What I Did 365 - Day 87

After all the gorgeous food I've been posting about lately, this is a bit hideous. But it symbolises our return to normalcy! Sunday was a day of recuperating after our enormous week. We hit Paradox in the morning, had some down-time at home, and then headed to the shops for groceries. We shared a quick Indian lunch in the food court. So classy! It was such a nice feeling returning to our normal lifestyle though. We're definitely not designed to be big party animals!

What I Did 365 - Day 86

Saturday morning was my birthday sister breakfast!! I hadn't been able to see my sisters on my actual birthday so we planned a fun breakfast at Hush and a trip to the Fremantle Markets. I had such a good time with them. Hush is our favourite coffee shop. Their Belgian Mochas are like drinking a beautiful dream, and their breakfasts are a little bit different to the average coffee shop fare. Steph got a pretty standard breakfast of a ham and cheese croissant, but Hannah had brioche french toast with bananas, walnuts and maple syrup (heavenly!) and I had a spicy chorizo omelette with the crunchiest toast ever. So, so good. Packed full of insane food, we headed to the markets where I fell in love with the craziest, most colourful chandelier I've ever seen in my life (which Chris later authorised me to purchase! Ohmygoodnessjoy!)
In the afternoon I went to see Morning Glory with Kat and Hatti... loved it! It was such a sweet, fun movie. I hadn't been to see a chick flick in the longest time so it was a huge treat! Then we headed out to Zocalo's Mexican Restaurant where I pretty much had my mind blown! When we pulled up, my heart sank because it looked like a total dive. But stepping inside was like walking through the doors of an adorable little Mexican cantina. So cute and colourful!

The staff were all lovely, and the food... Mexican perfection! When we first arrived it was dead quiet, but we soon learnt that every table had been booked for the evening, as gobs of people poured in. I already can't wait to go back there!!!

What I Did 365 - Day 85

Happy birthday to me!!! Last Friday was my birthday! I've been dying to get around to posting these pictures. The day was PERFECT. For the last couple of years I've taken the day of my birthday off work, and planned myself the most epic of days - it's my birthday, why not?! The day started with Chris stepping outside and bringing in a container filled with the most beautiful red velvet cupcakes - a surprise left for me by my oh-so-amazing Kat!!!! And I'm kicking myself that I didn't think to take pictures, because they were adorable (not to mention DELICIOUS).
We got ready for a morning out, and trekked out to Steel Tree on the foreshore for birthday breakfast.

OK, total rockstar right???

Birthday breakfast couldn't have been more perfect!! Choc chip pancakes, hash browns, icecream, syrup, cappucino, orange juice... Yummy! Yummy!
After breakfast we strolled over to the thrift store. I was hoping to find an amazing piece of furniture - we did find one lovely cupboard but resisted because it wasn't exactly what I was looking for.
We headed home for a rest and a couple of episodes of How I Met Your Mother - greatest show ever written! Then it was off to the movies to see Mega Mind. Verdict? WE LOVED IT. It may have been intended as an animated kids' film, and we may have been surrounded by primary schoolers and their Mums, but it was classic Will Ferrell and who in our family could resist that??
After a quick nap at home, my parents dropped by and took us out for dinner. I'm semi-embarrassed to admit that we actually went back to Steel Tree, but this time the one in Baldivis. Blush. Yes, I did say a few posts back that we're obsessed with that place. It was such a joy to introduce my parents to the amazing-ness of Steel Tree... we started with the totally perfect arancini, and from there things only got better and better!

 Arancini... just looking at this makes me drool!

My very special Dad :)

My super amazing Mum!
The picture right at the top (the official 365 photo) is me enjoying my birthday dessert - icecream sundae! To wrap things up, my birthday was just perfect. I was a happy happy girl all day. And now I'm 25... yeesh.

What I Did 365 - Day 84

No photo for Day 84. I guess it's my equivalent of 'a moment's silence' - Day 84 was my Grandma's funeral. It just felt odd to take photos on the day of a funeral. The service was beautiful - my Mum spoke and she was amazing. You don't often think about the entirety of people's lives, but when someone lays it all out in front of you it can be pretty mind-blowing. After the funeral we spent the afternoon by the river, telling stories and enjoying each other's company. I love my family.

What I Did 365 - Day 83

The highlight of my Wednesday. Quite honestly. Birthday fun aside, last week was actually the toughest that I've gone through in a long while. Basically my Grandma died on the Sunday after a really long battle with severe alzheimer's, hence the increase in time spent with the family. On top of that, dumb things just kept happening to hurt my spirit. Cupcake got an ear infection and had to have a very expensive trip to the vet. Our air conditioner started playing up. Dog started limping incredibly badly very randomly. I can't even remember the other junk that happened, but I can remember the sinking feeling that each day of the week was going to bring a worse surprise than the last. So when Chris washed a load of dishes from our completely over-packed bench, it blew way up and above the exciting charts. Ha. Perspective hey?

What I Did 365 - Day 82

The birthday week continues!!! Tuesday night was family dinner at our classic family birthday restaurant - Pancho's Villa! We go there for almost every birthday to indulge in the greatest Mexican food ever! Pancho's is filled with so many memories with friends and family. One of our favourite pastimes as kids was brandishing our forks and carving into the bright blue tables (it's a 'thing' there, we're not normally vandals!!!) I got the beef nachos which I've amazingly never had before (how????), and they freaking rocked! But the highlight of the visit is always dessert - we can never get past the sopapillas, which is basically a plate filled with cinnamon tortilla chips, icecream and caramel. It's a fun dessert to order because it's prepared by the waiters, and they each have their own way of putting it together. You never know what it's going to come out looking like! But we always know that it will taste super good and give us a great sugar hit for the night. Mmmm...

What I Did 365 - Day 81

Last Monday Chris and I took personal days off work to spend with my family following the weekend's events. We decided to start the day with an amazing breakfast at Steel Tree. I have to have a moment - Steel Tree is hands down one of the most amazing restaurants ever. They are in two locations - the pretty suburb of Settler's Hill Baldivis, and also the Rockingham foreshore which is one of my fondest spots on the planet. So location-wise, they're already winners. They also send you vouchers for free dinner and dessert during the month of your birthday. And at the end of December, our mailbox was flooded with vouchers for free breakfasts at both locations - massive win! On top of the great locations and regular free meals, they happen to make amazing food. Their arancini is to die for, and every new main that I try is SUBLIME. Yep, I just used the word sublime. That's how great they are. So needless to say, we enjoyed our breakfast immensely! Chris had the big fry-up breakfast and I got the cheesey scrambled eggs with hash browns. Oh, and they do $1 (delicious) coffees if you order breakfast. I'm more than a little bit in love!!!