I love a free gift

I recently celebrated my 26th Birthday.

Quite unexpectedly i received a $30 birthday voucher courtesy of one of my favourite shopping destinations, Mimco. 

After much deliberation, i clicked 'buy' and the deal was sealed.

Enter the postman... 

The excitement builds...

It's arrived...

And it smells devine...

And the best part? I only had to fork out for the cost of postage. 

Did i mention that i absolutely cannot live without a good quality scented candle? 

... You had me at 'wild gardenia'.

Cat Cravat

My cat Oliver (often referred to as 'McGroliver Twist'), was in dire need of a new collar. 


After trawling the internet for a suitable replacement i stumbled across the 'dog bandanna' and formed the irrational idea that my cat NEEDS a cravat.


Enter the sewing machine and an old bandanna. 

It didn't take long and i am quite pleased with the new look. Isn't he handsome?

Recipe Journal

For as long as i can remember, i have collected recipes from various magazines and newspapers. 


Over time i have tried to maintain a bit of order and with the help of a folder and dividers, organised them as i felt appropriate. Over the past few years i have developed some absolute favourites which i hoped to organise into some personalised cookbook. Being the anal retentive individual i am, i have always avoided the hand written style journals (god-forbid someone should observe my usually consistent, yet sometimes sloppy handwriting!) 







Enter the recipe organiser

A good find in a TYPO store of all places. 


Needless to say i am over the moon at the prospect of filling it with my recipes and organising them into neat little sections such as 'soups', 'salads' and 'desserts', all of which will be computer generated to avoid unforseen handwriting woes.

2012 and new beginnings

The arrival of a new year signifies a whole range of new beginnings in this household:

• I finally finished my University degrees. Yes plural... both degrees.
• I am two weeks away from my final of a six year stint as a sales assistant at Pumpkin Patch. Looking forward to leaving but sad to leave a role which i know inside out and upside down. 
• I will embark on my new career as a Disability Service Coordinator (and for the record i am feeling completely overwhelmed).
• My wonderful other half is soon to find out if he has secured a spot studying Architecture or Drafting, both of which will undoubtably bring many changes if he returns to full time study.  
• We have collectively agreed to use every inch of willpower to begin saving for house number 2. I have already begun trawling realestate.com as i am seriously excited about the prospect of upgrading from the unit and finding a house with a garden. I'm thinking vegetables, chickens, dogs and a swimming pool. Admittedly number four is a bit of a pipe dream... no harm in that. 

In addition to this i hope to maintain a bit more of a presence online. I could be deluded thinking ill have more time given a full time work schedule, but i am thrilled about the prospect of getting my weekends back for the first time in 10 years. 

A challenge brought on what could only be described a moment of desperate procrastination.

Since the demolition, and gradual (Shall we say "glacial pace"), remodeling of the kitchen, i have been very reluctant to begin the task of sorting out the huge amount of accumulated possessions that reside within the cupboards. Admittedly i still have a whole heap of other good quality utensils, glassware and electronics that are still boxed from my previous home... That's the problem with trying to condense two peoples' worth of "stuff" into the one. At some point throughout the day i realised i have a month before i begin the new semester and thus i have a lot to organise before i go back. Gulp. 


Challenge accepted, i decided the draws would be my first port of call while my chicken lasagna cooked in the oven. Here's what transpired:

Before: Ashamedly disorganised. Note that we are yet to have the bench tops installed. **Gruff, Gruff**... Those who are a little more astute may notice the finger bun. For the record, it was delicious. 

After: Draws emptied, washed, clutter removed or recycled. 


Feeling rather accomplished. 

The Beginning

Serendipity:

— n
	the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident The fortunate discovery being everyday life. Unexpected, because it is. This is my attempt at creating something bigger and better... "What we do, we gradually become".