Coffee Catch-Up #27

If we were having coffee I would tell you I can’t believe that it has been over 3 months since I last blogged. Initially, this was due to writer’s block. I struggled to come up with any inspiration. I found it much easier when I first started blogging as I followed The Daily Post topics. If you have any suggestions or secrets to overcoming writer’s block I would love to hear them.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I’m enjoying using my sewing machine again. I hadn’t sewed for over 10 years but wanted to sew masks for my family. Operation cover up has been a family affair. My husband and I enjoyed going to Spotlight to choose fun materials to match everyone’s personalities. Then between my husband, daughter and I, after several trial runs, we eventually found a pattern that sat comfortably on all of our faces.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about our slide-on camper Ruby home. When it came to preparing her for our recent holiday, the hardest thing was deciding what was essential to take. This was because we were limited with weight availability. To fix this we needed to weigh everything we put in her. And if necessary find a lighter alternative. A bigger ute is able to carry a bigger load, so we will look for a new one before our longer trips. Eventually we won the battle and excluded 100 kilos worth of useful things. The we could legally depart and no longer put our insurance at risk.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how excited I was to buy myself a pie maker for my birthday. Today is my first attempt at making pies. I chose a basic beef mince pie for the filling. While cooking it had an amazing aroma. The frustration is the need for a delay between making the mince and making the pies. The reason is the mince filling needs to be cold when it goes into the shortcrust pastry or it will go soggy. End results, worth the effort for both regular and gluten free pies.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world. Let me know in the comments.


Masks Off

We’re less than a week away from Halloween! If you had to design a costume that channeled your true, innermost self, what would that costume look like? Would you dare to wear it?

Although Halloween celebrations are not big in Australia,  I do enjoy dressing up in fancy dress costume.  Wearing masks however—are not my thing. I find them restrictive and controlling. Neither which fit my personality. I chose my costume to be something that works for the occasion—with my open face plus or minus makeup.

On a day to day basis, I believe I channel my true self—in person as well as in my writing. Being genuine to who I am is important to me and constancy is the key. I am an honest, considerate person who loves teaching, nurturing and supporting others to grow. I also believe that it is important for me to do this for myself—to lead by example. I am aware of my limitations, but am happy to push myself beyond my comfort zone. If necessary, my personality allows deal with difficult situations to achieve the best outcomes.

Depending on how make-up is applied, it can be a mask, hiding someones real personality.  Not all heavily applied make-up is a mask but, for some people it is. At times, this can be a very effective tool. However, used all the time masks can stunt your personal growth, as they stop you and others from connecting to the real you. Naturally applied make-up can be our friend. It isn’t a mask and doesn’t stop our personality coming through—hides our worse and highlights our best features—making us shine.

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