Autumn Shoot

Our crepe myrtle had the most stunning display of red leaves and made the perfect backdrop for an impromptu Autumn photo shoot.....

Hope you all enjoyed a fun and relaxing Easter break with your loved ones.

Easter pics to share soon!

xxx

Catch Up

In case you're wondering....I'm still here! Working.....travelling.....organising kids.....housework.....animals.....garden......reading.....scrapping......and even finding time for fun in between. Life is great - just busy.

It's been over a month since my last post.....terrible blogger! Time has slipped away without notice and Easter is almost upon us. The hint of winter is in the air.....we gathered firewood yesterday and lit the fire for the first time this year.

Scrapbooking has slowed right down....but still doing my bit for Show Us Your Stuff.....this month's challenge is all about one of my FAVE products......BUTTONS!

A nice easy one to have a go with.....why not enter?

Last weekend we took the family to Brisbane.....for two reasons - to visit my sister-in-law and her 3 boys.....and to collect our eBay purchase.....

Tim has been dreaming of having his own boat forever......I'm so glad it's finally happened for him.

He's always wanted to take us all to the footy as well......and it just happened that his team - the Newcastle Knights - were playing the Brissy Broncos while we were there!

......I'm the last person who would sit and watch the footy on telly, but I have to admit I LOVED being there at Suncorp Stadium soaking up the atmosphere. It was pretty intimidating however, wearing our Knights gear amongst the thousands of Broncos fans - even more so when we caught the free members bus to and from the game!

We caught the train into Southbank one day and wandered around the markets, had ice cream at COLD ROCK and lazed on the lawn. It's amazing how lovely it all looks - can hardly believe the whole place was under water a couple of months ago.

Have enjoyed getting through these books....

......this one about a family with three grown sons and their talent for stuffing up relationships had me cracking up out loud!

Odd One Out is my first inroduction to Monica McInerney....more of a novella really. Quite sweet - I like that it's Australian - but looking forward to getting my hands on the Faraday Girls.

Leaving you with one of our fabulous sunsets.....this is why I love Autumn.....

Stuff

It's that time of the month again....well not THAT time.....SUYS challenge time!

For March #2 challenge we have a lovely and very versatile sketch, you need a number in the title and of course a hand made item. My gorgeous felt & button flowers and printed buttons come from Purple Pumpkin.....just too sweet for words! Also added a red doily by Eb's Mum, and the cute star buttons and F-U-N title buttons are from Nellie G.

Speaking of sweet.....I am so looking forward to Easter!

 Not because of the choccy (I'm off it this year!).....but because of the traditions and the fun and the fact that Mum will be here to help us celebrate.

What are your plans for Easter this year?

If you're anything like me you'll be welcoming the cooler weather. As you might know, Autumn is my FAVE season.....love the sunny days, the afternoon breezes and the cooler nights. I'm reunited with my scarves and cardy's which have been hibernating at the top of my cupboard......and drool over the new season fashions....

 

All of the above available here.

I love to wear perfume, but often get it wrong when purchasing......the scent smells divine in the store but not so great on me. Well, I am officially in love with the latest from wacky fashionista Vivienne Westwood....

.....the cheeky name and the gorgeous bottle got me in, and it smells absolutely delish on!!!

Tim and I had a rare date night last Saturday. Went to the movies and saw....

.....not your average rom-com I must say! Not usually an Ashton fan, but he was adorable in this......and the female cast - terrific. A little bit naughty and heaps of LOL moments - the perfect date flick!

SO excited to see this....

......back on the small screen. Tuesday nights 10.30 on GEM. Seriously goosebump-worthy!

Not losing weight all that quickly at the moment.....finding myself too busy to fit in exercise this week. This little cartoon helps to remind me to hop up from the computer now and then while at work!

Nice talking to ya, thanks for the visit, cya!

xxx

Weigh-in + Inspirational Reading

My efforts have started to pay off at last...

After losing ZILCH last weigh-in (despite all that exercise), this week I lost 1.2, which adds up to 2.2 since I started the 5 Kilo Challenge a bit over 3 weeks ago. Gotta be satisfied with that!

Part of our task for this week's blog post is to think of a way to make our fave indulgence less "naughty"....but I have to say, that doesn't make much sense to me. I mean, if I'm going to splurge, I would prefer the teeniest piece of the best chocolate or the smallest spoonful of the most luxurious ice cream. Why waste calories on anything less?

The best motivation for me has been finishing this book....

....which has started me on a quest to "live my best life" (as Oprah would say) which led to me picking up this book....

.....which has convinced me that I am worthy of my own kindness and has taught me to listen to and worship my body rather than hate its flaws and punish it with food....this book has opened up my eyes and my mind, seriously powerful stuff.

I even supervised this sweet scene in my kitchen the other day without craving so much as a bite.....(and that's saying something - cos don't they look scrummy!)

It tool the girls absolutely HOURS to decorate their gingy-men.....such focus and creativity.  Fun FUN fun!

Hope your weekend is FAB - isn't the cooler weather a lovely relief?

Diet update + a new book

For my 5 Kilos blog post this week I have to reveal how much I've lost and share a recipe or snack idea.

Well......I'm annoyed to say I am still the same weight as last week. SO not fair since I have the pain to prove how much I have exercised my butt off!!!

I jogged, I walked, I did lunges (killers!), I went to my yoga class, I ate well.....surely the scales HAVE to reward me soon.

To treat myself for all I went through.....I had a blissful massage after work today. If I ever become rich I swear I will get a massage EVERY day.....nothing beats it!

OK, now for my recipe, which I am very happy to share with you since it is both DELICIOUS and HEALTHY......

It's from the book The Biggest Loser Best Recipes and I have made it many many times, even when I'm NOT on a diet cos it tastes so good plus its sooooo quick and easy to cook up after a busy day.

TOMATO CHILLI PRAWNS
Serves 4

1 tsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water
salt & pepper
1 kg green prawns (I buy a 1kg bag of frozen green prawns with tails on from Coles - such a handy invention!)
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
steamed rice to serve


Gently cook onion in the oil until soft. Add garlic & chilli and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, lime/lemon zest and juice, sugar and water. Season well with salt and pepper. Simmer 5 mins.
Add prawns and simmer 3 mins or until pink and firm. Throw in chopped coriander and serve with rice.

What's happening this weekend?

Our local show is on....but you know, I really don't feel like going. The kids will whinge severely but I'm just not in the mood. We don't even have anything entered this year....NOTHING!

I think instead we will work on our new vegie garden. I may even have a spare moment to scrap the Feb Design Dollies sketch....

....and read my new book.....

....which I'm hoping will help me along with my challenge.  And if you're wondering.....the "God" she talks about can be interpreted more as Love, Kindness to Yourself and Being All That You Can Be.  The book was featured on Oprah and you can read more about it here.

Toodles peeps!

xxx

Layout plus new additions

Wow - a hot old day today peoples!

My scrap room faces west and becomes rather unbearable by this time of day....have just packed up after making this layout.....

....using the latest Pencil Lines sketch, which is quite sweet....don't you think?

The paper-smooshing and crumpling techique is a latest fad of mine....

.....as is a little bit of hand stitching.....

......and hand dyeing scraps of muslin.....

.....I find it intriguing the way we craze on certain things for a while.....

then move on.

Hoping these gorgeous critters will NOT turn out to be a craze....

....6 amazing Gouldian Finches and one yellow Canary joined the family yesterday....their colours are just magic.....check out that vibrant turquoise necklace! They sure brighten up the place and I love the sweet twittering outside our door.....