Review // Golden Indulgence by Kettle Town Teas*

Recently, I was contacted by an Aussie tea company called Kettle Town who were wondering if I'd be interested in trying their unique blends of teas. Of course, as any tea lover would do, I jumped at the chance and within 2 days of saying "yes" a little package arrived at my doorstep. Talk about quick delivery!

The flavour they sent me is called Golden Indulgence, and is a rich, aromatic blend of Organic Ceylon black tea, Organic cacao nibs and chocolate pieces all infused with chocolate and almond flavours. The fist thing I noticed when I opened the packet was the rich, melt-in-your-mouth chocolatey scent of the tea. I'd been looking for a nice chocolate infused tea for quite some time, and was so excited to try it!

Well, this little blend did not disappoint! I could barely wait the 2-3 minutes it is recommended to brew before pouring it into my cup! The scent was so mouthwatering, I knew I was going to love it before it even reached my mouth. I enjoy this tea with sugar and lots of milk, to really bring out the creamy, chocolate and almond flavours. 

Kettle Town Teas pride themselves on their unique and creative blends, with their aim being "to fully maximise the dynamic aspects of tea by using it in different ways such as pairings or creating fancy tea cocktails or hot rums. We think tea is fun and cool so we wanna share that with everyone else".

My experience with Kettle Town has been an absolute pleasure. As we come into the cooler, winter months here in Australia, I know I'm going to really enjoy curling up with a cup of Golden Indulgence and a good book or some crochet. I can't wait to try a few more of their exciting blends in the future!


Disclaimer: Product was exchanged for this review with Kettle Town Teas. All opinions are 100% my own and not influenced by this payment. 

Big Decisions and not letting things stand in your way

For the past two years, I have been trying to convince myself that I want to be an English and History teacher. After my HSC results came in, I realized that all the time I had off school sick over the year had severely affected my marks and I would not be getting into any medicine or pre-med courses. I was a little bit heartbroken, but had been expecting it and knew it was for the better. 

The hunt was on for a new career, and I had only a few short weeks to make a decision on what I was to do for the rest of my life. My marks for English and History had been really, really good and I enjoyed the subjects so much, but ever since I was a little girl I had wanted to be a doctor and I still had a real fascination with the medical world. My two conflicting interests were tearing me different ways and the two career paths I decided between were teaching and midwifery. The appeal of 10 weeks holidays a year and good hours tore me away from the medical profession I'd so long desired and I chose teaching. 

I've now been studying literature, history and cultural studies for a year and a half, and while last year I enjoyed my studies immensely, changing to a new university this year has made me reconsider my career choice. I began to realize that I cannot picture myself standing up in front of a classroom for the rest of my life, and that I'm not challenged by the course work (a good thing for some but apparently I'm a weirdo who likes things to be hard?). 

So, after a few months of thinking, research and countless episodes watched of The Midwives and One Born Every Minute (they seriously need to make some Aussie midwife shows!) I have finally decided to change to midwifery! I put in my application yesterday and have already been accepted into nursing (which was my second choice and has the exact same first year subjects as midwifery) to start next semester! I have to wait to see what my marks are this semester before I find out if I also got into the Bachelor of Midwifery but I'm super excited anyway because I know I'm going to be able to do it whether I need to transfer again from nursing or not!

A big part of the reason I have spent 2 years trying to convince myself to be a teacher is my health. Even now, my close family and friends are concerned with how I will cope with night shifts and such physical work with lupus but I had to take the chance and make this decision. I may have lupus, but why should I let it control such an important decision in my life? I may not ever be able to work full time in my profession due to my illness, but the same goes for teaching as well. On the other hand, I could go into remission in a few years and if I hadn't taken this chance, I could really regret not following my dreams. 

I can't think of anything more magical than helping to bring new life into the world everyday as a profession. Being a midwife would be more than just a job to me. It would be a privilege to help women bring their babies safely earth side and I am very excited for my new career path!

Wednesday Wish list: Retro Kitchen/Dining

Retro Kitchen/Dining by sunae-reilly featuring yellow kitchen towels

So, now Jake and I have been in our home a few months, we are starting to nut out how we would like our home to look. Jake hates isn't a very big fan of the chintzy, shabby chic, vintage look I love so much, so in the spirit of compromise, he is allowing me to still decorate in a vintage/retro theme as long as I stick to a more gender neutral colour scheme and make it what we call "mid-century industrial kitsch". He doesn't know what kitsch means and I'm not sure he would approve of those salt and pepper shakers, but since I know I'l be the one spending the money to make our place look nice, I like to think I should be allowed a few kitsch and novelty bits and bobs of my choosing! Most of this stuff is from ModCloth. I deliberately chose stuff from an international store so the postage would put me off spending all my savings on everything in one go haha. I would really like to get bits and pieces here and there though, and will mix this stuff in with vintage stuff I already own and stuff I find along the way.

What do you think of this kind of style?