Weekend Recap

Saturday morning we all woke early after the gale force windy storm we had in Sydney.

We drove to the Home Maker's Centre in Castle Hill to look at taps, carpets, floorboards and other homey things. Abi fell in love with a plastic pumpkin bucket for Halloween from Toys R Us. It cost a measly $1.99 so we bought it for her and she hasn't stopped playing with it since. She has been carrying around her matchbox cars and toys in it.

Saturday night was quiet.

Yesterday the weather was stunning. We drove to Mosman and had breakfast at Avenue Road, a cute and hip cafe.

After satisfying myself with Eggs Benedict, YUM, we headed down to Clifton Gardens / Chowder Bay which has an amazing playground and little beach. Abi loves it there, lots of young kids and friendly families around.

Abigail rode her scooter along the pavement and we bought her an icecream from the old school Mr Whippy van that was parked there.

We walked along the wharf and saw some men fishing. 2 of them caught fish while we watched, one catch was a HUGE Australian salmon. I was considering bonking the fisherman on the head and stealing his fresh catch, but of course, that isn't ladylike.

We then drove to look at a new Volkswagon for James but they had none in stock to even test drive. Ergh, so annoying.
So we came home and Abi watched The Wiggles while James and I did a massive clean around the house.

All in all, a busy but great weekend.

Weekend Breakfast

Eggs from Cafe Morso

I am CRAVING a good weekend breakfast.

So this weekend we are heading out for eggs or fritters.

Some of our favourite breakfast places in Sydney include Digikaf, Pirrima Park Cafe, Cafe Morso and Bills.

Once we move out to suburbia, I will miss being so close to the hub of good food that includes Balmain, Rozelle, Darlinghurst, Pyrmont and more. Personally I think the best food in Sydney is in Surry Hills, the cafes and restaurants there are outstanding. I'm sure we will make occasional visits to our old favourites once we move away.

I so wish Cafe Sopra in Walsh Bay were open for breakfast. Although saying that, their ragu bolognese is that amazing, I'm sure I could eat it at 10am.

Now all I have to do is decide if I want pancakes... Or fritters... Or eggs benedict... Or scrambled eggs... Or french toast... GAH!

Flashback Friday.

Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson - The Best Thing In Life Are Free

This week's flashback takes us back to 1992. This song was practically an anthem in Junior School for my grade. We sang it at every opportunity, on the bus, school camps, class.

The filmclip is a classic 90's clip of tragic clothing, rapping and dancing starring Damon and Marlon Wayans and Stacey Dash who all star in the film 'Mo Money'.

Happy Friday everyone,

xx

Busy Tuesday

Yesterday was busy.

James and I are going to be busy for the next few months. Renovating our new house, James doing his MBA at Grad School 1 night a week and 1 weekend a month, business trips overseas and the usual manic lead up to Xmas.

Yesterday we did a walk through with our project manager at our new house to discuss our plans. It took an hour, just to walk through and show him our ideas. We have huge dreams, like bi-fold doors onto a timber deck by the pool but those things aren't essential yet. New carpets and bathrooms and floors are much more important!

After an hour of talking taps, floors and prices, I looked like this:

The current owner was there too and walked around with us, wanting to know what our plans are. It was awkward to say the least. He has surveillance cameras in his young daughter's bedroom and in the rumpus room too. It's very weird.

James is also looking at buying a new car. We currently have 1 car because we live in the city centre, but will need another car once we move to suburbia. And as we all know, test driving cars and choosing the perfecty automobile is a slow process.

Hopefully the dollar will stay strong, because James IS heading to the USA next month for a conference and business trip. I am frothing at the mouth, just thinking about all the lovely things he will hopefully have time to pick up for me. Marc Jacobs, Zara, Baby Ralph Lauren, I would love to accompany him but we just have too much on at home.

We also dropped in at our dear friend's house who just had a baby last week. They named their new daughter Sienna, and she is just gorgeous. These friends live about 2kms from our new house so we are all excited about the idea of pool parties and summer BBQs when we are finally settled in our new house.

This morning, as I was clipping Abigail's nails, she said "you're beautiful mama" and kissed me. Moments like that are just so devine.

So that was my busy Tuesday.

Today I am catching up on washing and cleaning. Boring but essential. Very boring indeed.

Flashback Friday.

Icehouse - Great Southern Land

"Anyone will tell you its a prisoner island.
Hidden in the summer for a million years".

This song is the quintessential Australian anthem. I first heard this song in the movie "Young Einstein" which I'd rather forget.

I loved Icehouse, especially this song.  They played this song frequently at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games as well. I was a volunteer there, and they played Australian music over the PA systems all day.

As of 2006, Man of Colours was still the highest selling album in Australia by an Australian band.

Currently - The September Edition

Wow. Ok. I am 8 days late on this one. Oops!

Current Book (s): I just finished the last Sookie Stackhouse novel and loved it. I think the last 2 books were a little fast and the plots were a little farfetched, even for vampires and werewolves. I am reading renovation magazines now, like a crazy woman!

Current Playlist: SO much good music this month. Here's some of my favourites:

• Little Red - Rock It. This song is so fun. Australian bands are my thing at the mo.
• Hungry Kids of Hungary - Scattered Diamonds. Another great Aussie band, these guys are super cool.
• Klaxons - Echoes. 1st single of the Klaxons 2nd album. I saw these guys live in Japan, they are awesome live.
• Paramore - All I Wanted. I still like a little emo music here and there. Paramore are my weakness for sure. Great for the gym or just listening to it REALLY loudly while driving alone. 
• The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind. My Dad loves The Easybeats. This song is my favourite. I've been listening to some 60's music this week, good stuff there.
• Noiseworks - Reach Out (Touch Somebody). This song is summer to me. Remember the old SLSC ads on TV and this was the song? Australian music in the 80's was brilliant.
• Birds of Tokyo - Plans. This band are amazing, hailing from Perth and are so talented. A little raw and rough, just perfect.

Current Shame - Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Zappo chews in Grape flavour. Reading too many blogs. Eating pasta, night after night.

Current Colour: White for renovation inspirations. Blue for the ocean.


Current Drink: Blue Powerade. Red Gatorade. Water. San Pelligrino with lemon.


Current Food: Pasta. Philly cheese on cruskits. Maltesers.


Current Favourite Show: An Idiot Abroad. Mad Men. Glee Season 2.

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Current Wish list: I hope James goes his planned business trip to the USA next month. So he can do all my Xmas shopping and take advantage of the great exchange rate at the moment. Cha-ching!


Current Needs: An interior designer to help me renovate and furnish our new house. The kitchen and bathrooms to be installed before Xmas?! I can dream, can't I.

Current Triumphs: We bought a house. What a relief. And we cannot wait to start renovating. I can't wait for short drives to Woolies. And playing in the pool. And having more storage!


Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Clutter in the apartment is at its highest point at the moment. The spare bedroom is acting as a wardrobe / laundry room for now. Also my hair is growing out and I'm still undecided if I will keep it short. In the meantime, I look like Coach Beist from Glee.

Current Celebrity Crush: Ricky Gervais. No words needed. He makes me laugh. Hard.

Current Indulgence: Sleep-ins. Abi sleeps in most days till 9:30am. It's brilliant. I roll over and nearly fall out of bed when I realise what the time is.


Current #1 Blessing: A house. My great husband and daughter. Spring is here. Everything is looking up.


Current Slang or Saying: Does singing Justine Clarke songs count? Because I sing "Hop, Hippity, Hop" all day long.


Current Outfit: Peter Alexander nightie. With a dog on it. It's last seasons. I can't throw it out though. It's cute and comfy.


Current Excitement: Christmas is only 78 days away. It's my favourite time of the year. I love carols and decorations and trees and the general vibe of shopping in November/December. Also, it means I can watch this movie on Xmas Eve, a family tradition. Clark Griswold is genius.



Current Mood: Relief. Excitement. Nervous.


Current Link:
Bunnings for home stuff
Dlisted for gossip
youtube for funny vids

New Music - Little Red

This cute band from Melbourne are FANTASTIC! Listen to this song of their new album, Midnight Remember.

They have toured with Kasabian, Vampire Weekend, The Panics and Operator Please. They also played at my festival favourite, Splendour In The Grass this year and received rave reviews.

This song is super cute. It feels like summer is coming when I hear new music like this!

Theme Songs - Beverly Hills 90210

Here is my theme song for the week.

A classic. I actually sing this ALL the time. And you MUST mimic Brandon's boxing fist movement when you sing the song too. "Cha Cha"

I thought the crew of 90210 were the coolest people to roam the planet. I loved Dylan and Brandon. I thought Brenda was pretty?! And thought Donna was a bimbo and Kelly a tart.

I have ALL the seasons on DVD except the final season which was just released. And yes, I'll be picking it up this weekend at JB Hi-Fi.

And the scary thing now, is that I've morphed into Cindy Walsh. True story. Haha.

Wednesday mornings at Fox Studios Markets

Today Abigail and I headed to our favourite Wednesday haunt, the markets and playground at Fox Studios in Moore Park. We used to frequent the markets every week without fail, but lately have been busy / sick / on holidays, that we haven't been.


Last night as I tucked Abi into bed, I said that we would go to the markets and she replied "Flowers, playground, milkshake, guinea pigs, home". That's our usual little schedule of play. I go buy some fresh flowers from the market before they sell out of the good stuff, then we head to the petting zoo / playground and then get a milkshake on the walk back to the car. Abi has a brilliant memory!


Today was no different. It was rather busy with school holidays on, but not too bad. Abi was squealing with excitement in the car ride there. I bought 3 bunches of amazingly fresh tulips for $15, what a bargain! We petted guinea pigs, lambs, pigs and bunnies. Abi loved tickling the guinea pig's nose and whiskers.


The playground was busy and I sat next a mother with a 2 week old baby girl. I forgot how small babies are. How much noise they make when the cry for a feed. But also, I forgot how amazing babies really are.

On the drive home, Abi told me about how great her day was. And that she loved me. I cried in the car, navigating through taxis and buses, completely blessed and humbled by her honesty.


We have had a few hard moments this week as I am weaning Abigail off her dummy but today made it all better. Fresh air, wind in our hair, children laughing, mothers smiling and most of all, Abi and I, walking hand in hand. Here's my day in photos.

Abi LOVES these little guys.

Outfit is Bonds Tee, Gap Jeans, Dr Seuss for Converse shoes.

This lamb was very interested in trying to eat my jeans which already have rips in them.

Seriously. Look at her. Melts my heart!

What a pair! This little pig was pretty friendly and followed Abi around till he settled under her chair. I want one!

Abi saying "Back and Forth" on the see-saw.

$15 for these tulips. They are devine and brightened my day. I saw other ladies looking as I walked back to the car, admiring them wrapped up in brown paper.

Abi picked the orange ones for contrast. She loves picking flowers and touching the buds.

Massive news... House PURCHASED!

Where have I been the last 8 days?

I'm a little frazzled to post a full catch up but have some massive news.

We finally own a home. The house we pulled out of a few weeks ago actually didn't sell to anyone else. So we negogiated a lower price and last Thursday, we signed contracts. It's ours.

5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 car garage, pool, enough yard space for play equipment AND a veggie garden, but most of all, a place to call home.

Here are some photos of our new home. We plan to practically GUT the whole place and renovate it.

In the next few months, we are adding a new kitchen, bamboo floors, new bathrooms, new paint, new carpet, shutters on the windows, adding ducted air con, and most of all, a lot of love and TLC.

Only 5 weeks till we get the keys and we cannot WAIT. Abi even has her own PLAYROOM which is off her room. And she has her own ensuite too.

Front of the house

Abi's new playroom. We are removing the fire place, adding new carpet, updating the lights and fan, new paint and a wall mural. And 1,072 toys and books!

Huge outdoor area. They have 2 tables outside! We will have a bbq, table setting and possibly a daybed.

Huge pool with solar heating. Bring on the pool pony races!

 

This is the current casual dining area. We plan to knock down that maroon wall to extend into the family room. We will have bamboo floors here and possibly bi-fold doors in the future.

Sunday 260910

We viewed an open house in Dural then headed to my inlaws house for an lazy lunch on the verandah.

I sat in the sun and ate salad and drank Deep Spring Mineral water and enjoyed doing very little.

Abigail played with the toy collection at her Great-Grandmother's granny flat, which is attached to the main house. Gran (my husband's grandmother) is 80 years young and still has the energy to run around with a 2 year old toddler. Gran is amazing to say the least.

More relatives joined us. Uncle Tim and his son Max came in his new race car. They live in Surry Hills and are very hip, so this new addition to the family didn't surprise us at all. It's a very cool, loud car which Abigail was terrified of.

We are staying at my inlaws house all week to retreat out of the city.
 

Construction has begun on the Barangaroo project which is right next door to where we live in the city. The noise on a weekday is ridiculous and I needed to get out of the city for a few days. Luckily my inlaws have the space for us to stay at their house whenever we need to.

Abi with her Gran

Lazy afternoon spent here

Almost warm enough for a dip

Garden

14 yr old Oscar the daschund

The cool race car

Sesame Street does True Blood

Sesame Street take on True Blood with parody "True Mud"...

I'm not sure how I feel about this sketch.

What will the kids get out of it? Abi would probably get bored watching this clip.

This clip would have been mildy better had it contained Eric Northman or Pam. Te he he.

Flashback Friday.

Weezer - Buddy Holly

Huge Weezer fan here. This song and the clip are utter perfection. It reminds me of being a teenager and driving around with my husband (when we were dating!)

The Fonz doing his little jig towards the end of the clip is AWESOME!

I've never seen Weezer tour, but I hear they are rumoured to be playing Big Day Out 2011. Dang!

Happy Friday to all.

xx

And that's what you missed on GLEE!

Glee is back.

I was a late bloomer with Glee. My sister is a massive fan. I'm glad I jumped on the bandwagon, it's super cute and fun and lighthearted.

Last night's episode was really fun.

My favourite song was 'Billionaire' by newbie Sam Evans and the Glee boys.

The cast singing 'New York State of Mind' was also super cool. Glad to see Quinn is back to her old self again.

Newbie Sunny is cute but she is no Rachel.

Sue was brilliant as always. The new football coach was pretty hilarious too.

Next week's episode is going to be amazing, a whole episode dedicated to Britney Spears! I've been a fan of Brit Brit since 1999. Yes, she is a little loopy, yes, she dresses like a tart, but there is no doubt, her songbook is fantastic.

Super Cute Clip

Katy Perry featuring Elmo - Hot n Cold

Abi and I have been watching this all day and we love it! Abi LOVES Katy Perry ever so much.

Girl Crush

In another life, I would love to look like this. Like Penelope Cruz. She is just so incredibly stunning and sexy.

I adore her as an actress and activist. I have a huge crush on her and so does my husband.

Her role as Mirtha Jung in "Blow" with Johnny Depp was brilliant. I also like Vanilla Sky, Gothika, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and her cameo in Sex in the City 2 was brief but excellent. I'm yet to see 'Nine' but I heard she was the star of the film.

She speaks four languages: Spanish, Italian, French and English.

Her husband and co-star in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Javier Bardem is an absolute god too. According to recent tabloids, they are expecting a child together, due early March 2011.

Penelope is currently filming 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' with Johnny Depp and the film is due for release next year. I cannot wait.

All images via weheartit.com

Flashback Friday.

The Cure - Friday I'm In Love


This is how I feel today. In love.


We flew home from Qualia last night and had the best 4 days away. I did contract a stomach virus that was going around the island but it was short lived and didn't ruin the trip at all. I just dug deep and didn't dwell on it.


Happy Friday to everyone.


xx

Bye Bye Sydney

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Our bags are packed. Abi's are too.

We are heading to the airport, and she is heading to Grandma's house.

Tomorrow we are off to Qualia on Hamilton Island. And we won't be back until Thursday night. I will miss my baby girl so much, but at the same time, I am looking forward to getting away for 3 nights.

Weather forecast is great. Sunshine. 28'c. Humid. Perfect.

Bye bye stink town. See you next week with a light tan.

xx

Flashback Friday.

Queen - Another One Bites The Dust

Today we rejected the contract to buy a house. The terms weren't quite right and the house, aged 25 years old, needed complete gutting and renovation.

We estimated at least another $75-100K was needed on top of the asking price to make the house liveable and comfortable to our standards, so we had to walk away.

James and I have barely slept the last few nights, debating whether or not we should buy this house. It was a HUGE house, 6 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 3 garage. But due to its size, renovating would have been very expensive. All bathrooms needed gutting and renovation, as well as the kitchen, floor surface, carpets, blinds, lights, garage ceiling, basically the whole house.

I feel sad but I know we made the right decision. We would have been living below the poverty line after we finished renovating, which is just something we could never do.

I know something perfect is around the corner. Until then, this song will be on my ipod, playing over and over.

Happy Friday to all,

xx

GQ Man of the Year

And the winner is Jon Hamm, gorgeous manly man / actor who portrays Don Draper on hit show Mad Men.

He is just gorgeous!

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I love... M83

M83 are an amazing electronic pop band, based in France.

The band consists of mastemind creator, Anthony Gonzalez, his brother Yann Gonzalez, Morgan Kibby, Loïc Maurin and Pierre-Marie Maulini.

Lots of special effects, perfect soft lyrics and sweet percussion make this band absolutely devine.

Since conception in 2001, the band has released 5 albums, all amazing, all unique. The album artwork is very unusual and a little crazy but still brilliant.

They have supported artists like Kings of Leon, The Killers and Depeche Mode.

I highly recommend this band to anyone who wants to listen to something different.

You can check them out here:

http://www.ilovem83.com/

M83 - We Own The Sky

New kicks for Abigail

Abigail is a HUGE, massive, crazed Dr. Seuss fan. Who isn't?!

Her favourite story is Cat in the Hat so of course, whilst shoe shopping yesterday, I HAD to buy these for her. I think she felt pretty cool trying them on in Shoes and Sox.

They come in adult sizes and I tell you, I'm pretty tempted to get a pair of myself or husband, considering we wear the same size. How insanely cool are they?

Kylie - Get Outta My Way

This is one of my favourite songs from Kylie's new album, Aphrodite. I am thrilled that this is the 2nd single to be released.

I don't understand how this album has had so little publicity since its release 2 months ago. The album is absolutely brilliant, one of Kylie's best.

If you haven't heard, I highly recommend it.

Point & Shoot: Babysitters Club

Saturday 4th September 2010
6pm
Aunty Jacki's House for babysitting fun
L>R: James, Mikey, Lucy and Abigail


My sister Jacki attended a wedding on Saturday and asked that James and I mind her kidlets. What fun was had. I watched them for a few hours on my own, then James and Abi came over once the kids woke up from the daily naps.


We danced, read, ate fairy chicken and had a jolly time.


On Sunday, we shopped for some last minute Father's Day gifts and then had dinner at my in-laws house.


Poor Abigail is really sick. On Saturday she started coughing and acting out of sorts.
Yesterday it escalated to a different level, add a fever, chills, aches and she was a really sick girl.
Today is even worse. Pale skin, high fever, no appetite, croupy like cough. I can't get her in to see her usual Doctor until 2pm tomorrow, but I might whizz her up to the medical centre when she wakes up later. I'm really worried about her.


Well that was my weekend. Went so quickly. We spoiled James for Father's Day and bought him a super cute card and a super duper present too. He is so excited to fly a 737 in the simulator. My nerdy husband, I love him to bits!


Head over to fatmumslim for more P&S fun.


xx

U2 360' Tour

I've seen U2 before, on their last Australian Tour in 2006. Back then I worked in the music industry and scored some awesome tickets through the promoter. We were a few rows back from the front and had a great view of the stage. We danced, I cried, and it was one of the best concerts I'll ever see.


Having just announced their 360 Tour in Australia, I was tempted to dig deep and spend big bucks on tickets but I held back. Knowing how many things lay ahead of the family in the next few months, I did the responsible thing and bought the $40 tickets. YES, I'm seeing U2 for $40! I texted my sister, Jacki, another massive U2 fan and she and her husband are coming too.


What a fun night out to start the summer in Sydney.


The stage set-up looks amazing and I'm pretty excited to say the least. Again, U2 for $40 a ticket. Ok, the seats might be right up the back, which will be different for me. I'm a presale kind of gal and only this week, bought VIP seats to see Robin Williams in November. If you are keen to go, there are still tickets available from Ticketek.


It's a beautiful day indeed. Look at this photo of a recent show in Helsinki. WOW.

Theme Songs - Perfect Strangers

My choice for a theme song this week.

This show was so cool back in the 80's, although I'm sure alot of the jokes passed me by.

I loved the way Balki said "Cuzzin Larrrry". I can't believe this show ran for 8 seasons! I don't know if it was THAT good.

There were 2 different theme songs for this show and this is the one used for Season 3-8. How lame that I even know this.

Flavor Flav

I love this print very much. I would like to put this in my kitchen when we finally buy a house. Check out the other awesome prints at this Etsy store.