August according to my iPhone

Goodbye August. You've been a blast. x

Letter to Lacey: Thirty Nine Months

Each night we climb into bed and without fail twenty minutes later you want something to eat, usually biscuits. And so being the kinda mum {read: sucker} that I am, I clamber upstairs and get you something to eat. And then moments later you'll tell me that you're thirsty. So then again I'll march upstairs and get you a drink {you don't like the water from the bathroom}.

One night last week I dared to tell you 'no'. I refused to get up and obey your orders, knowing that you had a full belly from dinner and would last until morning without a drink.

So you climbed out of bed yourself with your cranky face on.

"I not your friend," you yelled, "I serious!"


I love you Miss Lacey. And I'm happy to say that by morning you'd forgotten that I was your mean mummy and I was back in your good books. Phew.

Love, Mama. x

What's up? Goat got your tongue?

{goat print by sharon montrose}

There's not too much that really gets my goat. I try not to sweat the small stuff, as much as possible. Sometimes I fail though. Miserably.

Last week, my goat was gotten, a lot. It was just one of those weeks. Things that get my goat {last week, as well as whenever} include:

Passive aggressive people. I only learned this year what passive aggressive was. I mean I'd always known what it was but didn't know it had a name {I know, call me dumb - at least I'm honest!}, and now I'm seeing passive aggressiveness a lot. Ick.

Stupid comments. When I read the article by Damian Woolnough about plus-size models, it made me mad. So mad that I couldn't speak. But when I read the comment above underneath the article, I got a little riled up. I'm fat. I wish I was thinner. I'm trying to get there. But I also like fashion. Is that wrong?

Sunglasses inside. I have to admit this used to get me madder than it does now, but it all started when I worked in retail and people wanted me to serve them whilst they wore their sunglasses. I understand now some people do it when they've left their spectacles {love that word} at home. As for the others, who knows. But please stop.

Hot water hang-ups. When I'm in the middle of a nice hot shower, and I've just done the shampoo and I'm up to the conditioner stage and the hot water runs out. Not fair.

Birds. I still haven't got over the magpie who visited last week. He still comes and sits on our balcony, taunting me a little more.

Empty tanks. Getting in the car when the tank is empty. Especially when I wasn't the last person to drive it.

Jam side down. Ever buttered a nice piece of toast only to have it to fall on the ground, jam-side-down? Yeah that.


Oh, that feels better. What gets your goat?

How to make an American burger

On my recent trip to America I became a little burger obsessed. They seemed to have mini-burgers at every party we attended, and they were super delicious morsels that I couldn't get enough off. Quite often when I try something I love whilst eating out, I like to come home and see if I can replicate it myself. Last time it was mushroom risotto and this time it was American burgers.

Whilst tweeting on the subject of American burgers someone asked me, "What's the difference between Australian and American burgers?" Well, they're buns are sweeter. They use a light brioche type bun. And they keep it simple. No tomato, beetroot or sneaking grated vegetables into the patty. Anyway, I'm starting to sound obsessed again, aren't I?

At 9am in the morning I decided that the day would be 'attempt American burgers day' so I sent Hubby off to the shops to buy bread flour, like a good boy.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons of warm milk
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons of dry yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs {one for the mix, one for brushing the buns before cooking}
3 cups of bread flour
1/3 cup plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter, softened

Method
♥ In a glass bowl combine milk, water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and let it stand for 5 minutes until foamy. Beat in one egg.
♥ In a large bowl combine flours and salt. Add the butter and rub between your fingers until it forms a bread crumb like consistency. Stir in yeast mixture until a dough forms.
♥ Scrape dough onto a clean unfloured surface and knead. The dough is really wet, so you'll need to pick it up and slap it down on the bench. If you add extra flour at this stage you'll just make the bread drier, so try and resist. Knead for 8-10 minutes.
♥ Shape dough into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let it rise for 1 - 2 hours until it's doubled in size.
♥ Prepare a baking tray by lining it with baking paper. Divide the mix into 8 even pieces and roll them into balls and place on baking tray. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let then rise again for 1-2 hours.
♥ Place a shallow tray filled with water in the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Beat egg and brush over bread rolls. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

For the rest of the burger I used this recipe from the NY times. The bread was perfect. I don't usually like brioche, but this is a light brioche and just perfect. I loved it the next day, toasted with a little peanut butter. The burgers were yummy, not quite as I had tried them in the States, but I think I just need to find the perfect patty. Another day, perhaps.

Have you ever enjoyed something at a restaurant and tried to replicate it at home?

Recipe adapted dfrom the NY Times via Smitten Kitchen.

True story: Attack of the magpie

I don't much care for birds. I'm frightened of them. A lot.

Yesterday I was sitting immersed in work, as I do every day. Hubby had taken Lacey to the shops to give me a break, as he sometimes does. I love the silence of working alone. I heard something that sounded remarkably like a bird land in our sink.

So I ran, sighting a magpie in our sink as I passed by, down the spiral staircase like a scared little school girl and into my room. I closed the door behind me. I sat on the bed, anxious as I could possibly be.

I had no phone. No computer. No Twitter to ask advice. No Husband to come and save the day. No toddler to ask a million questions and keep my mind off the dilemma. I was completely freaking out. And of course, I had a sudden urge to use the bathroom.

I sat on my bed listening to the bird upstairs move around. I imagined him raiding our cupboards, helping himself to our fridge and creating chaos of the bookshelf. I heard the bird make his way downstairs.

Too anxious to sit still in a closed room, I went out our backdoor {which thankfully is out of our bedroom - thank goodness for weird layouts} and up to the post office. "Is Amanda here?" I asked the man behind the counter nervously. Amanda appeared from the back of the store. "Can I please use your phone? There's a magpie in my house and I'm scared of birds."

Without questions {but with a chuckle} Amanda handed me her phone and I called Hubby, "There is a magpie in our house!"

"What?" Hubby laughed.

"There is a magpie in our house! I need you to come home and get it out."

"I need to get some chicken and salads first."

"Forget about the food and get home and get the bird out."

I handed the phone back to Amanda, thanked her and took my embarrassed-self back home. I stood in the back yard and peered up the lounge room. I could see the magpie strolling around amongst our things. I retreated to the safety of my bedroom and waited.

Remembering we have a phone in our bedroom {genius!} I called Hubby again to remind him of the urgency in which I needed him home. After what seemed like an eternity, he arrived home.

"You know you could have just gone in and opened up the door?" Hubby suggest with a wry smile on his face.

"Oh, and have him come all up in my face and attack me!?"

I waited in the backyard, holding Lacey, while Hubby walked inside, opened the door and asked the magpie to leave. Which he did, after letting Hubby take some photos.


And that, my friends, was a day I'd rather forget*.

* but I'll always have this blog post to remind me. Oh and Hubby and Amanda to make fun of me about it for the rest of the year too.

Fair play

I had one small rule for my weekend. I wanted to leave my laptop closed and have some fun. Oh, and clean out Lacey's bedroom. I promised Lacey it would be fun, and tried to convince myself of the same.

So off we set. We went through her toys and I started tossing those in the bag that were broken or no longer of use to her. And she promptly pulled them back out. Hubby helpfully lay on her bed as we cleaned around him. I took one step forward with my cleaning and then two back as Lacey emptied out baskets, as well as my garbage bag.

Somewhere between Barbies and puzzle pieces, Lacey had a tantrum. The floor was covered in toys strewn from on end to the other and my patience was almost used up, so I took her into our bedroom for some time out. In a huff I return to her room only to slip on a doll/car/toy of some sort and it felt like slow motion, but I tumbled, slipped on a toy pram {breaking it in the process} and landed with a thud on the floor in front of the bookcase.

I could hear Hubby snickering from under the covered of Lacey's bed.

"Don't. I'm really hurt," I fibbed, as my ego was mostly bruised.

I lay on the ground for moments more than required for dramatic effect. "You OK?" Hubby finally asked concerned.

"I'm sore. Really sore."

The room was eventually cleaned, rearranged and some how {via mama magic} I managed to clear out the old/broken toys without a final whimper from Lacey.

By late afternoon Lacey finally succumbed to a nap, so I hopped online to check my emails and social media addictions. In one swift jerk, somehow {not mama magic} I knocked my laptop to the ground, punishment I presume for using it when I said I wouldn't. I gasped, picked it up, gave it the once over and proudly decided that my laptop was invincible. Until I opened it up later than night and noticed the screen was completely cracked.

I went to sleep and woke up to see my face swollen and red {an allergic reaction that's slowly been happening for the past week} and a very bruised side.

I'd promised Lacey a trip to the local fair held at a nearby school, so off we went. There were animals, games, sausage sizzles, beautiful parents {woah, I have some work to do before Lacey hits primary school because the parents are OMG-orgeous} and a jumping castle for the under 5's. Is it just me, or is there always a rogue kid on every jumping castle? There always seems to be one kid who jumps about head-butting other kids, while the parent has his back turned flirting with the other mums. Perhaps it's just me {and my bad mood}.

We finished the day with a pony ride, a disgruntled new laptop purchase and a visit to the health food shop - where my puffy face was diagnosed as a food thing. The woman rattled off a long list of foods that I should stop eating immediately to which my mum piped up, "So water is pretty much all she can have then?" Sweet!


How was your weekend?

Things that are making me smile

♥ As much as BlogHer is about great sessions and learning about blogging, it's also about the parties to celebrate bloggers. Yesterday this picture came through from one of the parties. It had me in stitches because it was such a fun night. We have no idea who the girls are in the green top and the other with the belt around her dress. I just remember that they didn't even blog. Gasp! The outrage!

♥ Desperate Housewives of New York. Man I love those girls.

♥ Last night we headed out to dinner at a Persian restaurant. My cousin Kate is a bit of a foodie and each month or so we head out to try out different cuisines. I had no idea what Persian tasted like, but now I can cross that off my list. It's yum!

♥ Knowing that Spring is just around the corner. Be gone Winter and your silly illnesses. Spring... bring it on!

♥ On the plane I caught up on some Glee and played this song over and over and over again, and then as soon as I was in the comfort of my room I bought the song and played it over again and again. Love it!

♥ This is a bit of a gross mama moment, but we've had an appointment for Lacey to visit an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist, to see if she might need grommets. A few hundred dollars later we learnt that Lacey has perfect ears and just needed a huge glob of wax removed that was blocking her ear and hearing. So relieved.


What's making you smile today?

How to take beautiful food photos

During my time at BlogHer I was lucky enough to go to two food photography sessions. When I hear people talk about photography a switch inside me goes off. I'm tuned in, I'm passionate and I'm excited. I loved seeing how both the photographers, Penny De Los Santos and Sara Remington, created their photographs and the story behind them. Here are some food photography tips that I discovered and jotted down at the speed of light:

1. Use natural light
Assemble your dish, put it near a window and shoot away. If you don't have light, find it. Wait for it. Don't use a flash or unnatural light source if possible. If you cook at night (when there is no light left - think about doing it on the weekend instead).

2. Find colour
Be inspired by the colour in your food - the red of a tomato, the yellow of an egg yolk, the green of parsley - and play on that. Make it the star of the dish. Focus in on the colour, pick a napkin or plate that contrasts with that colour.

3. Discover composition
Penny says "It will take you a lifetime to master composition," even now she's still learning and growing. She suggests exploring composition. Find images you love and ask yourself "Why does this work?" Explore, discover, play around. Have fun with composition.

4. Connect with your photo
When Penny spoke about her food photos you could tell that all her photos had a story. I know it's hard to connect with casserole, but I think when you're passionate about what you're creating it can come through the photos.

5. If it's ugly, shoot close
Sometimes it's really hard to make brown meat or casseroles look delectable. Sarah suggests, "If it's ugly get in close for the shot."

6. Use the ideal aperture
Sarah says that all her food is shot on an aperture of 2.8, or 2.0. It means that her food is in focus and the background is all blurry. Of course this only works if you're using a DSLR.

7. Have fun!
This is my tip: I'm not a food photographer, but I like to take photos of food and I like to bake/cook. I don't do perfect, but I think it's better to have a go, then to not have a go at all. I'll shoot with my big camera {DSLR} and with my iPhone. I shoot from high and low, on different plates ... until I get bored and think "Enough already!" I shot this little lemon tart and the photos aren't perfect {at all!}, but I had fun shooting them.

A peak inside my wardrobe

Due to heading overseas for a bit and being a girl who doesn't mind a bit of shopping, I've recently had a few new additions added to my wardrobe {and more}. I love my little purchases so thought I'd share them with you.

The other day I was in a work meeting talking about strategy and important things when all of a sudden the girl I was chatting with stopped mid-conversation to exclaim, "Oh My God!" I thought something dire had occurred but she soon continued, "Kate Spade!"

I picked up the Kate Spade purse on sale from $300-something down to $100 about a month ago. It's from my favourite shop Papier D'Amour. The assistant talked me into the black, but I'm kicking myself for not getting the bright purple.

I do still love it though, and love the bright pink interior. I guess it's time I grew up anyway, right? {And yes I cleaned the receipts out before taking the photo. I'm not usually that tidy!}

I picked up this new Kate Spade phone cover the day after I returned from the States. I think I was jetlagged and overjoyed to be home and felt I needed to shop more. Call me crazy. Inside the cover {hidden away} is the words 'have courage'. It makes me smile knowing inside something is giving me strength.

Thanks to Zoe's advice {"coral lipstick is universally flattering"} I picked up my first coral lipstick. My Kate Spade purse came with the little quote "she tucked her coral lipstick away and floated back to the party" inside. Meant to be. I can't throw the card away.

I was lucky enough to be given this bag by Belle Bijoux to take to America. Her name is Evangeline. I love her so. The headband is from ASOS, the belt from eBay and the rest from Forever21.

These are my shoes from Shoes of Prey {review to come!}, earrings from Forever21, scarf a gift from Sarah from GAP and the rest are from SoGood.

Isn't this ring fun? See, I'm not growing up in a hurry. This makes up for not getting the purple purse.

And lastly {phew!} is some things I picked up clothes-wise. A top from City Chic, another tee from Myer {haven't worn it yet but had to have it} and the cutest cropped denim jacket from Lane Bryant.

I think I'll take it easy on the shopping front for a while. Eek.

What's the last fashion-type purchase that you made?

Heartfelt encounters

We roamed through backstreets in the old taxi with the newly acquainted Mr Reynolds. "Are you girls from England?" he asked, with hope in his voice.

"No, Australia."

"I was hoping you could tell me if my name was English. I don't know any of my family history. I'd like to know."

Sarah went on to tell him about the history of Reynolds in England, something I knew nothing about. I could feel him smiling from the front seat.
"Do you have a wife or kids Mr Reynolds?" we asked.

"No. I had a dog 25 years ago. I still miss him. I do have a bobble-head dog at home though."

A lump formed in my throat. As we paid our fare and walked into our hotel I asked Sarah, "I feel sorry for Mr Reynolds, don't you?"

"He seems pretty happy to me, I don't think you need to worry about him," Sarah comforted me.

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We stepped off the shuttle and into the holding area, to wait for another shuttle. "You can walk 10 minutes to your terminal sir," we overheard the hostess tell a passenger. "I can't walk 10 minutes," the man responded with frustration, "I have prosthetic legs."

I sat beside him and he struck up a conversation, "This airport is impossible!"

Having been shuttled from one place to another, I knew what he meant. LA airport is huge and overwhelming.

"They want me to walk to the terminal and I have prosthetic legs," he says knocking on them to prove it to me.

"Were you born without legs? Or when did you lose them?" I ask, anxious that I was being inappropriate.

"One year ago. I was in a car accident."

He shared the story of losing his legs, being determined to walk and refusing to stay in hospital. I sat with my mouth agape in amazement, tears in my eyes.

"You're amazing," was all I could muster.

We said goodbye and made our way to our shuttle, inspired by his personal story.

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As she swept eyeshadow across my lids a necklace dangled from her neck, a silver heart with a small thumbprint. Her child, I thought.

She placed her hand over the pendant and her heart sighed, "My goddaughter died 5 weeks ago. She was only 4."

Tears welled. I could feel her pain. I could sense the mother's pain. I ached. She passed me a tissue and told the heartbreaking story.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I don't usually tell people this. I don't usually share this much."

We talked about the normal and mundane, all insignificant to the tale just shared.

She lifted her shirt to reveal a red scar across her belly, "This time last year I had ovarian cancer. I had them removed."

I gasped, "I'm so sorry."

She shared the stories of the diagnosis and the treatment as she brushed blush across my cheeks. She told me of the fear and the life after the cancer. "I'm really sorry," she said, "I honestly don't usually share. We should be talking about you."

"It's okay," I assured, "It's nice to hear about you. It makes me grateful. It makes me want to live and quit whining. It makes me want to hug my daughter. Please don't be sorry. I'm grateful for you sharing. Thank you."

{image via 1825}

Win a Revlon makeover and a night out!

Last night Hubby and I headed out on date night. Lacey has been rather clingy since I returned from the States, so it was a tearful goodbye as we hopped in the taxi and off to the City, but she was in good hands with Lil Sis, Big Sis and Gaga taking care of her for the night.

Revlon recently asked me if I'd like a little makeover and a night on the town, on them ... and of course, I said yes. They're celebrating the launch of their new DNA Advantage Cream Makeup and wanted me to give it a whirl as well. You might have seen the ads with Elle MacPherson as the face of it. I'm fussy with foundations as I often feel dirty, but this one is super creamy and actually works while you wear it {with it's anti-aging properties and SPF}.

After being all made up and fancified {so a word!} we were off to dinner. We had the option of choosing between the ballet, a musical or dinner, and seeing as I was taking Hubby we headed off to Rockpool Bar and Grill.

Revlon, being the generous guys they are, are offering one lucky person the same experience as me. The winner will receive a Revlon makeover and an experience to the value of $250. You can choose a night out near you - a musical, the ballet, dinner at a fancy restaurant in your area and Revlon will sort out the tickets/vouchers for you.

To be in the running Revlon ask that you answer the following question in the comment section below: What are the main benefits of the New Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup and why are you excited?


You can find out more about the product here for your entry.


{boring bits}

• One entry per person
• Competition closes 25th August at 6pm
• Revlon's PR company, Contagious, will be selecting the winner
• Up to twelve blogs across Australia will be promoting this competition, only one winner will be chosen from all participating blogs
• If you don't have a google account please leave your email in the comment so that we can get in touch with you
• The winner will be emailed within 72 hours of the competition closing

BlogHer wrap-up: 11 BlogHer bites

It's so so great to be home. Lacey has been stuck to me like glue for the past couple of days, and Hubby and I are so so so glad to be back together. BlogHer was brilliant, yet exhausting and the flights were long but worth it. Here's my wrap-up for BlogHer 2o11, things I learnt and memories I made:

1. Listening to the inspiring Gretchen Rubin in my first session at BlogHer '11 was a great way to kick off the conference. She shared gems like, "One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make others happy and one of the best ways to make others happy is to be happy yourself." As well as how simply making your bed each day can make you happy. I know that one is a little odd, but I also know it makes a difference. I draw the line at making my bed at hotels, which she suggests. Does anyone actually do that?

2. Hearing food photographer, Penny De Los Santos, speak inspired me to tears. She's so passionate, so in love what she does that it made me want to reassess my whole life. I want to live with that zest. One thing we both share when it comes for photography is our search for the perfect light. She rarely shoots with a flash {nor do I} and the way light inspires her really hit a note with me. One of her wisdoms she shared was, "If you do not love what you do, you will not get the magic."

3. Wearing the right shoes is important! I'd read before BlogHer that one of the best bits of advice was to wear the right shoes for the conference. I packed my thongs {flip flops for those playing in the USA}. By day two I was struggling to walk, had blisters on the soles of my feet and was hobbling about. If you're planning on attending BlogHer in 2012 {which I know a few Aussie bloggers are} wear comfortable shoes. By the end I was dreaming of tying pillows to my feet and getting around like that. Seriously.

4. It was confirmed, after traveling half way around the world, that we have some of the best blogging talent in our own country. Eden is so inspiring, writes from the heart and pushes herself to the limits for the sake of creativity. She stood up in a huge room full of bloggers to read one of her blog posts for Voices of the Year. Seeing the admiration and respect people have for Eden was so heart-warming. You can see Eden read her blog post for Voices of the Year here.

5. Having breakfast with Bob Harper was one of my favourite moments. When I walked into the room I thought he might move around the room and berate people for their breakfast choices, not because that's who he is, but because of my own insecurities, I guess. It couldn't be further from reality. Bob was so inspiring, so into self-acceptance too. A woman stood up and shared that she'd lost 100 pounds and needed to lose 10 more to be happy. Bob assured he she should be so proud and happy right now. I loved when Bob shared, "Decide that you're worth it enough. If there has to be someone in your corner, it has to be you."

6. Hot tip: If you're invited to a raisin luncheon then expect to have raisins in every single dish. There were raisins in every salad, raisins in the wraps and raisins in the desserts {see the brownies above}. There were raisins in the little table favours and a dancing raisin as we sat and ate our raisins. Thank goodness I like raisins! When I shared my surprise with Sarah {my travel partner} she looked at me in amazement, "What did you expect? It's a raisin lunch!"

7. Speaking of food I continued my love affair with American bacon on my trip. I only had it once, but boy is it delicious.

8. There was a huge focus at BlogHer around bloggers working with brands, which excited me and scared me. It excited me because we were invited to fun and informative events {like the launch of Salma Hayek's new beauty line Nuance} and also scares me because working with brands reminded me a lot of work. It was interesting to talk to bloggers and hear how they work with brands, and how they value themselves. I wonder if the Australian blogosphere is heading in the same direction {as we already seem to be to an extent}.

9. American bloggers are passionate. As I sat down to rest my weary feet for a moment, a blogger passed me some condoms for the cause that she was supporting. I had a little giggle.

10. Bloggers make great mates. You're going to have to excuse the gushing for a moment, but I honestly had the perfect travel partner in Sarah. Having only spent a short amount of time together before taking this holiday, it had all the ingredients to go awry - but I had the time of my life and couldn't have picked a better travel mate. We're very alike, like to do the same things and picked each other up when we needed it. I also ran into a handful of the friends I made whilst visiting Orlando for the Disney Social Media Mom's conference, and made some new mates too. I love bloggers. They seriously make such great people.

11. My favourite session from the conference was around blogging your way to self-acceptance. It was a beautiful session that really brought me back to why I love blogging so much. Many brilliant tid-bits were shared, and in a blogging world when it can quickly become about hits, traffic, brands and business - I loved when Brene Brown brought it back to why I started blogging. She said, "Write for yourself. Don't write for your audience." And GlutenFreeGirl shared that when it comes to blogging, "I don't want hits, I want readers." It was a brilliant session.