2019

A belated Happy New Year!

I've well and truly been in holiday mode for the last couple of months. 

It's been lovely to disconnect for a while and enjoy the easy, sunny days with the family.

I've been meaning to pop in and post a quote that resonated with me regarding my goals for 2019.

I guess I'm starting my year at the end of January when the boys are back at school.

January was just a practice month! ;)

Hello 2018

We rang in the new year with a quiet night at home watching the fireworks from our backyard.

It was all about glow sticks, sparklers and the 5 of us as we said good bye to 2017 and hello to 2018.

Wishing you all a wonder 2018!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Just popping in to say hello and wish you peace, love and laugher for 2017.

I'm easing into the year and making the most of the holidays with the boys so I haven't really thought about my resolutions or goals for the new year yet.  Reality can wait!

I'm hanging on to those lazy holiday vibes for as long as possible ;)

Do you have any goals or aspirations for the new year yet?

Hello 2016.

We've had a lovely couple of days saying goodbye to 2015 and welcoming in 2016.

We had a quiet New Year's Eve day at home swimming in the pool and taking it easy. 

We popped out to gather a few supplies for our celebration at home. Champagne, sparklers, party poppers etc. All the essentials! Everyone was very keen to stay up til midnight and celebrate.

I managed to grab some photos of us and the boys before we drove down to Manly to meet up with some family to watch the 9 o'clock fireworks.  I thought the boys would fall asleep in the car on the way home but they were still going strong!

Noah lasted about 15 minutes at home before heading to bed but Finn and Jasper stayed up til midnight and rang in the new year with us. 

We toasted each other with sparkling Appletiser out of plastic champagne glasses and the boys felt very grown up as we shared our resolutions and hopes for 2016. It was really lovely.

I love the feeling of a fresh start and endless possibilities.

The lightbox this morning reflected the extra day this year due to it being a leap year!

We started off the new year with a beach day.

Blue skies and the ocean were the perfect beginning to 2016.

How were your NYE celebrations?  How did you spend your first day of 2016?

The words below describe how I am feeling about this year.

Happy New Year - 2016

Happy New Year!

Wishing you an amazing 2016.

A new year.

366 beautiful mornings and starlit evenings.

52 promising weeks.

12 transformative months full of possibilities.

Doesn't that sound wonderful?

I love a fresh start and the excitment of infinite possibilities xx

*it's a leap year hence the 366!

Inspiration for your New Year's Eve celebrations

I can't believe we are at the last day of 2015. Where has the year gone?!

As we look forward to the exciting idea of a fresh start, resolutions and new adventures ahead, it is only fitting that we welcome in 2016 with a celebration on New Year's Eve.

We will be having a relaxing day and dinner at home before heading down to Manly to watch the 9 o'clock fireworks with the boys. I love to celebrate an occasion so even though we will be having a simple night I will be adding some special touches.

Sparklers and party poppers have been bought, champagne and nibbles are waiting in the fridge, glow sticks are ready to wave around and 2016 crowns are waiting to be worn. 

Below I've put together a few ideas to inspire your own New Year's Eve celebrations - 

At home celebrations are even better when the drinks table is nearby and the champagne is on ice within easy reach.

Simple decorations like streamers or banners can really set the party mood.

I love this drinks table. A big bowl of punch for people to help themselves.

 One day I will get around to doing the champagne bubble wall!

I always like to do a welcome cocktail. This jug of strawberry sangria looks delish!

Recipe here. Or you can try my favourite white wine sangria. Recipe here

You can't go past a big board of antipasto to nibble on.

The roasted beet hummus looks divine! That colour! Recipe here

A casual but cute outfit. Leopard dress from here, the rest found here

How fun would it be to set up a photo booth to capture some memories of the night? 

Dessert on a stick is always a hit!

Or an easy no bake dessert. Recipes here

I love the idea of having a movie area to keep the kids entertained.

Or maybe a picnic surrounded by balloons?!

What are your plans for New Year's Eve?

I hope you all have an amazing night!

2015

Happy New Year my lovely friends!

I love the feeling of a fresh start and you can't get much fresher than a new year.

I don't have a big list of resolutions or things I want to achieve.

I think the message below sums up how I want to go through 2015. 

There is always room for adjustments along the way and changes for new goals that may arise.

Pretty simple really :)

What do you hope to achieve in 2015?

Happy New Year - 2014

I hope you all had a wonderful night last night ringing in the new year. Our's was very low key and spent just us at home. We had a few drinks and nibbles, popped on some tunes and hung out with the boys. Even Noah stayed up to see the 9pm fireworks. We had a great view of the fireworks at the beach from our deck. We lit sparklers and let off our poppers and talked about our resolutions.  I haven't made many, as last year was so great I just want it to keep on going. Why change things?
Here are a few pics from last night

Pop Fizz Clink, mini bottles of Moet, glitter coasters, corn chips & mexican dip, sparklers & streamers, big smiles & dreams 

I hope 2014 is all you wish it to be. Happy New Year x

2013 and my "word"

So we spent a quiet New Years Eve at home with the kids this year.  As we were waiting for the midnight fireworks I thought about the New Year and my resolutions. 

While I have a long list of things I would like to achieve I also wanted to come up with a word to live by this year. Something to guide me in everything I do. The word that kept coming to me was Savour.

I think I was looking for something that would make me stop and appreciate the little things in the midst of the busyness of day to day life.

Savour - to delight in, to revel in, appreciate, experience, luxuriate in, relish, partake.

I want to savour the moments with family and friends. Make more time to catch up and maintain close connections. 

I want to savour the bliss of a good book, those nights where I stay up reading while the rest of the house sleeps.

I will try to savour the little things, new stationery, time to sit and read a magazine, fresh sheets, cuddles with the boys, sharing a love of The Real Housewives with Simon - laughing over the silliness of these women, delicious food, oh so many things to savour and really appreciate.

Savour,it's a good word. 

Have you chosen a word for yourself this year?

Happy New Year !!

Wishing you all the most happiest New Year.  I hope 2013 is a wonderful one for you all, full of love, happiness and fulfillment.
2012 was one of the best for me as we had our precious little Noah and our family felt complete. We revelled in the love and bliss of our little unit. Time flew this year and I tried to savour every moment.
Finn and Jasper grew in leaps and bounds with new skills and confidence and it was wonderful to watch. Simon and I celebrated 13 years of marriage and enjoyed making changes to the house with our renovations. We took great pride in the home and family we had created together.
Next year promises to be another huge year with Jasper starting school, Finn starting Yr 5 at a new school, Noah celebrating his first birthday and some overseas travel for a friends wedding thrown in too. Along with general life I'm sure we are going to be super busy!
I have made my usual list of resolutions for the new year. Although for 2013 the list is probably the longest it has ever been. Realistically I don't know how I will achieve it all but it should be fun trying :)
My health and fitness is a priority and consistency is the key. I know what to do I just have to do it! 
I would also like to take the time to catch up with friends and family more. Time goes by so fast and the months fly by between catchups. More socialising this year I think!  Time out with just Simon is on the list too. Maybe a regular date night every fortnight. It's so nice to just have that time together.
I want to also do little courses that interest me, like the one's at The School or try to learn a new skill. Something easy and quick though :) I just want to have a little something for myself that is just frivolous and serves no purpose except to make me happy!!
I will also be stepping up the School mum bit and doing canteen and reading groups as well as taking Noah to gymbaroo and playgroup in a few months. 
I am going to start meal planning as well next year, as I hate that "what's for dinner" feeling. I've already bought my Kikki K meal planner and I had the idea that I should go through my beautiful cookbooks and decide to maybe make a couple of recipes a week out of them to introduce a bit of variety. Maybe one week could be Donna Hay, the second Jamie Oliver etc etc. Hmmm, could be a blog post in that!
As you can see I want to do it all! I know the wheels will fall off but it will all be trial and error and seeing what works. It's all part of the fun! I love a list :)
So Happy New Year. Thank you for sharing in one of my most special years. Are you making any resolutions? Tell me one :)