Jewellery Swap

I participated in a Jewellery swap with the lovely Autumn from "Mrs" in the Making which found me paired with Autumn herself.

We were given questions to answer to give a little run down of our tastes and preferences and it was up to our swap partner to interpret the answers and choose a piece of jewellery that best fit.

My answers consisted of: Navy/Purple, simple, a bit of sparkle.

This is what I was sent..I must say, I was sold before I even got to the bracelet. I love things that are wrapped with many layers! It builds my excitement.

Wrapping layer one

Wrapping layer two 

 Wrapping layer three

My bracelet 

Perfect! It fit every little detail that I told Autumn I liked 

 And of course a lovely little note from Autumn.

Thank you so much Autumn, my bracelet is so cute!

Coffee time

I have a coffee machine and an in house barista to make me a coffee every morning..

So we made a video.. listen carefully at the end. I get way too excited for coffee.

Oh hey, nice dress

I sewed this dress awhile ago using the Vogue pattern 1236. On the weekend when I wore it out, I thought I should get some proper pictures of me wearing it, so asked Steve to take some when we were out.

Well, I think we can all see that I will never ever be a fashion blogger. To quote Steve - 'Hey Rhi, can you be less....awkward?'. 

I love the dress though. It's really comfortable and can be worn with or without a belt. I chose a belt, since I have a waist like most women do. The pattern was really easy to sew and really only had 2 main pieces which is handy for the amateur sewers such as myself.

Perhaps impromptu is my best angle?

*** 

Earlier in the week, I was looking for Teddy in all the common places I usually find him asleep. We recently moved a wooden chest we have to the front window so that Teddy could sit on there during the day and look out on to the street. 

Guess where he was sleeping?

His little cubby house 

Tourists in our own city

What do you do when the weather hits at least 25 degrees celcius on a Saturday and you have no plans? Well, you go on an adventure of course.

Steve and I are huge fans of having no plans on weekends. Nowhere we have to be on a weekend is our idea of bliss. Of course, the weekend arrives and we find ourselves pondering what to do whilst we are eating our breakfast and sipping our coffee. We always find our way though; we always find something to do.

Martin Place, Sydney

Saturday morning, we decided we would drive in to the city and park the car, walk to Circular Quay and catch a ferry to Manly. What actually happened was: drive to the city and park the car, walk to Opera Kitchen and wait ages for mediocre food, then walk 6.5km around the city back to the car, stopping to take pictures and drink coffee along the way.

Oh look, jewellery...hint hint

Successful, I say. We got our exercise in; albeit in sandals and a dress. 

We saw parts of the city we hadn't seen before (or rather, I don't remember seeing) and I probably got a tiny bit of a tan along the way too... Probably not though, since I'm white as a ghost.

 Typical tourist shot

 The ferry we might have caught...if it weren't for the 6.5km walk.

Oh coffee, how I love you so

How was your weekend?

Do you ever play tourist in your own town?

Sunday Social

 1. What is something you have wanted to do but are afraid of? I want Steve and I to be able to charter a Yacht and sail on our own.
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I will have bought a house, gotten a second dog, maybe married. Definitely finished University and hopefully have a job that I really enjoy. Possibly even living overseas!

3. What are you looking forward to before the end of 2012?  Making it through my current Uni session. Meeting my sweet little Nephew who is due in November.
4. What are your hopes for your blog? To grow in a way that brings friendships with it. To be a space that I enjoy writing for. I don't want it to become a chore.
5. Do you always see yourself living in your current town/city? YES! I hope to buy a house around here in the next couple of years. 
6. What is your morning routine? For weekdays: 7am - get out of bed 7:05am - Iron work clothes 7:15 - 8:20am - Get ready for work (Eat breakfast, shower, get dressed, hair, makeup etc) 8:20am - Leave for the bus stop 8:30am - Hop on a bus 9:00am - Get in to work and set up etc 9:00am - 5:30pm - Work 5:30pm - Get the bus home 6:00-10:00pm - Cook dinner, eat dinner, do Uni work, go to the gym, shower. 10:00 (or thereabouts) - Bedtime

Friday's Letter

Dear Friday, 

Thank you for the day at home. I needed it and I feel better for it.

Dear Teddy, 

You mastered the trick of roll over this week. At the age of four years old. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? (not that four is old). You clever boy, you.

Dear future puppy, 

I can't wait to bring you home to our little family. I put my name down on a list this week and I can't wait for that call! 

Dear Japan, 

You are getting closer!

Dear Steve, 

I fall in love with you more and more every day. Scratching my head until I fall asleep? You won me all over again.

Dear little blog of mine, 

I love to see you grow. I wish I had more time to write thoughtful blog posts. Between full time work and full time Uni..there isn't much time left in the day. Keep growing, step by step.

Dear Blog Friends,

I have buttons now! If you would like to swap buttons, please let me know so we can organise it.

Dear Sharon,

I am so excited about our plan! We will get there eventually ;-P

Dear Weekend,

Hooray for the weekend! I have no plans and am happy to see where the days take me!

Linking with Ashley

I believe..

I believe in love and working hard to keep it alive.

I believe some thoughts are best kept to yourself.

I believe in wearing heels to work to make you look more professional and feminine.

I believe in doing things that you want to because this is your life. Don’t worry what people will think of you.

I believe I will never truly master the art of doing my hair. My hair will always win our battles.

I believe in true friends and being present. You can’t keep a friendship if you aren’t there.

I also believe it is hard to make new friends.

I believe loved ones hold a very special key to our hearts.

I believe in always growing myself. Finding new things to make me a better person, a better lover, a better friend, a better Daughter, a better Sister.

I believe in helping people.

I believe in a glass of red wine when needed. I also believe vodka, lime and soda will never give me a hangover.

I believe exercise will always make a person feel good.

I believe my dog is an important part of who I am.

I believe in wearing no shoes.

I believe in girl time.

I believe in quality time with loved ones.

I believe in humour and laughing every day.

I believe a family is started even before a Marriage. As such, I believe in the little family I have – Steve, Teddy and I.

I believe in sewing.

I believe in date nights.

I believe in being kind and gentle.

I believe in being silly when the opportunity arises.


Linking with Erin

When all you need is friends

My darling friend K recently went through a break up. I live an hour away from K and during the week I wasn't able to go and see her which upset me, because at a time like that everyone needs their friends.

To make up for it, I had K and T over on Saturday night to indulge in carbs, a mega cheesecake, wine and Sex and the City. Whilst the break up may still be raw for K, a few hours of girl time and laughs are a perfect way to take her mind off everything that has happened lately.

K, if you are reading this - I love you dearly and wish only the best for you. You are a beautiful girl, inside and out and I am so proud to call you my Friend.

Hey there, big hair

Steve and I went for an adventure in to the city on Sunday. I sported what can only be labelled as 'big hair'. Either I didn't look in the mirror before I left, or the wind was causing havoc. I choose the latter.

The reason for our adventure in to Sydney was for dessert at Meet Fresh - more on that later. Before dessert, we went in search of protesters, alas all we found were a few men dressed in traditional garments handing out pamphlets advising 'The real meaning of Jesus'. Hey dude, I went to a Catholic School from Kindergarten until Year 12 - I know who Jesus is, ok? People trying to preach to me frustrate me.

Since our protester search was uneventful, we directed our walk towards Hyde Park. The weather was sunny, but not too warm and the park attracted lots of people picnicking, sun-baking and feeding the Ibis bird (read: being harassed by Ibis birds). 

Further along in our walk, we saw a different type of protest that graced Sydney's Martin Place a good few months ago. Back then, there were tents set up and many people were participating in the Occupy Sydney movement. Now, there are just two men sitting at a table with no tents in sight. Perhaps it's time to close up guys?

Hey Rhi, look down. 

 Finally, we made it to Meet Fresh. A little Taiwanese Dessert shop. 

 Our favourite dessert - the Mango Special!

A successful day of random adventures, if you ask me.
Do you go on adventures without plans in place?

If I were...

When I first read the title of Jasmine's post, I thought she was talking about the 'If I were a Butterfly song'. Then I remembered that I learnt that in my Catholic Primary school and it's unlikely that she would dedicate a whole blogpost to some song about a Butterfly.

 

Actually, the post is a list of things that she would choose if she were that thing. It looked fun, so I filled it in too. I love reading more about other bloggers, so looky here - you can read more about me too! 

 

If I were a gemstone, I'd be a sapphire

If I were a scent, I'd be freshly washed clothes (fabric softener scent)

If I were a pair of shoes, I'd be a pair of comfortable flats

If I were the weather, I'd be a cold, sunny, Winter morning. (Same as Jasmine. Winter is my fav)

If I were a facial expression, I'd be a huge big smile

If I were a car, I'd be a Porsche 4WD

If I were a time of day, I'd be 5:02pm (home time!!)

If I were a month, I'd be September

If I were a place, I'd be my home

If I were a liquid, I'd be water

If I were a taste, I'd be Japanese curry flavour

If I were a sea animal, I'd be a seal

If I were a food, I'd be gyoza

If I were a colour, I'd be peacock blue (is that even a colour?)

If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a violin

If I were a flower, I'd be a Iris

If I were a planet, I'd be Mars

If I were an object, I'd be a car 

If I were a fruit, I'd be a watermelon

If I were a sound, I'd be the sound of waves

If I were a day of the week, I'd be a Saturday

 

If you also fill this out, send me your link.

Our Dining Room

Our dining room is my favourite room in our house. It is pretty much the only room we have 'done up'; I am ok with that though, since we are only renting.

We had a housemate for awhile and whilst she lived here, the room was used as a dining room/study. This made for a very cramped room, with a dining table and study area. 

After she moved, Steve and I put the study desk in the spare room and moved the dining table to the centre of the room. We decided to buy a rug, since we have hardwood floorboards and need to protect the wood from chairs moving in and out. Steve and I both prefer Persian style rugs over modern rugs; as such we chose this one:

This was the colour palette we based the rest of the room on, so everything else is black and white. We decided on this table runner (and added a vase and some candle holders for decoration)

We decided on this light shade. Simple, but it ties in well.

A few weeks after we put all that together, I decided the walls looked bare, so we got some photographs printed and bought some black and white frames from Ikea. We started a gallery wall which is yet to be finished; this is the progress so far:

This is also Teddy's favourite room. He loves the rug and can often be found asleep under the dining table.

The room is not spectacular like I have seen reading other blogs; it does however reflect Steve and I. We like simple things and we aren't very good decorators. In saying that, I am very pleased with the outcome

Have you decorated your house? 

Do you and your partner like to stick to a certain style?

Liebster Blog Award

I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by the lovely Samara from The Secret Life of Samara. The award is given by bloggers for their up and coming blogs. Thanks so much, Samara!

Here are the rules:

• Tell 11 random facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions that the blogger who nominated you gave you to answer
• Choose up to 11 other awesome blogs to nominate for the award
• Come up with a list of 11 questions for your nominees to answer

********************************************************************************************

11 random facts about me:

1. I have 5 brothers, no sisters.

2. Steve is my first love.

3. I am really uncoordinated. I trip over my own (huge) feet.

4. I bought myself a brand new car when I was 18. It was a Holden Barina and I named her Delilah. 

5. I make excuses to get out of exercising. I actually really love to exercise though.. 

6. I have cold hands 95% of the time.

7. I'm studying a degree in Economics.

8. I am excited to become a Mother when the time comes.

9. I volunteer for Down Syndrome NSW, it is a lot of fun!

10. I got my first nickname after I finished High School.

11. I would LOVE to live in the US. There is a possibility of this happening through Steve's job. If we move there, I hope to do further study over there.

11 Questions:

1. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because I was reading a lot of blogs and wanted to share a little of my life.

2. What did you write about in your first blog post?
I think I just introduced myself - nothing exciting

3. What has been your favourite post to write so far?
Hmm, probably any of the vlog posts I've done.

4. If you could be better at anything, what would it be?
Learning! I'm not a great student, but I try hard.

5. If you had a weekend free from responsibilities. how would you spend it?
Relaxing, sewing, going out for coffee (and cake!) and napping. A good weekend is one that involves a nap!

6. What is your pet peeve?
Inconsiderate people. This includes inconsiderate drivers, people who smoke in bus stop areas.. and a lot more!

7. Describe your best, most favourite day to date.
Tough one! I'm not engaged, married and don't have kids. 

8. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A nurse. I changed my mind after I got my first full time job. I don't want to do shift work or work on weekends. I might re-visit this career choice later in life, but for now - I'm happy.

9. Who would you like to meet and why?
Audrey Hepburn. I could use a few tips on how to be a sophisticated woman.

10. What is your favourite holiday memory?
Being in Japan with Steve and navigating our way through a country where English isn't the first predominant language. Daunting and exciting.

11. What is the number one thing on your bucket list?
Finish Uni!! I can't wait to be done. Then, I can start achieving the rest of my bucket list.

I'm not going to tag, partly because I am lazy, but mostly because the blogs I read all have more followers than me and I don't know if I can tag them. Anyways, if you feel you would like to be tagged, let me know and I'll 'tag' you!

Sunday with my loves

Sundays around here are lazy days. Steve and I usually wake up around the same time and stay in bed chatting for awhile.. until Teddy jumps on us, insisting that we get out of bed.

After breakfast, we decided we didn't want to stay home all day and got ready for a drive up to Pittwater, to the dog beach up there. 

I put on an outfit that I thought kind of matched (I usually dress in what is comfortable. I am not fashionable), then Steve tried to get some 'outfit' shots for me. I'm way too awkward..

See:

The pointy bits on this blouse are darts....

Teddy's Birthday

Teddy's favourite thing to do is go on long walks with Steve and I. So after a busy day on Saturday (and an afternoon nap!), we took him down to choose a future yacht for a long walk along Rushcutters Bay. We also recently bought a new flash, so we decided to try it out on the walk.

Teddy really loves to race. He will sit patiently through 'On your marks, Get set, GO!' and won't run until he hears the magic 'GO' word. If I false start, he will still be sitting patiently. Too bad he gets bored midway through the race and runs in front of me to try and trip me. I've gotten a couple of skinned knees from his little diversions!