What is making me happy - Coffee

Last week I spent my mornings in bed with my coffee, while the girls ate their breakfast watching TV. Usually I don't get to do this during the week as I am busy getting the girls ready for school etc, so having this little bit of time to myself (and my coffee) made me happy.

There is nothing worse, than trying to look after two sick children when you are not feeling 100% yourself.  I was thankful to have Hubby home for the beginning of last week, but then he returned to work on Wednesday leaving me sick at home with two 'not as sick' girls. My hands and legs were full of aches and pains, my mouth hurt like hell, and my blisters from the virus were raw from washing my hands so much. Damn you coxsackie virus.

While I had the worst mouth ulcers ever, I wasn't going to give up my morning coffee. I'd rather eat vegemite (ugh) then give up my coffee....as you can tell I don't like vegemite.

Some people drink coffee for the caffeine, for me it's the taste...okay, maybe the caffeine just a little, but I do enjoy the flavour and the sense of calm it gives me after my first one. Strange...yes I know.

A little coffee illustration created using pastels

I have to restrain myself and only have 1-2 cups a day. There's not a minute I don't think about having another coffee.

Occasionally I treat myself to a takeaway coffee, sometimes with cake, but now that I have to watch my cholesterol it'll just have to be coffee on its own! Is it just me, or does anyone else get disappointed when you buy a takeaway coffee, and realise you could have made a better one at home.

We have one of those Aldi coffee pod machines, while it's not as fancy shmancy as the expensive machines with multiple settings and buttons allowing you to make different types of coffees, it works for us...which is the important thing! Especially when I am trying to get both of the girls ready in the morning for school and preschool, and they are causing a commotion...take yesterday for example...They are annoying each other at the breakfast table. Not eating their cereal, spilling their milk, making annoying copycat talk to me (drives me crazy!) and won't do as they are told.

I think I've shared my favourite cup before...I love Kikki-K!

Thankfully, when I have one of those of types of mornings I can reach for my lovely warm and inviting friend and take a few sips, and a few deep breathes, then drop the girls off to school and preschool, and return to a quiet house. Which also makes me happy.

What has been making you feel happy?

Have I made you want a coffee?

What is making me happy - plants

Last month Hubby and I bought some new pot plants to brighten up our back deck and create a space where we could sit in the sun and enjoy a cuppa.  

The deck had a large table, chairs, and BBQ which we loved to use, but the area was crying out for some colour and leafy plants.

So over a couple of weekends we made some trips to hardware stores and nurseries searching for plants and a stand.

The girls loved helping us pick out plants with lovely flowers, and interesting foliage. We also picked up some strawberry plants and an olive tree which they helped plant. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we get some fruit from them.

Its been so nice sitting outside with the sunshine on my back either eating lunch or reading a magazine.

Most of our household is sick with hand foot & mouth at the moment, so yesterday I treated myself to an hour (might have been more, the time got away from me!) of drawing all the things that are making me feel happy. I think it was something I needed and will be doing more of. I am thankful that Hubby has taken a couple days of work to help me out, as I've been feeling sore and not 100% with mouth ulcers!

My little drawing of what is making me happy

Lately I have been trying to focus more on things that make me happy rather than stuff that is out of my control. I thought of having a weekly post, with maybe a sketch or drawing to go with it. If you like this idea, I'd love for you to join me each week. Maybe we could share the hashtag #whatismakingmehappy


What has been making you feel happy?

Craft: Paper plate flowers for Mothers day

I'm finding it hard to believe that we are in the 2nd week of Term 2, and Mothers day is this weekend! Where is this year going?

Cherub was very happy to return to preschool this week, although I could have sent her last week, but silly Mummy didn't realise they were open! Oh well, she's enjoying being back with her friends this week, as is Popette who has formed a 'Spy Club' with a small group of friends. And seeming happy :)

Over the holidays we made some flowers out of paper plates which I thought I'd share on the blog, as they are so colourful and would make a lovely craft gift for the Mums and Grandmothers' on Mother's day.

All you need is:

Paper plates
Scissors
Pencil
Paints, water and paintbrushes
Stickers, sparkles, glitter for decorations
Pipe cleaners for a stem

To make a flower first draw a flower shape on a paper plate. It can have as many or as little petals as you like.

If you want to be like Cherub you could make a single flower, which she then just painted (she was happy with it even though its unfinished, I just wanted her to keep painting it!)

Cherub's flower

Popette decided that she wanted to have a flower with three layers. So after cutting the first flower, we made two more flowers which were cut smaller than the previous one, and had different petal shapes to make it look like an open flower.

I think her colours are beautiful!

Popette finished her flower by adding some butterfly stickers! You could add a green pipecleaner to the back, so it looks like a stem, or glitter to add some sparkle!

Suitable age group: 2+ yrs (littlies may need a hand cutting out the flowers)
Estimated setup time: 5-10 mins
Messiness factor: medium