RemembeRED - Cleaned Out For Christmas

This year, I think my name might be showing up on a friend's 'Clean Out List'. I think it is coming to a time when she has moved on and will move in different circles and those circles may not include me.

This year has been a SHOCKER - for both of us. Hers has been epic in the relationship side of life and mine has been epic in state of mind and a life throwing curve-balls kind of way. It is a real shame that we have both had such hard years, it would have been better had we taken turns, but life didn't give us that option.

When I rank our woes, hers far outweigh mine. She has had to look at a complete lifestyle change. Her life will never be the same again. My year in comparison has just been messy, lots of ups and downs, but my base line has always been pretty good. I have been fighting to maintain equilibrium, and this has been hard in its own way.

I don't want to lose this friend. I really don't. She has been a friend for a really long time, around twelve years. We are similar enough that we can talk deeply about things, and different enough that we can still find things to talk about. We have held each other's babies, camped together and talked for way too long on the phone.

But, this year, there have been some things we haven't always seen eye to eye on. We have misinterpreted each other. I have said some things that she wasn't ready for and vice versa. It has been a tough road for our friendship. 

I really hope that her 'Clean Out List' does not have my name on it. It wouldn't surprise me if it is though, some things do come to an end. I just hope this is not one of those things.

I am linking up with Write on Edge for RemembeRED...

Think of a time that you “cleaned house.” Consider the subtext—we’re not writing about Windex here. We’re writing about relationships. Or feelings. Or a captured moment in time.

Consider how dialogue and body language bring the moment to life for the reader.

And let’s shoot for around 300 words.

See you for the link-up on Tuesday!

I have been getting awards.... Haha!

I am still such a newbie blogger. There is so much I do not know. Nor will I ever claim to know. However, I do know I love to write. I love to be inspired. I love to share. I love to learn new things. My blog gives me an outlet for all of these things. To have 'followers' is a bonus. To have people approach me and mention my blog is truly cool. To know that there are people all over the world clicking on my links and leaving comments, blows my mind. 

Now, I have been awarded some awards! Check. It. Out!

Firstly, I was nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award, by the lovely Rain over at Iredescent Rain. Rain actually nominated me a while ago, but I had no idea what that meant. Thankfully, the very talented Eloise was nominated and wrote a fabulous acceptance post about it - so I was able to email her and get the low down on it...


Here are the rules {which I read, but still didn't get it - I can be quite dense.}

Then the other day, I was nominated for a 'Special Award' by the lovely 'K' over at Special K.... The rules for this award are quite similar to the VBA, so I will kill two birds with one stone and graciously accept these awards simultaneously.... 

So firstly, I must thank Rain. What a sweet heart. Rain and I do some writing link-a-dos together and we comment on each other's writing - geeky to some is fun for others.... Also a big thank you to Special K, very sweet of you to award me this award....

I am going to do the 7 things first... Because I like to shake things up.... 

7 Things You May Not Know About B...

1. I Hate Celery... Really. Truly. If you try to feed it to me, I will not eat it. If you cut up into tiny peices and try to hide it in food, I will not eat it. I will welcome starving to death ahead of eating it. I hope I have conveyed this emotion strongly enough. I hate it.

2. I am blonde. In every sense of the word. I know my hair is currently brown - but that is simply because I few years ago my sister and I made my hair go kahki green. It was easier to go dark than to maintain any shade of blonde. Most people are genuinely surprised when they hear that I am naturally blonde, I take this to mean that I am not your stereotypical blonde.

3. I am a teacher. I wanted to be a teacher since my first day of grade one. I love to work with kids and watch them learn. I get cranky when students don't accept the opportunity to learn. When I was 5 I thought being a teacher meant you had to draw giraffes well, I was wrong.

4. I am a terrible dancer. Terrible. Appalling. I hated school discos and still hate it when I am required to dance. I would love to have dancing lessons so that I can at least do a simple waltz. My two step shuffle is appalling. Shameful.

5. I am the youngest child of four. This can be both good and bad. I will always be the 'baby' which again, is good and bad. My children are older than my sisters' children, so that throws the whole advice giving chain of command out the window.

6. My favourite colour is red. I didn't think I needed a favourite colour at my age, but, I have a three year old. It is now critical that I have one. 

7. I love to cook. I really do. I relax when I cook, I go to a happy place where things are interesting and ever changing. I rarely use recipes, only for baking, and I rarely make anything that isn't pretty darn good. But, don't ask Miss Z whether she thinks I can cook. She asks me all the time why I bother cooking, when all she likes is wraps and cheese. Sigh.

I cannot give you 15 blogs that I love, but I can pass on 10, I hope this is okay... 

Friends Who Blog....

1. CraftyMummy - She is tops. Love her work. Although I am not crafty, I do appreciate the genius behind the blog. CraftyMummy gives me all sorts of tips, advice and encouragement all the time. She is so cool. MWAH!

2. Caitlin's Happy Heart - Caitlin has been my friend for a very long time, we went to uni together.  We will always be friends and one day we may actually be able to sit and talk at length about life. Caitlin has just had triplets, she is bravely documenting this. 

3. A Fruitful Life - I get lots of information about lots of things from being more green, to being more content, to painting up things to look pretty over at Lacey's blog. This is a very happy and uplifting place to visit.

Two Of My Fav Bloggy Friends.... 

4. The True Adventures of Eloise - What a very talented writer/blogger/person Eloise is. I like having someone a bit further down the blogging road to link up with. Eloise is funny, thoughtful and a is a war history buff. I am gonna love watching how far this girl will go. 

5. People Don't Eat Enough Fudge - I would like to meet Sarah Mac one day - I bet she is hilarious and funny and witty. Her post about a cat being stuck in an exhaust is still one of the funniest things I have read in a while... 

Blogs I have just discovered and am liking a lot...

6. Kate Says Stuff - Kate is funny, refreshing and real. I am enjoying reading about life with her family and tips on various things.

7. Lillie McFerrin Writes - nice to find another blog written by a writer. I find these hard to come by. I am enjoying reading about the life of someone who is passionate about getting published. 

Big Name Bloggers {who I think would be really nice in real life}...

8. Beafunmum - Kelly is amazing. She writes about all sorts of helpful, gritty and encouraging things. I have been amazed that Kelly has taken the time to reply to my emails and has given some lovely feedback to some hard to write blogs.

9. A Belle A Bean and A Chicago Dog - Liz blogs about all manner of useful things. She is a bit of a blogging legend and shares a lot about life with her kids too. I link up with Liz for an iPhone photo link up. She is a fun gal.

10. Fox In Flats - Andrea is the girl in the know. I love reading realistic fashion tips and trends. I love reading the style guides and the snapshots she takes of real women 'on the street' are great. Her catch cry is 'Navigating Motherhood in Style' - I like that a lot.

Right, so I hope I have done this right... What a world of linking I have just done!

Thanks for the blog love... This is my 198th post... who would have thought? 

Lucky B!

A parcel arrived. Not addressed to B.

I let Mr Cool know it had arrived. He told me it was for me! Hmmm.... 

Should I leave it near the tv - right where he will see it the second he gets home?

Or on the coffee table?

Or on the dining table, so that if he arrives home while I am 'checking email', he can give it to me easily?

It caused a stir on Facebook - kept me entertained all afternoon!

He FINALLY got home, so I got to open it. 

I was not expecting anything extravagant due to the 'Budget of all Budgets'

So.....

Imagine my surprise when....

I got a KINDLE!

Thanks a bunch Mr Cool - you are too much. Gosh... what a great guy I am married to.

This post was brought to you via my iPhone... I am linking up to iPPP (iPhone Photo Phun) at 

A belle, a bean and a chicago dog.

Crocheted Converse

I have a very clever friend. She is also very generous. She likes to do things for other people and is also very cool to have around. She also wears very cool red mary-janes.


When she noticed that BabyCool didn't keep his shoes OR socks on, she offered to crochet him some booties. But not just any booties, no sirree-bob, come CONVERSE sneaker looking booties. Do we all remember how much I love Converse? Click here if you don't....


My very clever friend actually made up the pattern and design for these very hip booties. She even made shoelaces and included the star on the side. Impressive!

Aren't these just sooooo cute!  BabyCool is getting used to them. What he normally does with socks and shoes is take them off and chew them. It is gross. I can't think of a quip about 'putting a sock in it' but, he does love a good sock chew - especially in the car.

I tried to take some photos of my gorgeous 10 month old BabyCool with his Converse Booties on... But.... they are right when they say don't work with animals or children, especially a baby boy who loves his mummy. Very hard to take photos of.

It was a gorgeous day to be out on the deck in a T-shirt. So BabyCool made the most of the photo shoot to have a bit of a play. And his mummy thought these photos were much too cute to not gratuitously tac on to the end of this post. 

I think I have the cleverest friend. Thanks a bunch lovely lady - you rock! Check out her madeit.com.au store here {if this link does not work, it is because the madeit server was down when I wrote this post and no amount of yelling at the screen seemed to help!}

Life is Cool: Friends who Youtube

I have uber-cool friends. Of course I do. They would not, and simply could not, be my friends if they were not! The married duo of friend #214 and #215 are a force to be reckoned with.


Let me tell you about these two: they are smart, funny, witty, natty, quirky, classy and and just so awesome to have in our inner circle. Friend #214 is quite possibly the most sensible and well adjusted person on the planet. Oh my goodness, when I need a good dose of common sense or even someone to back up my fanciful daydreaming - she is my IT girl. She just knows stuff. And lots and lots of stuff. She is a journalist, a teacher, a marketing-guru-something-or-other, she is also a very dedicated and cool mum, a wife, daughter, sister and friend extraordinaire. She understands the value of talking to people and also about giving time to her friends. She is another of my keepers.


Friend #215 is the creative quirky one in the outfit. He collects things. China, Star Wars bits and bobs, Matchbox cars, Black T-shirts etc etc. The ultimate gift to give #215 would be items numbered 1, 2, 5, and 6 in a series of something. His most recent attempt at a collection was fancy beer bottles. I think it was vetoed by #214 though. He loves collecting things. He is also quite the chum with Mr Cool, they text each other when out shopping and their conversations often involve talking about shoes and jeans and haircuts and NRL, naturally. 


They have two cool kids. Very cool. I know my kids are cool. But THESE kids are 'Mambo before Big W' cool - seriously.  #214a is always decked out in funky jeans and super cute t-shirts and owns more Converse and Nike sneakers than anyone under 15 should own. Uber ... Uber cool.... #214b is a pink version of the above, oh so musk stick sweet....


Friend #215 recently entered a competition to win a new phone through Gizmodo. He needed to submit a clip of why he needed  'the shiny new Galaxy S II and all its Gingerbread Android wonders' and also 50 words.  Being techi and cool, he enlisted the work of young #214a.... Here is his youtube clip.  

Now you may think this is cute, a gorgeous little boy making his youtube debut. However, it is not... he has been on youtube a lot.... Check this out... 

This is 'Tipping Baby'

These friends are soooo cool, they had to have another baby. A girl this time. So.... here they exploit, I mean CHARM us with her footy tipping...

I am so glad I have such lovely friends, I thought that this was a good chance to share the love. Oh, and by the way, they didn't win the new mobile phone - what must it have taken? A trained elephant who can do sign language? An interview with Bill Gates? What? What could have topped that great clip... Honestly.... Please explain Gizmodo!


Below are the links to the winning clips...pfft - I still don't think they top a cute 4 year old though....


So, Who Gets A New Samsung Galaxy S II?

35 Cool things about turning... well....

These are in random order.... Except #1 - it is THE coolest thing...

35) You have your own credit card
34) You have owned clothes long enough for them to be back in fashion - Retro Rocks
33) Your shoe size doesn't change
32) You can finally afford the clothes that as a teenager you dreamt of owning (although now you are too responsible to actually buy them)
31) Your parents trust you with their cars
30) Your sisters ask for advice and are excited to see you
29) You have friends who appreciate girl time and write it into their diaries - in pen
28) People younger than you start calling you 'Mrs'
27) Fun nights out involve coffee, friends, laughing and stories.... Not short dresses, clubs and spiked drinks
26) Cool things to do involve: parks, juice, muffins and scooters... Not spikey hair and lots of eye make-up listening to pulsating music
25) Your hair dresser can keep your hair looking current without looking like an aged Bratz doll
24) Your mother-in-law asks you for fashion advice
23) Kissing isn't restricted to the car
22) You can laugh at teenagers and how stooopid they can be, and forget that when you were a teenager you were equally stooopid, if not more so
21) You say, "Oh, I remember that, I was in grade... " more than you care to admit.
20) You appreciate the importance of correct spelling and grammar
19) You don't have to worry about being stalked by creeps on facebook - you know they are your cousins
18) You appreciate the rare quiet still moments you get, like filling up the car
17) You are known for your children's achievements, and that is cool with you
16) Your parents are starting to enjoy seeing you work out how to deal with lippy children, it is like revenge for all the arguing you did with them as a child
15) You know what make-up suits you and how to put it on
14) You see the benefit of buying things that will last
13) You don't need to have a party to celebrate your birthday - nice food, bubbly and a good dessert is more than enough
12) You become cheaper to insure
11) You can leave your clothes on the floor of your room if you want to
10) Your kids think that hot chips are a rare delicacy
9) You don't look out of place buying kids clothes
8) You know what kinds of things children like to eat and receive as gifts
7) The people you hang out with don't really remember how geeky you were in highschool
6) You don't get confused filling in forms at the bank as much
5) You know the right things to say to get discounts at department stores
4) You can walk away from a bargain if you know you will never use the item
3) You can help other people in lots of cool ways
2) You are usually smarter than you were 10 years ago
1) You realise that life is good when it is filled with lots of people. Friends who are like family and family who are like friends.

Things you need to be cool....

The pre-claimer to this post is that I do not see myself as cool.  I am stocky, spotty, outspoken but shy, self conscious and intimidated by people who are either better looking than me, thinner than me, smarter than me or more successful than me: this means I am intimidated by just about everyone!


But....


I am beginning to understand cool - a bit...


A friend of mine has been struggling to find her coolness after having kids. She is GORGEOUS, has great hair, great skin and has such a great personality that people want to get to know her more. To me, she has so many things about her that are cool. But she just doesn't see it *sigh*....


Now, let me explain that cool is a combination of things. It is attitude, personality, life experience and then it is outward appearance. So, my dear friend has the first few things down pat. Her attitude is amazing - she will try anything and gives her heart to things that mean a lot to her. She has a great bubbly, quirky personality as previously mentioned. She has had a great deal of life experience from study to having babies to helping kids with stoopid names in some weird way out schools. Basically, I am proud to know her and learn more about grace and kindness every time I have a chat with her.


But still, she feels uncool. And I have surmised that it is her outward appearance she is struggling with.  The other night I suggested she throw out (literally) every item of clothing that she either doesn't like, is really old or doesn't fit quite right - to which she said she would then be walking around naked (not cool in the 'dropping kids off to school' kind of set).


So, for my lovely locked friend, and anyone else out there who is trying to regain some cool, here are some things for you to think about that I have learnt over the past 10 years or so.... Get right back to basics and think through the following things....

• Determine what  'look' are you going for? Like; hippy, conservative, boho, biker, sporty, classic etc.
• Work out which colours suit you?  Think about seasons such as; Summer = aqua, yellow, blues, oranges etc; Autumn = browns, greens, greys etc.
• What items in your wardrobe make you feel good? What items could you not live without? I could not live without jeans, t-shirts and shirt dresses....
• What are the best parts of your body are worth accentuating? I have a waste and I like my hair .... that is where I start every time I have to think about buying items for my wardrobe.

To become cool is about discovering yourself and then investing time into learning more about yourself and your style. Oh, and get your hands on anything written by Trinny & Susannah - a good place to start....

Here are some quotes to get you started on your 'Cool Quest'...

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.  What you'll discover will be wonderful.  What you'll discover is yourself.  
Alan Alda (I know that Alan Alda is Hawk-eye from M.A.S.H - but you know.....)

The most beautiful thing in the world is, precisely, the conjunction of learning and inspiration. Oh, the passion for research and the joy of discovery! 
Wanda Landowska




May the cool force be with you.....


Coming up next time on bbeingcool - Rules for Shopping

New Year's Goals

I love, love, love writing lists. Shopping lists, jobs lists, lists of phone calls to make, bills to pay, things to organise, lists lists lists are my favourite! Infact, as I sit here, I am writing a list of things to write about for the blog. Long lists of ideas... Love it.

I remembered that I have written my favourite kind of list a few weeks ago. My New Year's Goal list. This is my list of things to ensure I am moving forward. I like to know I have pursued something new and something interesting throughout the year. I hate the word 'resolution' it is too.... resolute. Rather, I like the word 'goal', it gives the picture of aiming for something.

Here are my 2011 Goals (insert daaa-daaaaa music here)

MR COOL

1) More dates

2) Weekly "Meetings" to discuss ... stuff!

KIDS

1) Swimming lessons

2) Piano lessons

3) More friends over to play

SOUL

1) Keep a prayer journal

2) Read 10 books of the bible

3) More reflection time with Mr Cool

4) Learn to play piano
5) Read min 15 novels

BODY

1) Get to my WW goal weight by my birthday

2) Run 10km at the Gold Coast Marathon weekend

FRIENDS

1) Don't lose touch with Mrs Style & Grace and Mrs Writes & Amazes

2) Fortnightly girlie time with my peeps

3) More time with my sisters

WRITING

1) Write a blog post once a week for all the blogs I write for....

2) Get more things published around the place

HOUSE

1) Keep an indoor plant alive

2) Paint and mould-treat the inside of all wardrobes

3) Plant a vegetable garden

4) Get gardens established

FINANCE

1) Track finances better (at all would be a start!)

2) Save up for a family holiday

3) Be better at filing and organisation

CRAFT

1) Get scrapping girlie - I am now years behind!

2) Sew more clothes 

3) Learn to put in a zipper

4) Learn more crochet stitches

COOKING

1) Make Tarte Tartin

2) Make Creme Brulee

3) More cooking with the girls

4) Blog photos once a week

I know this seems like a lot. But it helps me to stay balanced and to remember the important things in my life. I am excited about this year and look forward to working at being content. Because that is cool.

The Coolest Thing

I  had a really cool weekend recently.  We had to be in BrisVegas for a variety of reasons and the bonus was we got to spend some time with good friends who had recently moved away from our friendly clutches.

I could list the things we did like; markets, brunch, watching old movies, eating cake and just hanging out...  But that wasn't the coolest part of our weekend.  The coolest thing was, I finally worked out what the coolest thing in the world is..  It is friends.

Yup, that simply:  it is friends.  People who share the journey of life and voluntarily stand on the side lines and cheer you on.  Now family is cool too, but they HAVE to love you - warts and all - that is their function, but friends, they don't HAVE to do anything, but they do, I love that.

I have an amazing little snatch of friends.  I hold onto them dearly.  We were thrust together by a haphazard coffee morning and have been inseparable since.  We have shared so much life together, that I think we are now permanently linked together, threads in each others' tapestries of life.  I could not imagine my life without them.

I have been going through a tough couple of months, for a variety of reasons, which are not cool to go into here.  Basically, I am always wishing I was better, thinner, smarter, healthier, smilier etc etc, but these three women in my life (and you know who you are, you gorgeous things) just accept me and listen and love me, and I think that is cool. Through my friendship with these three gorgeous women I have become a much better mother, wife, cook, friend, teacher ... well person really. I am so grateful that they are in my life.

But it is not just my relationship with these three women that give my life its coolness. I have lots of friendships and they all have their degrees of coolness; Friend #435 and I meet once a month for 'prayer' - our husbands think we just talk (pfft what would they know!), Friend #653 and her gorgeous family, share Easter with us every year and we have many catch ups through the year, Friend #198 lives in London and although she is oceans away, text messages and emails keep us in touch, Friend #878 is quite new to my friend list and is so refreshing in her quirky and thoughtful ways it challenges the way that I think and Friend #651 has grown children but shares her life stories and experiences with me.

I love that I have discovered the coolest thing in the world.  I also love that it is free, environmentally friendly, decomposes, comes in pretty packaging, sustainable, non-poluting and energy efficient.  But more important than all of that it is renewable; it will just keep going on and on.