My happiness recipe.

The other day we were driving from Carnarvon to Coral Bay. The girls were watching Peter Pan in the back and my farmer boy and I were just sitting and driving in silence. Watching the world go by. Enjoying the scenery. Each in our own little world. All of a sudden I was overcome by an enormous wave of happiness. It came from nowhere and left me smiling and full of love and life in its wake.

I wanted to acknowledge that feeling. Grab hold of it. Turn it over and look at it from every angle. I wanted to keep it.

I got my farmer boy to get out his phone and I dictated my recipe for happiness.

This recipe is a work in progress. Its ingredients can be substituted and switched around. It is a thought that I really want to hold on to and make a reality when we get home and day to day life takes over.

Love where you live.

Before we left home we spent six months designing and decorating our caravan. We painted the walls, changed the cupboard latches and floor, got the couches covered and I sewed the curtains and the bed covers. The result is that we created our perfect little cozy home. I love it. It makes me happy every time we pull our bed down from the wall and I see the covers I made, it makes me proud every time someone comes in for the grand tour, it makes me comfortable and happy.

Our house in Daylesford does not make me happy. We bought our house because of the farm it sits on. A couple in their 70's built it and I call our house the Copper-art house. Do you remember those ads?? I feel embarrassed when people come over and I never feel comfortable with the layout or style.

When we get home I want to make big changes to our house so I can be happy in it. I want to start with pulling up the white carpet (in a farm house!!) and move on from there. I want to feel happy at home.

Shake up the routine.

It's so easy in life to get stuck in a routine in order to keep things moving to schedule and get the most done. But routines are hardly inspiring or fun.

While we are traveling it is easy to keep things interesting and fun but when we get home I want to remember to mix things up a bit too. Eat pancakes for dinner, pick the girls up from school and go for a visit to the lavender farm, leave the caravan packed and go for overnight trips to the coast and to Melbourne and to be a tourist where we live.
.

Love the ones you are with.

Whether it's my farmer boy, my parents, my best mates, my siblings or my kids...love them. Feeling and expressing that love is a pretty great way to bring on the happiness.

Hug and kiss, write love letters, give prezzies, whisper sweet nothings, practise random acts of kindness, realise how lucky I am to have that person/people in my life.

Love is lovely!!

Remember how lucky you are.

I am not hungry or scared or cold or in danger. I have choices and opportunities. I know it's all relative but it still puts things in perspective too.

Be brave and change.

Some things are simple, while other changes take time and courage. But it is so worth while in the end.

You can do it.

Do I want to write a book, write up and sell my patterns, sew more clothes for myself, go on more road trips, learn silver smithing, preserve more of our autumn harvest for winter, learn photoshop....Well why don't I?

Now that we've done this trip, I feel braver. I feel like we can change our lives around to fit in more of what we want to do as well as what we have to do. I feel like we are less stuck now. Like we have options. We can do it. We will do more of the things we want to do. And that makes me happy.

Be social.

At home I am often so caught up with my lists of all that I want to achieve that I sometimes forget to have a life. When we get home I am going to continue the social life we have enjoyed on the road, I am going to have dinners and parties and farm festivals and lunches and bonfires. And we are going to accept more invitations too. I feel like our kids are at an age now where we can socialise as a family because sharing our life with friends makes me happy.

Indulge once in a while.

I know what makes me feel good about myself and makes me happy. A warm jacket, a great haircut, a trip, a long distance phone call, stripey tights, beautiful food, op shopping, some new fruit trees, private time with my lovelies, a walk, baking, time to sew, lovely yarn, an adventure, books, music, films...

Get active.

Even though it is often hard to get moving in the first place, it never fails to lighten my mood and get those happy hormones pumping.

I need to ride my bike, grab my ipod or a friend and a go for a walk, pump up the music and dance, swim, run, skip, hike, hop...

Eat well and drink lots of water.


Feeling good on the inside is a great way to feel good on the outside.

......................................................................

The last ingredient on the dictated list that farmer Bren emailed to me from his phone is his own addition; 'write a hippie self help book!' I get that this post might come across like that, but we are on the home straight now and I still have the luxury of time to think thoughts through and analyse my life from afar, so that's what I'm gonna do.

I'm writing this just outside our caravan in Coral Bay. The girls are all of playing with friends. Farmer Bren is sitting beside me strumming his ukulele. If I look over to the left I can see a bunch of grey nomads sitting in a circle chatting and if I look to the right I can see the most magnificent beach I have ever seen. This place is paradise. It feels like such a great time and place to be writing this post. I feel happy.

So how does this sound to you? Do you have any more ingredients to add to my happiness cake? Do you believe in the happiness recipe? Do you bake your own? From where you sit right now can you taste it?

Happy happy! x

This is/was a craft blog?

A few days ago I was reading through a list of Australian Women Bloggers when I came across the words personal blogger next to me. Personal blogger?? When did that happen? Foxs Lane was created two years ago as a way for me to document the crafty stuff I was making and to connect with the crafty community. And there I was listed as a personal blogger.


So in order to get in touch with my crafty blogger roots and to record some of the stuff I've been making, here is a crafty blog post.


First off we have the Star pot-holder, details here. The Star pot-holder was crocheted when there was a family suggestion that I should decorate the spot just above our bed in the caravan. There will be more pot-holders to follow soon I hope.
 

Next up we have Daisy the Birthday Fairy named by Jazzy the birthday girl upon receiving her last week. Daisy's details here. The pattern I knitted Daisy from is super cute and includes a dolly with thumbs and feet and a dress and even undies. Miss Jazzy loves her.

And then the gorgeous Ms Chooky sent me one of her fab vintage Western Australia cushions and I stitched our journey so far on it.

Mine are not neat stitches and I'm not even sure what they are called, but they sort of blend in together when there are lots of them. I probably could tell you some story of each stitch representing an hour of driving, or a memory created, or an 'are we there yet?' but I haven't quite worked that one out yet.

That's where we are now, at the bottom left there in Carnarvon WA. We have been checking out some farms in the area and stocking up on organic produce. We're heading to Coral Bay after the farmers' market tomorrow.

And then there was that afternoon a week or so ago when I decided that as a knitter I really should learn how to knit pretty pictures and change colours. So using the book Picture Perfect Knits, I taught myself the Intarsia method.


It's a bit tight in the middle and the back is a bit of a mess but I think for a first go it's alright.

And lastly there's my car crochet project.


This is slow one because I'm this family's long distance driver but it's still handy to have a bit here and a bit there project.


I don't know what this is. I am too impatient to commit to a big blanket, I like the idea of learning new crochet stitches, it's worked in cotton so it's not too hot or sweaty and perhaps one day it'll turn into a throw or a lap rug or something.


So there you have it. Maybe this isn't a craft blog anymore but it still contains crafty interludes from time to time.


May your weekend be a wonderful one.


Happy travels. xx


ps. yes, I know the spacing and text sizing in this post is all over the place but blogger is driving me nuts and I've been playing with this post for ages and its time to let it go and press the publish button.


pps. I know the layout of this blog must be driving you mad Dad. If you want to have a go at fixing it let me know and I'll give you my deets. x

Honeymoon.

This is Alec.

Alec is standing on what he calls reception rock. The only place in his workplace that he can get reception on his mobile phone.

Alec was our glass bottom boat driver and tour guide last Monday morning on the Ningaloo Reef.

Alec was an awesome guide. He was funny and interesting and inclusive and he didn't sound like he was reading from a script even though he has been running this tour for nine years.

Yes!!! You read that right. Alec has been running glass bottom boat, diving and snorkeling tours on the Ningaloo reef for nine years. And he loves it. He told us that he feels like he is still in his work honeymoon phase. He gets excited about coming to work every single day. He loves it so much that he has no minimum bookings, he'll run a tour for one person. He loves it so much that he didn't get offended when Miss Pepper asked very loudly why he talked so much. He thought it was funny.

Although the whole reef experience was pretty mind blowing, what really left me thinking was Alec and his attitude to work and life.

I want to wake up in the morning, every morning and be excited about my day. I want to feel lucky and love what I do.

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.

I remember before we left Daylesford waking up in the morning and lying in bed making lists of what I had to do that day. Instead of enjoying it, I felt like I was in a rush to get as much done before I hopped back into bed that night.

I don't know what that's all about because truly I am living the life I have always wanted to live. I have a gorgeous family, I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and our business is ethical and sustainable and wonderful, I feel proud of what we do.

I should feel like every day is a honeymoon.

I have no idea whether it's a state of mind or whether I have to change some stuff around and simplify things but honeymoon is the end result I am aiming for.

Honeymoon: romance, happiness, excitement, love, fulfilment, good-will...

As far as I know this might be the only chance I get at life, so why would I want to waste one day feeling anything but.

It's something to aim for anyway.

What do you think? Do you love what you do? Do you think it's possible to feel excited about your day to day? Do you strive for honeymoon? Have you got any tips for me?

Happy travels. x

Tourists.

When you are on a road trip you try to see everything. You visit museums, local sights, geographical formations and any other points of interest along the way.

You have time and you make time.

I guess that's what you are there to do.

Since we arrived in Exmouth a few days ago we have driven up to the Vlaming Head lighthouse, we have climbed up on the steps, on the window and on the anchor. We stood on the cliff and watched the whales. We visited Jurabi Turtle Centre observation point and we swam and snorkeled at Turquoise Bay. We rode our bikes into town, visited a local market and drank coffee at a cafe. We looked at the reef from a glass bottom boat, ran up and down and up and down an enormous sand dune, looked at a ship wreck and at town beach. We have been good little tourists.

I guess three months of touristing has me thinking about the life we lead at home. We live in one of the most gorgeous areas in our state. Thousands of tourists flock to our town every weekend to take in the sights and do the Daylesford thing. But not so much us. We are so busy running around after our lives or so busy recovering from running our lives that we rarely appreciate our town and all it has to offer.

Yesterday we met a woman who lives here in Exmouth and rarely visits the beach. Fancy being so close to some of the most magnificent beaches in the world and not remembering to make time to swim.

I don't want to have to be a tourist to remember to swim. When we get home I would like to discover our area from time to time too. Go for walks and bike rides and drives in the gardens and in the forest, swim in the lakes, explore the galleries, go camping, visit nearby towns and other farms. Explore. Make time.

Lately more and more of my thoughts are turning to how we can live a really great life at home. I think being a tourist at home could be such great fun.

How about you? Do you play tourist in your home town? Or are you too busy to swim?

See ya! x

Eight on 9/10/11.

Dearest Jazzy,

Very, very early this morning you jumped out of your bed and came into ours for a cuddle. There were no more days left on your calender for you to cross off. Your birthday had arrived.

We spoke about the day you were born, you did a dance for us in your birthday suit, you opened your prezzies, ate some lollies and got dressed in the dress you had been saving since Broome.

You could not believe your day had finally arrived.

We gave you a new bike, a PINK helmet, a dolly I knitted, lollies, a tiara and lots of cards.

Your road trip friends Sammy and Shelby came over and gave you prezzies and we cut up lots of fruit

and feasted on a stack of J pancakes.

A man came over and gave you a red fishing rod. He said he was leaving Exmouth and didn't need it anymore.

And then you ran off to play with your friends at the playground next to our caravan.

Later on we watched the movie of your life that Dad made for you. You cried. You swear you never cry in movies but you had tears streaming down your face while you watched this one.

We rode our bikes into town and came across a little town market. You jumped on the jumping castle, then on a trampoline and came home for a swim in the pool.

As I write this you are at your friend Stephanie's cabin making a stuffed toy.

No wonder you can't stop telling us that this is the best birthday ever!
And its only 4.30pm. You've still got candles to blow out, icecream cake to eat and the outdoor caravan park movie to watch that you and Indi chose.

To think that I worried about celebrating your birthday away from your friends.

Happy birthday Miss Jazzy our fairy princess.
May your life be filled with sparkly, sweet, giggly, happy things.

xxxxxxxxx

Miss Jazzy's 6th birthday here.
Miss Jazzy's 7th birthday here.

Turquoise Bay.

Earlier in the year, before we left home, I remember wondering about real life and whether it would sneak it's way into our road trip. Whether it would be possible to live a dream life for six months without it becoming reality. Whether there would be moments on our holiday that would be icky and uncomfortable and boring.

Looking back now, I think the last week has been a bit of a thud down to earth.

Indi and I spent a week COVERED in sand fly bites and ended up in an antihistamine haze, we had to spend a few days in a town waiting to get our car serviced, we had to spend time in fluorescent shopping centres buying supplies and prezzies for an upcoming birthday, we spent hours on the phone dealing with issues from home and we realised that we are more than half way through our trip and are in fact heading home.

Real life stuff.

But then yesterday we woke up really early in Karratha and drove all day long until we reached Exmouth. We all had excited holiday butterflies in our tummies. We were heading back to the beach.

This morning we woke up and drove to one of the most magnificent beaches we have ever seen.

Turquoise Bay!!

Turquoise bay is part of Ningaloo reef and the only beach I have ever been to where you can swim right off the beach and onto the reef. It was so exciting to have the fishies swimming all around us.

It was mind blowing to snorkle out a bit further and watch the gorgeous reef fish swimming about in the coral and watch our excited kidlets as they learnt to use their snorkles and watched the under water world beneath them.

We are a tired bunch this evening but so happy to be back living our dream.

We are back!

Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend friends.

Happy travels. x

Sorry.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I know you don't like us saying sorry and say that we have to show you in our actions, so I will. But I decided I'd tell you what it means to me.

Sorry is when you hurt someone (whether it's inside or out) and then you feel hurt too because you have made them upset. You don't know what to do so you cry. It's the only way you can bring what's inside you out. But not in words, in tears. You cry until you feel bad about what you did and then you go stiff and then you want to say sorry but you're scared to and you don't know how.

And then you make up and it feels nice and then everything goes back to normal. But I don't want it to. I want to listen to what you said, breathe it in and let it out.

No one said living in a caravan would be easy all the time. We knew we would all have our moments and sometimes it wouldn't be fun but I am going to try harder and work harder on everything.

I love you guys so, so, so, so, so much and would never mean to hurt you.

I didn't mean anything I said back then, I was angry and I love you. I do appreciate everything you do for us so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so much and I will try from now on to have as much fun as possible.

I love you way past the moon and way further back and I know you love me too.

Love Indi

Mwa!

xxxxxxxooooooo