Couch to... Stalling.

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Unfortunately a spanner was thrown in the works this week, and I was only able to complete two out of three runs for Week 3 of my Couch to 5K challenge. Deon worked insane hours through the week and I had no one to watch the Little Lion. I had planned on catching up on a run today, but it's been bucketing down with no sign of letting up.

So, starting today I think I'll redo Week 3 (that is, if the rain actually stops- I'm not that much of a hard core runner. I happen to like my socks dry) as I don't feel ready enough to move on to Week 4.

Other news, the Little Lion started his swimming lessons again yesterday, and he was so incredibly excited about it. Funnily enough, initially I balked when I discovered that the only vacancies left were 9am on a Saturday morning. What if I want to go out Friday night and need to sleep in? What if I'm completely hungover? Then I realised.. I don't actually get to do that anymore. It's not 2007 anymore Rhian. You haven't reverted back to your pre-Carter years. I think it's pretty safe to assume you'll be right to do lessons on a Saturday morning.

Yes, even at 9am.

Impromptu Artworks.

The thing I love the most about my school is how willing my kids are to soak up any new art technique, and get stuck into practical work. The funny thing is, they're also incredibly interested in art history, and always want to know more. It amazes me. It's so inspiring to me though, and this year I've rediscovered how much I enjoy creating works with kids.

Two of my year ten kids had a study session, and on a whim I asked them if they wanted to do some watercolour painting since I had some time off. This was met with a resounding yes and we spent the next half hour painting landscapes using the plein-air technique. The kids are currently studying Tom Roberts and the Heidelberg school, and they wanted to incorporate Roberts' style into their own work. I think they're doing a fabulous job.

I love where I work.

End of the World?

I'm scared. 

As you know, I work at a very tiny school in the middle of a farming community. Lovely place. Lots of lush green paddocks and golden wheat fields.

However, all that is about to change.

Earlier this year there was a locust plague. It was revolting. Thousands of nasty little winged creatures that smacked into your face while you were walking, somehow found their way into your house and splattered all over your windscreen. Seriously, I couldn't even see out of my windscreen while driving home from work due to the yellow guts smeared all over it. (Bleeeeeggghhh. Thank you father-in-law for washing my car each time I got home.)

Be afraid.. be very, very afraid...

Now, it's happening again. Although, this one is a thousand times worse. All those locusts laid over a hundred eggs... and now they've hatched. They're taking over our town. It's like a horror movie. My photography students and I sat and stared at our oval yesterday. We couldn't believe it. A third of it was black, and the black shape moved across slowly, demolishing everything in it's path. We walked out to take a closer look, and as soon as I felt the first locust squash between my toes and all over my new Sam Edelman sandals, I knew it probably wasn't the best idea.

Millions of locusts = Gross squishiness between toes. Ugh.

Isn't a locust plague a sign that the world is coming to an end? Whatever it is, it's something I'm dreading, simply because the farmers are going to take a massive hit over this. And, because my poor black car is going to end up yellow three days a week. We have this to look forward to:

Run for your life!

Sigh. At least the kids will have fun running around the oval smashing them with tennis racquets again.

A Special Person.

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Simply through blogging, I have made some good friends.

Even more special though, I have made one friend in particular who is just amazing. She's gorgeous, funny, stylish and we're always there to support one another when needed. I've never met her in person, but I feel like she knows me better than a lot of my IRL friends. We skype constantly. She was the one I called when I broke down crying in the car park after leaving Carter there on his first day. She sends me little pressies that are just so thoughtful when she knows I'm having a rough time. They always make me smile.

Danielle tweeted this yesterday:

I wore a bright and colourful outfit to the shops. Two grown women sniggered at me and when I turned to confront them they turned away and burst out laughing.

When I read it, my heart broke. Then, I got angry. Super angry. Why do we do this to one another? Dani always looks amazing and posts the most gorgeous outfits on her blog. I wish that I had a tenth of her confidence to do what she does.

I'm a high school teacher, so I'm not immune to witnessing this type of behaviour. I'm also trained in restorative practice, and have open collaborative discussions with girls about bullying, name calling and intimidation. I just want to grab those women and make them take part in one of our discussions.

Dani, keep doing what you do. It's who you are. And, you're fabulous.

If you'd like to get to know this wonderful person, head on over to Danimezza and show some love!

Polly Dolly Challenge- Lace.

Morning everyone! It's Thursday, and therefore time for another Polly Dolly...

This week, Dani has been inspired by the current fashion trend of lace, which has been popping up in many different stores. I know that pastels and sherbets are also in, but I've decided to take a bit of a different route, and have based my outfit upon the cute lace tiered skirt I stumbled across...

Lace by Rhi* featuring a sheer tank

VPL Second Skin sheer cotton tank
$130 - net-a-porter.com
Sheer tank »

Multi lace floral border skirt
25 GBP - dorothyperkins.com
Dorothy Perkins skirts »

Mia Tuscan
$30 - piperlime.gap.com
Thong sandal »

Mulberry / Leah Messenger
$895 - lagarconne.com
Messenger shoulder bag »

CHANEL VINTAGE 66057 GOLD GOLD CIRCLE BRACELET
799 GBP - farfetch.com
Gold bangle »

Kate Spade New York - Candy Ribbon Large Hoop Earrings (Gold) -...
$79 - zappos.com
Hoop earrings »

Lancome 'Juicy Tubes Smoothie' Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss
$18 - nordstrom.com

DKNY - Be Delicious Eau De Parfum Spray 50ml/1.7oz
$58 - yesstyle.com

stila cosmetics - eye shadow trio
stilacosmetics.com

Balenciaga Accessories Brown Round Frame Oversized Acetate Sunglasses...
stylecaster.com
Balenciaga sunglasses »

Victorian trading Co. - www.victoriantradingco.com - Paper Lace...
victoriantradingco.com

I love the black gladiator sandals, and I'm searching for a pair here so I don't have to buy them from America. As the skirt is so busy, I only need a simple black tank and a pair of oversized Balenciaga sunnies to finish it off. Gold accessories, a splash of DKNY and a slick of pale pink lipgloss, and I'm done!



If you'd like to play, head on over to Danimezza

Weight Loss Strategies.

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A friend and I have been on a campaign to lose some weight to get ready for Summer. As you know, I've embarked on the Couch to 5K challenge to not only lose those few unwanted kilos, but to also gain some sort of fitness level. My friend however has an aversion to exercise, so she's going on the diet route. She told me about a bizarre diet she saw on Today Tonight and she was going to give it a go.

Apparently with this diet, you're only allowed to eat meat and low fat yoghurt for 3 days. Just meat. Seriously. After that you can introduce some salad and vegetable, then after two weeks you can eat whatever you want as long as you only ate meat every Thursday.

I am highly skeptical. And, though the thought of just eating meat for 3 days straight makes me feel a little sick.

Anyway, she came to work last week, day 2 into her meat diet. She was over it already, but continued to persevere. Now, we have to order lunch at the local pub, as the little school we work at doesn't even have a canteen or corner store.

'What are you going to order?' I asked her. 'A porterhouse steak on it's own? A chicken breast with no side dishes? You're going to look slightly unhinged ordering that!'

I told her that I refused to order something that bizarre, and she had to order it herself. She laughed, and went to make the call. She came back, and I asked her what happened. She said she rang the pub, and asked what meat they had. There was a nonplussed silence on the other end. They couldn't quite understand why she didn't want any salad, fries or vegies with it. Or even a slice of bread.

I laughed and said that they're probably calling her the crazy meat lady. In a town this small, it will get around fast.

She laughed back at me, and said that she told them it was for me. So, now I probably have a reputation as the crazy meat lady. Fabulous.

Little Routines.

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While mum was here, we started a little routine and even though she's gone back to WA I've continued it every day. At first it was simply because I missed her, but now it's actually one of the favourite parts of my day. Around 8:30pm we'd simply make a cup of tea, curl up on the couch and snack on a few blocks of dark chocolate while watching TV. Simple I know, but it totally relaxes me. I've become a lot stricter on my diet during the day to coincide with my running, so I look forward to that tiny bit of sugar as my reward.

Are there any little routines that you do during the day?

Travel Envy.

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'Take me for a ride on a big jet plane...'

I have to admit, when I hear of people's travelling experiences and see new photos pop up on my Facebook newsfeed of trips through foreign countries such as Italy, Greece, France and even the good 'ol US of A, I get pangs of jealousy. No, scratch that. It's like jealousy has slapped me across the face. I can't help it, I just have this desire to get out and see what the world has to offer. I just want to experience one more overseas trip before we even start thinking about little lion #2.

Deon is the exact opposite to me. He likes to be grounded, and I seriously don't think he'd batter an eyelid if he was told he'd never get to leave our hometown again. As you can imagine, this has caused many discussions between us. I love being spontaneous. He doesn't. Everything needs to be planned. Although, he's always had a dream to go to Rome, so I'm hoping to convince him to start thinking about a trip to Italy in the next five years or so..

Anyway, I'm compromising. Deon said he'd be happy to think about an OS trip with the little lion if he had at least a year to save and plan for it. Now, where's somewhere family friendly we can go next Summer holidays? The Hawaii Five-O theme song is playing in my head...

Another Weekend Gone...

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And yet another weekend has suddenly come to an end. Nothing too exciting here, just a lot of domestic stuff that really needed doing while Deon had a day off and the weather was lovely. Think laundry, weeding, cleaning out the garage and lawn mowing. Fun, fun, fun. I did however manage to fit a run in, and start week 3 of the challenge.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Lazy Saturday.

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The little lion and I are having a quiet day in today. The morning has been overcast and drizzly, but it looks like the sun is trying to peek through now.

I'm having a One Tree Hill Season 7 marathon while stacking blocks with Carter. He's also discovered the second utensil draw, and has happily been pilfering objects from it. It's not unusual for me to find a pair of tongs behind the blind or a ladle under a cushion. The neat freak side of me is stressing out a little over it, but I can live with it. I've already discovered there's no point cleaning up until he's gone to bed!  


 

Covetish- Win a Wishlist!

I've just stumbled across the Covetish.com... why haven't I seen this site before?! I'm always surfing fashion sites, and this one has done all the work for me by selecting the best pieces from each site. Love it.

Anyway, if you sign up at Covetish.com you'll have a chance to win your most coveted designer fashion wishlist worth $5000! Here's a sneaky peak of what I would put in my wishlist.. what would you put in yours?

Truese Hypnotic Maxi Dress

Billabong Songstress Dress

Living Doll Stormy Reef Maxi

Nude Wendy Wedge Heel

Lauren Bamboo Leather Pouch

What are you waiting for? Start creating your list now!

Accomplishment.

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I'm actually feeling quite proud of myself right now. I've just completed Week 2 of the Couch to 5K challenge, and I'm doing a lot better than I thought I would be. Admittedly, the weather has helped. Having these beautiful sunshiney days has made me want to get out there and continue this exercise routine. This is unusual for me, as I normally view exercise as a chore. After a few weeks I'll normally try and find excuses.. it's too cold... I'm too tired... I can't be bothered.. the list goes on!

I have discovered though that I really need some sunglasses just for running. The ones I have are just too heavy. I think I'm after some ones like these Adidas Shield ones.

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I know I'm only up to Week 3 out of 9 but hey, I'm still committed. I don't want to give up on this. I used to love running as a teenager, and I'm learning to love it all over again.

Polly Dolly Challenge- My Bag. My Style.

This week, Dani has asked us to show what we'd purchase online now the Aussie dollar is doing so well. Here's my selection..

My Bag. My Style. by Rhi* featuring vintage rings

ASOS Vintage Style Metal Filigree Ring
$10 - asos.com
Vintage rings »

Versace 4173 Transparent Straw > Versace Sunglasses > 4173 768/13 > UK
132 GBP - sunglasses-shop.co.uk
Versace shades »

Chanel - Levres Scintillantes - No. 139 Futile 5.5g/0.19oz
$35 - yesstyle.com

Urban Decay Cosmetics - Stardust Eyeshadow
urbandecay.com

Dior 'Miss Dior Cherie' Eau de Toilette Spray
$82 - nordstrom.com

Rigaud Anjiris Candle
$80 - barneys.com

Designer Messenger Cross body Bags at Bluefly
$115 - bluefly.com

Women's Dresses | Mod Retro Vintage Clothing & Indie Clothes |...
$73 - modcloth.com

Amazon.com: Sam Edelman Women's Daisy Sandal: Shoes: Reviews, Prices &...
$52 - amazon.com

I've actually just bought the Sam Edelman Daisy sandals, but I'd pair them with a cute Summer dress from Modcloth, and a pair of oversized glasses by Versace. I'm after a new bag and as soon as I saw the one on bluefly.com I had to have it!

A few little things to finish off- a ring from Asos, Dior perfume and Chanel lipgloss. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else has done!

If you'd like to play, head on over to Danimezza.