meal planning monday

Oooh, really, it's monday night? Today's flown by! I have my vegetarian parents up this week, so there's a lot of vego meals on the menu. Here's what we're eating:

Monday: tonight we made home-made pizza. Fresh tomato and basil sauce, slices of pumpkin roasted with thyme, pine nuts, caramelised onion with a dash or raspberry vinegar to finish it off - and a little freshly grated cheddar over top. Yum.

Tuesday: Mum and I are off to an early movie to check out My Week With Marilyn. So we'll grab a late dinner on Darby Street. The rest of the family will have to fend for themselves. They might make pasta with fresh pesto - seriously, I have A LOT of basil in the garden.

Wednesday: I'm off to meet up with some Newy bloggers. Yay. There shall be tapas, double yay!

Thursday: Might have to make a spinach and feta pie with a carrot salad don't you think?

Friday: We're going out to dinner - a Vietnamese place that offers loads of vegetarian options.

Saturday: Picnic dinner while we watch Shakespeare in the Park. Nice. To eat? Lotsa cheeses, baguettes, salad and fruits. No wine :(

Sunday: Roasted vegies for the vegetarians, with haloumi. For the non-vegos I'll do some lamb on the bbq.

Monday: Last night for my parentals. I might make a chickpea curry and indian bread for dinner.

How about you? What's on your menu? Share?

flowers for friday

Don't pansies just have the prettiest lil faces?

the cutest thing you ever will see

My friend Kristin sent me this yesterday and I may have watched it, oh, about 10 times. I showed Miss A, my daughter who's also French-obsessed, and we may have sat on the couch last night - me on laptop, she on iPad, watching this over, and over again.

Be prepared to die from cuteness.

perfection

I am now officially in love with Kelly Osborne's lavender hair. And combined with that gorgeous soft lemon frock? Fabulous. Paired with the always-glorious Dita? Le sigh.

everything's better with a cape

Actually, the title of this post could technically be a lie as this dress was even more smokin' on stage without the cape - but damn, how cool would life be wearing a cape like this every day?

Whether you're living out superhero fantasies or princess dreams, cape are certainly the ideal accoutrement. Can't believe I neglected to post this yesterday. I broke into spontaneous applause when I saw it yesterday {alone, on the couch - hey, you'd do it too} and I tweeted joyously about it - but blog? I did not.

So here, I give you the cape, the frock, Tom Ford and Gwyneth - officially a match made in some kind of delicious sartorial heaven.

ps: check out the face of lady in the background with black bottom, sparkly silver top. Yep.

kate spade lippy

I do love Kate Spade, there's just something about her aesthete that makes me happy. And you know what'd make me really happy? This supercalifragilipstick {best. name. ever}

frocktastic oscars

I'm calling it: best Oscars frock show ever.

PS: Emma Stone presenting with Ben Stiller? Fabulous. Love her.

red carpet michelle williams - love

The best frocks always cause division and perhaps a wee bit of derision - but this, this I love. Can't imagine anyone else carrying it off - but oh, that colour, the frills, that wee little bow. Love. Apparently it's Louis Vuitton - well played.

So far, other looks I'm loving are Jessica Chastain, who went with black, heavily, heavily embroidered with gold, and Melissa McCarthy - in a frock that didn't play it safe.

George Clooney's gal Stacey Kiebler also wore a Marchesa frock that made my heart sing with it's colour and texture - liquid, molten gold.

meal planning monday

Okay, well, the gal's room is painted! Yep, two coats on the ceiling and cornices, two undercoats to hide the deep pink walls and then two coats of pretty pale blue {not too dissimilar to the chairs in this pic actually...} Now we've just got the tough bit - moving everything back in. Eek. We just moved all the heavy furniture to the middle of the room, and last night we pushed that back, but now we've got the whole bring everything else back in. Eep. At least it's looking pretty. Pics to come when complete.

This week here's the plan:
Monday: Something light. Like a maniac I cooked up beef bourgignon last night for dinner, as you do when you've been painting all weekend. Eedjit. So, tonight it's salmon on the bbq and salad.

Tuesday: There's a year 7 info night at our gal's school, and we both want to attend, so I'm asking my in-laws down to look after the gal while we go. Sure, she's probably old enough to stay on her own, but it'll be dark, let's not ask her to do that. For dinner? It'll be early, so something easy. Perhaps steak and salad.

Wednesday: Netball fitness training for my gal and her team. She'll be a hungry hippo afterwards. Best do her some pasta. Perhaps chicken bolognaise.

Thursday: Ballet - late. Caramelised pork loin, wilted asian greens and ramen noodles. Mmmmm.

Friday: Fish and chips, or thai takeaway, I'm going to be tired. I just know it.

Saturday: My mum and step-dad fly in from Melbourne for 10 days - yay! I'll make some roasted pumpkin and goat cheese quesadillas. {and chicken and cheese ones for my pumpkin-loathing child}

Sunday: Big bbq, with lots of roasted veggies for my vegetarian parents. And haloumi. Mmmmmm.

painting days

We've got a busy weekend planned - painting our gal's bedroom. Yes, high school means that the pretty pink primary school bedroom is out the window - and in with the Frenchy ice blue bedroom. Wish us luck...

wish i were in london...

How.

Good.

Would.

This.

Be?

And it's the day after my birthday!

oscars soiree anyone?

You know how I love an awards season - well, obviously the Elizabeth Taylor-esque jewel in the season is The Oscars. It's where the stylists save all the best frocks {what movies? It's totally about the frocks - and the odd tux...}

So guess how excited I was to see this clever idea - red carpet frocks on the big screen. Clever! Sadly I'll be working, but if it's on next year I think I'll grab a gang of gals and frock up.

Who's your prediction for best frock? I am DYING to see Michelle Williams, but am hoping there'll be some gasp-worthy-gorgeousness on display.

smart shoe storage

So, we've paid for the new wardrobe and it'll be delivered in about a week or so - squeeeee! Now, as I said, it's the perfect size for our bedroom wall - almost like it was made for it - but there's a gap of around 40cm. Which, is pretty perfect as there's a space of adjoining wall next to our door that's just crying out for something like this!

Picture rails for hanging your heels - hello - perfection.

meal planning monday

Wow, what a weekend. We did nothing - but everything. We've been slowly working our way through the house getting things organised. Cleaning out heaps of STUFF. For a while now we've been thinking of getting a built-in wardrobe in our bedroom. It's a massive room, and our 1920s wardrobe just isn't cutting it for storage space. But oh, the cost! See, I don't want melamine doors - I want real timber. And inside I don't want plastic - again, I want timber. And that's mighty expensive - like, a trip to Paris expensive. So hubby thought outside the square and went on ebay. Last night we won this massive wardrobe, complete with shoe racks and made from solid timber - for a song. Oh, a song. It's got incredible detailing on the doors so once we paint it, it'll look so gorgeous and French. V excited! Photos will come.

But enough about storage, let's discuss food.

Monday: My tarragon is currently in a war with mint to see who can take over the veggie garden {just quietly, I think mint'll win}. So I'm going to hack some off and make tarragon chicken for dinner tonight. Served with a creamy polenta and glazed carrots.

Tuesday: Netball general meeting tonight, so I'll prepare an early dinner of Spaghetti Bolognaise. It's also the gal's loooooooong ballet lesson - 5.15 to 7.15 - she'll need sustenance.

Wednesday: You know those lemongrass and garlic prawns I bought from Aussie Farmers last week? So good, so I bought some more. Served on a bed of sushi rice and accompanied by greens cooked in garlic, with some soy and almonds - yum.

Thursday: Leg of lamb with a lentil salad tonight I think.

Friday: We're off to dinner at the local bowling club with our group of friends from school. Kids and parents shall have a ball.

Saturday: Pork ribs on the bbq.

Sunday: Roast - probably chicken. Last night I didn't get organised enough to make a roast, instead we had homemade burgers made by the gal. She seasoned the patties liberally with herbs from the garden and they were DELISH.

Okay, and that's it for me. Oooh, except how cool would it be to own a polka dot Aga? Wouldn't cooking be an absolute joy?

i love tiffany

There's just something about that little blue box isn't there? Tiffany is a brand that I'll always adore. And now, guess what? They've added a new precious metal to their range - Rubedo {or, as I read on French Vogue Le nouveau métal précieux de Tiffany & Co.}

I adore rose gold. My wedding band's rose gold, and I think any special jewellery I've received since I was 18 is rose gold.

Hmmm, can you imagine the prettiness of popping open a Tiffany blue box to discover rose gold inside?

flowers for friday

I don't know about you - but this week I really NEED a riotous bunch of fabulous fleurs.

There, feel better already.

my week with marilyn

I am dead-keen to check out My Week With Marilyn. Love Michelle Williams - and cannot wait to see what she wears to the Oscars {10 days and counting - squeeeeeee}

I think a trip to the cinema's in order this weekend. Don't you?

favourite love story

I just LOVE a good love story. LOVE IT. Given a choice of movies I will always choose something that makes my heart sing. Now, I may have given you a bit of a hint with the image above - but oh, The Notebook. Yes please.

Others?

I do not think I've ever cried so much in a montage as I did in this one in Up. Damn, beautiful, and damn, sad. But lovely. Just lovely. {Oops, getting teary}

What? Shut up - I love this movie. "Whoopsie daisies". How cute is Hugh? Cute. But it's not just them I love - it's all the peripheral love stories. The man who carries his wife upstairs? Gorgeous. Kooky sister and kookier flatmate? Gorgeous.

A classic {and whoops, yes, Hugh Grant does seem to feature again...}

And so, so many more.

This is part of day 15 of the Love 29 Days challenge. Tell me, what's your fave love story?

wish I were here

Fabulous vintage painting on my bedroom wall. Ah, there's no place like Paris...

a day of love

Awww, Valentines Day - I do love a celebration that revolves around lovehearts and the colours red and pink. The Love 29 Days challenge denotes today as a day of love - and who am I to argue? I'll be diving into it by loving everything I do.

Have a happy, lovely day.