A little bit of taking stock

One of those catch a bit of everything posts, always with thanks to Pip from Meet Me At Mikes for the inspiration. These are such a nice way to get a snapshot of how things are, right now. So anyway, taking stock.

Making: popcorn, playdough, bread, yummy treats, rice porridge amongst other things. But bread! We finally made bread, being completely inspired by our playgroup bread-making endeavours and it's just divine. I won't think about the gluten or the carbs but it's very hard not to over indulge. 

Cooking: loads of yummy things from the beautiful recipe book My Darling Lemon Thyme. This book is just so perfect for us now, I'm really moving away from dairy and I've always got a preference for gluten free. We seem to be very stuck in the sweet pages but the savoury dishes I've tried have been wonderful too. 

Drinking: mostly rosehip tea, the odd chai and a milo here and there. No coffee. It's been 9 days now (counting much?) and I do miss it, but the feeling of being more settled in my energy is making up for it. But still, that smell...

Reading: a lot of books at once! I must be playing catch up for the years of not really reading anything much. Will I Ever Be Good Enough? and Women Who Run With the Wolves and Don't Let Anything Dull Your Sparkle (to name a few).

Feeling: a bit all over the place. Like I want to move, but like I need to stay. Counting down the months, contemplating where to go. 

Deciding: that I will start getting to bed earlier.

Enjoying: learning about pretty light and all sorts of other wonderful photography things in The Photo School online course. All the simple things that are really important without all the wordy hard-to-understand photographer speak. If you're wanting to get more out of your photos, even just your phone snaps, this is brilliant.

Waiting: for a parcel in the post.

Liking: that my little shop is doing better than I have ever thought. Not that I ever really thought very much ahead and I've a list a mile long of improvements I'd like to make, but still. I am happy with how it's going, and still having so much fun doing it.

Loving: snuggles on the couch with popcorn or milo and books. Those moments, usually super early in the morning or when a little one can't sleep at night. Some of my absolute favourite times.

Pondering: new running shorts. Short shorts (but not super short) or 3/4? I'm not sure yet.

Considering: staying or going. I have itchy feet and I'm just not feeling it in this place. I've been wondering and wondering what it is, but in truth I think it's just being surrounded by too much concrete and not enough nature.

Watching: nothing. No TV and not enough time to watch anything on the internet!

Hoping: that we might get a little more rain soon.  

Marvelling: at my little boy, as always. So much goes on in that mind, so much thinking, I can see the wheels ticking over. 

Needing: a food processor. I don't own one, I have never owned one, and I think I've reached that point in my adult life where I need a food processor.

Smelling: a dog that needs a wash, freshly baked bread, intensely flowering photinia. 

Wearing: my new op shop top. Fifty cents, and I love it, and when it gets covered in whatever is all over my little boy's hands, I'm not fussed.

Following: my little boy around, mostly.

Noticing: how much more flexible my body is, and how much better my energy flows with a bit of yoga most days. I love it, where has this been all my life?

Knowing: that I am in control of this thing called my life, and if I want it to be the life I want, I had better get off my backside and make it so.

Thinking: that I need to improve the fencing between the chicken section of the back yard and the kiddo section. There's too much breaking into the other side, on both sides, for my liking.

Feeling: the pull to be back in the country. It's not a huge place we're in but there's more concrete than I'm used to and and itching to be on the move. 

Sorting: oh, you know. Just my life.

Buying: a lovely pampering body scrub, a gorgeous goddess-like crystal pendant, toy trucks, little hats for little heads. Special popcorn bowls from the op shop.

Disliking: chickens scratching up little seedlings... Just the usual minor life dramas of chicken versus vegetable garden. But since I'm learning to detach from drama perhaps I'll just sip my rosehip tea and say 'om'. 

Giggling: with wonderful people about silly things, and remembering how good it feels to have a good laugh. 

Snacking: on nuts and dried fruits, mostly. The odd biscuit that really doesn't need to be there. But, since I have just given up coffee and chocolate in one hit, I'm letting it slide. I'm not sure I've truly 'given up' chocolate either, maybe just having an extended break to detox. 

Dreaming: of building a strawbale house in the country, with all the eco mod-cons - north facing, loads of natural light, thermal mass, double glazing, efficient (wood) heating, solar, rainwater tanks... the list goes on. With space for us to live happily, but not huge by any means. Chooks, vegies, fruit trees, horse + pony, people, internet, lavenders. 

Hearing: quiet all around me, and the sound of a cat eating dinner. It's peaceful.