Fleur de Sel Caramels

Hello! Today, my friends, I’m spilling all my best secrets on my blog, starting with this: absolutely to-die-for Fleur de Sel Caramels — salted caramels!

A tiny bit fiddly, and you need to make them with love, but ooooo la la, they make a beautiful gift. I hear this a lot: “Will you make your Fleur de Sel Caramels as my birthday present?”

Let’s get started!

You’ll need a trip to the shops to get these key tools:

You’ll also need butter and heavy cream and white sugar. You can substitute any salt (I sometimes use pink Himalayan) but sea salt flakes make it special, and a box will make many, many batches of caramels.

Trust me: these are worth it! Recipe below…

And here’s the pep talk: you will NEVER REGRET learning to make these caramels and everyone loves them. So special for a holiday or as a gift, or if you want someone to adore you!

Also — you have to take the pan off the heat at 248 degrees F on the candy thermometer or the caramels will be too hard / overcooked or too soft / unset. So yes, you need one.

Some things are a little hard, right?

But hard things are usually WORTH IT.

Sending love and encouragement to you all today, whatever you’re facing or celebrating. I’m truly thinking of you.

Love Catherine x

PS. Need to feel a little (or a lot) better? A 10 Minute Fix update is coming next week! I love this book, and love that it’s floating around the world, helping women feel more like themselves. Available in Canada, America, the UK, and Australia at Beachside Bookshop and online at Booktopia or Amazon Australia.

Martha Beck's Secret to Life

Hello there!

In case the world feels a little crazy to you right now, I thought I’d share a quote I heard this week and absolutely loved.

“If there’s a secret to life, it’s this:
Find people you like, and do stuff with them.”

— Martha Beck, bestselling author and speaker

Simple and absolutely true.

Have you found your “people you like”? For me, 100% it’s my own family. I love (but also really really like) my sons. The older one is precise and analytical — a reader, a thinker, a talker, a breaker of chains. I can’t wait to see what he’ll offer the world. The younger one is warm and street smart — a reader of people, a creator, a builder, the one who draws together a circle of friends. He’s the glue everyone needs. And my partner is my truest friend — so smart, with wisdom to make the long shots I can’t even see, a foundation and a bridge for hundreds of people at work (and for us, too).

The family I chose and made …those are “my people.” It’s a little insular, but there’s nothing I love more than spending time with them. If you read my new book, you’ll know my favourite time of day is twilight. This photo captures one of my favourite memories with my people — dusk at Hyams Beach, three kilometres of deserted white sand, just us, laughing and running. There was a good dinner ahead of us, spaghetti bolognese cooked by me, a family movie night, beds to snuggle into, warm baths, clean sheets. This little trio — husband, son, son — is my greatest joy.

Today I’m thinking of Martha Beck’s secret to life.

Choose your people. Choose well. And do stuff with them. That really is the secret.

Happy Friday, everyone. I know things are tough out there, so that’s all the more reason to hang on to the people we love. Or this — go and find “your people”. I know they’re out there.

Enjoy your Friday.

Love, Catherine x

PS. It’s time for 31 Crush, and Victoria (the creator) is “the Victoria” in Chapter 2 of my new book, The 10 Minute Fix. She’s a creative dynamo, so lovely and so much fun! You can be coached by Victoria for the month of August — pay what you can — to fall in love with a new activity, habit or pursuit in August. Email Victoria to learn more. I did 31 Crush last year and it was magic!

Is This Something You Do?

It’s a rainy winter Sunday for us in Sydney. My older son just got back from a two hour hike (packing 30 kilos of weights) in the bush; my younger one is sleeping in after a late-night skateboarding session in the garage with a mate.

I’m up with coffee and candles, lamps on, watching the early morning rain.

Resting.

Is this something you do? Do you prioritise rest?

Do you give yourself permission to slow down and actually enjoy resting? I’m bad at this but I’m trying to get better. I’m learning that rest needs to be deliberate and planned in order to feel like a break (for me). Now that work has spilled over into our home lives in the past decade—and even more so during COVID—it’s important to decide when we’ll rest.

We’re trying to take Sunday as a rest day.

No work. No emails. No sneaky copywriting to get ahead for the week. No book writing.

Are you going to rest this weekend? Can you plan a rest you actually enjoy? (Coffee, candles, a good book. A nap, a walk, some time to daydream.)

I’m sure you deserve it.

Love Catherine x

PS. Thinking of you all as the world turns and Covid surges back and forth. I hope you and yours are well. If work is a problem, I hope you find a way to create something new. I’ve been there during the Global Financial Crisis and it’s so hard…when you’re stressed and worried and can barely think through all that fear. Reach out if you need a little encouragement. I’m here.

Fab Sneakers and a Cute Girl

Today, let’s talk about sneakers!

Everyone’s wearing them now that the world’s turned upside down, and my stylist-author friend, Jules, recommended that I buy a pair, so I did.

These Zanerobe cuties are from Target, and they come in white and black. Unfortunately they’re sold out online, but I also tried these on and they are SO comfy. Take a peek!

If you need to run around and be comfortable, sneakers are the best. Today I got up and got cracking, picked up one teen from a sleepover with his mates, said goodbye to another teen who was sleeping over here, put the laundry in and started working. Popping on a cute pair of sneakers and a fun outfit always makes my day feel better…

Orange jumper, white jeans, sneakers — done! Happy Friday.

I hope something amazing happens to you today!

Love Catherine x

PS. Jules Van Mil is also a debut author, and her new middle grade novel hits the shelves this week. Take a look — you can buy it in bookshops in Australia, at Booktopia or online here in North America (Kindle). I was lucky enough to read an advance copy. It’s fantastic! Age 9-12.

Best Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies & Fun Fixes

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.

13 Ways Of Looking At Everything

Last week, Yvette brought me tulips—and look at them. Don’t you love their sense of independence? Don’t you love how they find their own way?

They fling themselves about as if they don’t know they’re pretty.

Behind the tulips and above my kitchen table, you’ll see the poem I wrote about in The 10 Minute Fix. These four framed stanzas are from Wallace Steven’s “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” published over 100 years ago in Harmonium in 1917.

I wrote about stanza II in my book, but my favourite at the moment is stanza XIII, covered by tulips.

“It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat in the cedar-limbs.”

— Wallace Stevens

If you were here this morning, we’d have a coffee together. We’d sit at this table and I’d offer you something delicious on a china plate. We’d talk like friends do, first about one of us, and then the other. We’d trade stories and remind each other that Covid can’t last forever, that people are basically good, that every day something wonderful happens to someone.

We’d admire the tulips.

You’d make me laugh and I’d make you another coffee. (I’m a lot of things, but hardly ever funny.)

We’d find 13 ways to look at things and together we’d fix up our worlds.

Isn’t friendship everything?

Aren’t we lucky?

Right now, after you finish reading, please text a friend you love. Let’s just do this—tell the women in our worlds that we appreciate them. It’s a 10 Minute Fix I didn’t write about, but should have.

We’re all so busy, flinging this way and that, but the heartbeat of our lives is staying connected.

Enjoy your Friday and stay safe out there.

I’m thinking of you.

Love Catherine x

PS. If you’d love to pick up a beautiful book of poetry, try The Ember Ever There. The author, Jean McCarthy, is my beautiful cousin and friend. You can find it here in Canada, in America and in Australia.

Ta Da! The Winners are...

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?”

— Tim Ferriss

• 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.

Bake with me...best ever pie crust!

You guys, a girlfriend was coming over for lunch. I made my favourite cauliflower cheddar soup, and I had five withered apples in the fridge. Not enough for a pie, not enough time to fuss, so I quickly made a galette for the first time ever.

Here it is, prior to baking. It was so delicious!

Because I love you all (hugs!), I’m sharing my best ever pie crust recipe. Aside from my sister, Dar’s recipe—she’s the gardener I write about in The 10 Minute Fix—mine is the best I’ve tasted.

Pie Crust (for one pie…make half for a galette)

• 2 cups plain flour

• 1/4 cup icing sugar

• 3/4 cup butter

• 1/4 cup cold water

Mix the flour and icing sugar in a bowl. I use a whisk. Cut cold butter into 1 cm cubes, and squish it through the flour mixture. You can use clean hands or a pastry cutter. Add the water and form a ball.

Here’s the trick to rolling pie dough: place a piece of baking paper on your bench top and roll the crust on that, then flip it over into your pie plate and peel off the paper.

For the galette filling

• 4 or 5 peeled, sliced apples (or other fruit)

• 1/3 cup white sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• a little butter to dot on top

Place apples in the pie crust shell, sprinkle with sugar / cinnamon mixture and dot some butter on top. Fold up the edges of the crust to make a galette. Voila!

Bake in a preheated oven (temps vary…my oven is great at 180 C fan forced and I bake for around 40 minutes, but you’ll have to watch yours. Test the apples for softness with a knife.)

It was perfect for a quick, last minute dessert and you’re likely to have everything on hand. A galette is easier than a pie and looks delicious and rustic. Agree?

Happy Baking…see you Sunday!

Love Catherine x

PS. “It makes me feel better about myself” is what I’m hearing over & over about The 10 Minute Fix. Also this, “It’s giving me good parenting tips.” If you want your own copy now, it’s $19.99. I promise, there are 100 good ideas in there.

• 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.

About Last Night and Being Loved...

“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 girlfriends and mums and daughters that you love them. I cried when I got an emails like this from Sharon and Jules and Marg 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.

If You Need To Feel A Little Better...

Happy Fourth and Canada Day to my overseas friends.

I had this idea last night at midnight…do you ever aggressively schedule in REST for yourself?

I’m terrible at it!

But then I watched an Instagram post from an amazing speaker, and she mentioned that after a big speaking event, when she’s wiped out and emotionally spent from giving so much of herself, she plans an immediate rest.

I thought of it as an ‘aggressive rest’! She schedules time for herself to recharge after giving so much. Fourth of July and Canada Day for many of you has meant celebrations and all the big emotions that go along with caring for the people you love.

Do you rest when you’ve been with a lot of people? Or rest after a big event?

In The 10 Minute Fix, I write a lot about getting activated and finding the courage to try new things. I also write about self-acceptance and rest.

Here are the big takeaways from early readers of my new book (yay!):

• “The 10 Minute Fix makes me feel better about myself.”

• “I read the whole book, but now I’m going to re-read one chapter a day, and really think about it.”

• “Makes me feel like I can do it, too.”

• “Love The 10 Minute Fix so much. It makes me look for the gift in the problems. Catherine, your light shines through.”

Thank you to everyone — I’ve even had several people tell me you’ve ordered copies for friends and family! This makes me feel like it’s ALL worth it! It helps authors so much when you buy a book, or write a review on amazon. On Sunday here on the blog, I’m doing a giveaway for people who have lost jobs, or need a little lift, or just need some encouragement. You’ll be able to nominate friends, too, and I’ll choose some winners and make sure they get a copy.

For now, if you’d like a copy for yourself & someone you love, here are the links.

• 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 hope you all enjoy your weekend. Summer for many of you, winter for us! Brrrrr!

Love Catherine x

PS. Selfie taken a couple of years ago when I was last in Canada. As you know, I’m a lucky hybrid: Canadian Aussie. Stay well out there. Thinking of you all and so appreciative of your love and support.

There's Something I Have To Tell You...

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!)

The Best Pizza At Home

Hello, everyone.

Exciting days around here! Lots is happening and I can’t wait to share.

Tonight, we’ll celebrate and make pizza. I’ve had so many requests for my recipe. With two teen boys and multiple skateboarding friends, it’s a huge hit.

When it’s pizza night, I make my dough anytime during the day and leave it to rise. Here’s a pro tip: this pizza is better baked on a simple pizza stone that goes into your cold oven, and then you turn the oven as high as it goes. And it’s best to have a pizza spatula. Assemble your pizza on the spatula to slide onto the hot pizza stone.

‘You’re Always Fun To Be With’ Pizza Night Recipe

• Turn on your favourite happy music. (For me, that’s jazz!)

• In a bowl, mix together with a whisk:

  • 4.5 cups plain flour

  • 6 teaspoons dry yeast

  • 2 teaspoons salt

• Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1.5 cups warm-but-closer-to-hot water. Mix everything together with your hands a little.

• Plop the doughy mixture (loose, with flour bits and chunky bits…it doesn’t even look like it’s mixed much at this point) on the bench top.

• Knead it all together for around five minutes. You’ll wind up with a smooth ball.

• (While you knead, have a little daydream about your people. I think about my three guys, wishing them all the good things they need, and imagine me being there for them—healthy and fun and ready to listen.)

• Oil the bowl, pop the dough in, cover with cling wrap and let it sit in a warm place for at least an hour (or as long as you want). Pro tip: I heat up my oven to 150C when I start making dough, then shut it off to cool down. That’s where I put my dough to rise.

• Punch it down once, let it rise again for a while. Divide into 8 sections. Roll out thinly.

• Really important: put the pizza stone in a cold oven, turn it as high as it goes, and when super hot, bake pizza for 6 minutes.

Happy pizza night! See you Sunday.

Love, Catherine x

Gathering Up Courage

On this rainy Sunday morning in winter in Sydney, here’s a story for you.

Seven years ago, we were thinking about getting a dog for our son who has just turned 16. I’ve written about him here. I was okay with dogs—didn’t adore pets, but I am always game to do what I think will be best for my kids, so…we started looking.

Then one day, magically, Holly’s “older” sister from a previous litter bounced up the street toward me. I stopped the owner and asked what breed of dog she had (a Shih Tzu) and where she got it. I called the breeder, and miraculously there was a new litter of pups being born in a month.

We ended up with this fur baby sister, and we’ve loved Holly ever since.

It makes me think of Tim Ferriss’ truly important question:

“How will you know if you don’t experiment?”

— Tim Ferriss

Today, about other things, like business and work and a new venture I’m undertaking, I’m asking myself Tim’s question.

It was the same question we asked when we decided to get a dog.

It’s the question we ALL have to ask ourselves every time we gather up courage and begin.

How will you know if you don’t experiment?

There is no other way but try.

So whatever you’re dreaming about starting, or whatever you’re thinking of doing (going out on that first date, writing down that story, making a new friend, pitching your idea), here’s a little sign today to keep going. I’m encouraging you to try.

You won’t know if you don’t experiment. Neither will I.

Wishing all of us the best of everything today — with a side order of courage and strength!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Next weekend, sharing my news! Stay tuned!

Can We Talk About Weight?

The world is a little crazy right now, I know, and there are so many important issues to talk about. So please forgive me if this seems shallow or isn’t on your mind.

I’ve been worrying about my weight.

There. I said it right out loud.

In the middle of my life, for the first time ever, I feel a little out of control about some new soft places — more body fat than I’d like to carry. And though I look okay, and haven’t put on the “Quarantine 15” that everyone is joking about, I feel less like myself than I want to.

I’m exercising just as much, but my body is edging into midlife. Things are changing.

How are you doing? How are you feeling?

For me, weight is about how I feel physically — like if I’m sitting in the car and I feel uncomfortable — then I know it’s time to cut back on the cinnamon buns and dance in the kitchen.

The way I like to think of it is this:

What can I add in, instead of take away?

Can I add in more vegetables?

More walking?

More water?

For me, restriction makes me crazy. I have to start with mindset first. I need a good reason to change my habits.

I’m curious — what do you do when you’re thinking about your weight?

If you have any tips at all, send me an email. Love to hear what you’re up to and how you’re sorting this out in your own mind during COVID.

Wishing you safety and peaceful thoughts. If I can help somehow, let me know.

Thinking of you this morning and sending love.

Catherine x

PS.

• 16 years ago today, I had a baby boy. His name is Elijah Windsor (named in honour of his Grandpapa in Canada who passed away). This kid is quiet and hilarious and has the kind of magnetic smile that makes you grin back at him and shake your head. He’s a powerful friend and incredibly loyal. A story: when EJ was 8, I walked to the gym to pick him up from Tae Kwon Do. I heard the kids chanting, “EJ, EJ, EJ.” They were carrying him on their shoulders through the halls…just for fun, because they loved him. Everyone who meets him loves him. It’s his quiet spirit. (I have a sister who is just the same!). People like this are rare, and they’re treasures.

  Of all the things I’ve ever done, I’m proudest of being a mum. We are 100% reliable. Always there, when it’s tough and easy. A rock and a cheerleader. Am I right, mums?

How To Make Today Better

Oh, my friends, here’s a simple recipe.

How To Make Today Better

1. Choose one person in your world.

2. Love them well.

3. Repeat.

That is all, and it is everything.

(There’s so much more I could write here—and I want to keep on writing—but really, I’ve said enough. This little tip will help all of us.)

Enjoy your beautiful day,

Love Catherine x

PS.

Today, I’d love to share my talented friend and cousin, Jean McCarthy, with you. Jean is so good at loving people. She’s just released a new book of poetry on rediscovery and recovery, The Ember Ever There. In Jean’s words, it’s about “leaving the past behind and embracing all we are meant to be.”

You can see Jean reading in the mountains (apparently there’s a BEAR nearby — I love Canada!)

A Secret...

Hello and wow, haven’t we all been learning and growing lately?

2020 has been a lot to process. So I thought I’d pop by this morning and tell you a little story about my world here in Sydney. (It’s not a BIG story, but I thought you might need a breather from all the news, so if you do, please read on!)

In the last few months, my side of the bed slowly turned from refuge into war zone.

Why? Mid-life, waking up in the night, feeling too hot…just uncomfortable.

Really, between the poor sleep and the nightly waking up and the blankets I just didn’t love and the floppy duvet cover, I was feeling awful in the mornings. In fact, I was feeling so awful that I dreaded getting into bed at night because I thought I was going to have another poor sleep.

This went on for months. Literally months.

So this is what I did—and it’s GENIUS. And it’s so simple that I’m surprised I didn’t see this earlier. I realised an important truth:

To change things, I have to CHANGE things. (I know, basic, right? But why did I overlook this?)

• I stripped off all the blankets from our bed.

• I washed the duvet cover and got it ready for the donation pile.

• Then I drove to the mall, walked into my favourite bedding shop (still open as an essential business during COVID), and bought the softest, snuggliest grey winter blanket I could find. See it up there?? That one. It was surprisingly inexpensive.

I came home, laundered everything and remade my bed. The duvet that had been driving me crazy is gone. In its place is a very affordable new blanket—so soft, so big, so warm-but-not-hot. And I have slept so much better every night since.

Such a small fix to such a huge problem, but the change had to start with me.

The fix: to change things, we actually have to CHANGE things.

We have to say ENOUGH, make a decision and activate ourselves.

We have to decide, then do.

Is there a small change you need to make to feel better now? Or a bigger change? You can do it. (Decide, then do.)

Sending you love today from my home to yours.

Catherine x

PS.

• Still excited to share my special project with you—coming soon!

• New people, I’m so happy to see you here. Take a look at what you’ve missed so far!

Simple Food: Mussels

Here’s what I have for you today: simple food, made with love.

Mussels always look fantastic, but they are the easiest to cook.

Trust me! 6-8 minutes and about 5 minutes of prep.

Here is my beautiful recipe from Canada. It’s perfectly okay to buy mussels in the seafood section of the grocery store, vacuum packed in 1 kilo bags. Check the date for freshness.

The rest is easy!

You’ll need this:

• cream (1 cup)

• bacon and onion

• white wine (or sparkling apple juice if you’re not drinking)

• mussels (1 kg per pan with lid). For 6 people, I make 2 kg so I have two pans like this.)

• fresh parsley

• dijon mustard

Then do this:

• Saute 6 strips of bacon (chopped) and one diced onion in a pan with a lid.

• Add 1/3 of a bottle white wine (or sparkling apple juice). Increase heat to high and reduce liquid (4-5 minutes).

• Add 1 cup of cream and cook for 4 minutes.

• Stir in 1 cup of chopped Continental parsley and 1 tablespoon dijon mustard.

• Add 1 kg fresh mussels.

• Put the lid on the pan and steam for 6-8 minutes. Discard unopened mussels! 

Serve immediately to mussel-lovers who will also love you.

Enjoy!

Happy Sunday. I hope you get to relax a little this weekend. It’s a long one in Australia. Lots has been happening worldwide, and I know we are all here, all in this together. Thank you for accepting my little bit of cooking love today :) I hope you are doing okay.

Love Catherine x

How are you?

In case you haven’t been asked, I’m asking.

How are you?

You may be feeling like I am: overwhelmed, sickened, sad.

But also this—I have hope. I believe people can choose to be decent and learn. We can offer grace to each other.

We can support with our money, our focused listening, our words, our silence, and our care. There is so much we can do: seek out businesses to buy from in America (here is a fantastic list of women business owners and their lovely products on Instagram via @younghouselove—go to the Make Change button), get curious, buy books, question our assumptions, talk to our kids and grow. March. Ponder. Listen. Donate. Think deeply. Change.

We can be kind, right now, right this second, to the person in front of us.

That’s how we begin.

Thinking of you today. I hope you are okay.

Love, Catherine x

ps. Please notice that the world is still a beautiful place. The moon rises, the oceans swell and surge, the trees are lace at twilight. We can change together.

Little Girl Blue

Today I’d planned to share some news with you.

But across America, hearts are breaking.

My heart is breaking.

More than 50% of you, my blog readers, live in the United States.

So today — please listen to Nina Simone, singing “Little Girl Blue” from her debut album, Little Girl Blue. Nina recorded the album in her 20s in 1959, when she was still trying to become a classical pianist. She was paid $3,000 for the contract, a terrible royalty deal that cost her more than a million dollars in profits. Her album was largely unpromoted.

Nina Simone had the most breathtaking contralto voice.

Please listen to Little Girl Blue here.

I am thinking of you all and sending love,

Catherine

Exciting News!

I’m walking into this week like a puppy on a mission!

You guys, I have something SO GOOD to share with you on Sunday and I can hardly wait. In the meantime, I’m pulling long days with lots of fun planning — so please open those emails on Sunday morning.

(Did you know — I blog every Friday and Sunday morning at 11am, Sydney time?) This past week, I had a tech problem but other than that, I’m as dependable as they come.

See you Sunday at 11am (that’s Saturday night in North America).

Big news. Cannot wait!

Love Catherine x

PS.

• I’m Facebooking, and I feel ilke the Facebook monster under my bed is actually kind of…fun? You can join our private Love Our Age group here.

• Did anyone buy the orange jumper? I’ve had 10,000 compliments on it.