Home's

Sorry the blog posts have been few and far between these last couple of weeks. You know how they say, "something's gotta give", when you work and mother and housework (rather badly) and work and work?... well my poor blog has been quietly tending to itself while we have been settling back into the school/work routine. I think I have my act together now and over the next week or so will be moving everything here over to my new Wordpress site that Katrina has kindly set up for me. I also believe in the saying, "if you don't have anything to say, don't say it".. is that a saying? It is now. Between work and school, there's been not much interesting stuff to say.... it's just been school lunches and #mylifeinthecar and work and shed and couriers and boxes (my life is boxes) and emails and piano lessons and emergency school shirt ironing... you know the drum.

What do you do when you don't have the time to blog?..... when you get so busy and focussed you forget to even smile until someone smiles at you? I love the idea that Karen, from 'The Art Of Doing Stuff', came up with, as she needed some time away from her blog to get stuff done. She got her blog readers to write a story, starting with, "It was a dark and stormy night......". Head on over there for some great Saturday morning reading. It's hilarious! Her readers have a great collective sense of humour! Can't wait to see how it ends.... or it might never! HERE.

Happy Saturday! We're doing Michel Thomas' family French lessons this morning....we've got 9 weeks to get fluent... all of us, especially little peanut allergy boy... he has to be super diligent in another language.... and country. We're off on a big adventure. Tell you all about it soon.

Look what arrived in my PO Box this week! The March issue of 'SA Life', sent to me by Letitia, from 'The White Shed'. It had the above page marked.... because it features my lights, in her beautiful home! Much excitement!

Look!... her dining room made the cover! Excitement!

Letitia is a woman after my own heart, with her love of neutrals..... and she says, 

"I'm a great believer in the importance of the formal lounge and dining room".

Hear, hear! 

The correct term is, 'hear, hear'. It is an abbreviation for "hear, all ye good people, hear what this brilliant and eloquent speaker has to say!"As of March 2010, a NY Times article cites a web statistic where 'here here' outpolls the correct 'hear hear' 2,720,000 to 1,420,000. I'm sure it is still outpolling with current stats. (Source: IT Knowledge Exchange)

So I exclaim it loud and grammatically correctly..... 'hear, hear'!!!!

Oh, would I sit here and daydream!

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Look at the pew! 

Isn't Letitia's home just beautiful?

Letitia has the most stylish blog HERE too... as well as her online store HERE.

Happy Friday!

My friend, Katrina, has not only been nominated for a Logie!!!!! (for her stellar performance in last year's TV show, 'The Block') but also for the 'KidSpot Top Blogger Award'.

Katrina is the kindest soul. I have known her for years, through our blogging..... and last year, I had the opportunity to meet her for the first time in real life, on The Block during filming. It was like we'd known each other for ever.....chatting to each other every day through our blogs and twitter sort of does that! Our paths crossed many times after that.....at the Block auction (I was one of her invited guests... much excitement) and at various blogging events throughout the year. Katrina is so fun to be with. She is generous to the core... sharing her life, her feelings, her blogging tips with everyone out there in bloggy land. She runs a seriously stylish ship over at her blog and shares her design and tech savvy with all who engage her talents in creating their beautiful blogs and websites. I have heard on the grapevine that Katrina is also running a Blog Design Masterclass mid year, at the Nuffnang Blogopolis conference.

Katrina has had serious battles with her health and has used her TV exposure to do really good things for Crohns and Colitis Australia. She's fiercely loyal and generous to her friends and family..... and never really asks for anything....so I am asking you, if you love her even half as much as I do, to please skip on over to the voting site HERE and click on this button to vote for Katrina. 

You can win $5000 just for voting too! Seriously. 

Go Treens! Love ya.

This morning's kitchen nook comes all the way from a property called 'Bright Bliss' in Bright, Victoria.

'Bright Bliss' is self-contained, luxury accommodation, situated at the foot of the Victorian Alps, walking distance from the Bright town centre. 

Isn't it pretty?!

Love the stone.... and the gorgeous light!

I've checked out the map.....smack bang in between Fall's Creek and Hotham ski resorts!

Check out the tub! Imagine soaking your aching 'ski legs' in that!

'Mor' body products and Sheridan towels.

I'm there.

... and look!

I'm so there.

They have a website HERE.

.... and they have deals on their Facebook page HERE.

Hmmm, maybe I need to get my act together and plan a Victorian Alps ski trip. Maybe end of term 3?..... when big son is tripping the light fantastique in Japan on his school trip? What a great base for a ski trip. Via Melbourne of course. Centre of the universe. Got to get my fix.

Busy day of clients today...then my second orchestra rehearsal tonight. Been practising all week. Not so scratchy now. Although my boys would disagree. Little one skipped past me yesterday with hands over his ears! I kid you not.

Happy Monday!

Look at this beauty that Jane, from Life On Planet Baby, sent me for my birthday.

Poor love, she sent it to my PO Box.... which is not frequented as much as it should.. so she had to wait a while for my 'whoops of delight'. I keep it on the very top of my desk.... it reminds me every day of the magic that is blogging.

Jane also covers her letters in beautiful liberty fabric, as well as gorgeous ribbons.

I am trying to convince Jane to open an Etsy Store. I need numbers. Head on over to her beautiful, happy blog and tell her to. HERE. Tell her A-M says so :)

Hear, hear.

You've gotta love what you do.

Happy Tuesday! Guitar Ensemble this morning so we're leaving early!

Up the 'Paris End Of Latrobe Terrace', here in Brisbane, is Daryl's gorgeous shop, 'Du Monde'.

Daryl held his fabulous, bi-annual 'Footpath Sale' yesterday, so my friend and I got there early.

Before I waffle, I need to say that I am eyeing off that gorgeous chair in his store window. 

Daryl has his furniture custom made you know. Deep sigh.

Let's start with the important stuff... our nail polish matched.

No really, if you live in or near Brisbane and seriously miss Paris... hang out with Daryl.

He goes to Paris all the time and sources the most exquisite and unusual things.

Everything has a story.

These beautiful monogrammed pillowcases have been traced back to a convent in Ireland.

These were made from a roll of mangle cloth from almost a century ago. 

They felt so beautiful.... and still had that lovely 'as new' luster.  

Look!.... Paris books and stuff.

... and true blue, dinky di Parisian perfumes.. which smelt heavenly. 

I wore every one of them all at once.

I pounced on some little 'French Bee' salt and pepper shakers amongst these treasures.

Beautiful faux flowers and urns....and Daryl's hand to the right. 

He was in his 'shed clothes' so was not ready for his 'closeup'. 

I know all about 'shed clothes' ...so I understood completely.

Some local artists thrown in for good measure.

Some baskets I snapped up.

One can never have too many baskets, I say....

..."or cushions", my friend said...

... taking advice from Faux Fuchsia, Brisbane's 'cult blogger'...

...... who "never knowingly undercushions". Ref: FF, 2010

We stopped for a brief 4 hour coffee after our shopping...

.. and enjoyed the view.

That tall building on the horizon, to the left is my suburb...

... so I'm not far from Brisbane's 'little bit of Paris' at all.

If you need a regular dose of Daryl's exquisite taste... his blog can be found HERE.

Happy Sunday!

I'm still not here. Just popping in to let you know that I put my two bobs worth in over at Jennifer's '2011 Great Reads', over at her blog 'The Rambling Renovators'. I was asked to highlight my favourite blog post of 2011. Mine is rather gloomy compared to all the other happy, upbeat posts, as it is the one about Ken and how he lost everything in the floods.... but it was my favourite as it brought about great things and it wasn't all about me for a change. You can find it HERE.

Such a wonderful line up of new blogs too.... a great new reading list!

Ok, I'm outta here. Carry on.

Missing you.