hey hello

I want to write here more often but I often feel as though I need have something big and important to say in such a formal space. But it's just a blog. And my favourite blogs involve regular people just showing up and saying 'hey hello, here is how my regular old life is going right now'.

I also like having a space that is mine and is not beholden to the whims of the dreaded algorithm. Where I can just show up and write so hopefully I will do more of that this year.

life + home

I have had the most head-spinning and hectic Christmas/NewYear period and my work break flew by - all over as of today. But I felt like I found a good balance between fun outings, house to-do's and lots of laying on the couch in the airconditioning watching James Bond films with Zara.

scrapbooking projects

I don't feel free to move on to new things until the old ones are finished so I am giving myself another week to get all the 2024 stuff off the books. I finished my December Daily mini and as of this morning, my Sentence-A-Day project is complete - I just need to get it together to send off to print. Very glad I perservered and finished that one, it will be a great little snapshot of the year.

I also have a 2024 photobook project (10x8 size) that is done up until October so I want to get that completed too. That's been great for my larger, better photos but I don't think I'll continue that this year.

I don't have concrete scrapbooking plans for 2025. I've learned that I really like/need an easy way to document the little things so I've created a set of three templates to cover a month at a time with space for a quick photo and a few words - very similar to my Sentence-A-Day but changing up the design because one year working on the same looking pages is enough for me. Going to to that in 8x10 again and print as a Blurb book.

For the rest of the time, I think I'll just make regular pages when it strikes. I really enjoyed getting back into making random 6x8 and 8x10 sized pages last year.

shannanpages shop

The plan is to continue to release digital templates and products on a regular basis (trying for Saturdays). I also want to do more YouTube tutorials and need to really get those classes I keep talking about finished and posted (so close, it's only the lack of time and perfectionism that's holding me back).

The first new templates went into the shop yesterday. The Every Day Monthly Template Set is what I will be using this year for the little bits of life - available in 12x12, Letter, 8x10 and 9x12. This template has three pages to cover each month.

I also have the Ranked24 two-page template for compiling end of year lists - various topics are included in the template, including books, movies, moments. (It also has a Ranked25 option if you want to document this year). This one comes in 8x10, Letter, 9x12, 12x12 and 6x8.

health, wellbeing + the kitchen

Summer is the best time to reinvigorate cooking for me. We have been going to a new-to-us fresh food market and getting the most amazing and inspiring grocery hauls. Both kids were diagnosed with celiac disease late last year which has brought some challenges - we have become that 'when you live in an ingredient household' meme - but we are adjusting well. Eli is becoming a really good cook and help in the kitchen. I'm waiting on my endoscope appointment and have about resigned myself to a celiac diagnosis also, enjoying my gluten last hurrah (you need to be eating gluten regularly prior to the biopsy for an accurate result).

I've been getting the most incredible oxheart tomatoes and eating them on crisped italian bread with goats cheese, basil, salt, pepper and lots of olive oil. It's also the season for spicy prawn tacos, platters of mangoes, watermelon and ripe peaches, eggplant parm, ciabatta sandwiches crammed with cold cuts, greens and the pickley-est mayo concoctions, aperol spritzes by the pool and icecream in bed late at night.

summer

Summer feels like it is flying by this year. Back-to-school signs are everywhere and Easter hot cross buns showed up in Woollies immediately after the 25th. Can we please just enjoy this season before barrelling towards the next? This rush to the next thing is adding to the feeling that life is sped up.

I've really enjoyed the last few weeks where the hot and humid days have been interspersed with cooler, rainy weather to give us a break. This is the summer of afternoon James Bond films with Zara, evening pool games upstairs playing records and making cocktails, morning dips in the pool, slow and lazy afternoons and repeat viewings of What We Do In The Shadows in bed.

Our home is really geared for summer with the pool and lots of outdoor lounging and dining space and I feel very grateful. It also makes entertaining so easy and I love having friends and family here.

currents

reading:

I just finished All the Beautiful Things by Jonathan Seidler. I really liked it and the framing of the story.

watching:

All of the James Bond films with Zara (we have just entered the Pierce Brosnan era)

What We Do In The Shadows (rewatch - incredible)

Lots of YouTube interior design videos ("what design trends are we leaving behind in 2024" is huge right now) and anything that has a title along the lines of 'I bought an abaondoned cottage in the middle of nowhere...'

Heartstopper Season 3 with Zara and Abbey one afternoon

Nosferatu (cinema - loved)

Heretic (home - very good)

listening:

Joni Mitchell Blue over and over

The Smith's record I got for Zara in Melbourne for Christmas (and if a double decker bus, crashes into us...)

Lots of vintage Italian summer themed Spotify playlists.

loving: the way January feels like a fresh start

thank you for being here! s