beautiful blogger award

How shocked was I to receive the 'Beautiful Blogger Award' from Kelly over at Kellansapansa thanks Kelly! Wow this blogging thing is getting serious now!!

The challenge, a tough one at that, to list 7 INTERESTING things about moi. Definition of 'interesting' - 'to excite the attention of'!! Righto then, here I go at giving this list my best!

1. As a Year 12 Media Studies student (in 1989) I interviewed Bert Newton over the telephone for an assignment on the history of radio. Recorded onto a cassette tape! Do you remember those?? Don't own a cassette player these days, so can't replay the interview!

2. My teeth required orthodontic treatment for 6 years! I loved the bus trip into Collins Street and lunch with my Mum following the appointment. I can still remember the agony of having my braces tighten. The end result after all the pain, pretty good looking teeth!

3. I was a flower girl in a family friends wedding when I was close to 5 years old.

4. My parents always took the family on a driving holiday during the May school holidays. Back in my day, the school year was divided into 3 terms. My parents loved driving 3 kids around country Victoria and New South Wales in the Autumn...??

5. 'Aussie Farmers Direct' deliver milk, bread, cheese, fruit and veg to our front door a number of times a week. So glad the milkman is back!!

FYI "AUSSIE FARMERS DIRECT IS A FREE HOME DELIVERY SERVICE PROVIDING 100% AUSTRALIAN MADE AND OWNED FRESH PRODUCTS"

6. I've been working part time in retail for 4 years, administration role. It's been a great outlet for me while my boys were of pre school age, but now they are both at school the focus is moving onto ME!

7. I learnt French at school for years and would not be able to speak a sentence if my life depended on it! Sad :(

My job is done! I shall now pass the 'Beautiful Blogger Award' to these 2 very INTERESTING bloggers.

Sarah Elizabeth at Sarah Elizabth
Victoria at 13mimosa

Have fun and I look forward to reading your lists :)

tagged! 25 random things about me!

I've been tagged!

Tagged by Kelly over at Kellyansapansa to share '25 random things about me!'

Here I go!

1. I am left handed.
2. My Mum was born in Egypt, my Dad Australia.
3. My sister is 2 years younger than me, my brother 5 years younger, that makes me the eldest!
4. I passed my driver’s licence test on my second attempt. I can’t even remember how I managed to fail the first time but I did!
5. I unfortunately can’t swim, something I’m not proud of but I have never been able to get it!
6. I knew my Great Grandmother.
7. My mail is delivered to a post office box.
8. I own lots and lots of cookbooks, yes I’m addicted!
9. I have a subscription to the great food mag “SFI, Super Food Ideas”, yes I like to cook and need inspiration to satisfy the family.
10. I love spending time in the garden but lately have been neglecting it a little, it sure is time to get out there again!
11. I worked for the largest oil company in the world for 11 years.
12. I love eating out at a ‘nice’ restaurant.
13. I’ve always wanted to study Journalism, and now I am! I love news and newspapers.
14. I recently started writing for a monthly community newspaper and love it!
15. My goal is to get paid to work from home, writing.
16. I am fairly terrible at all things mathematical.
17. I’ve got my eye on a new camera, a digital SLR, the Canon EOS, saving my dollars for this one at the moment.
18. I drive a 4WD.
19. Family and friends are very important to me. I love the opportunity to spend time with both.
20. At the moment I’m reading Mia Freedmans’s ‘Mama Mia’
21. I got an iPhone in December and love it! I text and email a lot!
22. I take multivitamins and see a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner for all my ‘alternative’ therapy needs.
23. I’m a fan of ‘My Friend the Chocolate Cake’, I hear you asking who are they? They are a brilliant musical group based in Melbourne. Their music has an emphasis on piano and violin. Their acoustic style quite unique.
24. My dear friend Emma over at ‘Starting in Sweden’ introduced me to ‘Loobylu’ and the amazing world that is ‘blogging’, thanks Emma!
25. I created ‘life and the memoirs’ in October 2009, it took me until the 13th of December 2009 to ‘go live’ with my first post!

26. I had to add a number 26! My ‘baby’ starts school tomorrow, oh my :)

I'd like to tag the following bloggers to come up with a '25 random things about me!' list. I can guarantee it's not as scary as it might first seem :)

Engracia at "Lynwood Musings"
Thea at "My Year of Giving"
Amanda at "Homely One"

Hope you have fun compiling your list!

working towards a deadline

I'm totally focused today on completing my stories for a community newspaper I've recently started writing for, my deadline tomorrow!

I'm relishing in the opportunity. Invaluable practical experience as I undertake completing a second degree, Bachelor of Communication (Journalism). This time around I'm studying from the comfort of home with the many distractions of my young family. I completed my first degree almost 20 years ago, the internet did not exist! I did not have a computer. I hand wrote all my essays. I can hardly remember the days before access to the internet, google, office and home computers. And now blogging! How times have changed.

I'll be back once I've hit the 'sent' button! That might be tomorrow.

living australian 2010

I recently became aware of AussieVault by the Australia Day Council of New South Wales.

The Australia Day Council of New South Wales is giving all Australians an opportunity to take part in new and exciting year long campaigns, a social history hub for all things Australian.

'AussieVault' is a chance to be part of history, an opportunity to share your thoughts on our nation's journey through various creative and meaningful campaigns.

'AussieVault' recently ran an online photographic campaign 'Living Australian 2010'. 1111 photographs were submitted across four categories, 'my heroes', 'my landscape', 'my life' and 'my sports'. To view these impressive images depicting 'Living Australian' click here.

Although the competition is closed, you can still participate in the 'Living Australian' campaign and share how you are' Living Australian'.

The winner 'Leap of Faith' by Kerryn Leworthy shown in this post.

Kerryn's photo for me, recalls my many happy memories as a child playing in the backyard under the garden hose and sprinkler with my siblings. Long before the days of 3A water restrictions.

Kerryn explains "This photo was taken in our backyard in November 2009. Due to high level water restrictions here in Queensland my five year old son had never played with a garden hose. We took advantage of relaxed water restrictions on this sweltering day and let the kids loose with the hose for fifteen minutes of fun. This image of my son Connor leaping into the blue plastic paddling pool toward his siblings conjures up many memories of the hours I spent with my sisters under the hose and sprinkler as children. To think of my own children never experiencing such pure, simple fun is unthinkable!"

The 1111 images picture the true Aussie spirit and way of life, enjoy! Happy Australia Day!

kindred spirits

Since starting this blog in December I have 'meet' many kindred spirits. Kindred spirit, "someone who feels and thinks the way you do".

I am connecting with people all over Australia, in fact the world. What an amazing opportunity and experience presented to me. I find it ever so interesting, and enjoy reading the posts of blogs I have chosen to 'follow'. Catching up on the latest blog posts is fast becoming both an essential and regular part of my day. I look forward to reading the latest posts and anticipate what the 'blogger' will have chosen to write about today.

Blogging is opening up the world around me. It's inspiring to share information and experiences, the good and the bad. Blogs I follow are written by women, women who in general possess and nurture a love of writing, reading, crafting, sewing, photography, cooking, gardening, family, a love of life. Women desire conversation and support, blogging provides this. The encouragement to post comes from knowing 'someone' will read my words, they may relate, they may connect, they may find it interesting, they may leave a comment.

For me blogging provides a space to reflect, to write, to connect, to learn, to be inspired and motivated to achieve my goals. In a sense it provides a journey of self discovery, incredible support from 'kindred spirits' and a great knowledge, awareness and appreciation of the world in which we interface.

Thank you 'kindred spirits' and new 'blogging friends' for sharing and being part of this journey with me.

What inspired you to create your blog and what is your inspiration to continue?

happy mail exchange

Recently I found fat mum slim the great blog written by Chantelle. Today Chantelle had an idea, to organise a Happy Mail Exchange.

Happy Mail Exchange is going to be an exchanging of goodies in the mail. If you like getting mail, and sending lovely things, this is for you. You'll be given a random person to send some goodies off to, in return you'll get some goodies from a random person.

If you'd like to play along go to fat mum slim for further details and to sign up. You can live anywhere in the world to join in. Great idea! Should be lots of fun too!

this week's charity

Last week I introduced you to My Year of Giving the brilliant idea of Thea Smith, to donate $5 each week to a different charity.

This week's charity is Angel Flight. Living in Melbourne I had not heard of Angel Flight, a charity that co-ordinates non-emergency flights to help country people trying to deal with bad health, poor finances and daunting distance. All flights are free and may involve patients travelling to medical facilities anywhere in Australia.

I'm finding My Year of Giving is a great way to start my week. Knowing that in some small way I have helped make a difference to someone in need is very satisfying.