tuscany

from where i'd rather be and where beth is... tuscany, italy. 

in her words... 'rolling hills laced with tuscan yellow terracotta buildings'

just the word tuscany sounds romantic, let alone actually being there. 

one day...

check mate

recently i mastered (ok, mastered is an exaggeration...) the art of chess!

i have an excellent teacher who brags he once beat his chess teacher and now i can say the same, a couple times in fact! i really love it, so much so i want to buy a proper board. my dad had an electronic one when we were growing up and he could play by himself. have a look at this gorgeous photo. so far my chess tactic include... always being white, always going first, using my favourite piece the horse lots (and getting sad when they get taken, poor horsies), distracting my opponent with basic moves while secretly planning the perfect manoeuvre. check mate!

my first text

such a gorgeous idea. 

it's funny to think that this is the we find about the arrival of a baby these days. 

texts certainly weren't around in 1987!

harrison is a cute name. i also like harriet and henrietta.

found on paper heart.

happy birthdays

some feb babies celebrated their birthday recently.

happy birthday beth and kathleen. why do you have

to be so far away from me? i want to share a cupcake!

p.s. beautiful cards (including this one) from sugar paper. i want them all.

love is a doing word

love is a verb. without action it is merely a word. 

♥

feel better

to my darling friend. i want you to know that you are free to enjoy all of the home made no doubt healthy version chocolate pudding you like (or in my case tonight, tim tams) if it makes your broken heart feel better. silly boys, who needs them. ok us, but let's not tell them that! i know it's not much help but i love you and i'm thinking of you. so when am i coming over for dessert? home made healthy version brownies? 

eat more cheese

cheese wedding cake. divine. 

blackboard love

i love blackboards! when i have my own house it will be one of the first things i buy. the wooloongabba antique store has lovely framed ones that i have been eyeing off for some time now and i've also seen beautiful heart shaped ones that hang from rope. more reasons to love blackboards... leaving messages for loved ones, a creative way to write notes and shopping lists, a reminder of your childhood school days, brand new chalk sticks, taking over the street with hand drawn hopscotch, menus in cool cafes covered in enviable hand writing. the apartment next to us in melbourne had a entire wall done in blackboard paint and we always had something interesting or inspiring to look in at. also a great idea for a little kids room!

opening up

recently i have come across a couple of posts in the blog world about authenticity. authors have opened up and revealed that while everything might seem rosey on the outside, it isn't always the case. this post from a cup of jo talks about a very difficult time in her life and this post from design love fest is very similar, with both authors continuing to blog throughout these low points, not that you as a reader would ever have known. jodie, the author of ché and fidel describes how reading seemingly perfect blogs can sometimes make you feel (i know this all too well, in fact those feelings have filled my days long before blogs even exsisted)... reading blogs can be inspiring, heart-warming and comforting. but it's a big, deep world in here and there are plenty of times when i have, as a reader, been left with feelings of inadequacy, jealousy and self-doubt. it's silly and fickle, but it's real. just some food for thought as i find it interesting and touching to hear these honest accounts from women who i always thought never had a care in the world.  i believe it's important to reinforce that behind closed doors we are all human and we all face different struggles and heartbreaks. the same applies to the real world, to strangers and to the people we are closest too. i often wish i could be more honest about what is going on in my life and head and heart on here but i know it's not the right space, for me at this time at least.

craving lollies!

mmm chocolate freckles... what i would give for one of you right now!

10 books

here are ten books i have read, am reading or am planning on starting very soon!

i am finishing one and moving straight on to the next at the moment. i almost bought 3 books at the airport yesterday, but thought it wouldn't be a good start to what was meant to be a cheap weekend. 

i've also added a little review for you in case you are interested in reading any!

1. a million little pieces

this took a very long time to get into and it was quite a frustrating read due to the writing style... however... i must admit i really liked it towards the end. it is worth a go but i would borrow from the library or a friend, don't spend your pennies on it just in case it annoys you like it did me!

2. mia culpa

mia culpa is one of the books i almost bought from the airport on friday. it is mia freedman's second book, the first being mama mia (below) which i read and loved. she was very open and honest in mama mia so i can only imagine that this one will be the same, which means it will be wonderfully real! 

3. sins of the father

i just finished this book and loved every minute of it. it made for a very easy and interesting read and filled in many gaps. i first heard about it after an interview with the author on the radio one morning. i love these kinds of books and this was no exception. well worth reading, especially if you are yet to form an opinion on whether or not she is guilty.

4. mama mia

i really enjoyed this book as it's about most of the things i love, first and foremost love, marriage and babies! mia became the editor of cosmopolitain magazine at just 24 (my age!) and then had a baby a few months later (again, my age!) so this book took my interest from the beginning. she takes you on her life journey, which wasn't always as perfect as it seemed from the outside. verdict: loved!

5. bossypants

this is the book that i am currently reading every opportunity i get... on the plane, at the beach, a few minutes before falling asleep. i love tina fey from the little that i have seen of her (i am keen to watch all of 30 rock, but when?!) she is very funny, witty and sarcastic... my kind of humour. i was laughing out loud (in public!) during one chapter all about her honeymoon on a cruise. so so so funny!

6. you'll be sorry when i'm dead

marieke hardy writes in my beloved magazine frankie. her articles are always funny and quirky so no doubt her book will be a delight too! this is another one of my almost rash airport purchases. i am planning on reading it, i'm just going to wait and actually buy it at a bookstore for half the price!

7. open

loved this book! another one i couldn't put it down. i stole it of my poor dad who was half way through reading it, although he was going at a very slow pace! my mum stole it off him prior to me so i did feel guilty but he wasn't getting a move on with it! i especially love reading by the beach and pool so it's looking a bit more loved after a week in my possession, as all of my books end up! i didn't know much about andre agassi but do now, and i know a whole lot more about tennis! i read this just before the brisbane international and australian open so it was very useful. i really enjoy autobiographies by athletes and one of my all time favourite books is lance armstrong's 'it's not about the bike'. very inspiring. 

8. the family law

this book is by another funny frankie writer, benjamin law (he's also from the sunshine coast!). i tried to buy it as a birthday present for a friend while living in melbourne however the borders shop assistant directed me to the law section so it proved to be unsuccessful, despite my own search efforts in other sections.  

9. my friend leonard

this book is by the same author who wrote 'a million little pieces' above. it's hard to believe i would consider reading a second book of his after i struggled through the first but i ended up liking the first one so i think i would give this one a chance too. fingers crosses is not as painful for the first three quarters!

10. is everyone hanging out with me

and last but not least... mindy kaling's book! the lovely and ever observant beth gave me this book for christmas and i read it in just a few days. similar to tina fey's book, it is very laugh out loud funny. there were many parts of her book that i could relate to, especially a section where she talks about sharing clothes with her best friend. that's beth and i almost every day! not only is it fun to wear something different, it's been great for my savings account. kahli is currently reading it and i hope she loves it as much as i did. i had a flight attendant pass it to her at the last minute as she boarded her plane for townsville. i'm glad it made it's way to her and i hope she felt less sad because if it.

so there you have it... ten books and ten little write ups. i know i didn't really go into their subject matter but surely my opinion is all you need! (kidding, google before buying!). i go through long periods of not reading anything so am really enjoying the little reading roll that i have been on lately and wanted to share the love. that's the second best thing about a good book, sharing it with a loved one straight after you. it's why my bookshelf is empty, i pass my books on to new homes and no doubt they make their way to someone else after that! so if you know of any good ones, pass them my way.

p.s. shantaram and the kite runner are also beautiful books. 

p.p.s my grandma lois loves to read and now records the name and the amount of pages of every book she reads. she has a whole room filled with books, her own personal library! she proudly boasts that most are 50c from the opp shop... hence why i have not read many of them! she also loves it when the characters have the same name as someone in our family which i think is cute. 

29 universal truths

one good things about working in an office is the emails that circulate on a friday. here are 29 universal truths i received recently. i agree with pretty much all of them, especially 4, 9, 10 (today), 12 (uni all over again), 14, 15, 19 (there's something about mary!) and 20. i can't say i agree with 24 though. enjoy!

1. i think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong.

3. i totally take back all those times i didn't want to nap when i was younger.

4. there is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. how the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. was learning cursive really necessary?

7. obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

8. i can't remember the last time i wasn't at least kind of tired.

9. bad decisions make good stories.

10. you never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

11. can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after blue ray? i don't want to have to restart my collection... again.

12. i'm always slightly terrified when i exit out of word and it asks me if i want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that i swear i did not make any changes to.

13. 'do not machine wash or tumble dry' means i will never wash this - ever.

14. i hate when i just miss a call by the last ring (hello? hello? damn it!), but when i immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. what did you do after i didn't answer? drop the phone and run away?

15. i hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. what a waste.

16. i keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so i know not to answer when they call.

17. i think the freezer deserves a light as well.

18. i wish google maps had an 'avoid' routing option.

19. sometimes, i'll watch a movie that i watched when i was younger and suddenly realise i had no idea what the heck was going on when i first saw it.

20. i would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

21. i have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

22. how many times is it appropriate to say 'what?' before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

23. i love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent someone from cutting in at the front. stay strong, brothers and sisters!

24. shirts get dirty. underwear gets dirty. pants? pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

25. is it just me or do high school kids get dumber and dumber every year?

26. there's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

27. as a driver i hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian i hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, i always hate cyclists.

28. sometimes i'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

29. even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their mobile phone and pinning the tail on the donkey - but everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

high tea

oh high tea, you are so dainty and delicious looking!

not long ago i was treated to high tea at palazzo versace.

the setting was beautiful... plush chairs, fresh flowers, 

chandeliers and sunshine streaming in. we took our time 

sipping english breakfast tea sweetened with cubes of sugar 

and enjoyed warm scones, cucumber and salmon finger 

sandwiches and an array of tiny cakes and pastries. there 

was a baby shower taking place at the table next to us. 

that would be really special, wearing pretty dresses, 

sharing champagne and tea with your best friends and 

family to celebrate a having a baby or getting married. 

it really was a lovely experience and one that i can't 

wait to do again with my loved ones very soon. 

slowing down and sunsets

there was a beautiful sunset tonight. i wonder how many sunsets we miss because we're inside working late or just too busy to even think to stop and look up at the sky every now and then. life has felt particularly busy lately. i haven't been home to noosa, or been grocery shopping or had an early night or blogged in what feels like forever. tonight however i left work at five and came home to have some time out. i had a lovely long shower and admired the sunset from our bathroom window, caught up on an episode of new girl (love that show), did some washing, read my book, spoke to my dad, ate nutella out of the jar (see above, no other food in the house as a result of no grocery shopping!) and just generally tried to unwind a bit. i'm home alone at the moment too as the beautiful beth is away seeing more of the world and no doubt soaking in european sunsets. one day i hope i get to see a golden sky in paris, that would be just perfect.

cats rule

cats are taking over the world!

unique

i have lived out of home for seven years now, almost eight! beth counted the amounted of places i have lived in recently and we worked out that on average i've moved every six months! i think it might have included moves as a family but since living out of home alone i have resided in corinda, corinda again (different house!) paddington, brisbane (quay street), mount waverly, pascoe vale, melbourne (collins street), woolloongabba, norman park and now quaint little carina. i think that's all of them. and with each move i start think a little bit more about the things i hope to one day fill my house with. i used to think i wanted simple, with everything white and matching. but more recently, especially since living with beth and delving into more blogs i am excited by one off pieces and splashes of colour. i've even started to collect a few things, although i'm not going too crazy.. my savings should be going towards buying a house first rather than buying cute things to fill it with! i like the idea of buying things from places i've been or shops i love. i have gorgeous handmade coasters from los angeles, a turquoise cushion from the woolloongabba antique store (i'm going back for a framed black board!) and i have my eye on about a million different prints. i love it when you are in someones house and there are so many things to look at and talk about. my dear friends ash and kathleen both have places like this. everything has a story. books, paintings, colour choices, even the mugs they hand you tea in. anyone can have simple, basic and white. so i'm planning on having a few unique things here and there, just like them! collecting items from around the world also excites me. my cousin amber has these beautiful brightly coloured small serving bowls from morocco. (her house in sydney is also amazing by the way.) imagine getting those little bowls down when entertaining guests and being taken back to somewhere exotic you have once visited with family or friends. so special. 

p.s. in addition to my lovely abode with beth, kathleen's amazing taste in homewares and art, ash's bold choices of colour and the very different but equally beautiful homes of my aunts (louie, rosie, lynda and janine), cousins (rach, erica, amber and di) and parents, the home of jo, from the blog a cup of jo, inspires me. take a peek into her life and get a glimpse of how unique and gorgeous it is. living room. (love the globe! i have one too) bedroom. (how beautiful are the photo frames) nursery. (sailboats and clouds, so dreamy).

valentine

be my valentine...

champagne

love

roses

love notes

you

♥
p.s. beautiful cards from paper heart.

no more

this week i am not drinking coffee

and definitely not eating treats like this!

sadly the holiday is over and it's back 

to being a healthy girl again. 

miss you

for my best friend, who moved away and who i miss dearly. 

belated bon voyage

bon voyage... for thursday! this was the post that never was thanks to a long day and night at work followed by some last minute late night packing. it was all worth it though as i didn't think about work once and i didn't forget anything! fiji was amazing, linda made an absolutely stunning bride and despite not having the sunniest weather we all had a brilliant time with friends, both old and new! i have lots of catching up to do here, including happy snaps from paradise. i hope i've been missed, i've missed you! 

let's go

tonight i started packing for my fiji escape while beth started packing for her europe adventure. 

our suitcase contents couldn't have been more different. while i tried on togs, shorts and dresses she tried on berets, gloves and scarves. while i packed clothing in bright blue, green and coral, she packed black, black and more black. six bikini try on's later however, i wished i was heading somewhere cold too... where i could rug up in multiple layers and hide any sign of skin! i think the closer fiji approaches the more relaxed i have become about being poolside ready... exercise? no thanks. chocolate? yes please! i must be wired incorrectly, someone fix me quick as i am regretting it now! regardless of not feeling as fit as i would like (kaftans can fix that), i am still going to have a fabulous time! only two days to go...!

kisses

hand kisses, cheek kisses, nose kisses, forehead kisses, neck kisses, shoulder kisses, collarbone kisses, back kisses, stomach kisses, hipbone kisses, sad kisses, happy kisses, good morning kisses, goodnight kisses, hello kisses, goodbye kisses, i miss you kisses, i owe you kisses, i want you kisses, i need you kisses, rain kisses, beach kisses, sunset kisses, sunrise kisses, party kisses, cuddle kisses, sweet kisses, angry kisses, happy kisses, first kisses, second kisses, hundredth kisses, car kisses, summer kisses, hot kisses, cold kisses, playful kisses, public kisses, private kisses, jealous kisses, keep me kisses, for now kisses, forever kisses, lazy kisses, empty kisses, nervous kisses, quick kisses, long kisses, french kisses, underwater kisses, sunshine kisses, butterfly kisses, eskimo kisses, kisses in the light, kisses in the dark, kisses that touch your lips, kisses that touch your heart, kisses, kisses, kisses.

day 2

after another long day at work i'm too exhausted to write a proper blog post. so here is my day two photo instead. today's task was words. 'everything happens for a reason' are five words strung together that mean a lot to me. i believe that most things happen for a reason and other times, they just happen. i even named my blog after this quote, after searching high and low and for hours on end! over a year later and after looking at it everyday, i still love reading it. my blog is also filled with words, there are so many memories recorded here and i will be forever grateful that this space has reignited my love for writing.

photo a day challenge

rach told me about this tonight, it is a called the february photo a day challenge. as she perfectly put it, it combines two of our favourite things... taking photos and sharing. so starting today, i will take a photo of each of the below over the next 29 days. i'll be posting them on instagram but at the end of the month i'll do a blog post here with all of my photos together. beth is also onboard so it's going to be fun comparing all of our different photos and interesting to see the way we interpret each of the below. here was my view today.

1. your view today

2. words

3. hands

4. a stranger

5. 10am

6. dinner

7. button

8. sun

9. front door

10. self portrait

11. makes you happy 

12. inside your closet

13. blue

14. heart

15. phone

16. something new

17. time

18. drink

19. something you hate to do

20. handwriting

21. a fave photo of you

22. where you work

23. your shoes

24. inside your bathroom cabinet

25. green

26. night

27. something you ate

28. money

29. something you're listening to 

happy snapping!

blue skies

after a very rainy week in brisbane we finally 

woke up to blue sky and sunshine today!