Monday, June 30

Papaya, pawpaw we all cry more, more!

When I was asked if I was interested in the taking part in a papaya recipe challenge I was just a little bit excited. When these little babies turned up on my doorstep I was even more excited.


Now I know that from that photo the red pawpaw (the longer of the two) looks a little worse for wear. When I cut it open though that was far from the case.


Even though I live in the tropics and have even had papayas grow in my backyard it is not something that we eat all that often. For some reason the girls are not the hugest fans. Which I think has something to do with the soft squishy texture of them.  And quite possibly the fact that I had never thought of actually making something with them. Up until now I had simply thought of pawpaw as a stand alone fruit you eat by itself.

Oh how little I knew.

Thankfully with the papayas came some wonderful recipe ideas. So wonderful that I set about trying to make them all and promptly declared the following day as pawpaw party day.

Now since then (the middle of May) and now life has been a non stop roller coaster of events which has sadly seen all things blogging take a back seat. Which means I suddenly find myself on the final day to enter without a post. And while I don’t think I came up with the most imaginative or creative recipe I still feel compelled to get something out purely and simply because I said I would.

One of said events that has taken place in the last month has been me packing up the house ready for #ouradventureofalifetime. Which means the recipes I used have been put…who knows where. So I am more than winging it right now.

My favourite one though was a prawn and pawpaw tortilla. Super easy and beyond yummy, though not very popular with the kid lets on account of the prawn factor.


All I did was gently pan fry some prawns, about 3-4 per tortilla. To fry them I just put some butter and crushed up garlic in a pan on a low heat and added the prawns. It only takes a few minutes each side. I then put some thinly sliced papaya and rocket and spinach leaves on a warmed tortilla. Then added the prawns and drizzled over lemon mayonnaise. Which is essentially just ordinary mayonnaise with lemon juice squeezed into it. Yum, yum yum.

 My next favourite dish was a breakfast/dessert. This one was the one the kids most liked as well.


First up I boiled some (1 cup) of raspberries with some sugar and water. And here is where you discover what a terrible food blogger I am because for the life of me I cannot remember how much sugar and water I used and given my terrible lack of internet at the moment I can’t google it to find out. Essentially though I was just making raspberry syrup.

Once the raspberries were liquified and sugar all dissolved I put it aside to cool. Once it was cool I layered it in a cup with granola, diced pawpaw and vanilla yoghurt. Sprinkling some chocolate powder on top. Perfect for a healthy dessert or breakfast which makes it totally winning in my book.

Another of the recipe suggestions was a pancetta and papaya pizza. Which I thought would win the kids over hands down simply because it was pizza. Apparently I was wrong.


Though I must admit that the pizza I made was nothing at all like the recipe on account of me for getting to get the pancetta when I did the shopping. I also excluded the ricotta and rocket leaves because I just knew they would make it a no go zone for the kids I was cooking for.

So my pizza stared papaya slices, bacon and mozzarella with a BBQ sauce. Rather than a traditional pizza base I used the tortillas wraps as I love how they make for a crispy base.

The final recipe I created if you will was a pawpaw and rocket salad.



In this little beauty I just through together my favourite green leaves, (rocket and baby spinach), some diced papaya, fried bacon, pine nuts and some diced chicken. Instead of a dressing I just squeezed some lemon juice over the top. Again all kinds of delicious.

So there you have it. What I came up with for the Aussie Papaya Challenge.

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Thursday, June 26

Thankful for honest strangers and hilarious comedians

creatingcontentment Over the last few weeks blogging has taken a bit of a backseat in life. Something that is both nice and yet unwanted. Part of me has felt like I have had little of worth to say while the rest of me has been screaming for the clarity that typing away in the still of the night brings me.

A clarity that is actually found at any time I make the time to write though more often than not that time seems to be long after the sun has gone down. I am always thankful for any time I get to sit and be with my thoughts.

Preparations for #ouradventureofalifetime are well and truly underway in swinging into full action. My kitchen has been removed and hopefully before long a new one will be installed. Since we organised a skip bin for the kitchen rubbish we decided to start going through all our belongings and see what else could be thrown away.

An old couch, a wobbly bookcase and a wonky desk were top of the list. I am thankful to be decluttering, regardless of how hard I find it at times. I am even more thankful for my wonderful mother and her ruthless disposal skills.

Deep down I know this is all for the best and it is stuff that we no longer need and quite possibly haven't needed for quite some time, but that doesn't always make it any easier. I am a keeper and a collector at heart. You just never know what it is that someday you may need. When it is all done and dusted and we return home I know I will be thankful for all the extra room I am creating to start collecting again.

On Saturday night Mr Awesome and I treated ourselves to a child free night. We figured it would be our last for quite some time. The fact that Dave Hughes was in town made the decision even easier.

I am thankful we were able to get tickets to the show. I am thankful that mum was happy to have the girls for a sleep over. Especially since Zany had been less than well the day before and Teapot appeared to be following suit. I am thankful she held it off for a day or two. Poor mum does not cope all that well with spew.

Thinking we were doing the right thing, we caught the bus into town. Given a drink of two was most certainly on the cards.

I am thankful the first restaurant we walked into was too full to squeeze us in. It made us go to another. One that is spoken much more highly off as well. I am super thankful they could squeeze us in before the show.

When we were done Mr A went to go and pay the bill. Only to discover his wallet no longer sitting snuggly in his back pocket. I am thankful that due to my ATM card being eaten by an ATM earlier in the week I had Mr A's card safely in my purse.

A few quick phone calls and cards were blocked while we desperately hoped for the wallet to be found on the bus.

Hughesy was hysterical to say but the least. Though I think the highlight for me came when he favourited my tweets!


Sadly it turned out that the wallet was not found on the bus. It looked promising at first as a few wallets were found that night. Just not one belonging to Mr A.

By Monday lunchtime he decided to check in with the police station. Just in case it had come their way. It hadn't and by now it was starting to feel like all hope was lost. There was no money in there, not a cent at all. Just lots of cards to replace.

Mr A had no sooner returned from reporting it with the cops when his work received a call to say the wallet was found. Thank goodness for business cards and honest people around. A lady had seen it at the bus stop and picked it up!

Thanks does not even begin to explain how we felt that night. Thank you dear lady for making the world seem right.

What thanks do you have to share this week?
Make sure you head on over to Sarah's and join on in
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Wednesday, June 25

The changing of a kitchen

As I type this I am sitting at a fold up table in what was once my kitchen. Currently it is just a couple of bare walls with pipes and cords sticking out of them. Hopefully one day (in the not too distant future) it will again be a kitchen. It won't however really be my kitchen again for quite some time.


My kitchen for the next twelve months will be one that doesn't have any walls or running water or any manner of things that make a kitchen a kitchen. My kitchen will be one of simplicity and ease. It will cook only basic foods, but they will be tasty and good for us and easy.

There will be no waiting to have enough dirty dishes to put the dishwasher on. Instead children will be washing their plate/bowl/cup in a bucket of water as soon as they are done with it. Leaving it to dry for the next time they need to use it. Each will be responsible for their own and will quickly learn why it is better to wash immediately after use rather than leaving to later when leftover residue has dried and harden. This excites me no end.

The fact there will be no more gourmet coffee does not excite me but it is a price I am willing to pay. Right now though I need to focus more on the exciting things any way so I keep banishing that fact from my brain.

Looking around my disheveled home it feels like my life is in totally disarray. I mean the house is ordinarily disheveled but this is a different kind. This is the kind where more memories and feelings than you ever remembered having, have been dug up and tossed around. Leaving you to decide whether the evidence of them is worth holding onto or not.

Have I ever mentioned the possibility of the fact I may very well one day appear on that Hoarders TV show?

Luckily for me between Mr Awesome and my mother the producers are kept at bay. The pair of them have no qualms of throwing things out. At all. Which as much as my head knows is a good thing it breaks my heart at times.

Sigh.

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Friday, June 20

Starting the goodbyes

With our departure date looming ever closer the first of our goodbyes have begun. Which makes #ouradventureofalifetime suddenly feel rather real and just a little bit scary and overwhelming.

It has been a little over two years since we first started thinking about the possibility of just packing up and taking off. Initially it just felt like a pipe dream to encourage Mr Awesome to stay in a job that he was beginning to no longer love.


At that point he had been with the company for nearly eight years which meant the possibility of long service leave was rather attainable. Having just missed out on it with his previous employer Mr A was adamant he could stick around for a paid holiday this time. After all what was two years when you had all ready been there for eight?

Too say it has been a tough two years at times would be an understatement.

Watching the man you love get up before the sun and traipse off to do something that pretty much drove him to distraction only to return not long before the sun went down is not an easy thing to do. Though I guess it was slightly easier than being the one that had to actually work those long hours.

As of today Mr Awesome only has two weeks left at work. Two weeks!!!

Which means another two weeks after that we are well and truly meant to be on our way.

All of this came to light for me yesterday when I caught up with my brother. He lives interstate but flies in for work. Sitting down with him and working out when he would be in town next made we realised that it would probably be after we had left. And by that I mean the day after we hope to have left by is the day he flies in.

Which meant we had to say goodbye to him yesterday like we won't see him for nearly twelve months. Which was a little bit sad and exciting all rolled into one. And also for me, completely unexpected.

I had expected the first of the goodbye's to be today at Zany's school. Given it was the last day of term and all. We all know about plans and expectations...

At around 1.30 this morning Zany woke me up to ask for a sick bucket. She then asked me to empty it pretty much every half hour till the sun got up. Poor little thing, my heart felt like breaking for her. Yay for sick buckets and children that use them though.

Needless to say there was no school goodbyes for Zany today.

Just quietly though there is a part of me that feels that may not have been such a bad thing though. At recess I dropped a little gift and card off to the teacher to say thanks for all her work so far this year. Only I couldn't really get the words out as I was choking back on tears.

Like seriously. I can not believe what a cry baby I can be some days.

Sure she is a super lovely teacher and I really like her a lot, but I have barely spoken two words to her all year so why get teary now?

It does feel a bit strange though to have been at the school and part of the community for over 8 years and to be leaving without any sort of goodbye from anyone.

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Monday, June 16

Snapshots of Us - Week 24

Crazy huh? Two weeks in a row and I manage to share some of what we have been up too. Mind you with the long weekend leading into Zany's birthday week I have had plenty of time and opportunity to be snapping photos.

Though after gathering these photos I realised that I am no longer the only snapper in the house.


The birthday girl with big sister in tow. Apparently when you are 8 you are allowed to wear your big sister's lippy on special occasions (Read as when it suits big sister)


More of the birthday girl. This time a selfie while listening to your iPod. (Read as luckiest 8 year old around)

Finally, one I did take. The obligatory before birthday cake photo. (Read as making sure I had an ok photo of the birthday girl before the day was over)


A mum, her girl and a cool cake. What more can you ask for to make the day complete?


 When I was pregnant with Zany my dad kept asking me to keep her in till it was his birthday so they could share the special day. Despite being some 13 days late she was still two days early for dad's birthday. Which at the time made us all a bit sad but now I am more than glad it turned out that way.

Friday would have been dad's 85th birthday.

As he was cremated there is no grave to go and visit so mum likes to take some flowers to the place where his ashes were scattered. It is a beautiful place and happens to be the same place as where my brother said his wedding vows.

Unfortunately the tide was a bit low when we went on Friday. Which really bums my mum out but I quite liked the flowers laying on the sand for a while.



 After the flower throwing I took mum out to lunch in the city. There was a new restaurant she had been wanting to try and I know dad wouldn't have wanted us moping the day away.

Lunch was fantastic, mum had a duck salad and I a prawn wonton noodle soup. Yum, yum yum!

The week was rounded off with one of the best birthday parties ever!

Just between you and me by the time Zany's birthday comes around I am generally pretty done with the whole birthday thing. With Teapot and Lovely only ten days apart as well as all the other birthdays we seem to be a part of in the last three months I am just over it by the time June rolls around. Not to mention it is nearly the end of term and I am just done with everything in general.

Since we will be heading off soon though I figured this year she needed me to go all out. Or rather she needed me to outsource. While I still did the cake


all the other details were handed over to a play centre. One that just so happens to have laser tag.


Best. Idea. Ever! No cleaning the house before people come over, no cleaning the mess after people have gone, and no food prep either. Winning, winning winning. The excitement on all the girls little faces as they vested up was pretty awesome as well.

So there you have it. Our week in a nutshell.

This coming week is the last week at school and about three or four weeks till will leave for #ouradventureofalifetime. There is still so much to be done though. (Isn't there always?)
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Thursday, June 12

Thankful for so many little things

As another Thursday rolls on by I can't help but stop and be thankful. Even though I am no longer host of Thankful Thursday and even though there are quite a few blogs waiting for me to stop by and leave a comment I can't help but stop and share all that I am thankful for.

Firstly I am thankful that Sarah was only too happy to take over Thankful Thursday duties. I just know that she will do a most wonderful job. I am also pretty thankful that she already has a few links linked up.

Next I am thankful for getting away over the long weekend. Despite the effort both in preparation and upon the return it was well and truly worth the effort. I awoke on the second day feeling more rested than I can remember in a very long time. There were also lots of beautiful sister moments between the girls for which I was beyond thankful for. Sometimes when stuck between four walls they seem to do nothing but bicker and argue. Get them out amongst nature though and it is a completely different story.

Right now I am thankful for the delightful smell of chicken soup wafting through the house. Though technically it is just a chicken stock at this stage. I would be be thankful if a magic fairy would come along and cut up the remaining vegetables to turn it into soup but I fear she is otherwise preoccupied.

If by chance you are interested in making your own awesome chicken soup it just so happens I have shared the recipe here.

Other thanks this week go to Jodi for sharing this fantastic post earlier today. It was just the reminder that I needed to boost myself up again. While I may have been embracing failure a lot of late it has not necessarily been with the best of attitudes. I am thankful I took the time to finally watch that Jim Carey clip.

Yesterday Zany turned eight. I am thankful that she had such a wonderful day. With my mum in tow the girls skipped school and we headed to the museum to check out the Dinosaurs Alive exhibition which had recently opened.



Later that evening we went to dinner with my mum and Mr Awesome's parents and sister. I was thankful for a great meal and wonderful company. Mr Awesome Senior works away a lot so we don't always get to see him that much. I had forgotten at how much he makes me giggle. I was thankful that the girls had a chance to spend some time with him.

Finally I am thankful that I was able to find some magic tablets that at least make me feel a tiny bit better for a short amount of time. Hopefully long enough to get through my shifts at work.

What about you? What are you thankful for? 

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Wednesday, June 11

Sniffle, sniffle

With a rather large bowl of left over icing sitting in the fridge and plenty of skittles, m&m's and jaffas to use as decorations, I should probably be making cupcakes or something similar. Especially given it is a certain young lady's eighth birthday and all.

my rather awesome reproduction
of Zappo the Alien.
Since I have a head cold from hell and have just finished decorating a cake for after dinner tonight I will let myself off the hook. Still seems such a waste though...hopefully tomorrow will see me with slightly more enthusiasm.

Part of me feels like I have been fighting off this silly cold for nearly three weeks now. I refused to give into it earlier because of the City 2 Surf. After that it kinda felt like it disappeared but last night it came back with a vengeance and today there has been no chance of ignoring it even just a little. My nose has alternated between being blocked and dripping like a broken tap. Neither of which is all that exciting or appealing.

Normally I would weather the storm and not worry with cold and flu tablets. Given the whole birthday thing though, and the fact I have to work tomorrow night I thought that maybe I should give them a whirl. After about twenty minutes I began to feel marginally better and within the hour there was a marked improvement. Sadly it was all short lived. Here's to the second dose lasting longer.

Anyway enough of my whinging. The show must go on. And more to the point I must now get up and go to said dinner so we can eat Zappo.


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Tuesday, June 10

Getting Away

In a bid to have a relaxing weekend surrounded by the tranquility of our most favourite camping grounds Friday was a flurry of activity. As I mentioned in my late night ramble as I tried to unwind from it all there was much to be done before we could hit the road. 

There were last minute additions to camping gear and food to be purchased. Not to mention all the washing that needed to be done so that not only did we had clothes to take away with us but also some clean ones to return home to and the tidying up that I just knew I wouldn’t want to do up our return. I had no idea that the preparations necessary for relaxation were so intense.

Actually that is a lie. I did have, I has just selectively blocked it from my memory else we would never get away.

By all accounts Edna the Eagle (our caravan) should be fine with a bit of a rough track. While not technically an off road model her previous owners had modified the suspension and raised her higher of the ground than her factory floor sisters.  Before we actually set off on #ouradventureofalifetime though we wanted to give here a bit of a test run on some dirt that we were at least a little a familiar with.

The idea was to head out to Umbrawarra Gorge. A place that we have been to many times before that involves a rather exciting dirt track. Sure at three and a bit hours it was a bit of a drive but the thought spending some time at a place we all love so much made it seem worth the while.

apparently we weren't the only ones that thought
getting was a great idea
Given the long weekend we expected there to be lots of other like minded souls hitting the road. Though we did expect most of them to be choosing the road that led to the Barunga Festival. We were also under the misguided impression that few people knew of our destination.

After a break of day start that involved almost as much rushed and action packed movement as the previous day we were packed and ready to go only thirty minutes later than Mr Awesome’s requested departure time. Which to me feels like we basically left on time.

Ignoring Lovely’s pleas for Maccas and my desire for coffee we powered off. It was a bit of a lesson learnt for both of us. She was told to have breakfast before we left and due to me being up too late the night before I didn’t get up with enough time or energy to make coffee. Live and learn right?

After an hour on the road, which was slower than normal on account of excess traffic and pulling Edna, the cries for food from the back seat were hitting the unbearable level. The two younger ones had joined in with Lovely. It was like a strength in numbers kind of unison or something. They momentarily lapsed once we passed the final McDonalds but quickly picked it up again five minutes later.

Due to my lack of caffeine and my own rumbling tummy it wasn’t long before I quietly said to Mr A that I thought he should stop at the next roadhouse in the hope they sold egg and bacon sandwiches. I also reasoned it would be a great chance to break my fifty dollar note so as to make it easier to leave the camping fees in the honesty box that gives no change.

Apparently everyone else on the road was having the same conversation because when we arrived at said roadhouse it felt like half of Darwin was also there.

Sadly there were no egg and bacon sangas. Instead we had to make do with a couple of ham and cheese toasties plus some rather dodgy pork and cheese and beef and cheese ones. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that and at least it filled the gapping holes in our stomachs.

Little did I know though about it being a sign of things to come.

Eventually we made it to the turn off that would lead to our final destination. The highly anticipated dirt road to see just how sturdy old Edna really was. Mr A pulled over and took the stabilising sway bar thingies off and we were ready to go.

Oh my goodness and holy dooly.

For some reason the corrugation drove me insane. It went completely through me and left my poor little brain feeling like it was rattling around the empty hollows of my skull. Cue intense headache. All of which may possibly been related to the lack of caffeine for I was still without my daily hit. As luck would have it the road house coffee machine was out of order when we passed through.

To make matters even worse as we approached our beloved campsite we were greeted with the most horrid of sights.

Other people. And lots of them.

So many in fact there was no room for us!!

Cue complete and utter devastation.

After slowly trawling through the entire area it was evident that there was just no possible way we were able to squeeze ourselves in anywhere. And with that before I even had a chance to process what was going on Mr A was back on the dirt road and heading back to the highway.

“We will just go to Edith Falls” he said.

“If it is packed out here then what chance will we have at Edith?” I said. Trying to not take my disappointment out on him as deep down I knew it wasn't really his fault though I desperately wanted to hold him accountable.

All the while fielding questions from the girls as to why we have just turned around as opposed to getting out and setting up camp.

Tensions were high to say the least.

By the time we reached the highway my headache had multiplied tenfold and my patience had completely disappeared. I shut my eyes in a bid to make it all go away and save myself from having to answer any more questions or make any decisions. All this really did though was put my neck at a funny angle giving me a creak in my neck and something else to complain about.

So much for a relaxing getaway.

As we pulled into the entrance to the camping grounds at Edith Falls we couldn’t help but notice one of the gates was closed. The sign attached stated that there were no caravan spaces available only cars with tents and small vans. Mr A suggested we go in and talk to them just in case they could squeeze us in somewhere. Edna may have room for all of us but she by no means a huge space taker. Of course I shot him down in flames and stated we were not a tent nor a small van. A small van being an all in one unit that had beds on the back seat.

Given it had been nearly four hours since we left home he decided to pull over and give everyone the chance to stretch their legs and utilise the toilets. Lovely began asking for ice cream the moment she saw the kiosk. Her request quickly shot down in flames because I was just in the mood for saying no.

After relieving myself I began to feel marginally more human and when she asked again I was in a slightly better frame of mind and said why not. After all none of this was their fault and I did have some money in my pocket. The change in fact from the sandwiches earlier that was meant to be our camping fees.

I am so incredibly glad that I had a change of heart.

You see as we were paying for the ice cream another customer asked for a coffee. The attendant told her she would need to wait a few minutes till the boss, who was out seeing what sites were actually available, returned. This of course prompted me to ask if by chance there was any room for us. And would you believe it?

There was.

Hallelujah and praise the Lord. I almost instantly began writing my next Thankful Thursday post in my head.


Mind you my thankfulness was quickly on the way out when they said they had no Eftpos and it was cash only. Having just spent all my cash on ice-creams and all.

Thankfully though we were able to scrounge together enough from the bottom of my bag and Mr A’s wallet to see us through. Talk about edge of your seat though!


Of course getting to spend time hanging around here did make it all worth the while.

Check out my Snapshots of Us post for more images from the weekend and check out Essentially Jess for more great #IBOT posts
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Monday, June 9

Snapshots of Us - Weeks 22 & 23

As always it has been an action packed time in the APL household.

Starting with me completing my second City 2 Surf Fun Run. Not necessarily as fast as I would have like but all things considered I am pleased to have just got to the end. Or at least I am now.


Making the most of the long weekend for the Queen's birthday we hit the road and headed to Leliyn (Edith) Falls. Which is actually part of Nitmiluk National Park.


Where Mr Awesome got his duck face on.


Ok maybe we all got our duck face on.




 Sometimes there were just good old fashion forced photo smiles.


I know I may be a little biased but oh my goodness this girl is stunner. She totally melts my heart on a regular basis. She also drives me beyond total distraction but that post is for another day.


These two are also prone to melting my heart.


And when he is not duck facing Mr Awesome likes to photobomb.


Ok, so maybe he wasn't the only photobombed either.


A thumbs up from a champion little rock climber.


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Friday, June 6

A late night ramble


The machines are all quietly whirring away doing my chores for me, allowing me a few moments to sit with my own whirring mind.

Today (Friday, which is now actually yesterday) has felt like a never ending rush from here to there and back again. I am quite certain that I passed myself coming and going on more than one occasion.

If I was a sensible as I sometimes claim to be be I would not be here right now. Instead I would be snuggled up alongside Mr Awesome in the comfort of our bed. Allowing my poor weary body some much need rest. The opportunity to sit alone with my thoughts though was to good to pass up.

Thoughts and words have been floating around my head all evening.

As I wiped the harden breakfast cereal from the morning, off the table I had written the start of this post in my head at least five times over. Naturally, all of which sound better than what I have managed to produce right now.

That is always the way though.

It is easy to claim something which is not actually here is better than what really is. Much like it is easier to complain about oneself than give the praise which is more often than not more deserved.

I have been particularly harsh on myself of late. Some of which is possibly quite deserved, though all of is most definitely not. Deep down I do know that, but for the most part I am far to easy on myself, I let myself get away with far too much.

There are times when toughness is called for and that time for me is probably now. The tricky thing about being tough on yourself though is it must be done in a manner in which incites action. It is pointless to label all one's faults and not do anything about them.

For now though I am going to stop fighting sleep and get some of the rest I complain of lacking.
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Thursday, June 5

Thankful for my time as host

Thankful Thursday with A Parenting Life Johnny and Kenny are taking turns at singing their soul soothing songs in the background. It feels like forever since I have heard nothing but their gentle voices. They have the most amazing way of calming and centring my inner being. Everything currently feels right with the world regardless of what reality really says.

For eight wonderful months now I have had the pleasure of hosting Thankful Thursday. As I mentioned in my first post as host it in so many ways feels like a dream come true.

I have been sharing my gratitude in one shape or form on this blog this 2011, which was pretty much about the same time that I started to blog on a regular basis. I do honestly believe that taking the time to look for things to be thankful for makes you a happier person.


Next month our lives are going to be turned upside down. In a good way mind you. In fact in a we have been hoping and planning for this for quite some time kind of way actually. We will finally be hitting the road and beginning #ouradventureofalifetime. Where we pack up all our worldly possessions jump in the car and drive off into the sunset to explore this great land of ours. An opportunity I am all kinds of thankful for.

However since we plan on heading to some of the more remote areas this country has to offer there is a relatively large chance that there will be many an occasion where we don't have internet coverage. Which as you can imagine would make hosting a weekly link up rather tricky. Especially if you are a last minute Lucy such as myself and rarely have post written and scheduled in advance.

So this will be my last week of hosting Thankful Thursday.

I know that I am still in the land of internet for at least the next month but there is just so much that still needs to be done I am trying to relieve myself of as many pressures as possible. Not that hosting is a pressure, but I don't like not making it round to all those who join in and I just know computer time is going to limited while we do the final packing and preparing.

Never fear though I have found a fabulous new host who will be taking over as of next week.

She is a fellow blogger and regular thanker that has truly embraced the art of being thankful and I just know she will be a fantastic host. Though you are going to have to click the link to find out who she is! I am so thankful that she agreed to take this on.

So what else am I thankful for this week?

- being given an extension for my assignment
- my mum having Teapot so I can have some chance of actually getting my assignment done
- all the beautiful comments left on my whingey whiney post the other day
- being able to book Zany a birthday party at a play centre with only a week's notice
- finding a brand new only used for a few hours little Macbook Air on Gumtree at a brilliant price
- having the money to get said Macbook
- Mr Awesome helping out with the cooking and cleaning as much as he does
- coffee
- having a few days off work
- all the beautiful bloggers that each week joined in with this little old linky and made me feel all kinds of special

Now you,

and don't forget to head here next week to share your thanks

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