How To Be An Imperfectionist

Hello from Australia! I took this photo a few weeks ago of my favourite beach snack…not strawberries, definitely not something healthy. I chose a chocolate croissant. If I could, I’d probably choose to have one of these every day, but sadly this is adulthood and so I try not to eat like my inner child is in charge of me. :)

Still, it makes me think about all the times that I try to be more perfect (strawberries on the beach) but where I land is something far less ideal.

That’s why I loved these words from the amazing Nedra Tawwab, bestselling author of the new book Set Boundaries, Find Peace. I hope you like them too.

Today is a beautiful day to let our shoulders relax, to accept the gift of the weekend, and to let ourselves be slow and free.

I hope you have a Sunday filled with your favourite things, and that you can give yourself room and time to be imperfect. I’m going to do the same…I’m busy working on a new book for you and writing always means making peace with our imperfections. We’ll see how this one unfolds, and I can’t wait to share it.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• If you’re in my corner of Sydney, the best chocolate croissants are at the Vietnamese Australian fusion cafe, Pottery Green.

• Nedra Tawwab’s new book is here — I think it was an instant NYTimes bestseller.

• Do you love learning and reading? I love reading so much and I’ll always buy and borrow books. To me, it’s miraculous that we can learn so quickly and efficiently…if you’ve got a good book to share, let me know.

The Best Dessert.

Hello, my friends. I woke up this morning to a beautiful heavy rain, and it made me think of all things baking.

If you know me in real life, you know I absolutely love to bake, and making desserts is a close second. A few weeks ago I opened my treasured handwritten recipe book and found a classic dessert I’ve made for decades.

Chocolate Parthenons. I have no idea where the name came from and all I can tell you is that this dessert contains all the good stuff: butter, eggs, flour, sugar, chocolate chips and walnuts.

If you’re looking for something vegan, try this favourite recipe for raw brownie bites. But if you want delectable and delicious and old fashioned, Chocolate Parthenons are for you.

Ingredients (makes 6):

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup plain flour

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/4 cup melted butter

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• (optional) 1 tablespoon brewed coffee (the liquid!) or cognac or other flavouring

• 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

• 1 cup chopped walnuts

• Package of filo pastry (you’ll use less than 1/2, that’s all…)

• Preheat your oven to 200C or 400F.

• Mix all the ingredients — beaten egg, melted butter, flour, vanilla, chocolate chips, chopped walnuts.

• Then melt some extra butter for the filo pastry sheets. Maybe around 1/4 cup? And here’s the fun part.

• First, cut the sheet of pastry in half, brush with melted butter and place one layer on top of the other, like a crisscross or letter X. Brush that with butter, too. (Or you can drizzle and spread with clean hands…easier)

• Then place gently in a muffin tin.

Keep it simple and no need for perfection. Try not to break through the pastry. This is what you’re aiming for…

Just fill it up with about 1/6 of the mixture, and pinch the top to close it. You’ll have extra bits on top, sticking up sort of merrily.

Place in a 200C oven (400F) for 8 minutes (fan forced). That’s it! You want the mixture to be melted and delicious, but not too solid.

Sorry—this photo isn’t the prettiest but Chocolate Parthenons are absolutely delicious. It’s really easy at the end of a dinner party to pop them in the oven and serve them warm. A tip: I usually make them in the afternoon, cover and pop in the fridge, then place the tin on the counter to get to room temperature before baking.

Perfect for a rainy Sunday night dinner dessert. You’re welcome!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Other delicious recipes from me at Love Our Age: my favourite rosemary olive oil yogurt cake. I make this one whenever I’m worried.

• Hello everyone new—thanks for joining me every Sunday. My aim is to uplift, inspire and have a little fun. Cx

Lonely. Hopeful. Beautiful art.

Hello Sunday and hello everyone, and a big welcome to all the new people! (A reminder if you’re new: I’m Catherine Greer, author of The 10 Minute Fix, and you’ve signed up for this weekly little newsletter of happiness. Thank you! I’m glad you’re here with us.)

Can I introduce you to the most evocative, brilliant illustrator I’ve seen recently? Norwegian artist Lisa Aisato is definitely someone we all need to know about. Her beautiful paintings transport me right into the heart of how I feel. This one is about Loneliness. There are so many others on her Instagram page — images of loyalty, joy and connection.

My friends, do you remember this feeling from your childhood?

You can see all of Lisa’s work here.

This week was a strange one: my beautiful mum got her Covid vaccine in Canada, I worked on my new novel — the first one for adults — and I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it, I started re-reading Marcus Zusac’s The Book Thief and wow, it’s just as wonderful the second time around. I hurt my wrist and made Bill Granger’s easy Chick Pea Stew for a girlfriend lunch. (We can have friends over in Australia, and I think you guys know that Covid-life is simpler here.)

I felt a little lonely, and questioned everything.

That was me. How about you?

Are you waiting for this?

Sending you so much hope today, and lightness and joy. I’m turning my attention toward all the beauty and goodness I can find this weekend. I hope you do the same.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Bill Granger’s Chick Pea stew is actually vegan — hallelujah, as vegans can be tricky to have over but I seem to love a lot of them :) Recipe is here and photo doesn’t do it justice! It’s really pretty in person.

• I make a lot of recipes from Bill’s Open Kitchen cookbook and it’s great, though published in 2005.

• Missing everyone and everything. Wish I could have you ALL over for Chick Pea Stew and then sit with endless pots of tea and cups of coffee and slice after slice of chocolate cake. xox

• And for Sydney locals…my adult son (also a cellist) is performing next Sunday evening at Mosman Art Gallery with the Seraphim Strings Trio, plus a guest pianist. Tickets are here. I’ll be there and I’d love to meet you!

Posture check in...

Hi everyone. Checking in with a favourite topic that is so easy to ignore…

How’s your posture going?

Mine’s been pretty terrible for years — I have forward head thrust — so I’ve been working on it and I’m really pleased to tell you that it’s getting better.

As a writer, I spend way too much time hunched over a computer (while crossing my legs under my desk, which makes my posture even worse). Couple that with poor upper body strength and being in boarding school from age fifteen without my mother around to say, “Stand up straight!” and there you have it: less than stellar posture.

That was me. But there’s hope.

I learned this year that exercises and upper body weights really do work if you actually do one thing. TRY. Like if you go out to your garage for the weight workout and you literally pick up heavier weights than are comfy to pick up, and then you work until your face is red and you look all horrible and you sweat and you wish the whole time that you were eating chocolate and reading a really good novel…

Go figure.

That method works better.

Just so you believe me…here I am, really trying at weights. Those are six kilos each, my friends, and they are heavy. I am about to lift them over my head while listening to hits from the ‘80s.

Anyway, today I’d love to share my latest posture exercise with you in case you want to work on your upper back and neck (and possibly forward head thrust) too.

Ready? You need a pillow case and I know you’ve got one.

Here’s the exercise set on Instagram from Dr Caleb Burgess, a Physical Therapist and Strength Coach.

This one feels ahhhhh-mazing…the good kind of sore and tingly as you activate muscles that normally don’t get much of a workout.

Dr Burgess’ Banded T Pull that follows his pillowcase exercise is also great, and I basically do this anytime—without the band. The instagram link will show you all four exercises if you swipe through. I haven’t tried the one with the ball, but all the others are easy and feel so good, even without the gym equipment.

You’re welcome!

I’m often a quick fix kinda girl, and I love these easy exercises because I can do them with a real pillowcase, band and gym equipment or just by pretending to use those things.

Mostly I pretend. Voila. Instant posture training, right where we are.

Enjoy your Sunday, and please know I’m sending lots of good vibes your way.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Another winner for forward head thrust from Dr Burgess is here.

• New people, thanks for joining me this week! Love having you here in my little corner of the internet garden. (If you’re wondering why you’re receiving this email, you either signed up and found me via my latest book, The 10 Minute Fix, or signed up at my author website or at LoveOurAge.com)

How I Fell In Love (Again)

Hi friends. (Hi new friends…so glad you found us here at LoveOurAge and I’m so glad you enjoyed my book, The 10 Minute Fix. xo)

It’s Valentine’s Day, so there’s a lot of love-stuff floating in the air. For me, this was a hard week, a week where I had to teach myself how to fall in love again with a LOT of things. Does this ever happen to you—when you’re so over a situation (hello, Covid) or even just over yourself and your own circular thoughts and loving anything is the last thing on your mind?

That was me this week. I was over it and done. Here are all the ways I needed to fall in love again.

• Family love — I had a moment this week where I was running down a track to pursue the next big thing, then stopped and realised…wait, I still have a 16 year old at home who needs me, and a home and family and they need me, too. While forward momentum and doing new things is the key to my own happiness, I wondered if maybe the time to press go and run ahead is not now, not yet. Maybe I need to fall in love with where I am, and not miss these last few years of family in a big rush of self-actualisation and chasing the next accomplishment.

• Slow love — during a dog walk, I decided to let Holly meander and not rush her. I realised that I am always hurrying, and I asked myself the hard question, “When was the last time you actually enjoyed yourself, Catherine?” I race through so many moments.

And now I’ll ask you the same question: when was the last time you truly enjoyed yourself? We don’t slow down enough…

• Home love — this is a big one for me. I don’t know about you, but when I feel stretched too far, like a tiny bit of butter spread across a long baguette, I need to come back and notice my own home. It’s so simple, but I put on music, wipe the counters, tidy up, tuck in the sheets, mop the floor. My head and heart feel better when I make my space feel more like home.

If you’re needing a little encouragement today, try dishing up some love. We can give it to others, yes, but also to ourselves and to our own little nests, however grand or humble they may be.

Enjoy your weekend,

Catherine x

PS.

• Can I share something grown up and lovely on Valentine’s Day? I’m not an influencer but I have to tell you about this. First my sister, Dar, bought one, then she bought my mum one, and when I saw it here in Australia at Costco, I was all in. It’s brilliant, even on timber floors (make sure yours are sealed). If you clean your own house like I do, then this is for you…a steam mop.

I got mine at Costco for $99…worth every dollar, even though there’s a cord. You use this tiny bit of plain water to steam your floor clean, then throw the mop head in the wash. No detergents, no chemicals and my floor is the cleanest it’s been in forever — plus it’s dry straight away because of that steam. Here it is on amazon.com for $49USD and here in Canada for $79CAD and here online in Australia (but it’s $139, so try Costco if you can). A clean floor? That’s love too.

I got my Christmas present early...

You guys…I can’t even begin to tell you how FUN this is!

Amazon dumped a huge flat box in the middle of our porch and I came home and found it, so my husband gave me my Christmas present early this year.

It’s a tree swing!

It’s a bird’s nest for a lovely girl!

I want to move in and live out here in the garden by the pool with my coffee and my laptop and my books and my swinging nest-chair.

My husband says I’m channelling a 12 year old and guess what? He’s right. I am. And this might just be the most perfect present in the world.

The swing is made of the softest cotton. If you scootch all the way back in the seat it literally feels like you’re swinging in a nest. It doesn’t need a cushion and—oh my goodness come over for coffee and try it out—it is so much fun.

This used to be the spot for the tyre swing, but our boys are now 16 and 20.

Look at those sweet faces and missing teeth. Miss those little boys. But they grow, and on the weekend, we’ll give away the tyre swing to a family who needs a little cheer.

But for now, this is me — swinging and dreaming in a new little nest.

It reminds me of my favourite line from a poem attributed to the poet, Rumi. I always think of this one when I consider:

• marriage

• family relationships, especially between sisters and brothers

• forgiveness of others (and ourselves)
  
  

Nobody’s doing everything right.

No one is perfect.

All we can do it keep making our nests, and inviting the other imperfect birds in.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• The tree swing is here! Oh, I’m so excited to share this with you because you might know a 12 year old or a 54 year old who would love one for Christmas!

• I have amazon prime here in Australia so I got free shipping. Looks like it will still arrive to us Down Under before Christmas…
  
  

Simple gifts from the heart.

A new friend came over a few weeks ago to pick up her teen after a sleepover, and this is what she brought: a fragrant bunch of rosemary tied with brown string.

I ran a vase of water, placed the rosemary on the kitchen table. Every time I walked by, I bent down to inhale her kindness, her garden.

It was a special gift.

This year, I’m trying to remember the little things, the simple things.

• Sharing leaves from my kaffir lime tree for other people’s curries.

• Gifting extra copies of my latest book to a women’s shelter to add to their holiday packs.

• Making chicken noodle soup for a son recovering from surgery…even when I know he might prefer a chicken burger and chips.

Simple gifts from the heart are ours to give any time.

They don’t cost a lot but they feel like gold. This holiday season, I’m going to try to give more good cheer, more thoughtfulness, more hope, more change. For some new-but-not-yet-friends, I’m going to give a little piece of me…

If you have a second to think about it today, consider what you have in your hands and home that you might want to give from the heart.

Some of you paint (I know you do). Some of you bake beautifully. Some of you organise and teach classes. These are all beautiful gifts to share — a voucher for your online course, a gift card, a wrapped cake, a herb bouquet.

We’ve got this holiday season. We can do it simply, with so much love.

Enjoy your Friday. I hope you have a relaxing weekend, with lots of time to sip hot drinks and dream.

Love Catherine x

PS.

I have two fabulous friends with two businesses I’d love to share today. Both women are vibrant, talented and so much fun to be around. Ready to meet them? (These are friends, not #ads…women who I know you’ll love. I wish all of us here at Love Our Age could sit down and have a big, noisy morning tea together. I know you’d like each other!)

• Jules Van Mil at Style For Life has fabulous and practical styling tips for women. Her latest online class, The Secrets of Casual Elegance, happens on Nov 28 (Canada & America) and Nov 29 (Australia). Jules is in Australia.

• Colleen Kavanaugh is here at Your Life, Styled — her new biz that helps us get organised and find calm & joy. Colleen is in America. Her instagram is so inspiring!

3 Minutes for Neck Relief...

Hello, everyone! Happy Friday in Australia :)

Welcome to all the new people here at the Love Our Age blog. If you found me via my new book, The 10 Minute Fix, I’m excited to have you here. I hope you’re enjoying the book so far. I got a beautiful message from a reader this week about Chapter 64: “Let People Remember You.”

“That chapter reminded me of how much I used love and wear yellow, too! It also made me think of Mum, how she loved the colour blue, roast chicken, the constellation “Orion’s Belt,” apple crisp...the list could go on and on.”

— Melanie in Canada

How amazing is it that one tiny book can help us remember the people we love?

If you’re new, you need to know that I blog twice a week, Friday and Sunday mornings in Australia, with goodies that are fun and worthwhile. So…on to today.

How’s your posture going? Mine is pretty terrible.

It’s been another busy writing and teaching week for me, with a lot of time in front of my laptop… Ouch! My upper back and neck are feeling stiff. So I did a little search last night and my favourite teacher online is Adriene, who has an incredible YouTube channel called Yoga With Adriene. She’s lovely…take a look!

This is one of her older videos and I absolutely love it.

Here’s why:

• You’ll get neck relief in under 3 minutes.

• Anyone can do this (you could probably do it now sitting in your office chair)

• The video is charming and whimsical — that flowered headband! It’s just…nice somehow.

• The music is sweet and old fashioned, so different from what daily life is dishing up at the moment.

Click here to watch or on the image below. I hope you find it useful!

Enjoy your Friday,

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Lately I’ve been cheering myself up with (silly, right?) nail polish! I had light blue nails this week and now I’ve changed to black. Hello, Halloween. Not an #ad, but you can find cute, inexpensive nail polish in Australia here. My favourite is this brand, Sally Hansen Insta-Dry. Go on, reach for a little Instant Happiness! Why not?

A dress should make you feel happy, right?

A long, long time ago I owned a charcoal grey overall dress made of the softest wool cotton blend. It had a pencil skirt, like this one, with a split in the back for easy walking and I wore it with a black turtleneck and boots all winter.

I loved that dress. I shudder to think of the size of it because, truly, had I kept it, it definitely wouldn’t fit me now! I was very thin at the time from disappointment and heartbreak.

But still, wandering into BigW to buy books last week (did you know BigW is the biggest book retailer in Australia, and does home delivery?), I saw this similar dress and bought it on the spot.

Can’t wait to wear it in summer with or without a T. The straps are wide and cover a bra (total bonus) and it’s super cute and stretchy.

It reminded me of myself — my previous self — and I loved that girl with all her foibles and mistakes, her fears and her hardworking brain. Despite everything she was and did, she was pretty darn amazing. Now, from an older and wiser and stronger place, I wanted to show young Catherine some solidarity.

If you need a pick-me-up, something fun and new, maybe it’s time for a dress you love. If you like the look of this one, you can get yours here. I found a couple of similar ones in Canada (this one and this one) and America.

Sometimes, you know, clothes should be FUN. And they should be about memories and making ourselves happy.

Have I brightened up your day?

Have I inspired you to find and re-buy an outfit you used to love, in a size that fits you now — just because it makes you HAPPY? (A jumpsuit, white boots, a velvet skirt, some bootleg jeans? What was ‘your outfit’ when you were younger?)

I hope so. Because life is so very short, my friends, and why are we here if we’re not making the most of it?

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Oooooh, I also did a little bit of winter clearance shopping and ordered this dress! It’s absolutely lovely, with an almost pleated flared skirt and will look amazing with boots next winter. Such a deal at the moment — not sure if they ship overseas? The plum colour is so pretty and the knit-plus-flare skirt makes it super flattering (not clingy). True to size. (40% off right now with code TAF40). I packed mine in tissue and will open it up next July. Voila! A treat next winter!

• Note: this is not a sponsored post or an #ad. Just sharing some favourite dresses with you.

Dear Readers, Thank You.

Hello, beautiful friends!

Today, I want to send you a kitchen dance…

If you have a little time, this one is from ME to YOU.

I’m so grateful you’re here with me, and I’m thankful that you find the blog fun.

I love that you “take me the way I am.”

Click here to listen… (it’s so worth it! Just 2 mins…a flashback to 2007!)

Enjoy your day,

Catherine x

PS.

• And since I have some fun Ukulele followers, here is the Ukulele music for free :)

• The beautiful artist is Ingrid Michaelson. (Photo credit: star105.com)

Lucky Me

So the coffee machine broke yesterday — it literally catapulted my coffee mug off the machine, threw it on the kitchen floor, sprayed coffee everywhere and broke my favourite mug. How?? I dunno, but it did.

Thanks, Nespresso!

But still I think: Lucky me.

Lucky me that I have coffee, that I have a kitchen, that I have a timber floor, a mop to clean up. That I’m flexible enough to bend down and pick up broken glass, that I have a gorgeous dog I had to yell at to keep her out of the kitchen and out of harm’s way with her little paws.

That I have a husband who walked in and said, “WHAT THE—!!!” and a teenage son who rolled his eyes and said, “Mum, what did you DO????”

And by the way, did I tell you that a year ago I dropped a cup of coffee out of the microwave, and coffee shot upwards for 9 FEET and sprayed all over our kitchen ceiling and I had to get it repainted?

But…I’m lucky.

Even though there is the other story I could tell—the one that involves fear and lack and worry and pain and struggle—ultimately I choose over and over to say this: Lucky me.

What’s the old saying? That if all of us put our troubles on a platter and had the chance to take home someone else’s, we would all choose our own?

For me, that’s true.

Nothing here in Sydney is perfect or stress free.

Nothing is as lovely or glitzy or easy or CUTE as it seems in my photos or anyone’s on the internet. Mine or yours. And I know this is true.

Today I cleaned up the kitchen before I realised I should’ve snapped a picture of all my broken mess to show you my reality, and all my many, many mistakes…But since I forgot to do that, I’m showing you the picture I took of me with my book yesterday.

I am so very proud of The 10 Minute Fix. I hope you read it and enjoyed it. And if you have — can I ask you a favour? Would you please gift a copy to someone you love? (Buy it here in America, and here in Canada, and here in the UK and here in Australia.)

Thank you for supporting authors and cheering me on. (What you may not know is that books don’t make much money for authors — most full time authors earn under $11,000 a year from their books so…it’s about something else! It’s about love, not money.) I wrote this book because I wanted to encourage women. Today I read this review: “I wish I could buy this book for all the overwhelmed women of the world.”

(If you need encouragement and a complimentary copy just for you because times are super tough, let me know. And if you can share a copy with another woman, please do!)

Enjoy your Friday — and watch out for your own killer coffee machine!

Love Catherine x

PS. Here’s how women are sharing The 10 Minute Fix. (It posts as a letter for easy gift giving…)

• Heather shared 6 copies with her book club. Thank you.

• Leanne introduced it to her staff, and 10 people ordered a book. Thank you.

• Jen and 5 other girlfriends received it as a gift on a girls’ weekend away. Thank you.

• Sharon gave books to all her daughters. Thank you.

• Jules mailed copies around the world to her friends in Australia, England and Canada. Thank you.

• My sister Dar (“it’s time to drop that bag of rocks!”…you’ll read about her in the book) got 10 to give to her friends and family. Thank you. This is how we help each other, one virtual hug at a time.

Simple & Oh So Pretty!

You guys, are you ready for a little recommendation for something sweet this morning?

Not an #ad, but I bought myself a new little pick-me-up and I think you might like it. It’s pretty, floral and very very light…

And since I know some of you Love-Our-Agers are juggling all the hard things right now — job fear and change and disappointment and everything else — this is a win-win because it was gloriously affordable, under $10 here in Sydney.

And it’s lovely!

Surprisingly lovely!

You can find it at your local pharmacy / chemist / drugstore and all the department stores, and also online here in America and here in Australia (yes, they deliver!). I tried to find it online in Canada but it was pricey and I think you’re better off trying Shopper’s Drug Mart.

Now we can smell the same kind of delicious: simple, floral and oh-so-pretty!

(Honestly, my favourite pick-me-up is a hot shower, freshly done hair, a spritz of perfume and a slick of lipstick. Available anytime, day or night!)

Sending so much encouragement your way today.

Love Catherine x

Waving across the cafe...

My friends, very quickly…we’re having such a relaxing getaway and I appreciate it with my whole heart.

Wow, it was my turn for a rest. We haven’t been away from Sydney on a little family holiday in well over a year.

Solitude.

Peace.

But if I saw you this morning at the beach cafe, sipping your latte at a table with a friend, or waiting for your bacon and egg roll while chatting with your partner, or wiping the strawberry jam off the hands of a daughter or a grandchild, I would wave to you and smile.

I hope you’re enjoying your Sunday.

Love Catherine x

Look What I Found!

Hello! Did you miss me??

I had a total computer failure on Sunday and I nearly went bananas. You guys, my laptop IS MY WHOLE WORLD. It’s my nonfiction & fiction writing. It’s my copywriting business. It’s my blogging. And though my sweet husband whipped in with my 10 year old laptop as a backup and all my documents are stored in the cloud, I’ve spent the week watching that beachball go round and round while everything was so s-l-o-w.

Panic stations!

But yesterday, the Apple Store called and my repair was free (even thought it should have been $997) and it’s the third day of Spring and it’s going to be 28 degrees today so I’m back, baby.

Happy, regular old me!

And on my way to the parking garage at 6pm, I found a shop still open at the mall and discovered the lovely leopard print sheer blouse above for a very cool $10.

Cute, right? I popped a camisole underneath and opened the three top buttons.

I hope you’re doing well today. I really value being consistent and I missed ‘chatting’ with you all on Sunday. In fact, I was thinking…how fun would it be to zoom sometime, for whomever can make it?

Would you like to meet each other virtually?

The only thing that’s stopping me is this absolutely STUPID fear that I will be the only person who turns up to my zoom party.

Stay tuned…maybe I’ll get brave and send out an invite. We could all perk each other up and cheer each other on.

Enjoy your day,

Catherine x

PS.

• If you want to have your own black leopard print sheer blouse like mine, go for it! Link is here and they deliver. Wait…it also comes in Forest green! Size up, you guys. The cut is a little on the small size.

• Hey…if you have a sister or a friend who might like to join us here on Love Our Age, please forward this email. xo.

Help For Your Feet!

Happy Friday!

It’s a busy one for me — work meetings, book promotion, a teen to shuttle around, and through it all…laundry! I’m at the lucky stage where work from home is productive and my kids are older. I can appreciate how hard it might be for you in Canada and America with back-to-school routines happening (or not!). Or if you’re in shelter-in-place in Australia!

Oh, Covid, when will you ever leave us?

My go-to stress relief is walking, walking, walking. I’ve always loved it. After a running injury and some genetic problems, though, my feet have been hurting.

If you’re like me — painful foot probs — this can help. A lot!

Yoga Toes.

Ahhhhh….the relief. For me, it feels like someone has actually given me the kind of foot massage I want but never get.

Yoga Toes are hard to put on (pro tip: start with your little toes and work toward the big toe), but they stretch the front of my feet and offer so much relief. (It’s more about relief in the front of my foot than in my toes. Apparently it’s also good for plantar fasciitis…if you have this, you’ll know.)

You can get the newer model, Yoga Toes Gems, too. Links are here if you’re interested.:

• In America

• In Canada

• In Australia (I’ve never shopped online at Dick Smith, but that’s the only place I found them in Australia! Plus free delivery…)

Hope you can spend some time this weekend putting your feet up!

Thinking of you all as the world turns and we walk forward.

Love Catherine x

PS.

Feedback, please!

• Can you tell me if you write in a journal? Just a quick yes / nope will do!

Hooray for Strawberries!

Welcome to the weekend!

In Australia, we have one month of winter left, but strawberries are heading into season so it’s definitely time to dip them in chocolate. Right? Right!

Everybody makes this “recipe” but it’s easy to have a less-than-perfect result. Here are my 5 tips for perfect strawberries:

1. Wash and dry the strawberries well. Make sure they’re completely dry, right up to the leaves (which you gently pull upward). Chocolate won’t stick to damp berries.

2. Don’t cheat and use your microwave! Heat the chocolate in a double boiler. Just bring an inch of water to simmer in a pot, and place a bowl on top. Toss in the chocolate. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

3. Add oil. Break up one block of baking chocolate (or chocolate chips). Add to the bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil — this is what gives the beautiful sheen. Stir until melted.

4. WAIT. Don’t dip too early. Let the chocolate cool and thicken a little before you start dipping. This may take 10-15 minutes. Line a tray with baking paper for the dipped strawberries. If the chocolate is cool, it won’t pool as much at the base of the berry.

5. Cool at room temperature, then pop in the fridge. Leave the dipped berries to cool for at least 5 minutes on the bench top. Then put them in the fridge to harden. The chocolate won’t crack off the berry when you take a bite.

Tip #5 is the most important!

So easy and so delicious. Enjoy…

Love Catherine x

PS. Cuter than Olivia Newton John and just as Aussie! 

• Today, I want you to meet my little neighbour Grace. She’s four, smart as a whip, bubbly, beautiful — and her family is never ever going to give up on finding a cure for Grace’s ADCY5-familial Dyskinesia. It’s a very rare disorder that affects Grace’s ability to move and speak…but inside and outside, Grace is fully, beautifully FOUR. So funny and sweet. So smart.

• Grace’s mama, Emma, is a trained nurse and a tireless self-motivated (unofficial) researcher and advocate for this rare disorder. Grace’s nan, Jenny, is my very very dear friend.

• We can help with wheelchairs! It’s time for Grace to be wheeling around on her own and I’d love us to help. Grace’s wheelchair fundraiser is here. Please can you click through and make a donation? ($345 is raised out of a $67,500 target.)

• You can watch Grace on TV here :) Grace on Youtube!

If You Need A Break From The News...

So much is happening and people are hurting and I’m not sure how to encourage anyone this week… but, like you, I’m sending thoughts around the world to Beirut and Covid-struggling nations, and also here to our own island home of Australia.

Let’s take a deep breath. I truly hope things improve soon. If you need a little break from the news, please read on for something fun…

---

Here’s a tiny break for you!

Can we focus for a moment on something silly and girly? I’ve decided to drop in here at Love Our Age and talk about an extremely FUN experiment I tried this week.

It’s about hair.

It seems like everyone I follow on the internet is trying this weird big brush / blowdryer, and everyone is saying the same thing:

“It looks like I’ve been to a salon.”

That was enough enticement for me to try it out. I ordered mine here in Australia, but if I were in Canada I probably would have purchased the Revlon one. (We don’t get the same level of choice Down Under.)

Here’s my honest review: “It looks like I’ve been to a salon.”

It’s a little bit cumbersome and my wrist got tired—plus it was awkward as anything to take a photo for you while drying my own hair—BUT I found it easier to use than a blow dryer plus round brush.

The result? For hair with longer layers (maybe 4 inches plus?), or hair to your chin or longer, this blowdryer brush is a DEFINITE YES.

I love it.

I have no idea why, but it magically looks like I just spent $65 getting a fresh blow-out at a salon. Highly recommend.

If you try it, let me know what you think. (My hair is fine and super silky now that it’s grey instead of coloured, so I’m not sure if you’ll get the same result. Yours may even be nicer! I would say for the price, it’s totally worth it.)

One thing — the brush dryer is huge. Look at it in relation to my hand. I think it looks even bigger in real life. Mine has three speeds: low, medium or high. I used medium and it took about 10 minutes. Ha! Another 10 Minute Fix!

Hope this is fun for you to try!

I’m just over here in my corner of the world doing what I can to make people feel as good as possible, given the circumstances. Take care of yourselves out there.

Love Catherine x

PS. So funny! Tonight my husband said, “Did you go to the hair salon today??” Nope. Here’s where you can find it online:

• In America, on amazon here or for a little less try this one.

• In Canada, try this one — it looks like mine.

• In Australia, I bought this one at amazon.com.au and I love, love, love it!

And if you’re looking for free, beautiful books, please check out this giveaway…so easy to enter! My cousin and I are giving away books this weekend. Hurry, enter before Sunday!

Fab Sneakers and a Cute Girl

Today, let’s talk about sneakers!

Everyone’s wearing them now that the world’s turned upside down, and my stylist-author friend, Jules, recommended that I buy a pair, so I did.

These Zanerobe cuties are from Target, and they come in white and black. Unfortunately they’re sold out online, but I also tried these on and they are SO comfy. Take a peek!

If you need to run around and be comfortable, sneakers are the best. Today I got up and got cracking, picked up one teen from a sleepover with his mates, said goodbye to another teen who was sleeping over here, put the laundry in and started working. Popping on a cute pair of sneakers and a fun outfit always makes my day feel better…

Orange jumper, white jeans, sneakers — done! Happy Friday.

I hope something amazing happens to you today!

Love Catherine x

PS. Jules Van Mil is also a debut author, and her new middle grade novel hits the shelves this week. Take a look — you can buy it in bookshops in Australia, at Booktopia or online here in North America (Kindle). I was lucky enough to read an advance copy. It’s fantastic! Age 9-12.

Best Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies & Fun Fixes

Happy Sunday!

These aren’t just ANY jam drops. Nope. These are the best, most delicious cookies I make. Raspberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. Trust me, you need this recipe. So easy.

Cream together in a mixer:

• 1 cup butter

• 2/3 cup white sugar

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Add 2 cups + 2 tablespoons plain flour. Mix.

Roll into balls and indent with your beautiful thumbprint.

Add raspberry jam. I use a piping bag to do this. (The trick: warm up the jam a little or stir it well to make sure there are no lumps.)

See? So pretty.

Bake at 180F / 350 F for around 12 minutes. Cool. Then melt some white chocolate. I use about half a bag of Nestle White Melts. I can’t remember if you have those in Canada or America! Oh man, I’ve been in Australia for 23 years. I’m nearly Half & Half now (but I still sound 100% Canadian).

I pour the melted chocolate in a ziplock bag and snip the end. Then I drizzle over cooled cookies and wow, suddenly everything is elevated to SENSATIONAL. So easy.

Cookies are best when they’re made with love, right? These ones are going to be served to some beautiful women near Cronulla Beach today. We’re doing a tiny, social-distanced book event at Anna’s Shop.

I’m excited to dress up, drive down and share my stories from The 10 Minute Fix.

Three friends are hosting 10 Minute Fix bookclubs with their crew, and if you’d like to do the same, please invite me on Zoom! I’ll bring the virtual cookies (at least the recipe) and see your faces and hear what you think. You can email me here.

My favourite fix this week is #61:

(Yep, just like I wrote in the introduction, I need my own book! I still read it at night before bed.)

Enjoy your Sunday. If you’re baking cookies, these are the best.

Love Catherine

PS. Please—if you love it—spread the word about The 10 Minute Fix. It’s helping people feel better, and we all need more of that! Under $20 for so much “feel better now”…worth it. E-book is $9.99.

• For Canadians: on amazon.ca here.

• For Americans: on amazon.com here.

• For the UK: on amazon.co.uk here

• For my Aussies: Order from an independent bookshop in Avalon NSW at Beachside Bookshop here! Or amazon.com.au or Booktopia.

• For free delivery (but a higher price!) on Book Depository.

Bake with me...best ever pie crust!

You guys, a girlfriend was coming over for lunch. I made my favourite cauliflower cheddar soup, and I had five withered apples in the fridge. Not enough for a pie, not enough time to fuss, so I quickly made a galette for the first time ever.

Here it is, prior to baking. It was so delicious!

Because I love you all (hugs!), I’m sharing my best ever pie crust recipe. Aside from my sister, Dar’s recipe—she’s the gardener I write about in The 10 Minute Fix—mine is the best I’ve tasted.

Pie Crust (for one pie…make half for a galette)

• 2 cups plain flour

• 1/4 cup icing sugar

• 3/4 cup butter

• 1/4 cup cold water

Mix the flour and icing sugar in a bowl. I use a whisk. Cut cold butter into 1 cm cubes, and squish it through the flour mixture. You can use clean hands or a pastry cutter. Add the water and form a ball.

Here’s the trick to rolling pie dough: place a piece of baking paper on your bench top and roll the crust on that, then flip it over into your pie plate and peel off the paper.

For the galette filling

• 4 or 5 peeled, sliced apples (or other fruit)

• 1/3 cup white sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• a little butter to dot on top

Place apples in the pie crust shell, sprinkle with sugar / cinnamon mixture and dot some butter on top. Fold up the edges of the crust to make a galette. Voila!

Bake in a preheated oven (temps vary…my oven is great at 180 C fan forced and I bake for around 40 minutes, but you’ll have to watch yours. Test the apples for softness with a knife.)

It was perfect for a quick, last minute dessert and you’re likely to have everything on hand. A galette is easier than a pie and looks delicious and rustic. Agree?

Happy Baking…see you Sunday!

Love Catherine x

PS. “It makes me feel better about myself” is what I’m hearing over & over about The 10 Minute Fix. Also this, “It’s giving me good parenting tips.” If you want your own copy now, it’s $19.99. I promise, there are 100 good ideas in there.

• For Canadians: on amazon.ca here.

• For Americans: on amazon.com here.

• For the UK: on amazon.co.uk here

• For my Aussies: on amazon.com.au or Booktopia.

• For free delivery (but a higher price!) on Book Depository.