OOTD: It's Warming Up!

 

 Outfit details 

Shirt: Valleygirl

Skirt: Mint Vanilla

Shoes: Billabong

It's exam time for me right now, which has prompted a keen interest in restarting this little blog! It's been on my mind ever since I got back from Europe in January, but the year has flown and I haven't had the time. Now, the summer months stretch before me and I'm hoping I'll be able to keep it up. 

The past few weeks, the weather has really started to warm up and blue skies have beckoned me outside. Last weekend, I popped on this outfit to head out for the morning with Jake. We started the day off with a beautiful breakfast at my favourite local cafe, then headed down the river for some stand up paddle boarding. It was my first time trying it, and I was a little worried I'd be too un-co to get the hang of it, but I actually feel like I did really well! It was so nice cruising up and down the river, spotting turtles, bream and jellyfish as we went. Now I just need to convince Jake to buy me my own board for my birthday. I can see the two of us spending lots of summer days exploring the river this way.

Bikini: Rip Curl

Popsicle colours!

Being a brand ambassador for Graham & Brown is so much fun! This month's design challenge, The Popsicle Trend, has me thinking in all kinds of new and creative ways about how I inject colour into my life. When I think of popsicle colours, I think of the sherbet lollies I loved as a kid, of brights and pastels and ombre tones. With this month's challenge asking where I can see popsicle in my past, present and future, I had a lot of fun reminiscing, creating and day dreaming for this post.

Past

As soon as I thought of the popsicle trend, this amazing tea cup and saucer that was given to me by my friend, Darci came to mind! The ombre pink cup, and the tropical pink and orange saucer complete with toucans and pineapples is the perfect way to inject some summer warmth into your winter cup of tea.

Present

 

  

My little sewing corner is bathed with light in the afternoon,  making it incredibly hard to get a decent photo, but it is definitely the part of my room that fits the popsicle trend most perfectly. Graham & Brown sent me the paint to give my sewing chair an update to make it fit in better with the pastel colours of my room. The colour is Disney's Cinderella's Perfect Pastel. It reminds me of the colour of the frozen yoghurt popsicles I've loved since I was a kid and it's perfect for a subtle hint of colour that compliments the rest of my room. If you'd like to give painting a chair a go yourself, there is a fantastic how-to on Graham & Brown's blog. The mirror above my sewing table is one of my most favourite posessions. It was a gift from my parents for my 15th birthday and it definitely picks up on the popsicle trend with its bright, ombre flowers. The popsicle colour scheme is completed by the print by Autumn and the colourful crochet squares that are my current inspiration for my craft pursuits.

Future

Popsicle by sunae-reilly featuring replica furniture

I really love the mid century aesthetic and think it fits in amazingly with the popsicle theme. Taking inspiration from my toucan tea cup I've put together this beautiful mid century tropical themed living room, featuring Graham & Brown's Flamingo wallpaper. Grahamm & Brown have a super impressive array of wallpapaer, which is my new favourite obsession after watching this season's House Rules. Of course, I had to be a little bit literal in this design, including a retro popsicle poster, which I think would look great above the replica sideboard, with the flamingo wallpaper on the adjacent wall, behind the sofa. Most of the stuff in this image is from my new favourite furniture designer, Matt Blatt and it is definitely a "future" style because there is no way I can afford Matt Blatt furniture for a good few years yet!

What do you think of my past, present and future interpretations of popsicle? Where does popsicle fit into your style?

Mind, Body, Spirit - Finding a path back to fitness

 A time when I felt truly at peace with myself

Recently, I've come to a new understanding of how important it is to keep a healthy mind, body, spirit connection. I came to this understanding through my midwifery studies, when I realised how holistic most indigenous models of health are, and how we are missing crucial aspects of mental and spiritual health in western medicine. Excuse me for sounding like some yogic hippy, but honestly, it feels really good to find that connection between mind, body and spirit and work on maintaining it. This connection may be maintained in different ways for different people, and its about what works for you, but for me, this connection is nurtured through a mix of swimming, yoga and creative output, as well as the work that I so love - my midwifery studies.

The serenity of being under water feeds my soul

I've never been one for willful exercise, but lately, in a desperate effort to ease the pain of fibromyalgia and start feeling good about myself again, I took to swimming. In my early teen years, I used to swim a couple of kilometres a day in the local pool over summer, but then I became an angsty teen who liked her sleep too much for swimming training, and my one form of exercise stopped. It's been over 5 years since I last swam two kilometres without stopping, but last week I donned a pair of goggles and hopped back in the pool again. It was hard. I needed to stop every two laps and I only made it 300 metres all up, but the rush of endorphins it gave me convinced me that swimming was the missing link in my life. The busyness of last week (and the cold) kept me out of the pool, but yesterday I hopped back in again and managed 500 metres, stopping less than I needed to last week as well. Progress in just two sessions! I like doing things that give quick results, and I think working towards my goal of being able to swim two kilometres without stopping will be really good for me, physically as well as mentally.

Source

 

To compliment my swimming, I've decided to take up yoga again, and alternate the two forms of exercise each day. Yoga has really helped me in the past to ease my pain, and has also been really instrumental when I've been through bouts of depression, to help ease my mind and get me mentally healthy again. I'll be doing Yoga with Adriene's 30 Days of Yoga spread out over the next 60 days, alternated with swimming laps in the pool, and I'm hoping to reach my 2km without stopping goal by then. I did the first day's yoga today and am feeling really at peace afterward, as well as being grateful to have stretched out some of the tightness in my legs from swimming yesterday.

While I don't totally hate the way I look (I'm pretty genetically blessed, really) I certainly have been feeling a little frumpy lately, and I'm hoping that as well as keeping me healthy, swimming and yoga might just tighten up my loose tum and bottom a little bit, too. I'll be posting about my exercise journey sporadically over the next two months, as well as other pursuits that feed into my mind, body, spirit connection to keep myself accountable and document this journey as well, so keep your eye out for my next post on spiritual health and what that means to me, as someone who isn't religious.

What do you do to keep fit and healthy?
Does it feed into your mind, body, spirit connection?

A peek at my bedroom

 It's been months since I moved back into my parents' place and I'm finally starting to get my bedroom looking the way I want it to. It's been a huge process of culling off items that I had throughout my old unit and trying to find storage solutions for what doesn't fit into this room, which is jam packed with craft stuff (not pictured due to the obscene mess on my craft table), uni stuff as well as all my clothes and other bedroom stuff. I still have a ways to go with decorating my craft area as well as wanting more colourful cushions for on my bed and needing to cover a piece of foam for my window seat so that I can decorate that area properly, but so far I am happy with how everything looks (when it's all tidy)!

White is perhaps the worst colour I could have on my bed right now thanks to my dog's muddy paws constantly dirtying it when he makes his way into my room, but I love that a white bedspread is a blank canvas for cushions and things to dress up. I particularly love the girliness of this ruched and frilly spread which I got as a total bargain off ebay! The crocheting beside my bed is a granny square blanket I started ages ago that is finally starting to take shape. I'm hoping it ties some of the colours in my room together a little more once it is done, and want to paint my bedside drawers white to give them a more girly look and make my blue ornaments really pop!

 Looking at the above photo of my bedside table which I took a month or so ago is crazy to see how much my cacti have grown! The are much bigger now but still not too big for my pretty terrarium. I'm so happy with how this bedside table looks!

 My desk is the first space in my room which really came together when I moved back home. It's an ugly metal and frosted glass thing which I threw a pretty lace table cloth over and decorated with some of my favourite things. The Harry Potter quote sign is from KB Signs and Kaelah did such a beautiful job on it. It's one of my favourite things I own! The chair is one from my mum's outdoor setting which I claimed as my own, because it fits in beautifully with my rustic stuff. The vintage ads above my desk are from Woolangabba Antique Centre and I chose the fashion one because it is an exact copy of my nan's going away outfit from when she got married in the late 1950's. The crystal jewellery holders were a gift from my aunty for my birthday, and the drawers were from my sister, along with a matching mirror which hange beside my bedroom door, and the decorated jars were made by me and are filled with fresh flowers whenever I can spare the change for them!.

 This big, wooden bookshelf was too heavy for us to bother moving it when I moved into this room so I happily kept it and gave my brother a white chipboard one to move into his new room as a replacement. I love having space to display my books, of which there are more on lower shelves, and also to display my favourite teacups and my teapot, and to have my jewellery handy. It also works as a great divider, separating out the corner on the other side of the shelf from my bed as a craft space. I'm really lucky to havea large, peculiarly shaped room which makes me feel less cramped now that I'm living back with my family again, and allows space for my hobbies without intruding on my family members when I make a big mess.

 This print was sent to me by Graham and Brown and fits in perfectly above my bed. The rose is feminine and keeps in line with the shabby chic, vintage look of my room, while still bringing in a modern edge with the touch of glitter and the bright shade of pink. I am looking for a bigger painting to put above my bed, but when I find one, this beautiful print will only be relocated to the other side of my bookshelf to decorate my craft space. After years of renting, I'm so glad to finally be back in a place where I can put hooks in the walls to my hearts' content!

Introducing: Little Foal Shabby Chic Wedding Decor

 

If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen that I recently attended a good friend's wedding, where I made a lot of the decorations. It was a beautiful, laid back wedding without sit down tables and we created a beautiful romantic vibe by situating tables around the room full of candles and flowers and vintage props and signs. A lot of people were surprised I would spend so much time and effort on something like this for a friend. There were literally dozens of hours spent cutting out triangles for bunting, ironing, gluing, measuring, cleaning and collecting jars and there was quite a bit of money spent on lace and doilies and all the pretty bits that brought the jars and bunting together so beautifully. Now, the truth comes out!

Before she even got engaged, the bride, who is a wedding photographer, knowing that I enjoy making things with my hands, pitched a business idea to me. She said there is a gap in the market for wedding decor that is shabby chic and low budget and offers the option of hiring bunting, so that the bride and groom aren't stuck with a heap of stuff they will never use again after that one day. At first, I declined. I said I was too busy, I wouldn't know where to start and I've never made such massive amounts of products before. Eventually, after her engagement, and a promise that she would help me build a network, I agreed. I'd make the decorations for her wedding, and hire them out afterwards, building on my stock over time. 

 Her wedding came together beautifully, with the two of us collaborating to style it with a mix of the decorations I'd made and she owned or collected in the lead up to the wedding. Many of the guests complimented us both on our efforts and my confidence was boosted! Now, one month later, I am finally launching Little Foal Shabby Chic Wedding Decor. Right now I'm offering burlap and lace bunting to hire (approx. 52 metres), decorated burlap and lace jars to hire (approx. 50) and a blue vintage suitcase to hire, a Singer sewing machine to hire, Mr & Mrs bunting to hire, CARDS bunting to hire (suggested use with suitcase for card box) and custom made bunting and jars to bride and groom's specifications. My delivery area is from Yamba to Broadbeach and west to Casino on the Far North Coast of NSW and the Gold Coast, QLD.

I'm really excited about this new venture, and hope to have hire prices in albums on the facebook page by the end of the week, in time for Evans Head's Beef Meets Reef event this Sunday, where I will have a market stall. I'm also hoping to eventually have some bunting in stock to sell, including the Mr & Mrs bunting, and to expand into other vintage and handmade props.

 

 

Cottage Bedroom*

Cottage bedroom by sunae-reilly featuring a glass vase

With my plans to travel Europe coming to fruition later this year, my mind has started to wander off in wild fantasies of running away to the English countryside when I finish uni, buying a cute little cottage and settling down as a homebirthing midwife. I picture myself warming my hands by a fire, drinking tea as I look out the window across snowy fields. Ideally, my little cottage wouldn't be too far from Cornwall, so that in the summer I could drive through the fields, now lush and green, for day trips to the seaside. My cottage would be a little run down when I bought it, but I'd take a lot of pride in renovating and decorating it.

I've recently become a brand ambassador for Graham & Brown and I think their Northern Rose wallpaper would make the perfect feature wall in my cottage's french provincial style bedroom. I'd pair it with furniture in neutral colours. The big, puffy settee, large bed full of cushions and throws, and coloured glass evoke a soft, country vintage charm when paired with the bright and beautiful floral wallpaper. This room would be the kind that you'd happily lounge around in on a Sunday morning, and struggle to leave on a dreary day. Soft blues and pinks in the accessories would tie the room together and sweet smelling candles would perfume the air. 

My dreams of owning an English cottage are a long way off coming true, and I haven't even convinced Jake to come on my holiday with me yet, let alone move half way around the world, but who knows what the future has in store? 

Adventure awaits!

So, many of you know that I have dreamed of travelling around Europe since I was a kid. I want to visit the Eiffel Tower and get lost in the Louvre, I want to climb castle turrets that look out over rolling hills, I want to visit the Colloseum and Pompeii and marvel over how such impressive monuments have withstood the test of time. I want to visit the village where Emily Bronte wrote my favourite book, and I want to see snow with my own two eyes for the very first time. Europe holds so much magic and beauty to me, from where I stand on the opposite side of the world. It is the place my dreams are made of, and I would wander from country to country forever if I could afford to, for the rest of my life!

At the start of this year, I decided that I've had enough waiting for my dreams to come true, and decided to make them happen! So I started saving. And yesterday I booked plane tickets!!!

I'm flying into Germany on the 25th of November, spending 7 weeks travelling around, experiencing the things of my dreams, spending Christmas and New Years and my birthday in a foreign country, with people I've never met before, and then arriving home on the 14th of November, bringing Ella with me! I'm so excited to finally see and do all the things I've ever wanted to do in Europe, or at least make a start on that very, very long list! I'm also incredibly excited to meet a lot of the bloggers who I have got to know and love over the past 3 years while writing Little Foal. I've decided to spend my birthday on the 23rd of December at the Harry Potter Studio Tour, fangirling like crazy, and hopefully meeting up with a lot of the UK bloggers whom I adore. Adventure awaits, and the next 7 months, waiting to board that plane are going to be hell! November can't come soon enough!


Disclaimer: I may have gotten a little bit teary with excitement while writing this post. I'M GOING TO EUROPE!!!!

At home beside the seaside*

My love of the ocean is no secret to anyone that has been following this blog for a while, or stalks my other social media from time-to-time, but once again I am going to take the chance to brag about my beautiful hometown and extend a special invitation to you all in the process. 

Almost my whole life, I've lived in a small coastal town. There was that one year when I moved to a big, coastal city, but let's try and forget about that, okay? That life was not for me! The life that is for me is a simple one. It's one where the crash of the nearby waves is heard as you buy bread and milk of a morning, where the sun shines at least 9 months of the year and jumpers are worn only sporadically, even in winter. It's one where there is only one decent coffee shop in town, where all the shop owners know your name and ask how your nan is going, where lush green fields meet with sand and sea. I love the small town vibe. I love walking into the shops with no shoes on, I love smiling and waving to everyone I meet down the street, knowing them all by sight, if not by name. I love going to the pub at Christmas time, rekindling old friendships with people back in town for the holidays. I love spending mornings at the beach and afternoons watching the sun set over the cane fields. 

The small town life in Australia is a beautiful one, and my small town is characteristically Australian. Bright and sunny, cheerful and friendly. Full of "g'days" and "howzitgarns" Sure, there is the odd snake or spider lurking in the corner, but life in small town Australia is a beautiful one. 

If my description of Australian small town life has piqued your interest, you should check out True Blue Migrations. True Blue Migrations is a registered migration agent with offices in Perth and Mebourne, to help sort out all your Australian visa needs. Head on over to their website to find out more about them, book a plane ticket and come on over to the land of brilliant beaches. I could use a few new friends in this small town!

Even my university, an hour and 20 minutes' commute from my small town, has beautiful ocean views!



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*This post was sponsored by True Blue Migrations. All opinions presented are 100% my own.

Life Lately// Taking Stock

My study buddy napping on my lap

I've been a crappy blog reader lately, and for that I apologise! I must admit, I hit "mark all as read" *gasp* after about 10 posts today because it is simply too hot to be bothered with reading ANYTHING and I have plenty of uni stuff to read when it cools down this evening (will it ever?) and don't need to be distracted. The posts I have read, I have been pretty slack at commenting on too, and again I apologise! I just don't have the patience to type in this heat AND IT'S ONLY OCTOBER, GOD HELP ME!

SO, that is why I am bringing you a sorta lazy blog post today that I found on Laura's blog. Although I did actually really enjoy reading hers, as I hope you do mine!

Making: Bunting for my friend's wedding
Cooking: Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Choloclate Fudge Brownies *drool* 
Drinking: WATER! Seriously too easy to dehydrate in this heat. Plus, it cools you down for about 0.05 seconds.
Reading:The Night Circus for Sam's online book club!
Wanting: Spare time to go to the beach. And money, please!
Looking: For inspiration for my blog, and life in general, and motivation for uni and my business ventures.
Playing: The Kim Kardashian game. FML. 
Deciding: On putting my heart and soul into my business ventures. I'm a pretty half-arses kinda person, so this is tough for me, even though it will pay off.
Wishing: The weather would be a bit cooler while I'm getting uni work done.
Enjoying: Days at the beach and time spent with Jake
Waiting: For my pay to go in
Liking: The jacaranda trees in full bloom.
Wondering: Whether I have what it takes.
Loving: Jake.
Pondering: My life choices.
Considering: Giving up some things and taking on some more
Watching: New season New Girl and Bones, season 9 of Criminal Minds
Hoping:I pass all my subjects this semester
Marvelling: At how our bodies work.
Needing: Money.
Smelling: Like strawberry essential oil
Wearing: As little clothing as possible.
Following: my nose
Noticing: all the little things I love about my hometown
Knowing: How to classify epithelial tissue (how useful)
Thinking: About the future
Admiring: Amy
Sorting: Out my finances.
Buying: Arbonne. All the Arbonne. Oh, and a new bikini hopefully!
Getting: fitter. I joined touch football and am learning to surf and doing yoga!
Bookmarking: nothing much.
Disliking: wearing a lab coat in sweltering heat.
Opening: textbooks
Giggling: so much this morning that the water I was drinking came out my nose
Feeling: uncertain and unconfident
Snacking: On frozen berries.
Coveting: A complete make up kit and a new car.
Helping: My cousin build her business.
Hearing: Anatomy and Physiology podcasts, mingled in with jack Johnson and Sticky Fingers.

What have you been ding lately?
Thanks for reading along xx

Weekend Fun// Sticky Fingers at The Northern

Ever since my sister turned 18 in August, I've been excited over the prospect of going to a gig at our local venue, The Northern with her. Yeah, we went clubbing on her 18th, have been to all ages events before, and have had drinks together elsewhere since then, but nothing compared to my excitement of finally going to a licensed, over 18 gig with my little sister at my favourite venue, and the chance to do this finally came on the weekend!

I had umm'ed and ahh'ed about buying tickets to Sticky Fingers for weeks before Shoni brought it up. The show sold out. Then the second show sold out. There, that was it, I thought. No tickets, no go! Until Shoni saw that one of her friends was selling two tickets to the Saturday night gig, that is!

When Saturday night rolled around, we were pretty damn excited. We ate dinner nice and early, and got ready together with Sticky Fingers blasting in the background while we sang along. I drove to the gig, again with Sticky Fingers blasting in the background and we got some drinks at the bar upon arrival, waiting for the doors to The Backroom to open. Being a sold out show and Rugby Union grand final night, the crowd at The Northern was huge. We met some real characters before the doors opened, and were totally surprised that we managed to make it to the front of the stage when they finally started admitting people to The Backroom, even with another stop at the bar along the way. Shoni was elated. The Northern is a pretty small venue that hosts some pretty big names sometimes and for some reason or another, it's the only venue left in our area that doesn't put up a dicky barricade a metre or so back from the stage.

The first supporting act was a two piece band who's name I forget, but who really made a great impression! They knew how to get a crowd going and the sound of the electric guitar and drums was sweet! We were right in front of the drummer and Shoni managed to catch his drumstick at the end of their set. The second supporting act was a one man band who cracked Shoni and I up with his hilarious tippy-toe dancing, but he was pretty good too.

By the time Sticky Fingers hit the stage, we were well and truly ready to get dancing! Their set was so full of energy, and we danced like crazy ladies, singing along to the words we knew and making things up for those we didn't! They played all our favourite songs, and Dylan even stage dived at one point, which was awesome! At the end of the night, Shoni and I trudged back to the car tired, but still buzzing from the music. Paddy's guitar pick in my hand (I complimented his awesome mullet and I like to think we struck up a friendship of sorts after spending an hour dancing at his feet!), and the first band's drum stick in Shoni's. 

If you've never heard of Sticky Fingers before, you should definitely check them out! They describe their sound as "a melting pot of reggae, psych, pop and bourbon. Hypnotising you into a swaying trance, then punching you in the face for dancing like a hippy." I'll leave a couple of youtube clips below for you to enjoy! 

Book Review// Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent

It's been a few weeks now since I read this book, and it since has been borrowed by a friend, but the passionate stories within have imprinted on my mind as if put there by a branding iron! Peggy Vincent's captivating storytelling combines with a seemingly never-ending supply of interesting life experiences to make this book a quick and pleasant read - one that I finished in a single afternoon on account of walking around with it glued to my nose, unable to put it down. 

You may have guessed by the title that Peggy Vincent is a midwife, but she is not just any midwife - she is one of the pioneering midwives of America's recent natural birthing movement, and this book is a series of short stories which capture beautifully her career. It talks not just of beautiful home births, but also the challenges that faced midwives in the early days, battles against obstetricians and hospital policy, the challenges of setting up a birth centre, legal problems and birth complications, all done in a captivating way. 

It is a book that has reinvigorated the passion within me for natural childbirth. It has lifted my spirits in a time of struggling with university, despairing my choice to switch degrees into midwifery, and restored my faith that being a midwife is my calling. It awakened me to the stark differences between Australian and American birthing practices, and it left me swelling with pride for the profession that I have chosen to enter into. Having said all this, I do not think this book's magic is reserved for midwives or midwives-to-be. I think that anyone who loves a bit of riveting adventure would love this book, especially if you happen to enjoy non-fiction and be even just slightly partial to medical dramas (who isn't, amiright?). 

All-in-all, it is a compelling light read and I cannot sing it's praises enough. Amidst all the heavy medical textbooks and terminology I'm forced into reading for university, I really enjoyed this little reminder of what midwifery is all about and the magic of childbirth! 

Bright Bedroom Wishlist & Moving Home*

Bright Bedroom by sunae-reilly featuring a hooked rug

Those of you who follow me on various social media platforms will probably already know that I moved back in with my parents this weekend. There were a variety of reasons for this - the main one being my health and I've realised that it's definitely the right option for me at this time in my life. I won't be moving out again in a hurry, and for the first time in a long time, I'm finally going to have the money to decorate a little!

The above colour scheme was inspired by that awesome, lime green bean bag which is from Bean Bag Boss, and the brightly coloured floral duvet cover which is from K-mart and is currently on special for just $29! Moving back into mum and dads means that a lot of my stuff is having to go into storage, and I'll be back to a single bedroom again, so I like the idea of the bean bag so I have somewhere to sit and read, away from the rest of the crazy house, and can just tuck it out the way under the bed or in a corner when I'm done.

This is a slightly brighter take on the pastels that I usually go for, but I love that all I'd have to do is switch out the duvet cover to return to that softer look if I wanted to. I'm currently working on a bright/pastel granny square blanket to fit a double bed and think the pops of colour in this little collage would go really well with the yarn I've chosen. Any guesses what my favourite colour is? Hint: it's everywhere in the above picture! Follow the links below the collage to find out where everything is from! What do you think of this colour scheme? Anything in particular that you love from this collage?

On wearing glasses and body image

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my looks. I know that sounds narcissistic at first glance, but please let me explain:

We all know there is a lot of pressure in society for females in particular to look a certain way. We've all had to deal with stereotypes based on our looks, with judgement and criticism, and I'm sure that most of us, at some point, have been ashamed of our bodies, or at least certain aspects of them. I have been ashamed of aspects of my own body, and struggle with body image on a daily basis. I was bullied in school, first for having freckles and wearing glasses, and later for being "too thin". I was called anorexic, I was called "horse face" (my head is kinda long) and was ashamed of the body and face I was born with. When I was in year 8, the bullying (not just about my body, but about other stuff too) got so bad that I developed severe depression and was having thoughts I'm not proud of. It all culminated in me getting a ball to the face (deliberately), which pushed my glasses back into my eye sockets and bruised my face, with me snapping and hitting the main antagonist back (open palm, but to this day the only thing I regret about the situation is not doing it sooner, and not doing it with a clenched fist), and a change of schools which made me infinitely happier, and ended the bullying (for the most part. Teenage girls can be mean!).

The incessant bullying, the comments on my body, they stuck with me. I won't pretend that "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger", because that is bullshit. The comments these people made to me, the confrontations, the name-calling and the insults have all stuck with me. They're branded in my mind and soul and I have to battle those demons every day. The things that have stuck most are the comments about my glasses. I know the word "nerd" is seen as endearing and "in" right now, but believe you me that when you're a preteen struggling to come to terms with being female, with society's ideas of what is "pretty", being called a nerd is not cool.

For years I struggled to accept the fact I need to wear glasses. I've had them since I was seven years old and so spent all of my teen and preteen life feeling ashamed of my freckly face and the metal frames that were perched on it. Despite needing to wear glasses pretty much all day every day, you will be lucky to find a photo of me wearing them in my teenage years. Every time someone whipped a camera out, my glasses came off. To my silly little brain, glasses were ugly, and wearing them made me an ugly nerd. 

I'm happy to report that somewhere along the line, once I left school I had a change of heart. Thanks to the sudden attention of boys, my confidence built. I'm totally ashamed to say that it took a male's approval to shake me out of my silly, unconfident, glasses-hating ways, but it's true. A guy told me I was beautiful while I had glasses on, and kissed me and I remember excitedly telling my mum when I got home "He thinks I'm beautiful with my glasses on!" as if it was a total miracle. I started wearing eye make up to accentuate my eyes behind the lenses, I bought a pair of attractive designer frames and I began to own those glasses! I began to accept them as a part of me! I wear them as if they're a banner saying "I'm an attractive, well-educated, intelligent and classy woman, dammit! And my glasses frame my face and draw attention to my sparkly green-brown eyes!"

Recently, I have begun considering getting laser surgery on my eyes to fix my short sightedness. It's something the teenaged me wanted for years, but 20 year old me is in two minds about it. Over the past three years, as I have come to accept and even love my freckly, glasses-wearing face, I've begun to feel like my glasses are a part of me. Contrary to my teenage years, these days you're lucky to find a photo of me not wearing my glasses! I feel as if my face looks naked without them, and as much as I'd love to not have to constantly wipe my glasses in the rain or wear safety goggles over my glasses like a fool in my lab classes so I can see my experiments, I think I would kind of miss them if I didn't have to wear them anymore.

It's been a long road to acceptance of my body and face and self-love for me, but I know I'm not alone in my experiences. Is it really so crazy to think that I may miss my glasses, which gave me such hell growing up, if I were to have my vision fixed? Won't I still be the attractive, well-educated, intelligent and classy woman without them? I'll just have to find something else to draw attention to my eyes and frame my face. 

My mini ecosystem!

I've been obsessed with the idea of terrariums for a while now. A little group of plants I don't have to water in a cute glass jar? Yes please! I'm a serial plant neglecter. The strawberries I planted when I first moved in to my house barely lasted a month, and it's a miracle the two palms in my living room are alive, considering how often I give them water (maybe twice in 4 months?). I thought about making a terrarium myself, but considering my history with plants, even after much browsing of tutorials on pinterest, I was reluctant to try it. That's when a friend of mine posted a couple of pictures of terrariums he had made on Facebook, asking if anyone would be interested in buying one. Ooh, yes please! I thought. Soon after, he started up a Facebook page for his terrariums called Brisbane Terrarium Co. and tempted me with picture upon picture of little mini ecosystems that pretty much look after themselves! It was really tough trying to decide on which one to get, but eventually I settled on this little one, mostly because of the cute jar if I'm honest! I was pleased as punch when I went to pick it up from his mum's house, and think it's a really cute conversational piece to have in my house. 

Since buying this terrarium, many more beautiful ones have been uploaded to the Facebook page, making me seriously consider buying another. I think two or three displayed together would look absolutely great, but since I'm in the middle of moving house, I will have to be content with one for now. If you're local to Brisbane/the Gold Coast/ the Northern Rivers area and would like a terrarium of your own, head over and like Matt's Facebook page to see which terrariums he currently has on offer. All the terrariums are very reasonably priced, and he offers pick up from Brisbane, or irregular delivery to the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers areas. 

A Very Groovy Saturday

It seems the sun is taunting us here at the moment. A few days of sweet sunshine and now we are back to grey skies and cardigans. Jake and I made the most of the rainy Saturday we were given, with a late breakfast at Groovers Cafe and Restaurant followed by a few hits at the driving range and a snuggly afternoon with some movies on the couch.

Groovers Cafe and Restaurant is relatively new to town, but their good food, quirky decor and reasonable prices mean that Jake and I, being a mere 200 metres away, are frequent customers. So far we have only been at either breakfast or lunch time, but I hear they do a killer tapas style dinner accompanied by good tunes and cheap beer, too. I'm sure I'll test it out sooner or later! 

I got a little overexcited and forgot to take a picture of our breakfast this morning before we ate it, but you'll just have to trust me that it was good! Jake and I both ordered the Aussie breakfast - two eggs, turkish bread, bacon, mushrooms, potato (yes, potato!), pineapple, a sausage and cooked tomato and yes, it was as filling as it sounds! Jake joked on the way out that mine should have been half price, based on how little of it I could eat, and even he had a little bit left on his plate. Their coffee wasn't bad, either. I drank my first quickly before the food came to warm my belly, and savoured the second as we finished our meal. If you're ever in Lennox Head, I'd definitely recommend you check it out! 

Next up was the driving range - one of Jake's favourite rainy day activities. Nothing releases the anger of an incredibly active person having their weekend sporting plans ruined by the rain quite like whacking 100 golf balls as hard as you can from the safety of a tin shed. Apparently. Plus, the puddles make it easier to see where your ball went!

Finally, we retreated home for one of my favourite rainy day activities - snuggles and movies! Jake convinced me to watch Wolf Creek 2 (oh, the nightmares!) and then left me home alone to go to the gym while I watched Alladin to calm myself. When he got home, we finished off the day with a steak dinner and The Wolf of Wall Street. Nothing like a bit of Leo to ensure you have sweet dreams!

What's your perfect rainy day sound like? I have to admit, I think this one would be pretty tough to beat!

*Note: This is not a sponsored post, I just really love Groovers. If you go for lunch, I totally recommend the BLT*

Where I've Been...

A few instagram snapshots of my time away from the blog, for those of you that don't already follow me over there...

I've thrifted a vintage suitcase and a pair of hugging ghost salt and pepper shakers

Celebrated my baby sister turning 18.

Met my favourite band.

Caught a couple of flathead (and made them into a delicious dinner).

Hidden from the northerly in the sand dunes, admiring the beauty of the coastline

as Jake enjoys the start of the kiteboarding season.

Taken pictures of the sunset with visiting friends on the cold sand, then retreated to the warmth 

surrounding performing fire twirlers.

8 things i've learned so far this year...

source

1. Home really is where the heart is

2. You can't let bills & housework stress you out

3. How to light a lighter

4. A lot can be achieved with some secondhand furniture and a tin of paint

5. How to duck dive a surfboard (sort of)

6. Exercise does a world of good… but so does rest!

7. Follow your heart

8. You're allowed to have more than one dream job

What have you learned so far this year?