So It Begins.....

In June I started hearing whispers of a blogger conference happening in Melbourne, and my girl Danimezza confirmed that she was going to be one of the guest speakers. I adore Melbourne and desperately wanted to go, especially to support her, but my heart sank when I saw the date was only 6 weeks away. It definitely didn't give me enough time to save for flights, accommodation and tickets, and the fact it was happening 2 weeks after we got back from Perth (which didn't even eventuate) made it even harder.

So, I resigned myself to the fact that I just couldn't go and told myself to suck it up and deal with it. There would be other conferences other time, right?

I then started seeing #nnb2011 all over Twitter. It saturated it. I stared balefully at each tweet, and witnessed pre and post Blogopolis events grow in size. Argh! I wanted to be there so badly and hang out with my cyber buddies. 

Then, I had a brainwave.

As a teacher, I'm required to do 50 hours of professional development each year, outside of school hours. Now, that's a hell of a lot of hours and it makes it even harder to attend a session as not many are available in my rural city. So, I jumped online and found a Studio Arts information session in Melbourne on the Blogopolis Saturday for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

Perfect!

School booked my flights and I found awesome roomies in Melissa from Suger Coat It and Caitlyn from Closet Confessions. I'm now on the countdown and have five hours 'til my plane leaves. Blogopolis should be fabulous, even if I do have to duck out for a couple of hours to attend my PD. What I'm really looking forward to are the awesome new people I'll be meeting, and I'm hoping to make some new lasting friendships out of it. (Aw. Don't I sound like a sap?)

So, if you see me, come up and say hi! I would love to meet you and don't worry if you're shy because I have a few nerves kicking in too. 

Hi!

And honestly, I'm just looking forward to going back to Melbourne. I adore it there. I always feel inspired and revitalised after a dose of Melbourne... the food is amazing, the NGV takes my breath away each and every time, I turn into a feral Collingwood supporter if I'm lucky enough to get to a game (don't hold that against me!) and I love to breathe in every single art and theatre experience. Oh, and the shopping? Let's just say I need to leave my credit card home as I'm supposed to be on a budget. Way too tempting.

OK, time to get back to work. If you're heading to Blogopolis tomorrow, see you there! xx

Let's Talk Lights...

I really do think that lighting can make or break a room, and it definitely creates a certain type of atmosphere. I know I'm going to spend a lot of time agonising over lights when it comes to planning our new house. I thought I'd share a few of my favourite lighting images I've found as I think they're stunning!

Source: houzz.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Rhian on Pinterest

All images can be found on my Pinterest board.

Wordless Wednesday- Waiting for Spring.

Play along with Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys

New Blocks- Eve Myla!

A new block set! Pink, green and white with a bird and deer theme.

If you like what you see, you can find my madeit store HERE

and 

my facebook page HERE.

Happy Tuesday everyone! 

Baking Bliss #15- Chorizo, Mushroom and Spinach Penne

The days that I work are incredibly hectic. I get up at 6am, and I'm out of the door by 7:15am with the Little Lion ready to take him to daycare, then I do the 50 minute trip to work. I normally don't get home until close to 6pm, where I then need to organise tea and bed time for Carter. Needless to say, it doesn't give me much time to organise tea for myself, so I wanted to find a pasta dish that was both super easy and super tasty. Well, I found one!

Chorizo, Mushroom and Spinach Penne from Taste.com

Preparation Time

5 minutes

Cooking Time

15 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 350g dried penne pasta
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 chorizo sausages,
• thinly sliced diagonally
• 200g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
• 100g baby spinach leaves
• Shaved parmesan, to serve

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, turning occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until brown. Add the mushroom and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until mushroom is tender. Add the tomato and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the sauce boils and thickens slightly.
3. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and gently toss to combine. Add the spinach and gently toss until just wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon the pasta among serving bowls and top with shaved parmesan. Serve immediately.

Without a doubt, this has been my favourite pasta dish to date. Absolutely delicious, and perfect to take to work the next day. I made a few adjustments and added onion, more garlic and oregano. This will definitely be a weekly dish for me from now on! 


 I always love to see what other people have baked, as it gives me inspiration and ideas on what to cook next weekend. Each Sunday I'm going to post a photo of what I've created (whether it's a success or not!) and I would love for you to link back to your own blog and show me what culinary delight you've whipped up! Remember, it's not just limited to baking, show me your soups, casseroles, pastas.. anything you like! 

Happy Birthday Little Lion!

I still can't believe it's been two years since the Little Lion came into our lives. We celebrated this morning with family, friends, presents, balloons and of course, cake. I found a cake mix with was egg, gluten, dairy and nut free which was pretty amazing! Excuse my wobbly attempts for dinosaurs, I know they resemble dogs but it's the thought that counts :P The cake itself wasn't too bad, a lot denser than normal cake mix but was still nice.

This afternoon we're recovering from the sugar overload ingested this morning, and taking it easy. I'm blogging, Deon is off to the gym and Carter is sitting next to me playing with his new Leap Frog laptop. 

Carter, you are such an amazing little boy and the absolute light of my life. Seeing your cheeky little smile and feeling your arms wrap around my legs for a spontaneous hug are the highlights of my day. Little Lion, we love you past the stars xx

Beautiful Inspiration.

Source: etsy.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Although it may be fresh, it's a gorgeous sunny day outside and I've just got home after racing around picking up last minute items for the Little Lion's 2nd birthday tomorrow. He's having a nap, so I've curled up on the couch with a cup of tea, a white choc and macadamia cookie and my fave crappy reality shows to chill out a bit before heading out again. 

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend. If you're heading to Blogopolis next weekend, I'll see you then! xx

Target Toy Sale!

Product Talk by Nuffnang

The Little Lion is turning a whopping two years old on Sunday, and naturally my husband and I began to have conversations about what exactly we would be getting him for a present. To be honest, I had no idea and looked to the Toy Sales for a bit of help and guidance.

Now, pre-Carter I would roll my eyes and wonder why on earth my friends with kids would talk excitedly about upcoming toy sales and plan strategies about when to go in, how to beat the crowd and make sure they had one of those ultimate ‘it’ toys of the year in their possession.

Now, I get it!

I had a couple of toys in mind for Carter that I would love to get him, and actually felt a bit worried that I may miss out! I eagerly scanned each catalogue that arrived at my doorstep, and poured over them online. The Target Toy Sale had over 300 toys exclusive to Target, and while taking my time to browse through them I noticed that there were stacks of half price offers on some of the biggest brands which was perfect for a girl on a budget like myself!

Carter is currently going through a bit of a dinosaur phase, so I decided on Boris from Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train series would be perfect for him. I then starting thinking about the fact that I should take advantage of these awesome savings and begin a lay-by list for Christmas as well.

The Target Early Bird lay-by system is incredibly easy to use, and the best part about it that you can beat the queues and do all your browsing at home! This also put my fears of missing out on the toys I had chosen for him to rest.

So, once the Little Lion went down for his afternoon nap I grabbed a cuppa and clicked onto target.com.au and searched through all the available toys. All I needed to do was register, then click on each toy I wanted to add to my lay-by list.

After my list was completed, I then selected my nearest Target store and submitted my list online. Once I received a confirmation email I simply printed it off, took it to my nearest store and had it activated. Super easy, and beats trying to juggle and manoeuvre a trolley full of toys down multiple aisles! 

I have to admit though, I couldn't help myself. Even though I had gone in to simply submit my list and grab one toy for Carter, I ended up with a trolley full. Oops!

 

Even my partner in crime Margaret couldn't help herself, and was a very bad influence on me, telling me to buy 'one of this' and 'one of that' for the Little Lion!

We also decided to buy Carter a swing set for Christmas, and is was so easy to simply hand the list over and know that I didn't have to worry about it again until December. A 10% deposit is required and you have up to Wednesday August the 3^rd to submit your list. Just a note, after submitting your list you need to wait until the following day before you can activate your list in store.

I really can’t wait until I get to see the look on his little face when he opens up his presents and discovers his new Jim Henson Dinosaur Train toys! I think I'm more exited than he is!

Wanted- A Window Seat.

I have a thing about window seats. Yep. Like, I really have a thing for them. The thought of curling up in my own little nook in the sunshine, blissed out and reading whatever novel I'm currently into fills me with little happy vibes. Somehow, I'm going to get a window seat worked into the plans of my new house. I'm not sure how it's going to happen yet, but all I know is that I need one!

Below are a few that I've saved and continue to refer back to for inspiration. Don't you just feel like curling up in one of them now?

Source: houzz.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: google.com.au via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: diarioartesgraficas.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: purestylehome.blogspot.com via Rhian on Pinterest

I think my favourite would have to be a toss up between the second and last window seat. I just love the idea of sunlight spilling through huge windows in a light, neutral coloured room with gorgeous natural textures and tones. All I'd now are some comfy cushions and some beautiful little succulents to add a splash of green. Have you got a window seat in your house?

All images can be found on my Pinterest Board.

Wordless Wednesday- Frosty Mornings.

Play along over at Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys

Carter's Birthday Ideas.

It's the Little Lion's 2nd Birthday on Sunday, and I've been scouring the internet for the Holy Grail- a cake recipe that is egg, wheat and dairy free. Sound impossible? Well, I finally found one! To be honest, I have no idea how it will taste, but at least he can have a bite of his own birthday cake. 

I've decided to go for a dinosaur cupcake theme, and found the following images. Now, most of these are way out of my league, but I thought they were too cute not to post!

I'm going to attempt those gorgeous little green dinosaurs on the white basket weave icing. Surely after a bit of practice I'll get the hang of it, and they won't resemble weird blobs of paint? Here's hoping!

All images can be found on my Pinterest Board.

Oops! Oh Dear!

The Little Lion has a couple of phrases that he uses constantly through the day, and to be honest I have no idea where he got them from. If he drops something, trips over or accidentally breaks something his eyes will widen, he'll bring his hands up to his mouth and gasp theatrically 'Oops! Oh No! Oh Dear!'

Now, it's safe to say that I had never uttered the words 'Oh dear!' in front of him during his life span so far, so I'm guessing he's picked them up from daycare. Now, it's not just a couple of times during the day that he uses them, but I would say around 30 to 40 times a day. I'm so used to hearing it that it barely registers anymore!

You know what? Deon and I have picked up on saying it too. We just can't help it. What things have your kids said that have been a surprise to you?


Playing Point and Shoot with Sunny and Scout

Little Green Works of Art.

I recently stumbled across the beautiful blog Max and Me, and became incredibly inspired by the images she was posting. I've always been a sucker for succulents, and her post Getting My Green On made me want to race out the door and start potting more for our house immediately! 

So, I followed her boards on Pinterest and repinned a few of her images (the girl has god taste!) and started collecting more images of little potted succulents and terrariums. Here are some of my favourites...

Aren't they gorgeous? I adore indoor plants, especially ones that resemble little works of art. All images can be found on the gorgeous Max and Me blog, or on my Pinterest boards.