of head start we’re having a no/low processed food week in our house. 4 days in and we’re coping surprisingly well.

My regular readers will know that we are frequent visitors to the Nan Tien Temple. It’s just 10mins from home with yummy vegetarian food, lovely buildings and gorgeous gardens. It really is beautiful at any time of year or any season – Autumn, Spring, or Summer.

We had a bite to eat and then walked down to the lotus pond, which is actually flowering at the moment.

There are SO many fish in the pond.

I love all the statues throughout the gardens. I’m sure this guy was here before but I don’t remember seeing him.

As for this guy – he’s part of the Chinese New Year decor.

We loved the lanterns hanging alongside the paths and on the buildings…

and these cute dragons…

If you’re ever in Wollongong you should definitely make time for a visit. And I’m always free for a chai latte at the cafe .

I saw the most wonderful (and easy) idea on A Bowl Full of Lemons and had to do it immediately.

I didn’t think to take a photo beforehand but I was storing all my store loyalty cards in a small softsided pencil case. It worked but it was always a hassle to quickly find a card when trying to pay.

Now they look like this…

Much more compact and so much easier to use and find at the shops. If you have a lot of cards be sure to try this idea. I think it is so brilliant.

It was the week that started with a trip to the dog beach….

It was the week of beautiful skies…

and time spent by the pool….

It was the week of improvised boxing gloves….

and tea parties and sleepovers with friends….

It was the week of a tragic loss for the Wollongong Hawks…

and a weekend in Sydney to see the Harry Potter Exhibition and the musical Annie….

It was the week of Rosie wearing her bucket…

and Bailey ending up in strange positions….

We woke up to rain. Nice for a lazy Sunday morning but not motivating to get out and explore.

So we stayed in and played on our laptops before making breakfast in the most poorly equipment kitchen I have EVER come across (having only crockery, pots and a few large utensils does not make for easy cooking).

At 11am we checked out…

and drove over the Star City Casino. We were to meet Nan, Pop and my Granny but they were caught in traffic, so had a bit of wait for them to arrive.

We took some photos while waiting.

Eventually they arrived and with less than an hour for lunch we made a mad dash for the buffet. The food was great but everyone was a bit stressed with the fact we had to eat and run. There was hardly any talking, just eating.

We arrived at the theatre to the chimes ringing. I grabbed a quick photo as we moved promptly to find out seats.

We had barely 5mins till the lights dimmed and the show began.

It was a wonderful musical and we all thoroughly enjoyed. Christy, who is a big fan of the movie, was a bit confused that some parts were different but she just loved the show – esp. the kids and Sandy (Annie’s dog).

We should have stayed for a cuppa afterwards but we headed to the car and back to Wollongong. It was a fun weekend away and lovely hanging out all together.

We had leisurely start to the morning and eventually left home just after 10am. First stop was Gloria Jeans for iced chocolates (and coffee for Kevin).

We went via Sarah’s home to drop her off, had a bit of a chat with Noel and Leanne, and a play with Russ (who has grown so much). Then it was on to Sydney where I was excited to find us a prime parking spot.

We then walked over to the Powerhouse Museum…

for the Harry Potter Exhibition.

We were early for the tour time (be sure to book beforehand if you’re going as the rest of the day was booked out) so headed to the outdoor cafe to get some lunch.

A friendly pigeon was minding a table for us.

My baguette (with brie and tomato) yummy, the coconut water horrendous.

We headed for our 2pm tour 15mins early (which I think was a good move). The audio tour was so-so but I think still worth doing, it definitely told you a lot more about the movie making but we agree it could have been done a lot better.

We had a bit of wait in line till we got through. It was crowded, but manageable. Unfortunately you weren’t allowed to take photos. Which was a real bummer as Christy was one the children chosen to be  sorted into a house by the sorting hat. Her house – Gryffendor.

We took about 1.5 hours to go through the exhibit and it was so fun seeing all the props from the movie. We all really enjoyed it. If you love the Harry Potter movies then you’ll love the exhibit. There is, of course, a shop at the end. Christy got a sloppy joe and Amy a t-shirt. Then Christy had a tantrum over not getting a Hermione wand…… which cost $60!. She wanted it to play with and I had to explain it was more of a souvenier. Well at the price it was one expensive toy.

My feet were really feeling it  by now (I find 2 hours is my limit) so I found a comfy couch while Kevin & the girls explored a few other things in the museum

We then had a short drive to our hotel – the Radisson Plaza. We had booked a 2 bedroom apartment, and while the space is nice, I really don’t think this room was good value for money.

We hung out for a bit while Kevin and Christy sorted out their Bertie Bott’s beans. Kevin was brave and tried ALL the flavours.

Apparently vomit and ear wax wasn’t too bad, but Rotten Egg  was pretty bad!!!

I then took the girls to the indoor pool for a swim.

Then there was computer time. Kevin was concentrating on his game.

Christy made herself some toast for dinner…

and Kevin was kind enough to go and get the rest of us Pie Face.

He also picked up some mini apple pies for dessert.

Around 8.30pm we all got sick of the couch – which wasn’t the most comfortable, so headed off to our beds (with computers or i-pads). And I made myself a cup of tea…. or two …. as the cups were so small.

I was up about 6.30am, which is almost a sleep in for me. I let the dogs out and made a cup of tea. Bailey didn’t want to come back in so I left him outside for a bit.

I spent time on my laptop, watching youtube videos and reading some blogs. Around 8am I got up and moving with my morning routine. I’m trying to get up to date with youtube so I half watched some while emptying the dishwasher.

Then it was outdoors to water the veggie garden and collect a whole heap of tomatoes, a red capsicum and some strawberries.

I also swept the back paved area and deck, which needed it after a windy few days.

Next up was a shower. When I got out I found Christy and the dogs on my bed (which I had just made).

Time for some makeup.

After which I found Bailey like this.

AT 10am Amy and I headed of to the doctors. I needed a referral and Amy was having some vaccinations (that she missed at school due to being away). She made the mistake of asking which injection (she had two) makes your arm swell up, so they kept her back for a few minutes thinking she might have a reaction, which is did not.

On the way home we dropped off some goods to be donated and visited the local shop to get a few supplies. Then it was home to do todays household chores, like vacuuming.

And hanging out the washing.

Amy got all set up for a tea party she is hosting.

I made us both falafel wraps for lunch and finally got to put my feet up for a bit.

At 3pm Amy’s guest arrived. She had invited a few people but most hadn’t replied, and one forget to come. So it was just the 3 of them.

I felt bad for her because she had gone to a lot of trouble but they all enjoyed themselves.

The party continued with tea leaf reading.

I worked on our Momento album for Fiji,

while enjoying some afternoon tea.

After the one guest left the Powells arrived for Sarah to sleep over. They stayed for a chat and cup of tea, and were about to leave when Kevin arrived home. We chatted for a bit longer and when they did leave I went tidied up the kitchen and got ready for the basketball. All the girls went over to Nan and Pops for dinner.

Kevin and I shared a salad wrap at the game.

It was an exciting game. Not sure if you can make out the score but it was VERY close with just 2mins to go. It went down to buzzer with Rhys Martin (who had been the games best player) missing a 3 pt shot to win the game. I felt so bad for them. They play well for the most part but just can’t seem to win.

When we got back from the game the girls were in the middle of a glee marathon, having just painted their nails.

I tided the kitchen (again), went out to put one chicken to bed, made a cup of tea and headed to bad with instructions for the girls to go to bed at 10.30pm.

There are LOTS of posts around about Project Life but a few people asked how I do it so I thought I’d share. I’m a lazy scrapbooker and a lazy project lifer. I figure it’s better to be done quickly and simply than not done at all. Even though we’re almost half way through the month I still hadn’t set up this years project life so I had the brilliant idea to pay the girls to do it – $2 each and it’s done!!

You can just do each week as you go but it’s easier as the year goes along if the inital set up is done. It probably takes 30mins max. to do it. Becky has a great video on how to do it.

Here’s the first page of the Clemintine kit….just waiting on some photos….

And week 1 for 2012….

This is my forth year doing project life so it’s fun to compare weeks.

2011…

2010…

2009… I missed out on a kit this year so just made up my own – using free printables…

Unfortunately I’ve never actually kept up a whole year of Project life.

The first year, 2009, I only journalled till June, and added photos till August…

In 2010 I journalled til May (but then we went overseas for 6 weeks). I photographed the whole year.

Last year, 2011, I journalled till August and photographed the year. Still hoping to get back and finish the journalling.

At least each year sees an improvement on the last so hopefully this year I’ll keep up and make it ALL the way the end. I can print photos at home (on my Selphy printer) which makes it very doable to set aside 30mins a week for printing and journalling. At the moment I’m trying to pick a photo out daily and make journalling notes right on i-photo but maybe I should keep my journalling cards on my desk and just write up when picking photos.

You do see some wonderful looking Project Life albums on the web. Mine really is basic. It’s the kind of project you can make your own and do any way you see fit. even digitally.

Please let me know if you’re joining in this year.