A few thoughts.... (a bit of frustration and thinking out loud)

Hello lovely people. It's been ages since I last blogged. I can't seem to get back in the swing of things. I got back from Melbourne about 2 weeks ago and it was amazing! I will have to blog about it soon. So I've been feeling a little off lately. Mainly frustrated with myself. I've come to a point where I'm getting sick of the excuses I make to not do things. I write a to do list but I list way too many things and get completely overwhelmed and end up not doing anything. I was talking to my good friend Jasmine and she has suggested I break down my list and do a little each day. I think this is a good tactic and I've started it this weekend and I think it is working for me. 

I think my biggest problem is procrastination. I find it difficult to push myself to do things and end up doing nothing. Some days I feel like I accomplish very little and it then makes me feel guilty which then turns into frustration. Making a change is hard and I've been 'trying' to be organised, to keep my house clean, to cook something new, to exercising more and I put so much pressure on myself.

I know I've written quite a few posts about my procrastination and lack of discipline but there's no time like today to make a change. I'm seriously thinking about doing the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation (she's a trainer on the Australian Biggest Loser) because I need some guidance with my health and fitness.

Hopefully I will be more positive in my posts soon. I'm going through some personal change and growth. 

I hope you are all well! 

P.S. The photo is of some of my journals. 

On my mind...

A few of the unused journals/notebooks/stationery

Hello lovely people. I hope you had a wonderful Easter. It is always important to remember the death and resurrection of Christ. He is risen indeed.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about a habit of mine that I want to change. I tend to buy things or receive pretty things as gifts and they will just sit there. I might put them in a nice box or leave them in their packaging and just...look at it. For example I have a ton of beautiful notebooks and journals yet I find it difficult to write in them or use them. They are just too 'pretty' to use. So instead of writing my thoughts or writing lists or recording memories they look pretty and stay in pristine condition. I find this is the same with pretty stationery or pens or even clothes and beauty products. I have trouble using them. I feel like I'm waiting for that perfect moment, for when everything falls into place and I will finally make that memory journal I've been wanting to do for years. Or that print that needs the right frame and only then I will display it. I mean what a waste?! I have all these lovely items that don't get used and it just accumulates and doesn't really get used. (♥ picture up above).

So, I've decided that I'm going to write in those journals (that I'm saving for what?), use that pretty paper (because who doesn't like to receive lovely mail) put those special stickers I'm saving into a notebook (because why not?). I want this to spill out into my everyday life too and use those special tea cups for my afternoon tea, or wear that dressy top to work, or cut up those magazines because I want to display or put that picture into a journal.

I want to stop holding back with admiring the beautiful things in life and instead experience the beauty of life. To stop looking just for inspiration but use what inspires me to create things instead of just dreaming about it and making lists. I'm a master list maker but a terrible doer.

I'm not sure who else feels this way but I'm sick of watching my life pass me by when each day is certainly a blessing. I can't take it for granted. I know I don't get very personal on this blog but there are some things that bounce around in my mind and I need to get those thoughts out.

Please tell me I'm not alone in this :) What do you need to let go of, or need to use or want to experience?

Have a fantastic week lovelies.

P.S. I'm sorry if this is just a jumble of words. I just started typing and the words just started flowing.

On my day off

Hello lovelies. I'm sick today, so I'm not at work (or at home). I'm staying at my parents for a few days while Jason is off on a work trip. 

I'm feeling really run down and don't have much energy. So it's time to relax, read and catch up on letters. 

I forgot to post about this lovely gift Laura got me from her Europe trip a few months ago.

She got me a Paris print, post card and key chain. She also bought a travel journal (not from Europe) so I have somewhere to write my thoughts when Jason and I go to Europe. It was such a beautiful and thoughtful gift. I just adore her. 

The end pages in the journal. 

Pretty pictures inside. 

These pages are just waiting to be written in, so hopefully Jason and I will be able to go to Europe next year sometime.

Have a great rest of week. 

A tinge of sadness

Via Carly Hildebrant Flickr

Hey loves. I hope you had a great weekend. I had great one but it was also tinged with sadness :( One of my best friend's mother passed away. She had cancer but it was still so sad to say goodbye to her during the week. My heart aches for her and the rest of the family.

So right now all I can do is pray for my friend and be there for her through this horrible time. She's lost both of her parents now and I can't comprehend how she must feel.

It's times like this when I realise again how important it is to always appreciate those you love and to make sure they know how much you love them.

Have a wonderful week!

Thoughts for the week

 I change my mind a lot with posts. Hopefully the next one will be mail related and announce the giveaway winner, which I've already drawn :)

These are a few of my thoughts for the week...
♥ I will be always be a child when it comes to Christmas. The excitement I feel when I see decorations, lights and Christmas trees is evident by my girly squeals and smiles.
♥ I really need to invest in better work shoes or I may not be able to walk after Christmas.
♥ Mail and putting together packages really does make me happy.
♥ I adore that Jason won us a free dinner and a free night at the Marriott hotel just by buying some raffles tickets at an work awards lunch today.
♥ I hate 9-9 work shifts.

♥ I would love to get this pink Filofax for next year's diary.
♥ I should learn to take better care of my GHD so it doesn't die on me.
♥ I need to learn to be more organised instead of letting my mail build up
♥ For Christmas this year, I will make a point to try and buy more handmade items for everyone.
♥ When it's gloomy, rainy weather I like to sit in the dark instead of turning on a light. It calms me.
♥ Sometimes I squeal when I see tiny baby clothes which make me want to have a baby, but then I read some women's birth stories and it makes me never want to have kids.

Via Leafcutter Designs

Via Leafcutter Designs

♥ Who wouldn't want to receive a teeny tiny package or teeny tiny letter. I should send a few of these out to some pen pals one day :) I sent one to Jason once. It's absolutely adorable!

Next post I will talk about mail and the giveaway winner :) have a fantastic weekend!

Just a minute in...June

Via Wehearit

I almost bought that pen pack but I bought a different version instead

Just a Minute....In June

Reading... The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Emma, rereading Harry Potter books

Swapping... Journals! On Swap-Bot and with some blog friends (I will get the questions done soon!)

Obsessing... Over pens and journals. Went on a pen spree and have bought a few journals too

Writing... Letters (eep so behind), To Do lists, ideas, wishes, dreams

Wondering... What I should try to attempt to do first (out of my huge list)

Hoping... To get so inspired that I will be able to make a difference

Dreaming... Of all the possibilities

Praying... For guidance

Can you believe we are half way through the year? It's insane how fast time has gone this year. I've been married for four months now and it completely boggles my mind because I remember when it was four months to go. I am loving the married life though. There are so many things that have changed yet I feel so comfortable with them. I truly feel like I'm embracing the changes (I usually hate change) and I'm starting to accept myself more, if that makes any sense. I let myself be. If I choose to sing silly songs while typing away on my computer I will. If I feel like having a pen collection I will. In fact Jason thought it was hilarious when I told him that I'm turning my extra room into a library/stationery/letter/journal etc room. He told me to go for it and I love him for accepting my obsessions (and yes he has to listen to my made up songs while he is playing the PlayStation).

It's strange but I sometimes feel like I am emotionally detached when I blog. I don't really write about my feelings that much. On occasion yes, but most times I will hold back. I suppose it stems back to fear of what people think, but then I think does it really matter??

So I might be more open here on the blog depending on what it is that I want to blog about.

And because I have to show my most recent purchases...

I have bought three journals and two packs of coloured pens. They will be used for all my journal swaps and maybe for my letters to pretty them up.

And I have a reasonably busy week at work. Tonight is VIP night at Myer and it going to be insanely busy like it always is. Oh well...

Oh and to end this post I need to add this

I've been listening to this song a lot. It's just a piano cover version of Eminem's new song Not Afraid. I'm insanely in love with the piano and sound of the song. (I don't really listen to Eminem but I have to say that I listened to him a lot back in highschool when I had to catch the train home and one of my friends loved him and she would give me the other ear phone. It was good when you were feeling moody and didn't really want to talk to anyone. I guess I learnt to appreciate him).If you know me you know I love melancholy sounding songs, or piano and violin or epic sounding soundtrack songs. Maybe I will give a list of those songs to give an idea sometime.

Anyway, this turned out to be a more epic post than I intended. I hope you have a fantastic rest of week!

Honeymoon destinations

Image via Dress Design and Decor 

I've been doing a lot of thinking, planning and contemplating. About life.... I'm just in a thoughtful mood and it makes me want to really live. I thank God every day for all the blessings in my life.

On other thoughts Jason and I are thinking about our engagement party and honeymoon. We haven't had an engagement party yet and it's almost an annoying fiddly bit which I wish we didn't have to plan but I know we will. We're checking out a venue this weekend, though it will be very casual.

As for Honeymoon, we are coming to a decision but we are not entirely sure yet. I really wanted to go to Europe but it would have been so hectic. And Jason did want to do more relaxing. We were thinking of Vanuatu but the weather doesn't seem too good at that time of year. Now we are compromising and maybe for the initial honeymoon we will travel local and relax and later on in the year maybe about September we will go to Europe. It gives us more time to settle down and save again and have a wonderful time later on. 

Image from Whitsundays QLD

It may not necessarily be in the Whitsundays, but most likely North Queensland which is local. We have some of the most beautiful beaches in our own state of Queensland so we definitely should explore.

Images via Lonely Planet

I'm pretty much obsessed with Lonely Planet guidebooks. These are the two guides I have purchased from work (We have 30% off travel books at the moment eee!). We are hoping to go to the Mediterranean part of Europe as the main part but of course we will go to Paris, London and have to go to Germany to visit a friend of mine. 

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing, beautiful weekend!!

PS. I'm looking forward to this movie. I'm beyond excited! I'm off to watch the first one while eating lunch!