Happenings

I've been all over this country side in the past week. Well, not entirely, but it sure can feel like it when you travel nearly 800kms back to my home town and then another 200kms further to visit our family farm.

A little distance never stopped me.

I absolutely LOVED getting back to my home town last week to see my friends and family. It was the best week, and I managed to cram as much as I could into almost seven full days.

A few snap shots of what has been happening with me lately.

Firstly, I finished off Kate's Mary-Jane's which no longer resemble the typical "Mary-Jane's" but are adorable and comfy none-the-less.

I also managed to whip up a squishy cowl neck warmer for my dad on Tuesday afternoon. Dad spends some mornings on the motorbike on our property and it can get mighty cold this time of year. I hope this warmer will do the trick. I felt so at peace sitting and knitting in my parent's garden. I miss it just thinking about it. Sitting on the patio with our family dogs beside me and the sun going down over the yard is pure magic to me.

[Both project details can be found on Ravelry here.]

Also pure magic - visiting our family property. A few friends and I headed [further] west and spent two nights 'roughing it' in our swags in the bush. I love camping and it is becoming a tradition with our friends now. I love every bit of it. Even when my hair starts to smell of smokey campfire. I love it.

Seeing my horses was definitely a highlight. I miss them so much.

I can't wait to get home again. If we lived closer I feel like I'd be there all the time. There really is no place like home.

E, x

Kate's Mary-Janes: a WIP

Happy Easter friends! I hope you are spending it with family or friends. Unfortunately I couldn't be with my family this year with the distance too great for me to travel for just the weekend, so I am bundled up in my house doing the 'house-y' things and about to get stuck in to some more crochet!

I have rekindled the flame that is my love for crochet. I knew it would happen sooner or later and I am loving it!

Thanks to the second instalment of the Jellywares autumn yarn club, I have a yummy skein of Malabrigo Rios yarn in the shade Jupiter all the way from Peru (via Cobar, NSW, hehe) to use for my next project.

I have been promising my big sister Kate a pair of these Mary-Jane slippers since about 2010 when I first started crocheting (slack sister award goes to….), so when parcel two of the yarn club arrived I knew it would be the perfect time to make a pair for her.

So far I have completed the bulk of the first slipper, I managed to get hooking last Sunday afternoon while procrastinating uni studies ( and the slack student award goes to...)

I am loving how they are turning out! The variegation in the yarn adds a little something special too. What do you think???

I am hoping to have the pair finished this weekend so I can pop them in the post first thing next week!

Enjoy the Easter break! I'm off to eat some warm hot-cross buns and sip on a cup of peppermint tea I purchased from these lovely farmers at the Orange producers market a few weeks a go.

I'll see you soon,
E, x

A little crochet catch-up

Boy have I missed crafting! When I first learnt to crochet from this talented blogger I fell in love hard and fast! There's something about sitting on the couch on a Sunday afternoon with your fingers busy hooking away at a little something special.

I have been off the 'hooks' for a little while due to all of the happenings in my life in the past year or so, but as soon as my good friend Jodie announced she was starting an Autumn yarn club, I knew it was the exact excuse I needed to get some 'me time' back and pick up the crochet hook again!

It took me an entire month before I actually got around to starting the first project of the seasonal club, in fact, the second instalment to the club showed up on my door step last week so I knew I couldn't put off starting any longer!

I got a little nervous just thinking about crocheting again. It sounds silly, but I thought I might forget everything I learnt. I was even panicking thinking I might not remember how to tie the little knot in the yarn to connect it to my hook! I laugh at this now because, like they say about riding a bike, I hadn't forgotten a thing!

I sat down on Friday night after a long day at work with a glass of red (I know, how classy of me) and a chick-fick on TV, and started hooking. If it wasn't for the red wine putting me to sleep I probably would have finished that night, but in stead, I poured myself into bed and finished the next day.

A lovely, plum coloured facecloth to adorn our bathroom for the start of the Autumn season.

This little pattern was so nice to work on and was such a cinch! If you're thinking of learning how to crochet any time soon, this pattern is a must for beginners! It works up super fast and you learn some good basics, plus the pattern made by the 'tulip stitch' looks quite detailed (so you can fool all of your friends into thinking it's a tricky pattern - how clever of you! *wink*)

You can find the rest of my project details here on Ravelry.

Also last week, as well as finding my yarn club parcel tucked under the door mat by my postie, so too was my book delivery from  Local Is Lovely.

The book is just gorgeous and with some great yarns about Aussie producers and some amazing recipes too! I was so excited to get two parcels at once - the old fashioned 'snail mail' gets me every time!

E, x

Orange F.O.O.D Week producers markets + the Agrestic Grocer

Yesterday I spent the day in the Central West. Some may say I am mad to have driven about 6 hours (round trip) just to visit the Orange F.O.O.D Week producers market, but I don't care! It was the most beautiful day and it made me appreciate farmers and producers even more than I already did.

F.O.O.D Week is on annually in the city of Orange NSW (roughly three hours west of Sydney) and I had been busting to get to one of the events. Some of the really popular events had already been booked out by the time I realised I wanted to go, so the producers market on Sunday was a must for me.

I read something on Facebook last week promoting people to shop at their local farmers market. Basically the post said if you were to stop shopping at your local supermarket they wouldn't notice the loss in business. If you in stead purchased your produce from a farmer's stall at the market you know where your money is going and are supporting the farmer 100%, your purchase might even save their farm.

I am in love with shopping up at farmers' markets. There is something about buying wholesome, fresh food and meeting the people who grew it.

Walking through Cook Park on my way to the markets. Such an enchanting park, don't you think?

So off I drove to Orange for the day with Trav's esky in tow. As well as heading to the markets, high on my list of things to do while in Orange was a visit to the Agrestic Grocer. I found their Facebook page through another blogger and they were also a part of the F.O.O.D Week events. I was expecting a quaint little cafe with some fresh produce and coffee but was blown away at how nice a business this was!

Located on the Wellington Road side of Orange (a little way from the centre of town), this restaurant is so beautiful and has the nicest, wholesome feel about it. I wanted to stay all day.

Plus, all of the producers I met at the market stock their products at the grocer so anybody from Orange (and visiting) can purchase home-grown goodness when ever they feel the need!

One side of the business is dedicated to the groceries and produce and the other side is the restaurant with kick-ass beer garden and live music! You can feast on locally made goodies and drink fresh brewed beer or coffee all day.

Everything about this place made me smile, I only wish we had somewhere like this closer to home! (A new business venture perhaps??! ha!)

This one trip to Orange to indulge in the gorgeousness they have on offer has made me really think about where I spend my money and how I want to live my life. Living more simply is something I am aiming for this year (and for the rest of my years) and if starting small and being mindful of where my food comes from and who I am supporting whilst buying it is a step closer to that, well then I am off to a good start!

E, x

Inspired

Hi there friends, once again I have been caught in the whirlwind that is life and have had no time to blog.

Ok, I lie. I had time to blog last week when I took a week off work to get stuff done and to take a break but the urge to blog did not come over me. Sometimes you've just gotta go with the flow... you know?

Anyhow, this week has been a busy one, and as I sit at my office desk I feel mentally and physically tired. I have not been treating my poor body that well on the food front - I haven't been eating takeaway junk or anything like that and have been working out hard as normal but I know when I get busy and stressed I rarely cook proper meals for myself and I get by on the old bowl of cereal or smoothie for dinner here and there.

I can tell I need to nourish my body better next week so meal prep this weekend is crucial. Not nourishing your body with good amounts of food can be just as bad as eating a truck load of junk - I need to remember this.

In light of all of this 'exhaustion' talk, I wanted to share a couple of things that are inspiring me at the moment. All this talk about food brings me to a fantastic blogger and business woman who I mentioned in my last post.

Sophie Hansen of Local is Lovely released her book this week, (titled the same as the blog) and I am super excited to read it. Her blog is beautiful and she shares so many great pictures of her life on the farm, recipes and the amazing food she produces and makes into glorious meals. I just placed my order and cannot wait for it to arrive!

This cooler weather is making me miss working on my parent's veggie patch which sadly has now died. The summer was brutal to the patch and I was battling to keep it alive last year and my parents have not had the time to keep up the maintenance since.

Now that I live in the city and have no yard I am having to resort to 'patio planting' inspiration! I have sighted the cutest planters on The Block Shop's website. (Yes I am addicted to that show!) These jelly planters are about $55 or so and would look super cute hanging on the patio (they also come in different colours). I'm not sure they'd work for veggies but I'd settle for some yummy herbs or a pretty weeping plant.

I am heading off to Bathurst this weekend to attend my godson's baptism. I have never been asked to be a god parent before so I feel so honoured and excited that my friend would ask me! It should be such a great weekend. The weather forecast is looking a little chilly so I need to be thinking about stocking up on a couple more winter knits! I love a change in the season!

Stay happy!
E, x

Tree change

As I sit in my outer-Sydney 'burbs apartment on this sunny and beautiful Sunday I can't help but miss the bush.

I'd be lying if I said I missed everything about the bush, but sitting here in the city hearing the leaves of the perfectly placed and manicured trees blowing outside my window makes me miss the 'real' fresh air and the proper smell of old gum trees and true nature.

It's no surprise to me that I miss home. Everybody at some stage in their lives will miss the place where their roots lay. I miss our farm and one day hope to go back there, maybe on a more permanent basis, who knows.

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately, and I don't know if it's just because I'm drawn to them because we enjoy the same things, or if there is a gal trend happening, but a lot of people seem to be getting back to the 'original' ways of doing things. So many more people seem to enjoy the humbling feelings we get from growing our own veggies or making our food by hand. Deep down we seem to search for that 'grounding' that getting back to basics brings us.

I miss growing veggies, I miss collecting eggs from our hens. I miss the smell of my horse and the tangle of her knotted and rouge mane.

I miss riding on the back of a motorbike across hard and cracking ground with the sun boiling down on my (pasty ha!) white skin!

Deep down I want to move to the country and live peacefully, growing our own food, raising our own cows and living in the moment. Right now, I'm not sure we are in a position to do this, but there is an urge in me that wants a change.

There are so many great things about living in this city, but boy are there some magical things about living in the country.

I've noticed over at Retromummy's blog she has had some guest writers blogging about their 'tree changes' and most seem to be about going back to the country! And one of my favourite 'country', foodie blogs at the moment that makes me pine for home is Local is Lovely. Check them out!

E, x

Brisbane Bound...

Last week the bf and I took a trip to sunny Queensland!

It was the most perfect time to get away as I hadn't had a day off work since Christmas and I was getting a little stir-crazy and needed some time to recharge.

We flew into the beautiful city of Brisbane on Thursday morning to meet seven of our friends for a long weekend adventure.

The bf has a long love affair with heavy metal music so we all decided we'd tag a long to the Soundwave music festival held on the Saturday. I don't go much on the heavy metal, but it was a great excuse to catch up with friends and have a weekend away in a new city.

Surprisingly I had never spent much time in Brissie (except for a night or two on a school excursion back in year nine!) It is a beautiful city, and so different to Sydney.

We stayed in the Bridgewater Apartments in Kangaroo Point and it was the most perfect location for what we were after. A good sized apartment will a beautiful swimming pool, a short stroll to the river with a great cocktail bar and restaurant on the corner. What more could we have asked for?

Now, let me get to the cocktails. Ah-mazing! We used the nearby Shelter Bar (part of the Story Bridge Hotel) as our "starting point" most nights and it was great! The presentation they put into their drinks (particularly the cocktails) and their food was fab!

My friend and I were drinking the $10 cocktail special (served on Friday nights as part of their 'Flavour Fridays' special) that were served in the cutest mason jars - I'm a sucker for a mason jar! And because we were drinking the cocktail special we got to enter into a competition to win a $125 Swarovski crystal voucher, and guess what??? I won the voucher on our first night at the bar! Suffice to say, the Shelter Bar is my new favourite hang out.

New earrings I purchased with my winning voucher!

Brisbane put on great weather for us too. I had been down before we left Sydney as I studied the forecast for the weekend and it said rain for all four days. BUT, mother nature pulled through and we had amazing sunshine plus cooler overcast weather for the festival. Winning!

We made a short trek up the coast on Friday to try our hand at Go-Karting! We visited the Big Go-Kart track only 21kms from Mooloolaba and we all had a ball (especially the boys who seem to always get their competitive racing faces on when anything with a motor is involved!)

We stopped in at my favourite beach in Australia (so far... I haven't seen them all), and had lunch at the Mooloolaba Surf Club (another of my regular hang-outs when on family holidays growing up).

I was surprised at how quiet Brisbane city was. Walking around the CBD and river on Sunday was so different to a day in Sydney. There weren't a lot of people, no rowdy noises, just beautiful scenery and lovely people.

On our final night the boys tried their hand at the casino (not me though, I was knackered and went home for an early night). It seemed a go on the pokies was "meant to be" for our friend Simon - he put $10 in for one hit (despite his gf telling him he'd spent enough that night!) and made himself a sweet $6,000!!!!

Holiday paid for. Lucky duck!!

All in all, it was the best weekend away! Brisbane, you put on such a good show, I am falling for your sunny charm. I hope we meet again soon.

E, x

Why do I blog?

I was reading a blog post by another lovely blogger today and her post sparked me to think about my own blog and why I blog at all.

I have been blogging since about 2010 and originally started blogging as a way of showing my crafty side when I was taking crochet and knitting lessons. I have been off the needles (and hooks) for a little while now due to work and uni commitments (although I am starting up again in March over at Jellywares' seasonal yarn club - check it out if you're keen to join!) but continued blogging anyway.

Source: Pinterest

Some weeks I have nothing to blog about, and some weeks I have lots, but I keep asking myself - why do I blog at all?

I think I mainly blog for myself. It's an outlet for my thoughts and my creative side. I am able to jot things down and document events I think are special or worthy of mention. It's a great way of looking back at all of the things I have been doing throughout the years.

Sometimes I think I blog for my readers - if there are any out there.... is there anybody out there???

I never really know if what I write goes out into the interwebs just to sit there, un-read and un-noticed. Unless I get a comment or two, but even then I think - did what I wrote matter? Or does it just matter to me?

I've contemplated closing the blog down before and have just never done it. I love to blog, I love reading blogs and I love the blogging community there is out there.

I need to blog more, I know that, because there are times when hearing from like-minded readers and other bloggers out there really makes my day and that's a bonus!

Who are you blogging for? And what bloggy stuff do you like to read about?

If you're out there...... anybody.....

A thought for the farmers

Although I am no longer living in rural NSW like I have been for the majority of my life, the stress and sadness of the current drought gripping rural Australia still affects me.

A lot of city-folk might not realise how bad things in the bush are right now and it's easy to forget how others live when we get caught up in our own day-to-day rituals.

My family are the owners of a property in far western NSW on the Darling River. (I've mentioned our property in many posts before - check the 'farm life' labels on the right hand side of my page if you're keen to see more!)

Dad's plane on the new airstrip on the property.

Lately my parents have been working overtime to de-stock (sell off extra numbers of cattle) because we just don't have the food or the water to keep them all.

This week my mum emailed me a picture of the thermometer under the veranda at the house on the farm and it was hitting a high temperature of 48'C!!!! And that was in the shade!

My dad was trying hard to move our small calves to another paddock where they would be able to find shade under some trees because they were suffering in the heat. Other cattle were yarded and trucked off to be sold.

Here is a movie dad sent me today show the "mighty" Darling River - how sad that it is almost dry.

My dad sends me regular emails and photos via text to keep me updated with the property which I love. He keeps and eye on my beautiful horses and makes sure I get to see them at least once a month through the inter webs.

My horse Splash (on the left), and Dad's horse Ben.
Both looking skinny and not liking the heat very much!

It pains me to see our beautiful property in such dry and sad conditions, but I know it's apart of farming, as we all do.

I love rural Australia but it is suffering currently, and it pays to reflect on the hard times those are having in this drought. Some farmers are far worse off than us, some have even had to sell everything they have just to get by! I just hope the rains come soon to help save the livestock and the farmers from these terribly dry conditions.

Keep our farmers in your thoughts this week, and lets all pray for some much needed rain.
E, x

Grown-up stuff is tough

I've had a knot in my stomach over the past few weeks.

The usual "grown-up" stuff is getting me flustered: jobs and finances. Don't tell me you don't think about this stuff too.

I threw it out there into the Twitter-sphere last week and had a good chat with some of my "tweeps" about how unaffordable it is to live in the big smoke we call Sydney.

I have only been living in Sydney for about 8 months now and I am understanding completely why it is considered one of the most expensive cities to live in, in the world!

Now, I can't really comment on how much money it costs to live right in the CBD or in the closer metro suburbs because at the moment with my income I can only afford to live in the outer west but still I am noticing the cost of living is ridic!

So many of the girls I chatted to on Twitter agreed. It is impossible for young people to hang on to the dream of owning their own home in this ever-growing city as property prices continue to boom!

I heard recently  the average property price in Sydney has risen again but roughly $100,000! Holy smokes!

If I were single and wanted to get some Independence for myself and obtain the "Australian-dream" of purchasing my own home it would be impossible. Simple as that.

Luckily, when it does come time for me to buy, my partner and I can join income-forces and have a better chance of purchasing a home larger than a dog kennel.

Image source:admablog.com 

How does a young person save in this day an age without moving in with Mum and Dad and working 24/7? Renting prices are almost as high (if not higher in some areas as one Twitter friend acknowledged) than paying a mortgage! Grocery bills are up, electricity bills are high, not to mention the cost of fuel! Small luxuries like holidays are a thing of the past if you're planning on knuckling down and saving for that house deposit. In fact, there goes my social life completely if I plan to save $10K before 2015.

I know I may sound whingy, but this is not the case at all. I am more interested to know just how people manage to save these days. Is it putting those holiday trips and nights out with friends on hold? Or taking public transport as often as possible? Or is eating two-minute noodles for lunch and dinner saving you dimes?

I'm curious and deadly keen to know how you do it as I feel like I am saving as much as I can and still moving at snails pace towards a large sum in ye'old bank account!

Spread the savings love in a comment below :)

A 25th birthday celebration

A couple of weekends ago I turned 25.

I remember when I was little I had so many predictions about how my life would be when I turned 25. I used to think I would be married and have babies by now! I crack up laughing thinking about this now!

I am definitely not married and no where near ready for bambinos, but despite all of that I had one of the best birthdays to date.

I wasn't even sad about turning 25 this year! I keep thinking that my life keeps getting better each year and new and exciting things keep happening so I'm not that afraid to turn another year older. (Although, ask me again before I turn 30 - I'm sure I'd have changed my tune by then!)

This birthday Travis and I spent a night in the big city of Sydney. Now that we live so close to the big smoke I wanted to take advantage of all the great things the city can offer.

We stayed at the Sheraton On The Park right in the city on Elizabeth Street. I'd stayed here with my parents before so I knew what to expect, but it was Trav's first time so it felt special sharing the fancy hotel with him for the first time.

[Checking out the view from the top floor of the Sheraton | Loving the complimentary bathrobes at the hotel - I could have stayed snuggled up all night in this thing!]

We had drinks and nibbles the night before my birthday at the hotel bar before we made our way down Pitt Street to Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant. I was so super excited to eat here. I love Jamie Oliver as a chef so I knew we would love the food. Plus, Trav is half Italian so the menu was right up his alley.

I was so glad we had pre-booked our table as being a Saturday night there was a long waiting list of anxious people hoping to get a seat. Apparently there was a rumour that you couldn't pre-book tables at the restaurant and I'm here to confirm that this is un true (unless it has changed since!) I booked online and it was the easiest process ever. If you do plan to visit the restaurant, book in advance!

The restaurant looks tiny from the street but is actually quite large and long, and boy can they pack the patrons in! The atmosphere is quite raw and industrial, a bit like Jamie's approach to cooking, the lighting is low and the wait staff are quick to get you in and get your orders under way.

[A bad shot of inside the restaurant looking back towards the entry and bar.]

For entree Trav ordered the bruschetta which was one of the nightly specials and it was fan-bloody-tastic. I have never tasted anything so good! I ordered a slab which included an assortment of cured meats and some pecorino cheese and chilli sauce. It too was incredibly delicious.

The main course was the excitement for me. I love a good pasta and having been to Italy I was so keen to get something close to authentic. I ordered the spaghetti Alla Norma which was a Sicilian dish with a kick of chilli. Trav ordered the lasagne, and he practically licked his plate clean.

[Spaghetti Alla Norma. Delish.]

I couldn't stop smiling the entire night. It was the most perfect dining experience and the company was great. I love how simple things like eating amazing food and tasting great wine with someone you love can make you so happy.

I was super spoilt this year in the gift department. Besides Travis shouting me the weekend away in the city, my parents put some money towards my most recent net-a-porter purchase of a Diane Von Furstenburg handbag. Its black leathery heaven. I am in love.

The morning of my birthday before we headed home we made a quick stop down to Bondi beach to walk along the water and get our feet wet. Although the weather was sunny and warm, the water was freezing so I wasn't keen to get in! It was just nice to see the beach and walk along it. It was perfect.

The whole 25th birthday experience was perfect. I am loving life right now and am so keen to tackle 2014 head on and see what surprises are in store!

How is your 2014 shaping up so far? Any new and exciting surprises already?

Take care friends,
E, x

Everyday grateful

Last year was a big year for me in so many ways. Moving to a new city, starting a new job, moving in with my boyfriend... just to name a few big events. I have been on a mission for some time now to become a more positive person as I have previously been known to be a pessimist and being negative is no fun!

Don't get me wrong, trying to be super happy and smile about things when all you want to do is cry or sloth around with the grumps is hard. Making a conscious effort to wake up everyday and not groan about going to work is challenging, but I've found just focusing on the positive and good things in my day can make facing each day that little bit easier.

I think it is so important to try and be as positive and happy as we can be because we are constantly reminded everyday that life is too short to be anything but happy.

A friendly reader of my blog contacted me about compiling a post about what I have been grateful for over the holiday period and to share a little bit about her inspiring story.

Heather Von St. James was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma at age 36, only three months after giving birth to her daughter. Pleural mesothelioma is a disease which affects the lung's protective lining in the chest cavity and is a life-changing condition. She was given 15 months to live!

Heather with her husband Cameron and daughter Lily Rose.
Photo courtesy of Heather's Facebook page.

Heather and her husband set out to find the best doctor possible to help her fight this condition and she found Dr David Sugarbaker whom is a renowned mesothelioma surgeon. Heather agreed to have a new surgical procedure with Dr Sugarbaker that would bring hope to her and her family.

Now, seven years on, Heather is a mesothelioma survivor hoping to spread word about this disease and her story of courageously beating it.

Heather has a wonderful website which you can view here and you can read more about her story and mesothelioma.

Now, for my 'grateful' today...

At the risk of sounding corny and all mushy, I wanted to mention how thankful I am to have my boyfriend, Travis.

Trav has been my biggest support and rock for the past two years. He has come to know me very well and knows when I am  sad, anxious or stressed and why. He and I started our relationship as a long distance one (as most might know if you follow me on Twitter and/or have read my blog before) and it was super hard.

As anybody who has been in a long distance relationship will know, we really had to focus on getting to know each other over the phone. Building a relationship mostly on conversation is hard. Travis is not a big talker either so that proved to be even more difficult! (Luckily I can talk ALOT! hehe)

Despite the distance and the tears and tantrums (mostly from me) about being apart, he stood by me and we pushed through it. I am more happy than ever to be in my relationship and I know we can talk about anything together. He is my biggest support and I am so grateful to have him in my life.

I would love any readers to post something they are grateful for in the comments if you feel you want to share! It may be something small, or something a little 'corny' like mine, but it's nice to reflect on something or someone that makes us happy.

Thank you Heather for contacting me and reminding me that life is so precious and we should be grateful everyday for our health and happiness.

E, x

The Christmas Chronicles

Merry Christmas!!
I know I'm a few days late but we all know it takes a bit to get over the hype. And the food. Oh the food!

I have been very spoilt this year, like most years - I always feel incredibly blessed with the gifts that I am given. This year I was gifted my first proper designer piece.

I was given the gift of Chanel.

Thanks to my incredibly generous Mum and Dad and their trip to Hong Kong in November, my Mum wanted to spoil my sister and I and give us a Chanel wallet each as a super special present. She was armed with a great friend in HK who knows the designer stores well so getting there was no problem.

I was sooooo surprised when I unwrapped the little black carry bag with the letters CHANEL on them. I was even more surprised when I realised it was a classic black wallet, complete with authenticity card and the yummy leathery smell (this is not a fake peeps!).

Dead Lord I am a lucky girl.

I was also gifted some new towels for the house, a Mimco phone case in one of my favourite colours, some new Nike joggers, a new Pandora bracelet, a gold bangle, a BBQ for my apartment patio (I can't wait to BBQ when I get home!!) and lots of other goodies.

If you follow me on instagram, you would have seen a few more snaps of the big day! How did you all fare in the Christmas haul?

The only thing that I am sad about this Christmas is how overwhelmed and stressed my family felt. I'm being honest when I say this Christmas didn't fly by in a sea of joy and happiness. There's the food prep, the cooking, the cleaning, the setting of the table, the organising and the chaos of a bunch of family all hoping to get a long, with the clash of personalities at least once since deep down we are all very much the same.

I'm sure it is similar in some people's households, but if you are one of those family's that get a long like a house on fire and there are no tears or tantrums, then I salute you.

I only wish that at our next Christmas we can all remain calm and remember what the day is about. Because for me it is about family spending time together, eating and laughing and being happy to be in each others presence. Of course I'm a realist and there will always be a little tiff, but I hope the stress of the 'big day' doesn't take away from how special all of us being together really is.

(My Christmas tree in Sydney)

This year having our family together is especially important. My Grandfather is in the early stages of battling lung cancer and his treatment has begun over the Christmas break so having him here with us, and still healthy is a true gift.

I hope wherever you spent your Christmas, and whatever gifts you were given, you realised how lucky and blessed you are to be with people that you love.

(Our family Christmas tree at my parents home in our home town)

Now it's time to look toward the new year celebrations. Oh boy, another year is on the door step. Is anybody else a little freaked at how quickly 2013 has gone?

2014 is shaping up to be another cracker of a year for me. I am planning, but only a little, because in my experience every year has thrown me so many curve balls and changes that I can never plan too much! But, this is exciting! Not knowing sometimes is a great thing!

I've decided that I am going to do a 'reflection' post on all of the amazing things that have happened and that I have accomplished in 2013 rather then a post about new year resolutions because mostly every year they are the same for me!

More to come soon.

Happy holidays! x

Bellabox trial

Have you heard of Bellabox?

If you haven't, I'm hear to tell you all about it ... well, from my experience anyway.

Bellabox (according to the gals who created the service) is '...the beauty sampling concept to revolutionize the way Australian's discover, trial and purchase beauty and lifestyle products.' 

The system works in a way that gals who love their beauty products and don't want to commit to purchasing 'the newest, best, fan-dangle' products on the market without really knowing whether they'll suit them or not, can trial them!

There is a price, however. ('Aint nothing comes for free in this day and age, am I right??)

It will cost you a neat $15 a month to subscribe to the service and each month you will receive a cutely packaged sample parcel in your post box with the latest and greatest products on the market in cute sample sizes.

A look at the November box design

I first heard of Bellabox through a lady I work with. She was super excited one day when the office editorial assistant brought her mail to her desk and with that mail was a little turquoise 'Bellabox'.

She squealed with excitement as she ripped into the box to find out what goodies were in store this month. My reaction was a little like ... 'Your bella-what has arrived?"

And so she preceded to tell me about the amazing-ness of the service. I got sucked in and wanted a piece of this pie too. I signed up and keenly waited for my postie to drop off my Bellabox too!

Most of the samples from the November box

The good stuff: It kind of feels like your birthday every month when you receive a nicely packaged parcel full of about six or so beauty products that you may, or may not want to try.

The samples are the perfect size for your gym bag/handbag/travel bag, and can double as gifts to people if you're not into the products (hello stocking stuffers!)

The other stuff: I decided after two months that I didn't really need to be paying an extra $15 a month on sample beauty products when I am kind of already set on my beauty regime. I mean, yes it is nice to try new stuff, but I only recently forked out over $300 on an entire new skin care line and have finally found a foundation that doesn't feel too oily and covers up my blots nicely.

However, if you are a beauty lover and can't help yourself when it comes to reading about the newest products in the latest Elle and you just have to try them, then this service may be perfect for you!

And, if you happen to fall madly in love with one of the samples, you can pop online to the Bellabox site and purchase said product. Easy peesy.

Have you tried this service before? Are you already a subscriber and lover? Tell me all about it!

E, x

Feed Your Soul event wrap part 2

I am back into my normal work routine this week after my quick get-away to the Gold Coast for the Feed Your Soul event and I have had more time to process what we learnt.

After Ashy gave us an insight into her life and how she deals with struggles, bad moods and motivation, we got to hear Nicole Joy speak. I didn't know a lot about Nicole before the event. I knew she had an amazing new book out that she had been repping on her instagram account for a while, but I didn't know her 'story'.

Me (in front) and my sister snapped taking some notes during the event.
Image source: Harpa Design on Facebook here.

Nicole is a fully trained teacher with a university degree and all. After years of teaching and hating going to work, she realised it was time she stopped doing what she thought she had to do with her life and started to look for what she really truly loved and what made her happy.

Because she is part Italian she knew cooking was a passion of hers and realised that she could make a living out of it. She told us that she had the opportunity to write her book six months after she started working on her new found passion of writing recipes and cooking clean sweet treats.

It took only six months before her book was out! This blew my mind. To think that someone can have such a strong passion and pursue it so strongly that it becomes something amazing like having a book published in less than a year. Incredible.

Nicole explained that after years of failed job opportunities she knew in herself as soon as she started doing what she loved she was in the right place in her life. Sometimes I guess you just know.

She told us that there is no reason why we all have to be mediocre people. We can all be incredibly successful and bloody amazing if we just go after what we truly want. We need to stop doing things that we think we should be doing or think our families or our partners want us to do, and do more of what we love and more of what makes us happy.

This really resonated with me. We had to write down a list of things that we love doing, it didn't matter how small or insignificant they seemed, we just needed to jot them down. Once we did this, Nicole asked us how many of us do the things on our lists regularly. Most of us realised that what we had written down were things that we truly loved doing, and things that made us happy, but we rarely ever made time for them.

I really got thinking about the things that I love doing and why I don't do them more often. I find myself getting too caught up in the hustle and bustle of work life and push the things I love doing to the side, or say I don't have time to do them, when really, if we want something bad enough, we will make the time. I especially need to make time to do these things more often, because the more we do the things we love, the happier we will be.

A lot of what we learnt were such simple concepts to better our lives but sometimes it can take a while before the penny drops and you realise how much we can over complicate things.

Life is too short to be miserable in a job we don't love because we think we need to do it or need the money, or we think we don't have a choice.

I think we can all benefit from thinking about what we truly want out of life. We can design any kind of life for ourselves, we just have to be brave enough to go for it.

Nicole and Ashy, two inspirational ladies.
Image source: Harpa Design on Facebook here.

E, x

Feed Your Soul event wrap part 1

Hey lovelies,
Happy Tuesday, I hope your weekend was spent doing things that you love! I know I spent mine doing some amazing stuff!

This past weekend my sister and I flew to the Gold Coast for the Feed Your Soul event as mentioned in my post back here.

I promised to report back on the event and all I can say is, WOW. I have learnt so much from this event so I am going to write about the things that I learnt in two posts (so you guys don't have to read an essay! lol)

I was soooo excited for the event but even more stoked when the whole day exceeded my expectations. I had been following Ashy Bines and Nicole Joy on Instagram for some time now and had never thought I'd actually get a chance to chat to them about normal girl to girl stuff, but at this event we did!

As Ashy said in her speech in the morning, a lot of people see her on social media and judge her quite harshly and unfairly because they have preconceived ideas of what they think she is like because of her successes. She reminded everyone that she is only human (an amazing one at that!) and asked that we do not judge anybody during the course of the event.

I was blown away at how well Ashy spoke. She presented herself so nicely and was so approachable. When my sister and I were leaving the venue we even had a chance to chat to Ashy by ourselves and I seriously felt like we were talking to an old friend. She is just like us, she is only 25 (her birthday was yesterday!!!!) and has her struggles just like anybody else.

I found her story super inspiring and I told her I thought she should definitely write a book (which she said she hopes to work on sometime in the future when ever she gets a spare moment, which doesn't look to be anytime soon - this girl is one busy entrepreneur!)

We were treated to raw goodies for breakfast, lunch and snacks including muesli for breakfast and a yummy green smoothie after our boot camp session with the ABBBC trainers.

OMG the training session was great!! I had never done a proper big group session like this one before and it made me realise and understand why Ashy's bikini body challenges work so well. Training in a group makes the session soooo much more fun. My mind was preoccupied most of the time laughing with the girls I had just met or being silly in some of the exercises.

So many girls I met at this event were gorgeous people inside and out. We all seemed to get along together even though we were all strangers. I guess this is what happens when you put a bunch of like-minded girls together, we all want the same things - to feel healthier and work towards a better life for ourselves, so we all clicked!

I was so surprised at how much I took in from this event. I had never been to a 'motivational' talk as such before and I guess until you go to one, you won't really know how you will respond to the information.

From Ashy's story alone I learnt that believing something negative about yourself can change your whole life and influence the path you are heading down. Ashy truly believed she was too dumb to succeed at anything in life so she put off her aspirations of becoming a personal trainer for years. It wasn't until her life took a path where she had really hit rock bottom that she could muster the strength to apply herself to the personal training course and do what she really wanted to do.

Image source www.transformationcentre.com.au 

It seems so crazy now to think that Ashy thought she could never become a personal trainer! She is running an empire involved with helping women change their lives through fitness and health. Imagine if she had continued to believe that she was stupid and never chose to change her life and apply herself?

It's amazing to think about. I took a lot away from her story. Of course we heard a lot more about Ashy as well but I would be blogging a long time to tell you it all. This is why I believe she should write a book - she has so much to tell that a lot of people don't know about her and assume that success just landed in her lap. This is so not the case.

People need to work hard to achieve their dreams and goals and this event reconfirmed this for me. Sometimes it's easy to think that we are working hard towards out dreams when truly we are just hoping, waiting and wishing things would all come together on their own.

I plan to use this knowledge and work harder towards my goals for sure!

E, x

Weekend

This weekend I had BIG plans to visit the beach and checkout some more markets (I was thinking Manly markets) but my plans changed.

The boyfriend and I decided that this weekend was going to be one of relaxation. Plus I read my horoscope in the Sunday papers this week and even the stars are telling me to take a chill pill and de-stress.

Ok. I'm listening universe.

We had tickets to see the American comedian Arj Barker on Friday night at the State Theatre in the city. It was an AWESOME show. I highly recommend it. We even got to meet Arj and get a signature! I was a little star struck even though he isn't technically "big time" in Hollywood or anything.

The weather was horrific (storms and flash flooding) on our way into the city, as was the traffic and not to mention the wait time to get a damn taxi. Dear God. This is city living I guess, and we are still getting used to it!

We had dinner down at Darling Harbour and because it was raining we ran into the closest restaurant (since we were also running late as the weather/traffic/taxis were terrible). We ate a quick meal at Cyren. It was super fast and pretty tasty although I had eaten there before. Trav had some sword fish and it was devine!

Yesterday was Christmas tree shopping day! Super exciting since Christmas is my favourite time of year. I was itching to put the tree up as soon as we got home but the boyfriend says not until December 1st. Damn. Next week it is!

We got the cheapest tree I've ever seen but next year I will lash out for a bigger and nicer one, maybe even after the boxing day sales. I just couldn't justify the big bucks at the moment with my budget. I'll post about the tree when it's up in all its cheap glory.

Right now the boyfriend has parked himself comfortably on the couch watching the darn cricket.

Is anyone else's other half moulding themselves to the couch to watch the cricket??

Meanwhile, I am dreaming of these cute flats from Asos. I think they're perfect for this summer and within the budget too. Hmmm a purchase may be on the cards!

Stay happy peeps and have a lovely new start to the week tomorrow!
E, x

Bondi Farmers Market

Yesterday I got up early and decided I wanted to visit the Bondi Farmers Market. I have been fixated on going and visiting Bondi for some reason since I moved closer to the city. I had been there before and I am told the beach is not great for swimming in but I wanted to visit it anyway, plus I heard the markets there are good!

So it took me about an hour to drive in and the weather was suppose to be terrible with rain and storms but Mother nature held out long enough for me to explore the markets and get to walk along the beach for a little bit.

It was beautiful down there yesterday. The storm clouds were rolling in but it was humid and warm enough to swim. I wish I had packed my new Seafolly swimmers so I could christen them the right way (in the ocean of course!)

Anyhow, after I got caught up looking through Bondi Wholefoods (which is a great store/cafe by the way! - They are soon opening online, I'm excited! I really hope they post out here!) I realised that I had only paid about $5 for parking and it was going to run out if I didn't make it back to the markets soon!

I rushed into the fresh produce stall and was in heaven! I get so overwhelmed at these kinds of things and often don't know what to by. Next time I am definitely going to take a couple of recipes with me so I can purchase with meals in mind.

I stocked up on some usual stuff that I have in my fridge however: some scrumptious baby tomatoes, a big bag full of rocket, some dutch carrots, a bag full of apricots, mangos and a litre of almond milk! Yum!!!! I love almond milk and will be making my oats with this this morning.

Despite all of the amazing food, I could't go past the flower stall. Oh the flowers.

As soon as I spotted the peonies I was in love. These are my favourite flowers (on par with hydrangeas) and the stall holder had them in white and this lush red. So gorgeous!

And in true "hipster" fashion, on my last stop before hauling all of my goodies into my car I had to try a cold pressed juice. I asked the stall holder to recommend me a juice out of the green or the red. He said that everyone seems to be jumping on the 'green smoothie/juice' bandwagon but his favourite was the red beetroot juice mix. I can't remember what was in it (maybe apple and something else) but it wasn't too bad, although I think I'll try the green next time.

The only thing I am super bummed I forgot to get was some of the "Bondi Yoghurt" I have been seeing posted around Facebook. Aw well, maybe next time.

Have you been to the  Bondi Farmers Market before? Do you live in the Sydney area and know of any other good markets to visit? 

I'd love to hear about them! I love a good market!

E, x

Feed Your Soul

Are you on instagram, or twitter or any other social media device?

Well I am! You can find me on twitter here, and my instagram handle is elliemaree12.

I love my instagram, and twitter keeps me hella-entertained. I am devastated that Big Brother has ended this year because it has been one of my favourite trash TV shows to tweet through! (Yes, I need a life!)

Anyhow, I mentioned instagram for a reason. I follow the very inspirational fitness and health entrepreneur, Ashy Bines and she announced a few months ago that she and two of her health and wellness friends, Sharlene Fletcher of Live Love Eat Raw and Nicole Joy of Nicole Joy Inspire will be hosting a health, fitness and wellness event on the Gold Coast for ONE DAY ONLY!

When I first saw the event advertised I instantly dismissed the thought of going because I didn't think I could get to the GC in time. Turns out, I can go! 

(Mental note, Ellie you don't live in a remote country town anymore - Sydney is only a quick flight away from anywhere!! Hooray!)

My big sister and I are going together which I think is even more special since we can experience it all together. We're only spending the one night in the GC and have decided that our only free day on the GC will be spent on the beach (since I haven't made it to the beach yet this season - shame on me!)

The event will involve learning to cook clean, raw desserts (OMG YUM!), a fitness training session with Ashy (which I am particularly excited about!), a question and answer meet and great with the three lovely ladies hosting the event, motivational talks, a yoga session and SO much more. It's the perfect excuse to deck myself out in my exercise gear and get an extra boost of self-love.

I am beyond excited!!!

Are any of you attending?! Let me know! I'd love to see you there :)

E, x