Making a list & checking it twice...

It's not just Christmas planning that calls for lists.  There are so many things on my to-do list at the moment, that actually have nothing at all to do with Christmas.  However, it has a lot to do with things I need to get done and dusted before we leave for our dream holiday to the USA, which is making me a little nervous.  Especially since it continues to creep ever-closer, and I feel like I'm running out of time.  It doesn't help the situation being struck down with a nasty flu over the past few days, which has resulted in my to-do list growing much larger than my "DONE" list!

Never mind - with New York in my sights, it's all going to be worth it :)

Ditch the excess baggage!

This is not me....(I wish!)

The holiday planning is still going strong this week, with last minute tour booking, completing the "FUN PASS" for our cruise, and since it's getting so close to the time we leave, I've also started thinking about PACKING!  How on earth am I going to pack 5 weeks into 1 suitcase?  And if I'm hoping to shop up big in the US of A, how will I fit everything back in my bag to come home?

Hola Amigos!

Planning a holiday is so much fun!  Especially when it's a holiday you've dreamt about for as long as you can remember.  This is how I feel about our upcoming trip to America, particularly the "city that never sleeps" - New York!!  I must admit, as it gets closer, I'm getting a little bit nervous about it.  Excited, but nervous.  It's a pretty long way from home, and five weeks is actually the longest I've even been away from the comforts of home and family.

I'm confident that on my return though, my home and family will be as comfortable as ever and it will be like I never even left them.  So I've decided to love every moment, try to ditch the nerves, and just be grateful that I even have the opportunity to go!

I'm even going to ditch the nerves about being delegated the massive job of planning our itinerary, all on my little lonesome.  I'm hoping that everyone likes what I have planned, but there's no room for anyone to complain really if they haven't done any of the work.  My brother and his family are coming along with us.  Anyways, I've told all of them that unless they want to contribute in the research, time and hard work that goes into planning this sort of holiday, then I don't want to hear one complaint when we're over there!  That's fair, don't you think?

A Pie for Mikey

Last week I shared my very first "grateful post".  I'm not sure if it's going to be a regular occurrence, but I really want to share another one today.  It wasn't a planned post, but will be fairly self-explanatory, so here goes...

Today I'm grateful for:

• my loved ones being safe and sound at home in their beds
• the heartwarming compassion of strangers
• wonderful memories

You may remember back here, when I mentioned a gorgeous blog friend of mine, Jen Perillo.  Jen's blog is one of the first foodie blogs I ever began following and her work and her character have been an inspiration to me.  Jen has been so kind in sharing lots of great tips with me regarding our upcoming holiday in New York as well, for which I'm very grateful too - she lives in Brooklyn, so I now have some local foodie knowledge under my belt for the trip.

My Brooklyn Bridge practice

Back here I promised I'd tell you about my practise walk over the Brooklyn Bridge!

As you probably know by now, it's the countdown for our dream family holiday to the USA!  And of course, I'm so excited about going to New York, which has been a dream of mine for a very long time.  One of the many "touristy" things I want to do is walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

I've spent hours and hours planning a detailed itinerary, so we don't miss out on seeing anything on our list.  Sometimes though, when we're planning a big holiday like this, or planning for any future events for that matter, we forget to enjoy the moment we're in.  I'm so grateful that since my scare with breast cancer, I tend to treasure every moment of every day, so even when planning for this amazing holiday or other hopes and dreams, I still want to recognise the awesomeness of my life today, in beautiful Sydney.

LET THE FUN BEGIN - INTRODUCING THE "FOODIE FIVE FILES"!

Please click on the link to visit The Foodie Five Files!

I'm Grateful For...

Each week the lovely Bronwyn, from Maxabella Loves, lists all the things she is grateful for.  She encourages other bloggers to do the same in order to share the positivity across the blogosphere.  What a wonderful idea!  I enjoy reading other people's lists, which always prompt me to count all my blessings in my mind too.  But I've never taken the time to actually write down a grateful list myself, until now.

There are so many things I'm grateful for, but here's my attempt at a summary.  I'm grateful for:

• The love of my life and the plans and dreams we continue to share...

Cupcakes make everything better!

It's strange, but true, that in our household, cupcakes seem to make everything better!  After a hard day at school or work, my family love to be greeted with love and home-baked cupcakes.

Last week was no exception - one of my children was having to deal with a "situation" which was heart-breaking for me to watch.  I felt so helpless, but it was not something that I could actually step in and deal with.  So I did the only thing I could to make it a bit better...I made cupcakes!