playing your cards right

I love a row of Christmas cards all strung up. The garlands filled with seasons greetings just make me happy. So I have a few secrets to share for an organised send out.

Make your list: I have a word document with everyone's full name, including kids {updated whenever there's a new addition - or, gulp, subtraction} with the full address and postcode. Each year, I also sneakily mark whether or not I receive a card {this way I hope to ditch a few of the cards I send, even though I never see these people during the year}.

This year I'm getting in early and sitting down on Thursday night and addressing all the envelopes. This will leave me free to write on five cards per night over the next week or so, happy to be able to write a personal greeting to everyone - without getting writer's cramp.

Finger's crossed that I'll have all my cards out in the first week of December - with a few spares just in case I receive any last-minute additions!

better off red

Does it get any more gorgeous?

harmonious adaptation

I'm never happy after seeing a film adapted from a book. I'm a reader who 'sees' the script play out in my head, so inevitably when I see the characters on the screen I'm disappointed as they look nothing like the cast I'd envisaged. {Tom Cruise in Interview With The Vampire - I'm looking at you}.

Cut to last night's screening of The Time Traveler's Wife. Oh my.

My friend and I both adored the book - and we both adored the film. Such a difficult story to screen and yet they did it so well.

Eric Bana was perfect in his role and I fell in love with him again {can't remember why I'd forgotten about him, but he's quite the brilliant actor and has been with his wife for eight million years - bless}. Rachel McAdams was perfection - she has the most adorably smiley eyes! Now, of course, my friend and I both did a double take and simultaneous "Eeuwww" when "Berger" from SATC came on-screen - but we got over him. Just.

Oh, and the girl who plays young Claire - utterly gorgeous and so insightful for a six-year-old.

Of course I cried, but I did adore this film. Its explorations of love, destiny, friendship and loss had me enthralled.

simple tastes

Sometimes there's nothing better than the tastes of the season, freshly served.

I've just totally revived my body and soul by munching on some fresh cherries - prettily presented in a pale pink ramekin.

Can you think of a more gorgeous snack?

feeling hot, hot, hot

It's hard to believe it's only spring and at 9.30 the temperature was already into the mid-thirties. I've got the blinds down, air-con on and am hunkering down to work on this steamy spring day. Phew, I'm feeling like a total nana today "well, we're in for a hot one..."

Let's just hope that the pyromaniacs - intentional and the just plain stupid {I actually blasted a guy in a car the other day for throwing a lit cigarette out the car window - how can people STILL do that?} are held at bay.

lavender love

Apparently lavender is the colour-de-season which I'm happy to go along with. Such a pretty hue always brings a smile to my face.

These Kate Spade pretties have managed to include all my faves: bows! satin! purple! in the one pair of shoes.

Lovely.

quick flicks

Question time: I'm planning on checking out a film this week with my bud who's up from Sydney for a week. We'd hoped to see The September Issue, but it's season was too, too short. So instead we're tossing up between The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and The Time Traveller's Wife - any thoughts on the matter? We've both read and loved TTW, but will the film spoil the literary experience? Or will I sob uncontrollably every time Heath Ledger appears on screen? Decisions, decisions... Your input is much appreciated!

psssst, santa

This'd look really pretty adorning my wrist...

hello, excitement...

Can.

Not.

WAIT!

pink perfection

My peonies are just starting to open. I've got them on my desk and they're to be my oasis of calm today. I've been up since 6.30am - unusual for me. But we've been waiting on a delivery of pavers since Friday and he called last night to tell me he'd be here at 6.30/7am. A shocker of a time but as I have to have the pavers delivered down on the road and then carry them all, one-by-one up seven stairs to the footpath, then up two more stairs into my front gate I thought this was a sensible option.

Except he's still not here at 8.12am.

Grrrrr.

My husband's in Sydney on a training course for a few days so he can't help me and my smoothly organised day, which requires precision timing isn't looking so hot.

I've got my bestie coming up for a few days so we can have a working bee - she in the living room on her laptop and me in the study on my computer. She's got a book to finish off, I just have my usual run of work.

Tonight she's babysitting my gal as I'm off to a friend's school to listen to a presentation by The Butterfly Foundation about raising girls. I love the work these people do and hope I can come away with some more insight.

I'm diligent about raising a daughter with self confidence - and body confidence. One who'll make sensible food choices to nourish her body and soul and one who won't start on the destructive diet path {like I did at 11}. I'm proud to say that I've never made a negative comment about my body in her presence - I think it's important for a girl to see her mother as happy and confident in her skin. Last night she came and watched me play netball and get all red and sweaty {it must have been 40 degrees in that indoor sport shed!} and laugh along with all the girls in my team. We encourage her to play sport, to dance and to nurture her love of reading and art.

She's my peony that girl, and I'm going to continue to love watching her grow.

rose tinted attitude

It's hard not to be overcome with delicious perfume in any corner of my front yard today. Those delicious scarlet blooms are Mr Lincoln - a red rose with a heady scent. Just underneath are the delicate pale pink petals of Duchess de Brabant with her subtle scent and nodding blooms. So pretty.

And as you walk down the front stairs the heady aroma of gardenia offers a knock-out blow.

Now that I've got a vase-ful of peonies on my desk I'm pretty sure that life's complete...

shiny shiny

Generally speaking I tend toward clothing that's on the un-embellished side. I'm pretty sure that you'd be hard-pressed to find a sequin or shiny bit on any item of clothing that I own.

However, lately I've been edging ever-so-close to the shiny side.

Sequins are catching my eye and holding them in a covetous manner.

I suppose my biggest fear about shiny things is that someone will mis-label it as "bling" a word that's top of my loathe-list.

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be one of those old ladies head to toe in Alexis Carrington-esque evening wear. But I'll be rocking it...

pink of perfection

Guess what? Yep, it's peony season. My love for these flowers is as grandiose as their blooms so this year I'm going to take advantage of it and buy a bunch of them at least three times during the season.

Sure, they're expensive, but I've spent the same amount of a bottle of wine which gives only fleeting pleasure. So instead, I'm going to break the cost down into days of pleasure and will probably only spend the equivalent of a decent cup of coffee per day. You can't put a price on pleasure...

life's a journey

garden grubs

We've got a working-bee weekend planned. I'll be out the front weeding and mulching the cottage garden, while Matt's out the back staking, pruning and fertilising the lilly pilly hedge by the pool.

Firstly though, I've got to get some order happening inside the house.

Husband and child off to Borders so child can spent her winnings from our family sweep from Melbourne Cup {she came in first, second and third so has won a ton of Borders Dollars - me? Jealous much?!?}. So I'm getting stuck in for 60 minutes of serious, no-interruptions cleaning. Shall put on some motivational music {hmmm, I'm thinking Foo Fighters or Pixies turned up to 11} and get to it.

Have a gorgeous weekend. x

frugal friday

After a very, very long absence, here's the return of Frugal Friday. Yep, I haven't really had that much to write about lately, but now I have a secret to share.

True frugalistas will know of what I'm about to speak, but to me, I've uncovered a revelation.

The discount chemist.

You seen them? Heard of 'em? Been into one? They're pretty damned amazing let me tell you.

I accidentally wandered into one earlier this week while in a different suburb and off searching for my bank's ATM {saving myself $2 in fees - double frugal}.

Obviously one of the main savings with discount chemists is with scripts and vitamins, but let me tell you people, the toiletries! I stocked up on toothbrushes, toothpaste, sunscreen and hairdye at prices I couldn't believe. Even on sale at the supermarket I'd never paid such a low price for these items.

I'll be going back again next time I need to stock up. They even had weird stuff like washing up liquid for sale at ridiculously low prices.

Bargain city.

fine lines

Tickets go on sale for my daughter's ballet concert today at 3pm - and let me tell you, the competition for Big Day Out tickets isn't so fierce.

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm turning up at 2pm, magazines in hand, folding chair at the ready, to hopefully secure us prime seating.

Yep, all this for a child's concert - but look - she's wearing a red tutu - so worth it!

Actually it's such a beautiful show that I'll probably still be lining up for tickets even after my gal hangs up her dancing shoes {which, hopefully will be on the 12th of never!}. Judging by the gorgeous costumes on display at the dress rehearsal Tuesday this year's going to be another fantastic show.

late adopter

I am not one of those people who line up to be the first to buy the latest and greatest. I like others to test things out and time to mull it over before I give in.

I waited for yonks to get onto facebook. Twitter? Well, I signed up kicking and screaming and have barely uttered a tweet.

I think it's a throwback to my dad who was, and is, an early adopter. We were the first in the neighbourhood to have a colour telly {yes, I really am this old...} and VHS {not Beta - he was a lucky early adopter}.

So anyway, my old Cath Kidston nokia phone is slowly dying. The screen's fading and really, it can't offer me what I really need. So the next obvious choice for a mac-lover such as myself is to throw myself at the feet of an iPhone.

Santa?

out the front

Here's a peek at our 1920s metal setting that my dear husband sanded, rust-proofed and painted, before we popped down the pretty cushions my mother made for us on her last trip.

It's the perfect spot to sit and watch the sunset...

in my garden today