Such A Good Tip For A Party!

Let’s talk about parties!

In Australia, parties are a little fabulous. (That’s a circus party, above! Thanks, Lillian. Such a fun night!)

But a few months ago, I went to a function on a Thursday night that was filled with bankers and insurance people. Though the view was fabulous — overlooking Sydney Harbour — let me be honest: the event had the potential to be fairly dry. We were there because of work, after all.

So I decided to try something new. I can’t remember where I read this tip!

Instead of chatting with people about work, I asked this…

And it was amazing.

At first, every single person THOUGHT I’d asked them about work. They answered about work, and I had to say, “No, no…I asked what you do for FUN!”

Suddenly, people were talking about surfing, or how they’re learning adult ballet, or how they want to have more fun in their lives but aren’t sure what they love to do. We were LOUD and we were LAUGHING.

And the weird thing was this: any time a new person wandered over to our group, someone said, “Oh, we’re just talking about what we do for FUN.” (Like…aren’t we cool? We talk about FUN.)

It makes me think this: wow, we are missing out.

Too busy.

Too serious.

We forget that we can choose to enjoy ourselves.

We have a weekend now, and even if you have to work a little, I’m sure there’s some time — even fifteen minutes — for some fun today.

Do you know what you find fun?

Have you thought about it? Or are you always mired in the serious, the productive? Maybe it’s time to rediscover what lights you up a little. What could you do right now?

(For me, the quickest way to have fun is kitchen dancing — with my earbuds and my phone, by myself — or trying out a new recipe. I also find juggling fun. Yep, good for the brain and eye-hand co-ordination, and you could learn to juggle right now.) I know it’s weird, but it’s also FUN.

Over to you…what’s fun for you?

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Love Lie Repeat is out in 9 DAYS! At your fave bookshop in Australia or free worldwide shipping here.

• I’ve been Aussie for 21 years — so I’m nearly half & half! Thanks, Australia, for welcoming us here!

• Hi to all the new people who joined us this week on my happiness blog. I’m Catherine, a Canadian-Aussie author with a new book out and a very scruffy shih tzu puppy who needs a bath today…

My New Happy Ring...

Hey there!

Today I needed a little bit of good news. I won’t share the details, but let me say this: I went through the wringer this week.

I was seriously upset, but in the end, I fixed things up again. It was hard and painful and please don’t for a moment ever think that I’m sitting here in Sydney, sailing through life, telling everyone else how to chill and have a good time. Not always true!

Our lives are the same, yours and mine. Some things are GREAT (yay! new book coming out!) and some things are SO HARD I want to cry (but I make it through).

When things go wrong, what do I do?

1. Walk a lot.

2. Feel my feelings (This is new. I used to eat my feelings, or stuff them down. Now I let them in, take a look, and try to deal openly with what’s happening.)

3. Ask myself the best question in the world. How is this working in my favour? (I wrote about that here! Read it if you’re struggling this week…)

What you’ll notice is that I’m not a “retail therapy” person. I don’t shop for entertainment or to feel better. But this week, I took a shortcut.

For me, when I look down at my hands and see a pretty ring, I feel SO GOOD. Here’s my find this week from Collette Hayman (not a sponsored blog post!). I love this ring. It’s exactly what I would have bought to make myself happy when I was ten years old. And it was $2 on sale.

The flower ring makes me think this: how much joy can we access if we shift our attention to what makes us feel good?

It costs almost nothing to find some joy.

Rings are symbols, of course, and they also work well when you want to feel better in an instant. Why? We always look at our hands. Think about it: it’s the only jewellery you get to see yourself wear.

So, it may be silly but it works: if you want a little instant happy, remember that you don’t need a real diamond. You don’t need to wait. You can think back to yourself as a ten year old girl, you can give her something fun, and you can make her happy.

I hope you enjoy today, I really do! Have some fun, and as always, be fun to live with!

I appreciate all of you SO MUCH, more than you know! Your emails this week made everything so much better.

Catherine x

PS.

• You guys! Love Lie Repeat is out in Australia in 15 days! You can buy it at all good independent bookshops, like Libby’s at Beachside, at Big W and Target, and all the big chain bookshops, too. And online at Booktopia and amazon Australia. Personally, I love to support Indie bookshops!

• If you’re overseas, order here with free postage worldwide. I appreciate you SO MUCH! (We haven’t yet signed an overseas book deal, so this is the only way you can get Love Lie Repeat. The price is AWESOME.)

• And here’s a shout-out to Alicia in America — a sweet friend of mine — who launched Dorset and Pond. So pretty.
  

How I'm Fixing My Posture (and you can, too...)

Hello!

This weekend, let’s talk about something you might need — a revamp of your posture.

Here I am, sitting in someone else’s bedroom, taking a selfie to show you my efforts at having better posture. If you know me in real life, you know that I have forward head posture…and finally, this year, I’m doing something about it.

I’ve been working on straightening up for about a month now, and let me tell you guys, it is HARD WORK but IT’S WORKING!!

So many of us struggle with hunching over (phones, computers, slouching) and I did a little research to figure out what helps. I’ve chosen a set of 3 easy exercises to do twice a day (plus weights to strengthen my back) and I’m noticing a big improvement. I’ll share the link with you below.

But first, let’s look at the WHY behind our posture.

Some of it is mechanical, and some of it is … you know … Life. I ignored my poor posture for a long time because it felt too hard to correct and, frankly, I was embarrassed. If I didn’t acknowledge it, it wasn’t there. Have you ever done this?

Anyway, confronting my posture and thinking about it made me remember that I started slouching when I had a couple of rough years in primary school. Over time, it became normal. When I stood tall, I felt like an imposter; when I slouched, I felt safe.

Hmmmm.

In January, I decided it was time to change. We all know that it’s good to let go of fear, stop hiding and stop playing small.

But there’s this:

So true.

No one tells you just how uncomfortable it is to stop being who you were … even when you’re letting go of something negative.

It should be so obvious to drop a bad habit, right?

Just let go of the stuff that’s holding you back! But the bad feels normal and comfortable. (The slouching, the over-drinking, the over-eating, the chocolate for comfort, the glass of wine, the bingeing on Netflix...the complaining, the criticising of other people, the angry outbursts, seeing the negative side of life.)

Here’s a really good question: what parts of ourselves should we let die?

For me, straightening up is a symbol of deciding to be on my own side. It’s about taking up space. My new posture felt so strange at first that I seriously thought people would notice and criticise me for standing tall! How weird is that? But ever so slowly, I’m learning to feel ‘right’ when I hold my head high.

I’m letting myself be seen.

Now, over to you!

I hope you have some time today to take a deep breath, give yourself space, and think about a habit you’re ready to let go of…

Love Catherine x

PS.

• The posture video I use is here! (I’ve watched dozens and dozens of videos on forward head thrust, dowager’s hump and forward head posture — this one works for me! You’ll need a wall and 2 minutes, twice a day.)

• Exciting book news!! Love Lie Repeat is in Frankie magazine! Take a look at this gorgeousness…

"Let's expect more from February..."

Hi everyone!

I want to announce the winners for last week’s giveaway at the end of this blog post, but for now…just look at what I found on my bush walk this week. Beautiful!

January was a busy month for me — lots of change, big resolutions, a return to healthy eating after the holidays, a re-commitment to moving my body more. I’m trying to learn to switch from chocolate and coffee to a walk or some meditation when I’m stressed.

Honestly, that’s hard for me.

It’s made me wonder — how are your resolutions going for you? Do you set any? Do you have some goals for 2019?

This week, Austin Kleon (an artist I love thanks to my American friend, Victoria from Being Me Movement) quoted a friend who said “We expect too much from January and not enough from February.”

It’s true, isn’t it?

We expect so much from January and so much from ourselves. But we have time: another eleven months to find our way and do the things we want to do in 2019.

Austin also shared his art and the words are beautiful:

Deep breath: we have more time. February is here and we can start again.

How?

Make a simple list. Jot down the things you want to achieve this year. Remind yourself that you have eleven months and today is the best day to start. Remember a gentler truth: you’ll accomplish so much more when you treat yourself with love. (Coffee? Chocolate? Or a bush walk? Try to make a good choice if you can, a choice that supports your own well being.) I heard some advice once and I think it’s true: when you feel awful, treat yourself how you’d treat a tired, overwhelmed toddler….with rest, good food, love.

So today, I’m sending you a fresh start and cheering you on from Down Under, where the bush walks are spectacular, even in the city parks.

Love Catherine x

Winners of last week’s giveaway!

The lucky winners are…

• Leslie B. from Canada, I’m posting you Love Lie Repeat! Congrats!

• And Sharon O. from America, I’m posting you my favourite (emerald) ring. Thanks to everyone who entered. (Rafflecopter chose random winners).

• You can watch me open my box of books here — Penguin sent me my author copies and the books are SO PRETTY. If you want to order, visit your local Aussie bookshop or order here for free delivery overseas. 30 days until release date!

Giveaway! Win LOVE LIE REPEAT & my favourite ring...

Happy Weekend!

If you know me in real life, you know I love giving. I’m the youngest of six kids and was raised in a family that knew how to share. (Was there enough to go around? Did everyone have something?) Giving was natural, like breathing, staging a play in the basement and fighting over board games.

I’ve baked a million cookies, given thousands of meals to friends, wrapped little gifts to encourage people, passed on poems I love. I’ve shared clothes and shoes and recipes, recommended just the right book to my writing students.

And this is weird: in my fantasy of fame and fortune, the best part about being like Oprah would be that moment where I could give the entire studio audience ALL my favourite things.

Enter to Win!

So today: something for you! I’m giving away a copy of LOVE LIE REPEAT and my favourite ring (pictured above).

I get so many compliments when I wear this ring that I went out and bought two — one to give away on my blog and one on Instagram. The pink ring was sold out, so I bought the ‘emerald’ stone to give away here, and the black stone ring on Instagram. Both are so pretty.

How To Enter:

Enter your details below, and forward this email to a friend who you think will enjoy my weekly Happiness Blog. That’s it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest closes Saturday, 2 February. I’ll announce the two winners on my blog next week — one person wins the ring, one my book. Fingers crossed that the technology works for me here. It’s my first giveaway using Rafflecopter (but it won’t be my last!).

And here’s some wisdom about these rings: I used to think I needed to wait until I could have a real emerald to enjoy one, but now I seize the day. You can have so much fun with a $12 ring, my friends.

Have some fun today!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• More awesome happiness posts: how to fix anything in 10 minutes, and is it time to rest?

• Thank you for pre-ordering LOVE LIE REPEAT! Early sales determine a book’s popularity. Order here with free postage worldwide (in Australia, try your local bookshop first!)

One Trick To Feel Better Now!

Everyone, it’s your weekend!

I always feel like the weekend is filled with limitless possibility.

For all of us, there’s at least some time to do what we love:

• chat for hours

• get creative

• cook (try my favourite salad!)

• relax

It seems like a MIRACLE to me that we get a weekend every single week.

Aren’t we lucky? Despite everything that’s going on in our Not Perfect Worlds, even if we need to work a little, we get this space to pause.

All of us have something we’re worried about. For me, there are sons to raise, book sales targets to hit, a house to clean, work to do, a new part time job, a just-finished novel to give to my publisher (and a brain that will not stop fretting about it). There are sisters in Canada and Phoenix to miss, school fees to pay at the end of the month, and on and on.

My life is both easy & hard, probably a lot like yours. And that’s only on the surface, the things we share with each other. We all have deep concerns that we don’t share.

When I’m feeling less than great, I use this quick fix. It’s so simple I’m almost too embarrassed to tell you! I sing Pink’s lyrics to myself. Crazy, but I do. (Song is here). This is the line that helps me:

Today, no matter what hard things are going on in our lives, there are a thousand worse places we could be.

We have a weekend! We have the choice to do something that makes us feel alive. We have the right to enjoy ourselves, if we decide to.

Have some fun, my friends, and let’s be FUN to live with.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Last week I heard from SO MANY OF YOU! Love getting your emails. Please share my blog with any friends who would like it!

• Love Lie Repeat is out 5 March! Which cover do you love? Here’s the ARC (Advance Reader Copies for reviewers) and the actual cover is below. So far, everyone loves both, but most people prefer one or the other. I feel SO LUCKY. Penguin’s running a competition for Australians to win an ARC! Closes 22 Jan!

And here’s the actual cover — books arrive in shops on 5 March!

If you’ve pre-ordered, thank you! It helps so much! In Australia, please support your local bookshop — like Beachside Bookshop — or shop online. Overseas people — you can order here! I appreciate your support more than you know. Thank you.

Playing Big and Playing Small

Happy Sunday!

I love this image shot by George Caddy in the 1930s on Bondi Beach. It’s a local gymnastics club doing Beach-obatics. Doesn’t it make you LOVE Australians?? Me too.

It makes me think about playing big and playing small. I’ve been considering it a lot lately, because if you’ve been following along, you know that I’m launching my debut novel in March.

This means I can celebrate! I achieved a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl. (By the way, my book is beautiful inside and out! Penguin did such an incredible job of the design. Here’s a sneak peek of the internal pages while I was editing a few months ago…)

It also means that everyone is allowed to have a public opinion of my work. Some people will love my book. Some won’t. Some may make valid points about what I could have done better. Some people may just be unkind. And it will all happen in public, for everyone to see and comment on.

Can you imagine that? Getting a 3-star rating when you speak at a meeting? Getting 5-stars for your dinner party, or 2-stars for your parenting? And it’s out there, in public?? Whew!

But my feeling is this: I’m a beginner, and I’m doing the best I can. So here’s what I’m learning in my fifties, my friends! It’s time to grow and let my life get bigger. It’s scary, but it’s also time. Just asking…is it time for you to get bigger, too?

Are you with me? Let’s not apologise for the size of anything.

Our bodies.

Our needs.

Our dreams.

Our attempts, which are definitely not going to be perfect.

This year, let’s not spend a single second being quiet so we don’t irritate people. Let’s not match the size of our lives to the size of someone else’s expectations of us.

And even if there’s criticism (especially when there’s criticism!), let’s keep going.

Let’s continue to shine.

Enjoy your weekend, and be fun to live with!

Love Catherine x

PS.

LOVE LIE REPEAT is out 5 March and available for pre-order! (Pre-orders help so much…they tell a publisher how popular a book will be!) In Australia, ask your local bookshop — my favourite is Beachside Bookshop in Avalon or online at Booktopia or Readings or Dymocks. Rest of the world, use Book Depository for free worldwide shipping. Thank you, thank you! I appreciate having you cheer me on…

There's Something I Haven't Told You...

Hi, everyone!

It’s time to let you in on some exciting news.

Eighteen months ago, I signed a book deal with Penguin Random House. It’s been my dream to write a novel since I was a little girl, and finally, in the middle of my life, I decided it was time to step out and try.

LOVE LIE REPEAT hits bookshops in 8 weeks — March 5th! (Available overseas via book depository & amazon kindle)

What’s my book about?

I’m intrigued by strong women, and I wanted to write about beauty and power. (A long time ago, I wrote my Master’s thesis on Feminine Vitality in the stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald.)

LOVE LIE REPEAT is about mothers and daughters, the pressure to be perfect, and why we hurt the people we love. It’s set in the upper north shore of Sydney, full of private schools and privilege, opportunity and competition, love and disappointment…and what that does to women and girls.

People are saying it’s “lush and chilling” .… “gorgeous and biting” ,.. “powerful and shocking and completely unputdownable.”

I hope you think so, too!

A publisher at Penguin said, “LOVE LIE REPEAT is your love song to Sydney.” It’s also my love song to the Pacific Northwest, where I used to live. And it’s a tribute to Margaret Atwood, whose poem ‘Siren Song’ inspired the book.

We’re all more than we seem…

You’ve known me as a happiness blogger and a children’s author; some of you know me as a teacher and book coach for my online class, How To Write Your Book This Year.

But like you, I’m more. I’m also a writer of juicy family dramas, thrillers with the twists & without the gore — psychological suspense novels. I write about beauty, power, deceit and redemption. And I do it all on my patio, with my laptop and my dog and a good cup of coffee.

So how does this relate to you?

If I can move toward my dream in the middle of my life, so can you. I want to be an example of what’s possible for all of us, especially if we remember this:

Thanks so very much for sharing in my good news! All writers need fabulous readers, and I’m so grateful for your encouragement and support.

Happy Sunday! I hope you find a way to take the first step towards making your dreams come true.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Pre-orders help authors so much! It means publishers know how popular a book will be. You’ll get your copy of LOVE LIE REPEAT in just 8 weeks, March 5th. Preorder here on book depository for worldwide delivery, here on booktopia, here on amazon in Australia, here on amazon Kindle. Thank you so much for your support!

• Want to write your own book this year? It’s not too late to join my online class. Fabulous students — all beginners. You’re so welcome! I can send you the replay for our first class; there’s four to come. Learn more.

Being Beautiful (Not Perfect) in 2019

Soak up this quote for a moment, on the cusp of heading into the new year.

Make beautiful things (not perfect things).

Add in.

Not take away.

I always think that New Year’s resolutions are mostly about stopping a lot of stuff (eating, drinking, Netflix-ing). But consider this: maybe 2019 is your year to add something to your life.

Be a beginner.

Start something.

Seek that dream.

Try what we’re afraid to attempt.

Reach a little.

Be a producer, not a consumer…and a cheerleader, not a critic of people who are busy creating.

Instead of continually taking things away from your life, think about one thing you can add in.

Me? I’m adding in a dance class with my husband. Finally! The last one we took together was before we were married, 22 years ago. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out. (Scared, I need shoes, will it be hard? Help….!!)

Happy New Year, everybody! In 2019, may you get busy adding in … and making some (imperfect) dreams come true.

Love, Catherine x

PS. I’m teaching beginners to write their books (novels, children’s novels AND non-fiction books)! My 5-week online course starts 2 January. You can take the class live — Wednesdays in North America, Thursdays in Australia — or watch the replays. More info here!

Holiday Goodies Just For You!

I’m sending holiday good cheer around the world to you this morning! (My family’s sleeping in from our late night Monopoly marathon; I’m up with my early morning coffee, admiring our tree.)

Anticipation brings joy, and I truly believe that you can have maximum fun with minimum effort, so for you — my list of holiday goodies to enjoy.

1. For families — Christmas Camp Out

   We started Christmas Camp Out when the boys were little and budgets were tight. We’re still going, 15 years later. On December 23, the kids open their Christmas pjs, then they drag sleeping bags under the tree and have an indoor camp out. Late night stories, lots of laughs. It was THRILLING for 3 year olds to sleep under the tree, and honestly — teenagers still love it.

2. Take a walk — alone or together

   For us, it’s a big bush walk. Walking is the perfect way to de-stress, to think about what you love, and to get your body moving. My teens chose a bush walk that was 3 kilometres down a cliff and 3 kilometres back up. Not kidding you. I’m sore this morning! Wherever you are today, take a walk and appreciate how beautiful the world is.

3. Enjoy your holiday treats

We all have a few holiday treats we love. For us, it’s old-fashioned Coconut Ice and Rum Balls at Christmas.

I use this recipe for Coconut Ice, and I always make Vancouver chef Diane Clement’s rum balls.

4. Always this: gratitude.

Because no matter what we’re facing this holiday — and I know, we rarely share the absolute hard stuff but we ALL have it happening — we need to take a little time to appreciate our lives. The old cliche is true:

5. Friends and family: reach out!

A one minute text message, a photo sent, a call, a hug, a minute to really listen. Give the gift of your attention. We can all do more of this. My big sister, Cookie, always says: “Is there a piano tied to your keister??” which makes me laugh every time. So unless there’s a piano tied to you, you can easily reach out to someone. We all can.

From me and my (tall) family, Happy Holidays. It’s an absolute privilege to say hello every week. Thank you for reading!

Thank you for being lovely.

Love, Catherine x

(We need to work out using the timer! But here we are…love from my family to you!)

You're Doing Better Than You Think You Are

As the year draws to a close, are you distracted by what you didn’t get done?

When I start down that road, I also begin comparing myself to other people…

Instagram.

Facebook.

Friends and colleagues in real life.

Sometimes we come up ahead, and sometimes behind. Often we think, “I’m so thankful I didn’t have to walk through THAT!” and often — if we’re honest — we also think, “Where’s MY good thing? When is MINE coming?”

But here’s the deal: comparison is the thief of joy, as Teddy Roosevelt famously said.

And I will add this:

This is the season to be jolly, not to blame yourself for things you didn’t get done. Life is twisty and some things take time; we don’t always know why events unfold as they do. My wish for all of us right now is this…

Slow down.

Enjoy.

It’s okay to take your time. It’s okay to let things unfold. And remember: you’re doing better than you think you are.

I love this quote from Morgan Harper Nichols:

So as the year ends, let’s enjoy it. Let’s celebrate. Blooming ever-so-slowly is still just fine.

Love, Catherine

P.S.

• It’s almost finished Jacaranda Snow-ing in Sydney! Kerri from Adelaide @asqueezeoflemon sent me this beautiful Jacaranda Snow photo! Thanks, Kerri!

• If you’ve read the Notes to my picture book, Jacaranda Snow, you’ll know that jacaranda seedlings were given to new mums in Australia when they left hospital, and that’s why we have so many beautiful jacaranda trees. This week, a lovely fan of the book emailed me to tell me that jacarandas were also given to young birth mothers at adoption. I love Australia and our jacaranda kids. (If your local library or school library doesn’t have Jacaranda Snow yet, please ask them to carry it! It’s so important for our history.)

One Genius Way to Feel Fabulous in December

Love these Christmas hats at my favourite local cafe…

It’s holiday season here in Sydney and it’s a beautiful 30 degrees today. I’m looking forward to hopping in the pool with the family, then putting on a glamorous dress for a friend’s Christmas party.

But first, I wanted to give something to all of you: my new favourite way to enjoy Christmas. This tip comes via my sister! And she’s so right.

I get to wrap presents.

I get to bake for the people I love.

I get to shop.

I get to go to parties, and I get to put on a fancy dress.

Really, we’re all so lucky just to be here.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Have some fun and be fun to live with!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Last year’s gingerbread houses are here!

• If you need a pep talk today, revisit how to talk to yourself, advice from Mummyville, when to take it on and when to let go, how to be the CEO of our thoughts, lessons for tired people-pleasers and my favourite, all purpose, best most helpful question to ask anywhere, anytime.

About Car Wreckers and Christmas...

Sometimes people say to me, “Catherine, are you really so happy ALL the time?” The answer is no. Not always.

Take last night, when I arrived back at the train station carpark to find that someone had left me a little present.

No note, no contact details, just the damage.

For me, a costly insurance deductible to pay; for them, probably guilt and fear, and having to carry the weight of doing something wrong. It wasn’t good for either of us…the person who got away or the one left holding the problem.

But here’s the thing. When bad stuff happens to us, we have a choice. Mine is always this:

My Canadian sister visited me in November, and she says it another way. I love her image, too:

I’m going to drop

that bag of rocks.

Because why carry it?

Why spend time watering and carrying something that won’t respond to your energy? The car door is damaged. The relationship is over. The deal didn’t go through.

Flip the bad into good. Here’s how I do it: years ago, I decided that when bad things happen to me, I will respond by pouring some good into the world. It doesn’t have to be equal in value or size. (My car door gets wrecked; I bake a surprise cake for my neighbour.) Replacing the bad with some good — with something I have control over — always makes me feel better. It’s become my Go-To response to trouble and bad news.

Whatever disappointment you’re facing, small like my car or big and scary, maybe try putting some good back into the world. You’ll drop the rocks, travel lighter, and feel a little better.

Right? Right.

So today I’ve been thinking about this: the tree’s up and it’s three weeks until we get to celebrate with the people we love!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. There’s so much to appreciate in December!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• New to my blog? Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for weekly happiness here.

• If you’re in Sydney, I hope you visit the Queen Victoria Building’s crystal tree (above) — three storeys high and so pretty!

• And here’s a wintry sunset from my sister in Saskatchewan, Canada. Isn’t it gorgeous?

One Minute Happiness

Happy Thanksgiving! I missed our Canadian holiday this year, so I’m jumping in with the Americans. Generally, I go where the party is.

In honour of this beautiful American and Canadian tradition (celebrated in November and October, respectively), I’m making pumpkin pie and roasting turkey.

And I’m slowing down and getting grateful.

Want to know my ‘One Minute To Happiness’ Trick?

• STOP.

• Imagine plucking all the problems from your life. Set them aside (just for a moment).

• What’s left?

• Be thankful for it.

What’s always left, when I pull out the problems?

People to love.

Warm beds.

A roof, food, books, board games, libraries, fresh air, clean water. Our ability to choose our thoughts.

When I pluck out my problems and get back to basics, happiness always comes to me in one minute flat.

Enjoy your thanks and your giving today!

Sending love around the world from Australia,

Catherine x

PS.

• See & listen to the String Quintet in our music room playing ‘Jacaranda Snow.’ The piano score is printed in my new picture book!

• Jacarandas are busy snowing in Sydney, and everywhere I go I’m hearing stories of kids who’ve read and loved my picture book OR from people who were jacaranda babies. It’s not too late to get Jacaranda Snow for someone you love! Overseas buyers can purchase here; Aussie buyers please purchase here. Thank you for your support! The entire project has been a labour of love. Helene Magisson’s illustrations are gorgeous, Alex Lau’s music is divine and Educalme’s FREE online growth mindset course is amazing,

The Best Berry Shortbread Cookies

What’s better than family and holidays and cookies?

Yum.

You’ll definitely want to make these Raspberry Almond Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle. Last year I made them for my publisher and carried them on the train. On that commute, strangers gazed at my cookies longingly. I made a blog-friend, shared the recipe with everyone, and became the most celebrated author in the city — ha ha!

Now you can, too.

And it’s quick and easy!

Whip up the dough in your mixer, thumbprint the cookies and fill with raspberry jam.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, cool and drizzle with white chocolate. The secret is to fill a ziplock bag with melted chocolate and snip off the end. It’ll give you more control as you decorate.

The recipe is here, from last year!

Enjoy — these cookies are perfect for Christmas and as giveaways that everyone loves. It will take you less than an hour to whip up a batch.

You are so welcome!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• In Sydney it’s Jacaranda Snow-ing — purple snow everywhere! I finished my book launches for JACARANDA SNOW this week. Thank you for supporting this beautiful project. (Books available here and in good bookshops in Australia).

• And for anyone who’s ever asked me about writing a picture book, I pulled together all the information you’ll need in this quick, comprehensive How To e-book, available now! You can find it here. It’s a clear, quick, no-nonsense guide.

What's on your To Don't List?

Hello, all the new people this week! And hello, my internet & real life friends. I’ve been enjoying family these last few days; my Mum and sister & brother-in-law flew in from Canada yesterday and the house is all turned around with gifts and food and graduation celebrations for our oldest son. So I’m happy/tired this morning, up with the kookaburras!

I have a very cool question for you today.

What’s on your

To Don’t list?

I first heard this phrase from the lovely Erin Loechner, and I told her I’d quote her and share it! Such a great idea, right? We’re all filling our lives with To Dos.

What is on your To Don’t List?

Okay, I’m getting real here. My short list:

1. I don’t vacuum the corners.

2. I don’t worry about the garden I can’t see (e.g. down the side of the house…)

3. I don’t get up and race around in the morning. I always have slow-coffee first (for as long as I can manage!).

4. I don’t colour my hair anymore.

Erin says that for everyone with big To Do lists, it’s good to have a healthy To Don’t List.

Who are you, and what DOESN’T matter to you? What DON’T you do? What isn’t worth it, to you? Where do you draw your line in the sand? I’m so curious about your To Don’t list.

Enjoy your beautiful weekend, everyone…and, as always, be fun to live with!

Love Catherine

PS. One last To Don’t for me — I truly DO want to help new writers get their books written; I DON’T want to spend hours in cafes explaining how to do this with interested and lovely people! So I created a course and an e-book to help you, if you’re a new writer.

1. I teach How To Write Your Book This Year online for five weeks. (Starts 2 Jan!)

2. I wrote an e-book: How To Write Your Picture Book. You can download it NOW here! Everything I’ve learned in all my courses and by signing a publishing deal for Jacaranda Snow, my debut picture book.

My One Piece of Paper Solution to Overwhelm

Hi, friends!

I’m loving November (Hello, Summer!) but I’m also a bit tired. Are you the same?

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I do this simple thing. I’m almost embarrassed to share it because it’s so basic, but it helps me EVERY TIME. Maybe it will also help you.

I keep a block of A3 paper on hand, and whenever I feel stressed and overwhelmed, I grab a sheet and a sharpie. Then I brain dump everything major that’s waging war in my head onto the page. I usually chunk out my thoughts by month, with a few lists as well.

It’s become my go-to coping mechanism. (So much healthier than chocolate, right?)

One big piece of paper, with everything on it.

Sometimes I stick the page up on my wall in the study, replacing as I write new ones. Sometimes I just look at everything in one spot, and then I transfer jobs to To Do lists. Sometimes I stare at the sheet and breathe and remind myself that it’s do-able and not as jumbled and overwhelming as I thought.

Why does it work?

There’s magic (for me!) in the relief of putting everything in one place, outside myself, and in seeing it visually at one time…not in a series of lists. Maybe it will also work for you!

And now for some fun…

Since Jacaranda Snow launched, I’ve had SO MANY people ask if they can meet me for lunch or coffee to talk about writing their own picture books. You guys, it’s a super fun thing to do. But I’m running out of time to meet up and share (cue: feeling overwhelmed!), so I put together an e-book for anyone interested.

Here it is:

My e-book distills everything I learned in two years of expensive writing courses (plus the 10 years I spent doing it all wrong). It’ll set you on the right track to write your first viable picture book, if you want to!

It’s easy, fast and streamlined. I’m a good teacher!

If this sounds like fun and you’ve always wanted to try writing your book, you can buy it here. You’ll get it now, because it’s an e-book! You could write your book today!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Be fun to live with!

Love Catherine x

The 10 Minute Fix

Let’s talk about avoiding stuff.

Do you ever avoid a job that needs to be done? I wanted to wash off the pendant light hanging outside on our patio, covered in winter grime. I hate that job (okay, I hate cleaning.)

Enter: The 10 Minute Fix.

Here’s how I motivate myself: I set the oven timer to 10 minutes. I promise I’ll clean until it goes off. Grab the bucket, fill with hot water and soap, drop in a cloth, wipe the pendant lamp: messy, slimy, but I keep going until it’s done. I have time to spare, so I sweep the patio, get rid of cobwebs, swipe my cloth over the messy barbecue.

Beep beep. Time’s up. And it’s done.

Why is it so hard to remember that most yucky jobs take 10 minutes?

Seriously, what if we ALL did 10 minutes of exercise right now? Squats and push-ups, my friend, for 10 minutes. Or how about this: 10 minutes of meditation. 10 minutes of stretching. 10 minutes of working on your book. De-cluttering. Cleaning your underwear drawer.

It always surprises me how much I can get done in 10 minutes.

Choose the thing.

Set your timer for 10.

Do.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone! May your lights get cleaned, your barbecue wiped off, and your push-ups done! And thank you, truly, for being here if you’re new this week!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Love all things French & English? And Canadian & Aussie? I want to tell you about Educalme, because Kailey and Josianne partnered with me to create a full FREE online Growth Mindset / Mindfulness course to go with my new picture book, JACARANDA SNOW. (You can take a peek at the free course here) Access Code is: JACARANDASNOW Educalme is an awesome initiative that truly helps kids, teachers and parents. Merci, Kailey and Josianne! This week I was on their incredible podcast: The Balanced Educator. Listen here!

• Did you know that so much of JACARANDA SNOW is or feels French?? Helene Magisson is French / Australian, so the beautiful illustrations look French; Kailey & Josianne are bilingual and everything at Educalme is in French & English; and Alexander Lau, who composed a piano quintet that we printed in the book … his piece sounds like it was written by a French composer from the Romantic period. I’m the only non-French part of the book! Gotta work on that!

• Books I posted overseas should be arriving to you soon! I’ll check with my publisher on Monday. Thank you! Available here and in Aussie bookshops.

Marriage S.O.S

Happy Sunday!

Just keeping it real: can we talk about screens? And relationships? Do you ever feel like your conversations are split between a human and what’s on your phone?

We’re a busy couple, and it’s hard to admit that there are days and days when our marriage looks like this photo. Two laptops. Two coffees. Two people. Two phones. You see, we were at a restaurant, allegedly 'having a drink' before a school function…but there was a phone call, then an email to send, and I had my laptop with me so I started writing and on and on it goes.

We’re all facing the same question, right? How much is too much? When do the screens intrude and stop us from talking to each other?

We check them so often. Email, instagram, facebook. Too often.

BF Skinner, behavioural scientist, discovered that to ingrain a habit, you just need to give rewards at variable times in variable sizes. The lab rat knows it’ll be given food for pressing the lever, but not exactly when or how much. The result is a compulsive rat. It’s exactly the same with humans. Variable intermittent reinforcement explains why we hang around waiting for those hearts in Instagram and Likes on Facebook. We check-check-check and keep checking.

What are we looking for? Love on a screen. Bings and bongs that tell us we matter.

I had an epiphany while I was sleepless at 4am, and it was this:

For the next while,

I’m going to look for love

in real life.

It’s an experiment.

I’m looking for human connection, for “variable intermittent reinforcement” from a chat with a stranger in the fruit and veg market, from unexpected teenage hugs from my boys, from a wink from this guy I married 21 years ago. (Here he is, reading my latest book. This sneaky photo I took of Luther reminds me that love is a verb; it looks like reading your wife’s early drafts and emptying the dishwasher and being the one to walk the dog.)

A while ago I wrote about the four critical questions in a relationship. The first one is this:

Do you see me?

So if you need a little relationship S.O.S. (and I know that I do!), maybe try this: see the person in front of you, and step away from the screens, especially around the people you love.

Happy weekend everyone.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Hi new people! I appreciate you! Forward to a friend — everyone can sign up here for weekly happiness emails.

• JACARANDA SNOW is out in the world! I’m getting so many beautiful comments from readers, like this one from Melbourne author and Deedbags founder, Emma Bowd: “Jacaranda Snow champions the unseen kids and their carers from disadvantaged backgrounds, who have ‘enough’ but also have dreams like everyone else.” It’s my dream to help kids see that they can change their own lives. (Available in selected Aussie bookshops and online here!)

•  You can take a look at Deedbags and their wonderful designs (& good work in the world!) here. Aussie-hand-crafted by Emma in Melbourne. I bought a classic French-stripe Deedbag and use it for shopping!

How fast do you need to go?

Hello!

Every Sunday I love to sneak up early on the day.

My favourite thing in the world is to get up before everyone else and just sit in the quiet house, knowing that my family’s still resting.

Because this is true:

Our world has a time-famine mindset.

Time flies. It’s scarce. We need more time. Faster is better, right? But sometimes faster is just faster. Sometimes slower gives us all the energy we need to figure out the right solution to a problem or the best way forward.

It’s not how most people think.

The world is filled with hustle, my friends. But it should also be filled with some days that are deliberate and slow.

Here’s to slowing down today. Deep breaths, sip your coffee, smile at the people you love. Today, I’m going to do my best to slow down and listen to every story I’m told.

Enjoy your Sunday! I appreciate you being here.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• To all the new people this week — hello and welcome! Forward to a friend — everyone can sign up here for weekly happiness emails.

• Curious about how it was to go grey slowly? Here’s what it looked like…

• On the power to choose what we want.