goodbye plastic!

as of june this year, the major grocery stores here in australia are discontinuing plastic bags. hooray! this is awesome news, as obviously they aren't good for the environment... and will create so much less non-biodegradable waste.

i am already well stocked with reusable grocery bags, in every shape and colour... but was never able to kick the use of the bags available in the fresh produce section. i had seen some awesome bags online, nice tight mesh ones with a ribbon tie/ tip etc top... but they were all sooo expensive!

mum to the rescue. she arrived this week with these great bags she'd just "whipped up" (and if you know my mum, that's not even an exaggeration!) out of an old curtain. they are soft and thin enough to tie the top rather than the added weight of an attached closure and weigh just 10g each! 

i'm so stoked... off i go with all my reusable bags... 

mum, you are the best!

supermum

it has come to my attention that my mother is basically supermum... i show her something i like, and next minute she presents me with an awesome copy of it. exhibit a... i am reading em falconbridges blog and see her particulary cool circle scarf, now i'm no fan of pink (rather inconvenient being that i just gave birth to a girl) but i found this awesome as piece of green stretchy material at the op-shop in singleton a few months ago and could see it becoming one of these scarves one day. so i show mum the fabric and the picture here and voila! one cool as circle scarf, which has barely left my neck since!

oh - and did i mention the awesome bag i found on etsy - that she also copied. honestly - my mum is awesome, can copy anything and saves me bulk cash when i have my heart set on something. what a legend. love you mumsie! xx

mothers day...

as a child, along with most other young girls, i had my baby dolls and rocked them and put them to bed in my cradle. i thought of the things i would say to my own children when the day came and the names i would give them and of the things i would teach them. all of this influence came from my own wonderful, precious mother. she is the dearest person to my heart and the greatest friend i have ever had in this life. the woman who would drop anything to come to my side - even now as i am a grown woman, and still knows the songs of my heart and sings them with me. without my mother, i would never have seen the perfect love that radiates between my father and her - and never have desired to have that for myself one day. she taught me of temple marriage and of eternal love, which i have now been blessed with in my own life. she is truly a blessing to me and i am grateful for her each and every day of my life. my own mother, my best friend. if i can be half the woman and half the mother she is, i will certainly be doing well in this life.

i love you babs! happy mothers day!

and this time next year - i'll be a mother... scary thought - but i can't wait!! :)

mumsie

i don't think i have ever in my life had a better friend than this crazy woman. my mother is the coolest person i know. by far. looking at her is pretty much like looking in a mirror that predicts the future... and i am totally okay with the results.

mum had her 57th birthday on saturday (sorry to give away your age mum!) and i swear she still has more energy than me. she cooks better than any restaurant i know, makes awesome clothes, quilts, bags, bears... (you name it - and she's tried it - or is still making it!) and is always there when i need her - and even sometimes when i don't. haha... one of my gfs knew from facebook that mums bday was on sat and i was jokingly chastised that our new work photocopier had received it's own post and that mum didn't rate a mention.

so here you are babs! your very own post. all about you.

barbara gwendoline was born in subiaco, wa, to parents gwendoline madge and roy stanley marshall on 17 july 1953. she became older sister to julie ann, brian roy and john stanley (who sadly didn't make it past a month) in the years to come.

at the tender age of 11, babs informed her mum that she was "in love with neil goodlet" and "going to marry him one day" much to nannas amusement. the day however did come - 7 years later in november 1971 when she and neil were married in the lds chapel in preston point rd bicton after dad popped the question "barbara, if i asked you to marry me - what would you say??"

mum was all but finished her hairdressing apprenticeship when baby number 1 arrived - jared leon on feb 1973, followed by aaron judd 2 years later - jan 1975 - and then two more kiddies isaac neil in may 1981 and saving the best for last - jade ellen in dec 1983. definately the best christmas present she ever got. mum told me once after 3 boys, she was so convinced that there would be another one that a girls name for me hadn't even been chosen - and i was going to be "jacob seth".

mum has had lots of jobs in recent years - but has always been the best at just being a mum. i couldn't ask for a better one - and if i do turn into you in years to come, like the boys keep predicting... i am sure i'll be okay - and cope quite well :)

i love you mum!

happy birthday - and may there be many more

xx

happy mums day!

mum and i at jared and donnas wedding

i love my mum.

everything about her.

can't even begin to tell you why and how much

but... for any of you that know her already - you'll understand...

she's perfect -

and i wouldn't change her for anything

happy mothers day babs!!!!