birthday gal

It's our gorgeous gal's 11th birthday today. For 11 years we've been blessed with the most beautiful child who has the sweetest nature to match her gorgeous face. She's full of cuddles and giggles and fills our hearts with joy every single day.

She's a loving friend, an adoring cousin and niece and a much-loved grandaughter who smothers her grandparents with love in return. She adores her family and has made some truly special friends over the years who'll remain with her for life.

She's an extraordinary dancer, a great cook, a fabulous netball player and a devoted reader. She's a fashion diva with an eye for style - and a love of a good frock. She loves fairies, mermaids and all things magical. She's got her head in the stars - and her eye on the moon thanks to her new telescope.

This is such a special day. Eleven years ago we rose at dawn and went down to watch the sunrise at Bronte Beach knowing that later that day we'd be meeting our gal (eight days overdue - so an induction was called for). At 6.43pm, that evening we finally laid eyes on our beautiful girl. I fell deeply in love with her and love her more and more with every passing second.

She's a blessing, one that we're forever thankful for.

Happy birthday poodle - we love you to bits and pieces xxx

nothin' like a dame

The doyenne of pink has a few wise words on how to enjoy the New Year festivities - and they still ring true. Pop over here and have a read.

what's cooking wednesday

Can you believe that this is the kitchen in the apartment we didn't rent in Paris? I know, it's spectacularly gorgeous, and I'm totally copying it in my home one day {ps: this apartment had black and white striped bedroom walls and the most incredibly gorgeous white, wingbacked, buttoned, leather headboard over the bed - to die! - but I love the apartment we're renting more. After all, who cooks in Paris?}

Anywho - this week. What's cooking.

Tonight: simple lamb steaks, couscous and a carrot salad. Why carrots? Because I have a huge bag of them in the crisper...

Tomorrow: it's my gal's 11th birthday! Hurrah!! To celebrate we're following tradition and heading out to our fave French restaurant - Bistro Tartine. Hmmm, pork belly, duck confit or steak? Decisions, decisions...

Friday: um, that'll be new years eve. A quiet one for us. Nibbles and champagne by the pool followed by fireworks on telly. Bliss.

Saturday: let's start the new year with a healthy mango, poached chicken and avocado salad shall we?

Sunday: no farmer's markets {sob}. I think I'll do a standing rib roast on the bbq with a few salads on the side - one roasted vegie, one wilted greens and lemon zest.

Monday: caramelised pork, sushi rice and wilted greens

Tuesday: something from Nigella's Kitchen - a present Santa very kindly bought my gal. Bless.

parisian chic

When you're staying in Paris, you might as well make it as amazing experience as possible don't you think? That's why we went all out and decided to splurge on a two bedroom apartment. See this pretty in pink room in the last two shots? That'll be our gal's room. And see that view down onto Rue Saint Honore? Yep, that's from our living room. And I'm still pinching myself that we'll be in Paris on Bastille Day. Fireworks AND the Eiffel Tower? Oh, I'm dying...

clutter busting

Ooooh, we're doing some rather wonderful de-cluttering here at the moment. It started accidentally, on Christmas Eve when we couldn't find our gal's Santa sack. It just had to be in the linen closet - so I ended up throwing out every single towel and sheet in an attempt to find it {before remembering that I'd put it on my wardrobe so I wouldn't have this problem this year. Whoops}. But at least that left bare shelves that I could wipe down with lavender oil, and refold all the towels and sheets that got into a tangle. I ended up rewashing all the sheets, and now they're all organised and Martha-esque in categories of single, queen and blanket. Beautiful.

My husband's also ploughing through rooms while I work and we've been giving loads away on Freecycle. Our old trampoline went before Christmas to a family with five kids. Our exercise bike is being collected today by a man who's recovering from cancer and wants to get fitter - and our old coat rack is going to a girl who's chuffed as she's been searching for yonks.

Gotta love a clean-out!

feeling festive, then flop

Oh, this is that odd time of year isn't it? Surely you should still feel all festive, you know, gearing up to new years and all. Instead, it's kind of like some limbo-land. Certain businesses and cafes close, people are in holiday-mode, while others {such as myself} are still working.

Thank goodness I'm working from home. A few years back, when I still caught the train down to the big smoke two-days-a-week, I went to work on Boxing Day {ah journalism - two guaranteed days off a year, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day}. So I get off the train and realise that virtually every cafe in Surry Hills has closed over the break - eep. No coffee, and no food! Thank goodness a trek around the suburb revealed something open.

Well it's rainy here today, and a little bit gloomy. My husband has this week off so he's on gal-entertaining duty while I work.

Now, finally, onto these shoes. Should I have a glamorous New Years bash to attend these would be just the shoes to do it in. Instead, this year I think it's just me, hubby and the gal - and some french bubbles while we watch the fireworks on telly. Bliss.

You?

don't you think...

Life's too short not to be fabulous.

merry christmas

I won't be posting for a few days so I just wanted to wish you all the merriest of Christmases and a rather fabulous new year. xxx

christmas is the time to...

We're nearly there! Only two more sleeps!! How's your festive season treating you? Mine's treating me to a wee bit of a hangover this morning after a few too many champagnes last night, "t'is the season..." And apparently I decided to sleep by tying myself in knots - or at least that's how I feel this morning. But a good night was had by all, and a few more good nights were arranged. Got to be happy with that.

So I'm going to be diving into my work this morning - no point trying to shirk it. I've got a few more essentials to tick off the to-do list before shutting down for Christmas.

Enjoy your day x

what's cooking wednesday

Obviously not a great deal is cooking this week as it's nearly Christmas {squeee!} . However, this year I'm determined to be organised and ensure we actually have food in the house for Boxing Day {I always forget, and as we have Christmas lunch and dinner at my in-laws we have no leftovers}. I imagine there'll be plenty of liquid refreshments on offer, so here's what I'll be whipping up.

Wednesday: we're off to a friend's house for a Christmas celebration - just the mums and kids while the dads do dinner together. It's going to be really simple - we're ordering in pizza. However, I am bringing a pudding - so I might just do a special christmas ice cream mix... And champagne, natch.

Thursday: it's the Twilight Farmer's Market so we'll be eating there {gozleme probably - we're all addicted} and I'll be buying some saltbush lamb and Burrawang's Spring Hill Beef for meals later in the week.

Friday: Christmas Eve! We're off to a Carols in the Park event down at the beach. So a picnic's in order. Then we're off to my in-law's for supper. I'm taking Turkey meatballs with a mint and cranberry dipping sauce this year. Mmm.

Saturday: Christmas Day - hurray!

Boxing Day: Salad and whatever meat I've picked up at the market.

Monday: Meat from the market again, and more salad.

Tuesday: BBQ I think - let's hope the weather thinks so too.

oh! christmas!

Excuse me, but have you ever seen a more divine Christmas setting?

I'm dying here. Dying.

a good drying day

Well the weather mightn't be what we'd expect for this time of year, but today was what is known in the trade as "A Good Drying Day". Bright blue sky, a little warmth - and winds - lots of wind.

A good drying day makes me happy. I love hanging out clothes and towels knowing they're going to be lovingly dried by the wind. Ideally I'd have done some sheets - but that wasn't to be. Is it too much to ask for another Good Drying Day tomorrow?

{and another thing I'd like to ask for is this laundry - prettiness!}

festive footsies

T'is the season for fabulous footwear non? I am seriously in love with these hot pink Miu Miu numbers as they'd be the perfect accompaniment for the lipstick red frock I'm planning on wearing on Christmas day. And then I spied these Diane Von Furstenburg pretties and just imagined them with a full-skirted little black dress - divine non? This is a colour I absolutely cannot wear - with my olive skin it makes me look dreadful, but on the feet, well, surely I could get away with that.

On the Christmas wish list perhaps? {which, by the way, is empty - there's nothing I want. Well, aside from piles of euros to spend in Paris during the July sales...}

baby it's cold outside

I'm more than a little bit in love with this festive tune - and oh, these boys... So adorable... PS: that mantle, oh I'll be needing one of those one Christmas.

the inside story

Not having a camera at the moment means that I'm missing out on a lot of shots. The iPhone camera's great, but in low light it's lacking a flash. That meant I'd missed a focussed shot of the interior of the rainbow cake. Luckily there was a teeny, tiny sliver left and I snapped this for you. Yes, ideally it would be styled on a pretty cake plate with a teeny fork, but you'll forgive the rather rustic background of my well-worn chopping board won't you? After all, the colours are soooooo pretty!

taste teste

Have you tried the Etsy Taste Test yet? I did and look what it decided I'd like. Yes, thank you Etsy I do like this very much indeed.

over the rainbow

If there's a birthday cake guaranteed to bring out the ooohs, the aaahs and the 'awesome' it's this. Our rainbow cake with white royal icing {and a hundreds and thousands 'rainbow' on top} was a smashing success. I found the recipe over at not quite nigella and I must send her a big thank you. It was a simple butter cake coloured with gel icing {very important - these are vivid colour yet don't affect the taste or texture of the batter}.

The cake topped off a wildly successful party. The girls had fun making rainbow bracelets with the different coloured strings I'd bought {beads, not so sucessful, some of the holes too teeny to thread}. Then there was a riotous game of Celebrity Heads {my husband's inclusion of the school principal was inspired - hilarious}. Then the food. The sushi platter I'd ordered in was swooped on. The honey chicken wings gobbled up, as were the pizza and the pesto pinwheels. The surprise love was the olive oil and balsamic dipping bowl I'd put out with the baguettes - obviously a lot of restaurant-savvy kids as it needed constant topping up.

Then there was a spot of dusk swimming, despite the weather. And some beautiful, thoughtful presents.

My kitchen may still need mopping of some multi-coloured icing messes, but it was ever-so-worth it. Now, bring on Christmas shall we?

flowers for friday

My hydrangea from last year is still kicking on. Still teensy, but it does have flower heads {these are from last year}. Hopefully a bit more love, water and sunshine and they'll take off.

It's my gal's birthday party today. The rainbow cake's made {and looks awesome!}, cupcakes are baked and all the shopping's done. All we have to do is cut up the salad stuff {vegies and fruit} and throw a few things in the oven at 5.30. Oh, and cross all our fingers and toes that the sun breaks through this grey old day. Pool parties could quite do with some sunshine - even some twilight ones!

money matters

At this time of the year I tend to get a bit reflective when I have a spare moment. There's nothing like Christmas craziness to make you assess what's important. Last year, when I was frantic around Christmas I asked myself a question, "If I don't do this will anybody cry or die?" if the answer was no, then obviously it wasn't worth bothering myself over.

Lately I've been pondering money, and what's worth spending money on. Obviously I feel very strongly that holidays are the perfect thing to spend money on: you're broadening your horizons, experiencing something new and creating memories that'll last long after you've paid the bills. Our holiday next year in France and England is going to be worth every cent - and I'm determined to savour every second.

It's interesting to watch people and ponder their priorities. I never like to judge, we're all different and we all have differing things that make us happy. But sometimes you've got to wonder how many people really stop and think about what makes them happy. Truly happy.

Is it a high paying or high status job that means they have to spend hours and hours and hours working? And when they stop working how often do they immerse themself in something that makes them feel joyous? That money they're earning, are they spending it on something that makes them smile?

I'm working hard at the moment. Harder than I have in a long time. I'm doing something I've never really done before and it's a steep learning curve. But it's enjoyable. I'm creating something and feel like I'm achieving. I'm also making sure I still spend time doing things that matter. Today I took a break and went and swam some laps in the pool. I love our pool, and our backyard, every dollar we poured into it was worth it. I loved swimming those leisurely laps, and tomorrow I'll swim with my gal, watching her do handstands, racing her and then sitting by the side while she plays her imaginary mermaid games.

You can't put a price on those moments.

They're what make me happy.

nothing but the truth