Better late than never!

Welcome to the New Year everyone - I wish you all the very best for 2009, and hope that you find all the health, wealth, and happiness you deserve!.....We saw 2009 in, very quietly at home, and spent the day contemplating the next year, and what we want to get out of it. I wrote out my goals for the year - NOT new years resolutions, but goals, and put together my vision board, whereafter we sat down to some home made scones and fine china cups at 4pm - no not the ones in the picture - these are ones I got to enjoy on holiday, but the photo worked....mine looked more...well homemade!

Since my friend Linda so kindly reminded me that my blog is now ....how did she put it...."...so LASY YEAR!...AHEM....!..." I decided that today I simply HAVE TO share something - better late than never!!! I truly have been trying for days to update it, and catch up on everyone else's NEWS!?, but that said, woman on a mission and all those things, I have tried to spend as much time away from technology as possible, to make way for the more 'meaningful' things in life. What things you may ask?? Oh well....things like 1. IRONING 2. WASHING 3. any other miscellaneous activities that fall within the categories of "HOUSEWORK"....but....I will fess up and say that i am DEFINITELY a "desperate housewife" wannabe. I have ALWAYS secretly admired Bree from "Desperate Housewives" for being the domestic godess that she is, and the grace and glamour she brings to those menial tasks like dusting and cleaning toilets, and heck have you seen the "girlfriend" brooms you get nowadays with the floral prints in PINK!!...I mean really.....what's not to get excited about???? The other pluses is that you get to enjoy a lot of the things you forget you have in your cupboards when you have domestic help, you get to rearrange and implement new systems (my laundry has never looked better!), and replace items that you never knew worked SO BADLY (sorry Liz!!) since you hardly ever have to use them...like tired washing machines, or even the egg beater! Your children also have newfound respect for those who clean and tidy when you do have help, SO I've enjoyed the 67 trips to the washline, and the 58 times I've unpacked the dishwasher....not that I'm counting!... (I've also worked out it's the best time to repeat positive mantras!.....like..."I am patient, peace-loving and calm around children who do not willingly share household chores!!!) .... I'm kidding! Truth be told my husband has been wonderful and the kids have really done a great job when it comes to helping...I feel like there may be hope for my son's future wife after all, as I watch him sweeping the kitchen floor for me...sigh.

But the highlight of all this domestic bliss has got to be the excitement today in this household - me CROONING AND SHRIEKING over the latest family highlight......drumroll......we picked our first ORGANICALLY GROWN butternut today!!!!!!!!!!!....sigh......she's beautiful...she's got curves in ALL the right places, she has the most BEAUTIFUL complexion(peaches and cream)....and she is just the perfect weight and height...she is SO the Elle Macpherson of butternuts....! I made my husband hold her, marvel at her - he did his best!...but luckily the children shared in the hysteria, as they too have watched this little plantation mature with anticipation and excitement...

Now I know what some of you may be thinking...it's just a butternut, but alas she is not. In part she is also very symbolic, and shows promise of me realising a dream of eventually rehabilitating our vegetable patch, something which even made it onto my list of personal goals which I drew up on the 1st. At the time I was filled with self doubt, considering the fact that I have battled to sustain my basil, let alone successfully produce edible vegetables!!

As I sit here typing, with my view of the garden, I have four different species of birds sitting on the vegetation just outside my window, and I have to marvel once again, at how blessed I am to have this little piece of heaven...tonight on my gratitude list I will definitely have to give thanks for that and the BUTTERNUT ofcourse!