A quick fold

A quick fold for my fellow housewives.

It pains me to admit this but honestly, truly, I have to confess that just knowing that my fitted sheets were in the linen closet looking puffy used to make me uneasy.

I tried and tried but no matter what I couldn't get them to look nice and uniform like my flat sheets. I like things to be neat, I could never figure it out until....

This video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHTyH2nuFAw

Now I have perfectly folded fitted sheets.

Gee life is interesting, isn't it?

My unrequited love for Savannah

Before you jump to conclusions, let me say first off that I am not talking about some sort of skanky adult film star. I know that "Savannah" is a very bogan name and tends to conjure images of Boogie Nights type folk. However it wasn't always the way!

I am talking about the city of Savannah, Georgia.

A place I have been in love with since I was a little girl and I saw Driving Miss Daisy, and then later when I saw the wonderful Forest Gump. I also read about it in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I can't quite remember what got me hooked initially but for as long as I can remember I have had this almost stalkerish fascination with the place.

I have never been, the closest I came to Georgia was New Orleans but that isn't really that close anyway. My husband was going to book our honeymoon in Savannah as a surprise but we ended up deciding together to go to The Maldives and Dubai instead. Getting to Savannah from Sydney isn't all that easy and it wasn't a great time of year.

You know when you see a great dress or a stunning pair of shoes when you are out shopping and for whatever reason you don't buy them and then for months (or maybe in my case) years later, you pine for it. You build it up in your imagination as the best damned dress ever created. The dress that instantly makes you a size 0 supermodel. The most amazing, comfortable, beautiful shoes ever to grace the earth. In reality the dress was not cut for you, may not have even been your size and the shoes weren't even leather inner. *gasp*

Well this is probably what my Savannah idea is like. I'm sure that when I do finally get there, it will be pretty ordinary. For now, however, I would like to share with you a few lovely pictures of this amazing place and you can see why it features in my daydreams...

These photos below are from the galleries of Savannah Photo Outings:











And these were featured on Mayakashi.net:

Chapter 11

Oh I am so bummed, my very favourite baby store has gone bust.

Babystyle.com sold the best baby clothes, toys, nursery decor and maternity wear. I had a major addiction and now I don't know where I'll get my fix.

My daughter adores their Lulu the Lamb range, I had hoped to finish buying her all the accessories this year.

Here she is fighting with our dog for a seat on Lulu The Lamb her favourite Babystyle toy:




I can't believe it. I just found this on their site:

We're sorry but we have suspended operation of our site.


babystyle is sad to announce that we have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Due to this filing we are prohibited from accepting or issuing babystyle Gift Cards and babystyle Merchandise Cards at any of our remaining stores. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Any pending orders that have not yet shipped have been cancelled and your credit card will not be charged.

Now I need to stalk them online to find out who is stocking their liquidated stock. I wish I'd known they were going under. I kept getting vouchers from them and so many discount coupons (now I know why) and I was putting off buying anything until our Aussie dollar picked up. Hmmf. So glum now. I loved this store.

Gosh I sound so shallow, there are so many serious things to be sad about in the world and I have chosen to blog about Babystyle.

Sunglasses ID

Anyone recognise these sunglasses the crazy Angelina is wearing?




I have decided that I MUST have them.

The little tinker has not been loving towards my current pair and I think they might need replacing or at least demoting to the "car glovebox emergency" status.

Let me know if you've seen these. Not sure if they are current or not.

Naughty Noo Noo

"Naughty Noo Noo" my daughter's favourite phrase this week. She learnt it off the teletubbies. She said it to me earlier tonight and she is so right.

It is almost midnight. In 3 hours I have to feed her. 3 hours after that she gets up to start the day and then we are off to the airport to board a 10 hour flight to Thailand with our one year old.

Won't that be fun for the other passengers?

So I have not packed our bags yet. Not sure when I plan on packing them... Here I am telling you about this great bedding I saw at DJs yesterday. It is from Yves Delorme and it is called "Jour". I must have it. I must. Even before my apron wearing days I had an addiction to quality bedding. Now even more so. I must have this. Here it is, isn't it pretty?



Some more info here:

http://www.yvesdelorme.com/store/page/cat_2/id_25/n_jour/

Anyway I should be packing right now. The problem is that my husband reckons I have laid out too many things and we won't have enough room in our luggage. I find it hard to believe that our one year old can manage without 4 swimsuits, 14 dresses, 8 pants/shorts ensembles, 6 hats, 4 pairs of shoes, 10 onesies and 8 bibs. Really, I mean really. I have culled and I have culled and that is all that is left on her pile. I don't know how he thinks we can go away for 2 weeks without all this stuff not to mention to the stroller, the nappies, the toys...

Ughh I feel unwell. I hate packing dammit. Ok so I think I have to go and sit in the empty room and stare at the bags and the piles of clothing some more. Over and out! Bon Voyage to me. xx

The Bushfires

I thought I should say something about the fact that I am waffling on about holidays and hairdressers at a time like this.

Like everyone else in Australia my heart is heavy with the knowledge that so many people have lost their lives and their homes as a result of these killer bushfires.

Blogs are full of sad stories, heart wrenching photos and moving tributes.

Because my TV is on and my computer screen is bursting with this info I figured yours is as well. So I'm purposely not bloging about this extreme tragedy so that we can all take a light hearted moment to look at a boot, laugh at a hairdresser and hopefully thank our lucky stars that we are able to do that.

All I'll say is that I hope everyone takes a minute to donate a few dollars if you are so inclined. The need is great.

That is all. I'll now get back to my shallow lighthearted posts.

Inspiration

I am very lucky to have such clever crafting friends because looking at their handiwork always inspires me to try a little harder. Granted, my stuff still turns out wonky but the thought is there.

This week I am feeling particularly inspired. My gorgeous friend Kylie is known for her amazing cards and beautiful baby things and her eye for All Things Lovely she surprised me with a most generous and inspirational gift. This book here:





I plan to read it next week while I am on holiday here:






We are off to Bangkok and Chaing Mai, our first proper holiday since our homeymoon and our daughter's first trip abroad. Look out everyone else on our plane, this kid is LOUD!

When I get home, I will be ready to get back to my wonky sewing adventures and hopefully now they won't be as wonky because my incredibly talented crafting friend Theoreticgal has gifted me with THE most amazing sewing kit:



Just drooling over her amazing creations is inspiration enough, in fact it was she who really enncouraged me to give sewing a try in the first place so this incredibly thoughtful and generous gift left me absolutely speechless. Inside the beautiful vintage style Singer sewing box is a bunch of essential items as you can see she even sent along a quarter inch foot and some beautiful quilting squares. The very beautiful and much sought after Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones will certainly become dog eared after I make my way through each and every pattern.

I really am very lucky to have so many inspirational friends, I just wish my sewing did them justice!

Cheating

Mum and I had an encounter at a cafe on Friday that prompted me to think about being faithful to one's hairdresser and exactly how far that monogamy is expected to extend.

Until I switched into frumpy mummy status, I loyally visited my stylist at least weekly for a blow dry and every 6 weeks for a cut and colour. Since my pregnancy I think I've been to the hairdresser 3 times, and each of those times to my random local hairdresser located next to my local caffeine fix. It's the kind of salon where they let you go home with wet hair. No Tattinger, none of those architecture magazines to pretend you find interesting. Just a few dog-eared copies of New Idea and a no-frills trim.

My mother needed a break from her stylist and decided to try my local. She went along had a cut and colour, wasn't a massive fan and decided not to return. Ok, so that's fine. Or is it?

About 2 months later, I went for another boring trim and left with wet hair. As I was leaving, the hairdresser asked how my mother was getting on and when she'd be back. I muttered something about her being abroad and scurried home, lest anyone see me with my wet hair.

My mother was, in fact, in Europe at the time so I wasn't lying. I did wonder though, whether I should have indicated that she wouldn't be returning... How much loyalty do hairdressers expect anyway?

Fast forward a few months. It was Friday afternoon and Mum and I were at my local cafe watching my one year old tip a babycino all over her new Kenzo dress when the hairdresser appeared at our table. She looked my mother right in the eye and commented that she hadn't seen her at the salon and asked how her trip was. Thankfully I have the world's loudest child. She chose that moment to yell out "gog! gog! gog!" at the dog walking past our table and the hairdresser retreated. It was all very uncomfortable.

So now we are faced with a few concerns.

1.) Do we stop frequenting the cafe?

2.) Our friend owns the cafe so we can't easily switch to the other one down the street or he might see us.

3.) Do I also leave the wet hair salon for good just to avoid any confontation?

4.) Do we both buy disguises and slink around our suburb only at night?

It is always hard trying out a new hairdresser. I wonder if we should always start the session by saying our regular stylist is on maternity leave and we are there for a one off. At least this way if they are no good we won't feel bad if we leave them and later bump into them. We won't feel like we are cheating on them.

Oh I don't know... Ever since my favourite stylist left to become a gay porn star (no I am not joking) and then I finally found someone else almost as good who then left to become a Heidi Fleiss girl (no I am not joking) it just hasn't been the same. When it comes to hair stylists I think I am cursed. Either they ruin my hair or they turn to the sex industry. I can't win.

A Quick Boot

This lovely shiny friend is a black croc embossed patent leather 'Mallory' boot by Charles Nolan.

It is the perfect flat boot. I whinged and whined all Winter because I couldn't find a comfortable but long flat boot.

They either ended up looking like preppy riding boots or confused cowgirl so I gave up my search. Of course now that it is a stinking 40 degrees here and I have no need for such a shoe, I have found 'him' on Bluefly. ON SALE!

What makes him great boot in my humble opinion, is that it still manages to be pretty sleek and sexy despite being a totally flat boot.

The croc pattern is part of it, so is the patent leather and it is a really lovely narrow square toe. All in all a very functional boot for someone who struggles with the idea of buying high heeled boots only to couple them with toddler stained outfits that look oversized and underironed. This is a nice practical boot with a little bit of yummy mummy on the side.

Perfect!

Let Them Eat Cake

... the kids, that is!

This is a great toy from one of my favourite online stores The Land of Nod.

It is made of 100% wool felt, how adorable! If my little one was old enugh to know not to swallow the bits I'd be buying it in a hurry.

Really nothing grabs me more than beautiful toys and clothes for children and this cake is definitely going on my "to buy" list. I love it.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, my baby girl has been in hopsital.

All will be well so I'll be back with more waffle ASAP.

xx

A Confession

Forgive me fellow housewives for I have sinned...

I have these thoughts I know I shouldn't have. Ugly, angry almost violent thoughts.

Really this is bad, brace yourselves.

Ok so, I hate my Kitchenaid Mixer.

There, I've said it. Now I can move on.

I always wanted one, I had to have it. So my inlaws bought it for me as a wedding gift and I can't believe I am saying this but I hate the hideous thing. It is drives me bonkers and whenever I feel particularly Martha-ish and in the mood for baking I dread getting my KA out of the cupboard.

Really it is my fault. I chose the most expensive one, the K5 Deluxe. I chose that one simply because it said "deluxe" and it cost more so me being me, I figured it was bound to be a better machine!

























Well as it turns out, this one is more powerful than the regular KA Mixer and you can mix bigger loads of batter but that's all. It is ideal for those of us who bake lots of bread. *ahem* perhaps "us" is not really suited to that sentence since I do not bake my own bread...

Anyway the downsides are that it only comes in red or blue (I chose red for my inner champagne communist side) and it doesn't have a tilt head. It is more robust like the commercial ones so it goes up and down instead of tilting back. This means you have to have a massive tussle with the thing to get the attachments on and off.

That is the main reason I hate it. Actually it is the only reason, the lack of the tilting head. Maybe I need to use it more often to fall in l,ove with it. A bit like an arranged marriage if you will, perhaps the love story needs to be re-written.

Rather than the traditional "girl meets mixer, falls in love, they live happily ever after" I will have to go for the arranged marriage version (who gets the dowry?!)and just learn to love my mixer over time... Perhaps we will grow to be soulmates.

In the meantime I will continue to blame our strained relationship for the lack of home made goodies.

Echoes

Our house has so many empty spaces that our daughter crawls from room to room shouting just to hear her voice echoing. Sad, really!

See we moved from an inner-city Victorian terrace to a large Federation family home. We blew the budget just buying the house so we have not been able to furnish it. All we have is what we brought with us from the old place and that isn't much at all. The biggest void is the formal lounge and formal dining rooms. They are completely empty!

Unable to decide on a style of decor for those rooms, it is probably for the best that we have no money to furnish them. Here is a photo I found on Architectural Digest I think it is a great example of the look I hope to achieve in the formal lounge room when we eventually get around to furnishing it.



I think it is gorgeous, really warm and homely but also slightly more formal than the typical Australian lounge room. This is a photo of Kelsey Grammer's home in Colorado I love that is has lots of beautiful colours, patterns and textures, nothing too OTT American- only slightly quirky but elegant. Really it is just perfect for what I have in mind.


At the moment our house is a mixture of styles I think, we love to buy things from a local furniture store called Coco Republic, we have many of our lights from there. They also have gorgeous furniture and they tend to have very big items as well. Nowadays people tend to have smaller homes so it is tricky to find large dining tables and lounge suites that aren't hideously garish but Coco Republic manage it well. Nothing too loud and gaudy. We tend to choose muted colours and lots of black features like the signature CR tripod lamps so I think when we do get around to furnishing the formal rooms we will branch out and go for colour.

We will probably return to old faithful Coco when do get around to finishing the decor in our bedroom but I thought I might just show you a gorgeous setee I found from Martha Stewart's Bernhardt range. This will work wonderfully under the side window in our bedroom in between where we have the bed and the fireplace.
























Alas these rooms are a long way off. In the meantime I think I'll have a Cherry Ripe and sit back and enjoy the silence while my little bunny sleeps the night away. Have a great evening!

Poo Poo Prada

Well we all know that a baby changes everything. You have the sweet little coos and first baby smiles and then the first little words and adorable attempts at walking.
You also have the endless daze of sleep deprivation, post baby fatness and a very desolate social calendar.

Being an inanely organised person, I researched all of this in great detail before my tiny little bundle arrived. I was prepared for the late nights, the spew on the shoudler, the bleary eyed walks at 4am... I was even prepared for the post baby body.

One thing I was not prepared for, one thing I could never have imagined is a concept so gross, so ikky and so awful that I am not sure how to word it...
I was not prepared to carry jars of baby poopoo in my darling Prada cream deerskin bowler bag.

I'm not sure anything could have prepared me for that! Yes, the days of the DINKS wasting ridiculous sums of money on bags, shoes, suits are well and truly over but who could have predicted my old life would get such a slap in the face?!

To subject my stylish little friend to transporting such an horrific item really was cruel on my part and I wonder now if she will ever forgive me. Will all my bags turn on me in support of their deerskinned comrade? If there was a War Crimes Tribunal for gross atrocities towards handbags- am I the new Slobodan?

The most pressing question now is- will I have to become one of those true frumpy mummies who carries either a chunky pleather copy of a Kelly or worse still one of those hideously loud hibiscus print Oi Oi things?

To be honest, I just don't know. I'm going to hold a round table tonight. I am hoping my bags will forgive me. After all, they are all I have left. My post-baby body will never allow me back into my beautiful clothes so I resort to slumming it in the height of frumpiness to cover my post baby belly but all the while I carry my beloved accessories to remind me that under all this one-size-fits-all casual wear is a stylish yummy mummy dying to get out.

*Oh and as for my baby girl, she is ok. She just happened to be very unlucky in 08 and she contracted a hideous bug so we need to keep checking the bacteria levels. Noice, huh?*