Wow! Are we at the end of 2015 already? The year has literally just flown by. I don’t know if it’s me or my kids getting older (well, we’re all getting older) but the days just turn into weeks and then months and before I know it, we’re into another year. The year was bittersweet for me with plenty of highs and and some lows but that’s life unfortunately. You’ve got to take the good with the bad and this year was just one of those years.

The year started off with a ‘bang’ for me, with what I thought, was a couple days away of R and R at the beautiful Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa and my ‘now’ husband, surprised me with a marriage proposal. That then set my ‘organising’ gene into motion with wedding plans and how to plan a DIY budget wedding. Our original wedding date was set for May 2016 but around the same time as the proposal my dear mother-in-law’s health started to suffer so we brought the date forward to September 12 this year. My mother-in-law couldn’t live alone anymore so we spent a lot of time looking for permanent residential care for her as well as packing up all of her belongings from her home.

She made it to the wedding but her health just deteriorated even more. Sadly she passed away on 9 December. It was such a great loss. She was every wife’s dream mother-in-law, always so kind and giving. She was very independent, right up until the end and was very much loved by my husband and his brother and family. She is always in our thoughts and Christmas just wasn’t the same without her. 

We had a lovely week’s honeymoon (all 4 of us that is) at Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland in early October.

1.  Lemon Myrtle Scones with Finger Lime Marmalade | 2. Homemade Sour Cream | 3. Basic Stew |

4. Baked Thai Chicken Wings | 5. Chocolate Macadamia Drop Cookies |

6. Ricotta, Zucchini & Cherry Tomato Tarts | 7. Family Meat Pie | 8. Homemade Tortillas

There were plenty of recipes, as usual, with a different take on some of my staple recipes and I started sharing with you how to make things from scratch, something I’ve done all my life. There’ll be plenty more of those ‘make from scratch’ recipes coming in 2016. It’s all about making do with what you’ve already got in your pantry and freezer and not ducking out to the shops for that ‘one ingredient’. You can find all my Recipes here.

Restoration of a faded thrift store watercolour print

Besides DIYing just about everything for my wedding, I shared a few other DIY and makeover projects. I’ve always made do all my life, whether I could afford it or not. If someone offers you an 8-seater dining suite for free and you need one, you take it (or I do anyway). If there’s nothing wrong with your outdoor setting except that it’s a bit tired and needs a good clean and re-oil, you fix it. I’m not one for following design trends and wanting all that’s new on the market in my home. I’m just as happy with a few sentimental items and reusing what I’ve already got. There are a few more makeover projects here.

10 Frugal Baking Tips

And I also shared a few ‘pearls of wisdom’ on how I make do and live a thrifty style of life, for example 10 Frugal Baking Tips. You can find more posts on frugal living here. There’ll be more of those in 2016 so stay tuned.

And finally, I was also fortunate enough to undertake a Diploma of Business with Business Mamas which has given me the inspiration to turn Domesblissity, the blog, into a business. That’s what I’ll be striving for in 2016 and I can’t wait to share all of that news with you in weeks to come.

Thank you again for being here with me (5 years tomorrow, my blogiversary). Some of you have become lifelong friends of mine, from all over the world. For the new visitors, I hope to get to know you even better in 2016. Here’s to a happy, prosperous and bright new year for us all!