Cresting The Hill

LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW YEAR

Wednesday 30 December 2015

THE YEAR AHEAD

It's nearly the new year. 2016 is just around the corner and I can't wait to leap in and see what it has in store for me. I wrote about some of the good things and the changes that 2015 brought with it, so I am keen to see what lies ahead. I'm not usually so positive about where I'm heading, but this year it just feels right to look forward instead of back to what has been and gone.

AFTER THE KIDS CAME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Monday 28 December 2015

What it's like after the kids have returned for Christmas - expectations and reality. #Christmas #expectations

RE-DEFINING CHRISTMAS

A week or so ago I wrote a post here about the anticipation of having our adult children and their spouses come home for Christmas. Christmas is now behind us and they've left to go back to their own homes and lives....but not before I do a recap of what this family Christmas meant to me!

this is what CHRISTmas is all about

Thursday 24 December 2015

Sometimes in all the hustle and bustle of Christmas it's good to take a moment to remember why we celebrate this special day. I saw this beautiful and moving clip on Youtube and had to share it because it is what the CHRISTmas story is really all about.

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS WHEN YOU'RE IN MIDLIFE

Wednesday 23 December 2015

When you reach Midlife, you realize that Christmas is all about family. #midlife #Christmas

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO MIDLIFERS

I think I am on the same page as most women my age when it comes to Christmas - it's not about the presents or the colour co-ordinated decorations or the carols or the Christmas lights, what Christmas truly is about is family. The nativity family and the joy of a Saviour born to save the world, but also our own little families that gather together to celebrate this special time.

SUFFERING FROM A BAD CASE OF P.O.P.D

Tuesday 22 December 2015

the perfect Christmas - and I'm just a little POPD

OBSESSIVE CHRISTMAS DISORDER

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw a quote (on Pinterest of course) asking for forgiveness for the person's OCD problem. I thought that I was the only person around with OCD - Obsessive Christmas Disorder. I can't help myself... I like my Christmas tree to look balanced and colour coordinated - with a different colour scheme each year. I'm not a decorator or stylist by any means, but I have a very orderly mind and there are certain things that are required when putting up the tree.

WHEN THE "KIDS" COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Friday 18 December 2015

A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS

I've always been guilty of wanting a Very Brady Christmas - it's one of the first things I ever blogged about because I've had to learn the lesson that real life Christmas and Brady Christmases rarely intersect. I've learned over the years to accept whatever I can get in family time over the holiday break and be grateful that I see my children for whatever time they can fit me in.

FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT

Wednesday 16 December 2015

THE OFFICE MOTTO

The expression "fake it til you make it" was something I heard back in the days when I worked at a government call centre. Because it was the government, there were always changes to policy and new stuff popping up every day. It could all be a little daunting at times. Team coaching was a big part of the culture of the organization and this was a catch cry that our team was taught.

an excuse is worse than a lie

Tuesday 15 December 2015

An interesting thing about having my mother staying with me is seeing how my values have changed over the years. Every so often she will say something from a world view that is completely alien to me, one I realize that I grew up with but have moved on from as I have become my own person.

my awards, features, podcasts and where I party with my blog

AWARDS, FEATURES, PODCASTS AND MORE

Sharing some of the wonderful awards Cresting the Hill has received, as well as where my writing has been featured and a the podcasts I've been interviewed on. It's such a joy to have my work appreciated and shared by others.

looking back before looking forward

Friday 11 December 2015

The end of the year brings with it a time of reflection and I'm sure there will be a lot of blogs looking back over the year that has been and almost gone. I think it's good to look back in a positive way - not to regret what's happened, but to look at how far we've come over the 12 months that have passed.

keeping the connection alive

Wednesday 9 December 2015

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my mum is staying with us for a month or so after having knee replacement surgery. It has been a steep learning curve having her living in our (previously) empty nest and it has made more of an impact on my relationship with my husband than I would have expected.

BLOGGING - BEGINNINGS, MIDDLES AND ENDS

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Never compare your beginning with someone else's middle. Blogging is a long process - you need to love it for what it is - not for the fame you thought it would bring you. Enjoy the ride and stop comparing. #blogging

DON'T COMPARE

I have been a fan of Jon Acuff for many years - his "Stuff Christians Like" blog was one of the first blogs (in fact it was THE first blog) I ever read regularly. He has since moved on and done lots of other amazing stuff - but in that blog he often came up with some excellent one-liners and the quote below was one of them.

WHERE I'M FROM

Friday 4 December 2015

A few months ago I read the poem by George Ella Lyon titled "Where I'm From" and then found that it had been used as inspiration for a writing exercise.

SIMPLE AND TO THE POINT - NO MORE SHRINKING

Wednesday 2 December 2015

It's taken me 50 years to realize that I don't have to make myself small and quiet - or to conform to what I think others want from me. I can be "me"

NO MORE SHRINKING

I'm not going to say much in this post, I think Daniell Keopke says it all. If you've got a moment, read the quote above all the way through, it is the summing up of how I have felt all my life - always making myself less to fit in with the expectations of others. I've come to see my midlife as my time for claiming back who I truly am - the real "me". The words "I am done shrinking" is what my life now is all about.

"My thoughts matter. My feelings matter. My voice matters." This is so true and so profound and simply states what life is about for me today. No more seeking approval from others and no more choosing to shrink myself to fit in their little boxes. No, I am doing my best to be the authentic "me" who is brave enough to say "take me or leave me, but this is who I am!"

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME

Tuesday 1 December 2015

WHO I AM

Hi! I'm Leanne and I live in the southwest of Western Australia - about 2 hours drive south of Perth (our capital city). I blog about enjoying Midlife and the empty nest, early retirement, and thriving in your 50's and 60's. I'm loving every minute of my life: my marriage, my family, my friends, my hobbies, the free time I have now I'm no longer working, and Midlife in general.

a lot can happen in a year - it's my first blogiversary!

Monday 30 November 2015

a LOT can happen in ONE year! My blog's first anniversary

I can't believe that it's been a year since I started this blog! The time has just flown past and what started as a place to put down a few thoughts, has turned into one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done. Who'd have thought that something so straightforward could have such a positive impact?

IT'S NOT THE PROBLEM, IT'S HOW WE DEAL WITH IT

Friday 27 November 2015

A CAUSE CLOSE TO MY HEART

This week's #Friday Reflection is: "Reflect about or champion a cause close to your heart"

I thought I'd write a little bit about how things are going with the little boy I mentor through a program called Kids Hope. This is a program that links a church with a local primary school and the school chooses children who would benefit from some one to one time. The church provides the volunteers, who each get matched up with a child for an hour every week. A small amount of time that can make a real difference in that child's life.

SOMETIMES YOU NEED THE PATIENCE OF A SAINT

Wednesday 25 November 2015

SAINT OR SINNER?

Caring for an incapacitated mother can be very good for building up those quality character traits that you didn't know you were lacking in. I always assumed I was a relatively patient human being - not a Saint, but not a screaming loony when dealing with the quirks of others. That was until my mother moved in for a few weeks!

4 NEW HATS TO WEAR WHILE I'M A CARER

Monday 23 November 2015

WHEN YOUR MOTHER COMES TO STAY

There was a big change in our peaceful empty nest last week.....my mother moved in with us for a few weeks while she recovers from knee replacement surgery. She lives alone in the city and there was no way in the world I would let her go home on crutches! This decision has brought with it a few changes in my usual routine.

7 LITTLE THINGS I JUST LOVE

Friday 20 November 2015

7 things that I just love - little jolts of joy

7 THINGS CHALLENGE

I love a challenge, so when I was asked to share 7 things I love, I couldn't resist digging down and having a bit of a feel-good share. So, here are seven of my favourite little things - nothing big, but they all bring little jolts of joy into my life.

we were made for so much more

Thursday 19 November 2015

The purpose of this glorious life is not simply to endure it, but to soar, stumble and flourish as you learn to fall in love with existence. We were born to live my dear not to merely exist. – Becca Lee

What a beautiful quote! This sums up perfectly the lessons I've learned over the last few years. Life is not about just enduring and getting through each day. This way of thinking can settle into our minds when a few things go wrong and before we know it we are trudging through life thinking that is what living is all about.

Instead, we can choose to learn from the setbacks and get back up and reset our focus and find joy in the rest of life's ups an downs. So much depends on our attitude and expectations of this life we have been given to live.

Let's "soar, and stumble, and flourish" and live this life to the fullest before it's gone and it's too late. Merely existing is not enough - I'm aiming to thrive!

MEMORIES OF BEING A YOUNG MUM

Wednesday 18 November 2015

LIFE AS A YOUNG MUM

As I look at my grown and flown adult children, I have moments where I slip back in time and think about them when they were little and how naive I was as a new mum. I'm a fairly logical and ordered person and I assumed parenting would be a straightforward exercise of a + b = c. In other words, love + discipline = perfect offspring. Little did I know......

CHOOSING ENTHUSIASM OVER PASSION

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Is it time we stopped looking for one driving passion and allow ourselves to find our purpose and fulfillment from a variety of interests?

DO WE NEED A "BURNING PASSION"?

I've read many, many articles on "finding your passion" that tell me that my life is not complete unless I find something that I am completely passionate about. I think there is a lot to be said for swapping the word "passionate" with the word "enthusiastic". That way you can embrace lot of different experiences without being consumed by just one.

DO I HAVE THE RIGHT TO WRITE?

Monday 16 November 2015

IS MY WRITING WORTHWHILE?

There are so many blogs out there written by people who have exciting or dramatic lives. People who have experienced loss, or pain, or passion, or innumerable life events that I have no claim to. When I think about these writers, I wonder if I have the right to write too?

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN RE-VISITED

Friday 13 November 2015

WHEN YOUR PERSPECTIVE CHANGES

A while ago I wrote a post about the phenomenon that is the "invisible" middle aged woman. It was something that I had been feeling at the time - before I started connecting with all the fabulous Midlife women bloggers who've slowly but surely begun to change a lot of the assumptions I'd been making about life in my fifties.

what was true then is still true now

Wednesday 11 November 2015

They had never even thought of such a thing as having a penny. Think of having a whole penny for your very own. Think of having a cup and a cake and a stick of candy and a penny. Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder was a very wise woman - she lived through some very austere times and yet she and her family survived and thrived. I still remember where she describes her excitement and pleasure with what she and her sister received for Christmas when they were living in Kansas....

MY TOP 5 RESOLUTIONS FOR A REGRET FREE LIFE

Tuesday 10 November 2015

THE YEARS AHEAD

Life is short and it's too easy to let it run away from you while you are trying to be all things to all people. As a woman I think it becomes a snare and an obligation where you can allow yourself to be taken for granted and lose yourself in the process.

We forget that we have choices - more choices than women our age have ever had. It's time to use those choices to decide how to spend the years ahead wisely.

LEARNING HOW TO CREATE STAINED GLASS

Monday 9 November 2015

STAINED GLASS AND MY BUCKET LIST

I've never really had a bucket list - well not one in writing anyway, but one thing I've always wanted to try my hand at was leadlighting (or stained glass). Last week was my birthday and my present from my lovely husband was a two day stained glass/leadlighting course. I've never had the time or the opportunity before because competent teachers are hard to find - and quite expensive. I'm also not the most creative person in the world, and I worried that my complete lack of crafting ability extended to stained glass making too.

what brings a tear to your eyes?

Friday 6 November 2015

This week's #Friday Reflection question was: "what brings a tear to your eyes?"

I wracked my brains a bit over this one because I don't cry very much at all nowadays. Then I thought back to my life a few years ago where I was crying all.the.time. I was having a big hiccup in my marriage, I felt irrelevant as a mother because my children were independent and living away from home, I hated my job, and so the list went on. Then things changed.....

I get to decide who I am

Thursday 5 November 2015

I'm not sure how the younger generation got so wise, but this quote from the lovely Emma Watson (of Harry Potter fame) is so relevant to how we should be living our lives.

It has taken me 50+ years to stop letting other people direct my life - to know that I don't have to answer to my parents, my peers, my husband, my children, my co-workers, or anybody else for that matter. The one and only person who decides who I am is little old (well not too old!) me.

Knowing who I am and I what I want out of life has come a little later for me than it has for Emma, but it's not too late and I intend to take full ownership of my journey and the type of person I am and the legacy I want to leave, and I'm happy to take my inspiration wherever I find it - thanks Emma!

celebrating "delicious ambiguity" for my birthday

Wednesday 4 November 2015

It's my birthday today - I had to pause to think how old I actually am - I'm sticking with "early 50's" for now because I still scrape in! Birthdays are a time of life where you stop and take stock of where you've been and where you're going.......and that's something that I'm still trying to work out. I know where I've come from but I'm still figuring out where I'm ultimately headed.

3 AFFIRMATIONS TO OWN IN MIDLIFE

Tuesday 3 November 2015

3 Affirmations that will make Midlife so much richer - silence, warmth and peace

THREE AFFIRMATIONS TO OWN IN MIDLIFE

I came across a three part mantra a while ago that said "Let there be silence in my mind, warmth in my heart, and peace in my soul" - nobody seemed to attribute it to an actual author (other than 'unknown') but I loved how profound it was and how it spoke to me the moment I read it. So much of it resonates with how I'm trying to live my life.

THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE THAN A JOB

Monday 2 November 2015

WORKING FOR THE MAN

I worked full time last week while my co-worker was on holidays - visiting her daughter on the other side of the country. It's only been five months since I left my old job where I worked almost full time, but after only working two days a week for these last few months, I certainly noticed the impact of working Monday to Friday again.

WHAT DOES YOUR SOUL LOOK LIKE?

Friday 30 October 2015

I'D LOVE OTHERS TO TRULY SEE MY SOUL

I wish other people could see my soul and know what is at the heart of who I am (not the superficial physical 'me' that they see on the surface). But the question then becomes....."what does my soul actually look like?"

Happiness is letting go

Thursday 29 October 2015

So many people are unhappy because they don't believe their life is turning out the way they'd planned it. They had hopes and dreams and visions of grandeur that are slowly fading into the reality of day to day life.

Midlife crises occur when people stop and take stock of their life and realize that it is never going to be what they had imagined - they will never achieve all the goals they had envisaged. They will never be as rich, or famous or whatever as they'd assumed they'd be by this point in time.

Maybe there is a different type of midlife crisis - one where you stop and think to yourself how good life is despite not being the life you had planned for. Maybe things haven't turned out quite the way you expected - but they are still pretty darn good and when you look at things with gratitude you come to see that there is a lot of life worth celebrating and being happy about!

leaving the chaos behind

Wednesday 28 October 2015

I used to spend so much time reacting and responding to everyone else that my life had no direction. ― Melody Beattie

I grew up in Australia in the 1970's. While lots of girls my age were out experimenting and having a good time, I was being the good daughter who did what she was told and made sure I never overstepped the line. I grew up in a chaotic family with a narcissistic father, a complicit mother and rules that changed regularly - all in my father's favour! It made life very difficult for us all.

going with the flow versus micro-managing

Tuesday 27 October 2015

One of my biggest faults is my need to micro-manage every detail of my life. This includes what I'm doing at any given time and also the people who are around me. It kicks in big time when I'm facing a new situation or something a bit scary - its seems to be my go-to method for dealing with stress.

WALKING THE LINE WHEN DEALING WITH AGEING PARENTS

Monday 26 October 2015

Do you have elderly parents who refuse to admit they aren't young any more? Me too! Here's my story. #elderly #parents

WHEN YOUR PARENTS CAN'T SEE THAT THEY'RE "OLD"

We've just spent some time with my in-laws trying to find them a possible house to move to now that they are getting old and frail. The only fly in the ointment is that they still see themselves as sprightly sixty year olds - which is as far from reality as you can get.

circuses, monkeys and a life motto

Friday 23 October 2015

This week's #Friday Reflection is "the words or motto you live by is....."

And my answer is the quote above - "Not my circus......not my monkeys" which is apparently a Polish saying that basically means "not my problem."

I discovered this quote on Pinterest (oh how I love Pinterest!) and it has stuck with me ever since, probably because it spoke volumes about my approach to life and the changes I needed to make.

NEVER APOLOGIZE......

Thursday 22 October 2015

I'M SORRY....

I have spent way too many years saying "I'm sorry" for way too many things! At times it feels like I've used it as a punctuation mark or a way to excuse having an opinion on something that might be different or less acceptable.

Part of this is the baggage that comes from being a woman who grew up in a conservative, male dominated home. Part of it comes from being a people pleaser. Part of it comes from lack of confidence in myself. Part of it is feeling that my opinion doesn't really count in the grand scheme of things.

LIVING AND LOVING THE AFTERNOON OF LIFE

Wednesday 21 October 2015

I love the idea of being so caught up in this second half of life that you don't have time to dwell on a new wrinkle that might have formed or an extra kilo that might have slipped onto your hips.

LIVING LIFE WELL

Getting older is something that happens to all of us. Many in today's world are doing all they can to fight the process and stay young. It all comes down to appearance for them and trying to keep the ageing process at bay. Perhaps a better way to approach life would be to get on with living it so well that you don't notice you're getting older.

how do you define abundance?

Tuesday 20 October 2015

I was thinking about what a rich and meaningful word "abundance" was......and then I got to thinking how the meaning of "abundance" changes depending on your world view and what you consider to be important in life.

we interrupt this blog with a very important notice!

Monday 19 October 2015

Yes! I'm going to be a Nan - it's officially up on facebook so I can do a shout out to Nana-dom! What more can I say other than I'm stoked that our son and his lovely wife are having our first grandbaby - due April 24th next year.

BECOMING A NOT TOO CRAZY CAT LADY

Friday 16 October 2015

home is where my cats are - finding out I'm a cat person

FROM DOGS TO CATS

I spent the first half of my life thinking I was a "dog person". I grew up in a 1970's home with the prerequisite dog and a budgie (all Australian kids have a dog and a budgie at some stage) and it was the same with all my friends - I didn't know a single person with a cat.

opening up like a rose

Thursday 15 October 2015

A wonderful quote that inspires me - if my life isn't opening up at this stage, then when is it going to get the chance to do so? I'm taking every opportunity that comes my way to bloom! I want the second half of life to be about growing and opening up and finding my real purpose.

The second half of life can see people close in on themselves and distance themselves from the world around them. That's not for me, I want to expand myself and embrace change and find my place in this society we live in. To be open to new experiences and to not be judgemental of others and their choices.

choosing to say no to self pity

Wednesday 14 October 2015

NO SELF PITY

My husband has this D.H. Lawrence quote as the screen saver on his computer. It's a reminder to him that self pity is a human condition and one that we need to combat wherever possible. Nobody likes a light sucker and nobody wants to be around someone who is always feeling sorry for themselves.

3 NITTY GRITTY LIFE LESSONS

Tuesday 13 October 2015

This is life. People will screw you over. You’ll fight with your family. You’ll witness things that will change you forever.

LIFE LESSONS

How many truisms are contained in the words above? Somewhere along the way we were told life would be easy and smooth sailing on a balmy day. Somebody forgot to mention the nitty gritty details that make up part of our lives.....the bits that build character and stop us becoming too smug. Three of those things I've listed here.....

four months down the track in my new job

Monday 12 October 2015

People often talk or write about new jobs and new adventures and the excitement that goes with them - or (in my case) the low grade terror of launching into the unknown. You don't always get an update of how the journey has progressed and whether it lived up to the initial hopes and expectations.

impossibly easy apple roses

Saturday 10 October 2015

I'm not the world's greatest cook (not even the world's not-so-greatest cook!) So desserts aren't usually something I try my hand at very often. I have a couple of go-to recipes that are fairly fail safe and I use them most of the time. But it's Saturday and I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone and try something new and share it if it was successful.

ARE YOU PARENTING SUCCESSFULLY?

Friday 9 October 2015

Does parenting look like you expected? How do you know if you're parenting well? Who do we want our adult children to become?

HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE'RE PARENTING WELL?

We all see that social media highlight reel of the perfect family every time we look at Instagram or Facebook - and ours never seems to measure up. Does that mean we aren't doing well at this whole parenting gig? Not at all - I think there's so much more to successful parenting than a pretty picture or two. Ultimately it comes back to each individual family unit as to how you measure whether you feel like you're doing a good job.

for the love of jigsaw puzzles

Thursday 8 October 2015

The latest craze for adult stress relief is colouring-in. It seems like every woman and her dog has jumped onto the colouring bandwagon. The young guy at the supermarket checkout even told me he'd just bought an adult colouring-in book from his local bookstore while he was away on holidays. Then he started waxing lyrical about the specific brand of colouring pens he needed to buy to be able to do the tricky bits with!

HAVE YOU EVER "GHOSTED" SOMEONE?

Wednesday 7 October 2015

WHAT'S "GHOSTING"?

'Ghosting' is a term being thrown around on the interwebbities a lot lately. Apparently it's the new way to leave a relationship without suffering the pain and embarrassment of actually having the "it's not you, it's me" conversation or writing the "Dear John" letter.

FEELING LIKE I'M SEVENTEEN AGAIN

Tuesday 6 October 2015

TO RE-UNION OR NOT TO RE-UNION?

I'm not a big fan of high school reunions. I went to a large high school in the city and I've never been back for a reunion. I still keep in touch with a few of my friends from those days via Facebook but as for the rest, well I haven't missed them in the last 35 years so I doubt I'll be in a hurry to see any of them again! But there is one type of reunion that I never miss and they are the ones organized for the youth group I attended as a teenager.

SPEAKING POSITIVITY INTO YOUR MARRIAGE

Monday 5 October 2015

It's so vital to be your spouse's number one fan - to cheer each other on and to never speak negatively about them to others.

ARE YOU INVESTING IN YOUR MARRIAGE?

When you've been married for a long time you come to realize how important it is to invest in the person who you have made a lifelong vow to. It's so easy to take each other for granted and to not show appreciation. It's also easy to make "funny" comments about the other person that can be hurtful or unhelpful.