A Break From the Blogging World.

I chose to go on a self-imposed blogger and social media break over Christmas and I have to tell you, it's been bliss. If I didn't feel like blogging, then I just didn't. No pressure. No guilt. Simply focusing purely on family, friends, taking time out and just enjoying taking each day as it comes and stopping the whirlpool of 'should be's' that normal swirl through my head.

I should be blogging. I should be on twitter. I should be scheduling. People will forget me. I need to keep my stats up.  

Really? Meh. Screw it, I'm on holidays! And honestly, blogging was starting to feel like another job, which was precisely what I didn't want. After a little break, in the New Year I'll feel refreshed and eager to chomp into that big piece of blogger pie.

So for the next week and a half (as we're also going on a family holiday) I'll be blogging, but pretty sparsely. I'll be soaking up those sun rays, reverting to being a kid and throwing myself down slip'n'slides, catching up with fab friends and simply be making the most of my favourite time of the year. See you in the New Year lovelies!

Have a Fabbo Christmas!

I've tackled the groceries at 7:30am, I'm whipping through the house like a crazy person trying to get it clean (while the Little Lion happily undoes all my good work) and I'm about to wrap my very last present before flopping on the couch and resting for the rest of the afternoon. I'm thinking of even escaping to my long-lost-twin-slash-colleague's  house to jump in the pool, as it's hovering around the 35 degree mark here.

My poor husband and his dad however, are tackling the construction of the Taj Mahal out the back (which will serve as the Little Lion's Christmas present.. I can't wait to see his face when it's done!). This cubbyhouse/slide/swing set certainly is amazing, but I don't envy them putting it together one bit!

So, I'll leave you now with a snap of how my Woodstock costume turned out. I think I was born in the wrong era, I felt quite a home rocking the Boho look :P Have a fabulous Christmas everyone, and here's hoping you got everything off your Santa list!

Peace Out People! xx

Lan Pan.

This week has been what you would call.... challenging. Just one of those weeks where every little thing I try and do has some sort of difficulty attached, and ends up to be time consuming and a lot harder that what it should actually be.

There's one thing that's been my saviour this week, and she's kept me sane and from having a big flip out in what should be this happy festive time. 

The Little Lion has adored having his 'Aunty Pan' here, and that's all I tend to hear lately. Aunty Pan? Aunty Pan? Where are you? She's watched him while I'm at work, read to him, given him a thousand hugs and kisses and he's lapped it all up, giggling and belly laughing when she goes in for those tickles. My heart melts when I see how much those two adore each other.

She's not only been fabulous with Carter, but it's meant the world to me to have Lanna here to share cups of tea with, watch girly movies and just talk about nothing in particular. Her lovely fiance is coming today so she'll be heading off to stay with him for the next week, and I'll miss having her around home terribly. But, I've been super lucky to have her all to myself for two weeks, and I'll make sure we see her frequently before she heads home to Queensland!

Thank you for keeping me sane Lan Pan. Love you past the stars.

Hamilton Sunscreen and the Little Lion.

Product Talk by Nuffnang

I live in a place that tends to become scorching over Summer. We have those forty degree days where it feels like those suns beams are radiating off your skin, and the only respite you can get from it is to lay down under the air conditioner with a beverage full of ice in your hand. It would be nice in theory to be able to do that forever, but of course you have to leave that icy cold comfort of your home at some stage and venture out into that blistering heat.

Take yesterday for example. My lovely little sister and I took the Little Lion down to the river for a bit of a photoshoot, as I needed some shots for a blog post I'm working on. We definitely needed the sunscreen, and this is something that I'm always super careful about. Carter has extremely sensitive skin, and he suffers from various rashes and eczema. I'm always worried that putting something new on his skin will result in another rash, but this time I was put at ease.

I was sent three lots of Hamilton Sunscreen to review- Family, Sensitive and Toddler. I chose Toddler to put on the Little Lion, as it was specially formulated with low levels of active ingredients to reduce allergy potential, and fragrance free. All three sunscreens have a 30+ SPF and are water resistant for 4 hours. I found it easy to apply, and absorbed into the skin quickly which was fabulous, as I hate those sunscreens that take ages to ages to rub in! And the best part? No allergy reaction! Perfect for the Little Lion!

We're heading off to the beach for a holiday after the new year, and I'll definitely be using the Hamilton's Sunscreen range. I can see us being outdoors frequently, and I'll need some protection from the sun as my skin burns quite easily (damn my pasty skin! Thanks a lot Dad!) Also, from a beauty perspective I've always found sunscreen to be vital to keep my skin moisturized, healthy and protected from the suns rays. I'm often out running in the sunshine, and I need to keep those rays at bay. Hey, I'm 30 now, and I aint getting any younger.... I need all the help I can get!

Oh, and here's a sneak peek of Carter's shoot... cute much? 

And look! No sunburn! :P

New Memories.

I'd been hanging out for December 1st for quite a while this year. You see, I'm one of those nauseating people who actually get caught up in the festive season, and eagerly await that date to stick a large fake green tree in the corner of my house and adorn it with all things glittery and gorgeous.

 Last year, the Little Lion was at the stage where the glittery and gorgeous things were too much of a temptation to play with, so I resigned myself to being happy with a small tree stuck on our table. It definitely wasn't the same. 

This year however.... this year....

... was all about creating some beautiful memories with Carter. I always reminisce about the times in the past where my sister and I used to decorate our tree- with gaudy, awful home made decorations that mum tolerated for a few years, then replaced with tiny wooden toy ornaments. Now, I think that mum must have been a saint, because I'm incredibly fussy with our tree, and I need everything just right. Yep. I'm a control freak.  

I actually have two sets, a cream and gold one and a purple and silver one. Whichever set I use depends on how I'm feeling on the day. This time I let Carter choose... and his eyes widened when he saw the silver star. The gold and cream were put back into the cupboard for another year.

I sat back and watched as he would pick each bauble up carefully, breath 'wow' then gently pass it up to me. I can't even begin to describe how content and happy I felt with Michael Buble's Christmas album playing in the background, and the Little Lion trying to string the beads along the bottom of the tree. I know, it sounds corny but it was one of the happiest moments of my life.

I don't think I'll ever completely relinquish control over the, as I'm way too fussy for that! However, it was such a wonderful feeling to finally start to a new tradition and create new memories with my little family. Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you all create gorgeous new memories with your families too!

Peace Out People... thanks to Pinterest.

Teensy Eensy wee bit excited about tonight. It's our staff Christmas party, on a boat, with lots of lovely beverages of all descriptions and the best bit (for me) is that it's a dress up with a theme of something starting with a W or P. Yup, I'm a dress up tragic, and I lovely every inch of the wigs, sequins and props that I possess. 

Getting back on track, as I've mentioned before I'm going as a Woodstock girl dressed in White (hah! Double points!), so hippy-happy all the way. I'm going to embrace all that the seventies were about, so bring on the peace, love and free spirit baby. And while we're talking about peace, let's see what lovely images Pinterest has found for me today...

Repinned from My Style Pinboard by Stef Wu

Repinned from Paintings and Drawings by Lori G.

Repinned from Syndicates by Alex Miller

Repinned from Home decor - general by Jenifer Paquet

Repinned from Encouragement by Moriah Calhoon

Repinned from House and Home by Kelly Brown

Repinned from where the soul wander. by Gabrielle Savoie

Repinned from Photography by Valerie Hayes

 All images can be found on my Pinterest board here. Peace Out people.

Water and the Little Lion.

So, the season is now upon us where I’ll be schlepping to the pool once a week for the Little Lion’s swimming lessons. I don’t actually mind this as he’s a bit of a water bunny, we have a huge amount of fun and I have to literally drag him out of the pool once lessons are over.

You think I'm coming out? Think again!

He just adores the water and has no fear, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good, as he’s keen to jump in and give every single water activity a go with unbridled enthusiasm, but also bad as he’s still not aware of the fact that caution needs to be exercised and that water can be a danger.

The fact that we live near the river means it’s of vital importance that the Little Lion continues these swimming lessons, and learns about water safety. Too many heartbreaking events have occurred in our local river, and I’m going to try and do everything in my power to prevent them happening to my own family.

However, it’s also important to remember that even the smallest amount of water can be a hazard to our infants. It doesn’t have to be the ocean, a river or a pool, it can also be a paddling pool or even a dog bowl. Scary stuff.

Are you doing swimming lessons with your little one? How else can I teach my Little Lion about water safety?

Wordless Wednesday- Emerge #3

Playing Wordless Wednesday with Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys.

I'm Not Neglecting You! Promise!

I have to admit, I've been a tad bit neglectful of this little space lately. I swear that I couldn't help it though... I've had my fabulouso little sis here and each day has been a blur of Christmas shopping, gossiping, wedding planning, cups of tea and a million and one games with the Little Lion who adores her.

I know it's the silly season, but I promise I'll be back in the swing of things pretty soon. Oh, and remember lovelies, I'm giving away a set of gorgeous Christmas blocks over at the Divine Miss Danimezza's blog. Only two days left to enter, so get in quickly!


Now, I just need to go finalise my hippy woodstock costume for Friday night...

Christmas Block Giveaway!

I've been working absolutely flat out lately creating block sets to fill the Christmas orders I received last last month. However, there's one block set that was a little secret, and now that it's finally finished I'm ready to show you all!

Last year I wanted to branch out and make a Christmas set, but unfortunately time simply ran out. However, this year I've managed to get myself more organised and here's the result...

 For this set, I've used a gorgeous gold and cream rice paper along with various handmade paper. I've also used tiny pearl glass seed beads as embellishments. But, do you want to know the best part?

I'm giving this set away! This particular set is worth $75 (including postage) and you can enter HERE over at the lovely Miss Danimezza. (Thank you so much for holding this giveaway for me, you're an absolute doll Dani!)


You'll have to be super quick though, as the competition closes in three days! Once it's closed, Danimezza will email the winner and once I have the address the blocks will be posted.

Merry Christmas everyone! Now, get over to Danimezza pronto! ❤

Just Another Saturday Night.

9.52pm

It's one of those evenings where there's an air of calmness, and I'm feeling as content as one big happy purring cat. There's something about a rumbling thunderstorm and how the purple clouds filter the light to give an enhanced shine.. making everything seem too bright, and almost too real. 

The Little Lion is sleeping, the Christmas tree lights are like tiny fireflies dancing in the corner and I'm curled up with a cup of tea and some dark chocolate ready to be delightfully terrified by Scream 4. I remember watching Scream when I was sixteen years old, and being scared out of my wits. Such a movie of the nineties, and the pioneer of slasher flicks! I'm loving all the inter-contextual references, especially where it's revealed that Robert Rodriguez 'directs' the Stab movies (snigger).

For me, this pretty much comes close to the perfect Saturday night. I know, I know... it may not be the most thrilling, but it's the most comforting. Did you watch the Scream movies in the nineties? What's the perfect Saturday night for you? 

All Things Strawberry thanks to Pinterest.

A few weeks ago I was craving all things chocolate, so I posted lots of little delectable morsels. Now that the weather has warmed up I'm craving fruit.. lots of strawberries in particular. Strawberries on my cereal, on a pavlova, a strawberry smoothie, the list goes on! Here's lots of gorgeous strawberry delights thanks to Pinterest..

Repinned from Lovely Food by Lucinde

Repinned from delicious food w/out recipe by Zoey Lu

Repinned from Shoes and clothes by Ruta Ramanauskaite

Repinned from Cupcakes I want to eat by Gloria Paulsen

Repinned from Strawberry Shortcake Party by Adrienne Berry

Repinned from YUM by Kaki Thorson

Repinned from yummm... by Meghan Kemmler

Hungry yet? All images can be found on my Pinterest board here.

Lovely Little Things!

A few months ago the lovely Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim came up with a lovely idea to create a 'Social Media Secret Santa', which was basically a Kris Kringle for fellow blogger and twitter users. I've found it to be a fantastic experience, and because of it have stumbled across some gorgeous and amazing blogs that I possibly wouldn't have found before. 

And the most exciting part?

Receiving a package in the mail, just for me, filled with gorgeous little things. 

Yay! How lucky am I? So many thoughtful things, and I love each and every one of them. Either it was really good luck, or my SMSS did a fabulous job of stalking me to see exactly what I liked!

The Little Lion and I have already hung the gorgeous little bird on the tree, and the the candle is already on my bedside table. I took some time to select my present for my SMSS recipient, and I can only hope she loves it as much as I've loved my present. Let's do this again next year! ♥

Wordless Wednesday- Emerge #2

Playing Wordless Wednesday with Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys.