Archive for things I love
Loving This Planet
Did you know that Earth Hour has come around again?
It’s this Saturday night, from 8.30pm, wherever you are in the world.
I have my candles at the ready, and will convince my husband to join me in a board game called Planet Earth.
What about you? What are your plans for this Earth Hour? Perhaps you’ll just scoot off to bed early?
I LOVE the whole concept of Earth Hour (and I’m so proud of the fact that it began only a few years ago, in Australia).
What better reminder to ourselves that we are here to care for the earth?
Hitting the Highway for our Summer Break
I’ve taken an awfully long break from connecting with you on the blog, so I thought you might like to see what I got up to during my time away.
Well, just after Christmas, we packed up and headed north to Queensland. We wanted a really good, long summer holiday, spent with family and friends. After a very busy 2011, we couldn’t wait to unwind completely.
We drove up the Newell Highway (of course), and I just loved the changing roadside scenes, including dramatic cloud/storm formations, grasses blowing in the wind, and avenues of beautiful bushy trees. I’m telling you, if you haven’t been to Australia yet, you MUST come see this breathtaking country!
We used to drive this road once or twice a year when I was a child, but I don’t remember it being this beautiful. Or perhaps I just didn’t truly appreciate it, back then.
Not long after we arrived at my mum and dad’s, I planted myself on their back patio and gazed out at their dam. I don’t know if it’s something in the air there, but it was SO easy to relax. We indulged in a few goodies, nattered, watched movies, hugged each other, and laughed and laughed and laughed.
The girls enjoyed an outing to our hometown’s local museum, which hosted a ‘Creative Capers’ craft session for little ‘uns. It must have been 35 degrees in the shade, but they loved it anyway!
After our time with family, we cruised on down to the beautiful Gold Coast to stay with close friends. The beach at Surfers Paradise was, as usual, stunning. Just look at those white-capped waves. This really is the lucky country.
Not long after a beach outing, we headed to Build-a-Bear – our friends had given Evie and Bella vouchers for Christmas, so they came with us to be part of the creation experience. Honestly, the girls adore their new bears.
On our drive back home to Victoria, we encountered Cunningham’s Gap, which I’ve never before driven through – spectacular! And just look at those cloud formations. I loved soaking up such gorgeous vistas.
One of our final stops on the way home was at the Parkes’ Observatory in, of all places, the town of Parkes. Does that satellite dish look familiar? It featured in the movie The Dish. Fascinating history (one we didn’t get to stop and appreciate on all my childhood trips – my Dad was always keen to keep going and get to Melbourne in record time. He did allow the odd toilet break, which was nice…).
And now, we’re home. After what I believe to be our ‘best summer ever’ (as a family), we’re ready to launch back into life, all refreshed and reinvigorated. If you subscribe to Rich Radiant Real in the box on the upper right, and I’ll keep you posted on all the goodies I’ll be bringing you this year!
Here’s to a fabulous year of prosperity, health and happiness. Mwuh!
Larking Around this Christmas
Yes, yes, I know it’s only just under two months until Christmas, but you know I like to plan ahead!
If you’re like me, you’ll be very excited to know that Australia’s Lark online store has just revealed its ‘Christmas Store’ – with lots of gorgeous little Christmassy bits and bobs to brighten your home or to give as gifts.
I’m not full-on into all things ‘vintage’, but I love the nostalgia I feel whenever I pop into the Lark online store. There’s also a REAL Lark store in the sweet town of Daylesford, and my girls just loved browsing in there last time we visited. (Their excitement generated lots of knowing smiles from other mums in the store.)
I bet your mum or gran would love it, too!
So, grab yourself a cuppa and head over to the site to immerse yourself in loveliness…
Note: Allison and the team at Lark deliver within Australia, but they also ship overseas. So if you’re outside Australia, you can still snap up a gorgeous thing or two.
Lilac Dreams
Sunday was an amazing spring day here in Ballarat – mid-20s, and glorious sunshine.
I went with my girls to the Botanical Gardens (they took me on a tour, pretending that I hadn’t ever been there before), and we came across the most beautiful lilac tree in full bloom.
I just had to share some of its beauty with you (see the pic above). I buried my nose into its masses of flowers, inhaling the sumptuous, heady aroma. Can you just imagine?
Mmmm. Are you stopping to smell the roses/lilacs/other fragrant flowers today? If not, just let yourself dream about it, and be carried away…
Creating a Colourful Life
Now, you guys know I’m always banging on about creating a beautiful life, right?
Well, for me, that has to include colour. I mean, take a look at my website, for starters! If that hot pink border doesn’t blow you out of your chair and dazzle your day, I don’t know what will. Colour affects your mood (and therefore your vibration) in a big way – have you noticed that?
I think it’s so important to create a world that inspires you, that honours who you are and who you want to grow into. And you can use colour to help you do just that.
So, if you’re after more inspiration, you’ve got to check out a brand-spanking new blog by talented US graphic designer Aarean Jergensen.
Called Color Issue, Aarean’s blog celebrates colour in a big, big way. (BTW, you pronounce Aarean’s gorgeous name as air-ee-un.)
So go on! Let yourself be brave and bold, and soak up the utter joy of the colour that’s in your world – and in the beautiful world you’re creating for yourself.
Christmas is Coming!
You may or may not know that Christmas is one of the Things I Love.
I know some people find that a bit odd, but I just love it! I don’t go crazily overboard, but I love the whole spirit and beauty of Christmas, and the rituals. It certainly adds to the richness of my life – does it do this for you, too?
I also love being organised, and planning ahead to make sure things have a great chance of working out the way that I want them to. (Control freak? Moi?)
So I was thrilled to stumble upon this brilliant ebook on the weekend. It’s called 100 Days to Christmas: a daily dose of inspiration & motivation for a meaningful holiday season.
The 100 days until Christmas actually started on Friday (16 September), but who’s counting? You can still catch up!
Check out the video below to find out more about it.
I’ve nabbed myself a copy of this ebook, and am loving it! So organised and inspirational, with heaps of links to checklists.
However, it does see Christmas from a US perspective (and it includes Halloween and Thanksgiving), which is a little different to how we celebrate Christmas here in Australia – but there are a lot of traditions we share with our US sisters and brothers, so there’s heaps of advice and ideas that are relevant.
I also prefer to focus on healthy food options for Christmas – we make a few traditional Christmas treats, but I’m always looking out for healthier alternatives that still taste amazing and have a festive feel. If you’re like me in that regard, you might want to check out Dr Ritamarie Loscalzo’s Healthy Holiday Traditions ebook. It has heaps of feel-good (and taste-good) healthy recipes for Christmas. My mouth is watering right now…
Right, I think we’re at ’97 days to Christmas’ on the planner, so I’d better get moving!
I’m in Love with My Watch
Well, I’m not IN LOVE with my watch, but I do love looking at it.
(Not in the same way that Roger Taylor of Queen is ‘in love with his car’.)
After I had my babies, I didn’t often wear a watch. Watches seemed to get in the way and needed to be taken on and off all day to avoid them getting damaged (or to avoid them scratching my babies).
I also had trouble finding watches that I liked. Much as I love silver, you just can’t read silver numbers clearly. And, much as I love pink, pink watchstraps don’t go with every outfit.
But now, eight years later, I’ve found the perfect everyday watch. It’s simple – clear, good-sized numbers, a watchband that goes with just about everything, a silver rim, and the perfect size for my wrist. I also think it’s pretty. I love looking at it. And that’s very good for my vibration.
I was reminded about Timex watches when reading A Cup of Jo blog post a while ago, and I also recalled that Timex is the watch of choice for many millionaires (according to Thomas Stanley in The Millionaire Next Door: Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy
And all for only US$24.95. See, you don’t need to spend a ‘fortune’!
Time for me to go, for now…
(If you’re interested in this watch, head here: Timex Women’s T2H331 Analog Silver-Tone Case Black Leather Strap Dress Watch
PS Do you have a favourite ‘thing’ that makes you smile whenever you look at it or use it? Leave a comment below!
Spotting Beauty
I spotted this beautiful, dew-laced spider’s web the other morning, and grabbed my camera!
Isn’t it just gorgeous? There were a few other similar webs around – the spiders must have been pretty busy through the night.
My girls and I were so excited when we saw this. We’re always exclaiming when we see breathtaking cloud formations, or brilliant rainbows, or unusual bark on a tree. Savouring the beauty given to us by Mother Nature is so important, and it just feels so good.
I was just saying this morning that I should keep my camera in the car, because I’d love to record more of the beauty we see as we go about our day. But then, I’d need to take one with me on every walk we undertake, too!
My girls wondered when the technology will come about that will allow us to ‘take a photo’ of a beautiful image in our heads, without even needing cameras. Can you imagine?
For now, I will just continue to appreciate each beautiful gift of nature ‘in the moment’, and if I happen to have my camera handy, then I can share the beauty with you, too.
I’m so grateful that I’m aware of seeing the world in this way.
I’d love for you to send me any photos of yours that capture beauty, or the things that you appreciate. Just email them to info@richradiantreal.com and I’ll pop them on the blog to share with the world…
Reveal Your Naked Beauty for Good Vibrations!
I have a passion for personal development, and I usually have several books on the go at once (see this post for pic of just a few books that have appeared on my bedside table in recent times).
I just HAVE to tell you about this one – it’s a life-changer. The luscious e-book called Naked Beauty, by Shakaya Leone of Earth Empress, is an absolute gem.
Shakaya was my special teleseminar guest last month, and on the call we spoke about this book, and a program she’s created called The Beauty Cleanse.
We spoke about how important it is to look after yourself; in fact, to treat yourself as an empress. Doing so not only honours the Source that created you, but it FEELS GOOD, and while the latter is good enough reason on its own, the act of feeling good helps you attract the good things of life! The law of attraction responds to high-vibrational beings.
There are heaps of mindset approaches you can take to attract whatever it is that you want, but if your physical being isn’t honoured, you won’t attract as easily, and you won’t enjoy it as much anyway! Can you imagine really enjoying the riches of life if you’re feeling sick, tired, run-down, ugly, overwhelmed and run dry? What would be the point?
I can’t stop flicking through this book (I printed it out and put in a binder). The design is beautiful, the words speak to your soul, and the advice – if you apply it – really works! Shakaya speaks of really loving and honouring our body-temples and our souls, and includes heaps of natural beauty recipes that you can make at home – I love the Aphrodite Opal Emulsion (a beautiful moisturiser for cold weather) and the Priestess Peppermint Foot Treatment. Don’t you just love the delicious-sounding names?
Listen fellow Sistar, do yourself a huge favour and invest in Shakaya’s book. It’s only US$29.98 and is available for instant download, so you can start applying its heartfelt and transformational wisdom straight away. Are you ready for that? (In other words, are you ready to say ’yes’ to life?)
Click here to invest in yourself.
PS I’m an affiliate of Shakaya’s, so if you purchase her exceptional Naked Beauty e-book, I will receive a commission – but I only ever recommend products and services that I truly believe in, so you can be assured that the quality of this product is, quite simply, top-notch!
Over 790 Free Gifts!
Now, if you’re visiting my website, I know you’re into personal development. Your soul pulls you towards people that help you along your journey. It’s completely natural for you to seek out or ’just stumble across’ inspirational people and their information.
So, I just know you’re going to love this website!
Hundreds of leaders in the professional development movement have banded together to bring you over 790 FREE gifts – and I’m one of the contributors.
You’ll find beautiful gifts such as:
- Mind Alchemy: Unlocking The POWER of Your Mind by Steven Aitchison
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- The Stressful Lives’ Guide to Aromatherapy by Jill Rheaume
- Chakra Balancing Meditation MP3 by Becca Chopra
- 63 Success Strategies by Zoe Routh
- Love Your Body 30 Day Transformation Program by Kerri Kannan
Oh, and the free gift by yours truly is called 60 Ways to be Rich, Radiant & Real. It’s a fantastic ebooklet packed with tips for wealth, health and happiness – with this ebooklet, you’re bound to discover more than a few gems of ideas that (when applied) will make a HUGE positive difference to your life.
If you’re a subscriber to Rich Radiant Real, you would have already received an email from me about this, so to ensure that you’re the first to know about any upcoming events such as this one, be sure to enter your details in the box on the top right of this webpage (where you can also receive the gorgeous 7 Ways to Recharge Your Vibration & Attract the Riches of Life ebooklet).
I love it when people share their gifts! Just be sure to head over to this website by 30 June, which is when this generous giveaway event closes.
Joanne's coaching was exactly what I needed to help me focus my precious time and money on finding work and making money! What I like most about Joanne’s coaching is that it's gentle, supportive and empathetic, rather than pushy and 'ra-ra-ra'”
...if there’s something that you’ve been putting off doing, because it’s so big and overwhelming, then by coaching with Joanne you'll definitely find a way to do it, to finally reach your goal.”
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