Follow Your Heart.

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this is part of a communal sharing of inspiration and beauty called sunday citar.

Floral Friday.

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I had intended to do so much more this week, here and in real life {not that this isn't real life, but you know what I mean}. I wanted to tell you about the eBay psychic {and the other real life one I saw during the week} but I ran out of time....

I promise to do so next week. Pinky promise.

I have also been busy being in denial that my holidays are almost o-v-e-r. Gasp. It seems like it was only Christmas yesterday, and here I am now considering lunches, trying to complete my to-do list I wrote at the start of our break and cleaning out my car {which hasn't been used for a whole month almost}.

My little {and hopefully yours} attempt at being rather frugal during February starts on Monday, although I actually started being financially smarter as soon as I wrote the post on it. If you want to join me in saving money then just comment on the post telling me what you want to give up in February. I'm giving up all non-essentials.

Also if you didn't join up to the Happy Mail Exchange, I encourage you to do so. We've got a lovely group of givers, and it's going to be fun.

And lastly, I'll be blogging over at Kidspot on a daily basis now. I'm going to be one very busy bee. You can pop over and read them. I worked out how to make them public so you don't necessarily have to sign up {though I have, and I love it}. I'll remind when I've cooked up something really good that you mustn't miss out on though.


What's on for your weekend, my friend?

Quick & Dirty Chocolate Souffle.

I aim incredibly* high when I'm setting goals for myself. One of my goals that I wanted to achieve before I turned 30 was making a souffle. See how high that goal is? It's up there with trekking the Kokoda Trail.

Australia Day this year was hot and sticky. The sort of weather where the only cooking you want to do is outside on the BBQ. Being the sucker that I am I thought why not try the souffle today. I had all the ingredients, and why not turn the temperature up a little more by putting the oven on. Why not indeed.

So I pulled out a recipe I'd kept aside to try and started weighing out the ingredients. I was separating the eggs when I lost count. Is there four or five in there? I thought. I threw another in just in case. The more the merrier, right?

Lacey was screaming and tired, and ready for a nap. My little sister was trying to calm her down whilst I was baking, she quickly came on to oversee the souffle baking. She grabbed a square of chocolate from the bowl that I had just finished weighing as she exited the kitchen. You do know that making souffles is an exact science, don't you? I yelled as I wiped my sweaty brow.

Oh shit, she exclaimed with a mouth full of chocolate, do you want me to put it back in?

I didn't tell her about the egg situation, but I was content that I could blame her chocolate stealing for the failure of the souffle if it didn't work out. Nah, I replied, that's just plain gross.

I whipped it all together and popped them into the oven. Lacey fell asleep. And we waited for the sausages to finish sizzling so we could start on our lunch. Sixteen minutes later the souffles were ready, but the sausages were not. So we did what any true blue Aussie would. We ate the souffle first.

And it was beyond delicious.

This recipe is from the current issue of Notebook magazine. Here it is:

Quick & Dirty** Chocolate Souffle Cake.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients
Butter and sugar for the mould
225g dark chocolate
2 tbs strong coffee {I left this out because none of us like coffee}
5 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
1 tbs flour


Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Lightly butter and sugar a 25cm ceramic tart mould.

2. In the top of a double boiler or in the microwave, melt the chocolate with the coffee. Let it cool.

3. Separate the eggs - whites into a large mixing bowl, yolks into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together the yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until it is a light yellow colour.

4. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg yolks and quickly whisk to combine, it will be quite thick. Add flour. In the large bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold a stiff peak.

5. Gently fold the egg whites gradually into the yolk mixture.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for 20 minutes. {I actually did two from this one mixture and baked it for 16 minutes}. The souffle will fall a little once out of the oven.


And after a mouthful of this souffle my beautiful Hubby declared, You've got your dessert making mojo back.

I'd left it at the hospital when I had Lacey. I'm back, baby! ♥


*Please note extreme sarcasm.

**I have no idea why this is called dirty. It's what it's called in the magazine. It's not really dirty. Unless my Little Sis did actually spit the chocolate back in when I wasn't looking....

{one thing}

What is one thing that made you smile today?

Me? I'm off to see a psychic today named Edith. I don't know what's happened to me. I never used to read my horoscopes and I was completely anti-psychics and any fortune telling activities. This year though I've read every horoscope I've come across, I've purchased an eBay psychic reading and now this. I'm laughing at myself today. Pa-thet-ic.

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Everyday Everybody: Ali.

Welcome to another edition of Everyday Everybody, the interview series where we {I} ask everyday people a bunch of random, odd questions and they let us have a glimpse into their lives. Today we have the lovely, lovely Ali. Hello Ali.


When did you last tell someone you love them? My husband this morning, when he got home from work. I tell him all the time. Sometimes , I think he gets sick of hearing me say it.

At what time do you normally go to bed? 9:30ish, but since being pregnant it is getting earlier and earlier, I am not a late night person at the best of times.

When did you last swim in the ocean? Boxing Day at Emu Park , the cute little seaside town near Rockhampton, in Central Qld. We love going there for a swim and the worlds best fish and chips. We refuse to call it the beach as there is no waves !

What would you cook for me if I came around for a meal? My wonderful husband would do his famous rib fillet on the bone , and I would do pumpkin, spinach and feta salad, with a side serve of fresh crusty bread. Nice and simple for lazy summer days.

What do you have for breakfast? Until recently nothing, but now I have vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit! I am trying to be a healthier in 2010.

Can you describe your ideal night out? More often than, not our ideal "night out" are nights in, Indian take away on the floor in front of a movie, with a nice bottle of champagne

What film makes you cry? I saw Beaches when I was 10 or 12 and cried for a week. It was horrible and I refuse to watch it ever again. The movie that made me cry recently was "Marley & Me", not the worlds best move, but I still had a good old cry !

When did you last drink champagne? Caulfield Cup Day , I had a lovely day at the races with my husband and a great bunch of friends. I drank lots of champagne, and had a ball !

How do you deal with spiders in your home? Little ones end up under a telephone book, big ones are looked after by my husband. I hate them with a passion ! !

What are you proud of? My family. My wonderful son , Master M is by far my greatest achievement. He starts school this year and I look at him every day and wonder how he grew up into such a great kid.


Congratulations on your pregnancy Ali. This is going to be a wonderful year ahead for you. Thanks for playing along. xx

Beyond Snapshots.

Learning how to use my camera has been one of my goals to achieve before I turn 30 this year. It was actually number one on my list. A girlfriend showed me the basics and got me started, I then did an online course and now I'm learning through another blog called Beyond Snapshots.

The suggested task this week was to take off the camera strap and take a photo of yourself. Now, that's easier than it sounds. I set up the camera on a pile of three boxes and set the self timer. I was either out of focus, out of shot or just plain ugly. I couldn't get it to work.

So I decided a photo in the mirror would be easier. It wasn't. I got photos of the wall. The mirror frame. The window behind me, and I also had a husband who thought it was cool to peek behind me and ruin the shot. Eventually I got one. Notice the serious face filled with concentration.

The first task was to take a photo of your little one in the bathroom to utilise the beautiful light, and the relaxed nature of your child whilst bathing. Lacey loves chucking water at me, even when I don't have a camera, so this was a fun game of Don't Get The Camera Wet.

If you're keen on learning how to use your camera, then pop over to Beyond Snapshots. I'd love to see some of your self portraits. Let me know if you do one.

Here's an outtake with my cheeky husband. xx

Australia Day Giveaway.

Happy Australia Day everyone. Yes, even you there not living in Australia. I want you to have a good day too.


I'm going to be taking it easy today and BBQing with friends in the sunshine. So while I'm doing that, why don't you enter into this sweet little giveaway.



Mary Grace from Under 10 is offering a lovely loot for one lucky winner, your own choice of three pieces from her Etsy store. Yep, three. I've picked my favourites below.

Just tell me in the comments below what you are looking forward to this week. I'll announce the winner next Monday. This competition is open to everyone, everywhere.

Good luck! xx

Boring bits:

♥ Competition closes Sunday 31st January at noon.

♥ One entry per person.

♥ Winner will be announced on Monday 1st February.

♥ Excludes Beloved Valentine pieces from the Under 10 store.

Happy Mail Exchange.

Hello friends. We had quite an uneventful weekend, with not much going on... so I have no photos to share and no stories to tell.


Instead I want to talk about mail.


Oh how I love getting mail. Hand written notes are my favourites. Catalogues come next. Bills, well, they come last. They're not so much fun.


Last year I participated in a lovely exchange of goodies over at Oh, Hello Friend and I had so much fun doing so. A few of you mentioned that you'd love to see the same thing happen here, so here it is. I've organised a Happy Mail Exchange.

This is going to be fun. Fun. Fun. Happy Mail Exchange is going to be an exchanging of goodies in the mail. If you like getting mail, and sending lovely things, this is for you. You'll be given a random lovely person to send some goodies off to, and in return you'll get some goodies from a random person. In the end everyone is happy. Smiles all round. That kinda thing.


Sign ups will open up today. They will close on Saturday the 6th February. Partners will be assigned, and then you will have until March 5th to send off your packages to your partner.

If you live overseas, you can play along. I'll just ask participants if they mind sending to someone overseas and pair up the people that don't mind. I personally love getting mail from overseas. Everything is so different to what we have at home.

Anyone can play along, but only join if you intend to fully commit to sending off a package. It's no fun if someone misses out, and it just takes the Happy out of the Happy Mail Exchange.

The amount you can spend on your gift should be limited to somewhere between $20-$30. If you create your own goodies, please feel free to add some of those to the package, but don't make it a whole stash of your goodies. Mix it up a little. It's a great idea to place an emphasis on the packaging. Great creative and make your partner feel uber special as they unwrap the goods. I think it's lovely to send handmade goodies as well. Made It and Etsy have some affordable pieces.

To sign up just put your answers to the following questions in the comment section. Feel free {in fact, I encourage it} to share this on your blog, and with your friends. The more the merrier really.

1. Name:
2. Website {if you have one}:
3. Email address:
4. Location {City/State/Country}:
5. Are you willing to send overseas:
6. Your Interests:
7. Anything Else?

Email me if you have any questions or if it appears I've missed something. I hope everyone joins in. xx

Winner.

Apologies for the delay in getting around to announce the winner of the chocolates and stationery for completing the survey I put up a few weeks ago.


The winner is comment number 8, which is the lovely Bee. If you can email me your address I'll send off your chocolates straight away.

Congratulations.


And today over at Kidspot I blogged about friends after parenthood. Pop over for a read. xx

Head In The Clouds.

this is part of a communal sharing of inspiration and beauty called sunday citar.

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Magical.

I know I don't usually post on Saturdays and here I am twice in one day. I think the extreme weather conditions have gone to my head.


The real reason I'm here is because these photos just arrived in my inbox and I couldn't not share. My two loves. So beautiful.

When we visited my friend Rowe in Queensland she took these photos of Shane and Lacey. I saw Rowe snapping away as they played in the pool, but it all seemed so effortless and I had no idea that such brilliance was being captured. Such talent my friend has.

Rowe has just started blogging too. Pop over and have a look, and soak up her little girl Audrey. She's such a cutie, and in real life the most magical little being ever. I love her so.

Rowe will be down in Sydney next weekend and has a couple of spots free if anyone would like a photo shoot. I know there are a fair few people interested so grab a spot while you can. Email me for details. xx

Money Matters.

Last February I gave up shopping online for a month. There's always that financial hangover after Christmas where we can't bear to be at the shops any longer, but we're lured by the sales. And now it's even easier with post-Christmas sales online. There's nothing stopping us with the ability to shop from the comfort of our own home, and in our PJ's too.

Last February I gave up online shopping. My mailman didn't visit for a whole month. Actually, if I remember correctly I did slip up on my no shopping ban. There was a Leona Edmiston dress that I had to have. It was on sale, and it was too good to miss. And you know what? That dress is still sitting in my cupboard, unworn. Tags still attached. There's a message somewhere there, I think.

I was recently approached to be one of the Ambassadors for ANZ's new incentive called Febusave. They're encouraging all women to save money during February. I thought it was a brilliant idea, so I jumped on board. They've done all sorts of research, and gathered all sorts of statistics on how women don't save enough money and don't have enough for a rainy day. I won't go into all the details {you can read them on their site if you like} because it will just make you feel bad, and you'll just look at that gorgeous handbag of yours with disgust {and I can't have cruelty towards handbags}.

You don't really need to do anything, but save money. Pledge to stop spending money on something: lunches, beauty, travel, chocolate, coffee... etc. You can just say it on your blog, in my comment section, to yourself in the mirror, to the bus driver on your drive home or you can go over to ANZ and pledge there {and go in the draw to win $5000}. You don't need an ANZ account, I don't.

I am pledging to go without treats. As in any non-essentials. I won't be getting any beauty treatments. I'll be painting my own nails {and I'm hopeless, so this should be funny}. No lady lunches. No bottled water. Seriously, I'm tightening the purse strings. I'll let you know how I've gone at the end of the month.

What do you pledge? Care to join me?

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Blue Dahlia.

I mentioned last Friday that I had an experiment planned for the weekend. You may have thought I was cracking out the Bunsen Burner and some silly acids... but I'm not into those type of experiments. I left them back at high school.

I like pretty experiments, or yummy ones. That's my type of science.

So I headed to the market. I wanted handfuls of white flowers. I came back with nothing. How hard is it to pick up white flowers? Really. I ended up picking up some dahlias from the local florist. Ideally I wanted little daisies or something smaller, but I had to work with what I had.

Once when I was flicking through Flickr I saw a lovely bunch of flowers with blue water. The photographer mentioned something about food colouring changing the colour of the actual flower. So I set to work.

The picture to the left is day one. Now I know I don't win any awards for flower arrangement. I'm dead set pathetic at it. I trimmed the leaves from the stem and then added blue food colouring to the water. The photo to the right is day two. See how they're a little speckled?

And these photos are from day five. If I was a good flower carer I would have added more water, trimmed the stems and freshened it all up a little. I'll do it now, I promise. As soon as I get off the computer.

And that's the experiment. I was hoping for bright blue flowers, but I didn't get them. I am wondering if I added more food colouring and trimmed the stems each day, perhaps they would have soaked up more. It's still interesting as they are though. What do you think?

What's on for the weekend friends? We have nothing much planned. Hubby is at surf carnivals all weekend, so we'll be ladies of leisure. We're even lunching like the ladies do on Sunday.

Thanks for putting up with my Hissy Fit this week. I promise to keep in line in the future. I look forward to seeing you all next week when I'll be talking about my eBay psychic experience, offering you a little giveaway and perhaps laughing a little too.

Happy weekend to you. xx

I'll be blogging over at Kidspot this week. Pop over and have a look. To have a read you'll have to quickly sign up, but it only takes a moment.

Why I Love Where I Live: Part One.

Welcome to the tour of where I live. My name is Chantelle and I'll be taking you on this friendly tour. If you have any questions just raise your hand and I'll address you {or just leave them in the comments section}. If you need to use the bathroom, I do hope you'll wait until the end of the tour to do so. So, before we set off I'll just request that you put on your seat belt {safety first, friends}, sit back and enjoy the ride.

We'll start the tour firstly from the comfort of our vehicle. This is me, Chantelle.

This is Bondi. I love this building. I don't know why. Old people live in it. I think it's pretty. It represents much of Bondi/Sydney. We're all living pretty much on top of each other. Bondi is the most densely populated suburb in Sydney. There's lots of us here.

And even though we are pretty much living on top of each other, we're only mere moments from places like this: Centennial Park. Lots of area for playing, walking the dog, exercising and meeting with friends. You can even feed the ducks {I'm petrified of ducks so for me it's more throw them some bread and then sprint back to the car} or get married in the gardens.

We'll alight the vehicle here for a moment. This is Fox Studios Farmer's Markets. I've been coming here for years and years and years. Say hello to the nice man who sells the yummiest strawberries in town. He knows me well and has seen Lacey grow from a bump in my belly to the little girl she is today. Charlie in the middle section sells the yummiest chicken and sweet potato salad. We get one every week. You can always grab a delicious Gozleme if you have a little room to spare.

We dream of moving to the Country and having a little farm with cute animals and a vegie patch. We've tried to build our own vegie patch at home {and failed!} but we're not brave enough to try animals in the City just yet. Instead Lacey plays with the animals at the kiddy farm here.

Feel free to pat the ducky. I promise it won't bite. Much.

One thing I love about living in the City is the food. I'm a little bit sushi crazy. A friend and I were just saying recently that we don't think we'd ever get sick of sushi, ever. I could seriously eat it for three meals a day and still look forward to it. Luckily, everyone in my little family is equally as crazy about it. This is our favourite haunt. It's already hard to get a seat here, so I'll keep it's identity a well kept secret.

Eye candy. I'm talking about the view, not the people. No, really.... Bondi is filled with beautiful people, inside and out. People who like to look after themselves and love the lives they live.

The view. You really only have to turn your head to see something beautiful. There is lots of coastline and ocean, sometimes dolphins, often whales and schools of fish. This is a beautiful place to live.

Everywhere is so beautiful that it's a great incentive to exercise. The fresh air, the smell of the salty ocean, the good dose of vitamin D from the sunshine and the health benefits. It's beautiful.

And this is where we will conclude our tour for today. I hope you've had an enjoyable time. Please consider coming back for part two in the near future. xx

I'll be blogging over at Kidspot this week. Pop over and have a look. To have a read you'll have to quickly sign up, but it only takes a moment.

One Thing.

What is one thing that made you smile today?

Me? We had scrumptious sushi today and that always makes me smile. Plus we had such a good night last night on date night, and I can't stop smiling about that. Plus we had a kid-free nights sleep. And I'm feeling 100% better today, besides a teeny little hangover from all the wine last night.

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Hissy Fit.

I have a little confession to make: I am flawed. I am human. I have tantrums.


I had one last week, in fact.

It was Sunday morning. The sun was shining. I was high on life. I was child-free, and husband-free for the morning. A very rare moment of solitude. And I had the Sunday papers to read. Life doesn't get better.

An email arrived in my inbox from Pro Blogger. He mentioned that surveying your readers was a great way to get inside the minds of your audience. It's something that I had thought about doing for a while, and when he linked to a website that hosted them... I thought, why not?

I put together some questions to ease my curious mind. Nothing too difficult. I think there were ten questions all up {you guys would know, you answered them} and set up a post directing everyone to the survey. And in the responses flowed.

Why a survey? Why not? As a blogger it's hard to tell what everyone likes to read about, or look at. I often wonder how posts are received. Comments are a great indicator. Surveys are another method.

By Sunday afternoon there had been so many responses that I had to start a whole new survey {with the same questions} because the first survey was full and couldn't take any more on. It was great that everyone was participating.

As I read through the responses I became disheartened. I did ask everyone to be honest, and everyone was. One part of me appreciated it, but one part of me was a little bit hurt. I had no idea that I would be so sensitive. No idea at all. I didn't see it coming.

I was so focused on the negative comments that I couldn't see all the lovely ones. I had a Hissy Fit. It was all in my head, mind you. I'll show those haters, I thought, I just won't blog anymore. Take that.

I emailed my go-to-girl and told her what I thought. I called a friend. I mentioned it to Hubby. That was it. There would be no more blog.

And then I saw the light {with a little nudging from go-to-girl, friend and Hubby}. It reminded me of so many beautiful quotes I've read about being so focused on the negative that we're unable to see all the good stuff. The negative comments wouldn't have even made up 1% of the responses... all the rest were beautiful, constructive and complimentary.

So thank you so much to everyone {yeah, even the haters - I know you were only hating parts, and that's okay} for answering the questions. I learnt a lot. But as a few wise people said in the survey {in their own way}: This is your blog. Don't change a thing. It doesn't matter what we like or don't like, all that matters is that you make it yours. We come back because it's you.

A few people mentioned that they'd like to know the results. So here are some statistics, as well as some comments that I'd like to respond to:

♥ Most readers have been visiting for a few months {44.4%}, a few for over a year {35.4%}, a handful for a couple of weeks {7.1%}, some lovely supporters from the very first post {6.1%}, and some readers who were brand spanking new {2%}.

♥ A whopping 96% of you all visit daily. {Hello to you all. Thanks for the love}.

♥ What do you love on Fat Mum Slim? There were a lot of responses saying everything, I love it all, and then there were the more specific: family, photos, motherhood, letters to Lacey, mushy posts, when I talk about lack of sleep, photos, life, when I write about our adventures, shopping and photos, to name just a few. I think you guys like photos, eh?

A few responses were:

♥ I think the combination of all the topics is what keeps is so interesting. One minute we are learning about you and the next we are accidentally learning about ourselves.

♥ I really, really love your positive messages - they remind me of the good things in life.

♥ The style you write is very fresh and relatable.

♥ What do you like least on Fat Mum Slim? The majority of responses stated that you like the mix as it is. A few topics that were mentioned that weren't favourites were: craft, shopping, weight, motherhood, the question posts, everyday everybody, when I ask what you did on the weekend, quotes, posts with items that are too expensive, wordy posts, corny posts, weekend sign offs, flower for your Friday posts, when I'm too personal, family stuff and Letters to Lacey.

A few responses were:

♥ The one question posts are a waste of my time.

♥ Everyday Everybody - I really want to enjoy it, but I don't.

♥ Family stuff... and personal weight loss. I love weight loss tips, but sometimes it's a little too personal.

♥ Nothing. It's the perfect balance as it is.

♥ I then asked you, What would you like to see more of? Some of your responses were: fashion stores, fashion tips, style, craft, photography, life, latest buys, food, beauty, more content, writing, decorating, etsy finds, home projects, reader challenges, more opinion, mummy fashion, everything, more about Chantelle, mothering, more about sleep deprivation, everyday everybody, gift ideas, photos, children, inspiration, giveaways.

A few responses were:

♥ Fashion. Your posts on a couple of stores & websites have been almost life changing. I am a size 16/18 and find it hard to buy nice clothes. I now have a decent wardrobe again - all thanks to you! {so glad to hear - Chantelle}.

♥ Nothing. The reason why your blog is enjoyable is because you are sharing your thoughts and feelings about things as they come... & that sharing is a big part of you.

♥ I do like the often indulgent recipes - however considering we are all dieting - how about some diet friendly indulgent recipes? {Challenge accepted, thanks - Chantelle}

♥ I then asked, What would like to see less of? Some answers were: high end fashion, everyday everybody, mum stuff, questions, exercise, pictures, clothes, quotes, challenges for people losing weight, but most said nothing, they liked the mix as it is.

Some responses were:

♥ I think there is often an overdose of Lacey posts.

♥ I'd like less cute kid photos. One cute kid looks much the same as the next to me.

♥ I generally skip ones that don't have any 'news'... the ones that I, myself would call 'corny'. They kind of annoy me a little. I'm sorry.

And then a few comments that I would like to comment on:

♥ Everyday Everybody is good, but the questions in it suck. They don't really mean anything.
Everyday Everybody seems to be hit and miss for everyone. It was pretty even, half of you loved it, and half you didn't. Personally, I love them. I like learning about about other people. I know that the questions are odd, and quirky... and that's one of the reasons I love it. It has the person being interviewed really thinking about their responses, and readers don't know what to expect. Everyday Everybody will be hanging around on Wednesdays. I'll try and throw something in on Wednesdays {every now and then} to appease those who aren't so fond of Everyday Everybody.

♥ I like hearing about your life + family, but sometimes it's a little too personal.
I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable by the things you've read here. I only share about 2% of my life on this blog. There is a whole other 98% that I live and keep to myself, and special to my family. I'm mindful of what I share, and what I don't. I'm not sure what particular posts you're referring too... but it is something that I will also be mindful of in the future.

♥ You do some lovely giveaways, but I'm not sure if you actually need them. People read if you are interesting.
I think of giveaways as a whole big squishy group hug. Giveaways make everyone feel good. They allow the creators of the goods to promote their products, readers have a chance of acquiring some goodies at no cost to them and I love doing them. I don't do them that often, but when I do I really enjoy them.

And some of the comments that made me smile were:

♥ I just keep nodding my head all the time. You bring a little sunshine to my day.

♥ Reading your blog is some much needed time out from my day.

♥ Your blog is one of the things that makes my heart sing.

♥ I really enjoy your blog. It's so light, and bright and it makes me smile.

♥ I love that you make me laugh out loud!

♥ I love your positivity and your outlook. The world needs more Chantelles.


I realise that not every reader can be satisfied by every post created here. I know what it feels like to see a new post on a blog, and realise that it's a little bit mediocre and less that I had hoped for. It's like being disappointed with a magazine. You just have to hope that the next issue is more you, more for you to relate to, more up your alley. I guess that's life. We all like different things, and that's what makes us.. us.

It's much the same as chocolate. We all like different types, flavours, brands... or perhaps you just don't like chocolate at all. By the way... Lindt was a clear favourite amongst you all. You've got great taste.

Oh, and if you mentioned that you had a blog, but didn't leave a link... please comment below with it so I can come and visit you.

As for the giveaway for those that responded to the survey I will do it later today, as this is a mammoth post as is.

Thank you all so much for everything. It was a great learning experience. I appreciate you all taking some time out for me. xx

Everyday Everybody: Kell.

Come on in and sit down. Meet my friend Kell. We go way back to the noughties. I think you're going to like her. Love her even.

Who's your best friend? Megan is my best friend, I am godmother to both of her beautiful boys, and in return, has to endure all of my rambling and whining! Raw deal! It's funny, I had not let anyone truly in as a close friend in well over ten years. I found it difficult, but once I did, I was wishing I had done it long before. A best friend, that you can tell all your deepest, darkest thoughts too, who never judges you and supports you no matter what? The single most valuable thing in the world. I am very lucky!

Have you ever been in an ambulance? Ohhh yes. I had a very quickly progressing labour with my daughter, and live 45 minutes from the nearest hospital. Half way there, the urge to push her out overwhelmed and we had to call 000. I ended up birthing her in the back of an ambulance! Now there is a birth story to tell on her 21st, impatient little thing! All hail the ambulance little green whistle. The paramedics were fantastic, and were literally bouncing on a high afterwards. J knew as soon as he saw them from their smiles, that they had delivered her on route.

What is the first film you ever saw at a cinema? I think it was E.T. as a child, I remember crying, I found it so sad (I still do!) and my cousins laughed at me, meanies. I also recall seeing Return of The Jedi at the drive in if that counts - I can't remember which was first. My parents had an old Holden Kingswood station wagon, and they reversed in and my brother and sister and I laid in the back with our blankets. It was so cool!

Have you ever been to a high school reunion? No, I don't think my high school has them, and I guess with the advent of social media like Facebook, I wouldn't bother if they did have one. Those I would wish to stay in contact with, I do via facebook for the most part.

What are you proud of? You know what? Normally, I would likely say my children. But this week, it is myself. I have made some enormous changes, some difficult ones, painful and sad ones, but I know that they are right for me and I am proud of myself for no longer taking the easy option.

What was your best subject at school? Hands down, English. I loved books, creative writing, and language full stop, and I was decent at it. I guess that carried over having just finished a Masters in literature and writing!

You're granted one wish - what will it be? To love wholly and completely without fear, and be loved with abandon in return. That would make me so happy, and my happiness would affect those around me. Several wishes in one right there!

Can you describe your ideal night out? Good conversation and laughter are the essentials. That can occur anywhere, doing anything, its the company that is important.

What's the best advice you've ever received? That it is okay, and necessary to be selfish sometimes. Putting yourself first can be a good thing, not just for you, but for those around you that you try to protect by not doing so. Look at the bigger picture, think outside the box. Believe in the wonder that is you. Take risks.

What were you like as a child? I was a nerd, and a stereotypical middle child. I never quite felt I fit in anywhere, but I seemed to manage okay. I was resilient. I read a LOT. Books were my escape world, and I went there often. I had quite a happy, stable childhood for the most part.

As many of you know, the questions for Everyday Everybody are picked at random. I laughed when I picked the ambulance one for Kell, and then when her responses arrived in my inbox I got goosebumps from my toes to the tips of my hair follicles reading it. Kell has a beautiful blog over here.

Work It Girl.

What exercise have you done today?

Me? Oh poo. Nothing. I woke up feeling sick, and I've got a cold. I'm not happy. I am going to rest today and dose myself up with vitamin C, echinacea and probiotics. We're off on date night tonight so I don't want to speaking with a nasally voice and sniffing. How unromantic is that?

Bill's Ricotta Hotcakes.

I once ambitiously had a huge dinner party for a group of people, which included a handful that I'd never met before. It was one of those last minute ideas. One of those ones that seemed like a good idea at the time.

I decided to make my own ravioli with pumpkin inside along with an equally ambitious main and dessert. In the end the ravioli was under cooked and my dessert, peach and raspberry tart, was a little bit the same.

It was over the entree that two of my guests {whom I'd never met before - friends of friends} decided to inform me that they were food stylists. I looked down at my ravioli, which looked decidedly grey and unappetising, and sighed. Stylish, this food wasn't. I hurried back to the kitchen to fix the main {Parmesan chicken and salad} and sat with my guests to eat.

You could be a food stylist, my guests quipped, you're really good at this.

I looked at them waiting for the laughter. They appeared serious. They began to tell me that the food we see in magazines is mostly inedible once they're done. They have to use hairspray, paint, glue and many other products to make the food look good in the photographs. I've never looked at food in magazines the same. And I never really knew if they were having a dig at me or not.

Over the weekend I made my all time favourite breakfast, ricotta hotcakes. I tried to make it look all lovely and fancy for the photos, but I couldn't make it pretty. And I wasn't about to go and ruin a good meal with hairspray or paint.

If you've never tried these before, I demand that you do. They're a taste sensation. Please, please, please make the honeycomb butter too. It's super easy and keeps in the fridge for ages.

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups ricotta {you can use low-fat if you like}
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
50g butter {I actually forgot to put this in, and they still worked perfectly}


To Serve
banana
honeycomb butter {see recipe below}
icing sugar for dusting


Honeycomb Butter
250g unsalted butter, softened
100g honeycomb, crushed {I leave mine a little chunky, cos that's how I roll}
2 TBS honey
Just combine all the ingredients, roll into a log and cover in cling wrap and keep in the fridge.


Method
Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a bowl and mix to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the ricotta mixture and mix until combined.

Place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites through batter with a big metal spoon.

Lightly grease a non-stick frying pan with a little butter, and cook pancakes. Smaller is better. Cook over low to medium heat for 2 minutes each side, or until golden. Turn and cook on other side.

Transfer to plate. Add some banana, and a slice of the honeycomb butter. Enjoy.

*They say that the honeycomb butter is delicious on toast, but I'm not game enough to try. Let me know if you do.

What is your favourite breakfast dish?

Playtime.

Good morning girls and boys.


The weekend whizzed by, once again... but thankfully I'm still on holidays so Mondayitis hasn't kicked in. Phew.

We started the weekend with a trip to the markets, some chatting with horses and finished with pizza in the late afternoon on Sunday at Ga's house. Lacey has taken to calling my Ma Ga {as in grandma}. We think Ma is the new Lady Ga Ga.

*Oh, darn it. I just realised that the date didn't go in there. It's meant to say 16th. Oh well.

Here is my contribution to Point + Shoot. I managed to sort out Lacey's toys, finally. I have no idea how she managed to accumulate so many toys in her short little life. I feel like we have some order now... or until she decides to act like a whirlwind and throw them about, everywhere. I can't wait until I can yell: Clean up your room, and don't come out until it's done!

How was your weekend, my friend?

Within.

this is part of a communal sharing of inspiration and beauty called sunday citar.

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Insatiable.

Word on the street is that a good handful of you aren't feeling particularly satisfied with just flowers on your Friday and a fond farewell from me. It seems you might be craving something a tad more substantial to leave you lingering over the weekend. I learnt this from my little survey. {If you still want to participate, you can here: Have your say}.

Today I'm not organised enough to offer you anything... but these flowers are super lovely, and I did throw in some shoes for good measure.

And I would love it so if you played Point + Shoot with me. Just take a photo of any {Saturday or Sunday} part of your weekend and come back and show me on Monday. It's that easy.
Over the weekend I plan on:

♥ buying fresh flowers
♥ doing a dash of cleaning
♥ trying out a little experiment
♥ sorting through Lacey's toys {they're taking over our house}
♥ listening to my music on my zen {i just found it after 5 years, loving the old music}
♥ lunching with the ladies
♥ cooking ricotta hotcakes
♥ eating ricotta hotcakes
♥ exercising off the ricotta hotcakes

What have you got planned for the weekend?

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A Girl Loves To Dream...

Often whilst I'm searching on Etsy for the elusive perfect black dress {which I haven't found just yet} I'll stumble across the most perfect black wedding dress. I see it every few months {I'm sure I saved it to favourites but I can't find it again now}. And it has me dreaming almost immediately.

I dream of a wedding in a beautiful sun-filled field. The sun's not too hot, it's late afternoon and we're all comfortable, without a bead of sweat on our brows. There are handmade patchwork quilts laid out with love on the lawns, and personalised picnic baskets for our wedding guests. They're filled with teeny little sandwiches in the shape of love hearts made with the softest white bread one could ever find. Fairy lights are strung in the beautiful, aged trees. They soft light will illuminate the sky as we dance into the night.

The women sip pink champagne from mismatched antique glasses, and the boys stand around and laugh together, beers in hand. The kids run around in the grass. The girls in teeny vintage frocks and the boys in little shirts teamed with dirty converse. There are cupcakes, and laughter, flowers in our hair and love fills the air.

And I'll look up at Hubby and start to say, If we get married again...

And he looks at me as if I've completely lost my marbles, Babe, we got married. You only have one wedding. Ours was perfect.

And I know it was. I wouldn't change a thing. But a girl loves to dream...


Print is my all time favourite which I have framed at home from Abby Try Again.

Bridezilla.

When I was planning our wedding I guess I was a little non-traditional in a way. I wasn't excited about the dress. Not one bit.


The thought of trekking from Bridal store to Bridal store just seemed like a chore to me, and wasn't something I looked forward to. I didn't want a traditional gown, and definitely not white.

We were to get married in October, so when July rolled around I thought I had better at least start looking. My Ma and I headed into the City to look at dresses in 'normal' shops to see if I could find anything that I liked.

The first shop we walked into was Lisa Ho. I looked at a few dresses... and then picked one from the rack. It was latte in colour and in a style that I felt would suit me. A girl emerged from the change room in a white version. She was skinny and beautiful. I sighed and entered, undressed and tried my dress on.

I felt awkward. I didn't want to come out, especially with Miss Perfect next door wearing the same dress. I called Ma in and asked for her opinion. She loved it. There were no tears, magic moment or feelings of it being the dress.

It fit me though, and I felt that was a miracle in itself. I asked the lady behind the counter to keep it aside and we'd have lunch and think about it. We looked around a little longer and eventually stumbled across Alex Perry's store. Alex Perry makes the most amazing dresses. He was in the store himself, vacuuming the floor as they were about to close for lunch.

I picked up the most beautiful, sparkling blue dress from the rack and eyed it up and down. It most definitely had wow factor.

Do you have this in size 14, maybe even 16? I asked Alex.

He looked up from his vacuuming and quickly replied, No.

I looked at the size 10 dress in my hands and then ambitiously asked, Do you think I could try it on and leave the zip undone?

No, Alex responded.

And that was that. I promptly placed the dress back on the rack and headed out for lunch with my Ma. We'd looked at about 4 stores, and I'd had enough. We contemplated the dress from Lisa Ho. We called my Big Sis and asked what she thought. I can't even recall what she said, but we went back and got the dress.

Two weeks before the wedding I had a bridezilla moment. I regretted not trying on more gowns. Perhaps I wanted a traditional gown. Perhaps just a full length gown. What was I going to do?

I was going to email Lisa Ho, that's what. I emailed Lisa Ho and asked if she could alter my dress and make it full length. Back then, that seemed almost logical. I didn't batter an eyelid at how crazy that sounded. Of course she emailed me back and said that they didn't offer that service.

And so I wore the Lisa Ho shorter dress, and it was perfect. I wouldn't have changed a thing. It suited our wedding perfectly, and as every bride does, I got the most touching comments all day. I felt more beautiful than ever before. It was meant to be.


What did you wear on your wedding day? If you're not married, what do you dream of wearing?

{one thing}

What is one thing that made you smile today?

Me? We took Lacey to the markets this morning. She had her first horse ride, and face painting. And now we've {well Hubby did} put up a trampoline for her. Smiles all round here. xx

Everyday Everybody: Peta.

We're in good company here today, my friends. Good sounds like an understatement. You're in great company. This is Peta of Peta Mazey Photography. One word: Amazing. Hang around here a little bit and get to know her, and then head on over and fall in love with her photos.



Can you use chopsticks?
Can I use them? Yep. Efficiently? Nooooo. I think they would make a good dieting aid, might be the next big thing... the chopstick diet. hehe.

Who last cooked a meal for you?
My mum. I am vegan so I mostly cook for myself, but she cooked a delicious vegetable curry with yummy Roti as part of a spread for a dinner party the other day. Followed by mixed berries and soy ice cream... yum!

When did you last go to Church?
Not since High school! I went to a Catholic High school, my final year was 2003, so that's what? 6 years ago?

What's your favourite CD at the moment?
That is so hard! so. hard. I love volume one by She & Him, so I will pick that. But I'd be equally happy to have Rilo Kiley/Jenny Lewis, Belle and Sebastian, Regina Spektor, The Beatles, The Zombies.... (I could go on and on) playing.

Who do you telephone most often?
No one! I am so bad at phone calling, I am more of a skype kinda girl.

What would you spend your last $100 on?
A pretty, girly sun dress.

Have you ever given blood?
No, but I really want to. I was just looking to see when the 'blood bus' is going to be in the area. I don't know how much luck they will have getting any from me though, every time i have blood drawn for testing it takes at least 5 stabs to get anything.

What was the last book you bought?
I just bought Rockabye by Rebecca Woolf. It has yet to arrive, but I have spent hours lost in her blog since discovering it the other day. she is an amazing writer. I can't wait for the book to get here!

Who's the most famous person you've ever met?
Living in NZ I have met very few famous people... I met a best actress Oscar nominee at another actors BBQ this summer in LA though.

What do you love the smell of?
Babies fresh from the bath. Hands down, best smell ever.


Thanks so much for playing along Peta. If you'd like to be interviewed for the Everyday Everybody series, it's really easy, just send me an email at fatmumslim@hotmail.com I'm requesting that all you lurkers out there de-lurk and email me. xx

Drop, And Give Me One.

What exercise have you done today?

Me? Well, I've been good. I actually have been doing exercise, and eating well. Today I've been for swim {and we also do running in the water for a little resistance, dorky but fun}.

Road Trippin' With A Toddler.

We did the unimaginable and drove all the way up the coast for a little holiday. We thought we were smart. We thought we could do it...


We had a grand plan. We always do. That's what parenting is about. Plans, hope, dreams...

It was New Year's Eve. We watched the early fireworks at 9pm and then headed off. The car was packed already {with a surf ski on the roof - one of the whole reasons for having to go by car instead of plane} and we were ready for the trip ahead. We gave Lacey a bottle and thought she'd sleep the whole way. I envisioned a quirky and almost romantic start to the new year. We'd listen to the radio as we drove along, hear the countdown and give each other that knowing glance, accompanied by a smile and wish each other a Happy New Year.

Oh no. That is not how it happened. Lacey slept until about 11:45pm. And that was it. At midnight she was screaming. Unhappy to be sleeping upright and in her car seat. I was in the back seat with my body contorted just so she could nuzzle her little hand down my shirt {which is her thing she does at the moment for comfort}. Happy New Year.

She didn't sleep from just before midnight, all the way until her weary little eyes couldn't stay open any longer at 4:30am. We watched Hi-5 DVD over and over again. My eyes couldn't stay open, as much as I tried. My body was twisted, my eyes ached for some much needed sleep {and a comfy bed}.

We got there though. Eventually. The only problem was that we eventually had to get home again.

And when we got home I wanted to kiss the dirty backpacker trodden ground of Bondi. We were home. I think that's all we said for the first hour of getting inside. Home. Home. Home. Home.


Do you have any road trippin' tales to share?

Beauty And Dreams.

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