YouthProjects: 'Nobody plans a life on the streets' - VIDEO

Did you see this ad before Christmas?

It is heartwrenching, raw and real... and very well done.

I meant to post it before Christmas... it's very moving.

Watch:



Sydney creative agency Grown-ups created this ad, and they have done so help raise money for YouthProjects.

The spot was created by Mick Hunter and Grant Booker, and directed by Paul Goldman via Playbig. The DoP was Russell Boyd ASC.

Incredible stuff.

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#XMAS JAMMIES - Merry Christmas from the Holderness Family!

Have you seen the now-viral video of this cool young family's video Christmas card?

They write, on YouTube:

"Consider this our annual newsletter - just so you know what we've been up to. We love you all and hope you have a fantastic holiday! #xmasjammies

They even encourage you to contact them if you "want a video like this for your family or company? Holla at us: info@visitthegreenroom.com, http://www.visitthegreenroom.com or https://www.facebook.com/VisittheGreenroom."

Watch the video here:

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Prince George Official Christening Photos

Have you ever seen such an adorable baby, and such 'normal' looking royal christening photos?

These are the official photos from Prince George's christening day.

He looks utterly adorable with those gorgeous big cheeks! And seeing as the official photo his parents chose is this one with his arms up and having fun, they continue to prove they are keen on breaking the mould on what a royal should look like.

All the official photos here (photo credit: Jason Bell/Camera Press).

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Tiny Baby

-Tytan Amos Pease-

8 lbs 1.6 oz 21" long

9-22-13

 

{Two years ago we lost a dear family member way too early. On the 2 year mark from when she left us here on Earth, this sweet little Miracle Baby was sent to the most loving, caring family you could ever imagine. There's no doubt in my mind this tiny chunker was hand-picked & comforted his whole way here..}

 

 

I'm so happy and thankful to have this new little Miracle Baby in our family!
Welcome to this beautiful world Tytan, I already love you more than you'll ever know.

 

XOXO

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My Papa

My Papa is 88 years old, and a total grump to everyone..

...except me.

 

It's completely safe to say I am his favorite.
..It helps that I'm a total sucker for old people..

I am also the only one willing to put him in his place when he's being a smart ass.
Or to call him out on stuff. You could say he's Brutally honest. Not in a good way.

 

I guess my family would call me "Brave" for standing up to him.

(But I also think this is why he likes me so much.)

 

Well.. My Papa is not a loving affectionate person. Like at all.

But in the last few years he's really gone downhill with his health.

So repeatedly when I leave I say, "I love you"

...I say repeatedly because I say it until he says it back.

 

I will also go to kiss his forehead and most the time he flinches.. but he eventually started letting me kiss his old wrinkly face.

 

Well recently I went to visit him with sister.

I walked in like usual and went to kiss his little bald forehead.

 

He IMMEDIATELY put his arm up and completely stiff armed me.. (he's surprisingly still got pretty strong arms. Maybe it was just his bony elbow that stopped me.. )

 

He stiff armed me and said, "EW I HATE THAT COLOR!"

..Referring to my new hot pink MAC lipstick.

 

Welp, gpa.. you got out of a kiss. But only this time...

Congratulations.

 



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'A Table For One' - Paul Hayes: Recipe E-Book

I love a good cookbook as much as the next enthusiastic home cook.

However, I have piles of books which don't get as much love as they should, quite simply because I think that cooking a special meal just for me (I have the most adventurous food tastes in our little family of four) is a tad too laborious.

The thing is, I cook every single night (unless we have leftovers) and I while I love it and know my repertoire inside out, I wish I could develop it a little more, especially when it comes to meals for me. And yes, extend that to my family, so their tastes move along in a similar direction to mine.

Enter 'A Table For One'. The author of this brand new e-book is Paul Hayes -  and here is the elegantly simple cover:

I wrote about Paul earlier this year as he was actively writing for his blog of the same name.

Now, this clever man has turned his engaging food blog posts into an enticing e-book.

Paul says:

"Most cookbooks are written for meals that serve four or six people, which is fine if you have to cook like that all the time. But I cook regularly just for myself, and I know a lot of other people do, too. In fact, what are called 'single-occupant households' are the fastest growing demographic in cities all over the world. And we all have to eat!

The books that are out there for people cooking for one can be pretty grim: lots of things like boiled eggs and toasted sandwiches. In fact, most of them come from the perspective of cooking being a necessary evil. I wanted to take a new approach, and celebrate the many pleasures to be found in cooking for yourself.

I don't think we need to be trying to reproduce restaurant food at home, but I do think that it's possible to eat well without resorting to a constant diet of takeaways and frozen dinners. That's where my book comes in – it's all my solutions, created, tested and tweaked over years, all in one place.

When I started putting my recipes online as a place to store them, I was immediately encouraged by people from all over the world. That's when it hit me that I should put all my favourites into a book that people could read on their iPad or Kindle, devices that are incredibly useful in the kitchen.

The book is pitched at all kinds of cooks, even beginners. You don't need a lot of skill or fancy equipment to cook well, just start with a few great ingredients and be guided by a tested recipe and the judgement of your senses."

Here are some delicious examples of Paul's fantastic handiwork:

I have already downloaded this fabulous e-book and it's now a huge source of inspiration for my daily meals.

The recipe list is beautifully simple and utterly delish. Think: leek and camembert risotto, Parmesan-crumbed pork chops, truffled mac and cheese, plus lots more. Mouth is watering! And: banana-maple bread pudding, blood orange semifreddo, and flourless Toblerone cake, plus many more sweet treats.

There are 'make it easy' meals, 'bright sides', 'creature comforts', 'weekend winners', even 'DIY extras' to learn how to make, like dukkah, chermoula, and za'atar (I adore the last one... in my ethnic suburb it's a real staple on Lebanese pizza).

And for littlies with big tastes and appetites, Paul has created a slew of yummy recipes too: cajun chicken nuggets, corn and zucchini fritters, and lamb meatballs... to name a few. Bravo, bello!

You can download this book right now at the Amazon Kindle Store - click right here - for a tiny $3.19. YES!

And at the Apple iBookstore - click right here - for just under five dollars ($4.99).

The best (under) five dollars you will spend on food. Download it now and stop your drooling!

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'All I Know': Mary Coustas Book

When I received a copy of the new book by Mary Coustas called 'All I Know' a few weeks ago, I immediately flipped opened the cover.

Was it that Mary Coustas? The funny one? Who created the inimitable 'Effie', the big-haired 'wog' who quite possibly burned a new hole in the ozone layer with her overuse of hairspray?

Why yes, it was!

But then I read the subhead: "A memoir of love, loss and life from Australia's favourite comedian."

My heart sunk. Oh no! Who died?

Several people close to her heart, it became apparent.

Says Australian actress Naomi Watts about Mary's new book:

"Mary's book is a reminder that we don't have to be alone with grief. Her heartbreak and inspiring story is a lesson to all of us on how to live life to the fullest even in our most difficult moments. I loved it."

The book begins by painting a colourful picture of Mary's childhood in Collingwood and Doncaster, under the shadow of her father's mortality, and ending in sunny Bondi, supported by a tight circle of girlfriends who got her through a death even more painful.

In the book, Mary takes the reader on a journey through three deaths that changed her life forever.

Here is an excerpt from her incredibly powerful story, as told to 'The Good Weekend':

Six weeks after George and I were married, I found out that I could not have children. A laparoscopy revealed that I had blocked fallopian tubes. Our honeymoon was brought to a swift end by an unanticipated and massive blow. I was told my only option was IVF. I was completely winded emotionally.

The shock of hearing the news that I could not have children naturally ricocheted in me for months. My future as a mother was now at the mercy of laboratory long shots.

But fall pregnant she did.

She continues:

On the day of my pregnancy blood test in December 2010, the only time I wasn't within earshot of my phone was when it rang. I was in the bathroom - on the toilet, to be exact - when I heard Nathalie, my close friend since childhood, yell out as she was running towards me, "It's your doctor!"

I froze. I couldn't get up. I couldn't move.

I managed to open the door slightly just as Nathalie passed me my phone. I sat there with my trousers around my ankles and with my heart skipping beats, trying to listen with my fertility tone-honed ears for clues. The confirmation came - third sentence - I was pregnant! The exact words were, "We have great news, Mary. I'm pleased to say, it's a positive result. You're pregnant."

The story continues with a heartbreaking, devastating outcome.

To read more, click here.

Mary's book is utterly raw, moving, and it is so upsetting to read of Mary's ordeals.

The woman who gave us a gazillion laughs from the days of her 1987 ground-breaking stage show role in 'Wogs Out of Work' (where 'Effie' was born), and who followed this up by five seasons of the TV sitcom hit 'Acropolis Now', has already written a book, one on self-help for teenagers titled  'Effie's Guide to Being Upyourself.'

Feel free to comment below on Mary's story. 

'All I Know' by Mary Coustas will be available from June 26, 2013 (RRP $24.99).

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Cheerios: Advertising Controvery Over TV Ad

This seemingly harmless TV ad about breakfast cereal has caused somewhat of a mini furore... for embarrassinly ridiculous reasons.

Watch the ad and see if you can spot the 'controversy':



Did you pick it?

Yeah, that's right a normal looking family.

Mum, dad, child.

Oh yes...

The child is dark-skinned.

The ad - for Cheerios - features a mixed race couple and in the US, it has stirred some per-etty ugly comments.

So much so, the ad YouTube now has comments disabled on the site.

"The comments that were made in our view were not family-friendly, and that was really the trigger for us, you know, to pull them off,'' Camille Gibson, VP marketing for Cheerios maker General Mills told the US 'Today' show.

Comments referring to "Nazis and racial genocide" and destructive words like "more like single parent in the making. Black dad will dip out soon".

Yes, really.

"Ultimately we were trying to portray an American family, and there are lots of multicultural families in America today,'' Camille said. Indeed, mixed race couples make up 14 per cent of couples in the US.

What do you think of this madness?

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The Baby Bonus Generation: McCrindle Research. Interview with Mark McCrindle

In a term coined by Australian research company McCrindle Research, 'The Baby Bonus Generation' is coming to an end.

With the budget announcement on Tuesday including an end date to the Baby Bonus payment to parents of newborns, it also effectively means the end of the Baby Bonus Generation (which stands at 3.1 million people since 2002, and growing).

Image: McCrindle Research

The Baby Bonus was introduced in the year after Australia’s population hit its lowest birth rate ever recorded (1.7) in 2001, with the aim to increase fertility rates and offset the peak of Australia’s ageing population.

The 2002 Federal Budget, delivered by Treasurer Peter Costello introduced the baby bonus scheme, aimed to lighten the financial load for new parents. The Baby Bonus Scheme initially granted $2,500 in tax cuts per year for parents of newborns, an amount which was amended to lump-sum payments of $3,000 from 1 July 2004 and progressively rising to its current amount of $5,000 (now paid in 13 instalments).

Mark McCrindle from McCrindle Research answered some questions for Josie's Juice on the Baby Bonus Generation.

First, I asked him about the much-talked about assumption that a baby bonus payment would have a slew of young mums falling pregnant, and buying flat screen TVs (always the common reference people make about where the benefit would be misspent).

"The evidence clearly shows that it’s a myth that the baby bonus encouraged more young mums. The fertility growth during the existence of the baby bonus has been most notable in older women, not younger ones," Mark told Josie's Juice.

Indeed, as McCrindle Research has shown, there are some misconceptions about the baby bonus and the births that it facilitated.

When the 2002 Baby Bonus was first introduced, it was predicted by some that the incentive would encourage an increase in teenage, single and young mums. However, the ABS data shows that the fertility rate for mums aged between 16 and 19 has actually declined over the last decade. In fact, the fertility rate for teenagers has been declining for more than three decades now – for example, the fertility rate of sixteen year old women has decreased 55% since 1982.

The baby bonus certainly had an influence on the birth rate, which increased significantly, hitting a peak of 2.0 in 2008. Births continued to grow, and 2011 saw Australian births exceed 300,000 (301,617), a record that is being broken year on year. In fact, we are amidst a bigger baby boom than even the original post-WWII baby boom incurred, which resulted in Australia’s largest-ever generation – the Baby Boomers.

The Baby Bonuses (the 3.1 million babies born since the introduction of the Baby Bonus Scheme in 2012) are Australia’s first generation paid simply for being born. The Baby Bonus and the resulting surge in births over the last decade has eased the peak of the ageing population challenge and added to our population growth and the economic stimulus that has flowed from this.

Says McCrindle Research: the trend over the last decade has been increasing fertility rate amongst older women. Over the last decade, the fertility rate of women aged 35-39 has been greater than that of women in their early twenties. The fertility rate of a 32 year old woman is ten times greater than that of a 17 year old!

On 1 March 2014, when the Baby Bonus Scheme is finally put to bed after more than 13 years and replaced changes to Family Tax Benefit Schedule A, it will have left a legacy in terms of the generation it created. The economic impact and productivity of the Baby Bonus Generation will shape this nation over the century ahead, says McCrindle Research.

With just over nine months to go until its dissolution, there’s still time for prospective parents to gain a benefit from the Baby Bonus Scheme. According to McCrindle Research, we may well see a final surge of births that end this legacy of Australia’s baby bonus and the Baby Bonus Generation.

And finally, I ask Mark what he makes of childless people who say we should not be paying a bonus or benefit of any description to mothers?

"Clearly having a child is a couple’s choice and they have to bear the responsibility and the bulk of the cost of that. Children do, however, create a significant economic stimulus: they create lifelong demand for goods and services, they create an entire work-life’s worth of contribution for the labour force and they have helped slow the worst of the ageing population trajectory on which Australia found itself.  Raising children is increasingly expensive, therefore, if families get modest financial support from the state to which their children will generously contribute, then this is a reasonable exchange," Mark told Josie's Juice.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

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Family Pictures

This year I decided I wanted to do Christmas Cards for our FIRST year of being married, especially since we now have a baby, err.. bunny.

 

We just drove up to my mom's house and had Fatalie take some quick pictures for us.

They turned out super cute & I fell in love with Winston Spencer all over again.
Since our Christmas cards have been sent out, I can actually post these now.

I had to post this one because Winston's huge foot is seriously out of control. HAHA 

This is right before I put Winston in the snow and he tried to escape..

It was all fun and games until I put Winston in the snow. He did NOT like that. Notice how it looks like he doesn't have any ears. He tucked them back to keep them warm.

 

So excited that the two feet of snow in these pictures is completely melted.

It's December 13th and NO snow- I only wore a light jacket into work this morning.

BONUS!

 

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO ENTER YESTERDAY'S GIVEAWAY!!

 

 

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My Neices

I don't know about your nieces, but mine are AWESOME!

Hazel and Claire are TOTAL opposites.

Hazel is loud, Claire is soft spoken.

Hazel likes pirates, Claire likes anything girly.

...you get the point..

One of my favorite things is going to Provo to play with these little munchkins.

It's usually reading to them and playing multiple rounds of hide and seek with Uncle Spencer. Once we attempted to play Candy Land but it didn't go so well.

Seeing as that's one of my favorite games, we'll try again soon..
 ..I love these girls..

This last time we went to visit the girls had a new book about a dragon. Claire told me she could make the best dragon sound. Then Hazel tried to one up her.

..This is how the conversation turned out..

Like I said,

our.family.is.awesome.

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Happy Anniversary To..

Happy 30 years to my parents!!

This week my parents celebrated their 30th Anniversary together!

They invited the family to go to dinner with them to help celebrate this year.

It was fun to be with the family to hear about how Jeff was just 3 years old, running around with a napkin on his head during the wedding breakfast.

We went to Rio Grande

YUM!

We had so many interesting conversations about Salt Lake City Hauntings.

Since the women's bathroom at Rio Grande is supposed to be SUPER haunted, that was our main topic. 

( Find the article HERE )

(..The first stop of the SLC Ghost Tour Jeff and I went to talked about the Women's bathroom at Rio Grande. NUTSO Stories..)

I finally talked my mom into checking out the bathroom with me.

Totally creepy bathroom! This is me and my mom being scared. Right after we took this picture she jumped and yelled like she saw something and totally scared the crap out of me. I went RUNNING out of the bathroom to greet my dad and brother LAUGHING.

Very funny guys. I almost peed my pants.

To sum it up, we all had a fun night together. I can't wait to spend time with Spencer for the rest of my life. Looking forward to our 30 year anniversary + many more!

XOXO



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Mothers

Meet my two Mothers..



My lovely Mama

and my lovely Pink Grandma.

These two women are the most influential ladies in my life.

My sweet mom is someone who can't say no. She's always the first person to volunteer to help with neighbors moving, bridal showers, wedding reception decor, cook meals for a new mom, call to check on a neighbor that just had surgery.... she's a Saint.

My sweet Mom loves to cook, garden and make her yard look beautiful year round. She has a love for the birds and takes good care of them. When she sees mama birds searing for findings to make a nest, she will sneakily scatter little pieces of twine and thread to make their lives just a little easier. Feeding the Quail is a daily routine and they know my mother. They will scurry as she runs out to fill their ground feeder, and quickly come right back to get a full belly meal.

My Pink Gma is the exact same way.

Cooking meals for funerals/weddings/any get-together really..

volunteering to make her famous chocolate cake for large get togethers and birthdays, Babysitting neighbor kids, packaging small m&m's in baggies for neighbor kids, helping neighbors with their plants and gardens and an even bigger task- babysitting my grandpa :) For this, she will be the first in the Celestial kingdom I'm sure of it.

Bless her heart.

My mom and grandma taught me at a very young age how to read.

Jack and Jane, Pound Puppies and Are You My Mother? will forever be my favorite children's books. I grew up with my own room at pink gma's house complete with a bunk bed and movie night sleepovers. Mint foot rubs and buttery pop corn, rocking me on the back porch with a blanket singing "by the light of the silvery moon.." Bubble Baths and tub toys, mini Tupperware tea parties and the turtle sprinkler in the backyard. Grandma used to drive down to moving companies and get the largest cardboard boxes they had. She would cut out windows, and give us markers to make our own houses to play in. My love for sloppy Joe's and celery sticks came from lunch at pink gmas house.

My grandma would do ANYTHING for her grandchildren.

My mom has a way of making all of us kids feel like we are the most important. I'll find little surprises which end up being my treasures, notes and little gifts alllll the time from my mom. She is the most thoughtful person I know.

These two women have taught me some of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned.

How to love, how to care, how to value life and the important relationships around me. How to cook, how to clean, how to deal with my Papa..

Grandma has a quote on her back door that says, "It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice." I can't count the number of times this has been a reminder to be kind.

Some of my best times, and some of my worst times have been with these two.

But regardless of my tough times or trials, they have loved me unconditionally.

When I've found myself having tough days, I'll end up with either Mom or Pink Grandma. There is NOTHING they can't fix. Grandma will still rock me at 22 years old and sing to me. You should have seen the look on Grandpa's face when he walked in on Grandma rocking me, the front of her shirt soaked from me sobbing.

hahah "oooh my hellll..."

These two ladies love Spencer SO much, and they were both so excited to have Spencer here for Mother's Day. Grandma read the card we found for her, cried, and let her know how special it was to her to have Spencer's signature on the card next to mine.

Needless to say, I have two perfect examples of how I want to be when I grow up.

How I want to be as a Mom and a Grandma.
I love my sweet Ladies.

XOXO

 

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Easter came early..

A portion of Easter came just a little early for Hazel and Claire this year!

Last week when we were shopping for our apartment we found the cutest Easter baskets that had Hazel and Claire written all over them.

Since Spencer leaves today to go back to work (boo..) We took the girls their Easter baskets a week early! Spencer was so cute in telling them we asked the Easter Bunny to visit them early while we were there, and hid their baskets in the yard.

Claire was looking under her swings on the swing set as Hazel started digging in the sandbox to find hers. We had a good laugh watching them and finally had to play "hot or cold" to help them out. Claire was BEAMING when she found hers, and Hazel looked super upset- blank look on her face, which we've come to learn is her excited face! 

They loved their Easter baskets!!

Spencer takin a baby during the hunt for the Easter Baskets!

These pictures describe these girls PERFECTLY.

Claire using her pink Easter basket as a purse, and Hazel all geared up in her pirate accessories.

Claire showing us her princess rings and hair dryer

Pirate Hazel with Quinn in the background

Pirate baby Quinny Quinn and her cute little chubby fingers

Hanging out with Quinn and Claire

We went with Sherry, Nate and the kids in the limo to McDonald's. Nate drove like a pro and navigated the limo through the drive-through.

 Not joking.

Hazel and Claire took a Happy Meal to a little boy in their neighborhood that got hit by a car and has been a little down. I'm sure he loved their visit!

We finished our visit with gluten free pizza from Malawi's Pizza- Their dessert pizza is heaven.

We're so glad we were able to visit before Spencer leaves for work, and can't wait to visit again when he's back!

My love for these kids is unreal!

I have the best nieces and nephews in the WORLD!

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