Happy holidays, friends.
I hope the season is filled with peace, good cheer and some quiet time to reflect on all you’ve attempted this year.
Growth.
Joy.
Faith.
Resolve.
In the whirlwind of the end of the year, I try to remember that our attempts are worth as much as our successes. That joy prevails, even in the darkness. That the time to be happy is now.
Best wishes from our Aussie home to yours, wherever you are in this beautiful world.
May 2023 be merry and bright.
Love, Catherine x
Hi friends. We’re in the lead-up to Christmas, and yesterday I made the most delicious treats. They’re perfect for gifting or for snacking on with family, and I always make them once a year.
Fleur de Sel (Salted) Caramels.
Here’s what you’ll need to find…the rest will be in your pantry.
Fleur de Sel Caramels take a while to make, but they’re very worth the effort. The only thing you need to do that takes some time is wait until the temperature of the mixture is hot enough, and for that you’ll need a candy thermometer (or a digital thermometer).
I took a quick photo of the bubbly mixture for you…smells divine!
The method is quite simple, and the result is so worth it…
Happy Sunday, everyone. I hope your lead-up to the holidays is sweet!
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
This looks like an amazing stretch for lower back relief.
Such a beautiful image of rain — absolutely unique!
A favourite Emily Dickinson poem — Hope is the Thing With Feathers
Happy Sunday, everyone. It’s Catherine Greer - dropping in with the list of holiday fun I promised last week. I’m starting with a photo of me so you know who’s writing to you…hi to all the new people this week! Thanks for joining us.
Now that our sons are 22 and 18, our holiday traditions needed an upgrade, so I decided to become the CFO (Chief FUN Officer) of Christmas this year.
Fun rarely happens unless someone makes an effort, so I’ve taken on the job. Ready to join me?
Let’s start with the Littles.
Christmas Camp Out on December 23. Anticipation is all the joy, right? Every year I find matching Christmas PJs and wrap them up for a “camp out” under the Christmas tree. When the boys were little, they’d set up sleeping bags and camp out overnight with Dad on the floor of the living room. Christmas Camp Out! The kids went wild about a simple sleepover under the tree. We read the same two stories every year — the Jolly Christmas Postman and Christmas Every Day (link to the pdf…published over a hundred years ago, but you’d think it was written yesterday. Smart and hilarious!). Now that the boys are young men, we still do pjs, the stories for old time’s sake, a delicious dinner and a Christmas movie. Here’s the PJ package label for you. Little kids LOVE Christmas Camp Out. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost a thing.
Christmas Ninjas. I came up with this idea because we’re here in Australia without extended family. Every Christmas Eve when it gets dark, we make an incognito Christmas cookie run to a few houses — but here’s the catch. We wear hilarious outfits, and the boys do the drop off as if it’s “Ring and Run.” This tradition started when they were little—lots of thrills and spills and cunning plans—while the adults drive the “getaway car.” The key is that the outfits / costumes have to be funny. High effort, but so many laughs…
Games Night with a prize. The prize is the important part, to get the competition rolling. This year, we plan to do Monopoly or poker with either a cash prize or (because we have boys) a voucher for their favourite takeaway.
Christmas Cocktail or Mocktail competition. See who makes the best cocktail or mocktail…again, with a prize. New for us this year.
Christmas Ball Game. I hope you don’t find this one borderline inappropriate but it could be funny. You can buy it here or easily make your own with plastic Christmas baubles and cups.
Family Olympics. I’m dreading this one, but I’ve got sporty men in my life. We’ll do actual exercises like plank, pushups and sit ups (ugh) but you could do fun events. Send condolences: I’ve already lost.
Here’s a crazy one from podcaster Mel Robbins’ family…an “anything but clothes” dinner. What’s the catch? Everyone has to dress for dinner in anything but clothes. Hand all attendees a roll of packing tape and see what they create to wear.
Good old Reindeer Antler Toss or Beverage Pong.
Christmas coffee morning for friends. Set out the goodies and make the coffee. I always love making the Nutella Puff Pastry Christmas Tree.
Make your own beautiful Gingerbread House. My sister’s recipe is here (a long time ago, I wrote a full blog post with pictures to help you make your own…)
A few fun gift-giving ideas, compliments of Marlene, an upbeat, vivacious reader in Canada:
Every gift you give has to start with the initial of your name. So I’d be giving candy, clothes, cotton tea towels, and cash! You get the idea…
Every gift has to be a colour that’s been designated by the organiser: Catherine gives everyone gifts that are pink, Marlene gives everyone something blue, etc…
Budget-friendly: you all agree to “shop” at garage sales. This could be hilarious.
How’s that for holiday fun?
I hope I’ve been a little help to you, if you’ve decided to be the Chief Fun Officer in your home. Have a beautiful Sunday…and next week, let’s talk about rest and relaxation.
Love Catherine x
PS. More fun stuff!
Books for friends — if you’re new, you might want to know that women like to gift my books to their friends. Encouraging and inspiring, my books are quick to order online as a beautiful gift. No pressure, but I just wanted you to know about them.
Find Small Steps here in America, here in Canada, here in the UK and here in Australia. Find The 10 Minute Fix here in America, here in Canada, here in the UK and here in Australia.
The page above is my favourite — the manifesto from Small Steps Are Perfect. ❤️
Hi everyone, and hello if you’re new or haven’t seen me in a while. A quick intro — I’m Catherine Greer, author of a bunch of books (The 10 Minute Fix and Small Steps are Perfect are best-loved). I live in Sydney with my Canadian husband and two young adults sons.
Last night we went to a fabulous party with a lot of fun people and dancing…and all I snapped was this car selfie.
Do you mind if I tell you a quick little story about my dress?
A couple of weeks before the party, a friend who was also invited leaned in and said, “I’m going sparkly.”
Well, that was enough encouragement for me. I said, “I’m going sparkly, too.”
She showed up looking gorgeous, so sparkly and twirly and fun in red. So did many others. The dance floor made me think of my favourite question, the question that truly is the heartbeat of my life.
It’s confronting, though — at least for me. Here it is:
Sometimes I am worried-tired-cranky-self-focused and not that much fun.
Sometimes I want the WORLD to be fun (good things to happen, people to make my life fun) and I forget that BEING fun is more important than HAVING fun.
But mostly I try to remember that fun begins with me.
I want to do more of this during the holidays. I’m going to try out some new, fun traditions because so many of my existing traditions—Christmas Camp Out, Christmas Ninjas—are traditions I created when our boys were little, and now they’re grown young adults and need some fresh holiday fun.
So I decided I’m going to be the CFO of the family, a beautiful idea from Mel Robbins, podcaster and American author.
CFO = Chief Fun Officer.
I’m going to drive up in the metaphorical “fun bus.”
I’m going to plan a few things to bring the fun.
Next week, I’ll share some of my ideas…you’re so welcome to borrow them if anything resonates. And in the meantime, I hope you bring some fun into your weekend…
Thanks for being here. I appreciate that you are!
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Oh my goodness, the beauty of my beloved Canada—you have to see this.
If you were at the party with me and you asked — here are my pink boots and very affordable dress. Feel free to get your own. I wouldn’t mind at all…
For all the new people today…my books, written with so much love. If you need a girlfriend gift, women often get multiple copies and my books post as a letter for around $4.50 postage. The 10 Minute Fix is on sale now in Australia for $12.
Ohhhhh, frost flowers. Absolute magic — have you ever seen one?
Email me if you have any fun Christmas traditions!
Hi there friends and new friends! It’s Catherine Greer, popping into your weekend to say hello. So many new faces this week—welcome. Wish you were here having coffee with me and listening to early morning birdsong in Sydney. ❤️
Would you mind if I tell you a quick story?
I ran into a little girl when I was shopping at Target yesterday. She was sitting in the women’s shoe aisle knee-deep in shoes while she waited for her mother in the cosmetics department beside us. She must’ve been nine years old, and she reminded me so much of little Catherine.
She put on high heels over her socks and clomped around, set them back properly and tried on another pair. I watched her HUG the same gold pair I’m wearing in the photo above.
I couldn’t help myself; I leaned down, and I told her this:
“You know, one day you’re going to be a grown woman who works, and you’ll be able to buy all the shoes you want.”
She looked up at me and grinned. We both went back to trying on our heels.
I felt like I’d reached back into my own childhood and whispered a message to ME.
Isn’t it magic? We can do so many things that we couldn’t when we were girls.
Make decisions for ourselves.
Love who we love.
Love WHAT we love.
Sneak away for a little break: put your feet up, look at something beautiful (hoar frost, your Christmas tree, a candle you’ve lit, a pretty cup of tea), spritz on some perfume, eat a little chocolate, listen to your favourite song.
I so badly wanted to buy that little girl the gold shoes…but of course, I couldn’t. She was nine and her mother wouldn’t have approved!
But I did buy them for me: shoes from Target, as a beautiful symbol. We’ve all come such a long, long way. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of the control we DO have over our rocky and random lives: that we are grown women, and we can treat ourselves a little.
There are infinite ways to do this, and yes, you can.
Enjoy your Sunday. Love Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
What if you showed up with THIS BRIE as a hostess gift during the holidays? Wow.
My cousin, Jean McCarthy, just released a new book based on Recovery and her podcast The Bubble Hour. Beautiful reading whatever you might be recovering from…it’s called Take Good Care.
The perfect Christmas “girlfriend gift” and SUCH a great sale price today in Australia — my most popular book, The 10 Minute Fix (just $11 today! wow!) followed by Small Steps Are Perfect. Tooting my own horn, but women often buy multiple copies to gift to friends…it’s a little winner.
Of course, the gold shoes from Target. More comfortable than you’d think. Perfect for holiday parties, Aussies!
Hi everyone, and hello to all the new people this week! Thank you for being here, and sharing your time with me. ❤️
Can I tell you a little story about why we’re enjoying Christmas early this year?
In this blurry photo, my husband caught me standing beside our treasured Christmas tree…a tree with decorations we’ve collected over the past 25 years of marriage. Isn’t it beautiful?
When I was a little girl, my mum made Christmas magical. We didn’t have a lot, but we had a love for tradition. Out in the country in the middle of the Canadian prairies in the frigid winter, Dad would put up the blue lights on the house, and we always decorated the most fragrant live Christmas tree. I’m the youngest of six, so there were presents and chocolates and delicious baking…games nights and little grandchildren and Christmas music on the stereo on repeat. It was magic. Everything sparkled.
I repeatedly stole baby Jesus from the nativity and carried him around in my pocket until I was outed by my siblings—ha! But he was a baby, and so cute, and removable… I can still hear an indignant sister yelling, “STOP stealing Jesus!” Makes me laugh every time I think of it. 🤣
I loved beauty (still do!), so Christmas — with it’s lights and dazzle, hoar frost and snowy skies — truly delivered.
Today we live in sunny Sydney, and Christmas is summertime, with swimming and beaches…but I still carry the traditions of my family in my heart. Christmas music on repeat. Starting early. Getting out all the sparkle because I love it.
That’s me.
I remember the moment when my eldest son realised how to bring magic to the holidays. He was 20, and it was two Christmases ago. He sat beside me one night while I was gazing at the tree and said this.
I believe this is true.
In almost every situation in life, we have the choice to be the joy. We can be the ones to bring it, in tiny ways.
When someone is talking, we can say “Tell me more…”
Light a candle in the entryway, so the house smells beautiful when our people come home.
Use the cloth napkins and the dress hanging in the closet. Set out the good dishes for afternoon tea.
Do what we love (whatever that is). Share our unique loves with the world. For me, it’s making life as beautiful as I can with what I already have. For you, it might be giving other people a sense of peace when they’re with you, or being FUN, or listening, or…
I love the idea that we can all use what we have in our own two hands.
It may be that we can give a lot.
It may seem like a little.
But it matters that we share who we are and what we love.
Today, I’m wishing you the chance to share yourself. To bring the joy. Be the fun. As I wrote at the end of my book, Small Steps Are Perfect, “we need you here. Shining.”
Love Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Christmas Peaceful Piano playlist — love this one!
Have you heard that Dolly received $100 million to gift? Oh, can you imagine all the good she’s going to do? ❤️
Yes, it’s the prettiest little handbag ever, pictured above.
We have a new picture book out…the lovely Violin & Cello. If you’d love one for little musicians for under their tree, you can find it here is out in Canada, America and here in the UK in time for Christmas! Meet composer Alexander Lau and listen to the music from the book! Meet Joanna Bartel, illustrator!
Happy Sunday, and hello!
For all the new people this week, I’m Catherine Greer, author, mother of young adult sons and wife living in beautiful Sydney, Australia. I love to capture photos of tiny, usual things — little moments of beauty like this rainy carpark with cloudy skies.
Today let’s talk about worry.
We all do it, right?
Whenever I feel worried, overwhelmed, tired, dispirited — I whisper some words, written more than six hundred years ago.
They were written by Julian of Norwich (1343-1416). It’s important for women to know about Julian (sometimes called Juliana) because she was the author of the earliest known English language writings by a woman.
Isn’t it incredible that a woman was allowed to write at that time?
Isn’t it amazing that her writing survived and can still reach us today?
The repetition (called anaphora, in case you love writing and language like I do!) is what makes Julian’s words so beautiful and memorable.
Whispering “all shall be well” is so much more helpful than diving into worry or fear. If you’re keen, try it now and see how you feel…but use the anaphora, okay?
Say it like Julian wrote it — three times.
It’s simple, but it works.
All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.
(Not some, but all. All manner of things…kids and work and finances and health and life and death and sorrow and joy and uncertainty and pain…)
In the end, all of it shall be well.
Wishing you a beautiful Sunday filled with unexpected, tiny joys.
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
A talented writer-friend from America, Victoria Buda, has written her first journal. It’s a huge, beautiful book of reflection. The back cover is pictured above….find it here.
A silly little thing, but I love this new eye shadow, eyeliner pencil.
Christmas! Rocking horse nutcrackers are back but they sell out so fast.
Have you seen a polar bear sleeping in flowers? For real. So incredible.
Hello, friends around the world…I’m dropping by to send you a weekly dose of positivity and happiness!
Today, here’s a question: do you need a little “leading lady” energy?
If you’re feeling off or a tiny bit blah, could it be because it’s time to shift focus away from all the worries and concerns, and into a perspective of WOW?
I know that sounds simplistic, and yes, life is hard, but can you take a moment to bring your Leading Lady out for a stroll? NYT Bestselling author Gregg Braden wrote this, and it struck me.
It is so easy to forget that our life is ours.
That we are driving our attitude.
That in every second — in the commute, in the cup of coffee, in the conversation — we have a choice:
mundane or fun
worried or hopeful
bitter or sweet
As you know, my family’s gone through a difficult time, but also — the sun still shines, the morning dawns, we have today to enjoy or dismiss as if it’s nothing.
Choose.
It was a key word in my first novel for young adults, and I’m thinking of it again this morning. Today I choose sweet (not bitter). I choose Leading Lady energy. I hope you join me in getting out there and having some fun.
I hope something WONDERFUL happens to you today.
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Rose gold sandals are here, just $20. Normal width (I sized up because my feet are wide). I share affordable items because so many readers have told me that’s best for them and I’m here to help. 😊
Aussie Melinda Buttle is hilarious. If you’re a mum of older kids, you’ll cry-laugh at this one.
Our new picture book is out in Canada, America and here in the UK in time for Christmas! Meet composer Alexander Lau and listen to the music from the book! Meet Joanna Bartel, illustrator!
Hello, friends, and welcome to all the new people this week!
I’m Catherine Greer, living in Sydney, writer and mother of two young adult sons (one on the verge of graduating from high school…yay!), wife of a guy who loves to read as much as I do, baker of cakes and macarons, lover of little dogs, and expert at celebrating everything. Honestly, if any little good thing happens to you, call me: I’ll be there to cheer you on.
It’s finally feeling like summer in Australia, and though the weather’s been heating up, I’ve been tired and worried.
If you’ve been struggling a little like I have, here’s a quick tip for BOTH of us today.
Let’s look for some joy. Here’s how:
The sweetness is always there. (So are the flaws.)
Today I choose to focus on the sweet.
Happy Sunday, everyone. In case you haven’t been told today, remember three important things:
You’re probably doing a better job than you think you are.
You have a beautiful heart.
Today is all yours to enjoy and savour. How? By searching for the sweet.
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Maya Angelou wrote a gorgeous poem about struggle and triumph. Have you ever read Still I Rise?
How did I not know about freezing avocados?
On sale (great price today!!) in Australia (online) - our new book for little musicians, VIOLIN & CELLO. Arriving soon in the UK, America and Canada.
Hi friends. Thank you for all the beautiful emails this past week after my sad news. I appreciate you all, even though I didn’t have the emotional energy to respond and be present for my family. Thank you for your virtual (((hugs))) and thoughtfulness, flowers and cards. It meant the world to me.
For your Sunday, here’s something I read worth sharing. It’s a reminder from Dr Caroline Leaf on our desire to control the future.
That last line struck me as true: you need to trust your future self to handle future problems.
That’s why, right now, we can relax. Our future self will handle future problems. And also—perhaps even more importantly—that’s why we need to take our shot, and do the thing that scares us.
Make the call.
Send out the book proposal.
Reach out to a potential new friend (new partner?)
Sign up for the class.
Step outside the comfort zone that your mind has built for yourself, where you are safe, and the same, and you’re trying so hard to control your security.
It’s a cliche because it’s true: all the magic and growth happens outside our comfort zone.
Your future self will take care of you, no matter what happens: if you’re rejected, if you feel embarrassed or ashamed…and even if, like my beautiful sister and her family, you experience loss that seems too devastating to face.
Your future self will be wiser, stronger, and there for you.
I hope you have a beautiful Sunday.
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
For sisters everywhere: this made me laugh so much, and I needed it.
I told you I’d report back on these shoes. The verdict? I love them for summer. They’re a bit narrow, so I used my shoe stretcher and it worked so well. Why are they good? Because they’re flats that look like wedges. You could walk for days…
But I also love these stacked wedge sandals available in Australia—brilliant for wide feet—and so, so comfortable. The photos don’t do them justice. Affordable, not leather, but so comfortable and cute.
If you want a fun middle grade novel for a Christmas present, my English writer-friend Susie Bower just released her third book and it’s fabulous. Find it here — also pictured with our beautiful Violin & Cello on sale today for $19.99. (If you could rate and review, that really helps authors!)
Friends, this past Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, my prairie family walked through the loss of an irreplaceable, joyful boy in a tragic, tragic accident. Hearts are absolutely shattered, and yet…we breathe, we draw close, we wake up in the morning to love the people we’ve been given to love.
This week, I watched my sister become heroic.
Women carry the sorrows of the world. Men, too, but women…women put all the pain and grief of families in a heavy handbag and sling it onto a sagging shoulder. And we keep walking.
I guess that’s why we need each other like we do, to talk and comfort and be sisters (even when we’re not related). I feel like that about so many of you, around the world, reading this now. We’re like-minded, like-hearted, and together.
I’ll be back next week with more uplifting news. But for now, a little comfort for me and mine in the shape of a poem. If you’ve ever grieved or lost someone, maybe you’ll like it, too.
Thank you for listening.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy your beautiful, ordinary day.
Love, Catherine x
Happy Sunday, my friends (and all the new friends this week!) I’m Catherine, up early in the rain writing to you while my family sleeps in. I’ve lit the candles and made hot coffee. So far, the day has been beautiful, and this week should be fun. I’m celebrating 25 years of marriage to this guy on Tuesday. A bit about my family: we have an 18 year old sitting his final exams for high school next week (gahh!) and heading to uni in February, and a 22 year old finishing up his Law-Commerce double degree. We live in Sydney, and the photo above was taken at my favourite beach in the world, Hyams Beach in New South Wales.
Here’s what I want to share this weekend—for you, if you’ve ever had someone roll their eyes and call you a “bit much.”
We need you to be as much of yourself as you want to be.
Your contribution to the world—your brand of JOY—is why you’re here. I love these words from Lindsay Rush:
Aren’t we so lucky to have YOU?
Yes. Yes, we are.
Enjoy your Sunday. I hope you have a brilliant one.
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Lovely reviews of The 10 Minute Fix - this little book makes a beautiful gift for a girlfriend. I’ve had messages from women that they keep it in their car, on their bedside table, and gift copies to friends. Find it here! In Australia, on sale for such a great price right now. Thank you for supporting authors…
Okay, hello pink cowboy boots for my anniversary present. (I know. They’re A BIT MUCH. And so am I…)
Perfect song for a peaceful morning: Threnody by Goldmund.
This apple salad with feta, crispy prosciutto and candied pecans looks amazing.
Hi everyone. Jasmine’s out in Sydney, and the world smells like perfume. It’s a beautiful day to feel like everything’s just fine, but sometimes…life hands us a challenge we weren’t expecting.
For me…my internet friend in California is fighting a terrible, swift, unexpected cancer.
We’re up to our eyeballs in helping our son study for his year twelve exams.
Other things — hard things — we all have them, don’t we? (Just insert your hard things here, my friend, the things we don’t share…that sadness that feels like a cobra around your heart.)
If today you are worried or sad, if someone has hurt you or worse, I have this to offer. I love the work of The New Happy Co!
Remember that thoughts are temporary.
Treat yourself and your thoughts with kindness.
Look at YOURSELF with compassion.
Then…
Consider the last time your hands helped, your words comforted, your face lit up, and you loved the people you’ve been given to love.
Your life, your contribution and mine, our gifts…they matter. Our thoughts are temporary, but our service to other people can live on in ways we don’t even know. Our place in the world matters, however huge and famous and flashy, however quiet and unknown.
Happy Sunday, everyone. Enjoy your beautiful day.
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Listen to this - remind yourself how crazy-fun-beautiful you are! (You’ll feel better.)
Oh, this beautiful dress. A friend told me I should get one immediately! She wore hers to a wedding and it was gorgeous.
Just ordered these Espadrille Wedge Sandals — everyone loves them and I’ll let you know if I do, too!
Hi everyone, and hello new people this week! Just a quick photo of me to remind you who is sending you this weekly Love Our Age newsletter. I’m Catherine, writer, mother of two young adult sons, wife, and Aussie-Canadian living in Sydney.
Twilight is my favourite time of day…as you can see from this snapshot outside our home. There’s something so lovely about turning the lights on where you live and looking inside your nest. You notice all the warmth there, the chaos and the love.
The people and things you treasure, the safety and warmth you create…
As women, we do so much. I often think we’re the beating heart of our families, our group of friends.
Why, then, is it easy to overlook all the good in us, to zero in on the ways we should be improving?
All the external messages (media, celebrities) and even the internal messages (our own minds) tell us we should be faster, better organised, more patient, better at self-care.
We should be more confident, energetic, and work harder.
We should rest! We should know how to take care of ourselves! And at the same time, we should make sure we’re loving all the people we’ve been given to love.
But here are two important, introspective questions.
Who are we when we stop performing?
Who are we when we stop ‘shoulding’ all over ourselves?
We’re valuable. We matter. What we love matters, too. So does rest, which we all deserve.
That’s all — and it’s enough to remember on this beautiful weekend in September.
I hope you have a relaxing Sunday.
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
It’s Spring in Australia, and Fall in the northern hemisphere. Time to reread my favourite poem by G.M. Hopkins. Remember? “Margaret, are you grieving / Over Goldengrove unleaving?”
Favourite mascara (people keep asking me…this one looks so natural!).
Twilight in Iceland — the sky!
I write books! You might have read my nonfiction for women (The 10 Minute Fix and Small Steps are Perfect.) Violin & Cello is my new picture book with illustrator Joanna Bartel (busy with a new baby!) and Alex Lau, composer (busy at uni!). Out now in Australia in bookshops and at Amazon and Booktopia. Pre-order in Canada, America and here in the UK.
Good morning from Australia, where the blossoms are out and we’re enjoying spring! This week I’ve been thinking of an idea I heard about and loved.
It’s not self-care. It’s exquisite care.
Before you tell me, yes, yes, but I have so much on my plate…take a second, please, and think about yourself.
What if we took exquisite care of ourselves — what would that look like?
Exquisite care.
Let me tell you a quick story. I was driving home in the rain from a long day of errands, and I thought about exquisite care. What did it mean? How could I do it when I was stuck in traffic? Then I remembered I love peaceful music in the rain. So I put on This is Goldmund and drove and listened.
That’s exquisite care. (For me.)
Today, how would you take exquisite care of you?
It’s the little things, baby.
Quick — think of what YOU love. Your special list. Here’s mine:
Baking something.
Hot coffee. Even better, in an English bone china cup, with a saucer.
Being in nature and not hearing traffic.
Reading before bed. (Ohhhhh, getting into an already-warm bed!)
Perfume.
Dressing up to show my respect for someone’s event, or to respect what I love to do. (Example: I always dress up for my Thursday night dance class. I’ve turned it into ‘date night’ even if it’s only the class and the drive home with my husband. I have the clothes anyway. I love the class. Exquisite care, for me, is loving the entire experience and showing that I value it.)
You get the idea. Exquisite care doesn’t need to be self-care (bubble baths, all that time, etc etc). It means thinking about what matters to you. Maybe it’s not dressing up or hot coffee, but it’s something.
Do you even know what it is? What is your exquisite self-care?
Thinking of you all around the world today, and sending you love.
Catherine xx
PS. The fun stuff!
Please tell someone about our new book, VIOLIN & CELLO! It’s a beautiful book for young musicians. Joanna (who has a newborn!), Alex (busy at uni, studying!) and I thank you for spreading the word. Truly! In Australia in all good bookshops and online at Amazon and Booktopia. Pre-order in Canada, America and here in the UK.
Peaches! I want to try this peach puff pastry upside down dessert. Like a danish? Sort of?
Pens: this box of pens is gorgeous, and come in a lovely package.
Aussies! Love these linen shorts for summer. I have white and bought the cream ones, too.
Hi everyone!
Today I want to share my new picture book, VIOLIN & CELLO, with you. I’d also like to tell you about the process, in case you’ve always wanted to give it a whirl…and why not? Why not you?
Here’s what happens:
You write a story (no more than 500 words in total). But here’s the trick — it has to be compelling, unique, and fun for kids, with a child-centred hero who solves their own problem. And yes, even a children’s story has to focus on a problem because that’s what story is: conflict. Whether you’re writing a novel or a picture book, your hero has to want something they don’t have.
Five hundred words sounds so easy, but often a story can take months to create!
Email your manuscript to a publisher who is accepting submissions (check their websites). How to find a publisher? Look at picture books you love — who published it? Also, if you don’t know which picture books are doing well in the current market, that’s the place to start! Go to a good bookshop to browse and buy books you love.
Success! Let’s talk about this, because so much information around writing is about dealing with rejection. (And let’s be real: rejection happens A LOT.) But if a publisher loves your manuscript, they’ll call you — so exciting — and say they’re taking your story to an acquisitions meeting! This is usually a monthly meeting where editors take a short list of perhaps eight great titles and decide whose books will be selected to be published. Publishing houses can’t publish every worthy manuscript…
The publisher then pairs you with an illustrator of their choice. Look who I was paired with for VIOLIN & CELLO…the exceptional Joanna Bartel from South Australia! (It’s rare to be an author who is able to illustrate, but many illustrators go on to write and illustrate their own stories.)
Joanna created concept drawings, and we discussed them. Her vision was perfect for my beautiful story set in a big city about two young mystery musicians who’d never met…
Then Joanna spent many, many months creating beautiful illustrations for the book, while my editor and I perfected the story.
And…VIOLIN & CELLO is a world-first…because this is the first picture book worldwide featuring violinists and cellists. The talented young Australian composer, Alexander Lau, composed The Mystery Friends duet for young cellists and violinists to play. The music is part of the story.
5. Publication happens about a year after signing a contract. Authors and illustrators split a 10% royalty from every book sold, which is around $1 per book sold for each creator.
If writing a picture book is something you’ve always wanted to do, now is the perfect time to get started!
And if you’d like to cheer us along with our beautiful new picture book, here’s how:
VIOLIN & CELLO is out now in Australia! Ask at bookshops or order online.
Spread the word — if you know any child musicians, this is the first picture book worldwide featuring violinists and cellists. Please tell your school library, your child’s music teacher, and musical friends. ❤️
Pre-order in Canada, America and here in the UK — coming in early November!
You can gift a book to a little musician, to a local school or to your library.
Thank you, my friends, for sharing. It means the world, truly. Enjoy your weekend.
Love, Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
In Australia VIOLIN & CELLO is available in all good bookshops and online at Amazon and Booktopia.
Pre-order in Canada, America and here in the UK.
Meet composer Alexander Lau and listen to the music from the book!
Meet Joanna Bartel, illustrator!
If you love it, please review it. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hi everyone — this guy, this is the father of our sons. He is, above all, a good sport. Ready to be silly when required by a fun-loving wife like me, ready to be stable when we need that (all the time). I can’t thank him enough…and one of the things I value the most is his willingness to have fun, and be fun.
It’s Father’s Day in Australia, which brings up so much for so many people. Thankfulness, gratitude, disappointment. Worry, regret, love. Wherever you land when you consider your relationship with your father (or the father of your children), I hope you can find wisdom and resolution.
We’re all so very human, and so flawed.
We’re all brilliant at some things. Terrible at others.
When I wrote The 10 Minute Fix, I asked a question. It’s an important one.
When I’m in the tumble dryer of worry and fear, or tiredness or disappointment, I stop and ask myself that question.
Am I being fun?
Could I be a little more fun?
What would that take?
Usually, it’s as simple as getting out of my own head, and thinking for a second about what might delight someone else. Then doing that thing. It can be so tiny:
an unexpected chocolate bar for my teen who is studying
a text saying, “I’m thinking about you today!”
NOT SAYING something (you left the kitchen in a mess / the lights on / the dog unwalked…)
I value FUN, but here’s the trick: fun starts with us being fun.
With us bringing the joy.
(I imagine all of you around the globe doing this, and the ripples of happiness extending to the people you love. What a difference we’ll make today.)
Love, Catherine x
PS. The Fun Stuff
Okay, it’s official: line dancing is fun. My husband and I do it together every week. It’s great brain exercise. Remember the “Fake ID” line dance from Footloose 2? Um, that’s not us (yet). Ha!
White cowgirl boots for fun! These ones are highly recommended.
Are you (someone you love) interviewing for a job? These tips look good.
Ah, Robert Frost’s classic poem, Mending Wall. Do you remember it? Or have any mending to do?
Hello everyone! Writing a little newsletter to you is something I look forward to every week. Thanks for being here. If you’re new, I’m Catherine — behold me here walking the dog. (I share photos of myself every so often so internet friends know who’s writing…)
I had to force myself on this cold afternoon, so on went my favourite boots. (For some reason, shoes have always motivated me! Is this weird? Are you the same? Like putting on cute runners makes you more likely to exercise? Heels make you feel confident? Strappy sandals yell, Let’s have fun!!??)
Today, I’m sharing a happiness hack.
It can seem impossible some days, but it’s true.
We’re all icebergs, right? It’s a cliche but it’s true. We show the top 1/8 to most people (the tip above water), and some of our closest friends get maybe our iceberg’s top half. But deep beneath the waterline, there is so much going on.
Pain. Disappointment. Worry. Fear. Stress. Maybe a diagnosis. Or fear of a diagnosis for someone you love. A failure. A hope so big that you’ve carried so long and it feels heavy, like pain, instead of promised joy. For every person (you, me, the stranger walking the dog), the pain is sitting under the waterline.
But. But! We’ve also been around long enough to know that the day goes better when we focus our attention on joy.
Yes, I have to walk the dog, and I can do it in boots.
Yes, we have to face the hard thing, but we can make a very hot coffee and sip it while we read the email.
We can squeeze the heck out of someone’s hand during the diagnosis. Or send a text if we’re alone.
You know. I know.
There are two ways to live: one, head down. The other, head up, looking for little bits of joy.
Here’s my wish: that something so special, so fun, even tiny, happens for you today. That you choose to see it. That you savour it. Or that you give a tiny piece of happiness to someone you love.
Enjoy your Sunday,
Love Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Aussie friends, this is what donuts are in Canada. 🇨🇦 Please, please can someone open a chain of donut shops here?
Shoes! I’ve tried everything this year to recover from a foot injury, and these cute sneakers work so well for me. If you have wide feet, worth a try. Also these ones are great.
Cute jelly sandals — summer’s coming in Australia! And pearl studded strappy flats.
Fluffy slippers that would make morning coffee so much happier! :)
Song I’m loving: Crash and Burn and surprise…it’s country music. Never thought I’d say that! (Hey, MUM…you’ll like this one.) Best-ever Canadian memory: with my 90 year old mum, taking turns playing songs we love on Spotify, and dancing in our matching pjs.
Hello, everyone, and hi to all the new people this week. Look what’s happening in Sydney…tulips! Spring is here on 1 September and I can’t wait!
This week I wanted to share three things worth enjoying. Let’s go!
1. Consider making bread. Gluten and carbs, I know, I know, but this is so fun. I’ve written about this easy focaccia before, and if you want to feel domestic and successful, you can make it.
2. Dust off your beautiful dishes and use them. When our beloved ‘adopted’ Australian grandmother died, we inherited her set of Royal Crown Derby. Her real family was kind enough to ask if we’d like them (before they went in the Op Shop box - gah!)…and I use them on the weekends. I’m guessing there are pretty things in your cupboards, too.
3. Share some gratitude. Not just be grateful. Share “grateful.” Spread some heartfelt compliments. Tell the people you love that you see what they’re doing. Say something fun and appreciative today to a person who might not expect it. It’s an old, tired cliche because it’s true:
Everyone, everyone, everyone needs a kind word. You can give it.
Enjoy your weekend, and have fun loving all the people you’ve been given to love.
Catherine xx
PS. The fun stuff!
I share links here to things I’m enjoying. Sometimes it’s a product I’ve bought, sometimes a poem or a recipe, a quote or a thought or an activity. Or a book I’ve written. No pressure, just for fun.
I use World Time Buddy (free!) when I have to sort out time zones across countries. So easy!
Do you know 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird? If you do, you know beauty. Four stanzas of this poem are framed on our kitchen wall…
Did you enjoy The 10 Minute Fix? If yes, you need to know about The 10 Minute Fix Journal. People are loving it.
Friends, I had the best time in my beloved Canada!
Hugged my mum a million times, celebrated her 90th birthday (we wore yellow…from The 10 Minute Fix, remember?), met up with blog readers (a treat!), saw my best friend from high school — we’ve known each other 41 years — and finished off with four days in Vancouver with my favourite cousin, who’s like a bonus sister to me. The laughing dude above is one of several in Morton Park, Vancouver.
And you?? In case you haven’t been asked today, how are you?
Where’s your heart at?
Have the winds of change been blowing your way?
Wish I could gather all of you up and invite you to my kitchen table. I’d make you lunch, probably this most delicious salad in the world, and ask you how you are.
Then I’d sit back and listen.
I’m feeling so contemplative, like I’m birthing a change but I’m not sure what it is yet.
So this is what I’m doing:
Walking a lot.
Putting myself to bed early.
Eating leafy greens at every meal. Ridiculous, but greens make me feel happier. Kinder to myself.
Wondering about my life….
Because this is true for all of us:
For me, it’s time to sit down and think about what I love and where I’m heading.
Sending so much joy your way today. I hope something unexpected and wonderful happens to you.
Love Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
A pic of the salad - my all-time favourite. Here’s the link again (via my author website). This salad is worth the effort. It is!
Really, really want to order these sandals. I love all the colours. Supposedly so comfy!
And my sweet cousin recommended these cutie summer sandals. I have always wanted ALL THE SHOES….and ALL THE SALADS.
