and JOY

10/28/12

a new home

over the last few months my blogging experience has been pretty dull so i started working on something new and have moved. here. i won't be posting here anymore and i hope you visit my new home. this site will stay up just so i remember what use to be.

thanks for supporting a life less ordinary and andJOY over the past few years! i'm excited about my new blog and hope you are too. see you over there!

melynda xo

10/8/12

shop update

i finally got around to adding a few new items to the shop. am hoping to be back blogging asap - life is tough and getting motivated, even tougher!

melynda xo

8/21/12

a snapshot of august

watching...ncis season nine
eating...dark mint chocolate and passionfruit
reading...about to start 'half the sky'
listening to...'cornerstone' - hillsong
excited about...seeing what the future holds

what does your august look like? melynda xo

8/20/12

organic.

i've been really interested in the organic conversation that has been floating around the web for the past few years and i love reading about other peoples experiences (emily is currently experimenting. read some of her stuff here). i have found that it's not too hard to find fresh organic produce that is affordable but grains, wheat and flour seem to be a bit more pricey (i live in brisbane though and there isn't a whole lot out there). i do find that buying organic can be more expensive but i also like knowing that what is going into my and my husband's bodies is as natural and close to it's original form as possible.

i also like going into our backyard and picking my own organically grown vegetables. i currently have baby spinach, snowpeas, brocollini and cos lettuce in high rotation with tomatoes and zucchini on their way. i do want to get to the point where 90% or more of my natural produce is from my own home - it's a work in progress!

my dream is that one day

- all of my fruit and vegetables will come from my garden

- chickens will roam my backyard

- i will have a compost heap that is healthy and warm

- bees will be buzzing round offering my family fresh, organic honey

i don't really know the reason for this post. getting thoughts out i guess!

melynda xo

8/2/12

in these parts...

.we are harvesting

.we are jobless (but that's okay - we are praying hard about this - and by we, i mean me)

.we are being thankful and recording it

.we are yearning for the snow

.we are celebrating birthdays (his)

.we are spending lots of time together

.we are looking to the future and being excited at what we see

melynda xo

7/12/12

long white cloud

new zealand was beautiful. we arrived in christchurch to freezing temperatures and were welcomed by family with a warm fire, hot dinner and new cousins. the next day we travelled the five hours to queenstown with a stop for coffee and lunch along the way. even though it is just across the tasman, new zealand is another world. i've been there so many times before but it felt so new this time - maybe because mum and dad weren't there and this time i had a husband.

we snowboarded for four days, walked around town and just enjoyed being together so much. we've caught the snowboarding bug and are looking to make it an annual trip.

i heart holidays.
melynda xo

6/18/12

in these parts...

.we are getting doggie hugs

.we are welcoming the end of term two at school with open arms

.we are digging (and now planting) our veggie garden

.we are now eating eggs, cheese and butter again

.we are snuggling further into our pillows at night

.we are ripening tomatoes on the window sill

.we are hoping for time with friends

.we are using up everything in our fridge before buying more

.we are ready for queenstown and fergburger

what's happening in your parts?

melynda xo

my weekend

my weekend was spent helping some friends on the 100km Oxfam Trailwalk. the event raised just under $1million! it was a weekend of icing knees, providing food, spooning best friends to keep them warm and cheering on teams as they entered checkpoints. kellie will probably tell you more about it (once she's recovered). such a worthy cause, and so proud of my friends.

melynda xo

6/11/12

my weekend (continued...)

the queen's birthday was spent

1. attending the lifeline book festival and scoring big time with dr seuss books and
2. practising my knitting for dish cloths

hope you had a great long weekend!

melynda xo

6/10/12

nepal

i don't think i ever blogged about our trip to nepal last year. we headed over in september and helped out at a school then went on a hike up to namche bazaar (the old everest base camp). here are some photos my friends and i took.

my weekend

1, 2. lisa mitchell at st john's cathedral - wonderful
3. saving some reading for nz
4. a long weekend bonfire
5. arriving at the bonfire to find a best friend to match!
6. this afternoon. i had a migraine so slept in front of this for a good hour. am still sitting here. (ps. while i was asleep the husband made sure it was topped up to keep me warm. love him.)

how was your weekend? what'd you get up to? anything planned for tomorrow?

6/7/12

in these parts (winter edition)...

.we are hopping into bed no later than eight

.we are using the heat light in the bathroom

.we are attending bonfires

.we are enjoying morning snuggling

.we are walking the dog every day

.we are breathing in the cool breeze and getting cold noses and teary eyes

.we are appreciating being a pe teacher who can wear trackpants and hoodies to work

.we are getting excited for our snow trip

what's happening in your part of the world?

6/5/12

pretties

i'm currently teaching home ec (which quietly is freaking awesome!!) and guess what crockery each student has at their bench?

johnson australia! love it.

ps. a song for your day

6/4/12

life is good

i'm lying in bed next to my husband, listening to lisa mitchell after an evening of walking the dog and dinner out with my husband. life is freaking great.

and the winner is...

thank you to those who entered the giveaway and left such lovely comments. for those of you who didn't win there is 10% off in the shop - just use 'andjoyten' at the checkout.

and the winner is...

please email your postal address and favourite cushion/item in the shop to meveringham (at) live (dot) com (dot) au and i'll get it to you asap :)

6/3/12

a reminder (ABOUT A GIVEAWAY!)

it is the LAST day to enter the giveaway! make sure you leave a comment on this post and you could win :)

5/31/12

just a thought

ummm...when you find something really good in an op shop what goes through your head? i always feel like i'm stealing this awesome thing that i found because it is so awesome but so cheap. i also always look around to see if anyone is watching me and i feel really nervous until the sale is made because i'm scared the volunteers are going to turn around and say 'sorry that's actually not for sale because it is too awesome'.... or is that just me?

we're all going on a WINTER holiday

in my last post i mentioned that we were planning a holiday and some of you (alright just lizeylou) asked where we were going...................

queenstown, nz!

we got married in april and couldn't really afford the honeymoon we had always dreamt of (and also because we didn't get married in winter). but now, we're going. and we are so excited! june 24, hurry up already!