Happiness...

Reflection time! I've noticed lately that my blog has taken up a new focus. Formerly a blog for documenting my forays into the world of crafts and indie business, it's now moving toward a more substantial theme: my heart. My 365 project has really kicked this off, and has made me realise that I so prefer blogging about the little things that make each day special. Solution? This is how I'm going to blog from now on. The only problem with this is that the name and URL of this blog just don't fit my new blog image. For the last couple of months I've been laying down the ground-work for a brand spanking new blog. And it's now pretty much ready!

As my blog develops and grows, you can expect some of the following features:

- Cooking adventures and RECIPES!!!!
- The continuation of my 365 project (all previous 365 posts have bee transferred over too)
- Outfit posts (eeeep. Still getting used to that one)
- DIYs
- Features of my favourite online shops
- A new and exciting Kitchen Garden Project
- Plenty of random fun!

I'm so excited, and have already been making the new blog feel like home! So my advice - hop on over there!! Do it!

Her Happy Heart

See you there!!

xxoo

Forever 21 Shoe Madness!

I know it's old news, but I like, totally, just discovered the cheap fun that is Forever 21! I've heard of it before, and appreciated fellow bloggers in their Forever 21 clothes, but yesterday during a particular boring class I may have whipped out my debit card and invited these into my home:

That is not one wedge!

Booooooooots!

(Sorry you had to find out this way Chris... I blame the super-beefy Aussie dollar. My story and I'm sticking to it!)

Unfortunately, my feet are still itching to don these ones too:

Hello cuties!

Flowery goodness...

Sparkle sparkle!

My feet could be so sweet!

Oh, what's a girl to do? I know Forever 21 is cheap crap, but it's also very fun!

What I Did 365 - Day 177

Oh, me and my wigs! Yesterday I was super excited that one of my recently eBay-purchased wigs had been delivered. It was supposed to fulfill a lifetime curiosity of mine - what would I look like blonde? In real life though, it's kind of a strawberry blonde, almost orangey. Not quite what I had in mind, but after a little bit of styling I came to enjoy it! We had planned to prep for the never-ending kitchen renovations, but instead ended up spending most of the evening next door, hanging with our amazing neighbours! I was pretty sheepish showing up at their door, rocking the look above (haha). But it turned out to be pretty fun! One of their girls is dying to play with wigs now. Cute! My favourite part of the night though was when Chris complimented me on the way I'd styled it. Whoa, what? He's a manly guy, and never seems to consider the way I style anything, so that kinda blew me outta the water! Guess he likes me blonde-ish! I can definitely see myself having some fun with this wig...

What I Did 365 - Day 176

Pyjamas. How great are pyjamas?? How do you spell pyjamas? I spell it like this: pyjamas pyjamas pyjamas. On Tuesday night we were both deliriously tired after going to bed at 1.30am and waking up at 5.40am for Chris to get to work. Icky. Thankfully, I knew exactly what was coming after my melt-off-your-skin hot shower - yep, I'll say the word again: my PYJAMAS! I remarked on Facebook a couple of weeks ago that wearing my flannel pyjamas is like wearing a hug, and I think that's worth publishing here! Plus, everybody wants donuts printed on their PJs. It reminds me of a pillow case I had as a kid - a picture of Snoopy and hundreds of ice cream cones floating around him. My favourite pillow case ever. Now these are my favourite pyjamas ever. I'm wearing them right now, even!

What I Did 365 - Day 175

You so need to hear the tip that I'm about to give you. It will change your meatloaf forever! Before you stick your meatloaf in the oven, slice up a bunch of little bake-at-home bread rolls, layer them on top of the meatloaf, spray them with some olive oil, and sprinkle on some oregano. Cover the meatloaf with foil and cook it in the oven until it's almost done, then take off the foil and cook another 10-20 minutes to crisp up the bread. It's like eating your favourite song! It was certainly the highlight of our Monday night - the night itself SUCKED because I was up till 1.30am finishing an assignment. Ouch!

What I Did 365 - Day 174

There's a party in my apron and you're all invited!!! Hahaha. Come on, I had to go somewhere with the seedy grandma face! So Sunday night was the season 3 launch of a little show called Master Chef. No big deal... except it's the greatest show on the planet! It inspires me big-time. I was this close to sending in my application (I spent like 2 days making it perfect!) - not because I think I'm a good enough cook, but on the off chance that if I did get through, I would have the most amazing cooking experience of my life! In the end I was too chicken - I definitely have a long way to go with my cooking skills, and I am OK with that. Chris and I headed over to my family's to cook up a Master Chef Launch Dinner Party. Soooo gooooood. It was kinda heavenly cooking in an amazingly well equipped chicken, with a gas cook top. Oh, my heart! So what was on the menu?

- Pioneer Woman's chicken parmigiana

- Mum's roast potatoes

- Pioneer Woman's mushrooms stuffed with brie

- Steamed asparagus

- Garlic breadcrumbs

- Sticky date pudding (lovingly referred to as Sticky Tape Pudding in my family)

Oh, how we ate. And watched Master Chef. Which was almost as good as the food. Ha. I'm just so excited it's back! Master Chef brings me those feelings of snuggling up on our suede couches, listening to the rain and eating broccoli and cheese soup or chilli con carne. It's the greatest Winter activity ever!

My only complaint is that thanks to the amount of garlic, oil and wine consumed on Sunday, not much sleeping occurred in our house. That was kind of annoying. Even worse when three out of six of us (myself included) got up feeling pretty darn ill. Ah, the sacrifices we make for rich food hey?

What I Did 365 - Day 173

On Saturday we had the pleasure of seeing two friends, Chris and Danielle, get married! I love weddings, and I have to say that Danielle was probably the most elegant bride I've ever seen! Plus, you can't go wrong marrying a guy called Chris in my opinion! As usual, Chris and I couldn't help reflecting on the whole process of getting married as we sat there next to each other. A few months ago I posted a wistful little reflection about how I miss the new-ness that comes after a wedding, and I have decided to upgrade those thoughts. Yes, those 'firsts' after getting married are exhilarating - waking up next to each other, moving in with each other, going on holiday together - and I miss that light-headed excitement, and waiting for it to sink in that it's all real. But in the last two-ish years since Chris and I had our wedding, we've grown and formed a freaking amazing marriage, and I'm so appreciative of the place we're in. As fun as those newlywed firsts are, the last two years of finding our pace has been so much better. Isn't marriage cool?! It's actually a more amazing journey than you can even fathom at the beginning...

What I Did 365 - Day 172

Ah, Friday. The night of opportunity, when trendy young things tear up the town and trendier young things stay at home and work on impending assignments. Correct? Friday night I had the house to myself (I cannot for the life of me remember where my husband was, but I clearly recall his absence). I spent the night alternating between an e-portfolio due a few days later, and episodes of Seventh Heaven. Oh yes. Seventh Heaven. And up till this point I had pretty much fooled you into thinking I was heaps cool. So anyway. This assignment was a massive struggle for some reason, which is a crying shame because it's just so pretty! I could harp on, but I won't. My fingers deserve a break from the blog essays I've been writing lately.

What I Did 365 - Day 171

Woops! I just realised I got my days mixed up - this post relates to last Wednesday, and therefore should have gone before the post above. Erm... yeah. This is the kind of rustic charm you come here for, right?

So anyway. Easter. Do you know what I love about Easter? I mean aside from Jesus, who is obviously the point of the season. Looking at the picture above, can you perhaps guess? No, you probably can't. Because you were thinking "Klara looooves Easter eggs", weren't you? But guess what - I don't love Easter eggs. They are all right, but nothing worth gushing over. However, what I do love is...CHEAP Easter eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ha. I love going to the store the day after the Easter public holidays are over, and loading up my basket with half-price Easter eggs! It's so exciting! To me, Easter eggs are the perfect little amount of chocolate - if you're trying to limit your intake, it's so easy to just grab a couple of little Easter eggs to bring to work for a little chocolate hit. Way better than having half a block of chocolate looming in the pantry, screaming "You only took TWO LITTLE PIECES OF CHOCOLATE?! But I'm unwrapped now! What about the ants!? WHAT ABOUT THE ANTS!?" My blocks of chocolate all scream that at me, hence why I eat so much chocolate - once the block is open, it demands that you eat it. But Easter eggs are so demure - they're separately wrapped so they don't judge if you only eat one. Before Easter, they're expensive. But after Easter they're such a bargain, the good reasons for purchasing them start to stack up.

So in other news, I can write lengthy paragraphs on Easter eggs and the personalities of different chocolate mediums. Awkward.

What I Did 365 - Day 170

Guilty pleasure time!! Interesting fact (disclaimer - I use the word interesting loosely): I am so not into flavoured coffees any more. They had their time to shine, didn't they? A few years ago I never even considered ordering a coffee without some kind of super-sweet flavour mixed in - hazelnut, butterscotch, irish creme, caramel... oh how new options excited me! My sweet tooth must have exploded because my taste for flavoured coffees seemingly disappeared overnight a year or so ago. Probably a good thing, because I can only imagine the sugar-cancer I was getting from the Gloria Jeans Mocha Caramelattes I was so prone to consuming as often as possible. ANYWAY. Strangely enough, there is one flavoured coffee which I still adore a little bit - the Muzz Buzz Snickerl Latte. I know, talk about a sugar overload, right? And yet every now and then, this is the coffee that I crave above all else. Last week my dear sister Nahn borrowed a flower crown off me to wear to a work party on Friday (something about a royal wedding or something?) and as a thank you (I'm guessing) she came equipped with a Snicker Latte. And it was consumed with much joy.

What I Did 365 - Day 169

OK, so remember my recent little cry about working public holidays? Well, I wasn't giving you the full story - you see, as a student I'm actually not a full-time worker right now. Last week was a uni break and so Tuesday - which is my rostered day off each week - was left wide open! It was a public holiday (hooray for Easter and Anzac Day combining forces!) so Chris was home. While I mostly had to work on an assignment, I still got to enjoy the day like a lady of *somewhat* leisure! We slept in, cooked garbage eggs for breakfast (Chris's very favourite breakfast ever, I'll have to share in more detail some time!) and joined the Fields for a double date at the gym. That's right, we're that cool. Smirk. I made a slow-cooked Indian lamb for dinner and we enjoyed a quiet night in front of the TV watching Criminal Minds. It was a perfect little break. 

The photo above is a little snippet of my idea of a good day at home. I love watching Chris playing with the dogs! I think that's Dog's surprised face - weighing 20-ish kilos, he doesn't often get picked up off the ground. Tehehe.

What I Did 365 - Day 168

Booooring vegetables! Right? Beans, zucchini, carrots, celery... how bland can you get? Luckily for these vegetables, they were destined for a very exciting purpose... delicious minestrone!!!! Inspired by the cool change in weather lately *happy cry* I decided to cook up a big juicy pot of soup. And inspired by our new gym membership *we're getting there slowly* I decided to pack that soup with vegetables and other such healthy junk. Minestrone was the obvious choice! My recipe came from Kat-Kat's dear mother, Cheryl. The first time I ate Cheryl's minestrone, I went into a soup coma! She cooks it GOOD. I managed to beg the recipe off her, and now I can recreate it in my own *currently deconstructed* kitchen. It's still great, but not the perfection that I wistfully remember! But psshhhhht! I ain't complaining! The fact that it's finally soup weather is enough of a WIN for me!!!!!!!!

Nothin' Suits Him Like A Suit!

*Swoon* 

Self-Tip Of The Day: We should totally go to more weddings.

Friday's Musing! - Random Memories

Aren't random memories weird? I've been contemplating this for the last couple of weeks. When I was in high school I started keeping a journal of all of the random childhood memories that were triggered day to day. I let the journal fall to the way-side because I always assumed that these memories would be easy to recall - my mind was sharp in my first 20 years of life, and I took my amazing collection of memories for granted. When looking at miscellaneous photos taken on family road trips across America, I was always able to recall the name of every small town, every pokey little diner, every hotel and motel. I kept travel journals, and would sometimes let them go for weeks without writing in them because I knew I wouldn't forget a single day's activities and I could go back and fill it all in later. I think I'm a little more dazed as an adult than I was as a child! I just wonder why I can still remember in great detail the picnic trip we took where my sister Steph, still developing her fine motor skills at the time, took a great swig out of the family's only bottle of water and released a massive backwash of bread crumbs and ham back into the bottle, and yet I can't remember visiting the twin towers in New York. Why can I remember a lady in a lift remarking to my parents how glad she is that 80s clothing isn't back in fashion (har har), and yet I really struggle to recall many of my childhood birthday parties? The things that leave impressions on us do not make sense, people!

I'm thinking I might start keeping that journal again... it's a pretty fascinating read!

What I Did 365 - Day 167

Easter Sunday. I dragged myself out of bed at 5.30 yesterday morning to join my Paradox family in a short hike up a hill in Kwinana in time to catch the sunrise. It was magical watching the sun appearing through the clouds. We could actually see the rays start to shine through first - amazing. I've never actually seen sun rays coming up over the top of a cloud before. It was a really beautiful, peaceful time to pray and reflect. We are so incredibly blessed. After a while we went back to Brad and Lisa's for a family breakfast of chocolate hot cross buns, croissants and cereal. What a great start to the day, I loved it. Unfortunately Chris was working from 8am until midnight so I really missed him, but it was still a nice time. After breakfast was our Sunday service and communion, and then I went to the grocery store to FINALLY stock up our hungry fridge! I spent the evening at my parents' with my family, my cousin Sophie and my Nanna. We had a BBQ feast! It was a really fantastic day, although a little exhausting - I was in bed by 9.30!!!

What I Did 365 - Day 166

Awwww. What a happy Saturday! On Saturday morning I had brunch with the two greatest besties in the world! We so love brunch! We headed to Crumpet in Vic Park and just about died over their amazing breakfast options. The highlight of the menu at Crumpet, unsurprisingly, is their home-made crumpets with honey. Although I ordered mushrooms on ciabatta with asparagus and poached eggs, Kat shared a bite of crumpet with me. Good grief. I can't believe that at the age of 25, I have never eaten a crumpet that hasn't come out of a packet. My life and perception of crumpets has been changed forever. Drool.

After breakfast we battled the post-public-holiday crowds at the shops for a while and then headed back to Hatti's where I took a lot of photos. I know you want to see them. So I will oblige!

"We are the 3 best friends that anyone has had!"

"Psssst! Don't tell anyone, but I think Hatti would look great in a tiara!"

"A tiara you say? I mean, I guess I am pretty royal!"

"Come here, peasant. Her highness deems you worthy of a tender back-pat."

"Well... that was less fulfilling than we imagined! Crumbs!"

"I think the only way of saving this situation from being awkward is just to walk away..."

"No! Come back here you! I'll show you!"

"Auuuurrrrggghhhhh!"

That last picture makes me chuckle...

What I Did 365 - Day 165

There are many things that I love about my job - but one thing that is a constant source of teeth-gritting is the fact that I have to work public holidays. Ewww. Last Friday was Good Friday, and while everyone else in the world slept in and then had a great day, looking forward to a freakin' FIVE DAY WEEKEND, I was at work by 8am. I know, many people work public holidays, so I won't dwell any more. Breathe in, breathe out.
Good Friday at my work is a massive day. We host a huuuuge family fun day, and on top of the usual amazingness of the amusement park, we bring in extra rides and entertainment and stuff. Out in the park, everything is go-go-go. But in the office after about lunch-time... it's pretty darn boring and quiet!!! Luckily I got given a free cupcake by the event organisers. Vanilla cupcake with gooey chocolate icing. Nom.

Unfortunately my Good Friday ended on a huge low, when upon deciding to go to bed early, I took the dogs outside to get them to pee, and I trod on a wayward piece of an old kitchen cupboard, and managed to get 2 rusty nails stuck in my foot. What was going to be a 9.30pm bed-time ended up being a midnight tetanus shot at the emergency hospital. Believe me, the irony of having my foot pierced by nails on Good Friday was not lost on me!! *Probably not funny....*

What I Did 365 - Day 164

Hahaha. I know this photo editing is incedibly cheesy... but some things can't be helped! I can't believe it's taken me 164 days before posting one of our guiltiest pleasures of all time... the Frozen Coke Date. Sometimes after a really long day, or just for fun, we'll duck out to McDonalds for frozen cokes. Ha. It's more special than it sounds! There's nothing more excitement-inducing than being interrupted from some mundane task by the words "Frozen coke date?" Sometimes we're so separately busy that after a few days we realise we've barely seen each other. Even if we're at home, Chris has loads of computer work to do for clients and I always have uni stuff going on. Our frozen coke dates are a fun way of taking a few minutes to hang out. We kind of love them.

What I Did 365 - Day 163

Oh, I have way too much fun with this little guy! On Wednesday night we had BBQ Thai fish with grilled asparagus, mushroom and potatoes. Pretty freaking delicious!! It was an assignment night for me, but we did chill on the couch to enjoy our meal. And then I just couldn't help teasing Cupcake with a little tiny bit of left-over fish. I have a whole series of pics just like the one above! Terrible parenting, I know. But you know, for him it was worth it because he did eventually get that piece of fish!!!! I just love his gruff little teeth. Hahaha. I'm so smitten with our dogs! I can't even imagine how things will be when we eventually have kiddos...! Eeep!

What I Did 365 - Day 162

Tsk-tsk. Chocolate lounge two Tuesdays in a row? After I've just signed up for a gym membership? Sometimes you just need a chocolatey boost to get you through your 3-hour break before class at 5pm. Coffee helps also. I've discovered that these guys do THE MOST fantastic mocha, which makes me very happy indeed! I feel like there aren't many out there who understand the art of a good mocha, and there is no coffee worse than a crappy mocha! I also checked out Burger Edge, the new burger joint near campus. It's pretty good, although I think I ended up wearing more tzatziki than my Bombay chicken burger did... It was an 8-serviette job! Yikes!

What I Did 365 - Day 161

Oh bless! Ducky on my desk! You know your day's ending on a high when at 4pm, a co-worker walks in and plonks a sweet little pair of 1-week-old ducklings on your desk. Right??? Their names are George and Frank and they announced their arrival in my office with the sweetest little cheepy cheeps ever! Eeeeep! I've always loved ducklings. I think eventually they'll be part of our wildlife at work, but for now they're being shared all around the food and beverage staff and are getting to experience a whole variety of little homes in order to domesticate them. So sweet! And appropriate for Easter this week... or is that chicks? Hmmm!

What I Did 365 - Day 160

Yesterday (Sunday) was everything a Sunday should be. We slept in, had a lazy start, and then headed to Warnbro Fair for the greatest kebabs in the entire universe. There's this pokey little shop front, it's called Kebab Kitchen, and you step inside and you're transported to Turkey! I wanted to take a photo of Chris standing amongst the pretty little display covering an entire wall, but the problem with the Kebab Kitchen is that it's always so dang busy!! You generally have to wait a while for your deliciousness to be prepared, but it's so freaking worth it! The special thing about these kebabs is that they toast them so they're all crunchy on the outside. Nommmmmm. We took our kebabs on a little road trip to the beach front at Safety Bay, and even managed to avoid the rain which was spitting down in patches all day. Best little kebab date ever!
The rest of the day was happily productive - we grocery shopped, I finished my assignment, we washed every dirty dish in the house, Chris filled some holes in the walls with spackling in preparation for our big upcoming paint job, and then we enjoyed a super super super yummy dinner of korma lamb skewers with a fresh tomato mint salsa and delicious garlic rosemary naan bread (a little experimentation of mine that paid off)! Best Sunday ever!

What I Did 365 - Day 159

Nawwww. How lovely is this? On Saturday morning we trekked out to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory in the Swan Valley for a sister/mother breakfast. Despite Steph's moans of "I'm hungryyyyy" for the entire trip, it was well worth the 45 minute drive! After breakfasting, and then wolfing down wayyyy too many free chocolate samples, we decided to go exploring for a spot of market shopping in Midland. Our discovery of the day was that the Midland markets burned down years ago. So there you go. We then got ourselves kind of lost in the expanse that is Midland, which was more fun than you would think! Thanks to Dad's excellent knowledge of whoop-whoop, one phone call later we were finally headed toward familiar territory! We headed to the E-Shed markets in Fremantle which weren't exciting, but we still made some fun discoveries such as a shop filled with creepy mannequins that looked like dead children! Then it was time to part ways, so I headed home to work on an assignment (it's my life at the moment! Gah!) I LOVE spending time with my family. Now that I don't live at home with the rest of them, I really do miss out on time with them, especially my super-busy sisters. So our scheduled breakfasts and sister-drinks (so overdue!) are really uplifting and lovely!

The only other exciting part of the day was that Chris and I headed to the gym with our brand spankin' new memberships at 9.30pm! We signed up at a new 24-hour gym that opened up around the corner from us... here's to getting fit? Wooooo!

What I Did 365 - Day 158

Icky. Look at that carpet. Eww. OK, now let's focus on the fun in this picture - my insane tie-dyed legs! Woop! A few weeks ago I happily discovered We Love Colors, and am vowing myself to be a regular customer! Australia hasn't quite gotten into the coloured tights trend which is a crying shame! Thankfully, my problem is now solved and I can shop to my heart's content for tights in EVERY colour of the rainbow! On Friday my incredibly-anticipated order arrived, and my heart leapt! I know that these rainbow coloured ones aren't exactly practical, but I couldn't resist them. Who knows, there'll be some kind of fun occasion for me to pull them out I'm sure! I also purchased some more practical colours - charcoal, brown, and a gorgeous minty green that will look so lovely with a white dress! Now that I know I'm happy with their tights, I definitely plan on heading back there sometime soon before Winter hits to splurge on a few more *less practical* colours! Woooo tights!

What I Did 365 - Day 157

Moment of truth - I kind of LOVE this picture! It may not be high quality but it's of three people who I love so so much! Last night I headed out to see some comedy at the Charles Hotel with Chris, Nahn, Steph, Felipe and Rachel. As is often the case at the Charles - some acts were great, some not so much. Chris and I were stoked to see one of our favourites from Raw Comedy a couple of years ago, Brent, take the stage and do a pretty bizarre routine! It's always fun to just hang out as a group and laugh together I reckon. It made for an insanely late night, naturally, which made the getting-up-for-work process this morning suck. Thank goodness it's Friday!!!!!!

What I Did 365 - Day 156

Most of the time I'm a pretty diligent student. Sure, I fall behind on my readings, and I submitted my most recent assignment at 11.56pm for a midnight deadline, but overall I'm a decent kind of girl. Yesterday morning though, I didn't quite make it to class. I only have one class on a Wednesday. It runs from 8-10am, and involves me driving almost an hour and a half in peak traffic, only to race out of class less than two hours later to be back on the other side of the world in time for work. I definitely didn't pick the most convenient uni. Anyway. Yesterday I got up at 6am and got ready for uni. Then I glimpsed my registered post "sorry we missed you" card on the table. And smelt my disgustingly dirty hair. And tripped over the giant pile of laundry on the bedroom floor. And remembered the sum of money we owed the mechanic. And considered my dire need to get some items at the shops. My resolve vomited in its mouth a little, and that was that. Instead of lugging my backpack out the door, I declared Mundane Madness and got to work. By the time I skipped through the door at work (10 minutes early, I might add!) I had washed my hair, done 2 loads of laundry, picked up my registered mail at the post office, paid our mechanic, and shopped at Rockingham for some essentials. It felt amazing to get on top of the little things that had been piling up!

Oh, and the relevance of the photo above? That would be my registered post - a $4 wig I picked up off eBay! And you just thought my hair had grown insanely since December, didn't you? *wink*

What I Did 365 - Day 155

Oh, the sweet life of a student! I love my Tuesday breaks between classes just soooo much! I always end up making some kind of social plans - my 2-5pm break is a particularly coveted slot! This week I got a double whammy - I spent my 10-12 break with my Mum at the shops, where we lunched and coffee'd, and I acquired a killer leather jacket!! For my 2-5 break I met Kirstin at a new chocolate lounge which has opened up across the road from campus. Interesting vibe! I think my general idea of chocolate lounges is that they are kind of trendy and upmarket. This place has some of that vibe, but also a cheap, student-y kind of feel as well (I think the chocolate drizzled croissant and the menu shown in the picture above are a perfect example of this juxtaposition!!) It was a really excellent time of catching up and brainstorming with Kirstin! She's playing around with some ideas of starting up a new blog, and although I certainly don't have the most riveting example, I'm also an avid reader and I have some ideas as to what works and what doesn't, particularly in the field of indie art businesses (which is Kirstin's industry, as luck would have it!) I think we both came away feeling pretty inspired - her with a page of notes from our brainstorming, and me with a renewed passion for breathing life into my blogging! Yay!

What I Did 365 - Day 154

Welcome to my favourite class at uni! The class is about creative arts in early childhood education, and every week we have a lesson, then play with different art mediums. A few weeks ago we drew flowers (that's mine above) and this week we were given free reign to paint them while the tutor went through the lesson of the day! How fun is that? I haven't painted with a box of water colours since I was a little kid - just opening the tin and smelling that familiar smell was amazing! Seeing as the class runs from 8am - 10am, it's really a great way to start the day! After painting we moved onto wire sculpting, and I had a total primary school moment when the tutor stopped by my desk and said "Wow Klara, what an intricate sculpture you've made there!" Tehehe.

What I Did 365 - Day 153

Cringe. What a crap photo. Now I love my iPhone... but sadly its lack of flash can leave a lot to be desired!!! Chris and I had a beautiful coupley cruisey day at home on Sunday. It was so needed. We don't argue, fight or have any problems at all as a couple, but if we don't get enough quality time together we start getting a little empty. So, problem solved by a day at home together!! We decided to head out to Mandurah for dinner at Sunbreakers restaurant. It's such a beautiful place to sit and eat - it's a stunning venue and there are lots potted palms and booths dotted around the room in order to create a whole bunch of private little nooks. Chris ordered a very manly serve of ribs, and I think his eyes about popped out of his head when the giant plate was brought out from the kitchen! Excitingly, there was even enough for his lunch the next day! I ordered a much classier main of stuffed chicken breast, wrapped in filo, atop garlic mash with asparagus and a roasted red pepper sauce. While it lacked flavour a little, it was a pretty darn good meal! I splurged and got banana crepes with butterscotch sauce for dessert. It was the perfect way to wrap up a pretty blissful day!

What I Did 365 - Day 152

Three besties, as represented by their coffee orders at brunch! I LOVE brunch with Kat and Hatti. We're finding that when we catch up at night time, or late on a Sunday, we're just such a blah little bunch - tiredness wins. Which is lame and old of us, but there you go. Get us together over brunch though, and you can't hold us down! On Saturday we headed out to Blend and it was DELICIOUS. I can't believe I've never been there before! I got an open beakfast sandwich, and am drooling just thinking about the onion jam and provolone. But the company was even better. I am so blessed!

Oh and if you were wondering - I'm the foolishly-indulgent vienna, Hatti's the best-of-both-worlds mocha, and Kat's the simple-things-in-life latte ;)

What I Did 365 - Day 151

Do you see that tiny bit of rainbow behind the yellow sign? Admittedly, I snapped this from the car, hence the blurriness. But I couldn't help myself - this rainbow I spotted on my way home from work on Friday was the most intense, brightly coloured rainbow (double rainbow in fact!) that I've ever seen in my entire life. By the time I decided to take a picture, it was pretty much faded away and off in the distance, but at one point it was so close and stunning that I considered pulling over just to marvel. Who has ever done that before?! I love rainbows almost as much as I love rain - mmmm colours!

What I Did 365 - Day 150

Oh, praise God!! After 64 long, hot days without rain in Perth, last Thursday we were finally blessed with a small taste of what we've been missing out on. Even crazy lovers of Summer were singing praises for the change! The world is so beautiful when it's all rainy and cloudy. This is the view from my desk at work - it could definitely be worse!! One interesting thing that I noticed was that the moment the weather turned Wintery, I was in a serious mood to watch Master Chef. How funny is that? Apparently watching it every night through Winter last year has conditioned me to associate cold weather with my favourite reality show!

What I Did 365 - Day 149

A very happy recent discovery of ours is that the Chinese Restaurant around the corner from us ROCKS. They have super delicious food and are our new favourite takeaway - a bit of a worry because it's not a cheap venture, but there are always left-overs for the next day which is exciting! Last Wednesday night I was drowning in an assignment and Chris was being swallowed by a bizarre peak in client work, so Chinese was the obvious solution! I'm beginning to realise that comfort food comes in many different forms lately... Um. Yeah. Ha.

What I Did 365 - Day 148

Ohhhh. Yay. For shoddy photography in the dark. This was a happy Tuesday! I had uni through most of the day, then got home to discover that my super tacky-but-fun pink wig had arrived from China! Test-drive time! After a little bit of styling, I headed out to Rockingham shops to meet my fab bestie. We coffee'd and gauged the reactions of the locals, then it was time to head back home. On my way home I was waiting at a red light, and a car full of people pulled up next to me. Everyone in the car began "woo"ing - eeeep! I was too shy to look over! I might be able to wear the hair, but I sure don't have the full personality to pull it off! Lol. After dropping in quickly at home, Chris and I headed out to Challenge Stadium. The plan was dinner and a show (Carl Barron!! Yay!!!) but we got stuck in traffic for over an hour, so dinner was off the cards.
The photo above is us sitting in the stadium, waiting for Mr Barron. The show was great! He's a funny man, and the fact that the tickets were a surprise gift for Chris made it extra fun - he was a happy camper! But let me rant about the venue for just a moment. In order to look at the stage, we had to swivel our necks 90 degrees - imagine doing this for an entire show. The seats are too small and packed together too tightly to be able to swivel your whole body, so by the end we had big ol' neck and back aches. Challenge Stadium is a sports stadium, not a suitable event venue. Two thumbs dowwwwwn!

What I Did 365 - Day 147

How good is coffee on a Monday morning???! Our office has a pretty great coffee machine, and thanks to the bit of barista training I had when I was 18 and flipping pies at Jesters, I can froth milk like a pro! Mmmmm. Sometimes this bites me in the ass, as I'm often the go-to person when some people want a coffee. But it means I can make me a killer coffee when the occasion calls for it! And Monday mornings always seem to call for it!

Friday's Musing! - SLEEP

Today's musing doesn't fall far from my scope of immediate needs today! Sleeeeeeep. With all the late-night assignment work I've been doing, I'm not ashamed to admit that when I imagine having a hot shower and crawling under the cozy layers of blankets and sheets on my bed, my heart breaks out in happy little butterflies. The anticipation is amazing!

HOWEVER

It's taken me a while to get to this point! When I was in high school, I truly believed that sleep was a chore; a waste of time when I could be doing so much else! I looked down on friends who slept until 1pm regularly (OK... maybe I still do a little. Depending on the circumstances). If I slept past about 9am on a weekend, I was disgusted with myself. Crazy right? Especially because I was staying up till the early hours of the morning each night. Even school nights. As a result, I was nodding off in classes. Real smart. I have noooo idea why I was so adamant about getting as little sleep as possible!

These days, I still hate over-sleeping too long on weekends, but I'm also woman enough to admit when I need to be in bed by 9pm on the odd occasion! Sleep is AMAZING. It's such a happy comfort to me. I love the cosiness of it. Mmmmm.... sleep!

PS In relation to my last Musing... I totally became inspired and bought a pink wig that day! So now I can whip out pink hair whenever I want to. Problem solved!

What I Did 365 - Day 146

Ha! I love this picture! Amy was very generous on Sunday after our Paradox gathering, and let Kat and I go nuts on her bizarrely style-able hair and... this was the result! 1990s-style spikes! Sunday was, in general, one of those spontaneous fun days. We all decided to head out to the foreshore for lunch, and from there Amy & Aimee invited me back to their place to hang out (so excited that Amy has moved down our way recently!!!!!) It was so fulfilling just bumming around and chilling with these girls. Amy and I scrutinised a Novo shoes catalogue (what's with peep-toe boots this season?!?!) and Aimee showed me dozens of beautiful paint swatches she's been flicking through lately. So cruisey, and so great. I love opportunities to spend time with Paradox girls. They're a good bunch!

What I Did 365 - Day 145

Midnight BBQ!... I want to make this a thing. Seriously! On Saturday I was knuckling down on an assignment, and suddenly it was 11.30pm and Chris came up to me and said "So... what's happening with dinner?" Bless! Many may have ducked out to McDonalds at this point, or tackled the old vegemite on toast. But not us! We set to work shelling prawns, I soaked some bamboo skewers and whipped up a marinade, and in no time at all we were enjoying delicious thai prawns with a herb and apple salad. The recipe came from Master Chef magazine and I'm nuts about it! I feel all gourmet when I make it because the marinade uses ingredients like coriander roots, and you paste it up in a mortar and pestle. Definitely best served at 12.30am. I really got so much enjoyment out of the smell of prawns on the BBQ at midnight!

What I Did 365 - Day 144

Yummy-yummy-yummy-yummy-yummy! That was the best way I could describe Kirstin's delicious strawberry tarts! On Friday night I went to my beautiful bestie Hatti's for dinner with a group of girls. Not only did Hatti put on the most mouth-watering meal of chicken pie, wedges, salad and rolls, but Kirstin smacked dessert on the head with these delicate, perfect little tarts. What a freakin' feast! It was a perfect, happy night of board games and lots of talking. Hatti is the queen of putting on dinner parties. Hopefully I'll be as committed as her when our kitchen is finally ready to go...

What I Did 365 - Day 143

Welcome to my life of late. It's assignment crunch-time at uni, and I'm finding myself a little bit addicted to the old Word Count function. Seriously, when I'm making slow progress, I actually will do a word count after writing two or three sentences! Obsessive? Yes, yes a little. The thing is, seeing my assignment grow in length, however short that length might be, is a real boost - a reminder that I'm that much closer to the end! When I'm feeling particularly achieved, I even text my word counts to friends and family. I'm the same about checking the weather report for Perth - I check it after each regular forecast (yes, I know the times that the website gets updated). So there you go... one of the weirder pieces of the Klara Puzzle!

What I Did 365 - Day 142

Tiny, but so sweet! Strawberries at the shops are past their prime - they're expensive, and terrible fruit for what you're paying. Here comes a perk of having a little garden - home grown strawberries! Now my strawberries have never gotten much bigger than this, but when it comes to taste they deliver! Yum! I've been pleasantly surprised to find that my strawberries are still growing well past Summer, and they still taste amazing - the only drawback? My dogs have also discovered the deliciousness and have been sneaking the odd berry here and there!

What I Did 365 - Day 141

Thank goodness for helpful little sisters with too much time on their hands and a big love for painting!!! Last Monday night, the walls were finally prepped to Chris's satisfaction and we were able to peel open the paint buckets and get started! Oh, the shenanigans involved with painting. Before even picking up a brush, Steph had paint smeared up her arm. And while sugar-soaping, I managed to not only stumble backwards onto a paint tray and coat my foot with Blush Mauve, but also absent-mindedly dip my sponge and hands into the bucket of paint instead of the bucket of soapy water. Good grief. Because we're ripping up the floors we opted not to put down a drop sheet, but in retrospect we probably should have! I think Chris had to choke back man-tears when he got home from his soccer game to find puddles of wet paint smeared all over the floor, and nothing to do except wait for it to dry before the dogs came inside. Yep, some lessons were learned that evening. But excitingly, I now have 2 beautiful walls that aren't the horrific rental-beige that the previous owners slathered all the way down from the cornices to the skirting boards! Small steps!

What I Did 365 - Day 140

Ewww. Right? This is our alternative to the modern kitchen sink when washing dishes. A trestle table and crate set up under the faucet. It reminds me of washing dishes at camp. Right now we're doing OK at keeping up with the dishes, perhaps because this method is a bit novel! But I'm pretty sure the novelty value will wear off soon. Oh, how I can't wait to have a dishwasher!!

What I Did 365 - Day 139

Reason why Steph is the coolest kid in town: who am I kidding? You can see her coolness emanating, without me giving you any reasons at all! Ha! It takes a special type of person to wear a ham mask...
The ham here marks the very first meal prepared sans-kitchen. Deli meat and salad sandwiches. Yum! Steph came over on kitchen-removal day under the impression that she would be painting with us, but that's not entirely how things ended up panning out. Instead she was put to work sugar-soaping and putting spackling in the walls. Not even slightly fun! She was a trooper though, and we got a lot of work done. I was so grateful to have her there, even if she did smell like meat...