Each time for the first time. Each moment the only moment. Jon Kabat-Zinn

Would it be alright if I just shared some photos and thoughts with you today from our most recent adventure.

Now I’ll warn you  –  the thoughts may be brief but the photos are many!!

I’ll set the scene

One Kia Grand Carnival,  two mammas,  five kiddos with maybe a dozen electronic devices between them and  – – – seven hours on the open road to get to  my sisters house in central NSW.

Let’s call it a road trip – although officially it probably doesn’t qualify.

Now this photo I had to source  as I wasnt quick enough with my camera – it was a huge excitement though because this was the first time ever that I’ve seen  a whole mob of Kangaroo in the wild – or the bush as we like to call it – I’ve seen the odd one or two at a time but never a whole mob – there were maybe 40 of them and right next to the road – amazing.

So we very gratefully arrived late in the evening at my sister Jen’s house and it just so happens it’s one of the comfiest little houses you could ever hope to find yourself in for a few days and I couldn’t stop taking photos.

Her home is a riot inside of vibrant colours yet it has this very relaxed and inviting “ come on in and stop a while” feel about it. Walking in you cant help but exhale and sink very gratefully into the closest comfy chair (or maybe that was relief of having survived a seven hour drive with 5 children – who knows).

 

What I know from many a conversation I’ve had with my sister  is that she’s been very intentional over the last couple of years about how she wants her home to look and feel.

The main things she’s concentrated on are:

1. Having less stuff in her home – I’d say with persistent decluttering she’s reduced what she owns by about half. You can now see the bones and detailing of the house and appreciate the high ceilings and spacious open rooms and you can appreciate all the finer detail in pictures and soft furnishings because there is less.

2. Introducing fresh vibrant colour’s that she loves and is inspired by through out the house. She has changed the wall colour in the main areas from a pale cottagey green to a fresh clean creamy white that works to bounce the light around and acts as a perfect back drop to all the colour she loves.

3.  Making her home more functional and comfortable both for herself and for her visitors. So there is now  plenty of comfortable seating and separate areas dedicated to different purposes. A TV watching area, a crafting and sewing room, a reading area and the one I took most advantage of – a sitting and talking and drinking coffee area where everyone has a decent seat. So now I’m going to give a very honourable mention to the three seater leather lounge in her front room where two out of the three lounge seats are full recliners operated electronically if you don’t mind with the push of a button. Of course as you recline the footrest rises up to support and cushion your legs just where you need it and there are two more single lounge chairs that do exactly the same. That’s four recliners in one space. Really – need I say more except it makes conversations long and leaving hard.

Jen’s intentionality has been rewarded with a home that truly reflects her I think. Her innate creativeness and her relentless drive to make a difference and show the  love of God to people is reflected in all the fresh life giving colour – a pushing back of the darkness, a showing up, a not giving in. Her home and heart tell that story.  Her home is a haven for many a weary traveller and any one needing a respite from the world for a bit and this time it was me, my best friend and the rowdy tribe of youngins we brought with us.

 

 

Other things I really appreciated as an overnight guest was the very comfy bed although I would have quite happily slept in the recliner, the ceiling fan, the good light and reading material beside the bed, the pile of soft fresh towels in the bathroom, the stocked up coffee station and the Scrabble set ready and waiting on the dining room table.

Simple things that turned our three day stay into a truly lovely vacation.

Now  the garden – oh my !!!  Full of old rusty things it is totally beautiful and inspiring and a lovely place to spend some time in the cool of the morning.

Needless to say the kiddos were far less impressed with the pretty house and garden than I,  but they were exceptionally impressed with this sweet little fella.

And they loved getting their hands in deep with this fantastic craft activity that Aunty Jen had up her sleeve. You can find images and easy  tutorials for Sharpie T-Shirts here if you want to try it.

And with the 43 degree heat (approx 109 F)  we were all  incredibly impressed with the local swimming pool.  Summer heat and water and nowhere else to be spelt a good time for all.  The kids were unstoppable and the best bit, the ipods, ipads and iphones didn’t get a look in. At last!!

Seems running and jumping and climbing and splashing and pushing  and  shrieking madly for no good reason haven’t lost there magic after all.

In the dew of little things the heart finds it’s morning and is refreshed. Kajlil Gibran 

So here’s to my lovely sister,  a generous and thoughtful host and an all round inspiration to me and many. By way of a very brief bio Jenny lives in Condobolin in central NSW where the works as a child and family health nurse. She sews and crafts avidly but always with a purpose in mind. In recent years she has been involved with Days For Girls an international organisation that  provides  quality sustainable washable feminine hygiene kits to girls & women that would otherwise go without. The kits enable the girls and women who receive them to not miss valuable days from their education or employment. Jenny co – ordinates  a local group  who happily and relentlessly sew, pack and send these amazingly valuable kits. To find out a more about this incredible organisation got to Days for Girls International  or Days For Girls Australia on Facebook.

So to finish off I always like to leave you with a link to something good to read. Some people have been writing genius posts while I’ve been holidaying and putting my feet up and this one’s a beauty. If your like me and get a little overwhelmed at this time of year with the  4000 things we need to be doing or not doing in 2016 in order to  be successful then here’s a post that will calm your nerves. It’s from one of my favourite bloggers Heather at Recollected Design and is full of  good simple honest advice about getting yourself on track as you head into this wonderful new year. You’ll find Five Steps to a Redesigned Life an easy and inspiring read. Just click on the title .

God Bless

Lv Tracey xx

Linking Up today with Works For Me Wednesday, Bloggers Pit Stop, Coffee and Conversation, Celebrate it Sunday