Mmmm!!

Many people are off sugar at the moment. It appears that I am not one of them.

Yesterday I was shopping at North Lakes with a friend and on the way to the school pick up she suggested (insisted) that we stop by Sugarland and pick up some cupcakes for our girls (ourselves). I had never been to Sugarland before. I can't believe there's a little gem like this so close. Now I know how all these other mums whip up amazing cakes. I can not wait till my girls have a birthday. No more mini cupcakes from coles for my girls. I am going to whip up something awesome. Maybe, Thor in life proportions or all the H20 Mermaids.

We found a pack of 4 each. This was perfect, one for each children, one for us and one for the husband.

My husband was a little late home...

 and his portion got smaller and smaller...

 ...oh well. He'll never know what he missed.

 

Sugarland Cake Toppers
Shop 4/1646 Anzac Avennue, North Lakes
07 3491 8383
www.sugarlandcaketoppers.com.au
julie@sugarlandcaketoppers.com.au
They also have a store in Aspley

10 Reasons why I love shoes

There are so many reasons why I love shoes. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a complete shoe lover.  I even worked in a shoe shop briefly and my earnings went straight back to them to pay for my latest love. I am a lot healthier now and my addiction is under control, but shoes still hold a special place in my heart. Here are ten reasons why I love shoes:

1. Feet don't have fat days. You can have a pimple, greasy hair or a fat day, but your shoes won't let you down. You can go shopping and try shoes on without feeling bad when you look at them in the mirror;
2. Shoes take a simple outfit from oh-hum to yum;
3. You look like you have lost 10kg when you put on a pair of heels. You legs will appear longer and you will stand straighter;
4. They don't take up too much space. If you leave the shoe box at the store, you can easily sneak them into the house and to the back of your wardrobe before your husband has turned to greet you;

1. They can lift your spirits and make you smile;
2. They have a purpose. You need a pair to run in, for a certain job, a special occasion or to keep your feet dry. There is always a great reason to buy shoes;
3. They don't answer back or mess up the house;
4. They can make you run faster and longer. Well, it certainly works for me whenever I buy new runners;
5. You don't have to wash them after each wear. Just a gentle, loving wipe and they are good to go; and
6. Just because.

Do you love shoes? What are your reasons?

On Tuesdays I link up with Diary of a SAHM

Love Luc...

I have a guest post over at Love Luc today. I am talking about one of my favourite beauty products for her Global Beauty Series.

Follow the link here loveluc.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/global-beauty-in-review-australia

'I only wish you loved me'

Image 'Anime.com'

'I only wished you loved me' These are the words my poor heart broken 8 year old said to me last week because she wasn't sick and had to go to school. She couldn't believe that her little sister with an unpleasant tummy bug was going to stay home.

My daughter is usually the most polite, funny, perfect blonde angel but she had turned into an angry hurt monster. She was on a rampage and it was aimed at me.

My other gorgeous girl wouldn't be able to handle it if the situation was reversed either. They tell me I have to pretend the other one is going to school and not tell them. This goes against my nature. I hate lying and being sneaky.

I compromised and agreed to pick her up a little early.

Do you let the well child stay home?

Am I too tough or too weak?

Winter Warming Soup

I am excited, today I have a guest post at Sew, Cook, Laugh, Live. This is one of my favourite blogs. Jos is full of wonderful ideas and is happy to share them. Today I have written a recipe for my favourite winter soup. Please go over and visit, don't forget to leave a comment.

What a pain in the butt...

...my Personal trainer Pete Sargent is.  Pete encouraged, guided, and pushed me to complete a 50min workout on my butt. That is a fairly long time to be working just one area. I am feeling okay right now but can't help but be concerned about the pain that will arrive tomorrow.

Pete I love you and think you are awesome, but I am pretty sure I won't be saying that tomorrow.


Peter Sargent workouts at Genesis Rothwell
Ph: 3204 9300

PS: I have linked up with BBeing Cool

Animal Print and Faux Fur

I love animal prints and I love fur, throw them together and I will love them even more. Yes, I am that person.  Today I decided that my Witchery Snake print cardigan was missing something. So I added a fur collar.

I found an unused jacket and took off the faux fur collar....

 pinned the collar onto the cardigan and used needle and thread to attach.... 

 then stood outside in the rain to take photos. 

What do you think, yay or nay?


PS: I can't help but wonder if I just managed to destroy 2 perfectly good items.

Endless Wardrobe...

Endless wardrobe has sent me a piece of clothing to play with, this lovely piece is called Centre Piece and is only $39 on their website. This is exactly the sort of thing I would buy for myself, the site describes it as a dress, but I would treat this as a long top.  For fun, I have styled in a few different ways. I have only used pieces from my own closet to play with.

School run mum.

Centre Piece from Endless wardrobe $39

long grey Metalicus coat about 5 years old

navy pants from Sussan

shoes very old Mileno 

Shop hopping

Centre Piece from Endless Wardrobe $39

Jeans JAG

Short orange jacket from aunt 

Scarf gift from father-in-law 

Shoes Nine West bought in recent sales.

Rock chick chic

Centre Piece from Endless Wardrobe $39

Black leather jacket Karen Walker bought 2 years ago

Black leggings

Boots Wittner in recent sales.  

Naughty librarian or a waitress of some sort

Centre Piece top $39 worn over

black Country Road dress about 10 years old

Red Witchery cardigan 2 years old

Kitten de amour belt and old red shoes

(Forgive my white legs, they never see sunlight.)

I could have had a lot more fun styling this, but I was getting photo bombed by the dog and she is way cuter than me, so it was time to stop.

Endless Wardrobe have so many fun pieces and they are really well priced. Postage is free in Australia for orders over $75 and only $5.90 for orders under that.  Please check them out.

Endless Wardrobe
www.endlesswardrobe.com.au
+61 2 8005 0577

Centre Piece in it's true state, it comes in black, pink and ivory

Also on my wish list are... 

A simple Cup of Tea

I love a cup of tea and the quiet little moments you have with them. I am always on the look out for tea paraphernalia that will help me make the perfect cup. 

Beautifully scented loose tea leaves,

various tea strainers,

and lovely teapots...

But it turns out that nothing is better than a simple tea bag.

PS: I am joining up with Wordless Wednesday at My Little Drummer Boys.

Mitsubishi Outlander 2012 Car Review

Earlier this week I visited Northstar Motor Group Redcliffe to pick up a Mitsubishi Outlander 2012 to drive and review.

I had a tutorial about all the great features. Then it was time to say good bye and take the vehicle on the road. Hmm, I couldn't get the car into drive. I politely asked if there was a trick. Yes, big trick. You must use the key and start the car. This was not my finest moment, but in my defence this was not mentioned in the tutorial. Also the week before I had been at the Mueller College Fete and the dodgem cars started and stopped by themselves.

Now about the Mitsubishi Outlander. I really like the size. It is not too big, it is not too small, it is just right. If I was goldilocks I would be completely satisfied.

This vehicle is small enough to zip into car parks and throw a quick u-turn but big enough for all my mum needs. I could fit children, dogs, bags and bikes with ease.

Does it look cool? No, but the really cool kids don't get their street cred from a vehicle. They are born with it.

Is it good value for money? Yes, I had I had no idea of the price of this vehicle and I was surprised that it starts from $28,990 drive away. I honestly thought it would be a lot higher. It also has an amazing warranty, 10 year/160,000km Power Train warranty, 5 year/130,000km New Vehicle warranty and a 5 year Perforation Corrosion warranty with capped priced servicing for 4 years. This is an amazing package.

Is this a family car? Yes. This is the size I would buy for my family of four. I might even upgrade to the 7 seater to give us the extra seats if we need them. We aren't campers or 4 wheel drivers but we could do it if we wanted to.  Regular campers might choose something bigger and tougher.

What did the children think?
Miss 6 "Good, can we get a red one next time'
Miss 8 "I like the seats, they are comfy'
The little monkeys were very comfortable and their only complaint was that I wouldn't let them eat in the car.

Any other points of interest? I thought the coin cup/lipgloss holder was really handy. I like to have places to put things. I did feel it was lacking a few drink holders, but how many drinks do I really need at one time? Probably just one.  Also, that with one touch of a button, the second row tumbles away to create bigger boot space. I also like that the bottom part of the boot door can fold down too.


Some facts: Price from $28,990 driveway 4 doors and 5 seats (you can upgrade to 7 seats)
Engine - 2.4L
Fuel consumption - from 9.0km per litre


Conclusion: This car drove well and would tick all my boxes for a neat family car at a great price. Great driving, braking, comfort and safety.

Northstar Mitsubishi
218 Anzac Avenue Kippa-Ring
3897 4500
northstar.mitsubishi@nmg.com.au
www.nsmg.com.au

A grumpy hungry lady...

I know Hari Krishna's are all about light and happiness but they just make me angry. Angry and hungry. We went to the Redcliffe Kitefest today. This is a huge festival and there are masses of people, strollers, dogs and food vans. The only thing that wasn't there was a breeze. No breeze, no kites. I am sure the breeze picked up later though.

We arrived about noon and my husband was feeling confident the Hari Krishna food van would be there and off he pounced with a positive gait. I stomped along behind him, I could feel it in my bones that they would not be there. With each step I got hungrier, every stroller was a slow moving obstacle in my way, even cute dogs stopped looking cute and were just annoying inconveniences to walk around. I am not pleasant when I am hungry and even the super positive and perky husband was beginning to look worried.

After dragging two extremely patient girls through festival, we had to accept that the Hari Krishna's had let us down. This was not the first time.

We were lucky that some kind people served us a plate of curry.

As usual, the Hungarian garlic bread man was there making his deliciously rich and addictive bread.