Another Perfect Day

That's where I am right now as a gorgeous Sunday morning clears out from the early mist over the town below me.

I've been watching Fox news coverage of hurricane Irene in the US, amazing scenes and sadly, loss of life in both NC and VA.  We're so lucky we have no extremes of weather where we live in the Riverina, if you don't count ten years of drought as extreme of course, but I mean weather events like devastating floods, fires and cyclones etc.

So here it's just beautiful as we slowly head into Spring.  Spring is my season, the season of my birth and the births of two of my children, Amanda who will turn 31 on my birthday in October and Kate who will be 22 next month.  I cannot believe how different things are to just two months ago.  And none of it is luck, we've all worked really hard to get to the peace and calm that we have in our home and family now.  Especially, Emily and me.  Yay us etc.

I made a lamb curry for dinner last night, laced with puree vegies, with lemon and saffron rice, and channa dahl laced with more veg, and some raita which we had with garlic naan bread.  Finally some decent food for Phill and the kids needed some too.

Phill and I went and looked at a second hand two seater sofa for the family room.  I was dubious, as people always think their furniture is worth way more than it really is.  The sofa was part of a two piece, the other one was a three seater sofa bed which would have been handy but it was too big for the space we have.  The people were obviously wealthy and the sofa was much better quality than I was expecting and in near new condition so we got a bargain I think.

Yes that painting is too small for that wall I know.  Now I have the bug to get in there and fix it up properly.  Phill had already moved the other stuff around, that room has our largest tv in it and he wants to put his Fathers' Day present of the new surround sound/blu ray system in there so I left him to it.  It doesn't look too bad, just needs a couple more lamps, some cushions and a coffee table and to organise the pictures on the walls, need to get some 3M hooks and it will be great.  It's actually quite cosy in there now, but still enough room for the kids to play the Wii and the new X Box they want for Christmas. 

That sliding door goes into Josh's room, he thinks it's so cool to have a door right into the family room so I don't want to block it off, the bean bags might have to go there but they're easy enough to walk over.

So today I have a whole day to potter about (Phill's at work till late tonight).  I need to make a pot of chilli in the slow cooker.  Josh has an interest in American food lately and he wants to try "chilli dogs" whatever the heck they are, I'm assuming they're just hot dogs with chilli on them.  Whatever, I have a pack of minced beef I need to use and it will make an easy dinner tonight.  We already got two kinds of frankfurts and rolls yesterday as we have no car today, we have corn chips and salsa and sour cream (I'll whack some good old puree veg into the chilli of course!)

Also on the agenda is cleaning the pantry, I need to take everything out and organise it properly as it's overflowing.  I also want to make some bath salts.  I've just restocked my essential oil supply and want to try some new recipes with them.  I ran out of bought inhalant for the humidifier when Josh was sick so made up my own with eucalyptus and black pepper oils and it worked really well (and I knew what was in it!)

Yesterday I fed all the potted plants and the roses, I have to work out how to use the retic as the garden will need water with this warm weather and no rain for a while.

I am happy, scary to admit but there it is.  The only fly in the ointment right now is this friction between Phill and I, but my instinct is telling me that for some reason he needs me to be the strong one and to take charge and to take care of him, and that is what I will do.  I am going to clear out any crap food and only have healthy stuff available, so if he, and the kids, want to eat rubbish they will have to do it outside the house. 

I am feeling so much stronger, physically and mentally and so bloody calm I am almost "zen" like.  Last night it was 9.30 and everyone was in bed and I was yawning so I turned off the tv and the computer and was asleep myself not long after.  So when I'm awake at 5.30 or 6 I'm ready to face the day knowing I've had a decent sleep.

I know these changes have all come about through mindful living (mindfullness is something we're learning in our course) and changing the way we do things and think about things.  And just months ago I truly felt like there was no way out of the nightmare that we seemed to be in.  I had to shift my expectations that someone was going to come and save us, to figuring out what WE could do to change things, while still seeking appropriate help as needed.

Okay, time to start my Sunday.