one more sleep!

Tomorrow is May 1st.  And we all know what that means.  My self-imposed Shopping Ban is over.  Thank God.  Now contrary to popular belief, I will not be celebrating by hitting the shops.  I know.  This shocks me deeply too.  Unfortunately I have other plans for tomorrow, but don't panic as I'm sure I'll hit  my local Westfield hard at some stage this week.  

In the meantime, let's take a stroll down memory lane and view a little shopping slide show of a trip I made last year to beautiful San Francisco & not so beautiful, but still amazing, Los Angeles....

Hello Lover.  

Behold the magnificence that it Macys, San Francisco.

Eight, yes eight levels of womenswear, kidswear and homewares.

Menswear and other non-essentials were located in a separate building across the road.

I fell in love with all things Jonathan Adler.

Except the price tags.

Exie as in that shop.

I'm fairly sure my latest colour crush began the moment I stepped inside a ZGallerie store.  I'm not sure if you've heard, but turquoise is totally the new black.

Meanwhile, Rodeo Drive was the perfect spot for some hardcore window shopping.....

Saw some amazing cars and interesting number plates on the road too...

Scott commented that this one would be perfect for me.

Not entirely sure what he was getting at???

Personally I think this one's more my style....

But it's not all 24/7 glamour in La La land.

Look what lies just 10 minutes down the road from Beverly Hills....

I did my best to find a Kardashian....

And made several trips to my all time favourite store....

resulting in what can only be described as A Year's Worth of Products...

Sadly all of those products are just about gone now.

Even sadder is that I'm stuck here.

In Brisvegas.  

On a shopping ban.

One more sleep people!

One more effing sleep!!!

the best roast spuds ever

In case you missed it, on Friday night I put a call out on my Facebook page for some help with a roast I was whipping up...

right, so I'm in full on 1950's housewife mode and throwing together a lamb roast for dinner. Anyone out there got any tips for making roast spuds nice and crunchy? And is 4.30pm too early to crack a bottle of red? Big Issues people, we're all about the Big Issues.

There were a lot of answers, all outlining a similar process, which I thought I would share with you because OMG, they were the best roast spuds I've ever made.

1.  Par boil your spuds for about 15 minutes.

2.  Drain the spuds, put them back in the pot, whack in about a tablespoon of flour, pour in a good glug of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, put the lid on the pot and shake/bang that sucker like there's no tomorrow.  Which, as I said over on Facebook, if I had a dirty mind all that draining, shaking and banging would remind me of a night out on the town in the my early 20's, but I don't, so it doesn't.

3.  Tip the spuds into a preheated roasting pan and roast for around 40 minutes at about 200 degrees (Celsius...I have no idea what 200 would be in Fahrenheit, but google will know.  She knows everything.)

4.  Whip out of the oven and amaze your family with your incredible cooking skills.  

Thanks lovely Facebook peeps.

Your tips for roasting spuds were fabulous!

How about you?

Do you love to dazzle your family with a roast on a Friday night

or are you more of a takeaway gal?  

Or guy...I suppose there might be men reading this, 

although my husband is definitely not one of them.

He hasn't stepped foot in the kitchen to cook since 1997.

xox

april is almost over

April is almost over, and I for one can't wait to see the back of it.  Partly because it means the cooler weather is finally on it's way but mainly because I PUT MYSELF ON A SHOPPING BAN FOR ALL OF APRIL AND IT'S ALMOST BLOODY OVER.  THANK GOD.

Judging by the heavy use of capital letters, I think we can all safely assume that it has been a torturous month for all concerned.  If by 'all concerned' we mean me.  Lovely Husband has been thrilled to bits with my new frugal nature and keeps throwing around dirty, filthy words like 'budget' and 'permanent'. Let's hope he doesn't think those two words should go together.  Because there's no way I'm even considering a Permanent Budget.  Just typing the words is enough to make me want to pour a stiff drink.

Oh loyalty cards, how I've missed using you.

I, on the other hand, have spent most of April throwing words around words like "THIS IS EFFING TORTURE" but to be fair, those words have only been uttered when Myer, Westfield and/or Target catalogues arrive in my letterbox.  Which btw, is every second day.  

So Dear April, you can leave now.  I've had enough of you and your silly little shopping bans.  And FYI, the 1st of May better watch out because my credit card is coming to get it.  Big time.

Words to live by.

Really, they are.

How about you?

Do you live to shop or shop to live?

reality tv: crush vs cringe

Because this blog is all about solving The Big Issues, can we just take a moment to discuss the magic that is Reality TV.  Let's begin with my current favourite show....

It's one hour of craptastic, booze filled drama featuring a lot of faces that don't actually move. Because when you live in Beverly Hills, too much botox is never enough.  

The Season Finale on Tuesday night featured Pandora's wedding and it was very, very pink.  And all the wedding photos feature Pandora's mother.  Also wearing pink.  And a tiara.  Because apparently "Pandy wanted me to wear it."

Now I don't know about you, but if I asked my mum to frock up in a baby pink gown, complete with diamond encrusted tiara and feature in every single photograph, she might just tell me it's time for some hardcore therapy sessions.

Anyho, last night I watched the Australian version of The Real Housewives show...

It's on Foxtel and is 'Exclusive to Arena'  Um, that would probably be because no other station would actually want to air the show.  It's just such awkward television and I'm ashamed to admit that I sat through an entire 35 minutes of the show before finally turning it off.

Once I'd recovered from the bogan awkwardness that is WAG Nation, 

I did what any normal woman does on a Wednesday night.

Yes, I flicked on the computer for some heavy duty pinning

where I came across this little chestnut....

I laughed so hard at that one, I almost cried.

How about you?

What's your favourite reality tv show?

And please don't say WAG nation, 

because that could well signal the end of our friendship.

xox

lest we forget

My Grandfather was a lovely man.  When we were kids, we knew he had fought in the war but we didn't know a lot of details.  Back then, talking about your feelings and experiences was definitely not the done thing.  

Tasman Cyril Robert Woolcott (Rob for short!)

NZ Army Number 35574

Private

NZA Secondary Expeditionary Force

19th NZA Infantry Battalion

So we grew up  knowing that Grandad had gone to war.  Not because he talked to us about is, but because every ANZAC Day he would get up early and attend the Dawn Service in town.  He would then walk from town to the very top of the Cashmere Hills (in Christchurch, NZ) It was a long walk and probably took him several hours to complete.   I never knew why he did that.  I never asked.  And he never said.**

Last year, I began researching my Grandad's war history.  It is an amazing story.  He fought in several WW2 campaigns in Africa, drove NZ war hero Charles Upham into enemy lines, was captured by the Germans, spent several years in some of the toughest POW camps in Italy and Germany and was awarded 4 medals for his service to his country.  It is a story that will remain with me forever.  And one that I wish I knew about when my Grandad was still alive.  For if it was not for the bravery, heroics and somewhat naivety of my Grandfather and the thousands of other New Zealand and Australian soldiers who left their families behind to fight in hideous warfare, we most certainly would not be enjoying the incredible life we all have today.

My Grandfather's medals.

1939 - 1945 Star, Africa Star, 1939 - 1945 War Medal, NZ War Service Medal

Today, on ANZAC Day, we pause to remember the men and women 

who fought for our country all those years ago. 

 They were absolute heroes.  

And always will be.  

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

** This is why my Grandad walked up to the top of the hill every ANZAC Day.

There was a memorial for his battalion there.

We lived 5 minutes from this memorial as a child,

and I knew nothing about it.

But I am making sure that my children know everything about it.

So that the ANZAC spirit lives on forever

xox

nice day for a white wedding

Back in the Olden Days nobody clapped at weddings.

At least that's what I tell myself.

Because nobody clapped at our wedding.

But to be fair, it was 1997.

Cravats, dodgy fascinators and gloves may or may not have been involved

and back then, it was poor form to clap in a church.

Yes, that's a pic of Our Big Day.

Don't judge the gold frocks or the meringue in the middle.

Like I said, it was 1997.

Anyho, fast forward to 2012 and clapping in churches is very much accepted.

Two rounds of clapping even.

And a 'wohoo'

And possibly even a fist pump.

And that was just the bride.

Yes, Saturday's wedding was amazing.

The church clapping, wohoo-ing and fist pumping set the tone for what was to become a day filled with a lot of love, many laughs, dancing, a few drinks with friends both old and new (Hi Michelle!  Thanks for reading my little blog x) and one very happy Bride and Groom.

The weather was perfect,

the church was adorable

and the Bridal Party was beautiful....

The reception was amazing.

More tangerine flowers than at the Chelsea Flower Show.

It really was exquisite....

It was a really beautiful day

and we wish the Bride and Groom all the love and happiness in the world

xox

Lovely Husband in the winning white shirt

Thanks for the votes, peeps.

It was the talk of the wedding.

Well, ok, two people mentioned it.

Briefly.  In passing.  On their way to get another drink.

xox

How about you?

Was there clapping at your wedding?

or was there awkward silence and dodgy fascinators?

Tell me everything....

quick question for you

Hey, so what do we think about a 39 year old, married mother with two kids having One Direction songs on her iPod?  Totally asking for a friend.....

And is it just me, 

or do those boys look like they take styling tips from Ellen Degeneres?

Have a great weekend

xox

lemon curd and the tooth fairy

Yesterday I channelled my inner Nanna and whipped up some lemon curd. 

I used the recipe that was featured over on Sweet Style 

and even used homegrown lemons

Which, if you read yesterday's post, you'll know that those lemons 

were definitely not grown in my home!

We have my friend Lis to thank for the delicious homegrown lemons.

Anyho, when I whipped up the lemon curd, little did I know the turn of events that would ensue as a result of my 1950's baking afternoon.  For after dinner I proudly announced that we would be having Lemon Curd Tarts for dessert (thanks to my lovely Facebook readers for that suggestion!) This was met with what can only be described as a Mixed Reaction.

Lovely husband and daughter, Sophie, both declined the offer of a lemon tart because, well, they're both sugar addicts and only eat chocolate based products for dessert.  Bailey, on the other hand, is part adventurous eater, part people pleaser, so he said, "Yes please"  took a bite of the delicious tart and out fell one of his wobbly back teeth.  After the hysteria of tart & tooth had calmed down, Sophie looked up at me with her big brown 7 year old eyes and spoke the following words:

"Is the tooth fairy really true?  Or is it you and dad?"

Um, cue awkward silence. 

Because none of us knew what the hell to say.

And, cue my sinking heart.  

For my little girl really is growing up.

Now Sophie must have picked up on the look of terror that no doubt swept across our faces, 

as our puzzled brains scrambled to think of a logical explanation, 

because she quickly followed up with:

"Actually don't worry about answering that.  

I'll just google it later."

Sophie and her latest missing tooth.

Taken two weeks ago.

When she still believed.

How about you?

Ever had to answer an awkward question?

Or do you just leave everything to Google?

* No lemons or $2 coins were harmed in the making of this unsponsored post *

grow your own money tree

Long time readers will know that Lovely Husband and I are off to a wedding on Saturday.

The wedding invitation.

Have I mentioned how much I love weddings?

The Bride and Groom have requested cold hard cash in lieu of an actual present,

which I don't have a problem with at all.

But I do like to give a little gift as well as the coin,

so today I got a bit crafty and whipped up a 

Money Tree.  

Here's what it looked like before...

And after:

The colour scheme of the wedding is orange and black, 

so naturally the Money Tree had to be colour co-ordinated!

 Once I'd finished rolling up the cash and attaching it to the tree,

I took a pic of it and sent it to Lovely Husband.

To which he replied

"Looks good but you'd better deliver it before you kill it."

Now before you start thinking that with comments like that,

 Lovely Husband might not be actually quite so Lovely,

he really does have a point...

My latest gardening attempt.

Like I said, Husband does have a point.

How about you?

Are you a garden lover?

Or are you more like me....

winner winner chicken dinner!

So the ShirtGate votes have been counted and we have a winner....

YES!

The white shirt won by a landslide...

12 votes to 5, thanks very much.

Thanks to everyone who voted on the blog 

and over on the Facebook page

It was a lot of fun and while lovely husband is totes devo that his black shirt lost, 

he's promised to wear the white.

Which is great, because it will totally match my outfit and let's be honest,

that's the Most Important Thing.

Now if you'll excuse me,

I have a black shirt to hide.

funeral director or bank manager? you decide....

Ok, so this time next week I will be one very dusty mamma because next Saturday we're off to a wedding and I think we all know what that means....

Champagne. 

And plenty of it.  

Not to mention the beautiful bride, handsome groom and gorgeous ring bearer.  I don't know about you, but I love a good wedding and I have a feeling this one will be fabulous.

Anyho, today the husband and I (with kids in tow) went shopping to find a shirt for husband to wear to said fabulous wedding.  

He insisted on a black shirt.  

I insisted on white.  

We both agreed on a blue tie.  

Thank god we agreed on something.

Husband purchased the black shirt and blue tie and when we got home he put it on to show me.

I said the black shirt made him look like a funeral director and asked him to put on a white shirt, you know, just so he could see what it looked like.  There may or may not have been an eye roll thrown my way at this point, along with a very heavy, exasperated sigh, followed by some hardcore clumping into the WIR to get the white shirt.

Once the white shirt was on, I told lovely husband that he looked totes sharp to which my husband (jokingly) replied,

"Maybe you should blog about it and let the interwebs decide"

Um, ok then.

Challenge accepted.... 

Option One: black shirt

I say Bogan**

He says Awesome

**No offence to any bogans out there.  

Clearly I am not anti-bogan.

I married one and he's lovely.

Totes hit the jackpot there.

Option Two: white shirt

I say sharp, fresh and handsome

He says Bank Manager**

**No offence to any bank manager's out there.

We've got one and he's a top bloke....hi Craig, if you're reading this.

So come on lovely interweb friends, 

hit me with your vote.

Show the comment section some love and tell me what you think...

Black or White?  

Which shirt gets your vote?!

*NB:  This is not a sponsored post.

But how good would it be if it was?

My husband would be stoked if 

Bundy Rum, Stubbies and/or Guns N Roses offered me some freebies.