Mi casa es su casa

So Ella and I did a spring clean of our house on Saturday and Ella said that it was the 3rd best day of her life (the day she was born and our wedding were better than a day of cleaning.) We live really close to the town centre but we are out in country on an acreage. So here is the grand tour … come visit sometime!

Our bedroom

Our new headboard 🙂

Our fire place/where we live in winter

Ella's bedroom

Kitchen ... duh!

Our dining room/study

 

Our veggie patch now!

 

Our lounge

Our lounge room and bar/storage dumping ground (also check out the big wood pile that my hubby built ... he had to chop down trees 🙂 )

We love our little place …

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K.I.S.S.I.N.G

I have seen lots of silhouettes on the blogosphere and I really wanted to try it. It’s a little dodgy ’cause i took the photo and had to change a couple of things on it but I did this really quickly and I think it looks pretty cool.

Me and my hubby

So that’s just a dodgy quick try at it … I think I might do something for our house and frame it 🙂

Good Question …

 

Image

This is the question that I find myself posing frequently. Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad or have I failed indeed? I found this on a great Etsy shop persimmon and pink. Go check it out even if it’s for some inspiration. I think I’m gonna frame similar phrases in my own house and when I do I will ‘show and tell.’ If you like that then you also might like this.

So if you are reading this maybe ask yourself this same question and show some extra love to those you love and even those you don’t know … ok don’t go huggin’ randoms now … and have a FANTASTIC day 🙂

Just keep drivin’

at the MTC weekend

So I told you all about the MTC weekend a few weeks ago that we put on for the youth where I had my first stint as choir director. The spirit hit! boy did it hit … so much that the Stake President asked that they sing in 3 weeks time at the stake conference and then on the same night at a YSA and youth fireside.

It would have been awesome except for the fact that the decision to do so was last-minute and we were scrambling to organise the kids right up to the prelude item by the stake choir. This meant NO practice.

This also meant that I got up to conduct and I was nervous as heck. I start conducting and the kids are almost ready to sing and I get a few odd looks when I realise I haven’t even motioned for the kids to stand up so seconds before they are meant to sing … so I motion to them to stand just in time (PHEW!) I then proceed to turn to the boys too early and realise that it’s still the girls turn to sing (I turned back to the girls and hope no one noticed …they did… they told me.) Then I skip a whole section of the song as I turn to the boys too early AGAIN and there is a silence as the pianist is confused but thank goodness he is quick and apart from a short pause he covers it well.The kids are singing quietly and we have an entire chapel and hall to fill with music while they face the front of the chapel and despite my “loud” sign to them … they don’t seem to be watching me.

I seriously sat down and wanted to fall in a hole in the floor. this was my second time conducting a choir in public and I stuffed it up and BAD. I was so embarrassed that I didn’t even wanna look at the speakers cause of the pitiful job I’d just done.

You can imagine my anxiety and sickness to my stomach when I heard that they still wanted the kids to sing at the fireside. I think I could feel my face tighten and my heart almost knocked me out. Despite this I had to get up and so I did.To my horror I almost forgot to get them to stand AGAIN. NOOOO!! But them something happened, I felt my confidence come back. I felt that spirit and I felt the strength of the choir rise. They sung out with such vibrance and I felt that pride and confidence return.

I had my bounce back (kinda like George on Masterchef) and I felt like even though it was to a very small audience, that I had redeemed myself. I guess its like getting back into the car after your first and second car crash (sorry Mum and Dad) you just gotta keep driving.

Green Thumbs

Life is for learning … and sometimes that learning is welcomed. You know … like learning you are loved, or learning that our  families can be together forever or that Santa Claus is gonna bring you a sweet as present pile regardless of me being naughty or nice. Those are the teaching moments that make you feel good and warm inside. But lately life has been throwing me big fat unwanted learning experiences. They are the ones that you don’t see as growing experiences but you feel like there is one big weight pulling you down into the sea and you don’t see how any amount of paddling is going to let you breathe again. OK maybe a little dramatic in my wording but poetry sounds better when it’s dramatic … ok I digress …

I must admit that I am a worrier … I wish I was more of a warrior but I am guilty of being the former. I try the positive thinking technique where you think of all of the good in your life, my family, friends, home etc, and I even try looking at people who are worse off than me and are living really happy lives. I just can’t seem to get myself out of this ‘funk’ sometimes. This is when I am thankful for my hubby. One word and he is there for a cuddle and a venting session and he knows exactly what things to say … like “oh Ellen … everything is going to be fine” and “Ellen, there is no one cooler than you on the whole planet, not even Dave Grohl” ok no he doesn’t say that second one but you get the gist. Thanks hubby for helping me to stop feeling sorry for myself and help get me out of this ‘funk’ I’m in.

...love...

So we have been really loving having our own little vege patch at the moment and it gives us a whole lots of pride and joy eating the finished project. We planted carrots, brussel sprouts, spinach, butter lettuce, leeks, broccoli, snow peas, spring onion and herbs (rosemary, coriander, parsley.) I took some photos about a months ago and since then the garden has gone berserk so I will posts some more photos when I stop being slack but for now here is a few shots when it was all fairly new.

yum yum

 

And one photo to brighten up your day … it sure brightened up mine!

Sarah and Dane

Continuing on the with the cute theme … This weekend while Regan was working (and subsequently injured his back) Ella and I hung out for most of Saturday. She was so cute and kept telling me all day long that she loved me. I’m talking every 2 minutes or less she was professing her massive love for me which I promptly returned. Then she came up to me and said “I love you SOOOOO much … I just wanna eat you” I had to have a laugh because usually its the adults saying that to the kids. Motherhood is good to me.

Happy Birthday Kel Bel

So I’m doing an advance birthday post as I’m not quite sure if I’ll have internet access tomorrow on her ACTUAL day.

The McCappin Fam

My sister Kelly is the second eldest of the seven of us. In my younger years she was also more of a mother figure or baby sitter to me because of the big age gap. I remember her having me over to her place to have sleep overs and feeding me lollies and watching movies. I loved going to her house and being able to love her kiddies and have fun.

As I got older she has become a real example to me. She is an amazing mother and the proof is in the pudding. Her 6 beautiful sons are such a wonderful bunch of kids who I left behind in Adelaide and I miss very dearly. I would see Kelly push her way through a million nappies and tantrums and countless loads of washing and find the time to teach and love and to cook wonderful meals.

She has an infectious smile and is hard working and I think we can all attest to her patience (6 sons comeon!!) She is also beautiful inside and out and I sometimes wonder how I would look after 6 kids (I’m sure not half as good!). I love her heaps and as with the rest of my family I can’t wait to see Kelly and give her and her boys a big bear hug.

I love you Kelly and I hope you have an amazing day … make sure you get the biggest slice of cake! xoxo

Behold Wilbur (the cutest thing EVER)

Honeymoon is over baby

OK so something is going funky with my blog! and I’m not happy. I wrote a big long post with hilarious anecdotes about me getting stung by a jellyfish and staying in bed for 2 days straight and eating Burger King everyday and flashing an entire boat of tourists … ACCIDENTALLY and it was only half of a flash! … anyway Thailand was great! Thanks to Mama Sandra and Papa Ken we able to go for 2 weeks and we loved it. A major highlight was Regan stepping in a puddle of something brown on our first night … oh the dramas … So I have posted some cool pictures of us on our trip!

Ate the best icecream ever for lunch and dinner

lazed by the pool

Snorkelled ... woo!

Danced with elephants

Chilled with monkeys

Would have been more effective if we took the stool away!

Ate burgers A LOT! my tummy didn't want anything else

 

We got fish pedicures where they eat dead skin

mmmm

James Bond Island

Our SOFT bed

Canoeing

Met Jenny from the block … yes his name is Jenny

 Yes his name is Jenny and he was the tour guide/barman/break dancer/hilarious guy. When we heard his name we started calling him Jenny from the block. Regan and I thought he really made this day trip really fun and It was while I watched him trying to break dance on an overturned canoe, that I got stung by the jelly fish. (note. putting sugar on a sting does NOT do anything more than make your leg sticky.)

Before the trip Regan HATED eggs. It was one of the foods he couldn’t stomach but magically at the breaky buffet there was a man who turned that all around … now he LOVES eggs … particularly omelettes… behold that man …

Iron Chef!

And this was us on our final day at the buffet

and cried when it was all over

Needless to say we liked the buffet A LOT!