Words that uplift and empower | Hand-made Lettering Art & Blog by Joy Adan
Confession: I’ve been to The Grounds Keeper Cafe a lot in the last four months. So much so that the owners, Hadi and Sam know my face and laugh whenever I turn up and ask me where I’ve been if I haven’t visited for a while. Lucky for them, I normally bring someone new every time. Up until six months ago, the options for food at the Blacktown Showground Precinct were pretty average;
Today marks the first day of Share the Dignity’s “It’s In the Bag” campaign. From 19 November to 3 December, Australians are invited to fill an unused handbag with items that will make a woman feel special, and drop it off at any of Share the Dignity’s nominated collection points so they can be distributed to women in need. I don’t know if my son is old enough to imagine what it’s like to go without, or to have
Last night, Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States of America. Like the rest of the world, I’m still unable to process this news. I thought 24 hours would be sufficient time for me to be able to overcome the disbelief and fear of having a man so incompetent, divisive, predatory, and unstable be the leader of anything, let alone one of the most powerful nations in
There’s always been a soft spot in my heart for beautiful lettering and type. Long before I had my pen licence*, I would admire the pages of my sisters’ font book and spent way too much time tracing words letter by letter for title pages and headings of my school projects. I remember that font book – it had an orange cover and pages full of the coolest bubble and block
It’s early. Eddoes is already on his way to work but the rest of the house is fast asleep. Well… I can hear Mr Z stirring in his room. I need to drink this coffee and eat this bacon and egg roll quickly or else it’s going to stay here abandoned on the kitchen bench for the rest of the day. Mr 4 has already woken once and I managed
Blacktown Showground Precinct (Francis Park) is one of our favourite places in Sydney’s west for the family to enjoy the sunshine and burn some energy without spending a cent. It has a dedicated water play area, shaded playground, over 20 picnic tables (most of them under cover), electric BBQs, basketball courts and an outdoor gym, two sporting fields, a community garden and – should you want to buy lunch or
Last week I went to visit a female GP for my 6 week postpartum check-up. It was weird. Even though she wasn’t my regular GP (ours is a dude and I wanted to talk female to female), I went in thinking I’d at last get a chance to talk to her about how I’m going physically and emotionally after labour. Either I have warped memories or things have changed drastically since
I’m not sure about you, but I’ve always struggled to find a way to drink enough water during the day. I’m supposed to drink more water since I’m breastfeeding but found I was even worse now – what with mummy brain, being exhausted, and having a bub that keeps me occupied at all hours of the day and night. And even though the breastfeeding leaves me parched and I take a drink
I’ve spent a fair bit of time over the last couple of days wallowing in self-doubt. Up until Thursday I was ok (in fact, better than ok) but the precarious walls of my “confidence” came tumbling down over something really dumb. The embarrassing part about this is what triggered the self-doubt. It was a LinkedIn request from someone who had a really impressive profile and about a gazillion articles and publications to their
This chocolate and chia seed banana bread recipe is something I’ve been wanting to try for weeks. I looove banana bread and have been snacking on it in between my midnight feeds. The store-bought stuff is crammed with sugar and generally doesn’t contain anything that good for you. I’m not going to pretend this version is healthy, but it does contain goodies to make it less naughty than your average slice. I
In the heart of Sydney’s Hills district is The Tuckshop – a hip little cafe with great coffee, kick-ass burgers, delicious salads and a perfect little picnic spot and playground for kids.
Don’t let the image above fool you; since giving birth 5 weeks ago I spend about 90% of the time in tracksuit pants, one of three of my long-sleeve grandpa shirts (the ones with buttons down the middle that end about mid-torso) and those nursing singlets with the built-in bras. Being mother of a newborn is far from glamorous, and when it comes down to breastfeeding, everything you wear is about comfort
