buttercup

these flowers used to be on the side of the road where i would wait for the school bus in primary school. i remember when i was really little mum would hold one under my chin and tell me that if my skin glowed yellow, then it meant i loved butter. i always think of this when i see these now.

this is your life

greta anna cheesecake

this is dedicated to my ever beautiful and talented friend kathleen.

i made this weeks ago and have been dreaming about it ever since!

thank you again for sharing your family's recipe, it will be treasured. 

step 1... 

have a beautiful friend named kathleen who invites you to her sisters baby shower and introduces you to a delicious slice named greta anna cheesecake. beg her for the recipe and voilà, just a few days later receive a hand written letter, complete with the recipe, in your letterbox! on the other hand (and to save kathleen some postage) simply follow the below steps! this is how i made it for my family recently. 

step 2... 

take a trip to woolies and purchase some ingredients! you will need three 250 gram tubs of cream cheese, 1 cup of caster sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence, one a packet of chocolate ripple biscuits and 60 grams of butter. cute measuring cups like these babushka ones also make cooking fun! (what a good looking website by the way! i wonder who worked on that for more than two years of their life...)

step 3...

crumb the biscuits and add the butter (melted). the finer the better but i just crushed them until there were no big bits. very technical. then line the base of a pan with the biscuit mixture. crucial step, eat a biscuit or two along the way. they do this all the time on masterchef i'm sure of it! 

step 4...

cream the cream cheese and sugar. this sounds easy but it is much harder than one would think! especially if the cream cheese is straight out of the fridge. i tried a few tactics, first the blender, then the bowl, then mum's skills. mum seemed to be the winner. we kind of went between the blender and bowl until they started to cream together. we also added the eggs and vanilla from the start which seemed to help.

step 5...

beat everything well (we later moved on to the electric beater) until at long last you have a cheesecake mixture that looks like this! i was ready to give up during this part of the process but stick with it as you will get there eventually. plus, i'm positive all of that mixing is an essential pre slice eating workout. 

step 6...

pour the mix into the tin. like this. 

step 7...

if i learnt anything during my first job at mcdonald's it was this: clean as you go. and this is exactly what mum was doing when i caught her with the bowl. and i thought children weren't to be left unsupervised in the kitchen! it is hard to resist but if you've done your pre slice eating workout then i think you deserve it!

step 8...

bake in a slow (preheated) oven for thirty minutes. i can't quite remember what temperature we had it on, possibly 150 but i may need to confirm that with my co-chef miranda. turn the oven off after the thirty minutes is up however leave the tray in the oven until it is cool, admiring it from a distance!

step 9...

once the cheesecake has cooled you are very close to finished and even closer to tasting the labor of love that is your freshly baked cheesecake slice. the next step is all about the finishing touches (pay a visit to donna hay for inspiration!). i wanted to make mine exactly like kathleen's so i melted and then drizzled dark chocolate over the slice. berries, nutmeg or just about anything you can think of is also perfect. 

step 10...

bon appétit my friends! the moment you have all been waiting for has arrived and at last you can enjoy the amazingly delicious greta anna cheesecake slice! remember, food tastes better when shared so please be sure to invite myself or kathleen over the next time you make it!  

be

be strong, be sad, be you.

next project, tick!

ok.

so i may or may not have spent a considerable amount of time in the scrapbooking department of spotlight today, followed by spending a considerable amount of money on the way out. 

i think i have found my new creative project! goodbye blog and time spent in front of the computer typing, hello pretty paper, ribbons, letters, stickers, stamps, tags and all other kinds of crafty goodness. 

yay!

p.s. 

my cousin erica is an amazing scrapbooker. i wish i had some layouts (i think this is the correct scrapbooking term, see i'm already up with the lingo!) to share with you. matt's cousin megan has also done some beautiful stuff, as has my best friend kahli anna.

p.p.s
in addition to the absurd amount of money i have already spent (this new project is going to be expensive!) i definitely think i am going to need one of these cases to store everything.

p.p.p.s
word of warning.  beth... our sunny little study may soon become my scrapbooking headquarters :) 

music to my ears

last night i rediscovered the joys of downloading music again. not sure when i stopped but it's been a while! sometimes i don't feel like listening to music and i go through phases of having no music in the car or as i walk somewhere. boring hey! at the moment though i am taking every opportunity to listen to it. as i drive, while at work, at the gym, when cleaning, before i go to sleep. right now i am in love with quite a mix. some old, some new, all wonderful. like this one. i even just burnt a cd for my drive to ikea today! very old school. happy saturday everyone, hope the sun is shining wherever you are. it certainly is here in brisbane.

suri's burn book

just because you don't have a ferragamo handbag doesn't mean you can behave like a child. (i'm looking at you, shiloh.)

today i discovered the website suri's burn book. and what a discovery it was. it is described as 'a study in suri and the celebrities who disappoint her.'

kahli and i read every page tonight and laughed until we cried and hurt. it was much needed and i thank who ever is behind this creation.

although every post is my favourite, be sure not to miss these ones. mason, olive, violet, shiloh, honor, and suri.

enjoy and report back to me on how much you love it! (i think it's a girl thing by the way so forgive me if you don't get it boys!)

ah, the wonderful and cruel world of celebrities.

out of reach

nyc

{i will go here one day}

it is

it is the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. it is the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. it is the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give. and the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.

inspirational bracelets

i love these bracelets.

i have a similar silver one that goes all the way around.

it says 'sing like no one is listening'

and sometimes in the car i do.

i hope no one is listening!

more hearts

one spring day

yesterday was a wonderful feel good kind of day. beth and i spent the morning together.
here is a collection of some parts that made up our day.  

fresh juice at james street

waving at a cute baby with it's grandparents

summer clothes

sun on our shoulders

a walk to our local shops

a swing in the park

the smell of jasmine in the air

no clouds in the sky

feeling the heat of the day

music playing loud in the car

fresh lunch in our courtyard

sitting in our sun filled unit

a painted electricity box that said 'long live snail mail'

another visit from the little white cat

having a rest in the sun outside the bakery

funny stories from beth, for example asking for thin sliced bread instead 

of thick as a dieting tactic she read in woman's day

smiling back at a lovely old lady

beth saying hello to a little boy

chatting about different things

looking forward to summer

making plans to visit her farm 

making plans for beach days in noosa

feeling young and carefree

feeling good about life

not wanting the weekend to end

swings and saturday

 

swings! 

what a good way to start saturday!

from the heart

listen to your heart.

follow your heart but take your brain with you.

i carry your heart, i carry your heart in my heart.

heart to heart.

always in my heart.

you have my heart and you don't even know it.

the heart has reasons that reason does not understand.

heart of glass.

follow your heart.

young hearts run free.

if there comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, i'll stay there forever.

we're given two hands to hold, two legs to walk, two eyes to see and two ears to listen. 

but why only one heart? because the other was given to someone else. we just have to find it. 

wild hearts can't be broken.

i gave you my heart.

speak from the heart.

dear heart... stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right.

you've got my heart beat running away.

let your heart see what the eyes cannot. 

i heart you.

open your heart.

heartbeat.

if you want to know where your heart is, look where your mind goes when it wanders. 

sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.

i wish my brain had a map to tell me where my heart should go.

the heart wants what the heart wants.

broken hearted.

we heart it.

my heart beats for you.

wherever you go, go with all your heart.

close your eyes. clear your heart. let it go. 

home is where the heart is. 

heart breaker.

heart broken.

i love you with all my heart.

♥

colour me happy part 2

i really wanted to wear something colourful today. it was such a beautiful day and i felt like saying thank you by wearing coral or pink or bright blue. sadly i had nothing and ended up wearing head to toe black! i can certainly feel summer approaching and i think i should prepare with some colourful work attire!

talking teeth

well this is a bit adorable! 

perfect for a little one when they loose their first tooth. 

i'm sure everyone remembers the childhood fun that was wobbly teeth and tooth fairy visits. 

i also remember going to the school dental van and coming home with a lost tooth wrapped in some cotton, made to look like a little ghost. did anyone else have that? this also reminds me of the life education van that used to visit. ahhh primary school i miss you. i went to the dentist today. although i have shiny white teeth now i do have to go back for three (very expensive) fillings. not looking forward to that at all. can someone go for me?

letting things go

we will never forget

new york magazine: the encyclopedia of 9/11

'with all we now know, how to begin to address the enormity of the event? our solution was not to shrink from its scale but to embrace it. we decided to reach back to an old form that might allow us to account for a wide assortment of what was created in the wake of the destruction: heroes and villains, great and awful ideas, twisted fates, pop songs and myths and wars. the alphabetized jumble of an encyclopedia, with its preposterous aspiration to describe whole cultures and continents and bodies of knowledge in a single place—that, we thought, might be an interesting way to take in the multiplicity of 9/11’s effects.'

live each day

yesterday was a very special day... it was everything happens for's birthday! i have had my little blog for a whole year now but it feels like it's only been a few months. i hope you have enjoyed reading about my everyday life and the things that i felt inspired to share. it's been a really fun and creative outlet for me and i am so glad that i discovered this whole other world. well, really it was introduced to me by kahli who has also had her own beautiful blog for even longer. i think i will continue to write and post pretty pictures here as often as possible until i feel like i have exhausted all of the ideas in my head, which may take a while! but i also like to think that i will post less as i start to focus on new projects and goals. blogging certainly takes up a lot of precious time! have i mentioned that i want to get my blog printed and made into a book? just one copy for myself to keep so that i can remember this past year forever. the last twelve months have been quite a journey however i guess if you stopped to think about it, each and every year of our life is. there have been highs and lows, ups and downs and bumps in the road. i moved home to queensland and left behind so many treasured friends in cold but wonderful melbourne. i started in a new job which at first seemed daunting and scary but is now a place i love to go and where i have made some new and lifelong friendships. i lived close to matt for the first time in our entire relationship (excluding our melbourne stint) and in many ways it's been harder than the two plus years of long distance. we've had to try and fit our two previously very individual lives into one and while all i want to do is spend every second with him, he drives me crazier than ever! i set some goals and then achieved them, like buying a new car and going overseas - twice! i've laughed and cried, probably felt most feelings under the sun and experienced new things, most recently salsa dancing. i revisited some of the places i used to go and love, like the leafy and hilly suburb of paddington. we lost two beautiful people in our family, my grandma joan and my grandad john. this has had a profound effect on me, i think about them everyday and they will always be very close to my heart. i have loved every minute of being back with my girlfriends. every time i see kahli and naomi it never feels like i've had enough time to catch up with them in full, even if we've spent all day together. there have been many weekends spent at home with mum and dad. it's been so nice to have them all to myself although i miss our family being together under the one roof. i grew very close to my aunts janine and lynda while in melbourne and they became mothers to me in a way. i am forever grateful that my time in melbourne gave me closer relationships with family i have always known and loved but didn't get to see very often. and now being back in queensland i am able to do the same with my cousins here. i remember when i first moved back, or maybe it was just before, lewis didn't really know who i was when we were at our place for a family celebration of some kind. now i get a big hug from jade, lewis and meg when they arrive and leave which is really special and important to me. rach has always been a prominent and inspirational figure in my life and i plan on being one in theirs too. even the small and everyday moments will become memories one day when they're older. so much more has happened, most of which has been recorded here so i won't go on as i will be here all night! these are just a few things that stand out to me when i think back. and then there are all the memories i haven't written down or don't have a picture of. that's ok too because it's still important to live in the moment, or as this picture suggests, live each day like it's your birthday. i always feel extremely happy and loved on my birthday so i think that is a wonderful way to live life. presents are a plus too. xxoo

tee please

i have such a soft spot for tees. 

these are from sass & bide and they are very expensive!

i went to their warehouse sale last week where i bought my very first pair of sass & bide jeans.

we went during our lunch break and there so were so many thin and stunning girls there.

it felt like a model casting call with everyone stripping down and trying on clothes.

quite an experience for a newbie like me!

evo love

has anyone come across the brand evo before? i love their products and i especially love the funny descriptions found on each bottle. here are some of my favourites. enjoy!

 

 

whale of a time

this lovely image is currently on the blog cup of jo. i laughed when i saw it as matt and i went whale watching today! unfortunately we saw far more whales on the documentary that was playing on the boat then actual whales in the ocean. apparently the whales were a bit sleepy today. it also didn't help that it was freezing cold and extremely windy. i don't blame the poor things for not wanting to put on a show in those conditions. we did get a few glimpses here and there but it was so brief! matt and i are having an amazing time on the gold coast, whales or no whales. we woke up early this morning and enjoyed room service breakfast before heading to southport for our whale adventure. after we got back we had a hit of tennis and then i read my book in bed for an hour. i could really get used to this lifestyle! i'm sad that it will all be over tomorrow. soon we'll head down to dinner but not before we have a drink from the mini bar! tomorrow will be spent by the pool and i can't wait!  

one year on

happy birthday grandma lois! this time last year we were celebrating your 80th birthday and we still had our lovely john with us. i'll never forget that night, watching the two of you hold hands. i love you very much and i promise i will hurry up and get married and have babies soon! in the meantime feel free to stockpile lots of beautiful tiny knitted booties as you might be waiting a little while yet! p.s. how pretty is this photo, i love the way they used to colour black and white photos like this. rosy pink cheeks, red lips and colourful dresses. i wonder if her dress really was these colours. i will have to ask her as she remembers almost everything!

five words

these are from the blog five words tell a story.

each day they bring five words to life like this.

it's amazing that so few words can say so much.

i also loved 'you are only young once', 'love

is a doing word' and 'tomorrow is a new day'.

what would your five words be right now? 

i can think of one hundred and one things.

colour me happy

i don't wear bright colours all that often.

(although there was a time during uni when it was all i wore)

but i do love them. beth bought some gorgeous printed cushions recently.

they are in all different colours and patterns and shapes and sizes.  

simply breakfast

i love breakfast. and now i'm loving the blog simply breakfast.

 it's the most important (and my favourite) meal of the day!

i imagine it would be fun setting these photographs up,

choosing different colours and textures and tablewear.

poor iphone

i dropped my iphone on the weekend, straight onto the driveway. in turn the glass shattered straight into little pieces. it's still in tact though and i am still using it (along with the millions of other people i know who have cracked or smashed iphones). i think i did quite well to last this long without any incidents, especially loosing it. (just ask my melbourne friends, this long with the one phone is a record for me!) ironically i had it out of it's case all weekend and it was only when i put the case on that i dropped it. clearly it didn't help much. i'm not too sad about it because really, what can you do. plus, it was my own fault for holding a million things at once. i am excited to get a brand new one though. i'm thinking it needs a brand new case... maybe one of these pretty ones... ok, in particular i want the cat one.

calendar of drawings

more frankie organisational goodness

oh how i wish i could draw

my mum can, why can't i?