2015 weddings.

Spring has sprung and wedding season is beginning.

This year, we have the joy of celebrating a few weddings but at the beginning of last year, I declared 2015 to be the year of the wedding (for us, at least)! I knew of many weddings but as the year progressed, so did this number. I can't imagine there being another year like this – lucky I love weddings!

We had three weekends with wedding clashes... devastating! Choosing which wedding, being split as a couple, missing out all together – none are good options. My husband is a pastor and is asked to be involved in many. I'm thankful for the weddings we get to enjoy!

Because I love weddings and it's such a special year, I wanted to document the weddings and share some highlights (and who doesn't want their wedding blogged... or is that just me!?).

Check them out and I hope they get you excited for any weddings you have coming up.

Wedding 1 // B E K  &  N I C K // 22 January 2015 // #woodyoumarrymein2015
A summer ceremony under an oak tree, a rustic barn party. A gathering of families and the making of a new one.

Photographer: James Day, Daylight. Location: Country Weddings, Sydney Polo Club. Flowers: Sarah Rowbotham. Stationery: TEAPEAlala.

Wedding 2 // F I  &  M I K E // 7 March 2015 // #fiismikeysgirl
A long-awaited and anticipated union of two incredible people. Details all accounted for, all people valued, a joyous celebration, incredible food shared between friends! {Also blogged here}

Photographer: Mr Glen Edwards. Locations: Swain Gardens // Ku-ring-gai Town Hall. Flowers: Madelaine Tarasenko // posy by steph // TEAPEAlala. Stationery: Lauren Langley. Dress: Grace Loves Lace. Shoes: Funkis.

Wedding 3 // A N D Y  &  N E R I D A // 7 March 2015
A special celebration, just the way they are. No expectations, valuing love and one another. Great beer, old friends, Sydney Harbour. [Attended by my love].

Photographer: Ben Teh Photography. Location: Athol Hall.

Wedding 4 // L O U I S E  &  N I C H O L A S // 24 April 2015
Stunning. Fun. Creative. Special. A DIY wedding to professional standards, with love overflowing. So much personality, joy and fun friends. And a killer autumn sunset.

Photographer: Robert Meredith Photography. Location: Simmer on the Bay. Flowers: Francis Floristry.

Wedding 5 // T I M  &  A N N A // 22 August 2015 // #donthasslethehoughs
Devastating. Unfortunately Tim and Anna were on a clash weekend, and this time, my husband and I couldn't split between them, as one was in Australia and the other England. We flew to England to celebrate Wedding 6. From all reports, it was a super fun and beautiful day!







Photographer: Joshua K Photography. Location: Christ Church, Gladesville // Dedes at the Point, Sydney Rowing Club. Flowers: TEAPEAlala.

Wedding 6 // F R A N C E S C A  &  J O E L // 22 August 2015
A funny and fun celebration of two funny and fun friends. We travelled to England to celebrate these guys, and my husband preached at their ceremony. A beautiful English summer day followed by a crazy storm. What fun!

Photographer: Firehorse Photography. Location: St Oswald's, Sowerby // Mill House, South Kilvington. Flowers: Floristik // posy by steph. Stationery: Lauren Langley.

Wedding 7 // E R I N  &  J E R E M Y // 26 September 2015 // #wouldntitbebryce
Flowers, felt balls, fun and friends; this wedding honoured the creativity of the couple. So privileged to be included in the celebration and organisation of this wedding. My husband and I prayed for them and their future together at the ceremony and we MCed the party of these incredible friends.

Photographer: Shane Shepherd. Location: St Philips, South Turramurra // Estuary Restaurant, Brooklyn. Flowers: posy by steph. Stationery/Ties: TEAPEAlala.

Wedding 8 // J O S H  &  B E T H A N E Y // 31 October 2015 // #bemyvallentine2015
A huge wedding and celebration including many generations of friends and family. My husband MCed the reception and I jumped between tables sharing laughs with friends.

Photographer: Jack Gilchrist Photography. Location: St Paul's, Chatswood // Galston Community Hall. Flowers/Stationery/Ties: TEAPEAlala.

Wedding 9 // M I T C H  &  S A R A H // 4 December 2015 // #bryce4lyf
A big but intimate wedding, full of fun and personality. If you like eating pizza, you would have liked this wedding. If you like a mad dance party, you would have liked this wedding. If you like good chats on small tables, you would have liked this wedding. Lots to love with a very loved-up couple.

Photographer: James Goff Photography. Location: St John's, Wahroonga // Douglas Pickering Pavilion, St Ives Showground. Flowers: Flower Spells.

Wedding 10 // D E E J A Y  &  R A C H // 12 December 2015 // #deejayandrachforever
When you attend the wedding of a wedding photographer, you know they will have thought of the details; I was not left disappointed. Held under a fig tree and in a community hall, much was left to their imaginations – thankfully they're a creative couple. A fun and relaxed celebration; I'm so happy I could celebrate as my husband celebrated Wedding 11.

Photographer: Tim Coulson Photography. Location: Fig Tree // Wyong Creek Hall. Flowers: Merrin Grace Floral Design. Stationery: Lauren Merrick Illustration.

Wedding 11 // D R E W  &  P H O E B E // 12 December 2015
Sadly I couldn't be present at this wedding to celebrate "Drewbe" and to hear my husband preach a brilliant sermon, but from all reports it was beautiful and fun and a great time to celebrate and catch up with old friends.

Photographer: Faure Valletta. Locations: Village Church, Annandale // Dedes at the Point, Sydney Rowing Club. Flowers: Floristik.

coconut lemon pound cake.

I finally found a recipe that uses coconut flour and is simple and delicious!

I used a lot of coconut flour when I first started considering what goes into my body and treating my chronic fatigue syndrome with food. It's so good because of its many health benefits but is quite a difficult flour to use.

Some of its benefits include:

• it is gluten-free: gluten is damaging to the gut and is difficult for your body to process.
• it is also grain-free and so doesn't need any special preparation, like some grains do, to help you process them.
• it is high in protein, fibre and fat (the good kind), and so is much more filling than other flours.
• it is made from the flesh of a coconut, so you know exactly what's in it, but the coconut flavour isn't overly dominant.

It's a difficult flour to use because:

• it is highly absorbent and so you don't need much but you need to work quickly and use lots of liquid and eggs to get the recipe right.
• it often clumps up as it is really fine so you need to mix it really well to ensure you don't get clumps of flour.

Coconut flour and I have been on a break because I didn't love any of the recipes but I'm glad I tried again. I think you'll also love this recipe I found. 

Do you have any coconut flour recipes you love? Please comment below, I'd love to try them!

COCONUT LEMON POUND CAKE

gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup lemon juice (this was about 1 1/2 lemons)

zest of one lemon

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch (also known as arrowroot starch/flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175*C and line/grease a loaf pan (approx 8x20cm) 
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs with coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest.
3. Add coconut flour, tapioca, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until skewer/toothpick comes out clean.
5. Remove from pan, cool and eat!

Recipe from blog.paleohacks.com

top 5 tips for treating a head cold naturally.

For the past week I've had a cold.

The sort of cold where you don't sleep all night because you can't breathe.
The sort of cold where you use a box of 120 tissues in 24 hours.
The sort of cold where you get to the point of wondering how on earth your body could possibly produce any more snot!

And I like to treat these things naturally. I like to let my body use its incredible abilities and let it run its course, build immunity and give it what it needs. But surely there's some relief. And there is.

Here are my top 5 tips for treating a head cold naturally, as tested by me in the past week.

1. Vitamin C
You can supplement this guy (and if you've met my mum you'll know the importance of Vitamin C) but getting it through other forms, like oranges and lemons, is an amazing way. Eating seasonally, I think God was onto something with that... My body was craving oranges, so I listened to it and obliged.

2. Tea
Steer clear of caffeine, so no black teas – they just dehydrate you – and when you're sick what you really need hydration. So pump up the herbal tea intake. Lemon in water is what I had a lot of but I also had a lemon, ginger, turmeric and oregano concoction simmering away on the stove. There are also lots of good quality herbal teas you can buy to help with healing and hydration. Check out Immunitea by Burton Health as an example, and read this post on why good quality herbal tea is so good.

3. Saline
Saline is just salt and water and it has many uses. But for a head cold you need it up your nose. Yep. I snort saline. There are nasal irrigation systems you can get and other fancy things but what I do is this: warm water in your hand, add a bit of salt, snort, then hold it in there for 10 seconds (make sure you keep your mouth closed too!). Blow it out and repeat 3 times. I find it easiest to do in the shower. Or even better, get yourself into the ocean. So many healing benefits of the sea!

4. Good quality tissues
I always buy good quality tissues, because seriously, life's too short for having a sore AND runny nose! I like to buy the ones scented with eucalyptus because of its decongestant, immunity and antibacterial properties. And they're just so soft on your nose!

5. Essential oils
Talking of eucalyptus, essential oils are excellent. They have heaps of beneficial and healing qualities. I bought a mix called Ezi-Breathe which I inhaled with steam and put on my pillow at night, but they can be used in lots of different ways and to help with lots of different things. Get onto them!

And obviously, but not so obviously to many people, REST. When your body is fighting something it doesn't also need to be fighting for energy. So stop. Catch up on some zzz's and take some time to slow down.

Here are a couple more ideas, which I didn't test in the past week – but would have used if I were at home – and are proven winners:
- homemade bone broth. This guy is so great in so many ways – get it into you!
- coconut oil. Known for its antibacterial properties – add that to everything.
- probiotics. Your gut is a powerhouse, and if it's not working properly then you're probably not working properly, so get those good guys into you!
- apple cider vinegar. Yes, it's vinegar but it's great. Research it – it's good for everything!

Hope these tips help and you're feeling better so soon!

What natural healing tips do you use? Comment below – I'd love to try them!

basket case.

I have an old basket; I found it on the side of the road; it has been a basket of blankets; I have loved for a few years it in its old, falling-apart glory. But it's time for a renewal – it needs some new life! We all know I love a bit of DIY so now to decide what to do... 

Here's some inspiration I found to bring some new life to my basket; only problem is, they're all so beautiful I might need to collect some more baskets!!

Dip-dye baskets look great. They bring freshness and colour but still maintain the character and life of the basket.

 Image from Scrap Hacker

Who doesn't love a bit of fluro?!

Add a cactus painting (or some greenery), and I'm sold!

Images from Olliella

I'm also loving something metallic – adding a little bit of class and shine.

Images from L: Martha Stewart R: Eco Salon

Or the classiness of the black:

Image from Olliella

But can I really go past spots and pom poms?

Images from L: Olliella R: Fazeek

So many options and so many decisions... I'll keep you posted on what I decide (when I get around to doing the project!). What one do you love?