Notes from Daisy Mountain back on line!!!!

I cannot believe it has been almost a year since my last blog post!!

Thank you to The Old Dairy for getting me moving and motivated again. I love facebook I think it is a great way to stay in contact with people in "sound bites" - but for a meaningful coffee worthy, relaxing time at the computer nothing beats reading a blog post and being involved in a friends life.

Not sure whether sustainable living is still my main theme for here - things have taken a distinctly consumeristic turn of late with me working 6 days a week (and for the last 29 days - 7 days a week).

But there are some volunteer cherry tomatoes growing over the old chook pen, and some of those yummmy purple and white beans rambling over the lantana in the back of vegetable garden - and I did plant some white with purple spots sweet potatoes I got from a client the other day so I guess I can claim some credibility.

As for the quilting - I have started a new mystery quilt, finished hand quilting that single bed one and am half way through another one. The good news is one of my dear friends is quilting all my finished tops for me (well all but 2!) so soon I will have lots of new photos to show you all.

Family wise there have been some changes two of the oldest boys daisyson 23 and daisyson 19 moved out about three months ago - and hey presto the house is staying tidy, the electricity bill is cut by a third and the washing is now manageable! I miss them like mad but they are happy and healthy and living not too far away. And for the first time in 15 years we have a"normal" size family.

Work wise - I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job, I work in the best office with the best people and everyday is a joy. I have managed to sell over $5,000,000 worth of real estate in one year which is right in line with the goal I set myself so I am pretty happy.

Lifestyle wise things have changed a bit too Daisyman has a new job - the grown up job you apsire to when you reach middle age kind of job - it is a credit to him and his expertise and he is loving it. But I had a few months of being able to rely on him for picks and drop offs and now that has changed so my work day begins after I drop off daisyson 9 and daisyboy6 and finishes at 2:30 when I leave the office to collect them.

For about a week I panicked and moped about it, then I realised it gives me more time here in Daisy Mountain - to do things like the garden, the housework etc. - not that I have done any of that yet - but that is the plan - lol.

But seriously it is nice to be home to cook a proper meal and I am back in touch with the kids again - I was spending so much time at work that I missed liturgies sports days all sorts of things. So this new change has given me my mummy time back.

All this happened about four weeks ago right about the time I came down with whooping cough so I have been feeling dreadful - but that is now well and truly under control and getting better - so this week today is the start of a new kind of balance.

And I am relying on all of you to remind me about it when you see me straying back to workaholic mode.

So that is me and the last year in a nutshell - I hope you are as happy as I am that I am back in blogland.

Daisymum7

Real Estate Sales Me

I know - it has been ages but I have been trying to come to grips with my new role. The new office is wonderful and the staff are all incredibly professional, caring, and generous people..it is nice to be working there.

Work -I have had some mild success I signed up my very first property to sell in just two weeks, and it will be an auction ( so if any of you are looking for a lifestyle change - watch out for a tearoom, residence and vacant block for that organic vegetable garden - all just 35 minutes from Brisbane CBD). Work wise things are great.

House - the dust storm, school holidays and me working my little behind off (more about that in a later paragraph) have taken a toll on my home - remember those "honesty shots" almost a year ago??? Well the sewing room looks not quite as bad as that but the garden is worse. One day a week just isn't enough to keep everything under control.

Vegetable Garden - what vegetable garden? I have a few stalks of silverbeet, loads of Kale - (thanks Rhonda that stuff just grows its head off!!! been using it in spinach pie type things and fritattas.) And there are some volunteer tomatoes which are the sweetest tasting tomatoes I have ever grown so not exactly sure where they came from!!!!

Garden - the roses are blooming their heads off and the hedge row roses have their first flush of flowers - they are so lovely they only flower for about three weeks a years but when they do it is gorgeous, and the jacaranda is coming out in bloom as well so the garden - from a distance- looks pretty good.

Me - I went to the agents launch of a property the other day and was sent some photos - I knew I was fat but oh my gosh so am embarking on a look after me campaign. Started eating breakfast again, packing snacks and lunch, booked in for yoga on Mondays and will walk/run five times a week. My new boss is very keen on the idea of incorporating your fitness times into your weekly schedule - so I booked myself in for a Seasonal Way seminar on Thursday this week a kick start to looking after myself and guess what ? He starts an eight week sales training session that day!!!!!

Sewing - what sewing? The photo at the top of the page is an original design put out under my business name Daisy Mountain Designs - it has sold very well and I love walking into someones sewing room and seeing it up on the wall.....but there are times when I can't believe that I designed it and found the time to stitch it and package it and well be creative.

The Moral of this Post - if health is all about balance and moderation - I am taking up woodwork to learn how to make a big box - because I am going to need it!!!LOL Oh don't get me wrong I eventually get everything done and everything under control but there is always something that has to give including blogging but mostly it is me and what I need or want to do. I think I have discovered that the purpose of my life this time around is learning to find balance - if I was a cynic I would say I might have to live this life a few thousand more times before I get it right.

But as in all large jobs it is easier to break it down so for today I will blog, I will walk/run, I will take my lunch and snacks to work, I will hand quilt tonight in front of tv, I will wash the kitchen floor before I go to work today, and when I bring the boys home from school I will plant the blueberries, cranberries and Taro I bought three weeks ago!!!!

Have a wonderful day...I know I will

daisymum

The Fluid nature of our lives.....

More changes on the way here at Daisy Mountain, work changes this time. Very soon I will be working five days a week from 8.30am until 2.55pm (so I can race down the street and pick up the little boys from the bus stop in the Village) This means the daisyboys won't even realise I am at work I can drop them off to school, go to work pick them up off the bus and still have a few hours in the afternoon to get some gardening, sewing, cleaning, organising, and cooking done. The best thing is I won't be working Saturdays!!!!!!!!!!!! (well not every one anyway)

And in a few months I will find someone who I can train to do Wednesdays (Patchworkers Day) and Saturdays for me and then I will only work four days a week, which will give me a day to help out at school, or just chill out at home.

The other change is the closing of my little alterations and mending business, I have taken the ad out of the local paper, am referring my clients to someone else and.......................I sold my industrial machines! Now in my little sewing room there are two big holes where the monsters used to reside. I am very excied to be able to have more room and finally a cutting table in the room and space for the ironing board which has been living a "nomadic" existence since they arrived.

It looks bare but full of promise - Thursday I will get in and clean it again and re organise things.

My sewing room was the project I worked on as my mother was dying, we had it built it and in the days before her funeral I undercoated it and for weeks after I painted and painted and organised and shuffled, it became a real haven for me. Once I started working it became more of a house of horrors, every time I walked in there I felt guilty and a tad panicked as I looked at all I had to finish. Now that that pressure is gone it has become my haven again and I really really enjoyed sewing that quilt last week I am inspired and motivated and relaxed. Sewing once again becomes my refuge not my source of guilt.

So as with all things my life is flowing and changing into something quite different. And there is at leat one other new challenge that may come my way in a few weeks time but more on that if it happens. I would never have believed that once daisyboy4 was off to prep my life would take such turns and twists! I feel very alive.

Have a wonderful day

daisymum

Still here!!!!

Well I am still here but the last week has gone in a blur. I have only worked my scheduled days this week and I am pleased I put in the effort to spend the extra time last week at work becasue now I have things mostly tidied and can just walk in and start work without all the mess around me - SIMPLIFYING - DECLUTTERING - only this time at work.

Home ? well that quote that I am fond of giving to others about being a great mother, a fantastic wife and a wonderful business woman - just not all on the same day....has really come back to bite me in the behind. Boy it is SO TRUE - I think girl children should have it tattooed on their forearm at birth!!!!!!

Neverhteless as I read this I realise I still have my sense of humour something that was sorely lacking in the fog that was last week.

So today daisyson17 is 18 - henceforth he shall be referred to as daisyson18. Below is a photo of his birthday cake...complete with HSV commodore to adorn the top - we found it at Kmart for about $3 the other day heaven only knows how old it is and how long it has been there but chocolate is chocolate and holdens are holdens and $3 is small price to pay for my car mad son to have it on his cake.

I have a few more posts in the wings I decided the only way I am going to keep up is to write some ahead of time then include all the daily ramnblings when I pull it up to post....this may sound like cheating but I call it organisation from now on I need even more of that than before.

People are still bringing me their alterations and honestly I think I am going to have to can that part of my life except in a few rare circumstances I just don't seem to have time to get everything done with working. I have another load of pre fold nappies to make and a skirt to take up and another little repair job. I guess I will just have to get used to the idea that I won't be able to turn things around in a few days and people seem happy to wait so maybe I will see how it goes for a while.

Okay off to have a swim in the dam it is over 30 here already this morning - then we have a relaxing day of friends coming over (one of my quilting buddies and her kids), a bbq lunch and just kicking back and relaxing. Tomorrow well that is whole other story...............

daisymum