Happy Blogiversary One Little Acorn...

Today is my blogiversary.
3 years since I started as One Little Acorn.
Wow!

It's amazing to me that I have been doing this for 3 years. When I look back over that time a lot of water has passed under the bridge as they say.

I have created and studied and laughed and cried and celebrated and grieved. Made some mistakes, had some victories. And through it all, I have been lucky enough to share the trip with many amazing people. Fellow bloggers with crazy dreams, incredible stories and beautiful writing and art. Sadness and joy has been shared with people I will never meet in 'real life'. Hearts have broken, family and friends lost, babies born, doors have closed and others opened.

And so, I thank you for dropping by. For supporting and cheering me on along the way. Because, whilst a blog is 'only' an online diary and some would ask why bother, it is ultimately a voice out into the world. And sometimes people answer back. Connections are made, friendships grow. And the world seems a little smaller. And that is the biggest joy of all.

Reason for Celebration...

Today is the shortest day of the year. And this, for me, is reason for celebration.

With sunrise at 7.36am and sunset at 5.08pm, there will be just 9 hours and 32 minutes of daylight in Melbourne today. This in comparison to the summer solstice on December 21, when there will be 14 hours and 47 minutes of daylight.

Winter is my least favourite season. The days are short. It's cold (and I hate being cold). And it's not Summer. Don't get me wrong, I love snuggling up next to a roaring open fire. I actually quite like walks in the quiet of foggy mornings. I love getting into my cosy bed (pre warmed thanks to my trusty electric blanket). And I certainly like steaming bowls of soup and mugs of hot chocolate as an antidote to the cold. But give me the bright sunshine of summer any day.

And so, as the shortest day is here and we begin again the journey toward Spring and Summer, I celebrate the passing of the shortest day in the Southern hemisphere. Because it means we are heading in the right direction. It may be some time off yet, but there is light (and sunshine) at the end of the tunnel.

And the Awe-summm award goes to...

Me! Yes me!
I've been given and Awe-summm award from the lovely Lilli at Lilli Boo And what a lovely surprise, on a day that has (I'm sorry to say) been less than fabulous.

I have been asked to join in and list 7 things that make me Awe-Summm and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers I love. Saying what makes me awe-summm, is not something I feel especially comfortable with... but I have searched and thought and here is my list.

My list of Awe-Summm'ness:

1. I am a hard worker and live an honest life.
2. I defend people if I think they are being treated unfairly, and I try to treat everyone equally.
3. I love my family and I am happy to count them amongst my best friends.
4. I love to live creatively and try new things.
5. I was so terrified of spiders that I was letting my fear control my life, so I did an arachnophobia course. I held several huntsmen and a taranntula in my bare hands and now I find spiders fascinating as opposed to fearful.
6. I like to push myself out of the comfort zone and encourage others to challenge themselves too.
7. I remind myself every day how lucky I am to be surrounded by such incredible people and beauty in my life.

It was a tough decision to select just seven awesome blogs, but I know you will all spread the love even further. So, I now award the following for their awe-summmness.... I think they deserve it:

1. Hurrah!
2. Flossy-p
3. Pepperberry
4. Luhlahh
5. Circling my head
6. Adventures of Netgirl (I am missing her blogging and hope this gets her posting again!)
7. Everyday Calm


Below are the rules and guidelines to the Awe-summm award:

* List 7 things that make you Awe-Summm and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers you love.

* Make sure to tag your recipients and let them know they have won!

* And finally link back to the blogger that tagged you.

This is my gift to you...

In February last year I started blogging. It was something I had been contemplating for sometime, but true to form, (being a great procrastinator) it took me sometime to sit down and just do it! EVENTUALLY I created my blog using a Blogger template, added a couple of personal touches and in no time I was hooked. I have never looked back. In fact, I often find myself creating new posts in my head and could easily spend hours visiting other blogs. Mal regularly complains about being a blogging widow!

What continues to surprise and please me, is how many creative, wonderful people are out there and the number of people that drop by and say hi! There are many bloggers I like to visit regularly and then so many new ones I keep finding! You all colour my internet life.

In September last year I added clustermaps to my blog, to track how many visitors I get. This week, I reached a grand total of 10,000! Yes, TEN THOUSAND visitors to my blog! That is amazing to me and is definitely worthy of celebration. And so, as the "This is" theme for this week is of our own choice, I have decided to make it my first blog giveaway in honour of the occasion. This is my thank-you for your inspirational blogs and comments.

So, post a comment by midnight next Saturday and you will be in the draw to win. What do you love about blogging? What is your latest blogging find? What inspires you? Who inspires you? On Sunday of next week, I will draw the lucky winner and post it on my blog.

This is what the lucky winner will win. Can you tell I like pink and that I have a 'thing' for notebooks? I made the Snugglepot and Cuddlepie badge. I plan to add a couple of other bits too, but I will wait now until I see who wins and go and take a look at their blog to see what might be suitable.

Good luck everyone, have a great week and thanks again for visiting.

This is what makes me happy...

1. Window Seat, 2. Beautiful bedding, 3. Frangipani 4, 4. Jump, 5. Sunny smile, 6. Scrabble Dreaming, 7. Full bowl of maltesers, 8. Deserted Beach, 9. Beautiful Shells

It seems to me, that we sometimes forget to acknowledge even the simplest of things that make our lives more pleasurable. And often we spend so much time pondering on the battles of our lives that we don't even realise how lucky, or happy we are.

I have been thinking about it a little lately. Trying to be more aware of the things that bring joy to my life. More often than not, it is the small things that make me happy. So I have made a list, for a couple of reasons... A good list makes me happy and, I have decided to list only 10 things, so I have time to go and visit everyone else's "This is" posts for this week. I hope you have all enjoyed the theme... and you have a happy Sunday.

This is what makes me happy...

A free table in the window of my favourite cafe makes me happy.

Slipping into a freshly laundered bed after a long day makes me happy.

The smell of frangipani on a warm summer evening makes me happy.

Living a creative and adventurous life makes me happy.

Summer smiles make me happy.

Using all my tiles in scrabble on a triple word score... makes me happy.

Curling up, with a good book and a full bowl of maltesers, beside an open fire makes me happy.

A walk on a deserted beach makes me happy.

Beautiful things make me happy.

BUT. ABOVE ALL.
My family and friends makes me happy. When everyone is healthy and happy - so am I. I am happy when spending time in their good company, sharing stories over a healthy meal, laughing. Being happy together. THAT is what makes me happy.

Thanks again to Angela for creating the "this is" magic

The Exhibition...

1. Degreaves Street, Melbourne, 2. Exhibition set up, 3. Exhibition set up, 4. Exhibition set up, 5. Red Wine Label (from lino cut), 6. Sculpture, 7. Exhibition - Jessie's Sold Print, 8. Exhibition, 9. Cathedral Arcade

As you all know, my Arts course finished last week, with the final exhibition opening on Thursday night.

It was held in The Pigment Gallery which is in the iconic Nicholas Building in the Flinders Lane arts precinct of Melbourne. It's a pretty small gallery and while this meant a restricted amount of work could be hung, it also meant the space was intimate and not too overbearing. It was a great night with lots of friends and family coming to look at the gallery and a selection of our work. We had red and white wine which was labelled with 2 lino prints from class (one mine and one from Meredith) which looked great.

The exhibition was open for another 2 days, giving us all the opportunity to sit in the space and greet visitors.

It was an interesting exercise and a good chance to get ideas for future possibilities. Three items sold, including Jessie's print which is pictured above. Micahel also sold his Tasmanian Tiger lino print to Jessie's uncle who had a tattoo which was (funnily enough) also of a Tazzie Tiger. Incredible coincidence. Congratulations also to Simone for selling one of her prints.

Thanks to everyone who came by and said hello.


Unfortunately not all works were pictured above. You can go and look at a few more images of the exhibition and my art at my FLICKR page.

Opening night...

Tonight was the opening for my Art course exhibition.

Great night. Big Day.

Exhausted.

Will post tomorrow with pics and more details.

Reason to celebrate...

It was a quiet week-end. Mellow. I travelled to Point Lonsdale Saturday morning and I enjoyed the company of my parents until late Sunday.

Sunday night I watched in awe as my friend Amy sang in her first solo performance, with family and friends there to cheer her on. I felt lucky to be part of the group of people she wanted to share this with - and she was amazing. She looked so calm and relaxed on stage and sang beautifully - a natural.

And on top of these simple joys, I quietly celebrated the passing of the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year is now behind us, and although we are only in the early days of winter, I feel like we have turned the corner and we are on the return journey to Summer.

It's a good reason to Celebrate!

Dear Lucky Dave...

My Dad is a believer in luck. He reads the stars, believes in the swing of a pendulum, follows bio-rhythms and has any number of superstitious habits before an important game of golf.

He believes that with a good portion of luck (and lot of hard work) good things do happen.

It is a belief that has been put into practice across the years and has been tried and tested in many ways, no more so than in the case of Australia's longest running lottery, Tattslotto. He has seen the occasional promise of bigger things with small wins after some hard working investment. I have to admire his persistence and determination.

Last week-end, my Dad was telling me he had recently had a couple of small wins and was building up for 'the big one'. I agreed and suggested a bigger windfall was indeed just around the corner. We were right.

On Saturday night, he won again.

It was not the biggie, and I can assure you, there is no point considering kidnapping his only daughter for a healthy ransom. It was a win however, that has renewed his faith in the power of positive thinking and the alignment of the stars.

He has big dreams for when he does win 'the big one' and I plan to be there right beside him in case he needs any assistance! In the meantime, the occasion of a small windfall still requires some consideration... and a few suggestions to assist in the decision making process.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dear Lucky Dave

Another win! You are indeed a fortunate man!

But then, aren't we all? And not because we hope to share your bounty, but rather because we are all living healthy, happy, active and busy lives. It's all pretty good really.
So what you buy with your lucky dollars? It may well be the question of the moment.
What does one add to the shopping list of a man with such good fortune?

A coffee, shared with rellies in Rockhampton?

A small digital camera to carry around in your golf bag to capture those magic views and lucky moments!

A gallery road-trip to Canberra?

Or (and here's an exiting proposition) perhaps you could invest in the future and sponsor an emerging artist?

Ahhhh the options are endless. And whilst money isn't everything, life is for living and the possibilities are just a little broader with a pocket full of coins!

Whatever you do - ENJOY! You know where to find me if you need any help!

Forgetting Mother's Day...

Yes, it's true. I did. I forgot...

I know, I know, you don't have to say anything, I feel guilty enough already!

A few weeks ago as my brother, his girlfriend, Mal and I, arranged a week-end away, we all totally forgot about Mother's Day. By the time we remembered, it was too late to change the booking.

As regular readers know, I love my Mum and I think she is amazing, and normally, I would celebrate Mother's day in her fine company. BUT given my poor memory, the celebrations have been delayed.

Today I called and gave her a big hug over the phone. Tomorrow night she is coming to stay and I will definitely make up for it. In the meantime, Happy Mother's Day, Mum! xxx

Happy Easter...

I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to this long week-end. The last month or more has been pretty crazy. I am now into the third week of my 16 week arts course (which I am LOVING by the way) and working the other 3 days a week. When I have been at work, it has been frantic. Last week-end I was in Adelaide from early Saturday to late Sunday night during a record breaking heat wave and so all in all, there hasn't been much let-up at all. Busy busy busy. I feel like I am in need of 4 days of rest and relaxation.

Before I talk of my own plans however, first a bit of a sledging to MYER. I was in there today and asked what time they would be closing tonight... The reply? TEN PM. Come on MYER management. TEN PM?? That's a disgrace. Tomorrow is a public holiday - give your team a break. There are enough shopping hours in the year without creating more. Enough already.

Unlike the retailers employees, I am grateful to say I have finished up for the week and the week-end is well and truly started.

My Easter week-end is already expected to be pretty busy, but all things are fun and so it should be relatively easy to ease into some time out. Tomorrow we are heading to a local pub where all lunchtime contributions will be donated to Melbourne's Good Friday Appeal for the Children's Hospital. Count me in on that.

On Saturday we will be attending a friend's wedding in the Yarra Valley where we will stay overnight and then on Sunday we will continue on our way, for another couple of days out of the city. Sounds great and I am sure in the morning, following a good night's sleep and waking to the sound of the birds and not the shrieking of the alarm, I will be feeling more enthusiastic. Right now I just want to crawl into bed and sleep.

Have a happy Easter every-one. Enjoy the break.