Monday Mantra

Camping on the coast

During the holidays we took the boys on a quick camping trip down the coast. We decided to try somewhere new and as it was a last minute decision and the school holidays most of the camping grounds close by were booked out. 

We wanted somewhere within 2 hours of home, lots of trees and space, somewhere the camp sites were not too close together and the beach nearby. I also needed an amenties block + hot showers. 

I'm more of a glamper than a camper! ;)

We found a great spot in the Killalea State Park that met all our needs. We set up camp, had lunch then headed to the beach for the afternoon. We headed to Mystics beach, it was a bit of a hike down the hill to the beach but worth it for the open space, great waves and a visit from some dolphins + a crab! There is also another beach nearby called The Farm if you want to try something different.

After the beach we all had hot showers to wash the sand off and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon. You could tell that Summer was over as it got dark quite early and you could feel the chill in the air. It was a bit of a shock to the system after our seemingly endless hot weather!

The sunset through the trees was amazing. Those colours....

As we were trying to keep things easy for ourselves we didn't pack a lot of food to make meals.

 Just mainly breakfast cereal, milk, drinks, bread, snacks/fruit and we decided to go into the nearest town Shellharbour to pick up some fish n chips for dinner. 

There is a cafe near the campsite called the Farm Cafe but they closed early afternoon. We did grab a coffee from here the next morning but the coffee was terrible! So couldn't really recommend it.

We stayed for 2 nights and the boys loved having the space to run around and "explore" 

I forgot how early you go to bed when you're camping, it must be that fresh air that gets you tired! As the boys and I got ready for bed and snuggled down for the night, Simon took a photo of the tent and night sky from outside with his GoPro. It looked beautiful and warm glowing in the night.

The glow was given by a few strings of lights hanging down from the tent pole.

They're battery run ones I got from Typo a few years ago.

The tent still fits us all as a family of 5 and even with the boys getting bigger. We have 1 x double inflatable mattress in there for Simon and I and 3 x single mattresses for the boys and there is still tons of space. We have the 4m bell tent from Wild Things.

I always take sheets and a doona for Simon and I but the boys are happy with sleeping bags on top of their mattresses. All our clothes and toiletries are kept in the car to free up space in the tent.

We also set up a portable 3m x 6m gazebo for shade + shelter, it has sides that can drop down to protect from the wind if needed

Have you been camping lately? Any favourite camping spots you'd like to share?

A special milestone - a 70th birthday

On the weekend we celebrated a very special milestone for my father in law, his 70th birthday. 

As the family is spread out over the world at the moment we couldn't all get together so on the weekend we got the Sydney crew together for dinner to wish him the happiest of birthdays. 

I've popped some photos up below of the night.....

To decorate the table I shopped my cupboards and pulled out my go to tree stumps as a base. I then added a few cactus + succulents for greenery and the copper mugs added some warmth. I then added the "Paul" blocks to personalise the setting. I  find it difficult to create centrepieces for our round table as it is quite large so you need something substantial. Also it has to be low so it doesn't obsure guests faces and make conversation difficult. I'll keep searching for ideas!

The letter boards were a great way to display the cocktail of the night and a special birthday message I found on Pinterest.

Shop the look......

Our round table was an amazing op shop find. You don't find this size often!

Tree stump offcuts - Big W a few years ago. 

Wooden blocks - Kmart

Chairs - Fantastic Furniture 

Copper Mugs - Big W a few years ago

Gold Cutlery - Big W

Gold cake stand - Domayne

Foil balloons - Big W

Letter Boards - Alpha Board Co