Perfume Samples

I love the cover of this months Vogue magazine - the blue background is striking against the red jumpsuit ... but what I loved finding inside is one of those little cardboard samples of Chanel no5.

It isn't the perfume that I got excited about - it was the way that it was packaged in a little envelope. Cute! It has been ages since I have looked at perfume counters - I have a shelf full of them - all representing a different stage in my life - and none of them finished. The only one I don't have is the Red Door Kirk gave me for a birthday that smashed on the bathroom floor in the little unit we were living in at the time. The place smelt beautiful forever after that - made up for the very ugly tiles!

When I used to go shopping in my teens with friends I loved feeling grown up trying all the samples. Now, life seems even too busy to take a sample from someone handing them out. I am going to pop todays one into my hot pink Pratten purse and my notes will smell lovely - just like I used to - 20 years ago!

Summer Dresses

I love colour and I love Summer dresses. Came across this one by Lisa Ho today ...

Emerald Green is one of my favourite colours.

(courtesy Shop Til Drop Sept 08)

Soft Stone Sculpting

I struggle with being patient with artwork / craft and I really struggle in not doing something 'constructive' so spending a whole Saturday away from my family and the computer was a big ask but my husband thought it was just what I needed & he was right!

We started off with basically sand and water and some other bits and pieces and ended up with a sculpture. It took ages for me to come up with something I wanted to sculpt. Some people were very creative - frogs, faces etc etc. I had no idea where to start and somehow ended up with a C looking shape that I think looks like a mother and child - but I will forgive anyone who can't see it! I didn't actually realise I was pregnant at the time so it has even more meaning :)

Beatrix Potter

I was surrounded by great books as a child and thankfully that love for reading that I developed has never left me. Lost is an understatement when I finished The Forgotten Garden last week. I even re-read the first couple of chapters to remind myself of where the story started. It was a fabulous read! Although you could be mistaken for thinking it was boring given how few pages I managed to read each night before falling asleep!

I had to search high and low for this book on Beatrix Potter and lo behold, it was at The Childrens Bookstore in Beecroft, where I frequently visit with my kids. Miss Potter the movie really surprised me. On my TV cabinet there is a pile of 30 year old Beatrix Potter hardbacks that once were in our family lounge room when I was young. The pictures more than the story always captivated me, but I hadn't really given the author a second thought.

Now, reading the story of her life that goes into a lot more detail than the movie, I am moving the Lake District in the UK closer to the top of my seachange list!

Nesting in Pregnancy

Some people say it is the tiredness, mood swings or cravings that signal to them that they are pregnant. For me it is the obsessiveness about the house that kicks in which makes me wonder ...

It is strange that something that one can be blissfully unaware of can suddenly become number one priority regardless of what else needs to be done. My pantry is one of the areas that with this pregnancy has become number one on the hitlist. That and the fridge. Neither were bad - but they are now spotless and VERY organised with labels everywhere. It was the timber floorboards that were frequently attacked at 2am with my first pregnancy and with number two it was the garden (not 2am but gardening with torch in hand was attempted!). I am a house proud person, not a Stepford wife by any means, but I like things to be in their place. Nesting attacks me like an obsessive compulsion.

I love being pregnant and with the weeks disappearing with the blink of an eye I am enjoying the oneness I feel with the baby and the determination to get some jobs done that have been hanging over my head for years. It is my patient husband that I feel sorry for!

Essential Oils in Pregnancy

No cravings for pickles today, oranges, nutella or potato pies - but I did feel like guzzling the essential oil combination I am trialling!

Getting out of the bath at the moment is hilarious. Soon I will need a crane to get me out! To go from the Be Genki Serenity Bath oil (Bergamot, Rosewood, Palmarosa, Neroli and Rose) to the lavender in my Willow and Finch heat pack at night - I feel totally blissed out by the time I fall asleep. Pity about the crazy hormone induced nightmares!

School Bags

I am so glad that these arrived in store this week. Embarrased is an understatement when I saw black dots on the front zipper section of my sons pre school back pack last week and no, they weren't texta marks. These kinder bags by Cocoon Couture are cute & machine washable. Available in 8 designs. Yay!
:)

Places to eat with Kids

It is Friday & with a hectic weekend ahead, I am allowing myself to spend 5 minutes dreaming of a recent destination.

My little brother was married in Melbourne in June and whilst staying in St Kilda we found a cafe which was part of the St Kilda Baths - Beachcomber. Kirk, the kids & I went on two weekdays for breakfast / brunch. Not only was the food and view fabulous - the staff were awesome. It was a very relaxing experience! We sat inside as it was a little cool and enjoyed watching the swimmers in the ocean - or their faces as they entered & excited the water! Apparently one morning we shared the place with an AFL team - but being ARU followers, we had no idea who they were!

We judge our cafe experiences by how many teas /coffees are consumed. A third each would have been easy :)

My dream bedroom!

Ever since we first stayed at a gorgeous B&B in Mudgee in 1999 which was beautifully decorated in country English style, I have been searching everywhere for my dream quilt cover. Finally I have found the closest design I have seen since.

I am a blue and white spode girl. Well, anything floral and girly really. I have the curtains, tray, outlook onto my garden but have been missing the bed cover. Hooray for Sheridan who have just realised their gorgeous botanical range. There is something lovely about having a bedroom as a sanctuary!

Cool Sneakers - do they come in my size?

I can't quite get my head around the concept of Dunlop Volleys being trendy. They were what we were recommended to buy when I was in Year Seven for netball. Even Adidas with their three stripes didn't quite make the grade. My dad wore Adidas. Nike were the shoe to be seen in.

I came across these shoes for boys yesterday. I would have loved to have bought a pair for my 5 year old, but with a wide foot they didn't fit as well as they should & no, I wasn't so obsessed I was going to make him wear them regardless.

So we walked out with a pair of white sneakers, but no, not the Volleys. Even though they now have an eco friendly pair available!