As I'm cutting down on coffee, I'm going to be increasing my tea... The caffeine's not the issue {sleep problems? Moi?} it's more that I'm drinking too much milk with my double-shot lattes.
Tonight's the start of my French lessons at Alliance Francais - guess how excited I am?!?!? Exactement! I hope my brain's ready for this - it's been slumbering the last few days. Each morning I'm waking more groggy than the day before. I'm blaming staying up late to watch Come Down With Me on Lifestyle +2 {how do I love that show... And how do I love James Brown - gorgeous man that he is - and he's decorating his home 1930s Paris Burlesque tonight, be still my heart}.
I've always had a love for photography - so much so that my major at Uni was actually photography {with a minor in journalism...} However, three years of bickering lecturers with their own agendas almost put me off photography for life. Now, I'm keen to get behind the lens again. 
When you work from home the toughest thing is ignoring the state of the house and settling in to do work without distractions. Ordinarily I can achieve that, but today, erk. I can hear next door's cleaner working away getting their house all clean and shiny and even though I'm locked in the study I can feel how messy my own house is. Hubby's working on a project so has piles of paper around the living room, rainy days have meant the washing's in teetering mountain-like structures and too much relaxing on the weekend means that stuff that needed to get done just didn't.
It's the school swimming carnival today an even I used to love, but my daughter tends to loathe. The competitive gene seems to have skipped a generation where my gal is concerned - or maybe it was the Montessori pre-schooling combined with being an only child that does it. But anyway, despite years of swimming lessons and the fact that she'll happily swim for hours in our pool she's not quite sure if she wants to enter any races.
Taking a bite of an angel food cupcake is like nibbling on a cloud. These pure-white pretties were flecked with vanilla beans and topped with a wee bit of buttercream icing were rather sublime. I'd love to make little butterfly cakes next time with whipped cream and butterfly wings made from strawberries. Cuteness!
Some designers I just adore: crazy Karl, John Galiano, Tom Ford... and Marc Jacobs. Their individual style infuses the pieces they create with a something that just brings out the covetous gene in my body. Like these pretty Marc Jacobs shoes. Look at 'em. How cute is that heel and the two-toned bow? With another designer this could have been heavy-handed or twee - but Mr Jacobs and his magic touch have created a positively drool-worthy shoes that really should be living in my closet.
The last two nights we've had torrential downpours while we've slept - which means that today, a mild, sunny 25 degrees, is the perfect gardening day. We're going to top up some soil in the planter boxes out by the pool, mulch and fertilise.
Have a glorious weekend and make sure you do something today that makes you smile.
Guess what? I've just enrolled in my Beginner's French lesson at the Alliance Francais and je suis un peu ecstatic! Even though I studied French for two years at school {read: stared out the window thinking how much I hated my teacher and asking if yoplait really was french for yoghurt...} and am able to speak the basics I decided to go with the beginner's class rather than continuing beginners so that I get it right from the start. 
Well, it's the end of the first week back at school - and normality has returned. This weekend we've got nothing planned - not a thing. We'll just potter about and get stuff done - whatever stuff needs to get done. There will be swimming, there will be walking, sadly there will also be school book covering {inventor of contact: I do not heart you}...
One of my worst habits is putting things in an odd spot. You know, I'll come in, fling the keys on the {un-made} bed and then, when I attempt to go out will fluff around trying to find them {funnily enough I always look on the key-hanger in the kitchen first - but never put the damned things on there first...}. So, just now, I was searching for my daughter's Smiggle calculator as she needs one to take to school. Didn't find it but I did find around 45 pencil cases, 25 erasers, 15 pencil sharpeners, enough textas to deck out the entire school - and her 2007 Santa photo.
Back to school today and how blissful that is. I've loved the school holidays, but am so thankful to return to reality. I like having my days laid out in an orderly manner. 
On such a grey old day my thoughts are turning to my blessings: lovely husband, sweet daughter, great family, gorgeous friends - and all of my new bloggy friends. I adore how the blogging world has filled a part of my life with so many amazing people. Thanks x
Every now and then, when I have a spare moment, I start adding a little research to my holiday files. Interestingly, around 95 per cent of the experiences I'm aiming for while in Paris are food-related - but that's okay non?
It's a quiet old Australia Day in this household. My husband's taken our daughter and her bestie down to Westfield Bondi Junction for some shopping and I'm home getting some work done. I've realised lately that I'm quite shopping phobic. While my sister-in-law was out here she and our niece went shopping. They left at 8.30am and got home at 6pm after spending the day at our local Westfield. I was horrified - what could they do? Shopped apparently. Window-shopped, actual-shopped, lunched in David Jones...
The start of the school week means starting fresh with menu planning. I'm over fretting at the last minute what to cook and spending a fortune on groceries. So here goes:
