things i'm loving . . . 'goodies with my husband'

Greetings all,
Things I'm Loving, yay, i'm the luckiest girl in the world . . . my husband may have missed a dozen wedding anniversaries but look at this special piece of hard core jewellery i got for our 15th!!  As if his charm, dimples & all round gorgeousness weren't enough . . . he went shopping at Tiffany's on the way home from Afghanistan & i absolutely love it, i mean him!!  EDIT: Tiffany's Dubai, there isn't a Tiffany's in Kandahar.

 We have a fantastic French patisserie hidden away in Fyshwick (industrial area) with glorious treats, like this sampler for $6.50, mmmm, love The Flute!!  We sat in the car in the rain & shared these, outside a hardware store, glamorous i know, but it's all about the company you keep.  EDIT: so glad The Flute is famous for my readers. 

 My darling patient husband knows not to question when i squeal & find a silver pineapple - it's made friends with my pears already.

 Da dah, bilateral carpal tunnel decompression surgery, 2 weeks on, talk about key hole!!  Still swollen & tender, my palms are precious this week & you can see the numb left thumb here, sporting a purple hue.  The Third Bird heat pack is just the right size for my thumb to warm up & rest on.

 Do you ever use your 4c/L fuel discount to buy magazines when you fill up your car??  You should - it halves the price of the big glossy magazines.  I used to absorb Marie Claire, Vogue & Elle as a high school & uni student, i love fashion, accessories, decor . . .  tripping around Europe on my honeymoon was such an eye boggling experience, Via Condotti Roma anyone??  My parents would take us children into all the designer stores we'd read about, it was magic.  I haven't bought a Marie Claire magazine for ages, i'm excited, Claudia is so beautiful.  It will take me back to my teen years reading by the pool or on the train, tucked into my chemistry folder, tee hee.  EDIT: use your 4c/L for fuel & the 'spend $5 at the service station for an additional 4c/L' for magazines, much better than spending it on junk food & very handy for me who has an 85L tank & 65L reserve tank, magazines are practically free!!

 I flick through these magazines now, gathering ideas for my daughters.  I have hired most seasons of The Hills & The City while resting my hands, what brilliant reality shows to give young folk a taste inside the fashion, magazine & PR industries, not to mention dating, room mates & parties for those young, free & single girls in their early 20s.  My husband doesn't watch . . . but his favourite is Lauren.  

 Have to say, most of our lovely relaxing plans while my husband was home on war leave, did include picnics, walks & general things which required sunshine, alas we got rain. 

 Mmmm . . . fruit flan, my local little bakery does a delicious one.

Ok, as i said last post, i'm guilty of wishing time away so my husband is home with us this Winter, ahhh, snuggling up at night.  Can you imagine 9 months in a war zone, trying to get a good night's rest in an IKEA bunk with your boss sleeping above you??  Ok, so he's not sleeping in the dirt or under a vehicle these days, but at home, we bought a new mattress for our king size bed, it's so high (Sealy Tranquility Plush, half price, you know how i shop!!) with our glorious wool underlay & new crisp cotton sheets . . . even the children refer to our bed as 'the cloud' & they're not allowed to go near it, after using our last mattress for gymnastic floor routines!!  Giggles, love Posie
PS final days for this giveaway to win books from the National Library of Australia. 

the twilight zone time of year

Greetings all,

Don't you find this time of year a bit like the Twilight Zone, stuck in no man's land, exhausted without direction??  Full belly from Christmas, family overload & sale shopping . . . if you can get off the lounge, afternoon naps, who lives like this??  It's actually difficult to move forward when you're all planned out & feeling so lazy without an agenda.

A little replay of our Christmas . . . children waited for me to watch them open their Santa sacks (i've never had a child wake before 7a.m. even at Christmas!!)  Lots of family phone calls, while i made iced tea & mango crushes . . .

 we had pancakes & croissants while the boy finished off each of his sisters' drinks!!

 Fun & games until someone gets burnt!!  Quick call to my brother for a complimentary Christmas Day burns victim consultation on my 3rd girl who spent 20 minutes with her upper arm under cold running water. 

 Lunch was Italiano style - simple & delicious, but with hiccups - i put the smoked salmon out first . . . my son ate the entire platter before anyone even sat down & there were tears as we all missed handsome soldier.  Then huge scoops of gelato in waffle cones, completely untraditional but it was truly all about fun for the children.  

 Someone got a sequin pineapple purse (we watched The September Issue on Boxing Day, poses were struck).  I have devoured Vogue since i was a young girl, i find high fashion utterly fascinating.  I'm so far from a model, but what an interesting life, one of my girls would like to model.

 Could not believe my luck at the Country Road sale, the ONLY pair of moccasins they had were red & in my size, yay!!  My girls acted like porters & carried the shopping, so cute, especially as i loaded them up on 6 new beach towels & homewares.  Also picked up the kaftan i had on my ultimate gift list, $80 off!!

 Slightly in shock my first born wears a size 39 shoe, she's not quite 13!!  I've had to hunt down suitable flat ladies shoes for her since she was 9, i wait for sales - she did well today.  Thrilled with my new foxy shoulder bag from Hive & this oversized beach hat from Trenery.  I am not a hat person, but who cares in Summer??  Time to done the Miu Mius.

So i spent my 36th Christmas afternoon, dozing on the lounge reading the new cookbooks the children received, putting a disected shark will full plastic anatomy together . . . listening to a storm pelting the roof, wearing new Peter Alexander slippers, i felt so OLD!!  As the children got bikes early for Christmas, their gifts were few & practical - like clothes, educational toys & VS hair dryers - how much fun is 'the big hair styler', it rolls & spins & doesn't tangle!! 

Thanks for the gorgeous well wishes this Christmas, i've been able to chat & Skype my husband a couple of times each day, takes the sting out of missing him.  We've also found a property i like & he's agreed to consider, yahoo!!  It's smaller (about 70 acres) & below our budget, in a great location.  Progress!!  Love Posie