LIVING LIGHTLY OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS
If you read my blog regularly (thank you if you do!) you'll know I chose "Live Lightly" as my Word(s) Of The Year for 2023. I've made a pledge to myself to chill out a little this year and to take things as they come, rather than trying to push too hard or trying to control everything. I hope my year will reflect taking life at a gentler pace and stepping lightly and slowly.
So, on that note, to wrap up February, I'll be sharing a few little highlights that contributed towards a lovely month....
FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS
At the end of January (just before school re-started) we had a lovely long visit from our grandgirls. There were many happy hours spent at playgrounds, having a paddle and swim in the local estuary, and heading off to the shops - where they found a matching pair of tooth fairy dolls that they loved. After icecreams, morning teas, a free goodie bag from our local hardware store (complete with 3D glasses - which I don't think they truly figured out) and lots of Paw Patrol activities, they went home with tired smiles......and we relaxed back into the silence until their next visit.
Then, an added bonus for February was a surprise spontaneous visit from our daughter and SIL on their way further down South for a camping trip, and then an extra visit from our DIL and grandgirls at the end of February while our son was overseas on a work trip. I feel like my family cup is well and truly full.
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
I shared in last week's post that it was our 40th wedding anniversary (yesterday). It's hard to believe that I met a man when I was 20 and married him less than a year later.....and we're still going strong 40 years down the track. I'm grateful to have someone who 'gets' me and who has my back, and who's happy to grow old with me. I think I appreciate this even more because our kids live at a distance and aren't popping in and out of our house regularly, and my friendship list seems to shrink a little more every year - I tend to go for quality over quantity these days.
So, happy anniversary to us and I thought I'd share a before and after - 40 years feels like 40 minutes sometimes (and a lot longer at other times!)
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| I noticed that I seem to have a liking for headpieces in the photos... |
BLOGGING HIGHLIGHTS
I "broke" my blog for an hour or so at the beginning of the month and nearly gave myself a heart attack. It got me thinking about what I'd do if I broke it completely and lost over 1,000 posts - would I start from scratch again......probably not - would you?
That being said, February was a restful month for blog posts - I felt like my "Living Lightly" theme has continued, with gentleness and going with the flow featuring strongly. I have such a sense of wanting to be peaceful and not wasting my energy on pointlessly trying to control life. I like the idea of letting things unfold and seeing where the year is going to take me.
If you missed any of my posts you can pop over and read them by clicking on the links below:
CREATING HIGHLIGHTS
I'm still playing around with collage here and there, plus some colouring in, and also a jigsaw or two. I thought I'd share a couple of my February collages for those who are interested.
THE BEST OF THE REST
GETTING MY EXERCISE ON - It's been so good getting back into my walking routine. Each morning I go for a half hour walk around the neighbourhood - it's such a great way to get to know the people who live near me and I really appreciate how blessed we are to live in such a friendly suburb. In the early evening my husband and I walk together - it gives us a chance to chat about the day and to enjoy some fresh air and movement.
As well as that, I've finally re-commenced my exercise class that I had to give up in February last year because it had become too painful with my hip deteriorating. It was fun to be back again and adding some more variety into my week.
FIGGING - It's fig season and our fig tree is producing a nice little crop - enough to provide us with a few figs a day - and I do love a soft, sweet fig or two.
UNICORN HAIR - My hairdresser had a little bit of fun during my last cut and colour - adding in a few little sprinkles of extra colour - she called it "unicorn" and it gave me a smile. The grandgirls loved it when I sent them a picture.
FEBRUARY'S LIVING LIGHTLY QUOTE
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This really made me smile, Leanne. I loved how you talked about your family cup being full, and your collages are really quite beautiful and very you.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo - I often feel like I miss out with my kids being 2 hours away - so to get visits from both families in one week is pretty miraculous - and (as much as I love the peace and quiet of the empty nest) it's lovely to have our house full of family for a change.
DeleteWhat a wonderful February! I loved seeing and hearing about all your family visits. That was a fun look back at your wedding photo too!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne - it's strange how I don't feel any older than I did when we got married, but when you put the two photos together you can see how time has moved on - still the same but completely different :)
DeleteThank you for sharing your February. Your blog certainly reveals that you are being true to your words “I have such a sense of wanting to be peaceful and not wasting my energy on pointlessly trying to control life”. I share this desire and hope to follow your lead.
ReplyDeleteHi Judy - I think we spent too much of our younger days thinking we had more control over life than we actually did! Letting go of that belief and allowing life to unfold at its own pace - controlling the controllable and letting the rest go.....it's a much more mindful and peaceful way to live - and I like it a lot better than how I used to be :)
DeleteHappy Anniversary, Leanne and Ross. I love the unicorn hair. I can imagine the heart attack when your blog broke. I'm glad that all is fixed now
ReplyDeleteHi Donna - yes the heart attack felt real - and of course I catastrophized it into being permanently dead - and the old "if it wasn't broken, why did I try to fix it?" question arose when it died on me as I fiddled around in my dashboard! And I really don't think I could start again from scratch...
DeleteHello Leanne, what a wonderful month you've had; your writing really captures your contentment with life. I like the collages and I love your hair - a colourful month all round.
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth - thank you for your lovely compliments - the unicorn colours didn't last long, but they were fun for a couple of weeks. And yes, I do feel really content with my life - after many decades of striving, and chasing my tail, it's good to just "be" at this stage of life.
DeleteYour collages are so inspiring. I did one the other day and I just don't have the layering "gene" in me! I adore how you use color also. It's nice how nourish and flourish fit into living lightly too.
ReplyDeleteHi Pat - thanks for your kind words and I find it interesting that collage works for some and not for others. I think I like it because I have something tangible to begin with and can mix and match until it feels right. I'm not really confident if I just have a blank page. Your garden stakes and glass stuff have been lovely.
DeleteA lovely February for you Leanne. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary so much love and life together to celebrate. Spending time with the grandies is always fun and aren't they growing fast. I'm having a hair cut tomorrow but probably not going for the unicorn look although you've always been a bit of a rebel with colour LOL :) Have a magic March, living lightly. P.S. Great that you are back walking again. We will have you running in no time x
ReplyDeleteP.P.S. I'm currently trying to remove excess data from my website and NO I wouldn't start again if I lost the 1,000 + posts I've written. It would be nice to have a magic wand to wave and have them all automatically put in a book in 5 minutes.
DeleteHi Sue - I don't see myself running - I never could grasp that easy rhythm that good runners seem to have. And yes, I cleared out a lot of old posts a while back, but to lose everything would just do my head in. I've looked at the book idea but it's so huge that I just filed it in the too hard basket. I think I'll just keep going until the blog breaks or I run out of steam - which feels like it might be sooner rather than later these days! I envy you your podcasting passion - it seems so effortless, but I know it takes a lot of work and quite a bit of talent to put it together so well. x
DeleteHi Leanne. I always enjoy catching up and seeing what's going on in your life. We're trying to decide where we want to go for our 40th, in May. We'll have just returned to Georgia, from this big trip, so it might end up being somewhere local. I love seeing your collages. Your grand girls are so beautiful! Their visits must be a lot of fun. xx
ReplyDeleteHi Christina - I'm glad you're safely home again (time to start working on your glass tree again too). Interesting that you guys got married in the same year as us and are still going strong (1983 must have been a good year for long lasting marriages!)
DeleteHi Leanne, I can see that you are not taking your WOTY 'lightly,' and are actually living it to the fullest. Gentleness and going with the flow suit you well as your spirit seems to be flourishing - fairy hair, peaceful collages, and beautiful visits with grandchildren. The evidence of a life well lived.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne - you summed it all up really well, and helped me to see that I'm definitely doing my best to take life gently. I feel so grateful to not be stressed, or in pain - just living each day as it comes with joy and contentment - it's such a blessing :)
DeleteA lovely gentle post Leanne full of love. Congrats again on celebrating 40 years, it's a huge milestone and well worth celebrating. Those two photos are brilliant and yes I noticed the headpieces, I have the same one as you in the latest photo. My family cup has been full to overflowing this past few days, longer than usual weekend, with family visiting for Tumbafest and Patrick's 3rd birthday. So much joy and I'm only now getting around to catching up on posts! Enjoy the month ahead and thanks for linking up with us for #WBOYC
ReplyDeleteHi Deb - I loved seeing all your family and Tumbafest pictures on Facebook. Family is such a blessing - and even when they live at a distance, there is the joy of spending chunks of quality time together that would be missed if they were nearby. And yes, I saw your Christmas headpiece in your December photos and recognized it - I love a good Christmas hairband and have several now.....a bit of added fun to top off the Christmas tee-shirts!
DeleteCongrats on your anniversary! And glad to hear your hip is healing enough for you to get back into your walking routine.
ReplyDeleteThose collages are lovely!
Hi Janet - thanks for your kind words - the collages are a lot of fun for me and actually make me feel like I have a little bit of "creativity" in my soul after all. :)
DeleteIt sounds like you had a lovely living lightly February, Leanne. I enjoyed the pics of your grandchildren, as always, and your fun unicorn hair. My husband and I like to take walks together for the same reason you mentioned. It gives us an opportunity to catch up and get moving at the same time. I'm happy to hear that your hip is healing and you are able to return to some of the activities you were missing. Here's to a March full of light!
ReplyDeleteHi Christie - I am grateful every single day for how well my hip is doing and how it's freed me up to be able to do the things I love again. Just walking without a limp is beyond wonderful, and to have my evening walks with my husband again is lovely. I do feel like I'm living lightly, rather than dragging myself steadfastly through each day :)
DeleteCongratulations and wishes on completing 40 wonderful years .
ReplyDeleteThank you so much - it's quite a milestone to have reached and we were kind of proud of ourselves to have weathered all the storms and arrived here relatively unscathed.
DeleteNice post. I'm working on collages, now and then, and yours are inspiring. Love the colors :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanne - thanks for your lovely compliment. I realized the other day that I've now done more than 100 collages - doing them in books keeps them in a more organized format and saves me having lots of pages lying around. I just need to find myself a few more pretty books to cut up!
DeleteHi Leanne, Thank you for your weekend coffee share. What a lovely February you've had. Happy anniversary to you and Ross! It must feel great to get back to your walking routine and be more mobile while your grandgirls visit. I back up my blog monthly even though it's much smaller than yours. Glad to hear your blog is fine.
ReplyDeleteHi Natalie - I back my blog up regularly too (probably not regularly enough though). I'm still not sure how it would download again with everything intact and working - and I don't know if I could start from scratch fixing it all. And yes, it's lovely to be walking, bending, sitting on the floor, sleeping on my side - and so much more!
DeleteHi Leanne,
ReplyDeleteWow! There's so much to comment and reflect on in your post. I loved seeing the photos of your grandchildren, especially the one of the two girls wearing the 3D glasses. It's a very familiar stance. I've very into photography and used to photograph the kids at the school at events etc and they'd pose for me as well. Most of them loved having their photos taken.
Congratulations on your 40th Wedding Anniversary and all the ups and down and sticking it out. My husband and I have been married for 22 years and it's hard to describe what that feels like now we're a bit older and we've been through so much together. We've been through a whirlpool of friends' marriages falling apart or meeting friends post divorce and I'm grateful for that stability in our lives and that we've put down roots together and as a family and we've stood firm despite my serious health issues.
Anyway, I have a big day ahead tomorrow and had better keep moving.
best wishes,
Rowena
Hi Rowena - I feel the same way about our marriage - I've watched so many marriages, friendships, relationships etc implode over time, and we've had our "moments" along the way. To have weathered all that and still be together and wanting to continue to do life together is such a blessing. The added blessing is of course family and then the next generation where we get to enjoy our grandies - all the joys without the pain of parenthood!
Delete