Lunch, filing and video calls

1. Mr Wonderful suprises me by coming home for lunch.
2. The satisfaction that comes with organising papers and putting them away. Almost thrilling to look at our papers inhabiting their rightful spot in our expander files.
3. My family discover skype and my parents are like children with a toy. Wide eyed and in awe they chatter away on the video call. Princess thinks it is all great fun and reaches out to the screen to touch them.

Lawns, singer and cereal

1. Pottering in the garden whilst Mr Wonderful battles with his old school non-motorised law mower. The sound of it makes the Princess giggle.
2. A jazz singer's live performance chills my spine and brings tears to my eyes. Her voice dances over and around the beat, I cannot imagine anything more perfect sounding.
3. Princess has her first bowl of rice cereal. She is thrilled at the sensation and leans toward us, mouth open seeking more. She laughs at the new feeling of food in her mouth and her face is covered with misplaced smears of gluggy white cereal.

Car wash, raspberries and carpet

1. After an incident with a flying egg, our car gets a trip to the Car Wash. It looks brand new and shiny again.
2. The Princess has been responding to my best efforts to teach her to say Dad-da with raspberries. Tonight, during dinner, sandwhiched between a succession of raspberries, came a loud and clear Da-da. She didn't seem to phased by this mini-feat, but I sure was excited.
3. It is warm and I have ditched my slippers for the summer. I love the feeling of the carpet against my feet.

Post boxes, pyjamas and a little kip

1. A homemade card and a letter of apology are in the post to a dear friend. I still get a thrill, even in this day and age, of putting a letter in the red post boxes. There is something exciting about sending real handwritten mail the old fashioned way. A red box filled with possibilities.
2. A sick Mr Wonderful is in bed in his pyjamas at 7.30pm. He looks young, like a little boy. He is trying to be tough.
3. The Princess curls up with me for an afternoon kip. Her cheeks are rosy and one side of her head is damp with sweat. I can hear in her breath the moment that she begins to dream. I try with all my might to commit these moments to memory.

Four leaf clover, ice-cream and magpies

1. Found: One four leaf clover. After a lifetime of searching, during picnics, t-ball games and akward outdoor conversations, I looked down today to find staring right at me a beautiful four leaf clover. Now residing in my bible, a little reminder of the joys of finding something you have searched for for so long.
2. Sneaking a bit of ice-cream in a tea cup for afternoon tea. I am sly whilst I eat the last of it without anyone knowing.
3. Mr Wonderful and I lie belly down on an old picnic blanket. The Princess sleeps under a grand old gum tree. Our conversation is peppered with the flap of the Sunday paper we are reading and our persistent shooing of an over amorous magpie.

The gift, a dance and a treat

1. Outside a local restaurant a very voluptuous woman teeters on new and uncomfortable high heels. She is wearing a shocking pink dress that sits low on her bust and high on her thigh. There is a giant bow on her dress and with all that flesh she appears to be giving the world the gift of herself. Certainly gives me a giggle from the comfort of my car.
2. "The way you look tonight" plays in our living room. The princess is dripping wet and cocooned in a white fluffy towel. Her cheeks are rosy, her eyelashes clump into stars and she radiates the sweet smell of clean. We circle around the living room dancing, I sing the refrains and she responds by beaming a big guppy smile.
3. I make risotto for dinner. Not really my best, but Mr Wonderful doesn't go hungry. A suprise Caramello Koala completes our meal.

Books, apologies and the quiet

1. The bookcase in our study is groaning with books. Books of all persuasions. There are too many books, or maybe not enough shelf. They poke out here and there, inviting me to open them and stop for a while to ponder.
2. Heartfelt apologies by the pale pre-dawn light.
3. Quietness after house guests last week. A somewhat eerie peace descends on the house. The Princess is asleep and I wander around in my apron, enjoying sweet solitude.

Blankets, Bananas and Bubs

1. Getting into bed for an afternoon nap I climb in between the blanket and doona. It is cool and nubby and I enjoy the feeling of rubbing my hand over the woollen blanket.
2. Banana cake baked with frozen blackened bananas. The bananas are all the sweeeter for having sat in the freezer for so long.
3. At a Mums & Bubs swimming class, populated by Mums and Bubs, one lone father, big burly and covered in tattoos, plays with his baby girl. His fingers are big and calloused and seem clumsy against his delicate girl in her pink frilly swimsuit. She couldn't be happier, both of them beaming with delight and all the chlorinated fun.

Tiny Toes, Fresias and Honeymoons

1. In the warm weather, Princess Bess discovers her now sockless feet. She is fascinated by them and spends much of her day trying to get them in her mouth. Her toes are still smaller than a raisin, short and stubby. Flexibility is wonderful.
2. The sweet smell of a handful of fresias from our wild garden fills our living room with perfume.
3. Mr Wonderful wears some rediscovered aftershave that he used to wear.
The smell takes me back to our tropical honeymoon. I am transported back in time to a balmy night in Thailand eating on the beach.

A call, a glimmer and the park

1. Mr Wonderful calls and says "You're smiling aren't you". He can hear the smile in my voice.
2. Early this morning, looking through our dusty windows, I see the leaves on the trees shimmering with the golden sheen of spring. The grass, the flowers and the weeds welcome the sunshine in unison, a morning ode to the new season.
3. The local park, having lain dormant during the grey of winter, comes alive with people of all ages joining together to soak up every ounce of the Spring. An older couple in matching hats sits at a table, deep in conversation over a thermos of tea. A group of teenagers stands in a circle singing, laughing and throwing their bodies around. Two expectant Mums sit quiet talking and rubbing their bellies in tandem.

Words, hymns and little blue eyes

1. One precious old dictionary.Like an old friend. Dogeared and stained from years of use it's inscription signed 'Dad 11 February 1994' reads "A dictionary unlocks the mystery and releases the beauty of words. My hope is that you will be able to share the joy that words have brought me". A hope fulfilled and a joy shared.
2. On an icy morning in a big old church, the croaky voices of my fellow parishoners harmonising with the squeals and coos of our Bess trying to sing along too. So young and already she shares in the joy of singing the old standards.
3. Bess in her white pyjamas sharing a cuddle with her Dad. Cocooned under the covers with only her little blue eyes gazing out. Cheeks still rosy and warm and smelling of the sweet smell of sleep. Utterly content.

Daily Blessings

Becoming a new mother has given me the time, space and perspective to truly rejoice in the everyday. I find my joy and delight in the smallest things. I always have. Now, however, I have the opportunity, the time and the inclination to celebrate my little blessings.

This is my celebration of and thanksgiving for the small things that make my heart sing with joy.

Note: Inspiration for this blog comes from a wonderful blog called Three Beautiful Things, a record of 3 beautiful things that bring Clare pleasure each day. http://threebeautifulthings.blogspot.com/