Selasa, 30 Oktober 2012

Going Grey?

A week or so back, The Husband walked in to our bedroom, took one look at me and said “You will be good looking when you are 50 and have grey hair” and then walked out.


I couldn't for the life of me work out why he said it, until 10 minutes later I looked in the mirror and realized I had forgotten that I had dry shampoo in my hair.

Dry shampoo is the best invention, ever.

I have some gross hair and scalp issues which are nearly fixed, but my hair still gets oily very fast so this stuff is a god send to lazy people like me. 


I headed out to dinner with The Husband, Geefa and Greg and we had plans to go to Yak Bar but it was too full, so we headed for Rosatis and low and behold – it doesn't exist any more.

What a shame.

We settled for its replacement, Lot 7 but when I saw that it was owned by Zagames I had my reservations.  


I ordered a mock tail, and when a different waitress brought it to the table the dialogue went something like this:

Waitress: One cocktail
Me: Oh, I am having a mocktail – not a cocktail
Waitress: Cocktail, mocktail – I'm sure it’s the same thing and you will like it either way.
Me: No. Can you please go and check whether it is alcoholic or not…

At this stage The Husband is ready to leap out of his chair! 

She flounced off not looking impressed and came back and said “yeah, there is no alcohol in it”, set it down and left. Sheesh, I just want a mocktail why is this so difficult? 

In the end I didn't even like it as it had some gross sugar syrup stuff in it, but at least it looked pretty. 


I had been out for a three course lunch with work that day and already felt sick so I opted to just have a small salad instead of my usual binge fest.

ROASTED PUMPKIN + RICOTTA SALAD with pine nuts, rocket leaves, fried sage + white
balsamic dressing . $14

This was so, so very good.
As is well and truly documented here, I have no love for salads usually but will most likely go back for this one.


Geefa and Greg both ordered:

FISH + CHIPS daily fresh fish with a lemon and coriander infused batter, chips + tartare sauce $20

When the meal came, I was impressed by the cute little fish frying basket and told dad not to eat it before I whipped out my phone and took a photo.

He asked why I would take a photo of his meal, and I said “So I can blog about what you had for dinner”.  This seemed to satisfy him as he turned his plate to a more attractive angle, ha. Geefa you slay me. 


He didn't finish his chips so I took the liberty, to which he said “You shouldn't be eating those should you?” 
I asked what he meant and he quickly slid the basket my way in defeat.

What exactly were you implying Geefa? Sheesh.  


The Husband had:

SEAFOOD RISOTTO selection of fresh local seafood cooked with tomato, basil + preserved lemon $22

I admit, I am the biggest seafood lover out there but there is something about the thought of seafood in pastas and risottos that makes my stomach churn.

I will eat a seafood chowder but that is about it.

I didn't try this but The Husband ate it all and seemed satisfied enough. 

As you can see, the prices were cheap and cheerful, the food was good and the servings were a decent size.

Other than the constant change up of wait staff serving our table, I would say it was pretty good. 


So as mentioned last week, I am slathering my body in oils.

I use the Chemmart Biorenew ($11.95 for 100ml) which I assume is the same as bio oil, I was given it by my plastic surgeon after my surgery and it worked a treat.

I’m nearly out so I need to buy a new bottle but will probably get the actual bio oil brand next.

I also use Shiffa Dubai Pregnancy Oil ($90 for 100ml) which was gifted to me by the lovely Victoria Fox, of Miss Fox Melbourne fame, when she found out I was expecting.

I use a mixture of both for that extra luxurious feel and sometimes just put Shiffa on my belly and Biorenew on my breasts.

As someone who is usually too lazy to moisturize, I have been really enjoying coating myself in the oils before bed time and when The Husband takes pity on me and gives me a massage he likes to use the Shiffa oil too as opposed to the biorenew. 

They both soak in really nicely, but the shiffa definitely has a more luxe feel to it, I love it.

I would love to hear what others have used and if it worked or not.


My bruschetta love affair is going strong, but the day after eating 6 pieces of this The Husband turned to me in the morning and said ‘maybe next time don’t use as many Spanish onions? I can still taste them!!’. 
No kissing for him.

He must think that brushcetta is really difficult to make, or maybe he is just so grateful that I am cooking full stop because he keeps praising my skills, ha. Love.

For the topping I used:

2 firm, ripe, vine tomatoes
1 red onion
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil
2 teaspoons parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Too easy.

He ate this before demolishing two giant bowls of spaghetti Bolognese, which all these years later I have only just discovered my mums secret ingredient.  I cannot tell you for that would be blasphemy. 

She claims she told me before, I disagree.  Luckily my sister Cat was ready to spill the beans and my Bolognese is now perfection.

What do you put in your Bolognese to make it that extra bit awesome?
  

And here you have my 20 week bump as it was last week!

That’s right folks, I am over half way there. My how time has flown.

I'm wearing an old faithful dress, with a flower brooch which is really there to hide a stain, not for looks.

The flower used to be part of a headband that I wore to the races but I yoinked it off, added a safety pin and voila!

I never imagined that this dress would work for maternity wear but I’ll be damned.



I'm feeling The Baby move around a lot now.  I first felt movement when I was 15 weeks (and 3 days) and have only felt a few rolls since then but nearly constant moving.  I can’t wait until I feel her kick stronger! 

Senin, 29 Oktober 2012

Baby Stuff

Well, deciding on baby products has been harder than anticipated.

I know that I over think some purchases, and the more research I do, the crazier I go. 

I always thought I would get the Bugaboo Cameleon because it is popular and popular usually means the other people have done the hard work of research for me, and went as far as placing an order for the Cameleon 3 All Black limited edition (I also thought I would get the Missoni covers but they are more than 2 years old now and would make the C3 Limited Edition just look dated) from an American website, before being informed that they don’t satisfy our Australian Safety Standards.

Even if it is just a few nuts and bolts, stickers, and brake colour that make the difference of safety standards, I wasn't keen on it.

I went to a store, test drove a few prams and cancelled my order.

I've done my hunting, pushed the pram, folded the pram blah blah blah and we are getting the Joolz Day Earth pram in Elephant Grey.

So glad I cancelled the bugaboo order as The Husband then piped up that he has one condition, no black prams as he does not see the appropriate for an infant.. Fair enough! He does not have many specifications except for on baby monitors and colour schemes, I can deal with that! 

The Joolz Day is light and airy, the bassinet sits far higher than the bugaboo, easier to fold and just generally all round awesome if you ask me. Hurrah!!

They don’t seem to be very popular here, I haven’t seen any out and about but maybe I just wasn't looking.  The Husband seems glad that he will never have to hear the words “Bugaboo” and “Missoni Covers” again.  


Obviously safety comes first, but damn do I like a good looking pram!! 


The Joolz Earth is compatible with Maxi Cosi car seats and I would love to know from parents/guardians/whoever if you think they are worth the money? I know you can hire them but I would prefer to buy everything so we have it ready for when No.2 comes along. 

The next item to tick off my ever growing list: the oh so dreamy Leander cradle that will be used whilst we have The Baby in our bedroom, before moving her to the nursery. 

I want one of these in adult sizes, my life would then be complete. Maybe if The Baby does not like it, I will contort my body and get in there.

I know that I am going to be a nervous wreck with The Baby sleeping, I wake up every time my niece (who is 9!!) coughs or splutters when sharing a room with her, I am so paranoid haha.


I became obsessed with Incy Interiors over a year ago after somehow stumbling across the website and said that if I was ever going to have a girl I would want her to have the Jemima cot (below) 100%.

So, when we found out it was indeed a little girl, I high tailed it to check it out and put my order in and I was actually let down. I was disappointed by the colour, it just looked dirty – not quite French provincial.

The quality was outstanding, but the wash just did nothing for me.


If I wanted to have it painted crisp white then it would be perfect but I am too lazy and that is just another cost to add to the list and if anything, I want that long list of expenses to go down - not up.

I think I have decided on this Incy Interiors Rupert cot though. I originally though it was a bit too masculine maybe, but with the right nursery decorations, it will be fine, as demonstrated in the second photo.


I found that out of all the cots I have looked at, 95% feel flimsy and cheap so am glad with this solid bad boy.


I really don’t want an actual change table, I would much prefer to get a chest of drawers with a removable change table on top of it so that when it is no longer needed as a change table it can just be an ordinary piece of furniture, or what if I hate using a change table thing and just use the floor or bed?
Plus, more storage is always a winner.

I haven’t seen any that I love so far, and the matching Incy Interiors one wasn't long enough for my liking.  This one is from a seller on eBay and it looks like it would do the job, it is under $300 too (hopefully not an indication of quality). 



I know, totally not necessary but cannot resist. 

I figure that when The Husband dresses her, he will need all the help he can get.


He has already said “she is a baby, she wont need her clothes hung up – they can all be folded” but I want to hang up her dresses and cardigans at least! 

I am going to get the cream flocked coat hangers in child size I think as have not seen many white ones around.


This Nappy Box will look nice on the side of the change table, with all things close at hand.

If this does not work for me, I am sure that I will be able to find another use for it and if it is not big enough for everything, that's what the drawers are for!

The nursery also has two built in wardrobes so plenty of storage space. 


This is all so far.

Well, I have pretty much decided on all the wraps, towels, first aid kids, monitors, thermometers, snot suckers, carriers and all that other random stuff but will not be buying/ordering most of this stuff until I go on maternity leave - which is 25 January 2013. Cannot believe it, only 56 business days to go, not that I am counting or anything. 

Maybe if I see the stuff on sale for a good price, but other than that we just don't have the space for it all yet and need to be culling and packing, not accumulating more. 

I'm really looking forward to decorating her nursery and I am hoping that all these items will be suitable for boys (if we are so lucky to have one that is) with more masculine decorative pieces. 

My nesting habits kicked in a while back and I fold and refold The Baby's clothes pretty much every night before putting them back in their 28L storage tub which is so full the lid will not fit, time for another tub!

What was your best and worst baby purchase?

Minggu, 28 Oktober 2012

Home Owner At Last!!

At last, I am a home owner!

I really did think that we would be in our apartment for ever, and have 3 kids in bunk beds in the one room, ha.

So, last week I inspected a property in Bayside, then The Husband went to have a look during the week.  He gave me the A-OK, which is rare as we have very different tastes in dwellings.

The auction was on Saturday and being Super Saturday there was a large number of people there which scared me a little.  We had decided on our cut off line (well, The Husband had told me our cut off line as I am not to be trusted with such decisions) and as the bidding got under way in $20,000 increments our limit was hit very quickly and we hadn't even got a bid in.

Of course, I thought that it was all over red rover for us.  The Husband was on the road and I was safely on the footpath out of potential harms way so I couldn't even nudge him with disappointment, and nearly fell over in shock when he put a bid in at the final call of the sale for someone else.  

A few bids went back and forth and then I heard the tell tale Blackberry email ping, and looked over to see The Husband checking his emails during the bidding, come on – attention please.

After the auctioneer  had a quick meeting with the vendor, he called his ‘first call.....second call’ and I swear I have never felt time move slower. At the SOLD call, they let of this massive thing full of confetti – scaring everyone half to death with the bang.  I couldn't believe it – we just bought a house!!



We went in to sign the contracts and The Husbands hands were still shaking from the mixture of his triple shot coffee and adrenalin so I took the pen and was filling out the contracts, and had a moment of “Do I put my name down? Do I own it too?” haha, so silly.

This photo was taken before the auction, a bubble blower was a good talking point – very cute.

Our settlement takes place January 25, which is also the day I start maternity leave so I will be 33 weeks pregnant and nesting will well and truly have taken over.

We need to paint, rip up the carpets for the floorboards etc before moving in but nothing major or that will take too long. 

I've been googling laundry and general storage ideas like a mad woman. 



We will definitely need to have a washer and dryer stacked on top of  each other for maximum space saving.

I love the presentation of these Murchison Hume products. I have been told that Method is better, I may get both to compare and review for you. 


A front door mat. It’s the small things in life that make this lass happy! 


I got these yoyos from David Jones food court and the shortbread bit tasted like cardboard. 


Sunday morning I went to pick up my lovely friend Laura from the airport and drove her to the Peninsula where we had this amazing breakfast.

When it arrived, an old man stopped at the table and said “You cant finish that!!”. Well, I showed you.

This isn't a normal dinner plate either, this is on a serving plate and it was just for little ol’ me. 



I woke up to a message from Cottonsocks this morning informing me of super duper cheap Missoni baby wear on Ozsale.

I had already banned myself from buying more baby clothes but who can resist a mega bargain, not me anyway.

I picked up these 4 items, I could have found a lot more but self restraint kicked in eventually. 






They are still for sale as you read this. 

If you are not already a member, sign up using my link HERE .

I am obsessed with baby cardigans I tell you. 

Look at this cute Pure Baby one! I have so many Pure Baby clothes already as when they are on sale they are dirt cheap.  I got them all in neutral colours like white and grey though so that they can do double duty when No.2 comes along, or if No.1 pops out a boy haha. 


I received an email asking me to do a YouTube Baby Clothes Haul video - is there much interest in something like that though?

Rabu, 24 Oktober 2012

A banana!


I love Wednesdays because it means my ‘What to Expect’ app updates with a new fruit to show how big The Baby is, well, except for last week when it was stuck on mango for two weeks –that was a let down.

This week (20 weeks) the baby is the length of a banana. As I had a banana in my drawer, I thought I may as well have a photo with my awkward excited face and banana taken.

So, here you go.


My hair looks so flat and awkward here but don’t stress about it because after these photos were taken I headed to see Luna at Miss Fox for my first haircut since March.

It’s fresh and bouncy again, take my word for it.

This dress is like the magic ‘hide a belly from front on’ dress. I guess that is with all black dresses though.

I got this dress back in 2010, from where else but Target of course.  I even found the post where I first wore it, here.  I was definitely skinnier back in the day, it looks far less fitted. 



I turn on the side and BAM in your face.

I wore this dress with the tie around the front all day before realizing when I was taking it off that its meant to go around the back.

I forgot that I even had this dress but since our washer/dryer is not working and I had a melt down about having no clean clothes that fitted me, I ransacked my wardrobe and this little baby worked a treat. 

I don’t know what to do about shoes.  I have two pairs that currently fit me but during the day when sitting down my feet seriously swell up. I have a fan on under my desk but then my feet get cold. It’s not a good situation I tell you.



So, once again, the ol’ faithful Target comes through with the goods. Y'all must be getting sick of it by now though.

I remember when I wanted a dress I saw in the Target catalogue online, but the city store didn’t have it so I rang Southland and had it put on hold there – I rang Geefa and asked him to go and get it and he was really concerned.  He asked if I was having money problems and could only afford Target.  He is so funny. Target is cool Geefa, trust me. 



Another good thing about this dress is that my waist seems to have come back to say hello.
About time, I've missed you old girl. 



I finally hit over 1000 followers on Instagram, which isn't that many compared to some other people but it made me excited. 



I also received this extra cute package from Greta of Style High Club blog.

She is an air hostess with Emirates, and sent me this adorable Emirates themed package – can you believe that they have baby onesies (The first and last picture)?! Seriously, who knew??!?!? So cute!

Thank you Greta, you are a gem. 




Selasa, 23 Oktober 2012

Cotton Socks Gets Married.

This post is old now but an oldie is a goodie if you ask me. 

As you know, I headed to Bali in August to celebrate the nuptials of cotton socks and her now husband. 
I had never been to a destination wedding before, but now I think that everyone should have one.

I kind of wanted one so that we could cut down on the guest list. Not very nice of me, I know.

The wedding was held at Ayana Resort, where we were staying.  

It was The Business. Believe me. 


This was my outfit. It sucked.

I bought the dress from Howard Showers in Myer (and it was sold to me by a lovely blog reader – hello!!) for a steal at $70 down from $300.  When I bought it, I was 6 weeks pregnant and hardly even bloated.  It is a floor length fitted dress with a tie that goes around the waist, but on the day of the wedding I was over 10 weeks pregnant and showing.  The lining around the belly was too tight, I looked awful and was miserable.

I hiked the dress up with a pin here and there and suffered through the night hating my outfit and feeling 1000kilos thanks to the excess bunched up fabric.  I also hated my shoes (I was intending on getting new ones but never got around to it so these oldies had to do) and bag. And hair. Well, that makes for everything.

Oh, not my earrings – I liked my earrings. 


Holly was draped in some form of lovely feathery Sass & Bide dress. 
I'm not sure why she doesn't look shiny and sweaty - I know I was.


I kid you not, I was so emotional when we walked in here and heard the music playing. 

I teared up. Maybe it was my pregnancy hormones but it was just so beautiful, and the ceremony had not even started yet.


Really, does it get prettier?

No. It doesn't.


The sun was beating down on us but it didn't really matter, my excitement levels were too high - plus, I love any chance to work on my skin cancer tan. 

Out comes the bride, and the groom had the biggest grin on his face.


What a smashing couple. How dare they be so darn cute? 


Cotton Socks does not mess around when it comes to style. I'm still not sure why she is friends with me.

Her shoes are Givenchy Vittorias. Perfection some might say. 


After the ceremony we were taken by golf cart to the other side of the resort for cocktails (in my case, mocktails) and canapés whilst enjoying a view of the entire resort.


I adore these flower girl dresses and it makes me wish I went to more effort in finding mine rather than just popping down to David Jones and buying whatever came in both a size 2 and a size 8.  At least they matched my cake though.




These are the table settings that dreams are made of.
Holly and I were sure to take a bunch back to our hotel after the reception (with the brides blessings of course) and the hydrangeas lasted our entire stay.


Bonbonniere box. Inside lay a wooden yoyo laser inscripted with the couples names to match the rest of the paper suite.


Table 2 is where the cool kids hang out. Closest to the dance floor of course..


Do you like my laser beam eyes?  Don’t mind me ‘posing’ with a champagne, you can be rest assured I was not drinking.  

Nice sunburn also. Cannot believe I had tan lines from my bikini whilst wearing a one shoulder dress, terrible.

The food was great, as were the cherry iced teas that kept me refreshed all night long.


Holly prides herself on knowing how to work a camera but judging from this photo, she does not. We look weird.

Cotton Socks changed into her Miu Miu glittery sneakers, which I am dying for in grey.


They were not messing around when it came to cake time. Not at all.


After the cutting of the cake, the most amazing fireworks were set off – a surprise for the guests.

I for one, am always amazed by fireworks, they mesmerize me.

It was during the fireworks that I started to miss The Husband. I don’t know why.  Perhaps because we live in the city and whenever he hears fireworks he screams out for me to come on the balcony and we can watch them together. 


We definitely got our groove on.

The only thing stopping me from dropping it like it was hot was round ligament pain, ha.
The Baby is already embarrassed of my dancing, fancy that.



You can tell how much fun everyone had just by looking at our faces in photos, it was such a good night!!


I like to think this was towards the end of the night but I probably know better. 


Table 2 represent. Check out the Zombie bride.


CottonSocks has blogged a few short posts with photos, you can check them out at her blog.

I'm not sure why she is called Cotton Socks. I don't think I have ever seen her actually wear socks. 

I am so glad that we were invited to witness such a beautiful wedding, and it was an honour to be there.