Taking stock: June 2015.

So, it’s been a few months since I’ve been here, and a lot has happened in that time. The two biggest things being:

• Little Red turned one – yeah, I know, wow. And I haven’t dropped her on her head yet! (Well, not if you don’t count her falling off the bed and/or couch on my watch.)
• I completed my Bachelor of Health Science (Western Herbal Medicine) – another one to hang on the wall and 6.5 years in the making! (Technically, it was 5ish years of actual study, if you take away my time off for child rearing and travel, but January 2009 seems so very long ago.)

We had a nice little party for Little Red, who was spoilt rotten by our beautiful family and friends. I baked awesome dairy-, sugar- and gluten-free chocolate cakes, crafted a ‘1’ out of them, and iced and decorated it. Not a bad first effort, even if I say so myself. Some people even seemed to enjoy eating it.

Then I buckled back down, immersing myself in my books, PubMed and Google Scholar, fuelling my last weeks of study with dandelion and liquorice chai, chocolate and leftover party treats (I’m surprised they lasted more than a couple of days, actually).

With impeccable timing, Little Red went through a huge sleep regression-cum-teething-cum-wonder week for the final month or so of my course. She would only sleep if I stroked her face or held her hand. Cute, yes. But not between 1 and 6am. Sleep is so overrated (said no mum ever).

And where am I now?

• Making: Up for all that ‘lost’ (study) time in the garden. Weeds ahoy!
• Cooking: Dahl in my slow cooker – a hand-me-down from my mum that still works a treat. I think it may even be older than me.
• Drinking: Tea (and lots of it) out of a huge I *heart* New York mug. It’s the best.
• Reading: Can you believe I STILL haven’t finished Buddism for mothers? Or even opened it since I last completed one of these things. I am in between books but about to start The Claimant by Janet Turner Hospital, a pressie from my sister.
• Wanting: To stop seeing so much sad stuff about kids in the news. Actually, I really want that sad stuff to stop happening to kids.
• Looking: Forward to our minibreak to Port Douglas.
• Playing: Ball with Little Red.
• Deciding: What to do with my life now I’ve finished my degree.
• Wishing: Someone would tell me what to do with my life now I’ve finished my degree.
• Enjoying: Cups of tea and cakes/slices/chocolate/bliss balls for lunch.
• Waiting: For my boy to get home from his Sydney work sojourn.
• Liking: All this rain and cold weather. And the fact I get to break out my cosy woolen gear from South America. I must look like such a (very, very warm and stylish) tourist.
• Wondering: When I’ll get back to South America.
• Loving: Having a cleaner.
• Pondering: What would be the best climbing frame for my snow peas. The construction I made out of old trellis keeps blowing over in the wind. And it’s not even been that windy. MacGyver I am not (always).
• Considering: A nap.
• Buying: A Nutribullet. Excitement!
• Watching: 
Love Child via catch up TV online. Totally addicted.
• Hoping: I make good use of said Nutribullet, otherwise my boy might have something to say about it.
• Marvelling: At how unbelievably affectionate and adoring Bella is. No matter how many times I tell her to get off my lap, she still comes back and gives me head butts so hard that I spill my hot chocolate.
• Cringing: At my lack of technical know-how and observation skills. I asked the JB HiFi girl guru for a cable to connect my computer to the TV so I could watch Love Child in the lounge room with the good heater (#firstworldproblems). Turns out I can use the same cable that I use to connect my computer to the other TV. Apparently every TV produced in the past seven years has a HDMI connection. Bet you didn’t know that. (Neither did I. But it turns out ours has three. You just need to look hard enough.)
• Needing: To stop procrastinating and go to bed earlier.
• Questioning: Why I’ve signed up to so many blogs and newsletters. My inbox is overflowing.
• Smelling: Little Red’s hair. (I am SO soft these days.)
• Wearing: Wintery garb – scarves, wraps, gloves, big boots, wooly jumpers, knitted socks, and sometimes a blanket.
• Following: Little Red around the house, making sure she doesn’t eat the electrical cords or stick her fingers in any power points. (We really need to baby proof the house.)
• Noticing: The gorgeous colours in the sky. The sunrises and sunsets, and the everyday shades of blue, grey and white, have been so beautiful lately.
• Knowing: I should make better use of these few days I have off between uni ending and going back to work, while Little Red is in daycare. I’m torn between doing renovations or housework, and spending all day drinking tea and watching movies, reading books or writing.
• Thinking: I should watch Monarch of the Glen. I always meant to and it looks like my kind of show.
• Admiring: My handiwork in the garden (apart from the trellis construction lying prostate on top of the onions).
• Sorting: Out my uni notes. (Well, it’s on my list and I'll get around to it.)
• Getting: Equal parts excited and nervous about my first long-haul, big overseas adventure with a toddler at Christmas time.
• Bookmarking: All sorts of recipes I’ll probably never make.
• Coveting: Little Red’s cuddles.
• Disliking: The lack of Love Tea stockists in my area. Has no one tried their Dandelion chai?
• Opening: Suitcases so I can pack for our trip, and hoping there are no white tail or red back spiders inside.
• Giggling: About how the beep from the text message my boy sent me woke mum up (she was snoring in the arm chair nearby). My parents just got back from a big overseas trip, so they are a wee bit jet lagged and partial to afternoon naps (actually, who isn't partial to them?).
• Feeling: Pretty relaxed. I haven’t done too much more than hang out with my parents and Little Red, and drink tea and eat biscuits/cake today.
• Snacking: On tasty little cookies and bliss balls I found in the local organic shop.
• Helping: The cleaner. (Seriously, what is wrong with me?)
• Hearing: Rain on the roof. Bella purring in my ear. The new Laura Marling album my boy bought me as a congratulations-for-finishing-your-degree present. Bliss.

Did I mention I finished my degree?