And the sun came out...

Life has been a little crazy of late - jam packed schedules, long to do lists, busy workplaces and a few health challenges. But I'm starting to see the light as things start to calm down and literally see the light as the weather starts to warm up and the days get longer, little by little. 

I have had a glorious weekend, definitely helped along by the divine weather, but a visit to my hairdresser, some me time (thanks to my awesome hubby on babysitting duties) and time spent with people I care about has been the perfect pick me up. And a visit to the playground with hubby, Miss S and our beloved pooch was the perfect way to end the weekend, especially watching Miss S totter around and be amazed by our local playground. 

So with a spring in my step (terrible pun and a week early) look out world!

How has your weekend been? Have you been able to enjoy the glorious weather? Or is it still a little chilly where you are?

Wanted: the perfect pair of jeans

I have been wanting to buy a new pair of jeans for a couple of months now. I have my trusty jeans that I adore and love spending time in, but it's been a while since I owned a dark denim pair. So, I dragged my hubby and Miss S along, firstly for opinions and secondly, it's often too hard to navigate change rooms with a pram.

My first and only stop (yay success) was Just Jeans - found a perfect pair of Levis after trying on a couple of pairs and sizes. 

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But my frustration when buying pants and on this occasion jeans is that I almost always need to have the hems taken up and there's almost always an extra cost for me to do so. 

There are a couple of exceptions and why I'm raising this issue. I have bought jeans overseas, in London and San Francisco. The Moto jeans I bought from Topshop were available in a range of lengths - perfect. I could buy a pair of jeans while on holiday and wear them that very same day. I also bought a pair of Levis in San Francisco and they were the perfect length for my height. Again, perfect, I could wear them that same day. 

So yesterday I went into my local Just Jeans store yesterday with my size, 27 x 30 (30 referring to the length) and no luck. I checked online when I got home and nope my Demi curve Levis only come in 32 length. 

Now I have come to terms with the fact that I'm vertically challenged but I'm a pretty standard height and I'm not alone in being short. I don't understand why when companies like Levis make their jeans in a range of lengths, why Australian stores can't stock them. 

I have this issue when I'm buying most pants - pants for work, casual pants and even exercise pants from Lorna Jane and Lulu Lemon. 

Having to take my hems up is time consuming and always adds to the cost of my outfits. And there's no way I can go shopping with the intention of buying a pair of pants to wear that night or the next day because I can't be sure I will get a same day service on my hems. 

I love my new jeans but they are still sitting at Just Jeans waiting to have the hems adjusted. Sadly I will have to wait until next weekend to give them a spin. 

Does anyone else share my frustration at the lack of options available for shorter people, or the tall people amongst us, do you have the opposite experience?

No sick bed for this mummy

The dreaded lurgy has hit our home and hit it hard. All three of us have been knocked down by three different and potent bugs. 

After a visit to the doctor, hubby and Miss S were handed prescriptions for antibiotics and I was left empty handed with age old instructions to keep up my fluids and rest. Rest?

Totally easy to do with a 16 month old.

So before Miss S entered our lives and changed them forever, hubby and I would have retreated to the safety and warmth of our bed, emerging only for food, water and bathroom stops.

Now, we had no choice but to battle through. 

So hubby spent the weekend on his sick bed and now the situation has reversed. Hubby is on the mend and I'm now feeling terrible. With one healthy parent on deck, I'm retreating to bed and resting up. 

I'll be back to the purple notepad once my head has cleared and I have emerged from the fog. 

A reason, a season, a lifetime...

I've come across this poem many times over the years and it's words have stuck with me. I have thought of them when I have welcomed new friends into my life, lost them without reason and shared experiences with others who remain an integral and valuable part of my life.

There have been times when I have grieved the loss of a friendship and wondered was it me, what did I do, how could I have done things differently, but I really do believe that some friendships are not meant to last forever. A special person has come into my life or me into theirs to meet a need and see them through a period in our lives, when that need is met, then our paths diverge and we continue on in different directions. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, just how life is.

I have recently had cause to think about this poem, not because a friendship has come to a natural end, but because I have been reminded how special some of my friendships are and how grateful I am to have such thoughtful and amazing people in my life. They have been in my life for more than a reason and it's been longer than a season since we met. I'm hoping they are a lifetime variety of flower, but even if they're not, I treasure all that they bring to my life. They include friends I may not see or chat to for a couple of weeks or months, but when we do it's like we never stopped chatting and a long lunch of two or three hours feels like 10 minutes.

I'm still in my early 30s, so I can't say if any of my friendships are for a lifetime. I'm always hopeful, but friendships that last a lifetime are rare and not always something we get to experience.

Another way of looking at it, is that our friendships are a garden, they need nurturing and tendering, they are made up of many types of flowers, all unique in their own way. Some of the flowers last just one summer, others appear for a few summers before they fall away and then there are those that continue to bloom year after year, sometimes with just a sprinkling of care and attention, other years they bloom with lots of catch ups, chats and good times.

Reason Season Lifetime

People always come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
It is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
Or to provide you with guidance and support,
To aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they just walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON,
It is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.
And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall,
The season eventually ends.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
Those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person anyway;
And put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being part of my life,
Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

This poem is by an unknown author and has appeared in various forms all over the internet.

Do you have friendships that have helped you through a challenging period in your life? Others that have lasted longer than a reason and ones that have lasted a lifetime?