ATTENTION NEWCASTLE READERS!!! A GIVEAWAY FOR A GOOD CAUSE AND AN EVENT YOU CAN'T MISS!

I love Camp Quality's purpose... 

We believe in building resilience in the lives of every child living with cancer and their family in Australia. We create an optimistic community for our families through fun therapy and education.

This last week I've been really touched by the amazing story of little Talin Hawkin's who at five years of age, has but weeks to live due to an inoperable brain tumour. If you'd like to know more, check out Talin's facebook page, lovingly written by his mum Cassandra as she shares these last days and weeks of their journey together with the world. If you'd like to donate to help Talin's family, click here. 

Anyway, Talin's story really opened my eyes to how much cancer and other serious illnesses impact such little people and their entire families.

That's why the work of Camp Quality is so very important. To provide a little laughter in an situation where there it can feel like there's nothing to laugh about is just an amazing thing.

A BEAUTY-ful friend of mine, Sally, has organised an awesome fundraising event to help support Camp Quality in their awesome work and I really want to encourage you all to get along to it if you can! 

This movie looks pretty amazing! And this great event will be held on opening night...be the first to see it and help a good cause in the process.

But for one lucky reader - I have a ticket to give away!

All you need to do is this:

Tell me a funny joke! Funniest joke will win the ticket - easy as.

The ticket will be made available for collection on the night... why not bring a friend along too? You can contact Sally via the mobile number above to arrange more tickets. 

Disclaimer: The winner will be at the discretion of... me! Please note that the event will be held in Glendale, Newcastle, NSW, Australia and you need to be available to attend this specific event on Thursday 21st June at 6.45pm. 

Can't wait to give it away - who's in????

Baking for Therapy.... again!

I've been baking again.

I can't help it... it's so theraputic... I love the smells that fill my house when I'm busy in the kitchen and the warmth that comes from the oven and fills my soul.

Today I made these scrummy muffins... Thermy helped me out of course and made it so very easy. 

I borrowed a recipe from the Thermomix Recipe Community page for Jam Swirl muffins and did a little substituting using organic flour and jam. 

But the secret ingredient in these delish muffins is Chobani's yummy 0% fat Natural Greek Yogurt.

A few weeks back I was asked if I'd like a box full of this delish yoghurt to try out.... and holy moly they weren't kidding when they said they'd be sending a box full! 

You might remember a while back I tried out Chobani's fruit-filled range and found them pretty good. You can read about them here.

This time around I was thinking 'Oh geez, how am I going to use this all up before it expires?'

Luckily Chobani added a few suggestions. This 0%... yes, that's right 0% fat yoghurt provides a guilt free ingredient for a whole bunch of stuff... salad dressings, bruschettas, vanilla cupcakes, breakfast bars and more! 

The great thing about Chobani is not only does it use natural ingredients with no hidden nasties, it also has the zero fat factor, making a great healthy snack. It's a bit too tart for me to eat straight, so I add a half teaspoon of honey to a tub and it's perfect! Guilt free, healthy, natural. All big ticks in my books :)

I decided that using my Thermomix recipe, I'd have a go at the Jam Swirl muffins and here's how they turned out. The kids love them too and I can relax knowing they're eating a snack that isn't packed with additives.

Seriously good and perfect for this cool afternoon with a cup of chai with honey... mmmmm!

If you've got a great recipe idea for using natural greek yoghurt - please share it with us!

Now, who's for a cuppa and a muffin?

Heaven on earth....

So I'm not a travel blogger...although ironically, I was a travel consultant in my former life!

But last week, I had the most blissed out week in a little piece of heaven on earth with my family and I can't not share it with you.

In my 'un-plugged' state, and not carrying my usual iPhone so much - I actually made the most of my Digi SLR and took a few piccis for you :)

(Me.)

Central Tilba is the most beautiful little village - preserved by a National Heritage listing. It's so beautifully restored and has that gorgeous boutique-y village feel without the pretense.

(The Dromedary Hotel at the centre of Tilba's main street.)

The quiet main street is home to the most delish little shops which my hubby so generously let me wander for hours while he watched the kids... and as it was, it took me two hours just to do one side of the street!

Tilba is home to South Coast Cheese... you can visit the factory or the cafe and this was my first stop on the corner at the beginning of the main street. Perfect place to eat, get hold of some great organic living and gardening books, find great local and not-so-local products or pick up a take away coffee (in my case, chai with honey) to accompany you on your wandering up the street. They have so many incredible cheeses that you can taste before buying... my picks, Double Brie, Camembert and the Vintage tomato cheddar. It's also worth mentioning that they are  lovely and honest people who, when I left my keycard on their counter on my last morning there, promptly posted it back to me! 

(A sample of Tilba's main street shops.)

A little further up the street you'll find some lovely little shops to browse through and (if you're like me), lighten the bank balance. Sapphire Blues has beautiful giftwares and I was particularly taken by the 'enjoy' sign in the front window... you know, one of those 'word' things you see everywhere now but it just set the tone for my little street adventure! There's antique stores, tea shops, a pub and cute little gift shops. 

My hubby's favourite is the Tilba Sweet Lollyshop which stocked sugary goodness like old school boiled lollies, tons of the US goodies like Hersheys and Reeses as well as Dutch licorices in endless varieties! I love Reva's which is one of the biggest stockists of Enviro-sacs I've seen as well as gorgeous jewellery (where my hubby bought me a gorgeous necklace and earrings on our last trip to Tilba a few years back) and beautiful and brightly coloured scarves and clothing.

My favourite this trip was the Tango Toy store where I bought a bunch of birthday pressies. They have the most gorgeous and great quality toys that aren't just more plastic landfill. And a nice little surprise out the back of the toy store, a new venture 'Tango in Tilba' where they're importing the most delish bath bombs and creams in every flavour and scent under the sun. Take the time to wander down the side path and check it out. 

For those who appreciate fine craftsmanship, there's the Woodturners with the most beautifully crafted items from furniture to cheese knives. They'll also help you ship the big stuff home. After several hours wandering, I thought it best to leave any more spending for another time.

In Tilba, there's no stress. Everyone is lovely. Everyone just lets you wander and do your thing. There's no pressure to buy - just a friendly chat as you browse and beautiful sights, sounds, smells and tastes to satisfy your senses.

If you're looking for somewhere to stay, I have only one answer. Central Tilba Farm Cabins, also known as Braeside, are our little piece of heaven on earth.

Just outside of Central Tilba there's four cabins on the farm of Ron and Tralee Snape. The most lovely, welcoming, friendly pair of people in Tilba, Ron and Tralee have four little self contained cabins built on the ridge at the top of their farm. The cabins have everything you need. They sleep up to six people with main bedroom, bunks for the kids in the main room, bathroom and fully equipped kitchen. But the best bit of all - the open fireplace...soooo perfect for the chilly weather. And I have to say, by the end of our week, we were master fire builders ;)

(My man building the fire on our first night and skillfully keeping it burning pretty much all week.)

At Braeside you can do as much or as little as you like. You can wander the farm, build a bonfire and toast marshmallows, laze about, meet the local wildlife or sit on your bum and read a book. Whatever you do, it's almost impossible to feel any sort of stress. Look what we woke up to each morning...

The cabins are reasonably spaced apart so even if the other ones are full, you'll still feel like you're miles away from anyone. 

(Braeside wanderings.)

We were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves for the week (the beauty of being able to travel outside of school holidays). It was our little place to just relax and it was exactly what we needed. 

There's plenty to do within a short drive of Tilba as well. Narooma is just fifteen minutes away. As the place where my hubby grew up, it was so nice to show the kids his old homes and the place he went to school. We went fishing, wandered the breakwall and said hello to the seals that were lazing about on the wall in the sun after popping over from Montague Island just off the coast. We had fish 'n' chip picnics in the sunshine and took photos at 'Australia Rock', aptly named because of the shape worn in the rock by the waves and weather. Narooma is a beautiful place, you should check it out sometime ;)

(Australia Rock, Wandering the Wall, my babies checking out the seals.)

We also wandered down to Bega.. a beautiful countryside, although we were a little disappointed to discover that you can no longer do tours of the cheese factory due to OHS issues. But we had a lovely picnic, sampled the fudge and the cheese and headed home via Bermagui where we took the kids fishing of a little pontoon at the Marina. There was a MASSIVE sting ray and his slightly smaller friend floating around under us and tons of little fish stealing our bait, all adding to the kids excitement. After E2 caught a toadfish by accident (it got it's fin caught on the hook!) and E1 caught a tiny bream (thank God, had she not caught something after her brother did it would have been devestation central!) were allowed to head back to Tilba, satisfied that we had 'experienced' fishing with two happy kids in tow.

 (Can you spot the massive stingray in that last picture?)

So after a blissed out week, I can safely say that Tilba is our favourite little getaway. Although it's a six hour drive from where we are, it's absolutely, one hundred percent worth it. There's so much more to this beautiful region that we didn't get to on this visit but we will certainly be going back for more in the near future. It doesn't take big bucks (oh did I mention that Central Tilba Farm Cabins offer AMAZING rates!?) to have a BIG holiday. I hope you all get a chance some time to head to Tilba for a little getaway.... you won't regret it.

Steph xo

A little time offline....

Warning: Random Mumblings Alert!

I've been offline for the last week or so... and it's been lovely.

I find I am constantly in a state of conflict in my head and in my heart over my 'online' life vs my 'real' life.

To be honest - what you 'see' of me is online is what my mates see in real life. I don't have split personalities... what I write is from the heart and honest - I can't see the point in doing otherwise.

But I am often critisised for the amount of time I spend online.

People misjudge what they 'see' and assume that I spend my whole life online.

I admit that sometimes I can get a little too engrossed in reading amazing blogs or catching up on Facebook. There are times when I have to step back. But I never prioritise my online life over my real one.

But I worry for those who do. I know many who are lonley in real life, and substitute the 'real' for the digital. I can see how it would be easy, especially for the introverted to let this happen. I, being somewhat extroverted (hahaha...nooooo... me?!) cannot live without the one on one, face to face, real life stuff. But it's easy, when you're feeling isolated (e.g. when you're home with two sick kids as I am today) to lose yourself online for a while.

Don't forget to 'check in' with your 'real' live breathing friends sometimes yeah?

Anyway - that's one train of thought. It all comes from having committed to being offline for the week of our holiday and it was so nice, but by golly it was hard! To retrain my brain to not feel like I needed to check in on Facebook, upload piccis to Instagram or update my status was strange! I wouldn't say hard... but weird - because I'm so used to doing it all by habit. I actually took real photos with my expensive fancy pants camera that often goes unused because I just use my iPhone for everything.

I read a book (and a half!) which, ironically I had to download on our iPad and read because I forgot to take all my actual paper books with me. Doh! So it's funny that in my 'escape' from technology, it actually saved me.

I played games, went for walks and little adventures with my kids. I built fires, toasted marshmallows, went fishing and ate a lot of cheese and fudge! I, for once, was on my phone far less than my husband...(which I am silently kicking his butt over because he wanted me on my phone less and was then on Facebook or playing bejeweled himself all week! Rat! He's lucky I love him!) I listened more. I was available more. And it felt good.

So here I am with a renewed motivation to try being more connected in the real world and a little more 'unplugged'. I want to continue that 'good' feeling and feel less pressured to be on or offline... depending on which way I'm being pulled each day.

I'm not sure yet what this means for Think BIG. Start small. I enjoy blogging but have found I have a little 'writers block' at the moment. I am still motivated to do it, but I need to find a way to balance my passion for writing random mumblings with not being online too much ;)

Small things for BIG change. RELATIONSHIPS.

I won't ever 'stand here' and profess to be an expert on relationships. Because let's face it -

like everyone else, I am human. And like everyone else, I have made my fair share of

mistakes.

But the key is that I am learning from those mistakes and every day, resolving to do better, for

myself and for my relationships.

This may be helpful for you in your marriage, your personal friendships and relationships, or

in the workplace. For me this mostly comes from a place of marriage - but that's where I'm at.

This might be more applicable for you with your kids, your friends...whoever. Whatever this

looks like for you, I wish you happy, productive, supportive relationships that are respectful

and full of LOVE!

DON’T COMPARE your relationships to others.

One of the most important things I've learned is that you never know what's going on behind

closed doors. That couple that looks 'perfect' often is not. 

Now admittedly, this is a struggle - because there'll always be a relationship that I look at

and think 'I wish we could be more like that'...but have to keep reminding myself that

comparison is the thief of JOY. What's the point in wasting time comparing yourself or your

relationship to others? You and your partner and your situation are unique. You each bring

different elements to the table that make your relationship what it is. So how could it possibly

be the same as others? 

Make your relationship the best it can be - without the comparisons. It's good to aspire to be

better...but not the same.

Be yourself, in your own life and in your relationship.

Learn your mate’s LOVE LANGUAGE.

One of the best books I have ever read is 'The Five Love Languages' by Gary Chapman.

There's also a version for the five love languages of your kids, families and teenagers. 

There are five specific languages of love:

Quality Time

Words of Affirmation

Gifts

Acts of Service

Physical Touch

To quote the book, ' What speaks volumes to you may be meaningless to your spouse.

Apply the right principles, learn the right language, and soon you'll know the profound

satisfaction and joy of being able to express your love and truly feel loved in return'. 

Now this may not have all the answers, but I can tell you, this book makes sense. It's all

about keeping your partner/child/friend's 'love tank' full. It's about making sure that whatever

it is that 'float's their boat' (as in their happiness levels people - let's keep this clean!) is what

you're working on. Otherwise it's like bashing your head against a brick wall. 

I can cook my hubby dinner, clean the house and do things for him in acts of service til I'm

blue in the face - but it's not his love language. So while he appreciates it, it's not what

makes him happy. What makes him happy is sitting down and spending time chilling in front

of the tele together. Or getting an awesome gift... that's always a winner ;) 

Learn the love language of whoever you're in a relationship with and it'll make life a whole

lot easier. It won't make it perfect - because everything good in life requires effort. But that's

ok. Which leads me to my next point...

If it’s worth it, it’ll take work… AND THAT’S OK.

How many times have you heard 'love at first sight' or 'we're just meant to be'? Last time I

checked, I wasn't living in a Disney Princess movie (and trust me, with a four year old

daughter, I've seen PLENTY of these!).

I like to think of my marriage as more of a romantic comedy. There's always struggles but

with happy bits too. Do you ever wonder what happens after they get to the happy ending?

Do you think it's happily ever after? I prefer to think they're normal like me. There's tough bits,

and good bits. But you've just got to work at it. You may well have experienced 'love at first

sight' and you may well be 'meant to be'. But most relationships (and if this isn't you - well, I

applaud you!) take time, effort and work. 

But you know what? That's ok. Just because something takes work, doesn't mean it's not

meant to be. It just means it's worth it. Totally worth it. Trust me. I wouldn't be where I am right

now, with my happy little family, without damn hard work and perseverance. When life

throws stuff at you - you've just got to get on with the work that needs to be done to keep

those you love close and your relationship strong.

Concede defeat occasionally.. ADMIT when you’re wrong.

If my husband reads this - he'll be laughing. Because he thinks I NEVER do this. And I admit,

out of all the points I'm throwing out here - this is the one I fail at the most. I find this one SO

incredibly hard. I'm a strong willed (some would say pig-headed) kind of woman and I like to

argue my point if I feel that it's right. But sometimes, just sometimes, it's ok to concede defeat.

IF it's for the greater good, if you really are in the wrong and if it'll mean moving forward

instead of staying stuck then why not? Let's make a deal, I'll work on this if you do ;) hehe...

Sleep it off.. Resolve to do better TOMORROW.

Ok, so I have always been told 'Never let the sun go down on an argument'. Oh how I wish

sometimes this could be the case. But it's not always possible. Sometimes, it's better just to

sleep it off because rest (especially for tired parents of small children!) and a clear

perspective by morning can make a huge difference to the outcome of a situation. I find that if

hubby and I are a bit narky at each other, even though I could probably argue til dawn, if we

just go to sleep, it's usually better in the morning because we've had time to rest, re-think and

pray - and then resolution of the issue is handled much better than in the heat of the moment.

As with all these points, I am a work in progress. Sometimes I really suck at this...but I am

trying to do better. 

Relationships are tricky things. But they're totally worth it. Because every relationship is a

part of your journey and every one enriches your life and makes you stronger in some way.

So sometimes, they'll take a bit of work. It's a learning curve that we all have to take and

something that I'm working on EVERY day. Sometimes it's the smallest things, the simplest

things that can make a BIG difference to the outcome and future of your relationships. 

Wishing you LOVE in all your relationships.

Steph xo

(NOTE: This one is for my spunk... who I resolve EVERY DAY to do things better for and with and who EVERY DAY I am thankful God chose him for me. xoxo)


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