31.12.11

the flip side / 'happy' part of our christmas


The annual, local Fire Brigade's drive by on Christmas Eve - so noisy with sirens, loud speakers and lots of children squealing for lollies from Santa!
Christmas Eve Children's Mass; The Donkey! (More like an Arse if you ask me! he he!)
...but definitely a respectful, reverent donkey at the appropriate time! Whew!
Sooo many pressies for everyone!

And Santa excelled himself!
Extended family get-together at my parents home in Sydney (after a three year hiatus) for lunch on Christmas Day with even more presents!
...and there was also milking of 'udder' toes, as one does...
There was copious drinking, eating, backyard cricket playing and general making merry too between the present unwrapping which took up most of the day!

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

26.12.11

a sad farewell...


My dear friend who has been battling leukemia passed away on Christmas Eve. She passed quietly in her sleep after suffering a cerebral aneurysm. Unbelievably it was not related to her other extreme and precarious health battles - those she was fighting valiantly.
Leaving a loving husband and two gorgeous daughters aged 5 and 9 were her greatest fears. She believed in God, more so than most and so I ask, most respectfully, if it's possible for you include Lisa and her family in your prayers, please do. I know she'd appreciate it as would I.

x KL

Picture: Heaven in her arms by Alex Cherry

24.12.11

merry christmas!



 I would like to thank everyone who has shared any part of my 'blogging' journey with me this year.

I look forward to continuing sharing - together, our dreams, disasters, family roller-coasters, homes and home aspirations in 2012.

I sincerely appreciate this blog community that I have become a part of and wish to thank:
my followers for giving me encouragement,
the persons who have left comments for their time and much appreciated thoughts and support,
the blogger's I follow for the inspiration you provide & opportunity to glimpse your world.

Have a Wonderful Christmas!

x KL 

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

23.12.11

Where there's a will there's a way!

The packaging was divine! The cushion came wrapped in damask tissue inside the blue print woven bag!

 O. M. G ! I've had a bit of an exciting day!
Never one to be thwarted by the OTT price on a wish-list item, I set myself the daunting task of acquiring the Vivienne Westwood Union Jack Flag pillow at a more reasonable price point. Today, after a few months of hard work, I received her direct from the Rug Company in London. Divine! This will be a piece I will cherish forever and although I was happier with what I paid (as opposed to recommended retail), with import and custom costs this one better stay 'a keeper' in my eclectic menagerie!

I love it on the well worn, cream leather family room lounge but plan on it 'living' on the charcoal playroom sofa upstairs. One day! LOL!


My darling boy gave me a precious cuddle in bed this morning and I had to take this pic of his hair. After the big cancer 'shave' fundraiser he's decided he likes his hair short so it was re clipped and, although the photo doesn't do reality justice - please believe me, it was like spun gold.
(Click & enlarge - truly, Gold gossamer!).
Rumpelstiltskin; Esmerelda has got serious competition!!! 

Please excuse sewing repair on left and abominable mess elsewhere... I'm getting there, albeit slowly! LOL!

 My darling hubby David brought back this gift for me today; a huge bunch of Christmas Bush. Nothing says 'Christmas' more! He went to meet some prospective clients on site for a proposed new build and there was a neglected bush hiding that he spied. Luckily he had some secateurs in his ute and 'Bob's your Uncle'!

x KL 

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

22.12.11

Eeeek! Only three more sleeps!!!!

I don't know about you, but this is where I'm at. How did it get here so fast?



x KL 

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

21.12.11

More building construction is planned for Christmas!



Hubby received this 'Construction' project from the architect of one of his builds this year. Sooo funny!The time schedule on this one should be a cinch!


My eldest daughter wrapped her gifts today. Aren't they pretty? I wonder which one is mine? He he!

 x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

20.12.11

my destination finds a home....

 Just found a 'home' for this recently acquired sign. Whilst we relax in the bath I hope the meaning becomes entrenched in our souls!

I like it 'propped' rather than hung. Seems appropriate.

x KL


Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

19.12.11

Serenity


How simple and stunning is this bedroom? I love the generosity of scale and sense of serenity. This room is one of six within a penthouse designed by Selldorf Architects. I stumbled upon the image via Cococozy, one of my favourite blogs. I wonder whether the furnishings in the room would look as spectacular without those tall windows and with a more modest ceiling height? 

Different homes and different designers but I think the images below share a common aesthetic.


by David Hicks

by Kelly Hoppen i think?

image : Donna Hay via Coastal Style blog

Maybe I'm just dreaming of a serene, white Christmas?
(...and a Hermes throw he he!)

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

18.12.11

It's a wrap!




All my pressies are finally wrapped and under the tree and parcels for interstate family ready to post tomorrow. Whew! I feel so much more organised and less frazzled by getting this task done.

I'm always amazed at the creativity that children show when needing to occupy themselves for several hours. My son built a lego street scape for a figurine showdown and then photographed the shootout at various angles and stages to record the destruction action. Budding cinematographer or criminal mastermind? Eeek, only time will tell...





















Am I getting old? I've answered for myself, I must be... I found myself interested in the shopping carts above. WTF? An Intervention is required!!!


I have a girlfriend in Baulkham Hills NSW who is modernising her decor and selling all of her beautiful, quality reclaimed Oregon pieces for ridiculous prices. The small bankers desk above is going for $250! If you'd like her contact details let me know.

Hope every one's having a lovely weekend!


x KL


Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

17.12.11

I'm nearly done....

From ...love Maegan blog
 I'm soooo close to finishing my Christmas shopping...thank goodness! I always try to be super organised but the last few weeks in the lead up to Christmas always end with me feeling 'over-it' and very Ba-Humbug! All I have left to purchase now are a few stocking treats and my second daughter's BF's gift. He's just splurged on an XBox so I'll get him a game but which one? If said daughter had made enquiries as requested I'd be done. Grrrrr.
Anyhooo, what do you think of the tree skirt above? I found it HERE. What a great idea! My gold, red and black skirts that I've used  for previously tree decoration don't match my white / silver theme this year and I can't locate a pure white one I like. I'm going to adapt Maegan's idea and use a white faux fur throw at the base of my tree. Another problem solved, yay!

 The  project at Avoca Beach has got it's finishing touch... a mirrored stainless steel letterbox!
It was impossible to photograph but looks spectacular. Hubby was so excited to finish this detail but the back lighting is faulty and the overhang on the RHS is a razor edged accident that has already sliced my darling's arm so it's coming off and has to be re-done. Damn. No holiday yet for my poor hard working man!!! Makes me stop complaining about a day of present wrapping!


x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

15.12.11

The wish list expands, the travelers are home!

 How divine is this candle? It's by D.L. & Co. and I sooo love it! It's available from Barneys New York and thanks to international shipping broker Fiftyone this baby's winging her way to me. I found her on Sue's Christmas wish list from The Zhush. If you haven't heard of this blog site before then pop over for a real treat!






















My daughter and boyfriend have arrived safely home from their big Japanese adventure too. Yay!!! They appear not to be radioactive thank God! Their trip was far too short for their liking and they can't wait to return. So what do 22 year olds purchase as souveniers? Check out my daughter's stash in the picture above. They brought home two extra suitcases filled with plush toys, anime figurines, games and Japanese alcohol. Hilarious! (I must say though that Geisha Kitty is very cute!)

I'm off today to try to finish my Christmas shopping before school concludes for the year.
Wish me luck with finding the Holy Grail; a car parking spot!

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

12.12.11

Vitamix arrival

I'm so excited; my long desired Vitamix has arrived!!! Yee Ha!!!

 


 It came with a hugemungous stack of literature and DVD manuals which on first opening were a tad intimidating. On closer inspection though the books are in every language known to man and the English sections take minutes to read through. Whew!!!
 I first heard about the Vitamix through Louise at Table Tonic. She blogged about this amazing contraption back in September. Using whole foods this beauty can juice, blend, chop, knead, cook and create frozen foods in minutes! I'm hoping it will clean up after itself too. Ha Ha! More information about the Vitamix is available on their site HERE if you're intrigued like I was.
I'm planning on starting one helluva health kick in 2012!
And the best bit? I got this baby free through redemption using the American Express cardholder rewards programme! Woo Hoo!

x KL

(...and no darling hubby, this is NOT your Christmas pressie to me. Nice try!!! LOL!)
Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

10.12.11

Liebster Blog Award!


I am thrilled and honoured to have been nominated for the Liebster Award by two new blog friends; Melissa from Down Ruby Lane and Jode at Life on the River.

Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" and the award is given to blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

The award acceptance has a few stipulations:

1.  Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it you.
2.  Reveal the five blogs you have chosen and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3.  Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4.  Request that people you have sent the award to forward it on to their favourite bloggers.

Here are the five blogs that I have chosen to nominate:

The House on Chambers  Brooke married a farmer and also said 'I do' to a farmhouse... The House on Chambers. She has set about designing a simple, understated, and modern Australian farmhouse and posts stunning inspirational pictures and shares her new life on a farm in Australia. 


In the night sky  Natalie's blog is quite eclectic; she's a lover of interior design, fashion and food.  She shares her renovation journey along with random bits and pieces that inspire her.


The Journey Begins  I have followed Kylie's build and decoration of her home for some time and always enjoy her posts about her home and family.


Georgia Pond Melinda's blog is a journal of her home, life and style. She is currently moving into a home she has renovated and constructed in classic American style. 


 Peep My Style  I love Claudia's quirky style, her love of skulls and taxidermy! Her blog is a constant changing smorgasbord of well curated finds, images and glimpses into her world.


I found it difficult to restrict my nomination list to just five blogs as I follow so many worthy sites. I wonder if, because I received the award twice, if I should nominate another five?




 


 I hope you enjoy having a peep at those I have nominated and consider joining their sites as I have.

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

The Christmas 'List' is shrinking fast....

 I don't know about you but I find men very difficult to buy for. T-shirt and socks? Ho Hum.
I crossed quite a few though off my list today with this:


I've been a fan of Peter's of Kensington for many years as:
(a) they sell online and (b) their prices are always very competitive.
A free sign-up to their weekly newsletter alerted me to their 'Daily deals' over the Christmas period. Not only good ideas but exceptional prices too. Three nephews aged 18 - 22 and my second daughter's boyfriend will get these gorgeous pens (silver NOT pink, ha ha!) + Hoyt's movie passes. Yay!!! Four more off the list!
Other stuff I bought from this promotion were these:


My eldest daughter and BF are thinking of moving into their own place next year and the bright colours look so young and 'like' them! I've bought Joseph Joseph before and found the brand good quality so at these prices were too good to pass up. I've finished their Christmas present buying so will put these away for a surprise when the time is right!

I realise many blogs are now sponsored to advertise but just thought I'd let you know I'm not. 
I just think these are good deals worth checking out! I reckon if we all shared our 'finds' and ideas we could halve the hard work that Christmas creates for many. Like Moi!

Welcome to my new followers too... each of you have been like little Christmas pressies to me... I ah ed and oohed (and bragged a bit too, to hubs just quietly) that now 33 34 other persons liked my ramblings enough to press 'join'. Thank you so very much.

X KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

8.12.11

Tiffany's & St. Vincents. An interesting combo.

 It's taken me a few days to calm myself to write this post. I may even delete it before I press publish. Or drink more wine. There are so many issues running round in my head....
Monday was one hell of a day. ...
I accompanied a close friend to a Macquarie Street medical appointment and she received good news...Yee Ha!
We then popped into Tiffany & Co and 'played' with jewelery I had only ever seen before online! I bought a much wanted necklace.... so exciting...and my friend was very patient! On a high!


We then hailed a taxi to visit another friend in St Vincent's Hospital to see her between two radiation treatments that day in preparation for a Bone Marrow transplant on Thursday....our flowers were banned from oncology and we realised that bright, bubbly 'hope' attitudes didn't quite cut it anymore...
 
...so we cried with her listening to her to talk about death but we couldn't hold her... and.watched her go off to her next treatment. So F*$#ing hard.

Shopped some more....but with no spirit...

 So many beautiful Christmas displays....


...and exhausted got back to the car and my friend realised she'd lost her car keys.... 

it was a .....very .......long ........day....

There are lives we live apart from Blog land. My husband often refers to my 'other life' with great amusement.  Well it is an escape..
.
My friend's struggle with Leukemia has been going on for over a year. It's been complicated by the unrelated need for her large bowel to be removed, pleurisy and blood clots. She's a mum of two little girls 9 and 5. 
My Dad battled bowel cancer last year and won by a bloody bee's foreskin....My most dear friend had a Mastectomy last Christmas and I was so busy with Mum and Dad, was never there for her...my  inability to excuse myself still preventing me from contacting her....
My husband suffers from severe, incapacitating Ménière's Disease, has spent over three years, four days a week bed-bound,
Mum's been in and out of hospital with debilitating, but undiagnosed seizures and I have significant cardiac, thyroid and weight problems, and am pre-diabetic.
Another in my close circle of friends is unexpectedly pregnant and violently ill (hospitalised twice so far; she's 8 weeks) and another separating from her husband after 12 years of marriage....
Tomorrow I'm going to the funeral of a beautiful young male friend who took his own life because he couldn't see his children this Christmas in an ugly custody dispute....

I've had enough of 2011...

Oh.... and just to let you know.... this is NOT want I want to blog about...
Just filling you in a 'moment' I'm having.
I like interiors, design, renovating, shopping and family.

I like dwelling on positives and laughing about negatives...

I guess I'm just giving you more of me and my life than usual!

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

6.12.11

My Christmas card to you....


 Having organised my Christmas cards, there is just one more to do!
This is it, from me to you!
Wishing all my blog friends and their families a very happy Christmas full of love, peace and joy!

x KL

(And a little something to make you laugh too!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8FUrUGTTfM

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

4.12.11

December 3: Christmas cards!

 Do you still send out Christmas cards? I've noticed a huge decline in the receiving end over the last few years. Some have been replaced with e-mail 'cards' others have disappeared into the ether!


 I started on mine today. With the addition of business ones I send out around a hundred each year. I print a generic message on the computer and glue it to the inside of every card, personalising those that I really need to. Then all I have to do is hand write the 'to...' bizzo inside each card and address the envelopes.

This will still take me the rest of the week before they're ready to post!
I always match my cards to my Christmas tree decorating and gift wrap theme and bought simple silver Cole's cards this year for $3 per 12 pack. Bargain! Last year my Black tree necessitated the $12 for eight David Jones Black flock design and the year before that the red flocked version as seen below:



Do you still send out cards? 
And how do you display any you receive? I always find this challenging!

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!

3.12.11

Is this the best BBQ in the world?


 Although my husband has finished the major building works for this client, there have been months of finalising bits and bobs including building this custom made BBQ. WOW! I think even hubs is proud of this one! The top is practical stainless steel because of the seaside locality and the insert is by Electrolux. I love how seamless the integrated storage is. Lovely craftsmanship darling!!!
Now, Can I have one?
If you missed the rest of this stunning home, you can catch up HERE and HERE.

What do you think? Pretty spectacular, eh?

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment; I love receiving feedback! It helps me get to know you too!