The winner is...

Been a bit absent from blogland. A lot's been going on.

One car down with a leak, then within days the second car died...for good. 

She had it coming but it's still sad.

So have been trying to sort out a car for Mr Samoa to get to work in next week, his very first week, while the other car is at the mechanics....which only opens on Monday.

Nice for some.

Anyway, I do apologise and hope to be more frequent again soon...both in posting and commenting.

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway and thanks heaps for following my blog!

Drum roll please....

The winner is:

Jules from Mama Wears Jandals



Well done Jules!!
Please leave me your email address and I'll organise to post them to you asap

Ticking over into Twenty Eleven

{If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, there's still time! And remember if you mention the giveaway on your blog, you get an extra entry.}

I haven't done a post about 2011 yet. You see, I'm not quite sure what the year holds for me.

2011 still finds me in survival mode with Smiley's sleep. And until he's sleeping better at night, I feel a bit like I'm living at limited capacity.

But I'm ok with that. I'm being kind to myself until this season is over.

There are a few things that I am continuing on with.

I wrote this post in August 2009 and it really was a defining time for me.

One of the decisions I talk about in the post was to learn to play guitar.

No this is not me. I just love all the pink and cool guitar.

I have always wanted to but never quite got there. I tend to put too much pressure and expectation on myself to be brilliant at things when actually, I just need to start and maybe I'll be brilliant one day after a whole lot of practise and hard work! I set myself a realistic time frame of 5 years too. Plenty of time left.

Since writing that post, I have learned 9 chords and I am loving it. I don't practise as much I as I would like but I'm pleased with my progress.

Music is in me and it feels so good to nurture that.

In 2011 I also want to continue putting time into this blog. I have loved the journey! And loved the people I have met.

At one point I was thinking of looking for work or going back to finish my degree, but neither of those options sits right with me at the moment. 

So for now, I am just "continuing on" into 2011.

Being the best mother and wife that I can be.

Trusting that if I live open to God, he will, as Joyce Meyer says, "come and get me" and show me where I need to be.

I want to live "careless in the care of God" this year.

(Matthew 6:27, The Message)

It's feeling good already.

New Year's Giveaway

Yes, you read right.

My first ever giveaway.

I am soooo excited!

For those of you who have only been following me a short while, I have been in a very 'lean' season financially for the last 5 years while Mr Samoa completed his degree. He starts work in 3 weeks!

3 weeks people!!

And while the income has not quite yet started, it's worth a bit of celebration anyway.

So I want to celebrate YOU ♥

All you who choose to read my little blog. Thank you!

I have loved getting to know you. 

Here they are:

To win these lovely necklaces (or win them for someone else if they're not your style), all you have to do is:

1.Become a follower (if you're not one already) by clicking the "Follow" button on the left hand side bar 

2. Then leave me a comment, and you're in! 

If you mention this giveaway on your blog, you'll get an extra entry. Just leave me another comment to let me know.

Open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Well, what you waiting for?

I ♥ family

Well hello there.

Been having a lovely holiday, filled with lots of family time.

I was saying to Mr Samoa that this year was the most enjoyable Christmas I've had so far.

The first four Christmases of our married life were pretty bad. We spent them arguing and unhappy, each feeling misunderstood and hard done by.

Our families are so very different, you see, and do things very differently from each other's.

Of course this would take some getting used to, but we (I!) seem to think that when we get married, a switch is flicked and immediately our differences merge into one glowing, love-filled ball of harmony.

Unfortunately, the differences seem the hardest to cope with around Christmas time. 

I think it's due to the expectation and the excitement all built up around this one day.

We've now been married five and half years and I think this year I've truly come to appreciate how wonderful, and wonderfully different our families are. They have different strengths, each so enjoyable in their own ways.

What used to phase me no longer does. I've learned to relax and go with the flow a whole lot more because of Mr Samoa's family. When nothing is planned or organised, just stick around, enjoy yourself, and it will all come together.

All my awesome sisters

At the same time, I can enjoy that my family always plans ahead and relish putting that date down in my diary.

I fell in love with Mr Samoa because he was different from me. But it's these very differences that can drive a wedge between us. I am so thankful we are learning and growing together, and willing to make changes for each other.

I'm so looking forward to the years ahead...with both of our awesome families.