Hi friends,
So lovely to have you here! Just letting you know that you’ll find me sending a newsletter every week from my lifestyle site, LoveOurAge.com
Every Sunday morning, I wake up early in Australia and write an encouraging note to readers around the world.
We talk about
ageing well
living beautifully
having fun
BEING fun
tiny joys that make our lives better
Please join me—and women around the world—as we learn to Love Our Age!
Happy Sunday, everyone. It’s Catherine Greer - dropping in with a list of holiday fun. 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, a beautiful 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. ❤️
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 - Did you know I send a newsletter every Sunday at Love Our Age? If you’d like weekly posts like this one, sign up and follow along! Love to have you at Love Our Age :)
Please tell a friend 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?
Writing: 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 friends, and hello to all the new people this week! I have an exciting announcement!
But first…time for a quick intro (and photo!) in case you’ve forgotten what you’ve signed up for. I’m Catherine Greer, author of some best-loved books. I’m Canadian-Australian, and we live in Australia with two young adult sons and the cutest little pup. I send a newsletter every Sunday (Saturday overseas) from LOVEOURAGE.COM with useful tips and fun suggestions. (Sign up here if you’d like those weekly newsletters!)
Today I’ve sharing some quick wisdom and a fun surprise. Let’s go!
There’s one little word that’s magic. It can activate us to:
try something new.
make a change.
believe again.
stop anxiety.
have a fresh start.
We can use it anytime. It’s this.
You’ve probably done a lot in your life: some things were easy, and some were hard. I have, too.
We’re all facing things now—some you share with others, but a lot you don’t. Some things we hold inside, the worries and the fears, and struggle to move forward.
From time to time, we can struggle to believe in ourselves.
That’s where a little word like “maybe” can move mountains. It opens up space and shifts our attention to what is possible, not the blocker that’s right in front of us.
Give it a try today and see what happens.
Love, Catherine x
PS. Yay! You’re the first to know…
The 10 Minute Fix Journal is out now!
Over 200 pages of goodness: a quick overview of 100 “fixes” from The 10 Minute Fix book, with 200 unique writing prompts, and 100 practical affirmations.
6x9 inches, lined cream paper, with unique questions and guided writing prompts.
Find it here in Australia and Canada (paperback), and hardcover in America and the UK (paperback coming soon).
Hello, everyone!
It’s Catherine Greer (author of Small Steps Are Perfect, The 10 Minute Fix, Love Lie Repeat & Jacaranda Snow) writing to you.
Quick message to say…for a couple of years now, I’ve been blogging every Sunday at LoveOurAge.com
You’re not yet on that list. (You’re here on my first Happiness Blog!)
Did you miss it when I announced my new blog?
I write about all the things every Sunday — fun products I love, cooking and baking, books I adore, life hacks and lessons I’ve learned.
Enjoy your day,
Catherine
PS.
Thank you for telling me how much you’re enjoying Small Steps Are Perfect. It’s a wonderful little gift book, and Christmas is coming!
You can find Small Steps Are Perfect here:
Hi, my friends. It’s Catherine from Small Steps Are Perfect and The 10 Minute Fix. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Happy Freedom Day, New South Wales — we’re out of lockdown on Monday! For everyone from every country, thank you for being here with me.
We have 83 days left in the year, which gives us so many chances to do and be all the things we might have been in 2021.
That’s 83 sunrises and 83 night walks.
83 fresh starts.
When I was writing Small Steps Are Perfect, I learned five surprising ways to feel better — no matter what was happening in my life. If you’re like me, we’re ALL tired of Covid and being steeped in the daily tea of negativity and bad news.
I was also struggling with some personal bad news and setbacks, and ugh, I needed these tips.
In case you’re not able to get my book just now, I wanted to share them with you here.
Failure can be a good thing. It can force us to get moving.
Choose who you let sit at the judges’ table in your life. Everyone has an opinion. Should it matter to you? You can choose.
Allow other people to be wrong about you. That’s it: just let them be wrong.
Try not to miss it twice. If you’ve made a commitment to try something new — writing your book, exercising, having a day of healthy eating — missing once is okay, but try not to miss it twice.
Sometimes a book can really help especially when we don’t want to share what’s happening. Like Beyonce with her Lemonade album (she turned lemons into lemonade), I wrote the book that I needed to read when I had a very hard year. That book is Small Steps Are Perfect. It cheered me on. It’ll cheer you on, too. It will also cheer on a friend who’s having a tough time.
Happy Sunday! It’s Catherine from The 10 Minute Fix and Small Steps are Perfect—my new book!
I promised you my easy macaron recipe. Let’s do this! It’s ideal for your gluten-free friends and family.
First, though, thank you to everyone who has jumped in and ordered Small Steps are Perfect. It’s a little book of comfort & joy and I hope you love it. This morning I received another beautiful message from a reader who said, “Just got my Small Steps Are Perfect book today—when will there be a third, please…so excited!” Thanks, Ingrid. I’m grinning.
Also this:
“You’ll want to share this book, but you’ll want to keep it for yourself, so save a lot of guilt and buy two.” Love!
If you’d like to pick up a copy for you (and I hope one for a friend!), the links are below. Thank you for your support! Writers can only keep writing when readers buy and share books, and I appreciate you.
Now on to these beauties….
Can you see how delicious they are?
The pep talk: yes, you DO need to weigh everything and you DO have to be exact.
You’ll need:
A scale.
A fine metal strainer to sift the almond flour.
Piping bag with a round tip.
Almond flour, icing sugar, caster sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs, and GEL food colouring (not liquid).
Okay, let’s make this easy. All the YouTubers act like it’s rocket science but I think it can be practical and fun (that’s my take on life, actually).
Weigh and set aside these ingredients in separate bowls:
260 grams egg whites (not from a bag…from real eggs…and at room temperature)
172 grams caster sugar
312 grams almond flour
458 grams icing sugar
(You’ll add a few drops of GEL food colouring to the egg whites later)
230 grams (1 cup) butter
380 grams icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Whip egg whites to firm peaks, and gradually add caster sugar. I use my Kitchenaid mixer.
Add a few drops of GEL food colouring and mix. So pretty!
In a big bowl, sift almond flour and icing sugar together through a metal strainer. Discard chunky bits. Weigh again and make sure you have 770grams total weight.
CAREFULLY and SLOWLY, mix the dry ingredients into the egg whites in your mixer until BARELY combined. I turn my mixer on and off, take it slowly and barely mix together. Nobody tells you to do it this way, but if you’re CAREFUL and don’t over mix, it saves you a lot of time and painful mixing by hand.
Then you need to macronage. Transfer the mixture to a wide bowl, use a spatula or a scraper and fold, fold, fold until the mixture falls off the spatula in a ‘figure 8’ ribbon without breaking. Then stop. Don’t overmix.
Pour mixture into a piping bag with a round tip.
Line cookie sheets with baking paper.
Pipe small 2 cm (1 inch) shells. Aim in the middle, hold the piping bag upright and squeeze a ‘dot' — it will spread a little. Whack the finished tray on the counter to remove air bubbles.
THE SECRET — let dry for 30 mins to an hour. You should be able to run your finger across the top of the shell. This creates the ‘feet’ on the macaron shell.
Preheat oven to 160 C fan forced. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Cool, match up the shells, then make the filling in a mixer. Whip the butter for about five minutes, add the icing sugar and the vanilla and that’s it. Pipe the filling onto one shell and top with a matching shell.
This will make more than 50+ delicious macarons. They freeze really well, and taste even better the following day. Everyone loves them.
Is it a little bit tricky? Maybe, but only the first time. That’s kind of like life, too.
Enjoy!
Love Catherine x
PS. If you want to be inspired, please consider SMALL STEPS ARE PERFECT: Simple ways to find comfort & joy. You can find it here!
Surprise!
Happy Sunday, everybody. I have some book news to share…
Small Steps Are Perfect: simple ways to find comfort & joy!
Isn’t it pretty? I love this book!
You might love it, too. Here’s why.
It’s practical.
It’s an instant pick-me-up when you need some encouragement.
It’s the perfect book for your bedside table—short chapters, fun stories, wisdom, encouragement…all the good things we need to feel better. Like a little sister to The 10 Minute Fix.
It’s a fantastic gift for a friend—lasts longer than flowers, and it’s pretty, encouraging and fun!
You can find it here!
This book is dedicated to all of you (you’ll see when you open it!)
Here’s a sneak peek inside. Months ago, when I was writing the epigraph, I loved the synchronicity and magic of finding these words of Van Gogh’s. I’d never read them before. Amazing.
You guys, this beautiful book is like the little engine that could…we just keep chugging on, my friends, and sometimes we need a bit of inspiration and encouragement. Comfort & joy. That’s what you’ll find here!
I’m off to celebrate with coffee and breakfast! I hope something amazing happens for you today :)
Love, Catherine x
PS.
Notes from me every Sunday at my new blog, LoveOurAge.com - sign up there!
Stay tuned…next week at LoveOurAge.com I’m sharing my EASY recipe for macarons that anyone can make. One batch is probably 40-50 macarons. Buy almond meal + butter + icing sugar + gel food colouring for next Sunday .
Book love—with my whole heart, THANK YOU for your kindness and support! Sharing books with your friends truly helps authors to keep doing what we love.
Hello, my friends!
Just dropping in to your inbox to say I hope you’re enjoying your weekend, and to let you know where I’ve been lately.
I sincerely hope you and yours are doing okay. Oof! Life and Covid have been so very hard and I’m thinking of you…
if you miss me, I send a little weekend newsletter every week at my new internet home, LoveOurAge.com
The 10 Minute Fix: 100 simple ways to feel better now is making women around the world feel a little happier. You can get yours in America, in Canada, in Australia, in the UK and in Germany here. It’s a great price for gifting, too. I’m so proud of this little book, and so happy that it’s making women around the world feel better, one tiny practical step at a time.
Happy Sunday, and I hope you’re doing well.
Love, Catherine x
Happy Sunday!
These aren’t just ANY jam drops. Nope. These are the best, most delicious cookies I make. Raspberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. Trust me, you need this recipe. So easy.
Cream together in a mixer:
1 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
Add 2 cups + 2 tablespoons plain flour. Mix.
Roll into balls and indent with your beautiful thumbprint.
Add raspberry jam. I use a piping bag to do this. (The trick: warm up the jam a little or stir it well to make sure there are no lumps.)
See? So pretty.
Bake at 180F / 350 F for around 12 minutes. Cool. Then melt some white chocolate. I use about half a bag of Nestle White Melts. I can’t remember if you have those in Canada or America! Oh man, I’ve been in Australia for 23 years. I’m nearly Half & Half now (but I still sound 100% Canadian).
I pour the melted chocolate in a ziplock bag and snip the end. Then I drizzle over cooled cookies and wow, suddenly everything is elevated to SENSATIONAL. So easy.
Cookies are best when they’re made with love, right? These ones are going to be served to some beautiful women near Cronulla Beach today. We’re doing a tiny, social-distanced book event at Anna’s Shop.
I’m excited to dress up, drive down and share my stories from The 10 Minute Fix.
Three friends are hosting 10 Minute Fix bookclubs with their crew, and if you’d like to do the same, please invite me on Zoom! I’ll bring the virtual cookies (at least the recipe) and see your faces and hear what you think. You can email me here.
My favourite fix this week is #61:
(Yep, just like I wrote in the introduction, I need my own book! I still read it at night before bed.)
Enjoy your Sunday. If you’re baking cookies, these are the best.
Love Catherine
PS. Please—if you love it—spread the word about The 10 Minute Fix. It’s helping people feel better, and we all need more of that! Under $20 for so much “feel better now”…worth it. E-book is $9.99.
For Canadians: on amazon.ca here.
For Americans: on amazon.com here.
For the UK: on amazon.co.uk here
For my Aussies: Order from an independent bookshop in Avalon NSW at Beachside Bookshop here! Or amazon.com.au or Booktopia.
For free delivery (but a higher price!) on Book Depository.
It’s winter school holidays in Australia, and we had a little beach break this weekend.
Walking these three kilometres of pure white sand with my parka on made me yearn for a beach home. I don’t know about you, but as every year passes for me, I’m looking for more simplicity in the little things. Nature. A drive to a beach for the day. Fresh air!
Oh, I would love to live near this beach! But…it wouldn’t be easy.
Or would it?
Are some changes far easier to make than we think?
I love this question and I’m learning to ask it more:
“What would this look like if it were easy?”
What if book sales were easy?
What if talking with my teen was easy?
What if finding a partner was easy?
What if getting healthier was easy?
What if buying a beach house was easy?
My mind always jumps straight to this will be hard. But…what if it was easy? How would that look?
If we open up to the possibility and ask our minds the question, it gives our brains a chance to come up with some solutions.
Try it about your biggest challenge right now. Ask yourself, “What if <insert here> was easy?”
It makes you feel different, doesn’t it? It makes me think there’s a chance for a victory, and also helps me see a bunch of good ideas I haven’t seen before.
Before I head off into my Sunday, full of house cleaning, gardening and dog walks, I have a 10 Minute Fix Book Giveaway to announce!
I love giving! For everyone who entered to win a copy of The 10 Minute Fix for yourself or a friend who needs a boost, here are the 5 winners. (I’ve emailed you asking for your postal address!)
Jennifer
Leah
Heather
Carolyn
Laura
Enjoy!
Love Catherine
PS. LOVE hearing your feedback on my new book! Got this message this week: “I love Fix #90—you are not for everyone. Literally walked out of my bedroom and talked about it with my teenage daughter. It’s the lesson I wish I’d learned at 16. It would have saved me so much grief.”
Okay, book sales! (“What if book sales were easy, Catherine???”) Available online or in select Aussie bookshops:
For Canadians: on amazon.ca here.
For Americans: on amazon.com here.
For the UK: on amazon.co.uk here
For my Aussies: on amazon.com.au or Booktopia.
For free delivery (but a higher price!) on Book Depository.
“I chose these flowers for you,” my new friend told me at dinner last night. “I had them make it up specially. I thought about your personality, and wanted to pick the colours you’d like. The yellow iris. The roses.”
Paulette is a gardener, and thoughtful and Canadian. Even though I’ve only known her a little while, she’s the kind of person you’d call if you found a lump or needed an emergency dog sitter or wanted to float a business idea and get good advice. She’s sensible. Calm. Savvy.
And she’s this: she’s good at making people feel loved.
It’s a skill, like baking or riding horses or gardening.
Of all the things I am and do, I hope I’m like that, too. It matters to me that I make people feel loved and seen. When you read my new book, you’ll find so many 10 Minute Fixes about loving people well.
How To Be ‘the one’ For Someone (Chapter 49)
Let’s Talk About Kids (Chapter 79)
The Best Relationship Advice (Chapter 10)
This week I promised a giveaway — books for people who need a lift. There’s a lot of job loss right now and sickness and struggle.
Here’s what we’re going to do. (THIS IS SO FUN! Yayyyyyy! I love to give!)
If you know someone who might love a beautiful copy of The 10 Minute Fix, enter YOUR details below. I’ll choose a bunch of winners and get books to you…so YOU CAN GIVE The 10 Minute Fix to someone who might need it.
From me, through you, to someone who would love it.
Sounds like a deal, my friends??
CLICK HERE TO ENTER - WIN A BOOK FOR A FRIEND!
Love Catherine x
PS. You’re using my book to show friends and mums and daughters you love them. I cried when I got an emails like this from Sharon and Jules and Wendy and Tara this week. Right here, below, THIS IS MY DREAM. You are literally making my dreams come true. I mean that so sincerely. Thank you.
“I ordered four copies, one for me and three for my daughters!”
“I gave a copy to my two best girlfriends.”
“I loved mine, so I bought three more to give away.”
Want your own copy now? It’s $19.99.
For Canadians: on amazon.ca here.
For Americans: on amazon.com here.
For the UK: on amazon.co.uk here
For my Aussies: on amazon.com.au or Booktopia.
For free delivery (but a higher price!) on Book Depository.
My friends, while the world was reeling, I waited quietly, with respect. I’ve bought books and products from Americans, cried, reached out, donated. I made the decision to hold back from telling anyone about my news, because I believed the world needed to focus on others, not me. My new book quietly hit the shelves on 31 May.
Today, I’d love to tell you all about it.
When the big things feel broken, sometimes it feels wonderful to focus on the little things.
Here it is, from me to you.
The 10 Minute Fix: 100 simple ways to feel better now (Balmoral Press) — at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au, Amazon.co.uk, Booktopia and Bookdepository and in select Aussie bookshops.
So let me tell you about The 10 Minute Fix!
I’m pretty sure you’ll LOVE it. I write about 100 simple ideas to feel better RIGHT NOW. You’ll get lists! Easy reminders! And it’s like a mini-workbook, too, with space to jot down your thoughts.
Advance readers are saying beautiful things (bless them!):
“It’s made me feel better about myself.”
“Completely compelling…I couldn’t put it down.”
“So pretty! It’s a beautiful book.”
“A high-vibe book.”
“Makes me feel like I can do it, too.”
“So many books have just one idea. This book has 100 ideas. All realistic and do-able.”
I hope you’ll want to share a copy with your mom, your friend and your sister. (You might even want to leave a page open for your partner or your kid!)
Okay, today — please show me you’re here to cheer me on. This is my book where I cheer for you!
From my heart and home to yours, please enjoy my new book, The 10 Minute Fix!
Love Catherine x
PS. Next week I’ll do giveaways if you’ve lost your job, or want a copy and things are tough, or want to nominate a friend. RRP is $19.99.
In Canada: amazon.ca
In America: amazon.com
In Australia: amazon.com.au or Booktopia
In the UK: amazon.co.uk
You can also go to Book Depository but they set their price 30% higher with free delivery.
Thank you for your support. If you can, I hope you order a copy to keep and one to give away to someone you love. (Yes, your mom or your daughter will love this little helpful book…promise!)
Hello, friends!
Just dropping by to let you know I’m thinking of you right now. How are you doing with your ‘shelter in place’ and with all the changes in your part of the world?
If there’s sadness and loss, I’m sorry. Here in Australia, we seem to be doing a little better and I’m so grateful that our family is fine.
For anyone who misses the weekly encouragement from me, I’m blogging twice a week over at Love Our Age. You’re so welcome to join me! (That’s www.loveourage.com)
Since January, I’ve been writing about happiness and mindset, ways to celebrate and lovely things.
Readers’ Favourite posts so far:
Today I shared my Easter cinnamon buns! Take a peek below. You’re so welcome to the recipe.
If you’ve missed me, come along on my new adventure.
I hope you and yours are well. Sending love from Sydney.
Love, Catherine x
For all the friends and family in Canada who have asked: yes, the fires have been so sad.
Our home in Sydney is fine — on a suburban street. We are extremely lucky. The air quality has been terrible, but of course what is worse is all the devastation people are facing.
There is the human loss, loss of homes and habitats, and the loss of animal life as well.
We live in a suburb that backs onto bush, and a week before Christmas I saw a wallaby and a kangaroo, disoriented, hopping through the streets near the shops.
Can I tell you how sad that looks? With hot and dry summer really only starting, we have no idea when the fires will clear.
Sending love to everyone affected. (The photo above is from social media and I don’t know the source. Apologies for using it without permission.)
And on a happier note, if you’re interested in following along on my new journey — for some inspiration and joy as we all learn to Love Our Age, you can sign up at my new website: www.loveourage.com
I had a few tech problems so some sign ups were lost. So if you’d like to be included, please subscribe here (again!) and I’ll delete duplicate addresses.
And if it’s not your thing, no pressure at all! Thanks for being here.
Love Catherine x
Happy 2020!
After taking a blogging break, I’m back — with a whole NEW website for you!
In the past 18 months, I’ve been thinking about living with joy. I’m an encourager at heart and I love to share what I learn. So I created Love Our Age (www.loveourage.com), where you’ll find Good Vibes everywhere!
I think age is a gift and I want to spread some joy.
You can sign up for weekly inspiration! Always free, always fun — a fresh perspective on life.
Feel better.
Be encouraged.
Have some fun … and be fun to live with!
The best is yet to come,
Catherine x
PS.
Psst…take a sneak peek NOW at www.loveourage.com !
Happy Sunday!
Something big to share today — after three and a half years of popping into your inbox every weekend, It’s time for me to press pause.
I have loved the privilege of saying hello every week, and sharing what I’ve learned.
Thank you for reading!
One of the things I’m good at is consistency and follow-through. I’m proud that I’ve blogged 182 weekends in a row without fail…and met fantastic women…and made a difference with what I’ve shared. Thank you for your emails and your comments, for supporting my picture book and my debut novel, and for cheering me on.
I appreciate you!
But you know how in a job interview, when you’re asked to share a weakness and you give them a weakness-that’s-really-a-strength (“Oh, I’m SUCH a stickler for detail!” or “I have to be on time — drives other people crazy!”)?
I’ve learned that sometimes my consistency is like that.
It’s a strength.
It’s also a weakness.
It keeps me keeping on, when it may be time for something new. Paulo Coehlo said it best:
So, after a few years of Fast Forward on the blog and in my life, I’m going to Press Pause. I’m heading inside to dream and think and plan.
It’s scary, but I’m creating room for something new.
There’s a project I’m excited to work on, and I need space to let the “new” flow in.
So this is my chance to say a heartfelt thank you for being in my corner of the internet all these years. I feel like we’ve had coffee every Sunday morning before my family wakes up. I hope to see you again soon!
Until then, as always, remember to have some fun … and be fun to live with. So important for us all.
Love Catherine x
PS.
If you’re in Sydney and looking for a fabulous fashion workshop, this one is amazing. It’s called Style For Life!
Want to watch me? I perfected macarons! I totally recommend this book.
Popular posts on tackling fear, loving people better, and fixing mistakes.
If there’s one thing that guarantees happiness, it’s strawberries!
In Australia, we’re in the middle of strawberry season — so for a celebration this week, I made Chocolate Dipped Strawberries for dessert.
They were perfect.
Want to hear all my tricks and tips?
5 tips for perfect strawberries:
Wash and dry the strawberries well. Make sure they’re completely dry, right up to the leaves (which you gently pull upward). Chocolate won’t stick to damp berries.
Don’t cheat and use your microwave! Heat the chocolate in a double boiler. Just bring an inch of water to simmer in a pot, and place a bowl (plastic or glass) on top. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Add oil. Break up one block of baking chocolate (or chocolate chips). Add to the bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil — this is what gives the beautiful sheen. Stir until melted.
WAIT. Don’t dip too early. Let the chocolate cool and thicken a little before you start dipping. This may take 10-15 minutes. Line a tray with baking paper for the dipped strawberries. If the chocolate is cool, it won’t pool as much at the base of the berry.
Cool at room temperature, then pop in the fridge. Leave the dipped berries to cool for at least 5 minutes on the benchtop. Then put them in the fridge to harden. The chocolate won’t crack off the berry when you take a bite.
So easy and so delicious.
I hope you enjoy your weekend — and if you’re in Australia, I hope strawberries are on the menu!
Love Catherine x
PS.
Need some courage to start something new?
Looking for fun silver shoes for $7?
How about a 10 minute fix for whatever’s wrong?
Happy Sunday!
Did you know this about me? When I worry, I bake. And when I’m happy, I bake. (It’s fun being my co-worker and my friend!) I’m always surprised when people say they can’t bake. To me, it’s the most creative, beautiful experience: the warm oven, the anticipation your family feels when they walk through the kitchen, the shared treat at the end, the gifting to people you love.
All of it, for me, is joy.
I know — sugar. But my rationale is this: a cake — like a dress — makes a day special. Put on a dress and people appreciate it. Bake a cake, and people love it. I don’t bake all the time, but when I do, it makes me happy.
So last week: 1980s Carrot Cake…with cream cheese frosting. On Instagram, you said you wanted the recipe.
Yes, it tastes old-fashioned and yes, it uses a tin of crushed pineapple and an entire block of cream cheese. My friend Tammy shared this recipe with me, and I’ve made it twice since.
Carrot Cake
(To make enough for a layer cake — two round tins)
2 cups grated carrot
400g tin of crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (bi-carb soda here in Australia)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
10 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Place all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add eggs and oil, then stir in carrot, pineapple and walnuts. Mix well. Pour into two cake tins, greased and lined on the bottom with baking paper. Bake at 180 C / 350 F for 35 to 40 mins. Test for doneness in your oven! When a toothpick comes out clean, it’s baked. Cool on a rack.
Cream Cheese icing
There’s a trick: soften the cream cheese and the butter! Make sure the butter and cream cheese are really well combined with no lumpy bits.
250g cream cheese (the large block!)
125 g butter
500 g icing sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Mix the butter and cream cheese well in a mixer. Then add icing sugar and extract and mix until smooth.
Now, the fun part!
I like to cut each cake in two.
Just place Cake #1 on the plate, then slice off the top with a bread knife. Spread some icing on the ‘bottom’ cake half. You don’t need to be perfect, but spread a layer.
Top with the other half of Cake #1.
Spread some icing on top of Cake #1.
Put Cake #2 on top. Slice off the top half of Cake #2, and add a layer of icing, then put the top on.
Then ice the whole thing.
You can try to be perfect here if you want to, but my goal is this.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Have some fun, and be fun to live with!
Love Catherine x
PS.
The rosemary lemon cake — it’s my favourite.
The best ever chocolate cake — our go-to family birthday cake.
Bill Granger’s flourless chocolate cake — fussier, but we also love this one for birthdays.
