Renovating, Slowing Down & Family Time
It is hard to believe that we are at the Easter long weekend already! Seems like it was just Christmas – is that just me or does the world seem to be spinning faster? One of the reasons for this I think is not just growing older, but the fact that we constantly jam pack our lives with doing things. I personally find it very hard not to be doing and can not even imagine what I would be like if I was not working on some project or other.
Easter has always been a family focused time for me and as a child we would have various extended family come and share time with us at our beach shack – this is my special place and we get there every few months across the year. Sometimes we still head there for Easter or partway through Easter, depending on when it falls. This year it is not during school holidays, so we are going to spend our beautiful Autumn beach time at the shack in a couple of weeks.
Our haven
However this weekend is a very special one for our family – on Sunday it is not just Easter, but it’s John’s birthday (yes he is an April fool!) and on the 4th is it our 20th wedding anniversary. After 20 years we are more in love than ever and I could not imagine a better person to spend my life with. He really is my best friend. So we are celebrating these 2 things on Sunday with our family. In the midst of this we are still renovating!
The next 2 days will be all about painting the lounge room (stay tuned for more on this) followed by 2 days of spending time slowing down with family. I am very much looking forward to this. On our wedding anniversary on the 4th, we are taking the day off work to just spend together – who knows I may even pop on my wedding dress! We are really looking forward to that as it is rare we are just together not rushing here or there, or talking about what we need to do, or all of the responsibilities in our lives. What do you have planned for Easter? Whatever it is, I hope you get to spend some time as a human being and not a human doing. It is so very important.
Bookcase painted with Monsta DIY Colour Wash in white
On the doing front however – I am partnered with Monsta DIY for a number of our next room projects. Our next room is the lounge. I have started by white washing this big old bookcase that was built into the tiny study when we moved in 20 yrs ago. Custom made by the original owners in the 70’s it holds precious books from my childhood and my boys; and favourite and special books including battered and well read books and comics – I particularly enjoyed reminiscing about my love of The Famous Five, Anne of Green Gables, Trixie Beldon and Archie comics 😃😃. I have culled a lot but as a bookworm there’s no minimalism when it comes to keepers. I am so grateful to my parents for keeping my favourites from childhood. I will share details about Monsta’s fabulous wood wash range on our blog soon as well as a few other great products – stay tuned for more. Also loving my new macrame I bought from Macrame By Mel. We are clearing the room out to paint floors on Friday but had to share this new little starter corner.
Have a wonderful long weekend whatever you are doing, or not doing!
Helen xx
Maxwell and Mum doing what they do best – hanging in the water under the sunset