How Beautiful is Melbourne?

Hello, friends (and hi to all the new people this week)! I’m Catherine Greer, author and copywriter, lover of hot coffee in the morning, books that make me laugh, and long in-person chats with girlfriends…especially when the chats involve cake.

This week I travelled to Melbourne for work, and it’s a beautiful city. Cold in the winter—for us in Australia, cold is somewhere around 5-10 degrees C—but oh, so lovely.

The cafes!

The hot coffee!

The bookshops!

The people!

My trip made me think of a superpower we can all have, no matter where we live or what we do. We can choose to love things.

It’s true: I like to love things. It makes me so much happier than criticising something.

And the best news? We can choose to like most things.

  • Business trips that start at 4am and finish at 9pm two days later? I can choose to love Melbourne.

  • A sink full of dishes that somebody left in the kitchen? I can choose to love that I have a kitchen, hot running water, time to wash up (and the ability to stand and wash up).

  • Exercise that needs to be done? I can choose to love that I’m well enough to have exercise on my To Do List.

I was up and heading to the airport at 4:45am this week. And you know what I kept telling myself? I LOVE AIRPORTS. PEOPLE ARE SO EXCITED AT AIRPORTS. I decided to choose to love it.

Yes, I know it’s all a bit irritating….and I’m not telling anyone to just smileeeeeee and get on with it when things are truly terrible. But I do find that criticising always makes me feel worse. Loving things makes me feel better. And choosing to love something? That’s a superpower all of us have.

Enjoy your Sunday. I hope you can give this idea a whirl today and see how it goes for you.

Love Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Solo Joy

Hello, friends. And hello if you’re new this week!

A beautiful reader sent me an email last week that gently suggested, “Recommendations on how to have joy solo would be appreciated.” Sarah, you’re absolutely right — and this one is for you.

Solo joy. It’s so possible.

Here’s how I would approach it.

  1. Learn what is fun for you. Hint: it’s not necessarily the same as what other people find fun. We need to think about finding our flow: what lights us up? What makes us lose track of time? For me, that’s writing and revising books. It’s baking cakes. Doing a puzzle. (It’s not going to new restaurants or travelling…but that might be fun for you.)

  2. Plan a joyful treat for yourself just so that you can look forward to it. Spend some time in pleasant anticipation, and set the scene beautifully for what you want to do. If you love to cook and enjoy a special meal, plan it for a few days from now. Anticipate it, and remind yourself you’ve planned a treat just for you. Choose music you love, set the table the way you like it, light the candles, cook (comfort food or something new or takeaway). Savour it. The planning and anticipation make it special.

  3. Be where your feet are. Feel the experience and appreciate it. Talk out loud if you’re at home. Speak words of encouragement and joy over your own life. Say what you love about the experience you’ve created for yourself with so much care. (“I love this! I love treating myself to a brand new novel and a hot cup of tea.”)

  4. Revel in the peace of being with yourself. So few people have peace and it’s completely under-rated. Our nervous systems need it: the calm nest we can create, the beautiful music, the deep breaths, the feeling that everything is okay.

  5. Top and tail your day with joy. For me, that’s hot coffee first thing in the morning and reading in bed at night (especially if I heat the bed up first with an electric throw in this chilly Aussie winter!). I love to create tiny sparks of joy for myself: the ritual of finding the next good book in the library or the bookshop, discovering my favourite coffee pod for the little Nespresso machine, using my favourite coffee mug, sitting in my favourite chair.

  6. All of us are solo in our own brains. Take a moment to ask yourself this: how am I talking to myself? Am I encouraging and kind? Do I love my own company? Here’s an important question: are you spending too much time being the mean version of yourself to yourself—Mean Catherine, Mean Juliana, Mean Helen? Or are you kind and grace-filled towards yourself, like you would be to a friend? (I need to work on this!)

It was good to be reminded about our solo friends that join us here every Sunday, so thank you for giving me the loving nudge to write about other ways of living.

It’s fair to say I write most things about my own lived experience, but that doesn’t mean I should forget about the experiences of others. If my life seems happy and full of family and moving parts, it is—but it is also hard and uphill, too. So uphill sometimes! If only you knew! On the internet, we tend to share a tiny sliver of what’s going on, and I like to be encouraging and upbeat. But I know sadness and pain, and so do you, my friends.

Solo: life can be hard. In a family: life can be hard.

My mother likes to tell me the story of everyone wearing a backpack filled with their problems. They’re able to walk into a huge room, lay the backpack down, pick up someone else’s backpack without knowing what’s inside and walk out. Whose backpack would you take? Probably your own.

This is what I know for sure: living solo is a full life. Carrying a family is a full life. All of us have people we’ve been given to love, even if it’s the neighbour next door who adores our carrot cake, commuters on the train, or the stranger who looks like they need a kind word in the fruit and veg market. We’re all connected. We find our joy where we plant it. We do the best we can with what we have in our own two hands.

No matter what you’re currently carrying, I hope today is beautiful for you. I hope you fill yourself to the brim with deliberate joy. I’m thinking of all of us around the world, flying solo and together.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • Sitting at my desk writing to you this morning, no makeup, freezing cold. Hiiiiii - it’s perfectly imperfect me.

  • The most beautiful way to do a simple task with love.

  • Aussie friends…I love this cable knit jumper so much. Sharing it again! The beige is even softer than the grey. Sold out in so many stores. A total winner.

  • Twice I saw a lyrebird when I was on a bushwalk one morning. Amazing.

  • You will laugh (especially if you read the caption…). I cried laughing.

Watermelon Sugar

Hello, beautiful friends! Hello, new friends! (You’re receiving this email because you signed up for my weekly newsletter — I’m Catherine Greer, author and BAKER OF SUNDAY DESSERTS).

But now our youngest son is on a journey of bodybuilding while he completes his Bachelor of Science in Sport and Exercise Fitness at uni. His girlfriend is a Latina boxer (always trying to ‘make weight’ for fights) and a Dental Assistant. So, last weekend: no dessert.

And I was so sad!

There is nothing better for me than baking up the love. 🩷

I know it’s not social media beautiful, but I restrained myself and made a quick watermelon cake with what I had on hand. Fresh watermelon and a few navel oranges and mint from the garden.

Was it delicious? Sure. But I’d much rather have had….

I don’t know how you approach your weekends, but I try to make ours a bit of a celebration: a Sunday dinner with the extended family, a tablecloth and lots of candles to light, a special dessert, fun music blasting through the kitchen, a jive on the kitchen dance floor with my husband. Chasing the dog around the house (yep, you’ll see we’ve still got her baby gates up but Evie is one year old now, so time to take them out! Hooray!)

My quick list for bringing joy is this:

  • Turn up the music

  • Set the table with everything you love — the good dishes, the napkins, flowers from your back garden

  • Light the candles (be excessive and generous — more is always better)

  • Make a cake

  • Gather some people you’ve been given to love: good friends or neighbours, family or partners, all ages is even more fun

  • BE the joy yourself

I am so far from perfect. I’ve been tired and stressed, the floor needs to be scrubbed, my watermelon cake last week was ho-hum, some people were in a bad mood BUT we can choose to be the joy in any room, no matter what is going on in our worlds.

We can turn on a dime.

We can set aside the worries.

For just one meal, or one hour, we can appreciate all we have and shine our light for people who need to catch the glow and feel a little happier.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend — and that something surprising and delightful happens to you unexpectedly! You deserve it.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Come Over for Coffee...

Hi my friends, and hello to all the new faces around here. Wish you could come over for a coffee at my house in wintery Sydney! It’s time for a quick intro and a photo, so all the new people see who’s writing to them.

You’ve signed up for this Sunday newsletter from me, Catherine Greer, Canadian-Australian, author and mother, wife and small dog lover. I let my hair go grey at 49, which was a bit radical at the time. I love shiny stuff (fun rings, pretty dishes, crystal glassware) and I’m so glad YOU are here today.

How has your week been? How are you really?

I’ve been uneven.

That’s to say: my workout and weights routine has gone haywire, I haven’t been as consistent with walking, and I’m feeling a bit like I’m on the downward slide.

When my life gets like this, three crazy things help me. So simple that they’re embarrassing. Are you ready?

  1. I take a sec to do my hair — wash and blow dry.

  2. I make everything smell beautiful (scented candles, perfume, the nice body lotion on my hands, legs and feet).

  3. I get outside in nature (a bushwalk, not the city streets).

And I remind myself of this. Take a breather, Catherine. Consider what really matters. Because as soon as I get stressed, my stress is what flows out of me. I get short with my family. I think too much about myself, my own worries and concerns. I ruminate. I worry until I tire myself out. And then…I speak unkindly to the people who matter most—to the people I’ve been given to love.

Because this is true:

Just for today, I’m going to be full of LOVE.

I have a Sunday to enjoy, and people all around me in this house and suburb and city who could use a little lightheartedness. It’s time to speak some FUN. To speak some joy. To be more encouraging to myself and everyone else.

I’m going to give that a whirl and see where takes me. I hope you have a beautiful Sunday, too.

Love Catherine x

P.S. The fun stuff!

  • The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe is coming in March 2025. If you love to read for joy, and if you want a book that makes you feel good and have a laugh and see what it’s like to live in Australia, this one’s for you.

  • Breathtaking! Do you also love white sand beaches?

  • If you can’t sleep, here’s my favourite free meditation. This one works for me! 14 minutes.

  • Love this cute travel outfit.

  • The most wonderful Aussie cookbook. Easy, practical recipes. Everything is good. So worth it!

Life in Sydney Lately...

Hello from beautiful downtown Sydney! It’s been a whirlwind week for me of working in the city, with a little job searching thrown into the mix. Like I mentioned last week, time is always moving on and nothing stays the same forever. I took this snapshot when I was rushing between buildings earlier this week.

Just when I need a rest and I’d love to pack my swimmers for a holiday, Life has a way of telling me to get back into the armour and head into battle. Ooof. Times like this are exhausting.

That’s why I’m loving this gentle Sunday morning. Everyone else is sleeping in, and I’m up with a hot coffee, writing to you.

How are you today? (How are you really?)

I’m in a season where I need to gear up and grow. This spectacular shot of a cockatoo in the city absolutely captures my mood. I need to stand up and stretch my wings into the next version of myself.

So hard.

So rewarding.

Taking the first step into any unknown feels kind of terrible—not gonna lie. But also, there’s an energy that comes with change that makes us all bigger people.

More interesting.

More capable.

(Even if we feel a bit ragged, like a cockatoo pretending to be a peacock - ha!).

If you’re heading in a new direction, too—or even just thinking about it—or if you’re being forced into it, then let me say this: we can do it together, one small step at a time.

Love Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

Hello from Australia! 🇦🇺

Hi there! It’s a beautiful sunny Sunday in Sydney: the coffee is hot, it’s a rest day after a busy work week, and we’ve got a 20 YEAR OLD with a birthday to celebrate. Around here, that means I’ve already made my best, easy chocolate cake and I’ve chosen a theme for birthday dinner.

We’ve decided to go Mexican…recipes linked below! Chicken enchiladas, nachos, Mexican rice and something green. (I always have trouble figuring out what veg to serve on Mexican Night. Do you??)

Time seems to be running, but also there’s always so much to do. I can’t believe the days of being a mother of teens is now behind me.

  • All those weekends of picking up skateboarders at 10pm, loading them into the car, bringing them home for a poolside barbecue and cannonballs and laughs that went late into the night.

  • Regular sleepovers for five of my son’s mates…and all those air mattresses from Kmart and the matching duvets spread across the floor.

  • The spontaneous dinners of homemade mac and cheese and burgers and hastily cut-up carrots and hummus.

That’s the old season, and now, with a twenty year old uni student doing his second placement in Sport and Exercise Science…we’re onto the new.

It reminds me of an important lesson for us all.

It is so, so easy to want to hang onto the past. The life we have, the job, the kids this age, the perfect holiday, perfect health, our own youth, a family home.

But…we’re swept along by the tick of the clock into something new.

That was then, this is now.

And though it takes a little effort, reality tells us that we have to move on. It’s best to embrace it with excitement and dreams of promised joy.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend — with some peaceful moments to consider where you are, and where you’re going next.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff

  • All about amazing Grace! My dear friend Jenny has an incredible granddaughter — smart as a whip, so pretty, and waiting for help from the most brilliant medical researcher we can find. Grace has a rare genetic condition, ADCY5, and we’re raising $120,000 so a brilliant young Aussie researcher can help. We’re so close now at $86,178. (Our shortfall is $33,000 AUD but just $22,000 USD). If you want to help, Grace’s story is here.

All the Fun Stuff

Hi friends. It’s been a whirlwind week…or maybe a tornado week would be a better description. That’s why I am so excited for the weekend. It’s time for some Deliberate Fun.

It’s easy to sit back and hope that fun will happen to me, but usually I find the best way to have a good time and experience peace and joy is to BE the good time, and BE the peace and joy.

Today, I’ll use a few simple tricks that I know will bring happiness right into our home:

  • I’ll pop a gorgeous, bright tablecloth on the kitchen table.

  • I’ll make a delicious Sunday dessert.

  • I’ll learn something new — today it’s so simple: homemade mozzarella.

  • I’ll stop for an afternoon at-home coffee with someone I love.

  • I’ll go for a walk in the fallen autumn leaves in our suburb.

  • And I’ll notice every single thing we DO have.

I found a little quote a long time ago, and I loved it and kept it. (Apologies — not sure of the source.)

I hope your Sunday is filled with all the joy you can bring to it.

I hope you and your loved ones are well and safe.

I hope you have a house full of love: sunlight and friends, fresh air and new mornings, work and joy, people who need you and know you.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. More of the Fun Stuff!

How to Deal with Overwhelming Emotions

Hi friends. I hope your weekend has been filled with rest and peace…and some unexpected fun!

But if it hasn’t — I wanted to share my easiest trick for dealing with feeling overwhelmed. For years now, when too much is going on at once and I feel stuck or unsure, I use the One Piece of Paper Trick. I wrote about it in Chapter 23 of The 10 Minute Fix.

I take a huge sheet of paper…you can use anything, even A4, but I specifically bought one ream of A3 paper for this, and I am slowly using it through the years. I like something BIG for big thoughts and plans (and problems).

On the paper, I brain dump everything that’s going on, and I place those things in categories like Family, Work, Books, Health and Fitness, and any other topics that are on my heart and mind. Then I make lists of what is working, and what isn’t.

It helps so much to see everything on one page.

Try it for yourself and see — it’s the best way to plan and feel like you have a bird’s eye view of your life. You can group all your worries and joys in one place. A simple paper of paper can help you breathe a little easier, I promise.

And yes, I do still use my own book! I wrote it for others, but also myself, and it’s a collection of ideas I need to move forward with happiness, confidence and far less worry.

Enjoy this beautiful weekend. I hope something unexpected and lovely happens to you!

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • I’m trying to improve my chocolate chip cookies. I don’t know if it’s my oven or what, but my cookies are just not as good as usual. I’m going to try this recipe. Tips?? Let me know.

  • Remember this gorgeous line from Emily Dickinson? I am out with lanterns, looking for myself…

  • I know, I know, the photo looks pretty terrible, but I’ve seen this dress on so many women online and it looks AMAZING. I’m tempted to try it. (Note: they were all a bigger size, too, not super slim.)

  • A favourite song for table dancing (you know, when you’re all sitting around playing a game, or having some snacks and you shimmy your shoulders and bounce in your seat?). Also great for cleaning the kitchen. It’s the song that makes everyone sing along…wah, wah, wah….here on YouTube and here on Spotify.

A Fun Thing Lately

Hello from beautiful Sydney! Here’s a picture I took recently of the Opera House at dawn — isn’t it lovely? If you’re from overseas and haven’t visited here yet, you should consider Australia for your List. It’s such a beautiful country.

Now, onto some fun!

Lately my life has been extra Life-y, and you already know my favourite trick. When things are hard, I try to throw some good right back into the world. It somehow makes me feel like I’ve got more control that I really do. The “good” is often simple (running over to my elderly neighbour, Robert, with a piece of carrot cake, doing an adult son’s laundry when he’s extra busy, or smiling at someone in a shopping mall who looks like they need a lift.)

But here’s the other thing I’ve been trying recently.

I’ve been working on expanding my joy. When I feel happy, I try to focus on that feeling for a full minute — savour it and enjoy it.

I think of it this way.

Whatever is lovely or makes me feel happy, I imagine shining a metaphorical flashlight at it, so I can notice it and focus on it.

Does it make the worry go away? Not really.

But it makes me feel better and more balanced, and it makes me remember that life usually holds moments of peace and relief and happiness, even when things are hard.

If you’re in an extra Life-y season right now, I hope this helps you, too. And I’m sending all my thoughts your way for something beautiful and unexpected to happen to you today.

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The Fun Stuff!

  • Do you love to dance? Sharing with you a picture of… Ta Da! Our garage. Hahaha! Here’s the reason our garage is so fun. During Covid lockdown, we needed more space, so we started parking our cars outside and now we have a ‘gym’ and my favourite thing in the world…’a dance studio.’ This little string of lights from Bunnings and the peel and stick wall mirrors from IKEA make me so happy. Yes, it’s where my husband and I practice our dancing — and that’s exactly what we did for an hour on Saturday night. It’s my joy. I took a photo of it to shine a flashlight on it.

  • Open Door, Open Heart. A dear friend from Canada taught me how to make my own iced tea. Genius! Why have I never thought of this?? You can follow along here. She has the most beautiful heart.

  • My winter Aussie friends — this Kmart jumper dupe is so fantastic. Size down as it’s really quite big.

  • Wow. I’m sharing one more time because it’s AMAZING, I love the Shark Hairstyling tool my beautiful cousin gifted me for my birthday. I cannot get over how great it is. It’s pricey, but if that’s in your budget…you will not regret this. Link is here. Worth it.

A little hit of happiness for you today...

Hi everyone — and hello to you if you’re new here. I’m Catherine Greer, author and baker, Sunday dinner dessert maker, corporate copywriter and trainer, mum to two adult sons AND a stubborn little shih tzu pup. (You’re getting this email because you signed up at Love Our Age, probably after reading one of my books. Thank you! I am so, so glad you’re here.)

Today I have a little happiness tip for you, and it’s something I’ve always done with my own family. I think this is because I have sons — and they can be a bit light on the emotional details when we talk. Over the years, I’ve drifted into the habit of asking them two questions that cause the defences to tumble down.

First I say, “How are you?”

And then I say this:

Try it with someone you love and see what happens.

They’ll soften. They’ll look at you — and open their hearts.

The older I get, the more I realise that connection is the best and most beautiful thing we have. (Think about it: when was the last time YOU were asked “How are you — really?”) How does it make your heart feel to be asked that by me now?

If life is tricky for you today, I hope you have ways to give yourself a little break. I’m going to put some links to do-able things in The Fun Stuff below. Cookies! Hot chocolate! And if you need to heal or improve a relationship with someone you love, take a moment to ask them how they are…really.

Enjoy your Sunday. I hope you find all the peace you need today.

Love Catherine x

P.S. The fun stuff!

  • First up, a tiny thing: this sugar free hot chocolate. Oh my goodness! It’s fantastic — even if you make it with water. Run to the shops and get some for yourself. It. Is. So. Good.

  • Take at look at my hair in the photo today. Guys, I have okay hair normally — it’s not my best feature by any means. BUT my beautiful cousin gifted me the BEST EVER styling tool for my birthday and all I can say is WOWWWWWWW. If you can afford this, I’d definitely invest in it. I feel so lucky to be given one, and I’d give it a million stars in my review. So good. So easy to use. In the photo above, I used the curling wand attachment and it’s just fabulous. Link is here. Worth it.

  • These gluten free cookies. Amazing, amazing, amazing and just three ingredients. You could whip them up in under ten minutes.

It's Mothering Sunday - plus more!

Hi everyone, and happy weekend!

Today is what I like to think of as Mothering Sunday…and it’s so important to say that if you’ve ever mothered anyone (kids or replacement kids or friends or people who need you, or beautiful furry besties like little Evie in this photo), then this message is for you.

I woke up today and I was so lucky…one of the girlfriends stayed over and she was up at the crack of dawn working on her tertiary Dental Assistant studies. My own kid wasn’t up yet. And she threw her arms around me and said, “Happy Mother’s Day. You’re an amazing mum.”

She’s not mine, but I’ve mothered her.

You’re probably the same — you’ve mothered friends and random kids and the elderly, and pets and even partners.

Here’s the truest thing I know about Love.

Love is what you give away.

It’s not what you wait to get.

I like to try this in action. When I’m low or blue, I give away as much love as I can. I throw it like confetti. I bury love like seeds. I fling it out my car windows and aim it at people’s tired faces when I see them in the mall.

So here’s my little tip for today. If you’re like me, and right now you need a little more love and care, GIVE YOUR LOVE AWAY.

It will float right back to you. But even if it doesn’t, it’ll make the world a softer place to be.

Happy Mothering Sunday.

Love, Catherine x

P. S. The fun stuff!

  • I’d love your support before the new The 10 Minute Fix II hits the shelves. If you love the first one, will you share a copy with someone else? The best-loved The 10 Minute Fix is here in Canada, in America, in the UK, in Germany and in Australia.

  • Love journalling? The 10 Minute Fix Journal is gorgeous, and every page is different, with over 200 writing prompts. You can get your journal here in America, in Canada, in the UK and in Australia.

  • And if you think this grey jumper is for you, it’s here and it’s so warm and cute. Also comes in cream.

  • Missing all my Canadians today. 🇨🇦 Just had the longest chat with one of my sisters….I’m the youngest of SIX kids! Remember how good it feels to reach out to the people you love.

Try this little tip today...

Hello, friends. How are you?

(And in case no one else has taken a second to ask, How are you really?)

I hope you’re taking a breath just now, and thinking of what you need, and what you might need to give to yourself.

  • An earlier bedtime?

  • A big salad filled with all the things you actually like?

  • A quick hand massage?

  • A treat?

It’s so easy for women to forget to do these little things for ourselves because we are always so busy looking after everyone else.

Case in point: take a look at this lovely little statue near Collaroy Beach in Sydney. She’s called The Knitting Girl and Care Package by artist Richard Stutchbury. It’s a war memorial that was so simple and moving it took my breath away. And yet, this little knitting wartime girl reminded me of this: women always care, care, care, care, care.

We’re taught to be the holders of care from the time we are little girls.

Sometimes I ask myself why it is so easy to forget about ourselves for months at a time. We seem to just…slip off the list.

Maybe you’re different than I am (more focused? more vigilant?) but I can easily forget to put myself on the list with health and movement and doing simple things that make ME happy. So here’s a reminder for you today: do that small thing you love. Do it for you, and with joy.

Enjoy your weekend.

Love,

Catherine x

P.S. The fun stuff…

  • Sydneysiders — I went to The Collaroy for their salsa night. There’s a free class every Friday night and I love the vibe of Australians having fun. Just a thought: is it time to try something new-to-you?

  • How are your feet? If you have problems, you need to try toe spacers. I absolutely love these, and I’m so happy to report back that with four months of daily use, they have absolutely helped me get stronger feet and walk pain-free.

  • Making this delicious cake for my birthday brunch today. Yes, I’m celebrating with family and friends…

Hello...I'm back! And I missed you. 🩷

Hello, my friends.

After a four month break to recharge and reset, I’m back with regular Sunday morning (in Australia) emails straight to your inbox. If you’re not sure why you’re receiving this, I’m Catherine Greer, author of books including The 10 Minute Fix and Small Steps are Perfect, and you signed up for my weekly newsletter.

I have so many new thoughts and ideas to share with you!

Today, though, I just wanted to catch up and say that I’ve missed you. And I’m leaving you with this little question about your worries.

It’s always better to live high-vibe. Right? Right.

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

Love, Catherine x

P.S. What you can expect ongoing…

  • So many of you are NEW here - hello, and welcome to all of you who’ve signed up in the last four months! I’ll be writing to you weekly with upbeat inspiration and hints and tips about wellness and happiness.

  • I’ll share new or old recipes I love - this one I can’t wait to try.

  • Little skills that look fun. I’ve always wanted to be able to do this. 🩷

Wishing you a wonderful holiday...

Hi everyone,

The gifts are wrapped, my family is together this year, and I’m ready to settle in and do a few last things for the holidays.

Rest.

Have fun.

Be fun.

And this — my most important value, and the message I always share.

What else is there, anyway?

Health isn’t guaranteed, and good fortune flows up and down, but love is the constant that we have some control over — how much we love, who we love, and who we treat as family, through blood or friendship.

From my little family in Sydney, Australia to you, I’m wishing you the best and brightest Christmas. (My boys are so tall and grown, I feel positively SHORT these days…but I’m still 5’7”, haha!)

These are my people, my whole heart. And of course, this little Christmas Evie is absolutely included in our circle, too.

I’ll see you on the other side of the holidays, my friends.

Thank you for travelling with me, and I wish you and yours the most amazing holiday.

Love Catherine x

P.S. The fun stuff!

  • This is the most beautiful Christmas song ever…you can listen here on Spotify or here on Youtube.

  • Ohhhh, I made Nagi’s Christmas Baked Salmon last night and my photo isn’t that gorgeous but WOW, it’s worth it!

  • I’m taking a little break now — and I’ll see you after the holidays! Not sure when I’ll be back, but I’m thinking mid to end January. Sending love to you until we meet again. ❤️

Is it cookie time?

Hi friends. Eight days until Christmas, and here we are — running around, still working, trying to get everything ready to go for the holidays. On top of that, my family has been taking turns getting sick with a summer cold, so chills and headache seem to be going around Sydney.

Are you busy / tired / rushing too?

As a quick way to help out this morning, I thought I’d share my easy Raspberry White Chocolate Shortbread cookies. I made a huge batch yesterday, and they’re always a hit.

Raspberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

  • 1 cup softened butter

  • 2/3 cup white sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour

  • raspberry jam

  • white chocolate melts

Cream butter and sugar, beat in extract, and gradually add flour and mix into a soft dough. Roll into 1 inch balls, make a thumbprint and fill with jam. Bake at 180 C / 350 F for 12 minutes. Cool and drizzle with melted white chocolate. (I use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off — easy!)

Totally delicious!

I hope you have a relaxing weekend, and if you have a long list, that everything gets crossed off just as you planned.

Love Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

7 Tips for Holiday Magic

Hi everyone! I hope this weekend has given you a breather to rest and regroup before the holiday fever sets in. To give you a little support, I thought I’d share my 2023 list to bring some magic to the people I love this holiday season.

Ready? Let’s go!

  1. Be Fun to Live With. Whether you’re the matriarch of a huge family or a guest, or even celebrating a lovely peaceful holiday at home for one, I always remind myself of this simple truth: the fun has to start with us. For me, this means I need to drop unrealistic expectations of other people, RELAX, choose to see the joy and good intentions, and bring my own good cheer.

  2. Be Where Your Feet Are. Enjoy the lights. Sit by the tree. Take a walk in the snow, or the sunshine. Mark the season by noticing it.

  3. Always, Always, Always Give Warm Hellos and Goodbyes. Whether it’s people you love or just people in the world, being warm is everything.

  4. Less Netflix. More Connection. Dig out that board game — this year I’ve bought Tenzi to try (fast & easy). I’ve also set up a puzzle (a tip: map puzzles are fun for everyone to do, and way easier). We like to buy our family one active “Santa present” that’s something fun we can play together in the back garden.

  5. Start or Continue a Holiday Tradition. This is a little harder, but I go all in. It could be as simple as a cookie drop off for friends, bringing a box of chocolates to open and share during a coffee date or — if you’re more high octane at the holidays, like I am — some fun family traditions. We still do Christmas Camp Out (matching Christmas pjs), Christmas Ninjas (ring and run cookies for people we love on Christmas Eve), a baking day, the pickle present.

  6. Rest. Ask for help if you need it. Delegate and hand out the tasks. Exhausted women are not fun to be around (and we all know they are not fun to BE, either.) I remind myself of this every year: the person who needs to take care of you is YOU, Catherine.

  7. Reflect. Make yourself a hot or cold drink and think about your year. Did you have a warm home, people to love, water from a tap, a choice of shoes, fruit? Are you here, despite the worries and the unexpected way things are turning out? Me too. And I’m grateful.

I wish you were here having coffee with me, sharing your best holiday tips! Just know that I’m over here in rainy Sydney, hoping you have a peaceful, relaxing day. Take good care of yourself this week!

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

This is happening lately...

Hi friends! A quick intro for the new people: I’m Catherine Greer, lover of shoes, kitchen dancing, finding joy, making Sunday desserts and writing books. Thanks for joining me for a little weekly inspiration. You’ll hear from me every Sunday morning in Australia (Saturday night overseas). If you need a reminder of what I look like, I’m a silver-sister, here on Instagram but I haven’t posted in ages…

I had a realisation this week and it really shook me, so I’m sharing it with you.

Maybe it will help?

Here’s the story: as well as writing books, I also work in Australia’s finance world as a copywriter and communications specialist. This means I write all the things — books and blogs (adult novels, picture books, young adult novels) and also executive speeches, business articles, presentations, advertisements and more.

I was struggling with a presentation — trying to make it look good, trying to find the right words — and suddenly the simple solution just came to me.

The problem with how I approach things is that I plow ahead, diligently, doing MORE of the same thing until I get the results I want.

And I made a coffee that morning and thought of the famous words that are usually misattributed to Einstein (but probably came from an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting — see link below): “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

So I made a promise that I would spend the week like this:

It sounds so simple.

My results were amazing.

I don’t know how long my comfortable brain has had me stuck in so many areas of my life, but now I’m changing it up. From the simple to the complex, I’m over here trying EVERYTHING differently.

  • The type of dishcloths I use get so smelly when the boys just leave them wet in the sink. Now: sponges.

  • My morning routine: it has always been slow chair time with hot coffee. Now: I want to be the one to walk the dog in the fresh morning air.

  • Eyeliner: watch a YouTube video.

  • Gift wrapping: try another way for bulky packages - link below and it’s fabulous.

Every single thing I’ve done differently has worked so much better.

I wonder if it will do the same for you?

Sending you good vibes and all the blessings this weekend. Next week, I promise we’ll race towards the holidays togather.

Stay tuned for favourite recipes, lots of baking and more!

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The fun stuff!

Let's take a break...

Hello friends! Hello to the new people — and a quick intro so you know who’s writing to you. I’m Catherine Greer…from Sydney (via Saskatchewan, Canada 🇨🇦), mid-lifer, author, serial baker, mum to Evie the cute shih tzu and two adults sons. I believe in celebrating everything, Sunday dessert and dancing in the kitchen whenever I remember.

I’m also…a little tired.

Are you?

As we run up to the last 29 days before Christmas, have you been juggling all the things? Me too.

In the midst of that, our family is in the throws of change. I can feel it coming, and sometimes I want it to happen but other times I don’t.

So I’ve learned to ask a question lately that’s been helping. Here it is:

That question — “I wonder what will happen next?” — has helped me remember that change is life. It can bring fresh air, joy, hard work, a shake-up, a refocus and the next stage.

If life is getting extra life-y for you, too, try this today: make a tea or coffee, put your feet up and rest.

I hope something unexpected and lovely happens to you (and to me, and to all of us. Remember…we’re here, and we’re in this together! 🩷)

Love, Catherine x

P.S. The fun stuff!

I’m pretty good at bringing the holiday joy, and it involves a little pre-planning. Here are my top tips so far:

  • This year, I bought this very quick game for all ages — fast paced, easy to pull out, over in a flash, fun. I bought this set but should’ve ordered the set for six. Or you could just make your own for the same price by grabbing this set for 10 people. What’s better than all the friends or family sitting around playing a game? Not much. 🩷

  • Wish I’d started this tradition when my kids were young. I’m going to try it now anyway, to see if it sticks. I love it with my whole heart!

  • I want to learn this for Christmas - today when I rest, I’m going to give it a whirl.

  • If you want your own HAPPY THANK YOU MORE PLEASE t-shirt from The 10 Minute Fix, you can get yours here. I love mine.

Lovely surprises for you today...

Hello, friends!

This week, I’m ready to burst in with an idea that truly helps me. But first…if you haven’t been asked lately — how are you? How are you feeling in your body? How are you navigating your run up to the holidays? Are things stable and normal or a little off-kilter in your world?

Today we’re tree trimming (so early, I know) but we have sons and girlfriends here before someone heads off overseas for a uni (university) study trip, and this weekend was our window to share the family traditions. I’ve got a dinner planned with the Nutella Christmas Tree pastry for dessert — recipe below — and the Christmas lounging pjs are wrapped and ready for a Christmas movie night after dinner.

So…that’s me, starting to celebrate Christmas.

It makes me think of how much I love the holidays, and here’s the secret: I love to create joy.

This year, more than ever, when the news is terrible and life has honestly been unsettled for us, I want to drive up in the Fun Bus and create a beautiful holiday with all the people I’ve been given to love.

I want to fiddle with baking the treats my family loves.

I want to find and wear the matching pjs.

I want to pick up sweet and small gifts for girlfriends, and wrap them with care.

I want to celebrate — to throw some good back into this world, to make some dinners and play some games and laugh with people and breathe it all in.

The older I grow, the more I know that our lives are always changing. What we have is now, today, and the micro-moments of happiness we create.

No one has ever come to my door and handed me some happiness. I wish! Some days, when things are hard and extra “life-y” I wish this were the case…but I do believe we can open our own door, and hand some happiness back.

My plan in the lead-up to Christmas this year is to take every opportunity to hand out joy. And to sit back in a chair with my feet up and my cup of hot coffee, and marvel at all the amazing things we have:

  • People to love.

  • Hearts to warm.

  • Lights and sparkle and magic (and summer for us…and maybe you’ve got falling snow)

I hope you join me in feeling really good — in learning to feel even better — as we go ahead like all women do, and make the magic this season.

Love,

Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • Remember the pup who hangs out on the trolley at my local flower shop? There are TWO. I don’t know why this delights me so much…but think about puppies riding on flower trolleys, setting out the flowers every morning. Life is delightful, right?

  • The Nutella Christmas tree recipe - so easy and cute.

  • Hot tip: I was browsing ASOS.com in September, and found Christmas pjs at a huge, huge discount. I got sets of these for $15 and the quality is amazing. Who knew you could buy family pjs so early? I’ve put a reminder in my calendar for next year.

  • A perfect little girlfriend gift: these small cross-body bags. Honestly, the caramel one looks like it’s from Zshoosh for $150 but it’s Kmart and $10.

  • (A quick and respectful note on sharing budget-friendly options: over the years, I’ve had so many lovely emails from readers who, especially since Covid times, have lots of creativity and love to share, but not so much money. That’s why I try to be balanced here, and share what works for everyone. Hugs, hugs, hugs to you all. I hope today is flooded with opportunities for you and your families, and so much joy. 🩷🩷🩷)

  • Had to share - our picture book, Violin & Cello, was featured on Playschool last week. So sweet to be part of this Aussie iconic television show.

Two Things I've Heard Lately

Hello, friends and new friends! Every now and then I like to share a photo of myself to remind you who’s up early and writing to you every Sunday morning! It’s Jacaranda season in Australia! The world around us is bursting into purple.

A quick intro — I’m Catherine Greer, author of two picture books , Jacaranda Snow (wow, huge sale on this today in Australia!!) and Violin & Cello, plus other books for women, like The 10 Minute Fix and Small Steps are Perfect. This year I signed a book deal for my first adult novel…a dream come true!

Ready for the two things I’ve heard recently?

The first is a poem by Miller Williams, and it’s brilliant.

The second is a lovely nod to all our friends and the people we love, by poet and handlettering artist, Lori Heteen. You can follow Lori here.

I know the news is worse than terrible, but one thing will always be true: we’re in this together, and there’s still beauty and joy if we look for it.

If today you’re feeling fabulous or a little off-key, I hope something wonderful happens to you.

Thank you for reading, and I’m wishing you a beautiful weekend filled with texts and calls and cups of coffee with all the people you’ve been given to love.

Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

  • Voilin & Cello will be featured on Playschool this Thursday! For all my Canadian and American friends, that’s like Australia’s Sesame Street, Mr Rogers and Mr Dressup. So cute!

  • Reporting back on the quick bread from last weekend: a total failure. Can someone please send me a bread recipe that works?? Just hit reply to this email!

  • Reporting back on the skims-dupe bra…so great! Run, don’t walk, ladies. So comfortable! Probably best if you’re a C cup or under.

  • Tonight I’m trying the Moroccan Chicken with Chickpeas from Recipe Tin Eats. I’ll let you know if we love it.