I like me

I think I am an alright person. But there are many days I feel inadequate and crappy about myself.
I need to remind myself that I am a good person who is good at many things and I have many positive attributes. I find as I am getting further into my 30s that I am beginning to like myself more. That I am content with who I am (although there are still plenty of things I need to work on and improve).
There are things that make me who I am, that I like about myself and this week's List Loving task over at Tam's blog is to write a list about the things I like about myself. So here goes....

Do you like yourself? What are the things about yourself that you like? I'd love to hear them. Or why not join in the list loving fun.

Pumpkin Scones

I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for a good scone. Actually any baked good really. They are my weakness. But I think a good scone is one of life's simple pleasures.
I was on the look out for a pumpkin scone recipe last year and I remembered I was given a cookbook for a wedding present (many years ago!) It was Lady Flo Bjelke - Petersen's cookbook.
Now I don't remember much about her but I do remember that she was famous for her pumpkin scones so I found her recipe in the book and gave them a whirl. Yum Yum Yum. They are easy and delicious. And made very often at our house - the kids (and adults) love them.
So thought I'd share the recipe with you all.  I have made a couple of minor adjustments to temperature of oven and length of cooking time to work with my oven so I'll put my adjustments in red.

PUMPKIN SCONES

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed pumpkin (cold)
2-2 1/2 cups self - raising flour

METHOD
1. Beat together butter, sugar and salt using an electric mixer
2. Add egg, then pumpkin. Finally, stir in by hand, sifted flour
3. Turn onto floured board and cut (I use my trusty Tupperware scone cutter!)
4. Place on a heated floured tray and cook on top shelf of very hot oven (225-250 degrees) for 15-20 minutes
(I cook mine at about 230 degrees for 10-12 minutes - I find them the perfect squishyness for my liking)
5. Eat (and try and resist eating more than one)
I freeze these scones after we've all had one. They defrost really nicely (and temptation is out of view).
I usually get about 13-14 scones from this recipe.
They are quite a sweet scone as opposed to a savoury one - which I like.

Enjoy

Celebrity Crushes

So here we go with week 2 of the list loving, and loving is what it's all about. Celebrity loving. Who are the guys (or girls) who makes us go all gooey inside - without posing risk to our marriages! 

I do love my hubby Andrew - we've been married for 11 1/2 years. But these lovely lookers make me appreciate God's handiwork...and make watching TV and movies a bit more fun. So in no particular order (and with pictures - a must!)....

JAMES MARSDEN

Ahh the dreamy eyes, the boyish smile. So cute

COLIN FIRTH

Forever will he be my Mr Darcy. 

And he's a brilliant actor too. I'm not just all about the looks!

JOSHUA JACKSON

To me, he will always be Pacey from Dawsons Creek and for that I think he's lovely.

PATRICK DEMPSEY

Ahh McDreamy - those eyes and that hair. Eeeek!

PAUL RUDD

I had a crush on him when he played Phoebe's hubby in Friends. 

And I do love a guy with a sense of humour. 

Again the eyes.

JESSE WILLIAMS

You make watching Greys Anatomy even better. McDreamy and him in one show. Ahhh!

Seriously those eyes.

So there you have it. Those celebrities that make me feel like a silly teenage girl. 

That make me want to put posters in my room

Do you have any celebrity crushes? Why not join in the fun with your own list and link it up here - 

Link up the Lookers

32 things about me.

So I really don't know who reads this blog, if anyone, but I thought I'd do a little about me post. Some things that make me who I am. And in light of the fact that it is my 33rd birthday next week, I thought I would do 32 things about me. Still 32 for 9 more days!!
So here we go...

1. I was born in Melbourne
2. I have lived in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia
3. I have lived in 10 houses in my 33 years.
4. I have 2 lovely younger sisters, Clare & Beth
5. My favourite colour is green.
6. My favourite subjects at school were English and Drama
7. I absolutely LOATHE having blood taken
8. I love Autumn & Spring
9. I am a member of The Salvation Army and proud of it
10. I LOVE lip balms. I have many dotted around the house
11. I have 2 beautiful boys who make me want to be a better mummy every day
12. I like spots
13. My favourite movies  - Notting Hill, Love Actually, The Sound of Music & Wayne's World
14. I have a birthmark on my left arm
15. I love to sing. I would have loved to have done some huge musical like Phantom, Annie, Les Miserables.
16. If my life were made into a movie, I think I'd like Reese Witherspoon to play me
17. When I was young, I wanted to change my name to Phillipa (like Pippa from Home & Away!)
18. My husband and I met at a church youth camp
19. My favourite books - The Bronze Horseman, Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird
20. If I could meet anyone famous from history, it would be Nelson Mandela. He is amazing
21. My favourite foods - dessert (ha ha ha) any kind really (I always check out the desserts before ordering mains!)
22. My parents are a great example to me of a good strong marriage and fantastic parenting
23. Top 5 places I want to visit - Africa (anywhere really), Amalfi Coast, Maldives, Canada, Greece (again - I love it there)
24. I love reading junk mail
25. I would describe myself as positive, kind, fun and outgoing.
26. Winter was my favourite time of the year - until I had kids!
27. Favourite music (at the moment) - John Mayer, Coldplay, Missy Higgins, Kari Jobe, Claire Bowditch
28. I love good reality TV - Survivor, The Amazing Race, etc..
29. I DESPISE bad reality TV - The Shire, Lara Bingle etc..
30. I love to read, bake, watch movies and TV, and sometimes I scrapbook
31. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up
32. I love a good cup of tea

So there you are 32 random things about me. Hopefully you know me a bit better now

I'm a List Lover

Hi. My name is Megan and I am a List Lover. Yep there you have it. I love a good list. Usually have a to do list everyday - generally it's an old school written one. There is something about being able to physically cross stuff off a list when it's done. Not the same satisfaction is achieved on the phone or computer. I do have lists on my phone though - all sorts of lists.
I've found as I get older, and life gets busier, that lists help me to get things done. I seem to forget things if I don't write them done. So lists are my new best friend. My sister Clare would be proud of me. She is the queen of lists.
So a fellow blogger and list lover, Tam posted a challenge to all the list lovers out there, to follow along on her list loving journey. So I am joining in.
The first prompt is.... Lists I make.
Here is a list of lists I need to make over the next few weeks. I think i may need to get List Book. Where I keep all my lists. Ha ha ha ha yes I think that's called an iPhone or computer.

So here is my list

So who else is a list lover? Why not join in the challenge with me? You can do it on your blog or on Instagram.

List Lovers Unite!

I'm feeling very OLYMPIC today

So unless you are a hermit crab or a bear in hibernation for the winter, you would know that the Olympics are on at the moment. Whether you love it or hate it, it's hard to get away from it - the Olympics are everywhere.

Now I wouldn't say I am a sports nut but I don't mind watching most sports and one of the things I love about the olympics is to catch a glimpse of different sports that I may not often see. Gymnastics, Beach Volleyball, Handball, etc.. all fun to watch in my opinion.

Another thing I love about the Olympics is how it brings us together as a nation and the World. To know that there are billions of people all over the earth watching the same things. That there are people all over Australia cheering on our athletes. Definitely makes the world feel a little bit closer and little bit smaller and a little bit friendlier.

But probably the best thing about the Olympics for me is seeing those athletes achieve their dreams of Gold and personal best. To see that all their hard work and training paid off. It's an amazing thing to witness. Also heartbreaking to see the loss of a dream in those who didn't quite get the result they had worked for. Such real life drama played out for all of us to see. How can you not be in awe of people like Usain Bolt, Nadia Comanici, Michael Phelps, Kieran Perkins. People who push themselves, both physically and mentally. Amazing.

But there seem to be a lot of Olympic haters out there and it confuses me. What is that you hate?

Is it watching the world unite as one to watch and admire the sporting elite?
Is it seeing people who have worked and dreamed so hard achieve a lifelong goal?
Is it the 1000s of gorgeous athletic bodies on show?
Is it that you have to wait 2 weeks until your fave TV show is back on the air?

Whether you are a lover or hater of sports, there is definitely something about the Olympics that brings out the best (and yes sometimes the worst) in us as humans.

So are you a lover or a hater of the Olympics and why?

A new beginning

So here we are - a new blog.

I've been thinking about blogging again for some time now and thought it was time bit the bullet and went for it. But I always jump back into blogging and then after a few weeks it falls in a heap. So I decided I needed to make a change, mix things up a bit. I am really hoping a new blog, a new home for my thoughts and feelings, will give me the push and the fresh perspective I need to give it the best I can.

One of the main reasons for me creating a new blog home was to remove my name from the web address of my blog - try to create a tiny bit of privacy for my little family as my boys grow up. Give them a chance to be a bit anonymous in this crazy fast paced technology loving world. I'll still be sharing about them and all but our surname won't be as easy to find.

So here's to fresh starts, endless possibilities and a pretty new blog.

Hope you'll join me for all the fun ahead