what if..

Let's jump straight in today...


- - - - -

'What if '  are two very powerful words..

What if instead of using them to haunt yourself with past regrets,you used them to build your future?

What if you changed your attitude and accomplished the impossible?

- - - - -


Did you feel it?


Goosebumps. Just. Happened.


I cannot explain to you how much I LOVE this quote. And what a timely reminder that I'm sure we can all resonate with on some level no matter what our current situation or circumstances.

Perspective is everything, my friends.

Oh possibilities!

Happy weekend.

what if..?!

xx

an Australian classic

The conversation (albeit one-sided) has been getting pretty serious around here lately.

For a little while, I was barely spending any time in the kitchen.

But in the past two weeks I've been back in a baking, cooking, creating zone - and I am loving it.

I made Anzac Cookies for (yep, you guessed it) Anzac Day - So here's the recipe...

Better late than never, isn't it?!

A N Z A C   C O O K I E S

1 cup plain flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

3 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle

150g unsalted butter, chopped

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

Preheat oven to 170°C. 
Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine. 
In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted. 
Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. 
It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat. 
Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. 
Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. 
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.


xx

name one of your biggest regrets in life..

That's not a trick question.

Nor is it one on which you should spend too much time dwelling.

If you have any regrets, I think the thoughts/memories/emotion will flood you the moment you read the title of this post.

It can be an easy question to avoid.. 

Unless it is one of the questions you are asked to respond to in a job application, as I was.

N A M E   O N E   O F   Y O U R   B I G G E S T   R E G R E T S   I N   L I F E

*WOAH*

How does one answer that question to a potential employer?!

Well, right or wrong, I answered the exact same way I would if you asked me over a glass of vino at the bar...

~  ~  ~

For this question I looked up ‘regret’ because to me it is a very strong word that at first glance, I would answer with ‘I have no regrets’.

But Google tells me it is - a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc.

To which I respond, ‘there are a few’…

But first let me set the scene for you… I met my ex-husband when I was 18. In my first semester of uni, at my first job out of high school. We met at Coles. I was a Check-Out Chick. Our story spans seven years - We met, we fell in love, we bought property, moved in together, got engaged, renovated our house, adopted a fur baby (Yup – Miss Emmy is a child of divorce), had a beautiful wedding, and lived a 'normal' married life.

I don’t regret the any of that. Infact, I try not to regret any of the things that I have done.

But I do regret things that I didn’t do.

And I didn’t travel.

I didn’t take a gap year after high school and backpack around Europe.

I didn’t do a Contiki Tour across America.

I didn’t participate in the exchange program at uni and spend a semester in Canada – skiing Whistler, making new friends, expanding my horizons.

I didn’t even go on spontaneous Girls Weekends within Australia.

I didn’t do any of these adventurous things, because I had  Fallen. In. Love.

My ex-husband and I didn’t travel overseas at all whilst we were together. As all our time and money was spent on things, rather than experiences.

And for that, I have a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction.... Regret.

~  ~  ~

Since writing that response in my job application, I came across this quote - 

Sums it up nicely, don't you think?

xx

quitting vs giving up

Over the last four or so weeks, I have given this topic a lot of thought..

Disagree with me if you will, but atleast hear me out first.

It'll be like a one-sided debate.
(Unless you want to get involved by leaving a comment...)

Here's the topic -


There is a difference between 'quitting' and 'giving up'.

To give up is to surrender. To let adversity, or difficulty, or even a little challenge discourage you.

Giving up hurts (at least) twice - once when you do it; and again at a later date when you think back and wish you hadn't.

On the other hand - 

Quitting is empowering.
To quit is to make a choice to move on to something else; something better.

Quitting can be difficult, but in certain circumstances it is the right thing to do.

* * *

Society has taught us to perceive quitting with negative connotations. Nobody wants to be thought of as a 'quitter'. We often think of quitting as failure. We commend people for carrying on through difficulty. We fear judgement of our actions from family, friends and colleagues. So we stick with things that don’t make us happy because we feel we like we should.

We have been brought up with this focus on perseverance rather than purposefulness. 
If you're sticking with something just to prove something then it's a bit pointless...

Have you ever felt that feeling in your gut that the path you are on is now wrong for you?

It takes a lot of courage to admit that, even to yourself, let alone to the rest of the world. Sometimes you have to leave the current path and find a new one. Or, if there is no new path to be found, create a new one.

This can apply to so many aspects of life — home, work, education, family, friends, relationships, and habits.

It's the opposite of what we're all told.

Have you ever felt trapped?

Make a change in your life.

Don’t waste your time on a path that feels wrong; on something that is compromising your happiness.

Don’t fear the stigma.

QUIT.

Embrace the change.

Quitting does not make you weak. It means you are brave enough to change what isn't right.

xx

so... i'm jumping off the hamster wheel

This time next week I will be unemployed.

That sentence scares the pants off me and sends a rush of excitement through me all at the same time.

As I'm sure it does in any work environment, the news of my resignation spread through the office like wild fire, and soon after, I was faced with a number of questions from my colleagues, including the obvious -
"So, where are you going next?"

The thing is - I'm just not sure yet. My plan is sketchy at best.

I am met with many blank faces when I honestly admit the unknown.

And believe me - I would probably be a little too quick to judge if someone told me the same news with the same lack of conviction.

Because, let's face it - it is very rare for anyone to "simply" quit their job without a plan. Or a lotto windfall.

Since I have neither, let me be the first to admit that this was no simple decision.

I am still fighting my inner Logical Andie every single day. For a long time, she has been in charge around here. And she judges me more than anyone I know..

But my new plan is to have no plan.

I have had plans in the past, but these often come with expectations, and well, sometimes where there is expectation, there is disappointment.

The reasoning behind my decision to jump off the hamster wheel probably doesn't make sense to many people. But for once in my life, I have decided to leap into the unknown.

Wish me luck.

xx

why i read my horoscope daily

I think horoscopes are one of those things that you're either into, or you're not.

Much like sports, or animals, or tequila, they are either part of your life, or you have zero interest.

I like them.

I like that it's referred to as the 'Science of the Stars'

I like having the option to blame my crappy day on unfortunate planetary alignment

I like to believe in fate rather than coincidence

I like the concept of a crystal ball foreseeing my future

I like that for one moment, in a world where I like to be truly certain and always know the answer to the question before I ask it, I can put my faith in the complete unknown.

Don't get me wrong - I don't necessarily believe my horoscope 100% of the time.

I just like the idea.

OK, let's be honest - I like the idea today.

I like that my mind has the power to turn a vague generalisation into a wild possibility

Because today, I am told - 

You can't just do what you have always done. Well, you can - there is no law against it. But if you want to grow, to explore, to discover, to awaken your potential and to embrace all the marvellous opportunities life has to offer you, that may first require learning to look at the past with fresh eyes. It may also be necessary to find a willingness to innovate. The familiar is always reassuring. The new is always scary. Summon your courage and step into the unknown today. The time will soon be right for a brave move. 

________________________________________

Today, I like that optimism. That opportunity. That glimmer of hope that if I take a leap of faith, everything will be OK.

xx

cheaters strudel

Last week I craved comfort food. And I happened to have some apples in the fruit bowl.

Apple pie seemed like too much effort, so instead I made a 'cheaters' version of apple strudel.

I call it the 'cheaters' version because I used store-bought puff pastry, which is not my usual style.

But none the less, my first attempt at strudel was delicious (although, as it turns out, not so photogenic*)


C H E A T E R S   A P P L E   S T R U D E L

Cheaters Apple Strudel

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 tablespoon plain flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons raisins (optional)
4 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg
Slivered almonds, for sprinkling

Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 190°C. Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Add apples (raisons are optional). Toss to coat.

Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place the pastry on a lightly floured sheet of non-stick baking paper. Dust the pastry lightly with flour. Spoon the apple mixture over the bottom half of the pastry. Roll the pastry into a large log. 

Place, seam side down, on the baking tray. Tuck the ends under the roll.

Combine the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush with the egg mixture. Cut several 2cm-long slits, 2cm apart, into the top of the roll. Sprinkle with slivered almonds.

Bake for 35 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack lined with baking paper for 30 minutes to cool (if you can wait that long..) Dust with icing sugar and serve.

xx

[*Disclaimer : I may or may not have made, photographed, and eaten these after a glass (or two) of bubbles]

little miss contradiction

Contradiction

con·tra·dic·tion  [kon-truh-dik-shuhn] 

noun

the act of contradicting; gainsaying or opposition.

assertion of the contrary or opposite; denial.

a statement or proposition that contradicts or denies another or itself and is logically incongruous.

direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency.

I dream of conquering the world but I don't think I am smart/determined/motivated enough

I am a cat person who owns a dog

I love comfy pjs and twirling in skirts

My memory is terrible but I don't forget lyrics to songs

I have a 'don't mess with me attitude' but can cry for days

I am known to be 'girly' but my wardrobe is black

I love absorbing the suns rays but yearn to play in the snow

I will offer advice but rarely want to hear it

I want the freedom of travel but the foundation of 'home'

I want to prove my independence but long to be loved

I am strong and stubborn but vulnerable and emotional

I want to jump out of planes but I am scared of heights

I hate confrontation but am passionate about my beliefs

I drink green juices for breakfast and wine for my dinner

I crave uninhibited passion but fear for my heart

I want to snuggle all day and dance all night

I like structure but resent nine-to-five

I am quick to learn but slow to trust

I resist change but continue to search for something

I stress about finances but I have just quit my job

I embrace doing nothing and then worry about wasted time

I'm an organised list writer with a cluttered mind

That's me - a whole complex package

xx

why i can't settle

Sometimes starting a blog post is the hardest part. There are so many thoughts in my head that I struggle to communicate them to my fingers and type anything coherent.

Usually, once I have begun, the words flow from me with ease. 

And most often, the message I thought I was trying to convey in the beginning is not at all where it ends up.

But that's my point today. It's a new concept I am learning to understand, accept and embrace - 

It's OK to veer off path

It's OK to change your mind.

You have the freedom to reconsider any and all aspects of your life - from simple things like what you want for breakfast today, or which direction you're going to take on your morning walk; To larger plans like where you'll spend Christmas; To life changing ideas like where you want to live; work, play; and with whom you wish to spend the rest of your life.

In life, we stick with plans because we feel like we have made a commitment (either to ourselves or to others). Most of the time we are afraid to change our plans unless there is something terribly wrong so that we can justify our decision to anyone who dares question our motives to seek something new. But you know what? Just because it's a good, solid, plan - doesn't mean it's right for you, or right for now.

Occasionally, we stop to identify that the plan we thought we had signed, sealed and delivered turns out to be inadequate or less than desirable or maybe something just isn't right. In this moment, we realise we are missing a major component in our lives. Maybe we have become complacent? Maybe we didn't consider our options in the past because they just didn't seem possible?

When we refuse to change direction for any reason (fear being the most common) - 

We are settling.

And we should never settle.

Nelson Mandela

Why should live an ordinary life, when we are capable of being extraordinary?

xx