Amazing: The winner.

Remember the competition a few weeks back for Quantum Finish where I asked what was amazing in your life, every time? Well... a winner has been selected. And the winner is...

Congratulations Danielle! Please email and I'll send the $250 voucher over to you.

Oh, and the lovely ten people who won the Ikea books - I will organise those soon. Sorry & thanks for being so patient. x

{image}

Point & Shoot: Me Time.

This photo was taken on my iPhone from the comfort of my couch on Sunday. I wasted a perfectly blue-sky day having some me time, watching Sex & the City, cleaning the house and doing the grocery shopping online {and nursing a naughty sunburn}.

How was your weekend? What did you get up to?

Fashion for friends.

There's no secret that I love ASOS. I discovered it last year some time, probably via Frocks N Frou Frou {her blog makes me want to shop, shop, shop}. I bought this dress last week... and thought I should let you know that until Monday 31st GMT {which I think would be about 8 hours after our midnight?} there's free shipping to Australia and 20% off new season gear.

Go and pop your ASOS cherry my friends. Tell them I sent you. x

Exclusively Inclusive!

Here's some exciting news! H&M is bringing out an exclusive plus size line called Inclusive! Launching in March this year, and available online only, Inclusive will be a one-off collection of "colourful and feminine fashion with lots of attitude". The twenty piece collection will be available in plus sizes, for the curvy girl who likes a serving of style, and will focus on party frocks {yay!} that are figure flattering {super yay!} and beautiful.

I can't wait to see the whole collection. These two are above are my favourites from the sneak peek. See more here.

When's the last time you bought something new for your wardrobe?

The Juggle.

As I drove home from the Southern Highlands on Sunday, Lacey snoozed in the back and I listened to the radio, singing along with the air-conditioning gently blowing in my face. An ad came on the radio. I can't remember what it is was for but it started out like this, "It's hard as a mum to find enough time in the day for everything, work and children..."

I didn't hear the rest. I was too busy wiping tears from my eyes and nodding in agreement. Before kids I rarely cried. I'd muster a few teary bouts just a few times a year, but now it seems with motherhood comes a steady flow of emotions.

I know I've said it before, but motherhood {for me} is a huge juggling act, sprinkled with guilt. Mother guilt. I wish I new the secrets, but I doubt there are any. What works for one mum, probably doesn't quite work for another.

I think I've worked out the magic, I figure out the system and then I drop a few balls... and it turns out there never was any magic, it was all just a fluke.

Some days I'll feel like I can master it. I feel hopeful and certain that I can get on top of everything: keep a clean house, cook delicious meals, launder my whites to a pearly sparkle, get down and play with Lacey, get on top of my workload, sift through my inbox, create interesting blog posts, return calls from friends and family, as well as pay my bills on time among other things.

And others, like today... I can't even be bothered with the juggling act. I want to throw my to-do list away, and get down and play. I want to eat eggs and toast for dinner, and let the laundry pile up. I want to let my emails do as they do, clogging my inbox... and let go of everything else I should be doing.

Are there any magic secrets to motherhood? Is it just a matter of giving mother-guilt the big flick? How do you juggle everything?

{image}

Dreams can come true.

We watched Tangled on the weekend, which is a modern day tale of Rapunzel {in short}. It was Lacey's first ever movie. She's been to dozens of movies with the kids I've nannied for, but slept through most of them {thankfully!}.

The film is beautiful, and had me tearing up a handful of times. The most beautiful scene involved hundreds of lanterns, and even in cartoon managed to capture it beautifully. There's something special and soft about the light of lanterns, don't you think?

On of the main themes of Tangled is about dreams, and having them come true. So, I wanted to know... What's your dream right now? What do you want most to come true?

{Click on images to be taken to their source}

Point & Shoot: Lets meet half-way.

With Hubby away working in Canberra, and Lacey & I being in Sydney... we decided this past weekend to meet half-way. I figured that Bowral was about equal distance for both of us {probably a little less drive for me, a little more him} and set about finding a beautiful place for our weekend away. A place called Gibraltar won.

We drank wine in the evenings, we watched over the country-side, Lacey saw her first ever movie, we ordered pizza and stayed in on Saturday night, and we slept in the biggest, most comfortable bed I've ever laid eyes on.

As Sunday morning rolled around we {Hubby & I} both felt ill. Not from anything else other than anxiety that we'd have to part ways in a matter of hours. And we did, hating every moment of it.

Lacey and I arrived back home, and Lacey celebrated by dumping a whole bottle of baby powder onto the bathroom floor.

Three weeks to go until life returns to normal. I'm counting down the days.

Seriously. I am. x

Want to play Point & Shoot. Here's how to play:

♥ Upload a photo that you've taken over the weekend, or even during the past week to your blog or even your Facebook {if you're sharing on Facebook make sure the privacy settings for that photo are set for everyone to view}
♥ On your blog or on Facebook share your photo, and a little bit about it {where you were, what you did etc}, link back to this post {so that others know what Point & Shoot is and they can join in too}. Feel free to use the badge over there <----- on the left hand side.
♥ Share the link to your blog post or album page in Facebook below.

Tried & liked: My reviews.

I may not get paid for blogging, but one of the bonuses is the lovely goodies that get sent my way. I get a few goodies shipped over to my house to try, test and if I like, give a little review. Here's a few things I've tried lately and liked.

First up is the X-mini, and seriously, it's love. I was sent a pink X-mini {see above} for me, and a set of black for Hubby... and we adore them. They plug into our iPhones and the music is so loud {unbelievably loud!} that you could use them at a small party, or to rock out alone. I love these so much I'm going to give them for presents for my iPhone owning family and friends. Love.

I've ditched diet coke and I'm bringing home SodaStream. As a kid I lusted after the soda stream but was never allowed it, and funnily enough so was Hubby. We were like kids in a candy store when this one arrived. We fizzed, created and sipped. The cordials have no artifical colours, flavours or preservatives. Sweeeet!

Last week was back to school {or Kindy} for Lacey, and we were both doing the happy dance about it. She cried because I wasn't taking her there fast enough! And I enjoyed my peace and quiet. Love her, but love working in peace too. We were sent a designer collection pack from Stuck On You, and the team picked the designs for me. They couldn't be more spot on. They're super cute and a hit with both Lacey and I.

Naughty & nice: Donna Hay's cheaty chocolate fondant

Oh boy! I've found the ultimate dessert. It takes mere minutes to make {can be done in an ad break} and about the same time to eat. I made it the other night for Lacey, Lil Sis, Big Sis, Ma and I... and it was a huge hit. "Best dessert I've ever tasted!" both my sisters remarked with a mouthful of chocolatey goodness!

I've made this a few times now. From the picture of the ingredients above, I tested it with white chocolate inside. It's nice, but much better with dark chocolate inside. The white just didn't work as well.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients
1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup icing {confectioners} sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
2 eggwhites
100g butter, melted
160g dark chocolate, melted
4 small squares dark chocolate, extra

Method
Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius. Place the flour, sugar, almond meal, egg whites, butter & melted chocolate and mix well. Spoon half the mixture in 4 lightly greased ramekins. Divide the extra chocolate between the ramekins, and then top with remaining mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked but soft in the middle. Stand for 5 minutes before turning out.

BLOGversation: Where do you blog?

I blog anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes in bed. Sometimes on the lounge. Sometimes sitting at the dining table. But never at my desk where I probably should blog. I thought it would be fun today to see where everyone does their blogging. You can either leave a comment below sharing where you like to blog {or surf the web if you're not a blogger}, or you can upload a photo to your blog or Facebook and share your blog spot.

Where's your blog spot? Where do you like to read and write blogs?

We are amazing.

As I kid whenever I was asked where I was from, I'd tell whoever asked unenthusiastically, "Australia". Your parents? "Australia". Their parents? "Australia". And their parents? "Australia".

It seemed so boring to be so Australian. I wanted a bit of German heritage, or a chance at a English passport with English grandparents. I yearned for a little bit of culture somewhere along the lines. All we had was Australia, through and through.

When I hit my twenties I liked to pretend that I was from somewhere else, anywhere. Not that I didn't adore Australia, just because I wanted to be more exciting, and fun. My girlfriends and I would head out for a night on the town and I'd crack them up. They never knew what to expect. I'd pull out a different accent each night, and with each accent came a different and colourful story. Never a dull moment.

Last week when devastation hit Australia with the floods in Queensland, I felt lost and hopeless. I cried on and off each day, for the heartbreak the families were going through. My heart ached the loss of lives, for the loss of possessions and homes and for the people.

As with any devastation that Australia endures, eventually through the heartache came pride. My heart swelled with what a wonderful bunch of people we are. Our triumphant sense of humour, our ability to feel hopeful in times of such hopelessness.

As the waters eased and the clean-up began people came out of nowhere to help people they didn't even know. Some of those people even had flood-damaged homes themselves, but they felt other people needed them more. They rolled up their sleeves and helped out those in need.

We're amazing people, us Australians. I'm so proud to be born here, for my parents to be born here, and for their parents to be born here too. I can't imagine living anywhere else, and for those reading who haven't been to the land of Oz, or don't personally know an Aussie... you're really missing out. We're amazing. x

{image}

Five faves: iPhone Apps

Last week my iPhone just switched off and played dead. I couldn't revive it. For a moment my life flashed before my eyes, and I pondered a life iPhone-less. Ugh. I didn't like what I thought. A quick google, solution found and my iPhone was back in working order. Phew. That was close!

Here are my five favourite iPhone apps of the moment.

Hipstamatic
I love this app! Hipstamatic {pictured above} allows you to take the cutest photos from your iPhone. You can change out the film for different effects, change the flash and lens. It's the one thing that I was most looking forward to using on my phone, and months on I'm still not tired of it. It's $1.99 for a limited time.

Jamie Oliver
I know, it seems like I'm in a love affair with Jamie Oliver, but seriously... he just makes life easy. He's app has a free version, and an opportunity to buy more recipe series. I currently only have the free version {the taster pack} and it's brilliant. Try the lemon & herb chicken with mash. Super delish. Check it out here.

iTorch4
Ever used your mobile phone light as a torch at night? I thought so. A couple of weeks ago our bathroom light blew. With Hubby away, I've just managed without a light... and my iTorch. It's super bright and gives enough to light a whole room. It's free, easy and a must-have for any iPhone user. See here for more details.

Scene It?
There's nothing like a fun time-waster, and my love of the moment is Scene It?. It's a fun movie trivia type game that's great to inject a little fun in times like stuck-in-traffic-itis {as the passenger of course}, trying-to-distract-myself-from-fear-of-flying-itis and those nights when the kids just won't go to sleep. Get it here for $1.99.

I can do it! by Louise Hay
I love affirmations and Louise Hay's I can do it cards don't disappoint. They're relevant, positive and can turn a not-so-good day around. See here for more details.


Do you have an iPhone or iPad? What are your favourite Apps?

Point & Shoot: I love her...

I love her. She's a handful and a half, & {but!} I love her. It's me and her at the moment. It's us against the world. Hubby is back in a matter of weeks, and I can't wait to have my best friend back.

Lacey and I spent the weekend together, just us. She drove me mad, I drove her mad. I cleaned, she un-cleaned. I wanted to sleep, she didn't.


How was was your weekend? What did you get up to?


Want to play Point & Shoot. Here's how to play:

♥ Upload a photo that you've taken over the weekend, or even during the past week to your blog or even your Facebook {if you're sharing on Facebook make sure the privacy settings for that photo are set for everyone to view}
♥ On your blog or on Facebook share your photo, and a little bit about it {where you were, what you did etc}, link back to this post {so that others know what Point & Shoot is and they can join in too}. Feel free to use the badge over there <----- on the left hand side.
♥ Share the link to your blog post or album page in Facebook below.

I look forward to seeing what you saw. x

Quote of the week: You get up...

Happy Sunday. Here's a quote to inspire you for the week ahead. x

{image & writing by the talented The Notebook Doodles. Love her!}

Gwyneth shares mothering advice: "Have a weekly blow out"

For those who receive Gwyneth Paltrow's newsletters, you may have recently had a little treat in your inbox. Goop today featured Gwyneth and her friends sharing their advice for working mums.

I want to laugh at her friend Juliet's advice, "A great time saver is to have a weekly blow out. This means that you don't need to wash your hair each day—the time that you save with a blow out can save you minutes in the morning".

I want to laugh, but it's probably pretty cool advice. Just today I had a Skype meeting with some workmates {I've been selected to be part of the Culture Team which is pretty freaking cool}. They gathered around the table in the Melbourne office and I wasn't quite expecting a video call.

"Are you going to put your video on?" they chirped in unison.

"No way! I didn't do my hair," I replied, turning a bright shade of beetroot red {even though they couldn't see me}.

Getting a weekly blow-dry would have eased my anxiety, and it would have been a video call for sure. I think getting a blow-dry is one of life's little pleasures. I can never do it as well as the hairdresser, but I don't think I could even find the time to fit in a weekly blow-dry appointment. Or justify the expense for that matter. I can think of a trillion other things I'd put on my list first, before a blow-dry.

Gwyneth's personal tips are:

What are your time-saving tips for mums? How do you save time in your life? And when is the last time you treated yourself to a blow-dry?

{top image: Elle magazine, bottom image: GOOP - sign up here}

BLOGversation: Blogging goals for 2011

Aaah. It's a new year. I love everything about a new year. It's like a clean slate with infinite possibilities. Anything is possible, and that means in blogging too.

So, today I wanted to ask my fellow bloggers: What are your goals for 2011? Have you set any? Is there anything in particular that you want to achieve in 2011? Or are you just going with the flow?

For me, this year I want to firstly be better at time managing. When I was nannying I had to leave home to work... so I would blog before I left for work. I also used to get up much earlier and blog then. Now, I {obviously} work from home... so even when I get up earlier as soon as I open up my laptop to blog I get distracted by work... and blogging sometimes doesn't happen, or doesn't flow as I'd like it too. So I'd like to make time for blogging.

My other goal is to think less. I used to just blog and not really think about what I was writing... but now I think so much that most potential posts don't make it. I never hit that publish button. So I want to think less and enjoy blogging a little more.

I'm looking forward to reading your goals & dreams for blogging in 2011. xx

{image}

I heart...

It's been a tough week with the floods and heartache around. Here's a little distraction with a few things I'm loving right now...

♥ being safe, dry and blessed.
♥ this sassy little sister {she's been driving me nuts, but she sure is cute!}
♥ diluted apple juice & ice {move over diet coke!}
♥ unravelling & seeing myself
♥ this dress {in black}
♥ this dress & these pants {on their way to me!}
♥ delicious iPhone skin
♥ Eddie Perfect {perfect!}
♥ the Aussie spirit
♥ snuggling up with a pile of mags {just need to find the time}
♥ knowing that it's just weeks until Hubby is home & life returns to normal

{image}

WIN $250: What's amazing in your life?

I need to start the year with things a little bit organised. I get the new diary {I got 5, I'm clearly obsessed}. I scrub the bathroom, wash the linen, clean out the kitchen cupboards and write a gazillion lists.

It was fitting that when we arrived back from our little break there was a box filled with new dishwashing tablets, just in time for my Spring Summer clean. Finish Quantum dishwashing tablets are hardcore {in a good way}. Not only were the plates, glasses, and cutlery clean {and I don't even rinse, sorry Ma}, but the whole dishwasher was sparkling like brand new {and let me tell you, it ain't brand new}.

So I got a box filled of tablets thanks to Finish and Soup, but you get something as well. One lucky winner will have the chance to WIN a $250 Coles/Myer Gift Card {hello shoes, bags, make-up... oh my!}.

To be in the running to win, simply answer the following question: What's amazing for you... every single time?

{boring bits}
Competition open to Australian residents only.
Only one entry per person.
Winner must either leave their email address with their entry or check back to see if they win and get in touch within 7 days of the competition being drawn.
Competition closes Wednesday 26th January at 11:59pm.

*To be completely clear, this post was not paid for, only in Quantum Dishwashing tablets. The real pay-off is the prize opportunity for you guys, my readers.

{top image}

My lastest purchase: What's the last thing you bought?

Shopping whilst on holidays {or at least away from home} is very different from shopping at home. It's a little bit free and easy, and a whole lot of guilt-free.

I saw this purse whilst shopping with Hubby, Lacey, Lil Sis and Lil Sis's boyfriend. I wanted it, but I always like to think things through. So I suggested we have lunch and I'd think about it, and then come back. Over lunch Lil Sis's boyfriend said with a smirk on this face, "You can't really want it that much if you didn't get it straight away".

Well, didn't I rush back and buy that baby as quick as my legs would take me.

What's the last thing you purchased {not including food and boring stuff}?