Mind, Body, Spirit - Finding a path back to fitness

 A time when I felt truly at peace with myself

Recently, I've come to a new understanding of how important it is to keep a healthy mind, body, spirit connection. I came to this understanding through my midwifery studies, when I realised how holistic most indigenous models of health are, and how we are missing crucial aspects of mental and spiritual health in western medicine. Excuse me for sounding like some yogic hippy, but honestly, it feels really good to find that connection between mind, body and spirit and work on maintaining it. This connection may be maintained in different ways for different people, and its about what works for you, but for me, this connection is nurtured through a mix of swimming, yoga and creative output, as well as the work that I so love - my midwifery studies.

The serenity of being under water feeds my soul

I've never been one for willful exercise, but lately, in a desperate effort to ease the pain of fibromyalgia and start feeling good about myself again, I took to swimming. In my early teen years, I used to swim a couple of kilometres a day in the local pool over summer, but then I became an angsty teen who liked her sleep too much for swimming training, and my one form of exercise stopped. It's been over 5 years since I last swam two kilometres without stopping, but last week I donned a pair of goggles and hopped back in the pool again. It was hard. I needed to stop every two laps and I only made it 300 metres all up, but the rush of endorphins it gave me convinced me that swimming was the missing link in my life. The busyness of last week (and the cold) kept me out of the pool, but yesterday I hopped back in again and managed 500 metres, stopping less than I needed to last week as well. Progress in just two sessions! I like doing things that give quick results, and I think working towards my goal of being able to swim two kilometres without stopping will be really good for me, physically as well as mentally.

Source

 

To compliment my swimming, I've decided to take up yoga again, and alternate the two forms of exercise each day. Yoga has really helped me in the past to ease my pain, and has also been really instrumental when I've been through bouts of depression, to help ease my mind and get me mentally healthy again. I'll be doing Yoga with Adriene's 30 Days of Yoga spread out over the next 60 days, alternated with swimming laps in the pool, and I'm hoping to reach my 2km without stopping goal by then. I did the first day's yoga today and am feeling really at peace afterward, as well as being grateful to have stretched out some of the tightness in my legs from swimming yesterday.

While I don't totally hate the way I look (I'm pretty genetically blessed, really) I certainly have been feeling a little frumpy lately, and I'm hoping that as well as keeping me healthy, swimming and yoga might just tighten up my loose tum and bottom a little bit, too. I'll be posting about my exercise journey sporadically over the next two months, as well as other pursuits that feed into my mind, body, spirit connection to keep myself accountable and document this journey as well, so keep your eye out for my next post on spiritual health and what that means to me, as someone who isn't religious.

What do you do to keep fit and healthy?
Does it feed into your mind, body, spirit connection?

A peek at my bedroom

 It's been months since I moved back into my parents' place and I'm finally starting to get my bedroom looking the way I want it to. It's been a huge process of culling off items that I had throughout my old unit and trying to find storage solutions for what doesn't fit into this room, which is jam packed with craft stuff (not pictured due to the obscene mess on my craft table), uni stuff as well as all my clothes and other bedroom stuff. I still have a ways to go with decorating my craft area as well as wanting more colourful cushions for on my bed and needing to cover a piece of foam for my window seat so that I can decorate that area properly, but so far I am happy with how everything looks (when it's all tidy)!

White is perhaps the worst colour I could have on my bed right now thanks to my dog's muddy paws constantly dirtying it when he makes his way into my room, but I love that a white bedspread is a blank canvas for cushions and things to dress up. I particularly love the girliness of this ruched and frilly spread which I got as a total bargain off ebay! The crocheting beside my bed is a granny square blanket I started ages ago that is finally starting to take shape. I'm hoping it ties some of the colours in my room together a little more once it is done, and want to paint my bedside drawers white to give them a more girly look and make my blue ornaments really pop!

 Looking at the above photo of my bedside table which I took a month or so ago is crazy to see how much my cacti have grown! The are much bigger now but still not too big for my pretty terrarium. I'm so happy with how this bedside table looks!

 My desk is the first space in my room which really came together when I moved back home. It's an ugly metal and frosted glass thing which I threw a pretty lace table cloth over and decorated with some of my favourite things. The Harry Potter quote sign is from KB Signs and Kaelah did such a beautiful job on it. It's one of my favourite things I own! The chair is one from my mum's outdoor setting which I claimed as my own, because it fits in beautifully with my rustic stuff. The vintage ads above my desk are from Woolangabba Antique Centre and I chose the fashion one because it is an exact copy of my nan's going away outfit from when she got married in the late 1950's. The crystal jewellery holders were a gift from my aunty for my birthday, and the drawers were from my sister, along with a matching mirror which hange beside my bedroom door, and the decorated jars were made by me and are filled with fresh flowers whenever I can spare the change for them!.

 This big, wooden bookshelf was too heavy for us to bother moving it when I moved into this room so I happily kept it and gave my brother a white chipboard one to move into his new room as a replacement. I love having space to display my books, of which there are more on lower shelves, and also to display my favourite teacups and my teapot, and to have my jewellery handy. It also works as a great divider, separating out the corner on the other side of the shelf from my bed as a craft space. I'm really lucky to havea large, peculiarly shaped room which makes me feel less cramped now that I'm living back with my family again, and allows space for my hobbies without intruding on my family members when I make a big mess.

 This print was sent to me by Graham and Brown and fits in perfectly above my bed. The rose is feminine and keeps in line with the shabby chic, vintage look of my room, while still bringing in a modern edge with the touch of glitter and the bright shade of pink. I am looking for a bigger painting to put above my bed, but when I find one, this beautiful print will only be relocated to the other side of my bookshelf to decorate my craft space. After years of renting, I'm so glad to finally be back in a place where I can put hooks in the walls to my hearts' content!

Introducing: Little Foal Shabby Chic Wedding Decor

 

If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen that I recently attended a good friend's wedding, where I made a lot of the decorations. It was a beautiful, laid back wedding without sit down tables and we created a beautiful romantic vibe by situating tables around the room full of candles and flowers and vintage props and signs. A lot of people were surprised I would spend so much time and effort on something like this for a friend. There were literally dozens of hours spent cutting out triangles for bunting, ironing, gluing, measuring, cleaning and collecting jars and there was quite a bit of money spent on lace and doilies and all the pretty bits that brought the jars and bunting together so beautifully. Now, the truth comes out!

Before she even got engaged, the bride, who is a wedding photographer, knowing that I enjoy making things with my hands, pitched a business idea to me. She said there is a gap in the market for wedding decor that is shabby chic and low budget and offers the option of hiring bunting, so that the bride and groom aren't stuck with a heap of stuff they will never use again after that one day. At first, I declined. I said I was too busy, I wouldn't know where to start and I've never made such massive amounts of products before. Eventually, after her engagement, and a promise that she would help me build a network, I agreed. I'd make the decorations for her wedding, and hire them out afterwards, building on my stock over time. 

 Her wedding came together beautifully, with the two of us collaborating to style it with a mix of the decorations I'd made and she owned or collected in the lead up to the wedding. Many of the guests complimented us both on our efforts and my confidence was boosted! Now, one month later, I am finally launching Little Foal Shabby Chic Wedding Decor. Right now I'm offering burlap and lace bunting to hire (approx. 52 metres), decorated burlap and lace jars to hire (approx. 50) and a blue vintage suitcase to hire, a Singer sewing machine to hire, Mr & Mrs bunting to hire, CARDS bunting to hire (suggested use with suitcase for card box) and custom made bunting and jars to bride and groom's specifications. My delivery area is from Yamba to Broadbeach and west to Casino on the Far North Coast of NSW and the Gold Coast, QLD.

I'm really excited about this new venture, and hope to have hire prices in albums on the facebook page by the end of the week, in time for Evans Head's Beef Meets Reef event this Sunday, where I will have a market stall. I'm also hoping to eventually have some bunting in stock to sell, including the Mr & Mrs bunting, and to expand into other vintage and handmade props.

 

 

Cottage Bedroom*

Cottage bedroom by sunae-reilly featuring a glass vase

With my plans to travel Europe coming to fruition later this year, my mind has started to wander off in wild fantasies of running away to the English countryside when I finish uni, buying a cute little cottage and settling down as a homebirthing midwife. I picture myself warming my hands by a fire, drinking tea as I look out the window across snowy fields. Ideally, my little cottage wouldn't be too far from Cornwall, so that in the summer I could drive through the fields, now lush and green, for day trips to the seaside. My cottage would be a little run down when I bought it, but I'd take a lot of pride in renovating and decorating it.

I've recently become a brand ambassador for Graham & Brown and I think their Northern Rose wallpaper would make the perfect feature wall in my cottage's french provincial style bedroom. I'd pair it with furniture in neutral colours. The big, puffy settee, large bed full of cushions and throws, and coloured glass evoke a soft, country vintage charm when paired with the bright and beautiful floral wallpaper. This room would be the kind that you'd happily lounge around in on a Sunday morning, and struggle to leave on a dreary day. Soft blues and pinks in the accessories would tie the room together and sweet smelling candles would perfume the air. 

My dreams of owning an English cottage are a long way off coming true, and I haven't even convinced Jake to come on my holiday with me yet, let alone move half way around the world, but who knows what the future has in store? 

Adventure awaits!

So, many of you know that I have dreamed of travelling around Europe since I was a kid. I want to visit the Eiffel Tower and get lost in the Louvre, I want to climb castle turrets that look out over rolling hills, I want to visit the Colloseum and Pompeii and marvel over how such impressive monuments have withstood the test of time. I want to visit the village where Emily Bronte wrote my favourite book, and I want to see snow with my own two eyes for the very first time. Europe holds so much magic and beauty to me, from where I stand on the opposite side of the world. It is the place my dreams are made of, and I would wander from country to country forever if I could afford to, for the rest of my life!

At the start of this year, I decided that I've had enough waiting for my dreams to come true, and decided to make them happen! So I started saving. And yesterday I booked plane tickets!!!

I'm flying into Germany on the 25th of November, spending 7 weeks travelling around, experiencing the things of my dreams, spending Christmas and New Years and my birthday in a foreign country, with people I've never met before, and then arriving home on the 14th of November, bringing Ella with me! I'm so excited to finally see and do all the things I've ever wanted to do in Europe, or at least make a start on that very, very long list! I'm also incredibly excited to meet a lot of the bloggers who I have got to know and love over the past 3 years while writing Little Foal. I've decided to spend my birthday on the 23rd of December at the Harry Potter Studio Tour, fangirling like crazy, and hopefully meeting up with a lot of the UK bloggers whom I adore. Adventure awaits, and the next 7 months, waiting to board that plane are going to be hell! November can't come soon enough!


Disclaimer: I may have gotten a little bit teary with excitement while writing this post. I'M GOING TO EUROPE!!!!

At home beside the seaside*

My love of the ocean is no secret to anyone that has been following this blog for a while, or stalks my other social media from time-to-time, but once again I am going to take the chance to brag about my beautiful hometown and extend a special invitation to you all in the process. 

Almost my whole life, I've lived in a small coastal town. There was that one year when I moved to a big, coastal city, but let's try and forget about that, okay? That life was not for me! The life that is for me is a simple one. It's one where the crash of the nearby waves is heard as you buy bread and milk of a morning, where the sun shines at least 9 months of the year and jumpers are worn only sporadically, even in winter. It's one where there is only one decent coffee shop in town, where all the shop owners know your name and ask how your nan is going, where lush green fields meet with sand and sea. I love the small town vibe. I love walking into the shops with no shoes on, I love smiling and waving to everyone I meet down the street, knowing them all by sight, if not by name. I love going to the pub at Christmas time, rekindling old friendships with people back in town for the holidays. I love spending mornings at the beach and afternoons watching the sun set over the cane fields. 

The small town life in Australia is a beautiful one, and my small town is characteristically Australian. Bright and sunny, cheerful and friendly. Full of "g'days" and "howzitgarns" Sure, there is the odd snake or spider lurking in the corner, but life in small town Australia is a beautiful one. 

If my description of Australian small town life has piqued your interest, you should check out True Blue Migrations. True Blue Migrations is a registered migration agent with offices in Perth and Mebourne, to help sort out all your Australian visa needs. Head on over to their website to find out more about them, book a plane ticket and come on over to the land of brilliant beaches. I could use a few new friends in this small town!

Even my university, an hour and 20 minutes' commute from my small town, has beautiful ocean views!



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*This post was sponsored by True Blue Migrations. All opinions presented are 100% my own.

Grow a vagina!

Today I saw this picture on Facebook and it really pissed me off, and since I don't do enough feminist ranting on the internet, here it goes! An open letter to the creator of this meme and people everywhere who use the vagina as a put-down!

Dear ________

First of all, making an ethical choice that goes against societal norms and gets put down in this way and sticking with it is a pretty gutsy thing to do, so I applaud vegetarians everywhere for doing so! Now what's this about a vagina?

I'm so sick of seeing people put other people down by calling them a "girl", a "pussy", a "cunt" or saying they have a vagina. What the heck kind of insult is that? Are you trying to imply they are weak, or that it is undesirable to have a vagina? Because I bloody love being a girl and I bloody love my genitals, and vaginas are fucking STRONG pieces of equipment! They are extremely muscular, and extremely versatile, being able to both hold the weight of a baby in the uterus until full term and stretch large enough to birth it - something which takes strength of character as well as using a whole variety of muscles! Not only that, but some women actually lift weights with their vaginas. How many men could do that with their penis? I'd bet not many!

Using misogynistic language that devalues and demeans women as an insult to men is so outdated. You're not cool. You just look silly! Almost every human on this planet was born out of a vagina, by a woman. Show some respect! As someone who works very closely with them, and owns one, I can assure you - vagina's are awesome! So please stop using them as an insult. If you don't the women in your life may start refusing you access to their magical vaginas in the form of sex (I know I would!).

Conversely, when someone is showing fear, or simply doesn't want to do something, don't tell them to grow a pair! It's equally as insulting to women as using the vagina and its synonyms as an insult. Not to mention totally illogical. Are balls supposed to be tough? Because the last time I accidentally bumped my boyfriend's I swear he almost cried in pain. HA! and you call think vagina's are the weaker genitalia? You have much to learn, my friend!