Andy Whitfield was an amazing Australian actor who many of us would have seen in the first season of the Starz show Spartacus. If you haven’t, check it out – there’s something for both the ladies & the men plus a fair bit of violence. He was also in All Saints, Packed to the Rafters & McLeod’s Daughters
Sadly Andy passed after an 18 month battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, aged 39. After his diagnosis Andy invited a camera to follow him throughout his journey as he explored both medical and alternative healing option in Australia, New Zealand and India. Led by the Academy Award® Nominated and multiple award winning filmmaker, Lilibet Foster, a camera followed Andy and his gorgeous family’s unfolding story, for over a year. Andy also filmed personal diaries and took photographs throughout his journey. Together with the support of Sam Maydew, producer, Andy’s manager and principal of talent management and production company, The Collective, who brought everyone together, the documentary has gotten to a certain point. But this doco needs our help. They have created a Kickstarter project looking to fund the additional filming and editing needed to finish the film. For your contributions, you will not only be rewarded with amazing, limited edition and collector’s item gifts, but you will be helping to make Andy’s wish come true – to help or inspire others – because the plan is to distribute the completed film as widely as possible internationally.
Andy’s Spartacus co-star, and friend, Jai Courtney discusses the project in the video below along with a few sneak peaks of the film. Have tissues handy.
Please support this Kickstarter, even if it’s only $5. Let’s help make Andy’s wish come true. Let’s “Be Here Now” and live life in the present.
You can also follow the film’s progress on Facebook and Twitter
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to this Kickstarter project. I’m just a huge fan of Andy’s and would love to see this story out there to help and inspire other.
This post is a Product Talk by Nuffnang. I was provided product to sample & review. All opinions herein are my own.
Ah winter, you have joined us with a vengeance this year, well at least in Tasmania. It’s been cold and windy, perfect weather for staying inside by the fire. One of my other favourite things in winter, apart from sitting by the fire, is a huge mug of steaming hot soup.
Homemade soup is a staple in our house each winter but when I can’t be bothered we often grabbed the single serve quick packet powdered soups for a warming lunch. My biggest concern with these is sometimes you really aren’t sure what’s in them. Enter Heinz with their new Squeeze and Stir soups. Heinz Squeeze & Stir sachets are a thick and rich soup concentrate paste, and unlike powdered cup soups, are made from fresh ripe tomatoes. Heinz Squeeze & Stir is low in fat and contains no artificial colours, flavours and no preservatives.
We were sent the Rich Tomato with Basil and Ripe Tomato & Vegetables to try and it was a fight for who would try which flavour.
Heinz Squeeze & Stir are super easy to prepare. Just squeeze into a mug, add boiling water, stir and if you’re like me, add a swirl of cream on top.
Verdict – I had Ripe Tomato & Vegetables and wasn’t sure what I would think. I’m a Big Red girl, just plain big red. This was a nice surprise. It had all the tomato flavour I expected plus an extra kick from the vegetable pieces. Hubby had the Rich Tomato with Basil. When I asked him what he thought, “it’s ok but not something I’d rush to buy”, was the answer. Hubby, for the record, isn’t a big fan of what he calls ‘fancy soups’ much preferring pumpkin, plain tomato, Chinese chicken & corn or potato & leek. If it’s homemade all the better. Meh, I tried a small bit & I though the touch of basil was a nice flavour. Miss K is a huge soup lover and I’m yet to find something she won’t eat (am yet to try her on Scottish broth – I don’t eat it or cook it so she’ll have to wait til my Mum makes it for Dad). She had a small amount of both and came back asking for seconds so I’ll call that a win!
Overall, I’m not sure if I’ll be adding these to our shopping any time soon. Maybe as a treat (or so I can try the Big Red one). They would great for chucking in your bag before work for a winter warmer at lunch or great for camping trips or even the footy (nothing beats watching sport in winter, rugged up and a hot mug of soup – unless it’s watching sport, inside, in front of a fire, with a hot mug of soup)
Heinz Squeeze & Stir will bring Australia’s number one wet soup flavour, Big Red Tomato*, along with Mediterranean Vegetable, Ripe Tomato & Vegetable and Rich Tomato with Basil into the convenient pack format. Individual Heinz Squeeze & Stir 70g sachets are now available for RRP$1.25 from all major supermarkets and independent retailers.
On Wednesday we farewelled my Grandmother. She was 96 years old.
This was taken at her 90th birthday.
We knew this was coming as she had been getting frailer and frailer. When mum suggested we visit last week I’m glad we did. Hubby, Miss K & I went to visit her last Friday afternoon. She passed shortly after we left.
My cousin did her funeral and it was lovely. Exactly what she would have wanted. And then we all got together as a family afterwards. It was great catching up with cousins even though it was a sad occasion.
Mother’s Day is upon us again (yup, its this coming Sunday, 13th May) and I thought I’d share with you some of the great ideas I’d found while looking for ideas.
It’s probably a little to late for this lot, but maybe next year.
What with Digital Parents Conference, Easter and my Blogoversary (have you entered my final giveaway yet?) I’ve been neglecting a couple of posts I had committed to write. So I thought I’d share a few of the products I’ve been sent to review lately (plus there’s a giveaway to enter too)
The fun Jelly Bean sandals of our (well my) youth are back and just as popular with the little people as ever. Miss K was rather excited when I picked these up from the Post Office and wanted to wear right away. They are one of her ‘go to’ pairs of shoes at the moment and has even been known to put them on before heading to bed!They are available in sizes for little people in blue, pink or clear AND big people in black, blue, red, pink and clear.
We’ve also be using the Boxy Design lunch set. It’s a backpack, compartment lunchbox, drink bottle and freezer gel pack. The set is $78 but I think it’s work the cost. The gel pack and lunchbox fit in a insulated compartment in the bottom of the backpack keeping kids lunch separate from everything else. There’s a smaller compartment on top for frequently accessed things and a long pocket at the back for paper and books. The lunchbox comes with two smaller spill proof containers for snacks or things like yoghurt (the lunchbox even comes with a spoon) and the two larger containers so sandwiches and fruit are kept separate and don’t need extra wrapping. It’s also dishwasher safe & BPA Free (as is the drink bottle). We’ve used it a couple of times when out and about and it’s been pretty good. Haven’t tried sandwiches yet. It should last Miss K till she starts school and hopefully through primary school.
Swimming in winter? In Tasmania? Only in an indoor or heated pool right? Well if your child is suited up in a Heatseeker wetsuit they could. Miss K loves to swim and has been a real water baby since she was really small. Last year she was disappointed to not be able to go swimming during winter, this year she can. Mind you I don’t think I’ll be joining her unless the pool is heated. This great set has kept her warmer than her other rashie type swimmers and the separate pieces mean the suit will hopefully last her a bit longer. Love the fact that Heatseeker is an Australian company too!
Now, onto a giveaway…. I have a pair of Jelly Bean sandals to give away. Enter with the Rafflecopter below (there may also be a pair in my blogoversary final giveaway too, just saying) Open to Australian residents only. Closes 8/5/12
I asked hubby to do a post today cause what I’m sharing is about his family. He declined, cause he’s like that 😉 His Grandfather served in WWII in the Pacific after narrowly missing out on serving in Africa (which was considered lucky as the company he would have been with ended up as POWs)
(that’s Frank on the left – the short one… hubby’s family are mainly a short lot)
The following poem is written about hubby’s Grandad Frank by one of the men who served with him. We have no idea who wrote it (it would be awesome if we could find this out one day… any suggestions of how we could possibly go about this?)
Frankie
Now Frankie is a quiet chap, Not the kind that chatter. He dos’nt care for Ingleburn, But what the hell’s that matter. There’s one thing about Frankie, At which I’ve often laughed, He’s half his mind on Home Leave, The other half on Draft. He loves his wife, As I do mine, And I bet she thinks he’s swell, It’s cruel that he’s away from home But perhaps it’s just as well. And when the war is ended As end all wars must All we will see of Frankie Will be a cloud of dust. He will have to go to beat me, To catch a Southern Train, But if he does we’ll meet I hope, In Launceston again.
Author: Unknown
and now some tunes for your viewing pleasure (the second always brings me to tears)
To finish off my little bloggy party I’m going to go out with one last giveaway. Since a blogoversary is a bit like a birthday, my last giveaway is a total surprise!!
Yup you read that right. You have no idea what will be in the box that I’ll be sending to one lucky person but it’s full of some great goodies.
But on to the winners so far!!
Thanks for all the yummy chicken ideas. I’m sure we’ll be trying out a few. Giveaway #1 – 2 x $20 Lenards vouchers go to…… Sammi & Sasha.
Some great beauty tips and the Giveaway #2 – Beauty pack goes to…… Mary
Thanks again go to those who took part in my bloggy question & answer. Giveaway #3 – Urban Lily Life Journal goes to…… Kylie
and the final winner Giveaway #4 – Ella’s Kitchen pack goes to…… Narelle
All winners have 48 hours to contact me with their postal details. If I have no contact my Tuesday I will be doing a redraw.
Now for the big Mystery box. You’ll have to do a little work for this one. Comment on this post sharing your favourite birthday memory (Optional – leave me a message here if you do any/all of these) Like me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Tweet about the giveaway
Entry is open from 22 April 2012 until 6th May 2012 and is open to Australian residents only. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.
While in Melbourne we attended the Kids Business Bloggers BBQ where I met and networked with some great brands. One of these brands was Ella’s Kitchen.
Ella’s Kitchen was set up in the UK by Ella’s Dad, Paul as he thought his daughter and other children ‘should have the opportunity to eat better food and also to discover that healthy food can be fun, tasty and cool.’ They have a variety of products including 100% fruit Smoothie Fruits, Stage 1 Baby Foods, Stage 2 Baby Foods and Baby Brekkie.
Miss K is at the stage where she prefers whole foods but we decided to try her out on the smoothies. She loves them, especially the Red One (100% strawberries, raspberries, apples + bananas with a dash of lemon juice). I’ve tried them and they aren’t bad. I can imagine adding them to milk to make a yummo milk smoothie or to some yoghurt. Hmmmm.
We haven’t tried the food pouch yet but I know we’ll be buying more of the Red One Smoothie Fruits.
Ella’s Kitchen 100% organic pouches are popping on shelves across Australia in Coles from 26th March 2012.
Today I’ve got together a few bloggers to answer a few questions about themselves & their blogs
Who are you and where do you blog? Tina Gray, http://tinagray.me And how long have you been blogging? about 6 years, but with this blog, 2 years. Tell us a little about you, your blog & your blogging journey. I’m a mum of 5 children and wife to 1 husband. My blog is my space to share what goes on in my head while trying to raise my family, trying to find my skinny self and sharing what I think about stuff. What is the one thing you wish you had been told when you started blogging? and what one piece of advice would you give other bloggers? Make your blog your own. Find YOUR voice. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.
Tina can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Who are you and where do you blog? Liz, www.lizosaurus.com And how long have you been blogging? 1 and a bit years at Lizosaurus, about 5 years all up. Tell us a little about you, your blog & your blogging journey. I’m Liz, I live in inner west Sydney with my husband Jarod and my cat Train. Blogging is just a creative outlet for me – somewhere to put my thoughts and chat with likeminded others. My blog has also offered some amazing opportunities – from free passes to the Easter show to a flight to Malaysia for an awards ceremony! What is the one thing you wish you had been told when you started blogging? and what one piece of advice would you give other bloggers? Blogging is not the be all and end all. There is still a life outside of the internet! Anything else? Also – make sure you’re enjoying it. If you’re not it’ll come through in your writing.
Liz can be found on Twitter
Who are you and where do you blog? Tork, http://torkona.blogspot.com And how long have you been blogging? 1 year, 4 months Tell us a little about you, your blog & your blogging journey. I just turned thirty. I’m a Pisces. I enjoy crisps and long walks on the beach.
But seriously, I am a dad blogger. Why? Because I love being a dad. I love talking about being a father. Not only that, but I am hilarious and I love making people laugh. Hehehe.
I also love to inspire, with a splash of music here and there and the odd hand “written” poetry. Wussy stuff, but I enjoy it, so I make it up talking about stuff dad’s might like as well as the odd gaming info. Overall, I blog about my boy and for my boy. It’s all about keeping memories for the future when I have trouble remembering stuff! What is the one thing you wish you had been told when you started blogging? and what one piece of advice would you give other bloggers? I wish I was told.. don’t worry about it. Just have fun.
Don’t worry about traffic. Don’t worry about how to blog. Simply keep your blog place neat and just write epic as you can whilst enjoying what you do. Anything else? Once I had this dream where I was a transforming plant that could transform into anything. There was a mob chasing after me for hours in this dream and I couldn’t get away from them, no matter what I did. I would turn down strange corners, run super fast, chuck rocks at this mob, nothing would work. Then I realised I was a transforming plant, so I turned into an old granny and grandpa and simply walked past them, whinging something about ‘kids these days’ as the granny whilst as the grandpa I was stroking a cat.
Just thought I’d share that.
Tork can be found on Twitter and on Facebook
Who are you and where do you blog? Ames, http://tutuames.com And how long have you been blogging? In total since Oct 2009, on this blog since March 2011 Tell us a little about you, your blog & your blogging journey. I’m a SAHM to two little ones, a toddler boy, lufflump and a newborn girl, sesame, and not married to but in love with the mister. I’m just getting into fitness and joining Roller Derby so will be also blogging that journey.
I began blogging in 2009. Only the mister knew I blogged. I stopped because I lost my blog mojo and I hated my blog, it still makes me cringe. I didn’t blog again for almost six months. I kept reading my favourite blogs but didn’t write anything.
I started my new blog, Tutu Ames now Accidental Wonderland, as I felt my blog mojo come back mostly thanks to Twitter. I’d spent the six months learning about writing posts, design and topics. I expanded my knowledge, not through e-classes but through blogs I admired.
My current blog is my third baby. She’s gone through many changes but I feel like she’s finding her happy place. The problem is that happy place keeps changing! It’s my place to vent and connect with a wonderful community. What is the one thing you wish you had been told when you started blogging? and what one piece of advice would you give other bloggers? Take snippets of your favourite blogs but don’t copy, individuality is the key! Also please turn word verification off it makes commenting suck. Anything else? Happy blogiversary!!
Ames can be found on Twitter and Facebook
Thanks to all who took part in my little bloggy interview. Pop over to their blogs & leave them some love 😀
Today’s giveaway is an Urban Lily Life Book Journal (I’m not sure if you can buy these anymore but last check RRP was about $30). Colour may vary from that shown below
The Urban Lily Life Book Journal is a refillable 6 ring binder journal with a soft PVC cover with chrome metal closure.
Each Journal Includes
– 50 printed journaling pages
– 25 ruled pages
– 10 blank pages
– 5 polka dot page dividers
Journal Size – 18cm x 23.5cm
Enter using the Rafflecopter below. Easy one today. Again Australian residents only please
Andy Whitfield was an amazing Australian actor who many of us would have seen in the first season of the Starz show Spartacus. If you haven’t, check it out – there’s something for both the ladies & the men plus a fair bit of violence. He was also in All Saints, Packed to the Rafters & McLeod’s Daughters
