Category: ME

Tagged by Gretchen

Posted on by Libby Withnall

Libby

I’ve been tagged by Gretchen. And today you can learn a lesson from me – make sure you get dressed and brush your hair before reading blogs :-).

Here are the rules:

  1. Take a picture of yourself right now, no primping or preparing. Just snap the picture.
  2. Load onto your blog.
  3. Tag 3 people to play… remember if you are tagged on another blog we will all be heading to yours to see if you played along.

The three people I’m tagging are Annie, Kerrie and Bel – who were “lucky” enough to be the last 3 people to comment on my blog (from my regular readers).

Aussie 100

Posted on by Libby Withnall

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Hey, this is a good one. I saw it on Tina’s blog. Quite a few things I was able to cross off because of our trip last year.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited The Great Barrier Reef.
5. Stood under the stars in the outback, the real outback – think Uluru.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to the Gold Coast’s theme parks – anyone, you take your pick.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sung a solo.
11. Bungee jumped, jumped out of plane, been paragliding or hang-gliding, hot air ballooning – you get the idea, you’ve been hundreds of metres about earth in a seemingly flimsy contraption.
12. Visited Melbourne.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Had a child. Raised a child. Worked with children.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Been to the Snowy Mountains.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Visited the Brett Whitely studio in Surry Hills, Sydney. (never even heard of this)
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Been backpacking.
23. Taken a mental health day.
24. Been buried in sand with just your head and toes sticking out.
25. Held a possum, kangaroo or koala – or any other native Australian animal.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Been in a fun run.
28. Been on the Blue Mountain cableway.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Played, or watched, summer cricket.
32. Sailed, kayaked or canoed our beautiful waterways.
33. Seen the Daintree.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Visited an Aboriginal settlement or mission.
36. Learned a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Toured the Sydney Opera House.
39. Tried rock climbing (indoor or outdoor), abseiling or just simple bush walking.
40. Visit Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art.
41. Been to the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
42. Sunbaked at Bondi.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Broome. (will do next year)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone fishing.
49. Seen Tasmania’s old growth forests.
50. Been to the top of Q1, on the Gold Coast.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Driven the Great Ocean Road.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Norfolk Island.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Guide biscuits.
62. Gone whale watching (not that we saw any whales).
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. (I tried but I’m not allowed)
65. Gone jet boating.
66. Visited Port Arthur.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Australian War Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Federation Square.
74. Been on the Murray River.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Travelled, or climbed, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited St Mary’s Cathedral, in Sydney.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Been to Hermannsburg. (we were going to but got lost)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited Parliament House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Saved a pet.
95. Been to the site of the Eureka Stockade.
96. Swum in The Whitsundays.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a mobile phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Posted in ME

GOALS and WORD for 2009

Posted on by Libby Withnall

Libby

Welcome to 2009!!! Here are my goals for the fabulous year ahead

* Have regular family dinners at our new kitchen table (which we’ll get in a few weeks)

* Take more baths

* Have at least 2 family vacations – at present thinking of Byron Bay and the Snowy Mountains (in Winter)

* Continue work in veggie garden. Start to grow own seedlings.

* Rework weekly routine to do more detailed cleaning around home.

* Read more with girls

* Take dogs to dog training, and work with them during the week.

* Follow Red Carpet Ready health/fitness program  (signed up for the 6 week Diamond Club starting 8th Jan)

* Try digital scrapbooking

* Teach myself to sew (Annie if you were close by we could learn together)

* Finish knitting wrap (my friend Sue started it for me in June)

* Learn to Crochet (Sue is going to teach me this June)

* Borrow and read more books from the library – esp. about simple living.

* Attend at least one event run by Sustainable Illawarra

* Try to met more online friends in real life (Kerrie you’re next on my list – gee, I sound a bit like a stalker 🙂 )

* Try to have some computer free days during the year – maybe even one a month

* Develop new (and old) friendships

* Continue to stick to my budget and start paying extra off the mortgage

* I had planned to complete Project 365 but it’s already SOLD OUT!!!

* Keep developing my Library of Memories (maybe rejoin this class again)

* Develop and expand scrapbooking skills (Mum got me a Big Picture Scrapbooking gift certificate for Christmas)

* Organise the spare room (and keep it tidy)

* Continue to reduce, reuse and recycle

* Make more gifts (instead of buying)

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And now my word for 2009. Last year my word was STRENGTH but I don’t really think I lived up to it very well. Well, that was then and this is now. And I am READY!!!! Yes, my word for 2009 is READY.

I am READY…. to become Red Carpet Ready by joining the Diamond Club

I am READY… to make more friends

I am READY… to embrace all life offers

I am READY… to attain all my goals for 2009

I am READY.. to be the best mother, wife, daughter and friend I can be

I am READY…to start ticking off my life goals list

I am READY… to be more FUN

I am READY… to live more simply in my day to day life

I am READY… to become the best ME I can be

Reflections on 2008

Posted on by Libby Withnall

Libby - portrait

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I’ve had a pretty good year – an excellent one fact. I’ve managed to lose more weight and maintain it for the last 6 months. And, best of all, I feel I have grown as a person and in my contentment levels being a housewife and Mum. The following are the goals I set for 2008 and how I went with them. I think it’s an improvement on last year.

HOME/GARDEN

– Work on household routine – need to incorporate detailed cleaning (Routine is now in place, still working on getting in more detailed cleaning)

– Continue work in veggie garden esp. winter production (Pretty good)

– Grow potatoes (have large pot just waiting to be used)  NO

– Get worm farm going again (may need new system)  YES, bought a new compost bin (no worms)

– Work out how to get seedlings to grow in green house (no success so far)  No, they all died again

– Shop for fruit and veg at local markets /continue to buy organic where possible Didn’t get to local market but bought more organic this year

– Learn to make more things from scratch i.e rolls, tortillas  YES, though I’m still not doing it as much as I should

FINANCE

– Start paying extra of mortgage (by mid-year)  Umm.. NO..at present will start this in Feb 09

– Start saving for UK trip (due to start next week)  YES, we’re putting aside money every week into a travel account

– Stick to budget (you never know it might happen one day) YES!!!!!!

PERSONAL

– Learn to sew (either in classes or on my own) NO, everytime I enroll in a class it gets cancelled

– Take a vegetarian cooking class at Nan Tien Temple ( have form printed out, just have to mail it off with a cheque)  Class was cancelled

– Volunteer work – still trying to find the right thing for me (already do uniform shop and canteen at school)  No luck as yet

– Make more hand-made presents (those I made this seemed to be a big hit)  YES!!!

– Organise ( and keep organised) my scrapbook space (can’t wait for my Big Picture Scrapbook class with Wendy Smedley to start)  Yes but it’s a WIP

– Develop knitting skills – make something other than scarves   NO 🙁

– Read more about simple living  YES

– Get back to working out 6 days a week (3 cardio, 3 weights)   On and off throughout the year (but regular exercise)

– Get out and enjoy life more (already started on this one)   YES!!! Definitely been a lot of FIRSTS this year.